Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-19
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY
Vegetation In Colored Light-The Steam
Turbine Made Revcrsibie-M Mental Cor
rection OF notwithstanding Projectilc
Flights-Peati Charcoal "A Transparent
Waterproof Textile-Deposition of Gold
Travels OF the Eifel Tower Summit.

Recent Investigations of NJ. Camille
Flammarion, the versatile French as
tronomer. have been applied to prob
lens in plant growth. Cutivating
plants under red. green. blue and color
less glasses, he has found not only that
the growth is wonderfully stimulated
under red glass while the development
of woody fiber is greatest under clear
glass, but that the color and shape Of
leaves, flowers and fruits are often af-
fected by the color of the light. Lilies
that We're pink in ordinary light be-
came white under green glass The
size, shape and color of geranium and
coleus leaves varied greatly in light of
different colors as well as In that of
varying intensity, temperature proving
to have little influence. A German re-
viewer of these experiments finds that
all plants may be divided into three
principal groups. In the first the in
iluence of light on the nutritive pro-
cess in the cell causes the colors of leaf
and flower; in the second, the color Is
influenced by the direct effects of sun
light; and in the third, the coloring of
certain parts is not dependent on
light.
A disappointing feature of the "Tur-
binia." whose performance not many
dEu lnt WD1lu, was
the lack of any means of reversing the
motor. Mr.. Parsons at first thought
to overcome the difficulty by the crude
plan of using separate engine for
running astern, but has now announced
that he has succeeded in applying to
the steam turbine a system OF butter
fly reversing steam valves by which the
steam may be made to act on the
blades of the motor In either direction.
Wearing for eight days a mask fitted
with inverting lenses. projecting upon
the retina erect instead of the usual in
verted images, Prof. Geo. NJ. StrattOn
of the University of California. soon
learned TO see objects right side up,
| but TO his surprise everything APP
| peared upside down when he first re-
| moved the apparatus. He concludes
that seeing right side up is mental
| rectification of the visual image actu-
ally projected upon the retina.
Precise measurement of the velocties
of projectiles--which now reach half n
mile per second-requires ingenuity.
The. ordinary chronograph consists OF
II shutter suspended by an electro
magnet. the shutter being dropped as
the cannon-ball breaks the first of
| series of wires, and given n knife-cut
at the point reached in its fall as each
of the other wires Is broken. The We
locity is calculated from the knife
| marks and the known speed OF falling
bodies. A new and more delicate
| rhronograph-the invention of Prof
| Gushing Crehore of Dartmouth College.
and Lieut.. owen Squire. U. s. A.
| depends upon the modern discovery
known as the Faraday effect, tube
| Of carbon bisulphide between the two
Nicol prisms OF polariscope allowing
he rays of light unusually Intercepted
| " the crossed prisms to pass when a
strong magnetic field is producer. The
| Magnetic field Is given by coll of
wire surrounding the tube. The re-
| cor1ing apparatus includes, besides the
polariscope and tube, a camera with
a revolving sensitive plate and fall
| ing shutter with two apernturce. ons
opening admitting the polarized light
and the other ray from the vibrating
prong of tuning fork. The vibration
| g known and the dots formed on the
sensitive plate constitute the time
scale for the projectile record. The
proiectile breaks the magnetizing cir
cuit--extlnguishing the light-as II cuts
the first wire. restores the circuit ny a
'r1ple device as 1t reaches the record
wire. breaks It again at the third. and
so on. four circuits giving n record OF
'''ht time intervals. BY suitable plhc-
ing of the wires any portion OF the
nroiectile's path may be studied a
striking observation already made "
| that the pro1ecule increases IT'S w
'nrity for two or three yards after leav-
lrC the canon, slowing down to muz2le
| velocity in about 20 YARDS.
\ modified apnnratus makes It posi-
lie to follow the balls course INSIDE
.he Common. The quickness OF the
measurements Is marvellous, ten points
hovlrg been taken in thirty inches the
time interval being 1000 of second.
Peat Is treated in an Engllsh process,
natented by Mr. Blundel, by being
Termed into paste, moulded into tunes
our or five inches through. then cut
into sticks and aired for three or four
weeks. Thus prepared, the material
N be used as fuel, or It can be more
profitably made into charcoal In re-
torts. Three tons of peat make one Ton
of charcoal, The process is to be tested
. Italy, where are large deposits oil
peat.
A remarkable fabric now being made
In Brussels Is flexible. transparent nnu
lmpervious to water. Its surface, IKE
that of glass, can be washed with .
wet sponge. The material Is maui Wy ny