Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-05
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY
PIant-Food PiIIs-Sources of Acetylene's
Dangers-Coppor Plated Aluminium
Dark aicteors A Non-Expnnding Alloy
"A New Tribute to Jenner-Life OF
Metals in the sea-An Old Deiusion-
Colored Sounds.

novel method of feeding plants
grown in pots is credited NJ. Georges
Truiffent, French horticuturist.
The needs of the living plant are hrsi
ascertained by analysis, when the saits
necessary for a certain number OF
months are weighed out and formed
into pill" by enclosure in u metal
covering and the pill is planted III the
pot. The sails slowly difluse through
the metal without acting on 1t, such
regulation of the thickness of the inethl
and solubility of the salts being said
to be possible as to give pill to ut
last either three or six months. 1t is
not clear what advantages are expected
To Justify the expense of periodical
ANALYSES, but II is stated that large,
Well-colored plants are grown ia pots OF
less than half the usual size.
Much of the danger attending the use
of acetylene, according to froi. IiNi-
an b. Lewes, may due to the making
of the calcium carbide from impure
materials. An appreciable amount OF
sulphur, phosphorus of SILICA com
pounds in the coke may give rise IN
the resulting acetylene to phospnoIett-
ed hydrogen and similar gases liable 10
combustion products injurious 10
health and to fabrics. The pure acety-
lene can be decomposed abruptly INTO
carbon and hydrogen by contact with
"A detonator or by heat, the danger,
however, being slight between two at
mospheres of pressure and greater as
the pressure increased.
The successful plating of aluminium
with copper has been announce ny IL
German named Wachwitz Many OBJ
jections to aluminium are thus over
come and the copper coating is so thin
as not to add materially to the weight,
while the union of the two metals is
SO perfect that plates maybe rolled or
stretched without peellng. The copper
covered wires may be plated with silver
or gold.
Five or six years ago so-called dark
meteors" were observed by Nj. du Gel
lice Muller to cross the moons disc.
Announcements of this discovery were
received with much scepticism by as
tronomers, some of whom suggested
that the dark bodies were birds in
flight, others that they were seeds
floating in the air, and still others that
they were particles of dust in the eyes
of the observer. Subsequent observa-
lions have proven beyond all doubt, II
we may accept as conclusive recent
ciety by Mr.. Fritz Hopman, that the
objects are really bodies moving in
space outside the earths atmosphere.
The size of these bodies varies great
ly, most of them appearing very small
but two having looked as large as the
lunar crater Tycho, and their apparent
velocity also Is very different for diff
ferent meteors, the passage across the
lunar disc having occupied from frac-
ton of second to three seconds. The
dark meteors have been seen passing
before the sun. too. in considerable
number.
Curious results have been obtained
by NJ. Guillaume in experiments with
alloys of iron and to 40 per cent of
nicyel, the object of the tests being to
determine the metal most suitable for
measuring Instruments on account of
permanence in length under varying
temperature. A rule made of an alloy
with % per cent OF nickel, and an
nealed, continued to elongate when
kept at lower temperature. An alloy
containing 20 per cent of nickel ex-
banded on heating considerably more
than ordinary steel, but with 81 per
cent of nickel the character of the
metal was entirely changed, the alloy
scarcely expanding at ALL
Vaccination has received fresh en-
&c of smallpox at Gloucester, England.
DIR. Sidney Couplnnd reports n total of
ISIS cases, with ASA deaths, the mortal
fly having been i0.S per cent among
the unvnccinated and only 9.S per cent
among the previously vaocinated. Only
3 cases, moreover, of the 50I accounted
severe were among the vaccinated.
The severity of the epidemic is attri-
buted to the large number of unvaccl-
mated children.
The best color for school exercise
boards is stated by an authority to be
cream white, with ordinary crayons
of 81 y-blue, and extra colors of canary
yellow and n clear dark green. Black
is the worst of all for the eyes.
The effects of sea-water on metals
during prolonged immersion have been
studied anew In France. various metal
lie objects dredged from the harbor OF
Brest having been presented for eX-
animation. A bronze arquebus, sup
posed to date from the end of the six
teenth century, was found to contain
somewhat more than so per cent OF
copper, about 0 per cent Of sulphide OF
copper. about 9.5 per cent of tin and
traces of lead. and the metal was In
an excellent state of preservation. Such
was the case also, 1t Is recalled, with
the bronze guns of the English vesse
being under water 292 years. Cast lror
shot found at Brest, however, had be-
come SO soft that they could be cut
with a knife; but wrought iron objects
We're a little better kept, having "a core
of sound metal under the rust. The
same effects on iron were noted in tn,
cannon of the Royal George, after be-
ING sunk only . years.
While alchemy has been revived n
tine United States, the dlvlning rod has
gained n fresh hold in England. The
mystery of this instrument is explained
by Prof. NJ, f.. Wadsworth, of tn,
Michigan School of Mines. who has of
ten shown his classes that If any tough
twig fork Is grasped with the palm.
upward, the branches entering tn,
clenched hands from the sides farthes
apart. the twig will bend downward
whenever the grasp is frightened. TIL,
harder the grip the more II must curve
Water or no water, mineral or no mine
raj, the result must always be the sam,
when the conditions are fulfilled: ant
II can be easily understood Prof
Wadsworth adds, how an ignoran
operator may deceive himself and b,
perfectly honest in supposing that som,
occult force, and not his hands, forcei
the fork downward
Color-hearng is found by DIR. w. S
Colman to be of two kinds. In one
transparent colored film seems to mp
pear in front of the person on hearing
certain sounds as those Of tho Vownls