Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-07-26
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.
There are Ave counties in North and
South Carolina that spin more cotton
than they raise. Ths total number
OF bales spun is 395, 900 and of bales
raised 18O, 900.
The Russian agricultural depart.
ment has recently discovered in
kirghiz Steppe on the eastern shore
Of the Caspian sea immense naphtha
springs of quality which is said to
be equal to the best American naphtha.
The hydraulic mining pits in Cali
fornia materially changed the land.
scape in many places. The pit Of q
hydraulic mine in Nevada county. Cal. i,
which was washed out some so years
ago, is again covered with growth of
pine and other trees, and patches of
brush again dot the once verdureless
slopes.
A special report of the agricultural
department tells about new use to
which skinned milk is being devoted.
By process of dessication the casein
of the milk is reduced to dry state,
and it can then be nodded into any
desired form, colored, ETC., after the
manner of ceiluloil. The new prod
uct can be adapted to the manufac-
ture of billiard balls, oilcloth, book
bindings. paper sizing, etc., and
skinned milk being practically a
waste product in many sections the
material ought to be inexpensive.
Folds of rock, with allied phenom.
ena, are reproduced for the instruc-
tion of geological students by a novel
apparatus devised by Professor G.. A.
Lebour of the Durham College of Sci
ence. Two parallel wooden rollers,
about four inches in diameter, are
mounted about three feet apart, and
are provided with gears and crank
to rotate them slowly in opposite
directions. A sheet of rubber is
firmly attached to both rollers. The
rubber is stretched by rotating the
rollers, when layers of cloth, clay or
paste are laid on it, and on reversing
the rotation the folds are shown grad
ually growing with the contraction.
At the last annual meeting of the
Geological Society OF America, Pro-
fessor ]. G. Russell called attention to
the recent discovery that many OF the
! swamps and lakes in the southern pen.
insula of Michigan are rich in calca-
reous mari, suitable for making Port.
land cement. Although partly com.
posed of shells, the Michigan mari is
PRINCIPALLY chemical precipitate which
is still being formed. The precise
method of its formation is not yet
understood. The supply is practically
inexhaustible. Large cement works
have lately been constructed, Others
are in contemplation, aud Professor
Russell says that Michigan can easily
take leading place in that industry.
An interesting experiment was car
ried on during the year just passed by
Sir w. Thiselton- Dyer, who tried to
ascertain the effect of exposing seeds
to temperature of $50 degrees cent?
grade. or the temperature of liquid
hydrogen. The seeds selected were
mustard, peas, vegetable marrow,
musk (for its extremely small size),
wheat, and barley, and the samples
used IN the experiments were of the
best quality, selected by expert seeds
men. The seeds were then sent to
Professor Dewar, who in the first
instance sealed them in glass tubes,
cooled them first in liquid air, and
then transferred them to the hydro
gen, where they remained for more
than an hour. The seeds were then
| planted and germinated as usual. II
another experiment seeds we're i'm
mersed in liquid hydrogen for six
hours, being actually soaked in the
liquid, and when planted germinatet
without showing the slightest effect o.
the treatment to which they had beer
subjected.