The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-01-27
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MIS- CELLANY.

Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Electric Notwithstanding Animal
Colony--Paris Neutrality-suspicious.
Great Tropical ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS on
Street Cars-A Bird State-Prodnctive-
ness of the Sea-SteamerS and Wind
Moulded Calcium Caribbean Electri-
cally-Heated Building.
The first industrial application of the princi-
ela@kHiaal "A SD - he &iae Nodona
Briroreau process Of seasoning timber in which
the electric current is made to drive out the sap
and replace it by Interchangeable solid matter.
The solution, kept by steam-pipe at 1902 Fair,
is made to nearly cover the wood, lead grating
supporting the log being connected to the posi-
tive pole of dynamo. and lead plate on a
porous cover of felt and canvas, to the negative
pole. The separation of the electrodes by
porous partition causes the solution to increase
about the negative pole. In a public trial of
the process, the solution used contained 10 per
cent. of borax, per cent of resin and 70 per
cent. of carbonate of soda. and the time neces-
sary to draw this up into ten-inch log was seven
or eight hours. After treatment the wood is
dried in open air for several weeks or even
months.
An attempt to keep the animals brought in
by the natives from the bush is being made at
Carnot, in the Congo. Though some die and
Others escape, an interesting collection has been
made, including monkeys, small rodents, wild
hogs, jackal, young tiger cat, with dogs,
horses asses and horned cattle. The last-named
rapidly multiplying. The animals are al
lowed much liberty, some of them having be-
come very tame, and large monkey has learned
to take care of the sheep.
-
report by NJ. Perisse states that four pro-
cesses for disposing of the waste of Paris have
been suggested-direct employment for agricul-
ture, incineration, steam treatment and grind
ing. The last-named, fitting the material best
for the soil, is recommended as the most eco
nomical, and as having proved satisfactory in
practice.
The hose wagonydriven by storage batteries
that Paris is using weights 500 pounds, can run
3TH miles at 10 miles an hour on one charging,
and easily ascends per cent. grades.
"a
The discovery that mosquitoes are responsible
for the spread of malaria is giving rise to exalted
hopes of banishing one of the most dreaded
scourges of the topics Major Ronald Ross re-
searches in India show that this is probably the
only source of Infection, and give grounds for
believing that not all kinds of mosquitoes are
dangerous. Thus far the ''spotted-winged mos
quitoes" seem to be the only offenders, the ma
laria parasite having been found only in two
species of these creatures in India and one in
italy. Their breeding places are rare in India,
being only shallow puddles of rain water that
do not dry up under week or more; while the
common species find breeding places near every
dwelling-the "brindled mosquitoes in pots and
tubs of water, and the gray mosquitoes' in
cisterns, bitches and drains. The problem of
pli1ed Il the present conclusions prove to be
correct. 1t is simply necessary to drain or treat
with chemicals the comparatively few pools
yielding spotted-winged mosquitoes, and the
disease will disappear through the determination
of its carriers.
Lighting by new low-pressure acetylene sys-
tenn is expected by Paris street railway COM
pany to prove more satisfactory than by cleo
tricity. The material used is the "acetylithe" Of
: Aetang and Serpollet, which is calcium carbide
treatedwi glucose after an immersion of sew
eral weeks in petroleum, and this prevents over
production of gas. The generator is placed on
the platform under the stairs. After leaving
the generator, the gas is dried purified and con-
Quoted in lead pipes to the burners, which are
enclosed in globes. The total cost for five lights
is about four cents an hour.
Nebraska is found by Mr.. Lawrence Bruner
to be favored with an unusual variety of birds.
The records of naturalists show that Ais species
and subspecies visit the State and that 227 breed
therein, while the total recorded species for
North America north of Mexico number only
about $50.
The value of the fish taken yearly from the
North Sea is about s4O,OOO,OOO, and from this
Prof. Heusens, a German geographer, calculates
that each square mile of this sea adds about $1s
annually to the production of the countries on
its borders.
Unexpected results of study of wind influ-
ence on steamship speed have been given by
Herr LIE. Dinkage. The observations were
naRa5 from two North German Lloyd steamers
of about 5000 tons and Il or l6 knots, and showed
no perceptible effect whatever from favorable
wind, whether gentle breeze or a heavy gale,
but a reduction of three to five and a-half knots
with a side head wind. 1t seemed clearly
proven that favorable wind never helps fast
steamer, although an unfavorable wind always
binders it. In the case of slower steamers, some
increase of speed might be expected to be inn
parted by favoring gale
-.
Calcium carbide cartridges are made by an
Australian inventor in the following manner:
A plastic mixture is made of 80 parts by weight
of tar, SO of lime, of sugar and water and of
coal slack and this is placed refractory moulds,
through the ends of which pass carbon cleo
trodes that nearly meet middle disc of carbon.
The passage of an electric current consumes
MIXTURE electrods and disc, which combine to
form calcium carbide. The moulds are made of
convenient cylindrical shape and number of
them may be placed in one circuit.
~
The heating apparatus of the Odeon Theatre
at Buenos Ayres consists of nine series Of re-
sistance coils, any or all of which can be in
stantly brought into or cut out of the electric
circuit They are placed beneath the building
in brick chamber, into which fresh air passes
through a tunnel, and, after being heated, is
distributed through earthenware pipes to eight
or ten registers in the floor of the theater.
"a
Although 100000 persons in the United States
are engaged in bee culture, the annual value
of the product being probably s20,000.00O, Mr..
Frank Benton finds that the flora is capable of
supporting ten times the present number of
colonies of bees. The industry not only does
not impoverish the soil but ensures better seed
and fruit crops.
About 81 specimens of the great auk's egg
now known to be in existence, and the last two
sales were at 800 guineas each.
DR. SAMUEL e. LLOYD,