Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-03-20
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

oSICNSE AM iNOOo IN
The fuse wire used in electric light
ing systems and trolley cars is COM
position of lead and bismuth. The
proportions are varied somewhat to
alter the hardness of the wire.
1t is asserted that the electric fur
nace has been adapted to glass manu-
facture. The raw materials are fed
through funnel to an electric arc in
the highest part of the furnace. After
being reduced to a molten condition
it is successfully passed between two
other electric arcs lower down in the
furnace, finally issuing in purified
condition.
Drs Mactayden and Rowland in
their experiments on the influence of
low temperatures on bacteria have
found that though a certain degree of
heat is destructive to bacteria they
flourish vigorously and show no alter
alton in their appearance after being
subjected to the very low temperatures
attained by the use of liquid air and
liquid hydrogen, even though exposed
to them for a week. The selection of
O-organisms experimental on in
cluded germs of typhoid, cholera and
diphtheria.
An interesting exploration of Lake
Tanganyika and the country north of
1t, finished recently, revealed the fact
that while certain sea mollusks are
found in the lake, it the the only one
of all the large African lakes in which
such phenomena are observed This
lake is only a short distance, some so
miles, from the great Congo basin,
much of which, without doubt, was.
once covered by the sea. The halolim-
mic fauna appeared to extend into the
Congo valley, and it is believed that
the lake at one time extended consid-
erably to the west. Lake Nyassa, on
the other hand. has every character
lst1c of fresh water lake, and the geo.
logical fauna does not indicate that
this lake is Of any great age.
The discovery has just been made
that camphor, known only as a vege-
table product, or made synthetically,
is produced by small worm-like crea-
ture known as a diplopod with the
scientific name of polyzoninium rosal-
blum. The animal is found in this
country, and by careful examination it
has been found that the substance
which gives the odor of camphor is n
milky fluid which is exuded from the
dorsal pores. This fluid in addition to
the odor of camphor, has a
similar taste. Enough of the camphor
has not as yet been obtained for chem
ical analysis, but it is considered a
substitute for the prussic
acid secreted as a means of defense by
a species of myriapod.
The changing of certain growing
flowers from red to blue on applying
alum, etc, to the roots of the plants
has been long known; but it has re-
mained for the late systematic re-
searches of Minyoshi, a Japanese bot
an1St, to open up remarkable new DOS
sibilities of coloration by the florist.
Tho experimenter prepared watery ex-
tracts of 73 different flowers of lilac.
purple and red colors, and of a num-
Der OF red leaves, treating these solu-
tions in turn with acids, alkalies and
salts. What seemed to be the same
coloring matter in different solutions
gave greatly varying results. In most
cases alum turned lilac to blue, pink
or deeper lilac; hydrochloric acid
changed lilac or pale red to deep red.
seldom producing lilac, green or brown:
and caustic potash changed lilac to
green, or sometimes yellow. In prac-
tlce these color transformation should
follow the application of the chemicals
to the plant roots, of course in ex-
tremely weak solutions.