The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-10-25
Correspondence Baltimore County linton.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


Uncle Sans New Perfume-The Oxy-
Acetylene Blowpipe-A m osp heric
Electricity in Vine Growing-Improve
the Dogs-Liquid Air Blasting-Novel
Canal Engineering-Brain Weights
The Moons Pull and Volcanoes.
Altar of ylang-ylang, which rivals the altar
of roses as an exquisite perfume and sellsat $40
to $50 or more pound, is the product of an
Asiatic tree that reaches its highest develop
ment in the Philippine Islands. The tree grows
to a height of 60 feet, when three years old it
begins to bear long greenish-ye fowers,and
at the age of eight may produce yearly 100
pounds of these flowers, blossoming every
month. The altar is obtained by simple distil-
lation of the choicest petals with water, no
chemicals being used. Besides its value as
perfume for hair and toilet waters, the product
is priced among the natives as a medicine, being
credited with curing toothache and numerous
other pains.
The improved blowpipe of NJ. Fouche uses
only pure oxygen and acetylene, in the proper
ton of 1.8 volumes of the former to ! volume of
the latter, and it gives much higher tempera-
ture than was obtainable with mixture of
ether and acetylence that could be burned at
lower pressure. The pressure used is equiva-
lcub W bHdJ VI dDOuJ 10 lccJ WdOCAs dAiN DoShA
firing is prevented by the speed of 300 to 450 feet
second at which the gases issue from the jet
In the hot greenish cone at the centre of the
fame, iron and steel are easily welded, and Silica
lime, alumina and magnesia are readily fused.
For luminous flame the oxygen is reduced.
-.
In electric grape culture, NJ. J. Fuchs, of
Elba places in a field of2K acres five masts, each
having q special accumulation for collecting at
mospheric electricity. The accumulators are
connected by wires with each other and with a
wire network a foot and half underground, and
short wire runs from the net to each plant.
Not only are the grapes improved in yield and
quality, but they are free from phylloxera.
-.
new French life-preserver is a belt filled
with calcium carbide. 1t is quickly inflated by
acetylene on being wet.
-
Some multi-milionaire may put little sur
plus capital to worse use than by providing an
institution for evolving, by selection and train
ing, an intellectual race of dogs. Lord Avebury
has shown the possibility of teaching dogs to
read to certain extent. He has taught Van,
his pet poodle, to express its wants by choosing
cards printed flood, 4" "out, - "tea," bone" and
water from cards bearing other words, and
has taken pains to ensure that the cards shall
not be selected by position or by any peculiar
scent. The first step in education consisted in
teaching the difference between card printed
"food" and one left blank, and after ten days
the correct card was invariably chosen. 1t was
more difficult to make the animal distinguish
between words. Several words were recognized
at last, however, and if Van was asked to go to
walk he joyfully brought the ''out' card.
80
Most blasting experiments with liquid air have
proven failures, but the results seem to have
been better in recent bridge-buiding work at
Munich Paper cartridges were filled with a
spongy absorbent and provided with detona-
tor. When ready for the blast, the liquid air
was brought to the spot in vacuum jack
eted vessel, and the cartridges were plunged
into it until the absorption was thought to be
sufficient. The cartridges were then quickly
placed, and fired by electricity or other means.
The effects seemed to equal those of dynamite.
and cartridges failing to explode became harm
less in 10 minutes from evaporation of the air.
~
Great mountains on Venus are supposed dis
covery of Herr Arendt, of Posen. These ele-
vations appear to project through the clouds
from time to time, aud the observations thus far
made tend to prove rapid rotation in twenty
four hours.
The magnetic pole in northwestern America
is supposed to have shifted considerably since
its discovery by Ross in 1881. Taking with him
seven companions in a small schooner, Amund-
sen, the Norwegian explorer, expects to make
observations on the present site of this pole.
-
On one of the most important English canals,
at Foxton, difference in level Of 10 feet was
overcome by series of ten locks. Through
these locks single small barge, carrying not
more than 80 tons, could pass in rs minutes.
The upper and lower canals are now connected
by an inclined plane Of in T. ana Two uUcKs are
moved sideways up and down on this incline, one
descending as the other ascends. Each dock is
an iron trough so feet long, 10 feet wide and 8
feet deep. with ater-tight gates at the ends.
This novel elevator can pass 200 canal boats in
twelve hours, is managed by three men and cost
about 100000.
The weights of 1173 human brains have been
collected by NJ. Marchand, of Marbourg. At
birth the average weight is found to be 9.S
ounces in boys and 9.5 ounces in girls; at the
age of one year, pounds l.5 ounces and pound
11.5 ounces respectively; and at the end of three
years the weight has trebled. Increase is then
slow Full growth is attained at 10 to 20 years
in men and 16 to Is in women, the mean adult
weight being pounds ounce in males and 2
pounds 20 ounces in females. Loss by senile
atrophy begins in man at about As years and in
women at about 20. Turgenef, the Russian au-
thor, had one of the heaviest brains on record,
weighing AZ pounds; and Gambetta's, scarcely
2.6 pounds was one of the lightest.
"a
Evidence that the moons attraction has an
influence upon volcanic eruptions and earth
quakes has been found by T. E. Espin. A period
of between eight and nine years is traced in
the records of these phenomena, and this agrees
with the period of revolution of the moons
perigree. Further nvesgitation indicates that
the greatest volcanic activity takes place when
the perigree occurs at its maximum northern
decinatlon.
"a
Adding fine sulphur to the dissolved material,
then heating, PREFERABLY with pressure, is found
to more than double the resistance of cellulose
as an insuator for electric wires. Flexibility
varies with the percentage of sulphur, and re-
sstance to acids and moisture is increased.
Reduced Rates to New Orleans.
On account of the meeting of the American
Bankers Association, at New Orleans, La, No.
vember II to 10, the Pennsylvania Railroad Com