The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-11-22
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MIS- CELLANY.

Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MIS- CELLANY.
Medicinal OIL From Pines-Electromag-
netic Waves From Star-Artihcial
Sea Water-Bread Materials-Time Sig
nails at Sea--A Down Shining arc
campaigning by Acknowledgements
Horsehair-Vitality of Skin.
The making of pine-needle oil is an industry
of the Thuringen Mountains in southern Ger
many The needles and young shoots OF var
ious pines-especially of Pinus pumilio-are
collected late in May or early in June, and are
cut into small pieces and put into cylindrical
still, through which steam is passed. The steam
is then liquefied in condenser, when the VIOLA
tile oil carried over is SKINNED from the sur
face of the water. The portion of the steam
condensed in the cylinder falls through the bot
tom, carrying resinous, albuminous and tannated
substances. and this extract is concentrated in
special vacuum evaporater, when it is added
to the oil to give the necessary perfume. The
oil is put up in jars as remedy for rheumatic
and similar complaints. The fbers left in the
still are separated by a special machine, per-
fumed with the oil, and put up in packages for
stufing pillows.
One of the greatest puzzles to the astronomer
has been the rapid spreading to the enormous
distance of 210 light days of the nebula sur
rounding the new star in Perseus. The expla-
nation that dark matter has been illuminated
by light flash from the central star is rejected
by Prof. Louis Bell for several reasons, especial
ly because the nebula does not show the polari-
zation of reflected light, and he concludes that
the nebuous matter has been lighted up by the
off of oil al affn w
'front.' He finds that this theory fully agrees
with the observed phenomena.
"a
Experiments made last year seemed to indi-
cate that sea-water could not be initiated, but
in later trial pure water mixed in correct pro-
portion with the six chief salts of the ocean
supported sensitive marine animals, and APP
peared to have the physiological effects of
natural sea-water.
The darkenng of shellac in solution, which is
not yet understood, is said not to occur in air
tight vessels.
Some of the many materials used for bread
have been brought to notice by NJ. Paul Combes.
Beans, peas and other leguminous seeds, as well
as maize and other vegetable substances, re-
quire mixing with wheat or rye, or the bread is
liable to be soggy, indigestible, or otherwise of
poor quality. Mashed potatoes mixed with
wheat or maize flour give palatable bread, which,
however, attracts moisture. Rice flour makes
fine yellow bread, agreeable both to sight and
taste; and the chestnut bread that forms the
chief food of the Corsican mountaineers is
healthful, agreeable, digestibe, and keeps fifteen
days or longer. Bread has been made from
acorns, people in France having been reduced
to this necessity in time of scarcity. Moses,
dried and powdered, are still esteemed for bread
by Norwegians and other substances that have
been used-most of them yielding little nutri-
tlon without the addition of cereal iour-in-
clude the roots of bryonia, colchicum, iris, SER
pentaria, mandragora and hellebore and the
leaves of aconite, etc.
~
The transmission of Greenwich time to ships
byyireess teegraphy is late suggestion. AS
distinct signals all that is necessary it seems
to be possible already to send time impulses
that worlld be perceptible over the entire North
Atlantic enabling mariners to correct their
chronometers 2nd find their longitude By in
ternational arrangement, the time signals-at
certain fixed hours-Sf day or night-could be
protected from other signals.
So
In the Hackl arc lamp. mlde in Budapest, the
inclined downward toward each other at an
angle of about 30 degrees. reflector between
the mechanism and the carbons iniercepts the
rays that pass upward, thus further increasing
the efficiency. The lamp is designed for an al
ternating current of 10 amperes at % to 5O VOLTS
and it uses but third as much cur ent per can
dle-power as the ordinary globe larlp
"a
At the beginning Of sLe year, the meteorites
in the II. S. National Museum represented 34S
falls, 143 beips chose of meteorc iron.
50
Alcnho, is coming into considerable use for IL
fascination in France. The flame is made lu-
minous by the addition or sufficient voul-vil Or
crude benzene, or the ordinary non-luminous
flame is used to give incandescence to a Welsh
bach mantle. The latter is the more important
method. Some lamps have from go to 800 candle
power, and these large portable lamps-carrying
their own illuminant- seem to have advantages
over gas or electricity for many purposes. The
best of the burners yield about 30 candle-power
hours per ounce of alcohol.
-.
The production of vegetable substitute for
horsehar is reported as thriving Algerian in
dustry. The material is the fiber of leaves of a
dwarf palm, and it is prepared for such uses as
stuffing furniture, mattresses, ETC. The advan-
tages of the vegetable hair are its solidity, the
readiness with which it can be dyed, and its low
cost.
Electrical reactions have been found by Dr. A.
d. Waller. of the University of London to serve
as a test of life in both animal and vegetable
tissues. In this way he has just shown that bits
of human skin for grating preserves their vi
tally at least two days, often ten days. and
hoI.I
ing this conclusion, it is mentioned that care
fully preserved skin has been used after six
months IS transplantations out of % proving
successful.
Important tests of the fatal proportion of car
bonic oxide in the air have been made by Prof.
Mosso at the Turin Physiological Institute.
heroric subject was confined three times in a
Theoretically sealed iron chamber, the air of
which was mixed first with 1888 of carbonic
oxide, then with 1885, and lastly with 1928. On
the last experiment the man ceased to breathe,
being restored only by oxygen.
-.
unique institution is the Pathological Mu-
scum at Berlin. This was established by Prof.
Virchow, and contains 23O66 preparations of a
pathological kind, with elaborate arrangements
for preserving, mounting and studying the
specimens.
Pennsylvania Railroads Winter Excur-
sion Route Book.
In pursuance of its annual custom, the Passen-
ger Department of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company has just issued an attractive and COM
prehensive book descriptive of the leading win
ter resorts of the East and South, and giving the
rates and various routes and combinations of
routes of travel. Like all the publications of
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, this win
ter Excursion Book is model of typographical
and clerical work. 1t is bound in handsome
and artistic cover in colors, and contains much
valuable information for winter tourists and
travellers in general. 1t can be had free of
charge at the principal ticket Offices of the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company, or will be sent post
paid upon application to George W. Boyd; AS
sistant General Passnnrnr A rnnt Rrnnd Street.