Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-04-17
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A new process for drying fruit and
vegeta in use for drying
hops-consists in drawing air through
a grid Of steam pipes into cham
Der below the slotted floor holding the
materials to be dried. Absorption of
sulphurous gases is avoided, while
burning Is impossible. In test at
Worcester, England, samples of car
rots, potatoes, sliced and shredded ap-
pies, and other fruits and vegetables,
were kept at temperatures Of 30 to
100 degrees for six hours, reaching the
ordinary commercial state of dryness.
The cost Of working being small, it is
expected that an important new indus
try will soon develop In England.
The curious phenomena Of ''symphii-
Ism" are being investigated by e.
Wasmann, a German zoologist. This
Is the harboring Of foreign species Of
insects, ETC., in the nests Of ants and
termites. and 1t is found that more
than one hundred species Of arthro-
pods, or creatures with jointed legs,
are thus associated with the ants, at
least, eighty-five or ninety species be-
ing beetles. All are recognized easily
by certain pecuiiarities. Most notable
among the chara cteristies Of these bee
ties are their oily reddish-yellow or
reddish brown color, and special exu-
dation organs or pores with brownish
hairs, but there are also notifications
Of the mouth and other parts.
Some Of the discouragements and
failures Of amateur photographers may
be due to such imperfections OF shut
ters as were disclosed in a paper read
at the recent meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of
Science by e. W. Morley of the West
ern Reserve University and D. c. MIL
Ter Of the Case School of Applied Sci
ence. The better grade of shutters
were found to be fairly constant In ep-
Grafton, but the actual duration of ex-
posure was often not even approx
mately that indicated by the maker.
Different shutters of the same make
and form gave widely different exoos-
ures when set for the same time. With
the best shutters of the diaphragm
class the duration of exposure was
nearly Independent Of the aperture OF
the opening. Some shutters of the
cheaper grades. designed to give long.
medium and short exposures, gave
euual exposures in the three cases.
The effects Of the swift advance OF
knowledge, which sometimes causes
new book on some branch of science to
appear a back number shortly after
its publication, are felt no less In
nra ctical scientific undertakings. A
striking illustration Is furnished by
the enormous new coast-defense gun
recently tested at Sandy Hook. This
gun was intended to be not only the
most powerful in existence. but also
the representative Of the most advanc-
ed type of such weapons. But after 1t
had been planned special plant had
to be established for it's construction,
and the few years consequent delay
before 1t could be completed sufficed
for such improvements in gunpowders.
and In the designing of guns for their
use, that now the finished monster Is,
In some respects, out Of date before
1t has fairly been mounted for service.
The new gun is of 16 inches bore and
4s.7 feet long. It is calculated that
lit can throw a 2400-pound projectfle
twenty one miles.