The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-03-07

Concer-Curlng FrOgreeS-Cruelty IN Ma
ture-Novel Graining-Pulverizing Milk
Remarkable Snow Concretions-Dec-
imal Time and Longitude-Electric Blue
"A Simple Pendulum-A Non-Expand-
ing Alloy.
Treatment by Roentgen rays is proving Of
Importance in cancer of the skin. Reporting
recent cures, DIR. Gichrist mentioned having
seen in Manchester "a cases that had been COM
-pfetely cured, while Finsen has reported cured
45 cases. The application usually lasts Is min
utes, though it may extend to 30 minutes. The
malignant cells seem to be specially sought out
by the rays, but burns may occur, and Cor pre-
venting them special glass tube-opaque ex-
cept at the ends-has been devised. The effects
vary greatly with the idiosyncracies of the pa
tients.
In y late interesting account of spider life
DR.. Dallinger described the ruthless destruction
by the ichneumon fly and by certain wasps. The
young of some wasps can live only on live spi-
ders, and the mother wasp, therefore, renders
the spiders powerless by her sting-after which
they can live q month-and then deposits them
in the cocoon where she has placed her egg. On
Matching out, the grub feeds on the bodies of
the living spiders. Another wasp deposits her
egg In the body of the spider. which is then
buried alive, and is fed upon by the wasp grub.
-
newly patented German process of giving
rclief to ornaments and veining on wood con-
ssts in gluing strips of paper over the parts to
be raised, and then dabbing the entire surface
vertically with bundles of fine steel wire. The
softer parts of the wood come out as dust,
while the protected places and the hard annual
rings remain unaffected.
.'s
The aeroplane is the most promising solution
of the flight problem, in the opinion of Maj.
Baden-Powell. Models have flown, lightweight
engines are now available, and successful ma
chine awaits the liberal use of money.
-
The production of milk powder has been per-
fected by Herr Ekenburg by means of an appa-
ratus called a continuous exsiccator. This
evaporates the milk to dryness without q vacu-
um at e temperature not exceeding 400 G. Q04F.)
and odor and taste are so well preserved that It
can be told whether the milk had been pasteur-
lied or boiled. Heating with water at co. to 700
G. converts the powder into milk that is in every
respect like the ordinary product. Special
treatment has overcome the tendency of the
stored powder to pass gradually into an in
soluble state and has improved its keeping quail.
ties, giving it high degree of resistance to bac
terra and mold as well as to dampness and heat
The apparatus can dry 10000 quarts daily, yield
ing about pound of powder from quarts of
milk.
The curious formations known as "snow mush-
rooms" reach extraordinary development near
the Glacier House, in the mountains of British
Columbia. At this place the tree trunks have
the most favorable diameter, the stumps are
always left several feet high, and the snowfalls
are mss.ly Sa asH reDorfsp At
February, 1901, when the snow was five feet
deep, he saw one stump feet in diameter with
a cap feet across and broken tree feet
through with snowcap IL feet across. 1t is es-
timated that these snowcaps must often weigh
ton, they are symmetrically rounded, and they
are 30 solidly frozen as to be not easily broken.
s~s
The first steps in decimal time-keeping, taken
in Switzerland, have met with the approval Of
leading scientific bodies. NJ. Paul Ditisheim has
constructed decimal chronometer, called the
tropometer, and a new registering chronoscope,
the hours being counted-as recommended by
NJ. Henri de Sarrauton-from to "a, with sub
divisions into 100 minutes of 100 seconda, each
second consisting of two beats. In measure
ments Of the circle, the divisions are 20 degrees
each subdivided into 100 primes containing 100
thirds.
80
The blue color of the sky has been long at
tributed to refraction of light by the dust, or
minute particles, scattered in the air. A differ
emit theory has been worked out by Nj. Spring,
of Liege, who has made many experiments with
light rays under almost all possible conditions,
injecting them into agitated solutions aud into
glass tubes filed with such limpid solutions as
chloride of aluminium. While he could get red,
yellow, violet, etc., no blue appeared until by
electricity he obtained perfectly pure atmos-
phere. His conclusion is that the sky's azure is
purely electrical in origin, and an essential
quality of the air.
The simplified Faucault pendulum of NJ. d.
Arsonval is copper-covered leaden ball of 2X
pounds supported by steel wire about hum
dredth of an inch in diameter. The wire is at
tached to the ceiling by nail, and metal block
screwed to the ceiling firmly clamps the upper
end of the wire leaving the rest of it free to
swing about the lower face of the block. Such
pendulum is capable of swinging about three
hours. making evident the earth's rotation in
that time.
The expansion of metals on heating Is seri-
GUS disadvantage for many purposes The new
alloy of iron with SO per cent of nickel Is claim
ed to expand less than liz Co., for an increase
of 10 c. while the expansion of iron is 10000
for 10 G.. The alloy is recommended for clock
pendulums, measures etc.
sta
The idea of Dr. Garrlgne, of the Paris Facul-
ty of Medicine, is that tuberculosis, cancer and
other germ diseases destroy because the formi-
ates, which witty the blood, are absorbed.
The cells die when formic acid can no longer be
produced. To cure he would invert the process,
supplying oxygen to the cells, and producing
oxygen by formic acid. Other physicians call
him quack.
Acetylene headlights for Russian locomotives
have projected fine light three times as far as
the naphtha lamps.