Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-11-20


Burnins-Ether Forced Flowers
Bone FiIlins-Nitrosen From the Air
Sex In Handwritins-A Useful
Furnace-Phosphorie Acid InhaIa.
tion-caIifornite
In a recent case Of mirror-writing,
a boy of seven or eight wrote unusual
ly we'll but in this singular reversed
style, and some months later, after ac-
quiring the normal method Of writing,
would return to his original style on
becoming fatigued. DR.. c. D. Jones Of
Boston, in reporting the case, states
that the anomaly seems to be more
common in England than In America.
In one group of 451, the percentage Of
mirror writer's was 81, but in many re-
ported instances the specimens have
proven to be merely those Of poor
penmanship. Various explanations Of
the popularity have been offered. 1t
seems to be most common with mental
disease, but has been observed in per-
sons of normal mental capacity, and
one explanation is that it Is due to left
handedness and some preponderating
influence of the left brain.
A summary Of the progress Of
quarter Of a century in disposing Of
city refuse was given by w. F. Good
rich in a British Association paper,
Not less than 1SO towns now use de-
structors; and in sixty-three of these
the steam generated Is used at electric
stations, while forty apply the power
to pumping sewage, and three use 1t
for the waterworks. Numerous tests
have shown that every ton Of refuse
burnt generates about one ton Of high
pressure steam, smell and dust being
practically banished.
Flowers out Of the natural season are
usually obtained by keeping the young
plants in cold, dry houses, and forcing
them later by heat and moisture. 1t
is possible to give young buds prema-
ture development by exposing them to
ether, and A. Maumene claims that
such development is not only more
rapid but more regular and complete.
A dying ground" of elephants, re-
sort where these animals go to die,
was an interesting discovery by Maj.
Powell Cotton in Eastern Equatorial
Africa.
Extraordinary results are claimed
for the bone-filling process Of Prof.
Mosetig, which has been adopted In
oil nf homes
causes cavities, like those in teeth, and
cure is usually slow, patients often be-
ing disabled for many months or even
years. Prof. Mosetig plugs the cavity
with a melted mixture Of iodoform, oil
of sesame and spermaceti. The pa
tient Is soon able to go to work, the
antiseptic power of the iodoform ar
rests the disease, and as the cure pro-
crosses and new bone is formed, the
plugging material is reabsorbed, en-
tirely without pain. Among the cures
lis that Of a Servian of nineteen, who
was cured in fifteen days after having
suffered for eight years from necrosis
Of the left fernur to such an extent
that he had been compelled to use
crutches.
The rapid exhaustion of supplies of
nitrates-such as Chilli saltpeter-has
given great Importance to the problem
Of using the airs free nitrogen for
farming and other purposes. DR..
Frank, Of Charlottenburg, has called
attention to a method of fixing atmos-
pheric nitrogen through the carbides
of the alkaline earth metals. Barium
carbide is especially suitable, and by
absorbing nitrogen Is converted d.
rectly into barium cyanide. Calcium
carbide is made by electric power to
yield calcium cyanamide. Heating
with water under high pressure con-
verts this into calcium carbonate and
ammonia, and experiments have shown
the calcium cyanamide to be very
good fertilizer.
A curious investigation by Alfred
Binet. of the laboratory of the Sorbon-
ne, has revealed differences in the
handwriting of the sexes. Numerous
characteristics are traced-such as
carelessness in the writing Of women
and firmness and simplicity in that Of