The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-02-27

ing---Forced FlOWers-Bone--Filling
Nitrogen from the Air--Sex in Hand
writine-A Useful Furnace-Phosphor
Acid Californite.
In q recent case of mirror-writing. boy Of
seven or eight wrote unusually well but in this
singular reversed style. and some months later,
after acquiring the normal method of writing,
fatigued. DR.. G. d. Jones, Of Boston. In report
ing the case, states that the anomaly seems to
be moro common in England than in America.
In one group of 451, the percentage of mirror
writer's was 81, but in many reported instances
the specimens have proven to be merely those
of poor penmanship. Various explanations of
the popularity have been offered. It seems to
be most common with mental disease. but has
been observed in persons of normal mental Ca
pacity, and one explanation is that it is due to
Iefthandedness and some preponderating in
fuence Of the left brain.
-
summary of the progress of quarter of q
century in disposing of city refuse was given by
w. +. Goodrich in British Association paper.
Not less than $50 towns now use Instructors
and in 90 OF these the steam generated is usedat
electric stations, while 40 apply the power to
pumping sewage, and use 1t for the water
works. Numerous tests have shown that every
ton Of refuse burnt generates about one ton Of
high pressure steam, smell and dust being prac-
ticaIly 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 pre-
mature development by exposing them to ether.
and A. Maumene claims that such development
is more regular and complete.
."s
A "dying groundr of elephants, a resort where
these animals go to die, was an interesting dis
covery by Maj. PowelLC in Eastern Equa-
torial Africa.
Extraordinary results are claimed for the
b0ne-hlling process of Prof. Mosetig, which has
been adopted in Vienna hospitals Disease of
the bones causes cavities, like those in teeth,
and cure is usually slow, patients often being
disabled for many months or even years. Prof.
Mosetig plugs the cavity with melted mixture
of iodoform, oil of sesame and spermaceti.
The patient is soon able to go to work, the anti
septic power of the iodoform arrests the dis
ease, and as the cure progresses and new bone
is formed, the plugging material is reabsorbed,
entirely without pain. Among the cures is that
of Servian of nineteen. who was cured in Is
days after having suffered for eight years from
uecEOclS VI tue icIJ IeInur 10 Sucn an extent
that he had been compelled to use crutches.
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The rapid exhaustion of supplies of nitrates-
such as Chill saltpeter-has given great i'm
portance to the problem of using the airs free
nitrogen for farming and other purposes. DR..
Frank, of Charlottenburg, has called attention
to method Of fixing atmospheric nitrogen
metals. Barium carbide is especially suitable,
oh r1ff ia rod
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 cyana-
mde to be a very good fertilizer.
-
A curious investigation by Alfred Binet, of
the Laboratory of the Sorbonne, has revealed
differences in the handwriting of the sexes.
Numerous characteristics are traced-such as
carelessness in the writing of women and firm
ness and simplicity in that of men-and an ex-
pert graphologist has been able to give the sex
of the writer's of al addresses out of $50. The
writing Of old men resembles that of women.
80
sand worm of the northern and western
coast of France seems to have sense of time
1t is known as "convoluta," and NJ Behn states
that 1t makes green spots on the sand at low
tide and disappears as the tide rises. and con-
tinued this course during IA days in an aquarium.
-. i
Capable of a wide range of work is the new
electric furnace of If. Girod, of Annecy,
France, which consists of a crucible of graphite |
or refractory earth, heated on the outside by |
means of the resistance offered to an electric |
current by an envelope of graphite. The fur
mace is mounted on horizontal shaft, so that it |
may be oscillated or tipped over like Besse- |
mer converter, even during the passage of the |
current. The voltage. usually 20 to %, may be |
raised to 70 or so, and the temperature can be |
regulated at any point from less than 5000 to |
$500 or even higher. 1t is simple and continu-
Gus in operation. 1t can be used for making |
castings, including those of the most refractory |
metals, or for relocating ingots and bars for the |
forge, and one man can tend three or four fur |
naces in casting.
"a
A striking experience has been reported in |
Germany by Herr Bottrich. For fifteen years |
he has made a weekly medical examination of |
the As to 60 men at work in Baden storage-bat-
terry factory, where the fumes of phosphoric acid |
are almost suffocating. Severe respiratory irri |
tation and lead poisoning would be expected.
He has never found case of lead poisoning. |
however, and has been struck with the sound
ness Of the membrane of the upper air pas
sages. tuberculosis is unknown, catarrhal af-
fections are short. The general health averages
twice as high as in a neighboring machine shop,
and Dr. Bottrich suggests phosphoric acid fumes
as new remedy for disease.
"a
The latest addition to American ornamental
stones reported by DIR. George F. Kunz has re-
ceived the name Of California;. 1t was first
found about 90 miles from Yreka CAL, where it
outcrops for 200 feet hard green stone. of
varying shades and taking high polish The
material, at first supposed to be jade, proved on
analysis to be a massive variety of vesuvianite.
Fine slabs five feet square and two feet thick
have been found, and the supply seems to be
large. Similar massive vesuvianite exists else
where in California and in Europe.