The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-06-24

O0AENLtulO MAUOW0AANLs
A Possible Curative Agent in Mineral
Water-The New Hot Bottle Carbonic
Acid Plant Forcing Power from REFUSE
-Stone-Like Plants-I Injury from Lights
"A Side Industry Buttered Milk-Pian-
tain Flour.
The presence Of radium emanationin the gases
of mineral springs has suggested a possible ex-
PLANTATION of obscure points in the action Of min
erhl waters on the human system. How widely
distributed this element may be Is difficult to
determine, but eminent chemists have recently
found in quito number Of springs indications
OF heIium, the gas into which the radium ema-
ton seems TO change. Like results are now re-
ported BY Charles Mouren. of Paris, from an In
yestigation Of twelve other radioactive springs
Of France and Austria. In the analyses the
gases Of these springs were separated into car
bonic acid, oxygen, nitrogen and residue con-
tanning argon, helium and other rare elements.
This last portion or residue formed from 0.05 to
206 per cent. Of the total gases Of the different
springs. The range noted In radio activity was
very great. the spring at the top of the list being
fifty times as active as the one at the bottom.
~
The up-to-date hot~water bottle lacks the wa
fer. In its place are coils Of fine wire, and when
the bottle is connected with the plug in an cleo
trio lighting fixture the current heats these
coils to the desired temperature. which is main
tanned as long as needed. The advantages are
obvious. The bottle isneither too warm nor too
cold it does not scald. and it promptly gives the
proper heat without waiting for water to boil.
s's
Keeping one lot of plants for two months in
an atmosphere containing five times the normal
proportion Of carbonic acid. and another lot In
increase of growth due to the carbonic acid of 60
per cent The plants included lettuce, tobacco.
castor, geranium and mint. only fuchsia showing
no increase.
In our industrial age the discoverer of an
abundant new fuel must rank as public bene-
factor. The experiments s. Bordenase has been
making in France indicate that the great guam
titles of refuse vegetable matter produced on
farms may be economically used for making gas
to run small farm motors. and that it is even
practicable to make regular annual crops Of fuel
aprontable industry. He has tested dead leaves,
straw, hay and other substances. The materials
were compressed into bales for convenient hand
ling. and the cost Of one horsepower per hour
was found to range from about four-ffths of
cent with leaves and low-grade hay to one cent
with cat straw and cent and half with hay Of
average quality.
What seems to be true mimicry in plants has
been pointed out in South Africa by DR.. r. Mar
10th. Of four singular species belonging to the
genus Observation-Disclosures. two resemble both
In form and color the quartz pebbles among
which they grow, and the others have each two
leaves about the size of ducks egg, with sur
face like weathered stone and stonelike brown
ish gray color tinged with green. At least two
OF these species do not change their characters
under cultivation. A species of the genus Ana
campseros has leaves covered with white papery
stiDules and also resembles the surrounding
quartz pebbles.
The injurious effects of light on the eyes are
found to increase with the number of ultra
violet or chemical rays contained. This is the
conclusion of DR.. A. Staerkle. of Basel, who
shows that petroleum is the least harmful light.
incandescent gaslisht and acetylene, the last
named being most harmful. Thick colored glass
gray-yellow red or green-lessens the injuri-
GUS rays.
When the newest English penny in-the slot''
apparatus receives its coin music box at dis
lance. as in another room, begins to play. being
operated by wireless telegraphy
-.
Accty4cHt Uldcks y me qualify Oh cafDOQ or
black pigment, is obtained as by-product at
Foligno, in Italy, by an interesting process late
~ described by H. Becker. The residue from
purifying crude sugar by the baryta process
that is, by treatment with barium hydroxide and
then with carbonic acid-consists of moist BARI
UNI carbonate land this is fed with carbon into
an electric furnace. where it is converted into
barium carbide. The carbon monoxide evolved
is burnt, the heat evolved being used to dry the
raw materials. The carbide produced is at once
decomposed with water so as to obtain barium
hydroxide. and the acetylene liberated is made
by imperfect combustion to deposit its carbon.
a.
The ingenious adulteration lately detected by
a French chemist consists in the addition to poor
or SKINNED milk Of cheap fats-such as cocoa
nut butter or pork drippings- thus bringing
the proportion of fatty matter up to the STAN
dard required by the inspectors. The foreign
fat, which may be dissolved out by benzine with
out affecting the natural fat, is apparent when
a clean glass rod is dipped into the milk. imper-
feet emulsiication producing small granules
that adhere to the rod.
Banaharina, the new -four of fine quality from
the plantain, is reported to have proven an
agreeable and healthful food. In Venezuela
"oAo ~ sSoAAAo ~ 70 eoaAAAA1e cspecini-
ly recommended as a nutritious food for chill
dren and invalds.
Mice exposed to radium for twenty days, in
the experiments of DR.. Roux, of Paris, lost their
hair, and when the hair grew again it was quite
white Longer exposure developed muscular
paralysis.
In calcium carbide cartridges for mining a
membrane separates the carbide from the water
The membrane is ruptured electrically, and five
minutes later the gas generated is exploded by
another electric spark.