The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-08-05

COrTespOndsncs baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Natal Dletillation-A New Oil-Vision and
Dlgestion-False Testimony Britain
Climate Range-Monocular Stereosco-
py-A 6tick-F ast-Dyed Lumber-Hog
Aid for Weak Stomachs-zimalium.
The usual laws Of distfllation are proven by
the electric furnace experiments Of Moissan and
Farrelley to hold good in the case of mixtures
Of metals. With mixtures Of copper with zinc
and with cadmium, the zinc and cadmium were
quickly expelled, and lead separated from cop
per in the same way, but after longer distilla-
ton. Some mixtures Of copper and tin gradually
lost their copper, others their tin, while others
distilled without change of composition. Mix
lures Of lead and tin showed gradually de-
creasing proportion Of lead until only pure tin
was left A remarkable popularity noted in tin
is the wide range of temperature In which the
metal Is liquid as it melts at 226' c., while its
boiling point Is above that Of copper and lead.
sSa
The baobab tree which has been transplanted
from Africa to Asia and America. has fruit
whose pulp-"monkey bread"-is eaten by ne
groes, and seeds that are priced BY natives Of
Madagascar for the oil that is extracted by
crushing and boiling In water. AFrench chem
ist has been investigating. He finds that the
round seeds grow to adiameter Of three-fourths
of aninch, that their kernels contain 50 per cent.
Of oil with much heterogeneous matter, and that
the Madagascar oil Is q whitlsh solid which be-
gins to melt at about go C. The odor recalls
Tunisian olive oil. The oil does not become
rancid and is suggested as a valuable product in
place of cocoanut oil and in fine soaps and un-
guents.
The nerves Of eyes and stomach show remark
able interdependence. A late medical writer
finds that eye-strain causes digestive disturb
ances, sea-sickness and even constipation. and
that stomach disorders affect vision. while hem
orrhages into the stomach are sometimes fol-
lowed by blindness.
AsA
Psychological tests of attention and memory
tend to throw doubt upon most Of the evidence
offered in law courts. In one of series of re-
cent experiments at the University of Breslau.
DR.. L. W. Stern examined 20 pupils from vari-
Gus classes in reference to q locality-a lecture
room in which all ha6 assembled eight days be-
fore-and asked ten questions concerning the
number OF windows, whether the windows were
barred, the external arrangement of the en-
trance door, whether there was any other door.
ffth statement was found to be false, even I'M
der oath the accuracy varying between "A and
100 per cent. The law students were most mac
curate of ALL their percentage of faults being q
and that of others IS, while under oath their
errors were 10 per cent. and those of others only
8. A second examination was in reference to an
event-a slight interruption of the class exer-
cises eight days before by stranger who bor-
rowed q book-and the answers were even less
reliable, one-fourth of the statements being
false while only five Of the class correctly re-
ported the carrying away Of the book. and much
of the reports was hopelessly contradictory.
ASs
The climatological records of the British EN-
rsre for 1903 have just been brought together
from twenty-five stations. The hottest place
was Coolgardie. Western Australia, with max
imum shade temperature Of 1l3.4o on January
%; and the lowest shade temperature was 60 50
below zero at Dawson on January28. The great
est yearly range 5O30-was also found at Daw-
son. The greatest mean daily range was 20.5o at
Winnipeg, and the least was $50 at Hong Kong.
The greatest rainfall, 1897 inches, was recorded
at Hong Kong, and the least, 1O.74 inches, at
Dawson.
A new single lens, the zeiss ''verant," causes
photographs to stand out in relief as under the
two lenses of a stereoscope. The lens is con-
vexo-concave, so that the axes Of the rays from
different parts of the picture meet in the eye.
and the focal length should equal that of the
camera taking the photograph.
=.
A new adhesive that has gained popularity in
France is a mixture of caseine and tannate of
lime. In preparing it solution of tannin is
precipitated with milk of lime, the liquid is
poured of. and the precipitate is slowly dried.
This dry calcium tannate is then ground in
mill with dry caseine in the proportion of one
to ten times its weight, according to the use to
be made Of the adhesive. The compound dis
solves In water, petroleum, oils and carbon BIZ
sulphide, adheres very strongly and is applied
as paste with water.
~
A late innovation among Swedish woodwork
ers is the staining of wood before seasoning, the
idea being that of an Austrian inventor. The
sap is driven out by pressure and the coloring
liquid-which may be one of the more perma-
nent aniline dyes-is introduced. Birch, beech,
alder, plane. elm and lime may be SO treated, the
color not being taken uniformly by oak FIR and
pine. The stained wood is not only adapted for
furniture. but is recommended for doors and
window frames and even for outside finish.
4COCccuA
coating of varnish seems to be required.
-
The natural gastric juice of the hog has been
used by an italian physician In the treatment of
disease of human stomachs. Nothing else so
perfectly supplies the constituents missing, and
much success has been had with this remedy in
nervous and debilitated conditions of the diges-
tive apparatus dilatation of the stomach, chron-
ic gastritis. etc.
new German alloy of aluminium, magnesi-
UNI and zinc Is called Zmalium. 1t is slightly
heavier than aluminium. has greater tensile
strength, and is harder and more suitable for
working. 1t can be made into wire and sheets
like brass while the castings can be filed. forged.
cut, planned. etc. 1t resists chemical action less
than aluminium, has only two-thirds as great
electric conductivity and costs ten per cent.
more.
Niagara Falls Excursions.