Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-11-11
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

me presence Of radlum emanatlon in
the gases OF mineral springs has sug-
sesled possible explanation OF OBJ
seule points IN the action OF mineral
waters on the human system. How
"laely distributed this element may be
~ uncut To determine, but eminent
chemists have recently found In quite
a number OF springs indications OF hell
UNI, the gas into which the radium eu-
anat0n seems TO change. Like results
are now reported by Charles Mouren, OF
IaIs, IRON an investigation Of twelve
othel radioactive springs Of France
una AUSTRIA In the Analyses, the
gases OF these springs were separated
Into carbonic acid. oxygen, nltrogen,nnd
IL residue containing argon, helium, ami
olher rare clements. This last portion
or residue formed from .. 50 10 2.06 per
cent ot t'e total gases OF the different
springs The range noted IN radio-ac-
t!Vity was very great, the spring OF tie
top OF the list being fifty times as ac-
i've as the one at the bottom.
The up-to-datc hot-watcr bottle lacks
the water, In It's place arc coils OF fine
wire, and when the bottl. is connected
with the plug In an electric lighting fix
turc, the current heats these coils to
me desired temperature. which Is MAIN
tanned as long az needed, The advan-
tages are obvious. The bottle IL neither
too warm nor too cold, II does not
scald, and II promptly gives the proper
heot without waiting for water TO boil.
Keeping one lot OF plants for two
months IN an atmosphere containing
nVe times the normal proportion OF
carDonlc acid, and another lot In ordi-
nary afr, +. Dcmoussy has shown an
average increase Of growth due TO tho
carbonic acid Of 60 per cent. The plants
Included lettuce, tobacco, castor geran-
ium and mint, only fuchsla showing no
Increase.
In our Industrial age the discoverer
Ci an abundant new fuel must rank as
a public bcnetactor. The experiments
3 Bordenase has been making In
France indicate that the great quaint
ties OF refuse vegetable matter produce
ed on forms may be economically used
FOR making gas TO run small farm mo-
tors and that Il Is even practicable TO
make regular annual crops Of fuel
profitable Industry. He has tested dead
leaves, straw, hay and other sub
stances. The materials were compress
ed into bales for convenient handling,
and the cost OF one horsepower per
hour was found to range from about
tour-hfths Of a cent with leaves aud
low grade hay to one cent with cat
straw and cent and a half with hay
Of average quality.
What seems TO be true mimicry In
plants has been pointed out IN South
Africa by Dr. u. Maroth OF four sim
gular species belonging 20 the genus
observation-disclosures two resemble
both IN form and color the quartz peb-
bles among which they grow, and the
others have each two leaves about the
size Of q ducks egg, with surface
Ike Wea thered stone and a stone-like
brownieh gray color tinged with green.
At least two Of these speces do not
change their characters under culu-
walton A species Of the genus ana
campseros has leaves covered with
white papery stipules, and also resam-
bles the surrounding quartz pebbles
The injurious effects Of light on the
eyes are found TO increase with the
number OF ultraviolet or chemical
rays contained This Is the conclusion
OF Or. A. Stearkle, Of Basel, who shows
that petroleum Is the least harmful
light and Ia followed In order by gas
/ light electric light. incandescent gas
| llght and acetylene the last named
being most harmful Thick colored
glass, gray, yellow. red or green les
sens the injurious rays.
When the newest English "penny-ln-
the-slot" apparatus receives Its coin,
q music box At a distance, as In an
other room, begins TO play, being oper-
ated by wireless telegraphy.
Acetylene black, a fine quality Of
carbon or black pigment, is obtained as
a Dy-product at Foligno, in Italy. by
an interesting process lately described
by Il. Becker The residue from puri-
flying crude sugar by the baryta pro-
cess-that IS, by treatment with bar
lum hydroxide and then with carbonlc
acld--consists Of moist barium car
onate: and this IL fed with carbon into
an electric furnace, where It Is con-
verified into barium carbide. The car
bon monoxide evolved is burnt the
heat evolved being used to dry the raw
material. The carbide produced Is az
once decomposed with water so as 70
obtain barium hydroxde, and the ace
tylene liberated IL made by imperfect
combustion TO deposit It's carbon.