Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-10-18
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

The worlds greatest store Of nitro
eenous plant fOOd-the nitrate OF soda,
or saltpeter. beds Of Chll--is eNpected
10 become exhausted within third OF q
century. 10 provide a new supply ~
therefore a problem of immediate concern
and Tor q number Of years electrcluiS
have boen striving TO solve It by using the
electric spark for oxidlging on liking me
nitrogen OF the air. Experiments AT MA
gara Falls In italy and In Germany nave
proven commercially unsuccessful Last
year a factory was started az NotQddep,
In Norway, Tor making calcium nitrate
IRON all and limestone by means OK inc
electric are ilamcs. and this has given re-
suits SO promising that new WORKS, USING
30,00O horsepower will soon be opened
The calcium nitrate, which proves equal
to he soda zaltpcter as a fertilizer, II now
produced at a factory cost OF w per TOR:
n rival process rs that Of DIS. caro- ana
Frank, who begin with calcium carbide, 4
cheap product Of the electric furnace, and
by heating this already common material
rrdhot they cause IL TO take up atmos-
pheric nitrogen The new combination Or
calcium carbon and nitrogen. called cal
cium cyanimide Is a good and probably
economical fertilizer, A possible future ad'
dtlon to ON plant nitrogen may come
from saving the waste IN sewage which
now polutcs Our streams Instead 81 feed
ing cur crops becoming finally lost m the
accan,
In an incaudcsl cnt oil lamp now boHs
tested in Scotland, Kerosene Us vaporlzci
by jet Of carhouic acid before reaching
the mantle gallon Of oil Yields q lighi
Of so candle power for 70 hours.
Not Toast II the products evolved by NJ
Mossan with tho electric furnace i cal
cuin hydride, "A simpl, compound Of hS-
dr0gcn and calcium The commercial man
ufacture has been worked out IN two
IL Lila holm -
duccd by the clectrolysis Of fused calcium
chloride and the metal so obtained be-
ing then converted into hydrlde by hth
ing in horizontal rrtotts through WhlcN
is passed a current ot hydrogen. Inc pio-
duct is In the form uf hard gray OF
white humps, which have been called hy-
drolths. The Jumps contain about % per
cent NJ pure calcium hNdrlde, ana the,
have the peculiar property OF giving ~
the hydrogen whom placed m water NrtG
ing about one cubic meter - gas per 81,
rgrdm G2 lhsA The mntcrin, Va ptactl
eallv unaffected by other %. rt solv-
,nts. The hydroliths friu convcn
lent mUhcd NJ transport drcgrn.
and are Expected TO be gene. FL ndoh"
Tor military ball0ouine They have PROV
On very efficient both Tor lninal lulihiil
and for adding more gas while tho balloon
is stiil IN air.
I'm tho search Tor cnuGomlcnl light IN
m0fflfNHANUNi ltfin Nflin lihF lN|
have produced more light al less rn'
than any ether hut the lack " red toy
givcs y disagTecahlc gfastly appeltanl
Two German electricians. Prof. +. Grhih
aud r. ven Bayor. claim . remedy iu ih
addition Of zine TO the mercury ciectr0dr
They mix about 10 per cent Of hsmuu
and trace % sodium with tho ziuc, du'
using "a CURRENT ~ not more than lm Volts
thsv npd tho light OF the tubes not ,lif
forcnt from that 81 small are lamps Will
II is SUP rior In taking very lttlo currru
and being perfectly steady. The eXperi
ments are stil In progress.
A needed scientific Instrument
pointed OUT by DR.. Ouade. a French
meteorological Is nixometer, or
snow gage. Attempts TO use the plu-
vlometer. or rain-gage. have been
made, a lamp being added 60 melt the
snow. but The melting has been only
partial. and the opening has become
filed. The lack Is OF greater Inn
portance than may at first appear. The
snowfall IN France, for instance, has
been diminishing for years. and ac-
curate measurements are required 10
determine whether this s. q temporary
phase IN y cycle of wet and dry years
or whether the snow Is soon ~ dis
appear permanently.