The new age., 1906-02-03
populeT sience.


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DR.. P. /. T. Heroult, the French
metallurgical expert, who has been ex-
amining the mining and other re-
sources of Canada, predicts that in
ten years the Dominion will have be-
come a great metallurgical country,
having an iron industry larger than
that of any other country in the world.
So, too, he thinks that within a decade
Canada will outstrip all other countries
In wheat growing. In Ontario and
Quebec there are immense deposits of
magnetic, which have remained unde-
veloped for lack of cheap fuel. The
invention of the electric smelling pro-
cess removes this obstacle, because in
the neighborhood of the ore deposits
water power is abundant.
The importation of injurious birds
and mammals into the United States
has been carefully guarded against
| since the passage of the Lacy act on
May 25, 1900. In the FIVE years end
ing June 80, 1905, the authorities is
sued 1891 permits for the entry of
1,OO6,964 birds Chiefly canaries), 2,S46
mammals and thirty eight reptiles, and
thirteen permits for the entry of $500
eggs of game birds. OF the consign-
ments 4O2 were inspected. No .lnjuri-
Gus animal Is known to have been ad-
m1tted, but seven mOngooses, tiftyfour
flying foxes or fruiteating bats, one
kohlmeise, fifteen blaumeisen and two
starlings have been refused entry. At
Honolulu six keas were refused entry.
Statistics showing the enormous
waste of energy involved in the pro-
duction of artificial light are always
interesting, If for no other reason than
that they must continually stimulate
inventors in the search for better
methods. Sir James Dewar recently
presented these figures before the
Royal Institute of Great Britain: In
of energy transformed into light is
only 2 per cent. Oil and gas lamps
are not more economical. The incan-
descent electric lamp utilizes 3 per
cent Of the energy expended; the arc
light 10 per cent, and the magnesium
light Is per cent. Then comes the
glowworm and mocks US with it's so
per cent of expended energy turned
into light.
The possible value of radium to the
physician still remains chiefly mat
ter Of conjecture. Two Italians, Tiz-
zoni and Bongiovanni, have satisfied
themselves that it has an important
influence upon rabies, and that it may
act either upon the virus or directly
upon the bitten animal. When the
virus Is exposed for four to thirty-six
hours to rad1um rays it is converted
into a powerful vaccine, injections into
a rabbits eye overcoming the other
wise fatal effects of inoculations with
dogs virus. With a powerful speci-
men of radium, the direct exposures
of several hours during six days, ami
mails inoculated forty y-eight to one hun
dred hours before treatment were saw
ed, while similarly inoculated animals
not treated all died.
1t is well known that pure quartz
glass possesses the property of trans
mitting, very abundantly, the so-called
chemical rays of light, by means of
which Photographic effects are produc-
ed, and 1t has often been attempted to
make Photographic lenses of quartz
alone. Unfortunately, quartz also pos
sesses the property Of double refrac-
ton, so that, unless the opening of the
lenses Is very narrow, good images
are not produced. Recently a French
optician, f. NORM, has succeeded In
making small Photographic lenses of
quartz glass in which some of the
difficulties have been avoided, and the
lenses show great rapidity Of action.
Still, the problem, confessedly, has not
been entirely solved, and the new
lenses are recommended by their in
ventor only for special purposes. AS
tronomers are particularly desirous to
obtain Photographic lenses possessing
the peculiar permeability to the actinic
rays that characteriZes quartz.