The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-10-26
Corresponding Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Mapping Solls-The Latest Drug Habit
Insects and Germs of the Land Surface
Poison Farming Consumption from
Bird Pets-Ant Perception-A Remark
able Heat Governor-The Woodcock's
Ears-Snow on Roofs.
Soil surveys were begun in the United States
in 1899 and by June 80, 1905, according to ]. A.
Bonsteel, an aggregate Of 1885 square miles
or 75,059.S55 acres, had been mapped in 43 States
and Territories, this being about one twenty
fifth of the whole country and little less than
one-tenth OF the land actually in farms. The
field work OF survey consists in determining the
texture, structure, quantity and distribution of
organic matter, internal natural drainage and
topographic relief of the soils. Closely similar
areas are classed In the same soil type, several
types differing only in texture or degree OF
coarseness or fneness form a series, and several
series of similar origin and climatic and other
conditions constitute province. At present 10
great soil provinces IS soil series, and 461 soil
types have been recognized. The Norfolk sand,
q warm, porous soil adapted to truck crops. has
been mapped over 266O square miles in "a areas
Of IA Eastern States; and the Marshall silt loan,
nearly all specially suitable for corn, has been
mapped over 6126 square miles of % areas in
states-a great area being still unmapped.
-
new intoxicatfon menacing society has been
brought to notice through DIR. McKendriclS Of
the University Of Glasgow. Carbon tetrachlor-
ide, colorless, non-infammable liquid differing
but slightly from chlorform in composition and
having similar anaesthetic effects, is a safe
clothes cleansing material, and of late has been
used as 'dry shampoo" Its danger has been
made known by lady who struggled to keep
consciousness under the shampoo. The hair
dresser affirmed that the effects are liked, and
carbon tetrachloride habit seems to be develop
ing.
An estimate Of March and November bird food
near Washington has shown $50 animal OBJ
jects and s1O7.s1O seeds per acre in forests, and
1s,654nO animals and S0.s22 7l5 seeds per acre in
meadows.
One OF the strangestjas well as most costly ar
ticles Of commerce is snake-venom, for which
there is a growing demand in medicine and other
branches Of science. The supply comes from
Australia, and recent Sydney quotation placed
the market price at 20 to rs shillings per grain
or about $4,000 per pound troy, no attempt
seeming 10 have been made hitherto to distin-
guish between the poison of snakes whose bite
Is usually fatal and that from reptiles that sell
dom kill. DR.. Tidswell. Of the New South Wales
Health Department, states that the venoms are
now being classified. Laboratory experiments
place the tiger-snake venom Arst, as it is 10
times as deadly as that of.the black snake and
four times as powerful as that from the brown
snake or the death-adder. In average yield at
bite. the death-add supplies three times as
much as the tiger snake. So far the snakes have
been mostly captured by hand, to avoid loss of
poison. and, at even greater personal risk. have
been held in the hand while being enraged and
made to bite through a rubber-band, ejecting
upon glass plate the venom from the two poi
son-fangs in the upper jaw. Each snake has
supplied the material from one bite. averaging
about grain. A new discovery is that the sup
ply In the fangs is renewed, and in future snake
farmers may milk" the poison from well-kept
reptiles every two daysfor an indefinite period.
A serious risk Of tuberculosis from pet birds
is alleged by DIR. Tucker Wise of Montreux, who
records 80 cases Of Disqualification with other
evidence from eminent physicians The life of
Gagged birds-like canaries, pigeons and parrots
especially favors tuberculous disease, and the
futtering Of their wings and thea of flies
readily convey infection to the family. As AGO.
600 canary birds are sold in England yearly, the
influence upon public health is believed to be
important.
Ants have been proven so sensitive to temper
AZURE. in late experiments of o. G. Silverlock,
that they detected change of thirtieth of
degree Centigrade. He thinks ultraviolet rays,
which they avoid. appear to them as color UNI
known to human beings.
~
The "Sylphon Regitherm" of W. NJ Fulton,
of Knoxville, Tenn, is a novel kind of heat mo-
tor, which expand and collapses through several
inches, and is claimed to control the heat from
alfurnace more effectively than any electric
thermostat, while lacking the troublesome de-
fects Of the latter The apparatus takes the
form Of vessel OF flexible metal, with sides
deeply folded, like those Of bellows. 1t is her
metically sealed, and contains small quantity
of volatile liquid, the vapor of which, in expand
ing and contracting gives a change in pressure
Of half a pound per square inch for every de-
gree of temperature. AS the end wall OF the
vessel has an area Of 80 square inches each de-
gree of variation in the atmosphere changes the
internal pressure 10 pounds. This pressure of
one degree of heat lengthens the vessel half an
inch. and moves the controlling hampers of the
heater four inches. The regulator can be set to
operate at any temperature between 550 and
800 F.
-.
The cars of birds are being specially studied
by W.. P. Pycraft, at the South Kensington
Museum, as a result of the curious discovery of
Charles Whymper, the British artist. Tho ear
is usually behind the eye, but the snipe has been
known to have the opening just beneath the
eye, and now 1t is found that the woodcock has
the aperture below and in front of the eye. It
is further noted that the opening on one side of
the head is considerably larger than that on the
other side, slightly different in shape. and some
what farther forward.
The snow load Of roofs, which has been lately
investigated by s. de Perrot of Nuremberg,
Switzerland. proves to be very dense mass
after repeated falls, followed by thawing and
freezing. In several instances the weight was
36 to 38 pounds per cubic foot and the thickness
"a to 80 inches-thus giving load of 20 to 100
pounds per square foot. which is three or four
times the usual calculation.
GAS
For Infants and Children.
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