The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-12-14
Correspondence Baltimore County linton.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Correspondence Baltimore County linton.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Science on Mont Blanc-How Plants Are
Improving-Steel Diamonds for Drill
ling-NeW Marvels of Bacteria-The
Worlds Patents-Germany's Backward
Children--The New Championships Dust
Clouds-Quartz Lamps.
A unique monument to French astronomers
daring ingenuity is that browning the summit
of Mont Blanc. at height of 1870 feet. The
observatory of Prof. Jansen, finished in 1885, is
a two-story truncated pyramid, with a base
measuring IL by 81 yards and double walls of
wood and canvas, and the MISUNDERSTANDING
30 tons-has no foundation except the perma-
nent snowcap of the mountain which is at least
ID yards thick. To guard against settling,
rigid sub-base was provided. with jackscrews
for leveling. The latest inspection has shown
slight movement Of the building, with practi-
cally no settling, and the success of the remark
able experiment has put to shame the prophets
of disaster The observatory is visited only at
intervals of many months. 1t has a fine tele
scope, with a two-foot mirror. for astronomical
work; and registering meteorgraph autonsti
cally records the barometric pressure. tempera-
ture, humidity, and velocity and direction of the
wind for periods of eight or nine months at a
time. A meteorograph to give a continuous
record for much longer time is now being
worked out.
AS an illustration Of how chemistry is aiding
plant improvement, Prof. II. A. Weber cites
the production of beet sugar, which has grown
from a hopeless beginning into one of the
worlds chief industries. For one ton of sugar.
Is tons of beets were required in 1896, but roots
have ham IN hro olo nd Iv-
SEES that only ~ tons were necessary in 1894, and
even less will suffice now. OF the 100000 tons
of sugar produced in the world In 1905. beets
supplied 100000 tons.
Steel shot so hard as to take the place of dia-
monds for some kinds of drilling are made by
spraying molten steel into cold water. chilling
it instantly.
When glass cylinder of pond water with
wisp of pressed hay at the bottom is placed in
sunshine for few weeks. reddsh-violet de-
post begins at the bottom and slowly extends
upward. This deposit is made up of purple bac-
terra, which grow best when a film OF oil on the
water keeps out air. and are specially remark
able for requiring much light and little oxygen.
In q recent study of both moving and inert
organisms of this kind. Prof. H. Molisch has
placed on microscope slide in strong light, the
bacteria scatter in all directions when the OBJ
server places on the center of the slide single
alga-about 5000 of an inch ia diameter-from
the green deposit on trees. Brought into the
shade. the bacteria fill the center of the slide
within half a minute. The repulsion is due to
exhalation of ninfnitessimala amount of oxygen
by the alga in sunlight, and serves as an ex-
tremely delicate test for traces Of oxygen far
too minute for chemical detection. The sensi-
tiveness TO light as well as oxygen is marvellous.
Corkscrew-shaped bacteria brought under a
magnifying power of 300 diameters are seen to
rotate and dart to and fro in strong light, but
cutting of the illumination for a fraction of a
second causes a frantic and astonishing reversal
of motion.
The total number of patents taken out in the
world since the beginning of patent laws is
found by A. Fitch, from French statistics, to
reach 2,5O0OOO, of which 100000 have been
granted in the last fifty years. The government
fees have amounted to Sl46, 100000, of which the
United States has received $56,OO0,OOO; but pub
LEGATION, legal study, etc. bring the cost up to
at least s1.OOO,0OO,OOO. Unsuccessful inventions
have probably brought loss of 81, ,OO0
Losses from infringement suits, promoters, etc.,
are estimated to have reached $4,000, 100000 in
sixty years, and 90 per cent. of patentees have
reaped little profit.
Special schools for backward pupils now exist
in 1l6 German cities. Berlin has 81 of the 2O8 |
schools. and the total number of pupils enrolled
is not less than 1900.
Synthetic camphor,. the production Of which |
has been a problem among chemists for many |
years, seems to be at last a commercial product,
but the high price of turpentine oil may pre- |
vent it from coming quickly into use. At least |
four processes have been devised for making |
this product from pinene, which forms seventy |
per cent. of turpentine oil. BY chemical treat |
ment and oxidation, the pinene is given the |
chemical structure and chemical properties of |
the national camphor, but with different reac-
ton in polarized light and somewhat less fra |
GRANGE. About ninety per cent. of the worlds |
-eaRphor is used for making celluloid, for which
the Synthetic material is claimed to be perfectly
suitable.
The visible trails left by meteors as they shoot
across the sky have been Investigated by Prof. |
@. c. Trowbridge, who concludes that they are |
clouds of selfuminous gas combined with very |
minute particles of meteoric dust. AS these |
trains are usually seen at heights of so to 60 |
miles-seldom or never above 65 or below 45 |
miles-it appears that their formation must de- |
pend upon encountering certain degree of |
atmospheric density or pressure. The trains |
are often visible for ten to twenty minutes, and |
usually contain volume of several cubic miles. |
s-- ~
The Cooper-Hewitt mercury yapor lamp is a |
large glass tube in which the vapor is made to |
glow by the passage Of electric current. An |
important improvement is claimed by DIR. Kiich |
in the use of tubes of quartz, which can be made |
much smaller, give increased efficiency by per-
hitting higher temperature, and after time |
yield yellower or whittier light in place of the |
Objectionable green. For ITO volts the glass |
tubes are about 40 inches long and TX inches in
diameter, but quartz lamp of the same voltage |
requires tube not more than 3H inches long
and about half an inch in diameter.
A WRITER on alfalfa says a farmer can plant |
it and then retire from business" with an as
sured income and no work to speak Of The
boys ought to be willing to stay on the farm
on these terms.
Gov. HUGHES may not win the Presidential
nomination next year. but he is getting line
of Endorsements that must be very iattering