The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-03-27
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


A New Idea in Plant Feeding-Waste of
Heat-Strength of Ropes-A Travelling
Canal Lock-A Torpedo Always Under
Control-A Long Lived Engtne-Atr Ar
NOR for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS as Carriers
of Typhoid Fever-Tin from Waste.
Magnesa proves to have hitherto unrealized
Importance as a fertilizer. NJ. Rigaux, expert
mentiug in Belgium. found that surface soil con-
tains less magnesia than is usually supposed, and
as a considerable quantity occurs on plants-as
much as - per cent. in the ash Of wheat and 8
per cent. in the ash of oats-he concluded that
this material should be supplied in fertilizers for
cereals potatoes, beets and leguminous crops.
For trial he selected kainit, or Stassfurt potash
salt. containing IA per cent. of magnesium sui
phate. The result confirmed the theory, and the
yield of sugar beets was increased 1850 pounds
per acre, that of grains from one-seventh to one
fifth Of the total CROP that of potatoes was raised
from 2l,OOO to 1900 per acre, and that of hay
from natural meadow land was increased from
5000 to ALSO pounds per acre. The potatoes were
rendered immune to the attacks of the mildew
fungus, which infested the part of the field re-
ceiving no kainst.
The efficiency of furnaces of various kinds has
been investigated by ]. W Hall. British metal
was found in the use of an English blastfurnace
making pig-iron, not less than sl.7 per cent. es-
capped from the furnace and was recovered out
side. pudding furnace not fitted to boiler
wasted 81 per cent of the heat. The most waste
full furnace of all, however, was proven to be
the common coke crucible furnace employed in
making steel, as this uses only LAB per cent. of
the heat, 1857 per cent being lost.
sss
Tests of Manila ropes supplied the United
States by the American Manufacturing Co. have
shown a strength of 1910 pounds for the X inch
ALSO pounds for the II inch $3.50 for the X inch
and l04O0 for the inch. The specifications had
called for strengths of 1000. $780, 5000 and 1900
pounds respectively.
.ts
The moval canal lock of Giuseppe Bartolomei,
an Italian engineer, solves the old problem of
climbing grades by boat in novel and apparent
ly improved way. 1t is adapted for inclined
canals having ample water supply, and consists
essentially of paddle wheel placed across and
filling the section of the canal, with its axis rest
ing on rails extending along the canal walls. The
wheel is raised that slightly less quantity of
water escapes under it than enters the canal.
This causes a backing up and raising of the
water, and as a suitable head is reached the
wheel is unlocked, and is turned by the water
behind it, thus travelling up stream along the
railsa holding back water enough to float the
boats being pushed through the canal. For max
ing the descent a separate. canal is desirable. A
truck is so arranged that the axle of the water
wheel may be slightly raised and rested on two
of the four wheels of the truck, thus reversing
the direction of travel, although the paddles re-
volve in the same way as in making the ascent.
On an experimental canal 80 feet long and IA
inches wide this form of lock worked satisfac-
torily on incines of Q, and per cent.
-
The radio automatic torpedo of Gustave
CADET, lately tried at Chalon-su r-Saone, weighs
not less than four tons, with motor and full
charge, and can be kept moving for hours by
wireless control, over a wide range. The steer
ing-gear can be set for any direction by the cleo
trio waves sent over long distance from the
station. In the trials made, the torpedo was
sent forward. backward, and in circle and even
the difficulty of seeing precisely where it is go
ing is said to have been overcome.
A+s
Probably the Oldest steam engine in service
has been lately examined by G. Rennie & Co.. of
Greenwich, England. This firm built the engine
in 1908, and after working more than a century
it failed through the breaking of the crank shaft
Other parts proved to be in excellent condition.
The inspection was so satisfactory, in fact, that
arrangements were made to replace the shaft,
and the machine is expected to do duty for an
ether long period before being condemned as
worn out.
The discovery that air may be made as impen-
etrable to shots as plate of armor would seem
to suggest interesting possibilities. In his Curl
GUS experiment at Buc. near Versailles Robert
EsnGult- Pelterie stood at considerable distance
behind his aeroplane, the propeller of which was
going at full speed, and fred number of shots
at the center. The whirling column of air sue
cessfuly warded off every bullet. When the
propeller was stopped, it was found that not
only had the center escaped, but even the blades
had not been touched. Though spectators sug-
gested that the bullets had been fiattened
against the spiral air projectile shot backward.
being thus stopped short, it was concluded that
they had been simply turned out of their course.
"a
That fishes may carry the germs of typhoid
fever and cholera in their internal organs-par-
ticularIy the alimentary tract-has been proven
by Reminger and Norris in the investigation
reported to the French Biological Society. This
causes risk in food, for in cooking fish. even
without opening it, the temperature of every
part is high enough to kill all microbes A real
danger appears, however. in the possibility that
fishes may spread disease by carrying germs
from a contaminated stream into unpolluted
tributaries, and known cases of epidemics that
have followed streams upward may be explained
in this way.
-.
The waste in making tin cans is so large that
saving of the metals contained is a matter of
Importance, the iron separated from the scrap
being now in great demand as well as the more
valuable tin. In the process of K. Goldschmidt,
the scrap is packed tightly into baskets, and
these are placed mechanically in closed vessels,
into which, after cooling, chlorine is pumped at
a pressure of four atmospheres. Chlorine and
stannic chloride are afterward drawn of by sue
ton. Used cans are now cleansed and treated
with ordinary scrap, and in all 5000 tons of the
tin plate waste are now detinnned yearly in
Germany, 5000 in the rest of Europe. and 10000
in the United States-a total of 5000 to $500 tons
of tin being separated from the iron.
To PROVE to the people of Toledo, Ohio, that
the Golden rule system. of narolino first. offensa