Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-09-03
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

The great success OF tho German
Cho'nIcal industry has been brought
bout and maintained by the cin-
9loyrncnt OF large numbers OF trained
rcsohrch chemists and the value of
this scientific service Is indicated by
the figures Consult General Gusnthvr
has drawn from the annual reports
OF the employing factories. Ths
works at Biebrich with s2,000,0o0
capital stock, earned sl,0o0.009 In
1903, paid 80 per cent dividends. and
gave 100000 as gratuities to direc-
tors. A number OF other concerns
paid p TO "a per cent. with gratuities
TO directors. The Farbenfabriken-
Bayer company Elberfeld. whose
capital Is sS,500,000 made profit OF
over $4,000, 900. declared 20 per
cent dividend. and added an extra
dividend of 81 per cent from an over
grown reserve that still amounted to
s4,35b.0oO after the disbursement
This establishment claims a perfected
artificial rubber. The Badisch Anilin
and Sodafabric works, which paid
20 per cent on a capital OF IS, 500 900.
has erected works In England since
the new British patent law was en-
acted, and has also built large works
In Norway for extracting nitrogen
from the air.
The reported drying up Of lakes in
Switzerland. Germany. Russia and
Tibet has led to the suggestion that
the earth In becoming dessicated, and
novel German theory Is that the
ultraviolet rays OF sunlight are con-
cerned I'm the process. These rays
slowly decompose water into hydro
gen dicxide and hydrogen, the latter
but no oxygen being evolved. The
action taking place in the air.
hydrogen dioxide Is found I'm rain.
while the hydrogen rises and at SO
the atmosphere This llshtest of
gases. moreover, is thought 10 be
escaping into space.
The luminous night-shell that the
British admiralty has been testing
has screwed 10 its base a cylinder of
illuminant that bursts into flame as
the gun is fired. The missile is
brightly lighted through It's whole
trajectory. greatly aiding the sunners
In estimating range. but presenting a
strange and weird appearance.
Prickly pears and other cacti are
the plants from which useful prod
ucts must be obtained II the arid
regions OF the southwestern United
states are to be given agricultural
value. The experiment station at
Las Cruces. New Mexico, began
planting prickly pears six or eight
years ago. placing the pieces In fur
rows ten feet apart and in four or
fve years the rows had spread TO n
width of six to eight feet. leaving
only narrow paths between them. The
plants received no cultivation. irriga-
ton or other attention. Much work
has been expended in tho effort TO
obtain serviceable materials from
these desert plants and the results
seem to give good promise of prac-
tical success. The dark red fruit.
the size 81 small egg. Yields an ex-
cellent fruit colorins for confection-
cry and jellies. Half a dozen kinds
of sugar have been extracted, and
these have been fermented and trans
formed into alcohol. Calculations
show that plants four years old
should supply $3.50 OF denatured
alcohol per acre. The fruit Is borne
yearly, no replantinR or other work
OF cultivation is necessary and the
cost a the products IL very little
besides manufacture and transporta-
ton to a market.
Photography OF the aurora borealis
having been at last made practicable,
we may hope soon to know more of
this mysterious earth light. For the
pictures recently oplhlnt0 ri bOSekOD,
Norway, Carl Stormer used cinema
tographic lens a one inch diameter
and two inches focal length. and with
Lumiere plates succeeded in getting
500 photographs-abou one-half OF
them goodwill exposures ranging
from a fraction Of a second to 20
seconds. The distance and position
OF the aurora were very accurately
determined bv comparing its place
mong the stars on photographs taken
simultaneously at two telephone
connected stations about three miles
apart.
The decay Of stone monuments II a
more complex effect than has been
supposed. and DIR. T. Anderson. Of
York Eng, fnds that the crumbling
OF some stonework Is due 10 the
growth Of bacilli. This cause seems
to be responsible for much destruction
commonly attributed 70 the weather.
The organisms evidently thrive on
the chemical substance Of smoke and
SCOT but the extent OF their influence
Is yet TO be determined.
--~
DON'T PASS ME UP.
have opened a first class barber