Year: 1875

hour. The electric current is generated Dy TWO Oh
Prof. Holiness patent rotary magnetoeeculo ma
The number of revolutions made by each machine is
400 per minute and 1880 sparks pass per ~ mnu.e @
when both machines are at work These sparks are,
of course formed so rapidly that the eye does NOT
separate them and the result is an intense beam OF
light 50 dazzling that the eye OF person WITHIN tne
lantern cannot rest upon them TOT an ~
several miles, tins light is so bright as to cast well
defined shadow upon the deck OF vessel.


SIMPLE METHOD OF MAKING CARBON CELLS
Mr. Symons gives the following method, as practiced
by himself for constructing plates or cells OF carbon
of any required shape and size such are used IN
galvanic batteries. With sirup of equal quant-
ties of lump sugar and water, mix wood charcoal III
powder with about equal parts OF q light powder
called vegetable black The mixture should hang
well TO the molds dipped into il, and yet be sufii-
ciently free to form itself into smooth surface.
Molds of the cells required are made OF stiff paper,
and secured by wax or shellac. These molds are
dipped into the carbon sirup, so as to cover the out
side only, and then allowed to dry. This dipping
and drying ought to he repeated until the cells
are sufficiently thick; when well dred
they are buried in sand and baked in
an oven hot enough to destroy the paper mold.
After being cleared from the sand and burnt paper
the cells soaked for some hours i'll diluted hydro-
chloric acid, and again well dried then soaked IN
sugar srup After dried, they are packed with
sand in an iron box, gradually raised to white
heat, and left to cool. If some of the cells be
cracked they need not be rejected, but covered with
paper or plaster and dipped i'll melted parannne.
Rods or plates of carbon can be made by similar
process The carbon thus made Will be 1ouhd I'd
have good metallic ring and brilliant fracture.


UsR OF CARBoNIc ACID GAS IN DRYING AND SEA-
sONING TIMBER.-According to recent patent, moist
carbonic acid gas may be used advantagcousy in
driving and seasoning timber. For this purpose the
timber 10 be dried is placed in properly constructed
chamber and firelighted underneath, or hot gases
conveyed through the chamber so as to produce the
necessary temperature. With the timber. in the
chamber is placed a certain amount of water ana
the products of combustion, containing OF course
large amount of carbonic acid gas. are introduced
into the same space. The carbonc acid gas is rem
dered moist by of the water, and being heated
to considerable degree, acts directly upon the sap
of the green wood and in dssolvng, 1T causes II TO
give out some of its hydrogen. and this, combining
with the oxygen of the acid, forms water and then


is eyapOrated leaving some of the carbon of the car
bonc acid in the wood. The removal of some OF the
hydrogen renders the wood less productive OF fame
while the action OF the carbonlc acld tenaS rs 10 pre-
vent decay in the wood, or to arrest II IN the cary
stage For this operation the greener the wood the
better. 1t is maintained by the inventor that IL the
process is properly conducted and the wood not TOO
rapidly heated. piece of wood needs 70 be split or
damaged in drying; that crack ks which may nave
already appeared will not be increased, ana tnat In
every respect the quality of the wood Is greatly I'M
proved, becoming much harder and denser: Inc
cost of fuel in England for load O 52 cubic feet OF
scantlng, is estimated not to exceed two shngs g
and planks three inches thick, of almost any hard
wood dry in six to eight weeks.


HEAT AND VEGErATION.-MOrren of Lege has
presented his views the relation OF heat to vege-
tatiOn, especially as to the dynamic influence OF
heat on the growth of plants He says that we Will


rftaro NH
les aud chemistry make progress in the revelation
of the nature of bodies and forces Heat has an in-
iuencc upon the growth of plants the circulation
of the sap elaboration of the cells, the respiration,
and many other phenomena. The relation of heat
TO the development of plants and particularly the
perio6;c phases of vegetation arc phenomena known
through the epoch at WHICH they manifest them,
selves the mean dates of these ma:itestatlQQs ana
the average devatons therefrom


After giving an abstract of the results OF the Ia
bOrs of Schubeler, Hoffman, Fritsch, Lnnsser, and
Kabsch Prof. Morren states that a problem OF high
importance, and one which has been perhaps, too
much neglected is that Of Tie relation between heat
and the weight acquired by the plant under the
action of the solar rays and especially its relations
to the quantity of carbon fixed in the organic mat
ter, as far We can at present estimate that
In temperate climate hectarc OF for
est and prairie, or cultivated land, hxes
in one year from 500 to 900 Kilograms of carbon
and in order to accomplish this work. vegetable or
ganisms utilize between one and fonr-thonsandtts
of the heat which has been received by solar Tada-
tion upon the surface that they occupied. 1t is evi
dent that such phenomena as take place periodically,
viz: termination, leating &c, are acts OF growth


such growth supp0ses movements the fact OF the
movement necesoitates consumption of force, which
consumption is but transformation OF neat III. 10
fix our ideas, suppose an apple to fall from tree
we have but to reflect upon laws OF force Ill order
of thn anUlp mn
red up into the tree for 1t evidently has not raised
itself there. 1t is the power of the heat proceeding
from the sun which has effected the development
and growth of the tree 1t is therefore, practicable
to determine the mechanical cOGicient of growth
as Sansom has determined the mechanical cOetcient
of nourshment for foods. Il is the property of veg
etabe organisms to utilize the heat received by them
from any source for the conversion of crude material


into such forms needed by them for their own
growth In this process however, force is neither
created nor lost, although much of it is secreted
within the body of the plant or mineral; Other
things being equal, the quantity of carbon fixed in
any plant varies with the average elevation OF the
ight of ts center Of gravity.