The Philipsburg mail. [volume], May 09, 1895, Image 6

About The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
FARMI AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AGRICULTURISTS.
5fome Up to Date linis About *ultiva
lion of the Soil and Yields Thlereof
Horticulture, Viticulture and Flori.
culture.
RIlains : Irrigation: Drainauge.
It is found by observation that for
dry farming to be possible not only
must there be at least twenty inchiesof
rainfall during the year (being that of
London, England,) but that the rains
be moderate in character and that the
temperature be not excessive: also that
the rain be of considerable duration
to allow of its penetrating the soil and
dissolving the constituents in it. which
furnish the food 'or the ispe
cific plant being gir wn( . says I-,'
rigation Farmer. For if the rainfall
occurs in violent storms of short du
ration and falls on an impervious en
broken prairie.h I ;n;r cdonsiderable de
clivity. it runs off into the valleys over
the impervious surface, or thlroliugh the
por-,u. soil. if such exists, into the
streamn,. leaving' the soil dry. the at
mosphere hot, and the surface of the
ground parched. I
Observations show that there are
certain districts within the sub arid
region where the rainfall is concen
trated into certain months, producing
a rainy season. When this occurs thdur
ing the growing season of the year and
the temperature is not too high. i
twenty inches will sitlice for dry
farming. a
ileteorologists, for the purpose of.
comparison, divide the rainfall of Kan
sas into three belts, the eastern, mid
die and western. 1,
The mean of observations for a period
of fourteen years for these belts was c
found to be ::7. 2:i.I; and 1I.4 respect
ively. Of this last amount it is found
that 65 per cent of the annual rainfall
falls during the growing season of the b
year, thus gving 19. lx-5 per cent eiluals a
1:1.1 inches. which for purposes of col
lection for irrigation imay be regarded e
as the mean annual rainfall in that
region. Ii
Long experience in the collection of i
water for city supply shbows that -4. per
font of the rainfall is available. which
givets 12. x hi per cent equals I; inches si
nearly. This is the yearly average for ci
a period of years which may vary forty ir
tiines either way for a given shorter tl
period.
The above shows the necessity for tl
two things. lirst, for the irrigation of
a given area of land provision must be hi
made for ample storage rooln, and ,t
second, in the interests of safety. that o1
ample overflows or spill-ways be made is
to provide for the free discharge of the se
surplus water that may flow into the p2
reservoir. ro
The promoters of irrigation projects ai
in westein Kansas, in their demands ,AV
for aid from the government for sur- fo
veying for reservoir sites and for their in
csnstruction. would seem to be ignor- i
ant of the physical characteristics of Se
that region. In the mountain regions hli
of the west, narrow canons furnish dr
sites for dams wl;ch will impound sa
larg-e quantities of water during the
periods of floods, while in westelin th
Kansas, the source of supply of water ex
i, the rainfall, and although there are 1
many depressions in the open prairie, th
which could be made to store water Ia
sutlicient to irrigate many thousands
of acres of land the conditions are suchl
that the water can not be drawn out th
by gravity so as to be available for ir- du
rigation. cl
(;rowing Evergreens frotm Sceed.
Good seed must be procured
of the previous season's crop.
Avoid seed that is old. Alake
examination and see that the
germs are plump and sound. The seed
of the pines, spruces and firs can be
tested in the winter in the same way
you would test wheat, oats or barley
to find the number of grains that will
freely germinate in a given number of
seeds.. Seeds of the evergreens men
tioned should be kept in a cool dry
room until time to plant arrives. Soak
in warm water from twenty-four to
thirty-six hours before planting. 'aeds
of the Arbor Vhthe should be stratified
as soon as picked from the tree, dry
ing destroys their vitality. Red cedar
and all juniper seed should be strati
fled as soon as gathered and remain in
the stratified state one year before
planting.
The ground selected to plant ever
green seed upon should be fir4
class soil for corn, as free as
possible from weeds or grass.
The best way to secure this
condition is to grow a crop
of potatoes, with such culture as will
absolutely destroy everything of the
need hind. Plow and pulverize well
in earny atumn, then in about a week
afterwards throw the ground up in rough
beds rin np east and west. This is done
withi lr, and plow in such a man
ner that .is beds when finished will
be four feet wide and from four to six
;:ciiis a'',,' the general level. The
ialleys b,.t : ,.een the beds should be two i
feet iii width. Set good strung posts 1
eight h'cet aria; t each way over the en
tire ground to be plantec. Set them
from two and a haif to three feet in ,(
the ground and sev4 feet high from
the ground up. hiracethe out:ide row I
of nosts all around. i'Then run heavy i
galvanized witre on the top of each row
r.f posts, Drtth and south, and east and
west, and fasten ccurely with a staple
on top of each post where the wires
cross. Cover the whole top with com
mon wire lath fencings, made with one
twist of wire less than common, be
tween the lath to brin? them close to
gether. Enclose the ,ides in the same
way, fastening everythiing securely
with staples to the posts. Instead of
using lath, brush can be used by plac
ing the wires two feet apart, and
weaving and tying brush to them. iTh:
shade must be evenly distributed so that
half or lhttic more than half of the
rays of The sun will be intercepted,
After finishing your shading go over
all your bells with a cultivator andi
then let it alone until spring comet
- and the ground is dry enough to work
well. S,:atter a liberal dressing of
wood ashes over all the beds, then pul
pveize thoroughly to the depth of four
inches, finish making the beds. have
the edges straight. beds four' feet wide
and an inch or so higher in the middle
' than at the edges. The soil min'st be
completely pi ",erized and absolutely
SIfree fromt rubbhill of every kind. You
iare now ready' to sow the seed; sow
Sbroadcast and have three or iour seeds
tothe sqtlart'e inich. After sowing a
t bed. run11 a common size garden .fLrr
over it unt it every seed is pressed fir:.
into the soil. ('over the whole bed
with ligh it eired. fine clean sand to
the depti: f one quarter of an inch for
the spruces, tS otlch pine and fi's,
m lld aboiut one half an inch
for seedr' like white pine.
Iied ,trdar ttnd Arbor \'itk: seed is
tIl;en fr:omi t plae plec where they are
stratifi '., andt sown, and all then are
rolled aed cuvered as the others, w-ith
the exception that the Arbor \'ithoseed
is just barely cover'ed with sand and
pulverized dry moss is sifted over them
to a depth of a little less than one
Itlnarterl of an inch land the bed care
fully sprinkled with swater through a.
fine hose. After every rain the beds
must be looked after and sand applied
again wherevcr it has washed off. The
seed germinates in from ten to twenty
days after planting. All weeds must
be pulled out by hand as fast as they
appear, as the beds must be kept, per
fectly clean. The object in having the
ildes enclosed as well as the top is to
keep out rabbits, dogs, poultry and
l other vermin. A dog or rabbit merely
wallking over a bed when the trees are
coming up will destroy thousands. A
nood boy with a shotgun is a necessary
adljunct to keep certain birds from dig
inu iup and eating the trees. Thismust
be attended to. While the little trees
are coming up. if the weather is dry,
tlte beds must be carefully sprinkled
every evening. Use just enough water
to thoroughly dampen the sand on the
beds. I Iave some dry sand stored away
so that during long spells of rainy,
duamp. foggy weather you can get and
sprinkle the beds with it after each
shoiwer. This coating of dry sand
shoull be very thin, not over 1-32 of an
inch deep. Fl'll out the weeds before
they form the second set of leaves.
kieep the alleys ciean with the use of
the hoe.
Thl: ground : ccupied by the seed
beds should be at least six or eight
rods froml any building, trees, hedges
or other windbreaks. A windbreak
is a good thing to have around your
seed beds if at a proper distance. I
prefer a distance of about twenty
rods or more to secure good air drain
age. The beds must be constantly
watched until the little plants have
formed their true leaves. The most
important objects to keep in mind are:
:'irst-The birds must be kept off.
Second-The weeds and grass must be
pulled. Third-I. the weather is too
dry, sprinkle; if toot damp, use the dry
sand.
After the true leaves have formed
the ý.:-ats require but little attention
except that weeding must be kept up.
When the groun.d begins to freeze in t
the fall covetr all the beds with wild t
ha:y use just enough to cover theml
and no more. This is removed the a
latter part of the following April, and c
the trees w'ill require no attention
during the summer except to be kept
clean from weeds. The next fall treat c
the beds to another covering of hay, a
and the following spring you will have, f
if you have closely followed rny
directions. in spite of possibly some
severe losses, .,00I0 or more trees on t
each 4 feet length of bed; 2 years old c
and from : to 10 inches in height, hi
ready to be transplanted.-Charles F. a
Giardner in Farmers' Review. t
Mlillt.
Of this the South Dakota station
says: Stems erect from annual root,
unbranched, one and one half to four
feet high: leaves very long and broad,
rough, spike usually large, from two
inches long in the smaller forms to
eight or ten inches long and more or
less compound in the larger and more
highly cultivated ones, oblong or
cylincdrira:, usually yellowish or pur
plish and nodding; bristles either
lolger or shorter than the spikelets.
T:lis is one of the most useful of our
cultivated annuals. There are many
St.fferent varieties in cultivation, such
as German millet, Hungarian grass,
(olden millet, etc. As it is usually
ready for cutting (if for hay) in from
two to two and one half months
after sowing, it is an excellent catch
crop when others fail, and can be
sown after most other crops are in,
and will then have plenty of time to
mature. The yield of hay is usually a
heavy one. When used for hay, it
should be cut as soon as possible after
heading. If allowed to stand until
the seeds are well formed, it
is thought to have a bad ef
feet upon the kidneys of animals
to which it is fed. On the other hand
ground millet seed has been used for
fattening hogs with good results. Be
cause of its early maturity and the pos
sibility of its being sown late and har
vested early, millet is an excellent
crop to vse in fighting certain perni
cious weeds, as, for example, the Rus
sian thistle. Cut worms seldom damage
it or even the crop following it the
next season. A specimen analyzed as
follows: Air dry substance-Water,
8.74; ash, 10.19; ether extract, 2.96:
crude fiber, 32.14; crude protein, 11.10;
nitrogen-free extract, 34.87; total ni
trogen, 1.78; albuminoid nitrogen, 1.10
PEAPR, were brought from the East
by the Romans.
CAPERS originally grew wild in
Greece and northern Africa.
I)airying in Georgi.
it It is surprising that the south has
been so slow to give attention to dairy.
. ing and'poultry raising, for which it is
1r so admirably fitted by reason of its
d mild temperature anti abundance of
fodder of various kinds. That it is
k sure to awaken from this state seems
f certain. Prof. J. 1. Budd of the Iowa
agricultural college has been taking a
r trip through the south, and from cen
i tral (e;orgia writes as follows to Farm
e and Iairy:
I have been able to give some time
e to an investigarion of the possibilities
t of dairying in Georgia and find the
1 conditions extremely favorable. Some
of the reasons for this conclusion may
have some interest:
1. The main supply of butter and
cheese is now shipped in from the
north, with the added expense of
1 transportation and commission of
varied "go betweens.'
:. Land suitable for stock farrmingis
surprisingly cheap. The so called worn
out farms now growing up to pines are
easily cleaned and seeded with liermu
da grass, clover, alfalfa, cow pea, field
pea, soja bean and other nutritious
dairy feeds. 'Prof. Wing of the experi
ment station decides that no pasture
grass he knew in Ohio or Michigan
equals the hermuda grass for dairy
pasturage. and that winter rations
for dairy cows are cheaper and richer
than at the north. He especially em
phasizes the fact that cow pea ensi
lage is tile best milk and fat producer
lie has tried in any state.
3. The pasturage season is long and
the winter feeding season is short. Mr.
B. W. Hunt of Eatonton, central Geor
gia, says that for an average of a num
ber of years he has good pasturage
:20 days and a partial or entire feeding
term of 160 days. lie estimates that
the cost of first class keeping for best
dairy results will not exceed $28 a year
per cow.
4. As to diseases Mr. Hunt says
cattle are practically free from tuber
culosis and other northern diseases,
but the southern cattle fever will
sweep the herd, or may do so, unless
the calves have it when young. He
said: "'I have long practiced with suc
cess giving the fever to all my milk
drinking calves and we think no more
of it than vaccinating to guard against
smallpox." Prof. Wing, at the ex
periment station, has guarded against
the disease by the purchase of cows
known to have been through the fever i
when young. It appears to be abso
lutely certain that the Texas fever is a
non-recurrent disease even to a more
certain extent than scarlet fever or
smallpox.
5. It has been suspected that the
heat of summer was too extreme for
profitable summer dairying. But Mr.
Hunt, Prof. Wing and all other es- t
perienced butter and cheese makers in
sist that the relatively moist summer s
air is more favorable for butter and
cheese making than the dryer air of
the northwest, and that in reality the
summer heat on the plateau of central
Georgia is not as high as that of t
central Iowa. When Prof. Wing came
here from Ohio he says he felt nervous
about trying to make full cream g
cheese in summer. But from the start n
he has made choice butter and heese, P
with what we would call the most tl
primitive appliances, through the dog a
days. rr
6. The drawbacks are not found in o
the climate, the soil, the water, nor
the feed, and the southern fever is not f
much of a stumbling block if reason- .c
able precautions are taken. But the ni
country 'neighborhoods where cheap ti
land is found have few of the social ad- "
vantages of the north in the way of p
churches, schools or associates such I
as northern men must have for com
fort or enjoyment. Joining this to the ai
peculiar negro problem everywhere n
presented, renders it almost necessary It
to settle where northern people have sc
congregated, and there land brings a al
higher price and usually is not the
most favorable for stock growing, as Si
these localities are on the higher levels h;
usually, where commercial fruit grow- it
ing has proven most profitable. All te
things considered there is no good rea- ci
son why a northern dairyman should a'
come here unless a change of climate
wvith a view to benefitting health is a t
main reason. J. L. -cUDD.
Atlanta. Ga. ti
Diversified Farming.
In every other business except farm
ing there is some attempt to fit supply
to demand,says Pioneer Press. Manu
facturers and merchants take trade
journals, feel the state of the market,
and would not dream of trying to
force a commodity on the people after
the people had quit buying it, or were
willing to buy it only for less than
cost of production. There should be
information accessible to the farmer.
In every state the commissioner of
statistics should ascertain, as nearly as
may be, what are the products of the
soil which the state might produce,
but which it does not produce
in quantities sudficient to sup
ply the home demand. These
facts should then be placed'
in the hands of every farmer so
that production might be regulated ac
cordingly. It is simple imbecility that
the farmers of any state should bust
themselves with producing something
that they have to send thousands of
milcs to market and sell at a price
that keeps them constantly under the
harrow of poverty, while the people of
the same state as a whole are sending
sway hundreds of miles to get pork or
:.airy products or eggs or chickens that
they consume. If we could have di
rersification of agricultural industry,
and if we could have it diversified ac
zording to the plain needs of the con
sumers as shown by the records of
trade, the attention of the farmer
would be fixed upon supplying the
some market. ]n that lies the greatest
,rofit and the highest interest of the
whole community.
SCIENTIFIC MATTERS.
WEW 1VRIKVT(EIs AND IMPROVE
MI.WNTS IN TIlE U..F'LU'L AR'1'N,
The I'altitgte of MIrtnla.. and il "rl,-v--
('en t rifugi T'Ir n Sel n iat or-Ga::4
-n1 inies in Elet'lrie 1Vi)or -W'oo.ld-.
Pul)p 'ipen-Diet iand Stiupt;lity.
A corresoponlldnt of Khowll,\'ltdg sih.,vws
tih:t1 the pIhellolena of ltnls nla f:t
tigu co('olrr'spondls very c(losely to 1ll,
fatig.e of muetatls. Futgt,"e of metals-
n phrase, which hls conlll iint.) ut g." onliy
in ret'ce, t yte'.-dt scri-:.; :i ot)!n.litio1
of the in:lterial no pretviously under-i, t
stoodt. It exprell'. s tIhe ' eining of
ltie latiollship to :ah (1hor of I t '
Imolecules of Iwhih thie l llt is con!
slit iu'odl atemlintt whit t 101termlll
wearines, or literally i t -I . (
inot edi' v '. in i et irs :!i',' 1":ml lit ar'
with 1vthe fact hllt part.a of m- >y'hlni.
break down after luiving worked s:at
i';fa totily, t l an I ppa tlitllly with sai, ty.
for mlol ithit, or it ut y he,, for 1il 11y
yeoar. The callist' of slc1 breakagneti
o"nc a mylery!, .iS now klnowln to h)
iatigue. This ri ncitp.lle is ilhlutrai't lt ito
the Ibreaking of a piecet of wire. It is
bnt h:lckw' ai forwtd unil ipo;rwad - tin 1111
S',es take pl:lt'-tron fatigue. If, how
everi'. itn ls arell stra tiln'd iondt t e1o
elastic limit, but l lnot blrokf en, atlhl if
alone. Prof. B. W. K,'n0nediy hlis c(lea'r
ly ttitdeoOnSt tlloel till I .c'tl) ;Iprtie prop
>41y of mitalttit Bars oi f st'el atnd iron,
tiied in a t1,esin ma llhite l'eyoid[
thi, chistic limit. and si, w,:akelned
thereby that if they wore testd tgain
the following day Ihety Iwoul ta'ke t l'r
'Iolltteolt set at IOl l-1 iti'd o t' 1 s of itll ir
rlnlr load, wouldt , if allowed to rest
for atout two yoears, lea found not only
to have recovered tilir origitnal blastic.
i hit of strOength. bui t to laO tiexio (lei
t. and to livte becotmllO Str'onllge'r tlho
efore in the directionl in which tohy
tad been pulled. If tlle priod of rest
vas materially shortened, the rewtora
ioll of stnrengll was found to t be n corl,
tespondiugly ico)i)oplete. 'Thits theory
f faltigtte holds good in regard to tuen
les is well as metails. Prof. Michael
ostehr pointei d oiut l.st yeo ar ti at the
nuscles in the leg of a fro' severed
rout the body. and caused under vie,
rical stimulu]s to exert themselves in)
vorlk unttil thoroughly w'earied, and no
oug,'r able to respond to athe tleeictal
,xc'tation ,will, with rest alone, re
over their mola.ticity a 1 alesbl to re- I
ulge work as before. Prof. Pssttr
emlonstrated that the weariness was
u the muscle and not in the nerve.
he worn tissue could not, of course,
' restored, but from 11h1 tatig e lhe
luseles did recover .and t is clear that
ie fatigue which - experincie ill,
ur own bodies must largely fatigue
1 the technical sunnre in addition to
oeariness proper. or worn-lness. Lest
,therefore, requirted, not only to (,u
ble wasted tissulOe to lie restored by
resh material fromn the blood. and by
ut also afford opportunit.ies for the
trained molecules to recover a state
t repose.
Sea and Mountain Air.
A London inedical paper in anticlipa
tion of the question usually asked at
this time of the year, "Where shall we
go this summln r?" makes some pr'ti
nent suggestions. ('hildren and old
people almost invariably do well at
the seaside, while mountain resort,s as
a rule, are less suitable to them. If a
imanti has dLysp)opsin. (,'spcitlly if it 11o
of hepatic origin, he should get as far
away from the sea as possible. Sea.
air is also known to have a most un
favorable tendency in skin di:seases,
eczema eslpecially being often seriously
aggravated by it. But scrofulous ft'f'c
tions do better by the sea than any
where else. as do brouchilis and em
physema, and in rhumalntie, c'ardiac or
ienal troubles tIle air of tin motuntainl
is baneful. Mild castes of insomnia may
be benefited either by sea or mountain
air, but olbstinate cases defy both cli
mates, and are only anlenabile to the
Influence of the sheltered island re
sorts. For hysteria, too, the sheltered
and moderately bracing island iresort
will be found beneticial and much safor
thait either the imountlain or the sea
side. both of which are apt to do more
harm than good in such cases, Incip
ient phthisis may be relegated either
to the mountains or the seaside, ac
cording to its origin; but the medical
adviser should determineie this. As a
general rule, it may be stated that if
the phthisis be at all of a "strllnous"
type, sea nair will be beneticial; if of a
"catarrhal" origin, the moist ani seda
tive marine resorts should he tried;
and if quiescent and limited, in a con
stitttiot that is not neurotic, the moun
tain should have tilt first trial.
Centrifulal 'Inxr Separator.
A useful maclhille has i~e(n pitut on
tile1 mlarket for h111e expeditios purili
cation of titi tar. Ordinary tar, iS ex
tracterdl at gas workm, conltains quite a
ait.o per(enttage of vater, ias mItch
as 16I per Ctent or llore. 't'i i must he
extracted lbelf eo the tar is available
for c:lmllmeci i l u.i ss. 'hli i'ifllh tlred
Sepatratioin will lake plhtt' in the tar
wells, owntit to tlit' dil'rcenlce of densi
ty, if sthlicictnt lillle is giveno but. as
a rule, tar delivered from! the g as
works contains fully. 7 orC S per cant of'
mocha 1nically combined \iat:r. The
principle 1upon which the new nmiitbine
is the action of (centlritfugalil fort,. IThe
tar iheated to a.toitI 92 dt'egr:'s Fahren
helit, to reduce its viscosity, and is
tlhi convoyed into tihe receliver of the
tmachine by a pipe. The r,-eicver is
rapidly rotitiled, antd th' tlr, being
Ie lvitor is sepalraitedi lltrol the water I
ant1 urtged against the walls of thie re
ceiver, mounting upwalrds to the top
of the quickly revolving vessel. 'two
collecting pipes are fixed i a:lr the rim
of' tilt separator. ()ne of thllee is so
placen that it collects the puriuied t'tt.
while the other takes up tlhe inner ring
of water. which lhas been left by the
outward impulse of the heavier tar.
It is stated that the separator is so
complete that the purified tar' contains
only one per cent of water. Theb ma
chine has to be stopped three times
a day for cleaning. Any grit or dirt
in the tar adheres to the wheels of the
machine, ant is removed by special
scrapers, the operation taking about
half an hour. About 2,810 gallons of
t::r nro pur'itiel in az dov~r's work. mrt'~
iv.r~l'-polver iciug reqtd~i'ari ror driving
i'Itlclirir \\itii rl~t ltei-tlti 801' ilt toijnc ('
c'i'L~ ~ ~ ~It ('~~llllt` l 1(\lll''iitt'tl 01'litl
'li ''r· ''-:f lilnt toils: tiso to' tiitlia-it!:1'
itt \(tll 1,; 1 Ii) Sa: I titt'' 111 t't'' Ill
i'll)' t'i;9'!1c: l o t i 118itit:·~ 'tl)'t'tt' lit)! Ill
II
i~ OcttI to sil''lit~ 111) oll~it11 I~'tltl'. l ti' c 11111
sij(·i111:4lilji'.1, i~l~ 01'c rittil~(\ Work. 1'
hi qr Cs 't"1aianplleto in l'eei i'iviii Work.
,hey ! in t lantilt,[I sqall poweredl gas
tr- eng'ine is used to a cOUnsideilrahe eX
corI tent probabtly more geni'rally than in
r this country., at presienit,i at onu' of the
q- questionlis which c(mlie before tithe con-i
'Iatin iui etgiie.rs, accorldilg io Mr.
Ilhe . iETn018.1t D)owson ill lit' Lotndon
red ]lecttLriian , is the ft''si ility of li sitl,,
'ee gas; engines to drive alternating cur"
in rut electrii generators in larallel.
u It is admiltted that. gas power with
cu ,l g len'arator g..s, is chealtier 111111 stietm
e- potC er. espe'inlly ill smaml l statio sS
- withll light iday lains. Not o ilty is the
fit' fl contsiumptio lesos per horse power
ls sed. uIll u1l0 st:anl-by los. of hollerls
mr. with light loads, or with no loatdls at
rse" all is al:ost entir'ely avoided. Thle
t h ,ucementen. ihyrt'eftre, to adopt gas
int lOW' its ;grleIt, lutld with the best type
in 1of gas engines, as now made f'or elec
ti riecnt work, it is tas e:sy tin drive lon
eo t n on, illu l t'irenlt inuctthiulls Ias with
iist ilin e i1tn is It tii e g e11;iOtte. h dy tnom o
ctan lnow hie coupled to the engines if
by necess:lry. WVitih altlernaltors, however,
eo1tain difficulties presentt thaemtselv's.
S iand hile s' hltiol0 of the01 will. to at
te certain extoet, s:ly, Air. Dowson, de
tepOnd on it1h co-operatiotn of electricians
withi the m)akers o' gaos engines. No
one questions but that a gas engine
R_ s well as one lor mIore ot inuous Clo
)a rent mlaehines, but two or more gsl
Sengines have not been used in dtriving
we two or more alternators in parallel,
rti Tlhee a110e nhtierolls ditificulties which
od liedge about tlhe aelievenlenlt of this
a omtllinnltion. howe yver'.-Providelice
.o rllilel,
as
Aluminumn Alloys. r
1 Dr. A. lochet h:las recentlly ftudit'd
til tiI physical proplerties of the alloys
un- f'ornled by mixing aluminum and an
li, ti' ony together in various:: proportions,
sly with interesting results. The alloys t
et- containing less lthan 5 per cent of an- 1
th- timony ar'e harder and have grea'ter
m- elasticity and ductility thn pure al- (
or ultninl. Their color, however, is not I
y buat they tale ia lhoter pIolish and resis.t
in atmospiheric action in a Ireaoter ldegree.
i- Whel morll e t alimony is added to the i
e alnnminunl. the elasticeity rapidly di- c
re- iinilshes. as does also the lhardness, I
o and 11 e alloy soon libecomes brittle,i
't The c''l'rcteristie crystalline ciondi- 1
INr tion of the metanl lso undetlrgoeos a 1
ea- very marked change. and when theb
1re amount of the antimony reanches 10
p- per cent ilth alloy forms shinXing crys
Ilr talline plates. The addition of anti
I o- mony. als might tli exlpected, also low
al 'rs tIlhe melting point. The alloy can
a used in the al i te s for tlhe preparation
if on :a collerecial scale, of the triple
bs" alloys of thse two Inetls with nickel, a
Stunlyugste'n (and silver.
'n npE1'illents ho. Professor KoIernot on
"winil-prlsssulte ]i!loHllsll'lties 1hal the
total pressure on rectillangl1r blocks r
is the smie whether they be placed t
on with one fae normanl to the wind or o
dia_,onilly. This total presosure is nine
tenlltlhs of that of a thllin fla:lt plate equal
in atrea: to one face ill ith, C1m€ of a
Scl.l.'.', :tlld fl'lll SO'ven to nlille-tlttlhs r
1 ill the case of other rectangular bodies s
the lamer figure being obtain+,l for b
1eblocks muore than three timles as high C
)e as 11ti width of the base. Vortical c
ed walls in a Untiding have a marked e- '
aI feet in !redctiln, thl pre '(snrl' ol the a
;:1 roof. andl thus with a roof of MO de- li
as grees pitch the redaction is Sti per cent. p
u V hen the wnlll is extended to form a e'
o I'parapet the sheltering effect causes a i
li, still furnther reduction in ipressure, and
n 1with a low pitch instead of :1a pressure o
he a Vllccuntll is crented duell to the suckling
- or asp:iranory action of the a:li streanl
i upon '-he stagnallnt body of air inm
he mediately behinl the s;hlter. Similar
is effets laive been found with girders t
ag and Intlice wo:'k. malld those results are
r I orf co!nsiderable practical imlportance.
:) ,ormnation of O:lls. (
A nmemtber of thel Berlin Chelnical
so Socity put awa:y, some twelve years t
1r. since, a bot te containing hydrofluor- E
silicie acid, and on finming it recently,
hle Ie noted that the glass above the t
r. liquid had been strongly attacked. In d
so one of the deeler erosions he noted a
ws white mass, in general appearance re- o
a- senmbl-ing closely the gain opal. It V
('was trausparent or transluscent on the
rt borders of luminated structure, beau- b
le tifully iridescent, and in optical rea, b
al tlou amorphous. Analysis showed It e
o to have the formula of the Hung#ii';t
opal
T.H.f DREA31 OF' C'HEMISTRI .
Elxernentring to P1roiluce Palatablg
Beefnlenks Out of the Element,.
T'lh e'lectrician has one dreaml and
Sthe social phlilosopher has :nother.
SBut the "lriinist has also a dreamin that
is as fanctlifl ls a vision of tlih alchem
i,;t of thei dark ages. This is how he
would sohlve the problems of comfort
I anl h:llippiness whichl have been put to
il'` huni;lll frace:
"The chemist hopes for a synthetic
lbefsialc, tor a cheminilcal loaf, for a
cu.tp o c(ol'l'ee im:lde. like his soda water
extrai'ls, out of inorganic. Itiatter. Il.e
\Vallis to see tlhe diay w'hsen a synlthetii'
climate shall envelop tilhe earth, when
tlie raioniaker shall libe a prophet anti
mail shall lhold the string to the un
rily big." of Aeolus.
"lin tilat (lay thile food andl I'ailluent of
mankind will be produced in the cruei
bles of the c(lLinist. Once nlore veld
t'e wiill clothe tli(, tiells now defaced
by i!Unloai toil. and the shaiggy- wootts
will i.prilg na'lw on the i' :spilled
: iil ,es of" the hills. Tllhere will be n oii
I illiug or llarvest. no slloghtIer of ta ine
hl'lsts. ()i: of lhl original e nitient:
ch<s'iistry will compound chops anl
citilets. knatl Ilie dough an1d brelV the
ali.
"'Thie itle has already lbeent partly
won in thl' case f edlll icines andi
tdrugs. Thel wine at the table d'hoto
ne'ir :a'l it hle vineyard. The "prize,
ffrlit flowers" of the ldrug store aire' in
nocent of the orch:u'd land garden.
Syntlicii cellenist'ry is yet young. It
lots Iulll gr''at advances in the pro
dll'tion of gl'yocerids and sugars. It hals
I4,0( devotee s in this coluntr'y whlo
loe le to nikei the dreai li a reality."
Diet 4altln Stupidity.
Dr. lFrancis \Valmnsley states a grave
Iphysidogial fact in tile assertion that
"clue motlhers distinctly diet their off
i )ritng for stiupi tlity." Dr. Walnisley
ottghit to know, for lii is snperintelnd
enti o' an asylumn wher'e lie has ir950
idiots. imn cie and epileptic childrien
ulieri his (icare. Bad and unsuitable
food. hle tells us. often caluse thicken
itg a1l onlarg'oient ol f the skull, aind
physio>logy lhs amlply ecnfirmed the o0d
theory of schoollboy days that a thick
skull is tie outwlard and visible sign
if dull and stupid brains. At Darenth
Asylun.m which Dr. WaIlnslehy super
vloe, ver'y c.lrfelll observi'tiolls wlere
maeti'. alunl it was founlid ltht not only
was the intellect poor in thick-skttlled
andl rickety childrenl, but the very
sensies ih(mseclves, tih senses of sight,
of hearing and of tastte, and even the
power of SUlqeelch, are all (Lremarkalbly
impaired. Such clhildren "see badly,
hoear badly, feel badly." In tI'he matter
of spelech the facets are si'tartling. Of
lthe 150) patients, only 360 articnulate
witlhi normal distinctii.s. Of the re
mainderi. 2)0 spetlk indistinctly, while
300 actually cannot speak at all. This
subl)ject hais not received the attention
it deserves, and it is to be' holped that
such inlportlant physiological facts as
Dr. WalVnisley has made known will
be taken forther cognizance of by the
leaders in medical science.
Big Dy.natloi.
The size of electrical apparatus is in
creasing very rapidly, and electricians
now look back with amusement on the
apparatus they were using only a few
years ago. The increase in bulk is due
to niany causes, chief among which
are the improvement In processes of
manufanture and the growth in the
demand for current. It is not merely
for large enterprises in power trans
mission that these new big machines
are used; they are required also for
ordinary central station work. Thus,
a dynamo is now being built for one
of the central stations in St. Louis
that will deliver a current equal to
that required for 1(1,000 incandescent
lamps. The armnature is ironclad, 16
feet in (liameter, weighs nearly 100.
000 pounds, andl is carried by a 22
inch thick shalt. Half of the field
magnet frame was cast recently, and
with the pole pieces elmbedded in it
weighs no less than thirty-five tons,
measuring 24 feet over all. This ma
chine is to suppl)ly current, not only for
incandescent lights, but for are lamps
and motors, and will be onel of the
biggest ever built. Five years ago a
machine one-quarter its size was look,
ed upon as very large.
New Illunlinant.
A curious by-product in the manu
facture of aluminum and the reduction
of refractory ores has been found.
This is carbid of calcium, from which
acetylene is readily obtained. That
acetylene has a high candle-power
when used as an illuminating agent
has long been known but the difficulty
has always been to obtain it cheaply
enough to enable such a use to be
made of it. Apparently it gives about
the same illuminating value as the gas
obtained by elacking oils. a product
now used largely for gas enrichments
purposl)es. It is significant that this
latest: addition to the gas engineer's
resources should have its origin in a
strictly electrical process. Should it
be found to fulfill all the hopes cherish
cd by those who have tested the pro
cess experimentally, we may some day
meet the anomaly of an electric gener
ating plant being worked to make iH
luminating gas. This could easily hap
pen if the value of acetylene be suffi
ciently great to render its production
in large lquantities in this way ad
visablle. To use as an illuminant the
objections urged against all combus,
tion-illuminants apply.
Pins for Insect Collections.
It may not be generally known that
the nature of the pins used in faslen
ing the specimens in collections of in
sects is am attePt of great Importance.
Ordinary brass pins even when well
tinned, are very liable to oxidize in
the body of the insect, and often thus
destroy rare and valuable specimens.
Black varnished pins are almost as
bad, as the glaze roon cracks. leaving
the meta.l exposed. Even plated pils
do not appear to resist the action of
the compounds ,-',eloped in the body
of the insect. tkd6ugh solid silver ones
will, so that cheap silver may at least
be a boen to the entomologists. A
bronze, pin has found favor of late,
but is far from being a perfect fasten
er. The latest thing is a nickel alloy.
which possesses decidefl advantages of
the commmn kind whose basis is brass