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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1877)
1 uary. bbrusry. THE WEST SHORE. 113 bei. PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES. ft incrase in the use of steam, and conse in demand fur mechanics work, by the foul of portable engines, is great There have ttiH COMSUinutlOIl of different kimla nf ie. e reai m x0't " lrtale en ioe j"t publUlicit in England that the absence i Atf-wood and heavy cost of coal on the Lncs of Hungary and south Russia appears to W1'- i t ivlmbil Hi lino nf mtanm .1. onikts, until the application of Btraw and VP vegetable substances as fuel became iown. ine wimii. ui aivum power a equally It in other agricultural uisiricw Desiuea those " . 1 .. T-.K- l i peaily meiiui'iicu. m nium nio uneu leaves ilmius nlauts, the scrub or brushwood, and be stalks of the cotton plant supply an excel- jai substitute ior coai in uouers properly con ducted, in r.gyps inn cotton plants are alleJ up after having attained a certain growth, the stalks, which are about one-half inch in mucU.t and Tnnr to nvo ipet in leneth, contain jatfeljlthe calorific properties of good wood, and m br I ill burn perfectly well if properly inserted into ...I.L.kMuM In thn Inrim u-l.nt.nnu'im. ilia. itUi mew i tne .uaremma ana me rugiia, in the ui4 wen ana sown oi iuuy, wooa ana coai are very vukx I"'8, ant' M tne 8ram requires to be threshed iuofc i-ery snorxiy aiier narvcsi, on account oi me na ture oi tne ciimate, tne larnier would gladly nai himself of steam power provided he could me his straw, which he has always at hand mid m superfluous abundance. In South America, yew Zealand and the extensive prairie of the River Plate, Chile and Mexico, the universal lemand of the farmers is for steam machinery Ivhich can be worked with indigenous fuel; and the time may come ere long when the land in these countries shall be plowed. 4he crops liar- I vested and threshed, and the cram ground into I floor by steam engines fed with straw, brush- I mod aim vegetable reiuse grown on tike estate. Bat the great recommendation of some im proved portable engines appears to be that with dight changes in the arrangements of the tire bin they will burn not only ooal, wood and the various vegetable substanoet already enumer ated, but also tieat of all kinds, sawdiiBt, chips ud inegass, the refuse of the sugar cane, and, in fact, almost any vegetable refuse within reach. There can be no question that the adoption of this class of enirine would permit of the intro duction of steam power in almost innumerable localities from which it has hitherto been ex eluded, and as all the fittimni attached to it are I of the best and most approved form, it may be ooptKi mat its use win be wiueiy extended. Utilisation or Ska-wkku. The Quarttrlu Journal of Scienct says : At the chemical works at Aalbourg, in Jutland, Denmark, where about 30 tout of alkali are made per week by the ammonia process for obtaining alkali from ea-weed, -Mr. Thowald Schmidt, the director of the manufactory, proposes to work, in conjunc tion with tli is process, a method devise 1 by him self of treating sea-weed so oa to obtain iodine, potash salts, and other marketable products inereirom. l. ' rit a very ueavy duty is kvied on the importation of common salt, whilst enormous Quantities of sea-weed, rich in iodine and potash, can be obtained at small cost in the neighborhood of the works. Mr. Schmidt's process is as follows: After the sea-weed it dried and burnt, a concentrated solution of the ash is made and added to the liquor containing chlo ride of sodium and calcium, left after the am monia has buen recivered in the ammonia-soda proems by boiling with lime. The sulphutes of potash, soda and magnesia contained in the ash of the sea-weed are thereby decomposed, and hydratod sulphide of lime and hyd rated magne sia am precipitated in a form which may be available for paiwr-making as "pearl-harden- inc." 'Die last traces of sulphates are got rid of by adding a small quantity of solution of wuorme oi uanum. 10 tne ciear solution ni trate of lead is now added until all the iodine is preciphated as iodide of lead, which is then separated by filtration and treated fur the pro duction of iodine or iodides. After filtration . WHITE REDWOOD. T. J. Alley writes the Sonoma (Cal. ) Democrat an interesting account of a curious Iiihua nnturtr, the white redwood: The white redwoods are on my place, Altainont farm, which name may lead you to class your humble servant, in ou sense at least, among the "way-up" folks. If, cular demonstration should be more desirable, just step to your west window and cast your eyes upon the Tabletop mountain, almost due west, (a little north,) and IS miles distant from your city, and yon will not wonder that I am disposed to look down upon the lower classes. This mountain is upon the western rim of the (ireen valley basin, and one mile from Latham 4 Streetor'a mill, on the railroad in Dutch Kill canyon. When I bought the property, nearly 11 years ago, the white redwood was a small, compact cluster of suckers at the base, on the south side of a common redwood tree, acme two fuel iu diameter. I supposed from the compact ness of the suckers that they grew from an ex crescence on the root of the parent true, and that the green suckers in the vicinity came from the natural roots of the same tree; but the ex tension, year by year, of the white cions in every direction, has lead mo to believe that the excrescence extends entirely around the tree. and that the growth of the white suckers comes jrom it. It differs from other redwoods in three par ticulars, viz: The non-secretion of the coloring matter for the foliage; the less vigorous growth. owing, perhaps, to its crowded condition; and a disposition, towards the beginning of winter, to blight in spots. The frequent molestations of visitors (now strictly forbidden), have prevented their attain ing any considerable bight; and this is, no doubt, one principal cause of the density of their growth. Many efforts at propagation have proved unsuc cessful, and we predict that M r. William Sexton, of Petaluma, will soon record another failure, though I entertain a faint hope that his plan may succeed. A new feature presents itself to my mind, BEES BITINO BLOSSOMS. We read in the latest book of Charles Darwin, the English natnralist, the following interesting observations on Uower-cutting by bees: "The motive which impels bees to gnaw holes I through the corolla seems to lie the saving of time, for they lose much time iu climbiutr into and out of large flowers, and in forcing their heads into closed ones. They were able to visit nearly twice as many dowers, as far aa I could judge, of a Stack y and PtHtrtemo by alighting on the upper surface of the corolla anil sucking tnrougn the cut notes, tnan oy entering in the proper way. Nevertheless each bee, before it lias had much practice, must lose time in mak ing each new perforation, especially when the perforation has to be made through both calyx and corolla. This action therefore implies fore sight, of which faculty we have abundant evi dence in their bnihling operations; and may we not further behove that some trace of their so vial instinct, that is, of working for the good of other meinliers ol the oouimuuily, may hum like wise piay a part r Aiany years ago i waa struck with the fact that humble-bees as a general rulo perforate dowers only when these grow in large numbers near together," etc THE IIIVE IIKRH TAKR T1IK HINT. It appears that the cutting of these holes ia done only by humble-bees, never by hive-bees. Yet the latter are quick to take advantage of them. "In the early part of the summer of 1HT7 I was led to observe during some weeks several rows of the scarlet kidney-bean ( I'lum olu mullifioru), whilst attending to the fertil ization at this plant, and daily saw humble and hive-bees sucking at the mouths of the flowers. But one day 1 found several humble-bees em ployed in cutting holes in tlnwer alter llower; and on the next day even' snide hive-bee, with out exception, instead of alighting' on the left wing-petal and sucking the flower in the proper manner, Hew straight without the least hesita tion to the calyx, and tucked through the holes which had Iwen made only the day before by the humble-bees; and they continued this habit lor mauy touowmg days. Air. neit has com' a WW'''! COLUMNS IN MOMUMENT PARK, COLORADO. TESTING TENSION ON IRON RODS. A writer for the Railrontt OazttU submits for the consideration of emriueers havino charn of the erection and maintenance of railroad bridge, the subiomed suirceation of a nl&n for enabling the bridge inspectors to determine wuether or not each rod under tenaum in a bridge has been properly set up in the erection of the structure; and at any time afterward whether or not each such rod is doiug its duty. When a bridge is aUmt to be set up, let one ml out of each lot of a certain length and diam eter be susended at one end and loaded at the other end with au actual weight equivalent to the strain that every rod of Otat leugth and diameter ought, according to the calculations of the designer of the bridge, to be subjected in the structure when ready for the imposition of its live load. Theu put upon the rd, with white paint, a ring, at, say, five feet above the highest point at which the rods will bo held in the angle-blocks, on ti lower chord of the bridge. Then provide a steel hammer of a known weight, fitted with a handle of a known length, and aa many tuning-forks as there are sues of mis in the bridge. Then with his left hand, with his left arm fully extended, lot the iusiwctor hold a tuning-fork (Irmly against the rod at the painted ring, while with his right hand with the arm fully extended, ho strikes the nd at the ring, a smart blow with the ham mer. Then, immediately removing the tuuinn- fork, let him note the sound given out by tho rod and the fork respectively, and by tiling the iora nring tno lora into tune with the ml. Then lut a designating number be stanmed uixin both rod and tuning-fork; ami repeat the opera tiou for eauli set of rods in the bridge. There after, when tho bridge is set up, and still there after, when the inspector is to go through that unuge, ne win umume hammer ami set ol tuning forks belonging to that structure, and tune his rods. Tim liu may gunrdagaiiiHt, or detect the condition io frequently existing in bridges, under winch boiuo rods are unduly strained and some others are doing almost no work. POULTRY FOR FARMERS, The enterprising farmer now improves his poultry as well as his other farm stock, and for the same reason, that ia, because the improved reedJ pay nest, nut to maKo liouitry pay ttiev should bv regularly and nroiHirly cared for. supplied constantly witli plenty of fresh water, a variety of food, comfortable quarters, kept clean with a supply of lime, a good dust bath, and a good run on a grass lot. nun the hens are not molting in July and August, you will lie sure of a good supply of eggs all the rust of the year, it you nave almost any ol the im proved breeds. The Asiatic are the best adapted to the farm. Hither the Light or Dark Hrahmax are hardy, good large sice and mature early. 1 hey make great improvement in sue when crossed witli the common fowls, as is shown by a great many of those young half breeds coming into market. When com (tared with the little scrub chickens they are so much larger and bring more money at the same age. And the farming interest to day is greatly lwu eli ted by the introduction of improved toultryi a direct gain of thousands of dollar to thu West, where the improved breeds have been morit generally introduced. Farmers who adopt thu improved breeds of poultry should not attempt to gut fancy prices for their chickens, as that takes experience and liberal advertising to establish a reputation. But it will pay to have only thu improved broods for eggs ami market poultry, and no farmer can afford any other than a full blood roosd-r on tho place, even if it does cost frwm ." to 10; it will piy two-fold in a single year. Wtsttrn Agricul turist. fiEO LOGICAL FORMATION IN MONU MENT PARK, COLORADO. which is damaging to my theory as given in the foregoing. About eight feet from the tree that the liquid is boiled, nitrate of soda is added to I "ave denominated the "amnt stands an- ooovert the chloride of potassium present into ' other redwood, somewhat larger. Within the titrate of potash. The latter is separated by j lwt two years this tree has daunted a snow crystallization. There remains a solution of j white branchlct, at the hight of about (JO feet; oontmon salt containing traces of ammonia from ' and noar the end of the main branch, 20 feet the previous soda operation and a traoe of chlo ride of potassium. This solution is again treat ed by tho ordinary ammonia-soda process for uie prouueuou oi bicarbonate oi soua ana wuite alkali. The New Stab. Prof. C. A. Young, of Dart mouth college, describes 'the coming of a new nar in the Journal of unemutrw. un tne eve- from the trunk of the tree; and thore.it swings and tosses in the breeze, evidently to contradict my recently hopetul theory. Dae nil Farm Pa v? Hon. Owrga Ooddoi one of the foremost farmers of central Now York, has an original method of arguing that agriculture ia profitable. His method ia ap- auig of November 24th, 187tt, Prof. Schmidt, of j b Mperience of niany men of our Athens, distinguished for his researches uiion 1 :' u '....;. variable stars, observed in the constellation I 1 fiuj.-. Whn an into mivr esti- ygnu. a new star of the third magnitude, f . ' f u f airricuituro, it would be winch bv midinc lit was well ud toward tne sec- .. . n.. .....i. well to credit the farm generally with those comforts that make our quiet and happy homes. dmtely telegraphed the discovery to Paris and j fa f flKH, o( nou)ia 111i uf fuej for Vienna, but .the weather was very unfavorable, fi ' . dw Wld U)e mftIiy o that no ohjervations oould be made until He- end. On the liJth, the last clear night preced- :, no such star bad been visible, lie inline- municated to me (July 28th, 1874), a similar case, with the solo dilferonce that less than half of the Dowers hail been perforated by the hum-ble-liees; nevertheless, all the hive-tines gave up sucking at the mouths of the (lowers and viiitod exclusively tho bitten ones. Now, how did tho hive-bees llnd out so quickly that holes had lieen inadeT Instinct seems to bo out oi tne ques tion, as the plant is an exotic. The holes can not be seen by bees whilst standing on the wing- petals, where they had always previously alighted. From thu ease with which bees were deceived when the petals of Mtttui Kriniu wero cut off, it was clear that in this case they wero not guided to the nectar by its smell; audit may be doubted whether they were attracted to the holes in the (lowers of thu I'htismtm by tho odor emitted from them. Did they perceive the holes by the souse of touch in their prulxis cides, whilst sucking the flowers in their proper manner, and then reason that it would save thein time to alight on the outside of the (low ers and use the holes T This seems almost too abstruse an act of reason for bees; and it is wnwr m, wnen tne sw nau airwuy w .,, h ffrea co1 the fifth ...Knutud.., bv ths liih it hail become I U8M ouy " V" to the eye,-of the seventh magnitude AC TSZwSZ j ? "iT nT' "TV wording to Hu.d,-and it is now (January ! T" ,X ' 0fuCa7ini their children 0f pnswl at heanng that all the individuals of one lOthlnofabove the eighth. The position of the lv"ng mo eU liv ' "I1" Wllll'n thv FT V ''OU r wrzL w .w rr laTSisS-t devices- 3wn., 60.4s., and in north declination 42 lb , .JMenln. ,nu'9 themselves into the PfttI by it .o , where none of the catalogues indicate fftUl mow wmch I(rove(i tat fann;ll( was nameless things that peop r us, and Uie many I tmr? lrdable that they saw the humble-lwesat de living in cities an.l j d 'ler-Und,.,g win. they were .b.tt it I have seen more I '""tated them and took advantage of the shorter t cost 1 well-to-do fanner sell path to tho nectar. Even with animals high iu w . . w ' .hi. i living more easy iivw, w k is near L. Cvgn., in right ascens.on 2lh , fc h . ' , , ;,60 4a.,l in north dec .nation 42 lb ( fJ . where none of the cataloiues indicate ! wy star at all; ao that hitherto it cannot well famihei tian tll pric of r V . u"KUM:r wmu " farms at interest (iene tugnitmle. pnerallv. these mistaken men have found that money received as interest Lapv Dot-miw im Ei nora. The Undon ' haxl a way of going easily, and a very few years AfiJ,i it.t !,.( ui u.W nili.l .tii. has been sufficient to cause them to wish them- dents are pursuing their studies in theschoolsof selves again the owners of farms, and to teach the faculty, and in the hospitals of Paris, of , them (as no other experience could) that though hm fourteen are English. Of the rut the it might be easy to prove on er that wh.-at majority are Russian, and the remaining num- eouid not be raised for its selling price, and that Wr are Americau, Oerman and French ladies, no animal (from a chicken to a hone) oould tie Nevend ladies have already graduated M. D. of ! raised on a farm for it market value, yet that the University of Paris, including Mrs. tiarrett ( somehow all the final result proved just the re Andsrsou, Mrs. Putnam Jacobi, Madame Bra verse; for fanner do livt well, educate their Md Madame Riband; the last three ail gradn- children well and leava them, at their own d with great diitinction, their these being , deaths, valuable etate-ceumu Uted. it is honorably noted by the fasulty. Three lady . tree, by alow process, but Mvrthel entirely Edoates of Zurich are now practicing in Kng- tha frniUof their own labor ontheirlarm. Can d, Mrs. Hogan and Mra. Atkinson, in Uu- any other body of men snow more uniform sue don, and Mrs. Valker Dunbar in Bristol. oeaa, and more real anjoymtnt of Wst Nepti'se the Mow DntTA!rr Plamict. After a lung-continued labor, M. Leverrier has at length, with the theory of Neptune and Uranus, completed the study of all members of the solar system. The author s chief object was to de cide the question w hether there is an ultra-Neptunian planet which might be detected, as Neptune was, by the perturbations produot-d by it on planet already known. The conclusion u negative; there is nothing indicating the exist ence of a body outside m Neptune. Artificial lite wax. A mixture of paraffine anil common resin has found its way into the market as a substitute for beeswax. It resem bles the genuine article very closely in oolur, fracture and adhesiveness. Ihe cake are gen erally oovered with a thin coat oi genuine beeswax. We take the following from Professor Hay den's third annual rojort of IW17: There is one locality in the valley of Monument creek, called Monument park, from the great number of col umns which are stamlin thickly over the sur face, each one surmounted with a cap of harder material. The shaft of the column is usually thick at the base, rising up 10 or 2d foot, taper ing to the cap, comjuned of a coarse aggregate of quartz grains, small pebbles, all water-worn, very loosely held together with rathur coarse sand cement Tho cap is a deep nutt-color, composed of sand cement with oxide of iron, and, by it greater hardness, has rusu.ed more effectually the eroding agencies. I'rofeswir Hay. dun does not believe that all tho effect now seen wero accomplished by Uie ordinary atinospltrrie agencies at present in operation in thu regi. ii ro furreil to, although thu air, rain and snow may have done much to give thu monuments their present form. Tho greater part of tho erosion must d.ite )ack into the past, at least to the post pliocene jwriod. Til ! M.IOXET tH Hl'H'lKHV. A c. ous ex periment was tried recently on the - a uf Sir Benjamin Hrodie. The lad hail contrived to break a needle in the calf of bis lu. lie was taken to tho Royal Institution, n lmdmi, and a powerful electro-magnet was used to detect thu position of tho nnedln, and the possibility of moving it. The txavt position was indicttou by the disturb ince of a magnetised needle, fit no change oould lw produced in ill jHMition. After the exieriiiieiit however, the limb could be moved aliout, the pain having oeasetl ; and, finally, the broken needl having shifted to the other side of Uie leg, as was shown by the index attached to tne msguet, it came sunicwnlly near to Uie surface to be iixtracted. The sxenmeut, though giving a nr ive mult so far as " draw ing " tho noodl wsj ooncerued, was so far satis fsc iry tuat it enabled Uie lail to use his leg illicit pain. Pkxsiom ro ah Inventor The Kociete d'Kn oouregeineiit Nstiouale has lten petitioned oa ludialf of the inventor of the pueumatic lever, Mr. Marker, who ha residud in France for soma time, and has made in that country the disoov ery of the above mentioned lvr, and of the method of applying electneity in awl of organ ulayiug. An inUrnatiousi oumutttee waa lormeii fur pursliasing an aimuity.