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.