Willamette farmer., May 14, 1875, Page 3, Image 3

WTIJAMETTE FARMER
3
Qood HV-TH-
What the Health Lift Does for Exhausted
Nature.
This era is one of condensat'on from con-den-ed
thought to condensed milk -and the
quesion here was bow to condense exardse.
IUlher is it a gradual, easy, complete waking
up of every tor) Id mulemle iu brain, liver,
blond and nail, the seuding through and pos
sessing; the entire mau with a new sen-e, and
re-creating him then and there, so that he re
tut n from his few minutes at the lilt a 1 ew
crea i n. It doesn't seem to take the place of
exercise exnct'y, but rather to mike all exer
cise t -II. It i-tbe onmplem nt of tbe exhilir
ant to it. Never shall I fotgi-t tbe sensations
of my flr-t 1 ft and my introductb & to parts nf
myself unknown or forottt n. It seemed to be
forever to tbe end of me as if 1 fe was going
out I om its center to an Infinite circumference,
as if the eye were gone beyond fingers' mds,
and would star into, fill all apace. Thfn a
glow all.over tbe body 'hit was as luscious and
cheery as any that have been told f by tbe
Turki-h bath enthus asts, atid then I am
afraid it may betray mr an exhilaration puer
and m re sub le and enduriug than that of the
best cla'i pigne. Th it wag a i d letter day,
and though I bave never felt quite that firs',
full joy again, my exneieuce has been a record
of m ny joys; j ys that comi of soothing and
strengthening to a fgtd brain, and a weary
body and a pestered soul. I take my lilt be
fore my late dinner, when the day's work is
done. I carry to it whatever weariness tbe d y
has made of body, of brain, of heart nd I
go away aootber than the man I came. Head
ache, limb ache, heart-iche are gone, or toned
down to ea-y bearing, and a new connteractsnt
vigor set at work in all the pulse). It seems to
get behind the heart, an 1 bolster that first seat.
of power ana action, it lg tne nest ot reit.
J?e. JohnF. Ware.
Interesting Facts.
The organ of vision is considered the most del
icate oiginiztiion of the human fiame; yet
many wuo were born blind bave been enabled
to see by eu'gical operations, and tbe following
is an inte esiiog fact concerting one of ttiet
cl ss: A youth had become thirteen years of
age, v. hen his eyes were touched by a Burgeon.
H thought scarlet tbe most beautiful color;
blaok nas painful. He fancied every tbjeel
toucued him, and he could not distinguish by
sight what he perfectly well knew by feeling;
for iustsnee, the cat and dog. When his sec
ond eye was touched, he remarked that the ob
ject were not bo Urge in appearance to this as
the one opened at first. Pictures he oonsidere d
only putty colored surfaces, and a miuature
abxolut ly astonished him, Seeming to him like
pot ing a bushel into a pint.
Stanly, the organist, and many blind musi
cians, have been tbe best performers of their
time; and a soboolmistress in England could
discover that the boys were playing iu a dis
tant corner of the room, instead of studying,
allh' ugh a person using his eyes could not de
teot the slightest sound. Professor Sanderson,
who was blind, could, in a few moments, tell
yon how many persoiis were in a mixed com
pany, and of each sex. Ablino. Fiench lady
could dance iu figure dauces, sew and thread
her own needle. A blind man in Derbyshire,
England, has actually been a surveyor and
planner of roads, his ear guiding him as to dis
tance as accurately as the eye to others; and
the late Justice Fielding, who was blind, on
walking into a room for the first time, after
speaking a few words, said: "This room is
twenty two feet long, eighteen wide and twelve
nigb," all of which was revealed to him
with accuracy through tbe medium of his ear.
Verily, "we are fearfully and wonderfully
made." .
How to Bbeatbe. Civilized man is the only
being that breathes through the mouth, which
at once shows that it is an unnatural and ac
quired habit. The wild Indian would as soon
think of eating with the nose as of breathing
thus. The habit is usually acquired in child
hood, and is generally the result of breathing
impure air. It is then that the fond mother
should guard her offspring with watchful care
against this ins dious and deadly enemy of her
child. Let her follow the example of the wild
Iudian mother, and give her hild the purs
air of h' oven to breube, and if perchance it
op-nsiis little mouth during sleep, let her
geutly press its little lips together, un'il the
habit nt keeping them closed becomes fixed for
life. Science of Utalih.
The Virtues of Buttermilk. Mr. Itebber,
in a taper presented to the French Academy,
thus extols the viitoes of bntteimilk: Life
exisis only in combuBiiou, but the combustion
which ncu rs in our bodies, like that which
taken place in our chimneys, leaves a detritus
which is fatal to life. To remove this he would
adniiui'ter lactic acid with ordioary food. This
acid is known to possess the power of removing
r de-troying tha incrustations which form on
the arteries, oirtilages aud valves of the
heart. As buttermilk abounds in this acid,
and is, moreover, an agreeable kind of food,
its habitual use, it is urn d, will free the system
from these causes which inevitably cause
death between the seventy-fifth and hundredth
year.
Dabs Hooks. A dirk house is always an
snbealtby house, always an ill-aired house,
alwa b aa dirty house. Want of light s'ops
growth, and promotes' scrofula, rickets, etc,
among the children. People lose their health
in a dirk house; and if they become ill they
anoot Ret well in it
DofiEspc Ecoflopy.
Cooking Cranberries.
Cranberry sauce is the great American dish,
and the mobt popular one for general use, either
for dinner or tea. As a relish with game,
poultry and meats of all kinds, it is unequaled.
To every pound of fruit add three quarters of a
pouud ol sugar and half a piot of water. Stow
ever a moderate but steady fire. Be careful to
cover and not to stir the fruit, but occasionally
shake tbe vessel, or remove to a gentbr beat,
if in dinger ot sticking or burning. If atten
tion to these particular be given, the berries
will retain, to a considerable extent, their
shape, which is desirable and adds greatly to
their appearance on tba table. Boil from five
to seven minutes, wben tbsy should bo re
moved from tbe fire, turned into a deep dlsb,
and set aside to cool. If to keep, they can be
put up at ODCe in air-tight jars. Very soft
berries should first be removed and those re
maining thoroughly washed, after which they
should oe placed in scalding wat r for about
two minutes and then taken out; this removes
poition of the acidity, and a little leas sugar
will be required.
White sugar (granulated is best) should be
mied, and not too mueb water; the proportions
givM t aaeb, it is thought, will suit th saa
Juiity of tastes, but when otherwise, the quan
tities) caa be mad larger or smaller, though in
aiag Mgar too trJy, th diatiMtiv eroi.
btrry flavor will be par tally let; some may
preierone pound of sugar whfre the amount
specified is three-quartern, but probably others
will be belter pleased with less, perhaps with
half a pound especially dinner sauce which
makes the preparation very palatable, and has
the Advantage of economy; but when desired
to keep a long time without canning or sealing,
a larger quantity should be used. On account
of tbe acidity of the fruit it is preferable
I hough not positively necessary, to use porce
lain lined cooking utensils.
Value of a Milk Diet. If any one wishes
to grow fleshy, a pint of milk before retiring
atnigntwiu Boon cover tne scrawniest Dones
Although now-a-dajs we see a great many
fleshy feinal-s there are many lean and .auk
ones, who sigh for the fashionable measure of
plumpness, and who would be vas'lv imp'oved
in health and in appearance could their figures
be rounded wi h good solid flesh. Nothing is
more o ive'ed by thin women than a full figure,
and nothing will so rouse the ire, and provoke
the scandal of one of those "i l'pper builds,"
as tne consciousness ot plumpness in a rival.
In cases of fever and summer outnplaint, milk
is given with excellent result. Tbe idea that
milk is feverish has exploded, and it is the
phj sician's great reliance iu bringing through
uphold patient-), or those in too low a state to
be nourished by fool. It is a mistake to "-crimp
the milk pitcher. Take more milk and less
meat. Look to your milk-man, have l.rge-siz-d,
well-filled milk puchtrs on tho tube
each meal, and you will also have sound flesh
and light doctor's bills.
Useful Hints from One Who Knows. Beef
can be pn serve d for farmers' use by cutting it
up, frjing slightly, packing in a crock and cov
ering witti warm tallow. Beef tallow should be
u-ei for this, and kept perfectly clean and tried
out nicely,
We paok hams in tbe same way in the
spring, but consider them best witbout fry
ing. They should be tightly packed and care
taken that tbe warm lard fills up all tbe vacant
places 1. ft by the meat.
Some housekeepers think that tallow is not
fit for cooking purposes; but I think when it is
properly rendered it is as good for i-omo thingB
aslarl. I prefer it for frying doughnnt-i, and
one of my acquaintances, a Rood cook, an sit
the only shortening fit for mince-pie crust.
A Pan Downr. Did you ever hear of a pan
dowdy? It is an old-fashioned New England
dish and bas the fl ivor or our grandmother's
cookery. Make a rich crust; line a deep earth
em pot with it; now slice some pie apples quite
thin for the first layer, Btrew the apples with
molasses and spice and a teaspoonful of milk;
cover with a thin crust and rep-at the process.
Cover the top with crust and yonr pan dowdy
is made. Bike in a slow oven. A brick one is
made use of in New Eugland generally. When
done turn it on a platter and serve hot.
An Excellent Bread Poddino. Soak two
pounds of pieces of dry stale bread or toast all
night in pleuty of water, with a plate laid on
tbe top to keep them nnder tbe water. Next
morning pour off and squeeze out all the su-
pernuous water; tnen maen One tne pieces ci
bread, mix with half a pound of cleaned cur
rants, a quarter of a pound of moist sugar,
four ounces of Buet chopped fine, and two lea
spoontolsof fresh ground allspice; grease the
inside of a baking dish with a bit of suet, put
in the pudding and bake four hours.
Yellow on Silk Garments. Boil the ar
ticles for half an hour in Marseilles soap, with
tbe addition of wheat bran; then rinse, and dye
to a buff in a bath of soap and annatto, lift,
and pass through a sulphurio acid bath of o
Beaume, in which they will acquire a beautilul
yellow color.
TrjE Diry.
Prospective Dairy Values.
It is one of the fundamental theories in
systems of political economy that in produc
tion the productive ability will tend toward
the profitab'e specialty so far as possible.
This tendency has been at work toward sup
plying the profitable demand for d iry products
ever since the English markets were open to
the American article. A dozen States have de
voted a part of their agricultural ability to this
end. Canada bas proved a giant in dairy man
ufacture. The extorts of cheese from New
York city have grown from 15,000,000 pounds
in 1860 to 89,000,000 pounds in 1873, and yet the
dairymen have had a year of unusually high
prices and evidently tht demand is not yet sup
plied. The student of political economy oau
mid an intere-ting matter fur examination in
this wide eff rt ot productive ab.lity to fill the
demaud for a specialty, and the demand stilll
be) ond tbe result of the effort. The plain in
dica ion of existing tra le facts is that the man
ufacture can go farther with profit to those
engigedinit. Ot course it tikes longer to lu
cre ate the supply ot an animal product like
milk than a bieail product like wheat. A field
may hi changed from one grain to another iu a
year but to make pant ire and grow d-tiry cowh
and build factorial', takes several years. X id
it bas been several years, sinoe tbe tendency
toward cheese making began. It bas reached
an extent which would have swamped the de
mand for almost any other speciality -whose
production was increased in tike proportion,
and we may say that the industry has p issej
the time when according to ordinary computa
tions the supply should bave exceeded the de
mand. It bas gone along prospering and to
Erospee, while other agricultural specialties
ave risen and fallen time and agaiu. Hops
have undergone a nuintxr of revolutions, tne
price of wool his covered the hi Is with
sneep and then sent them all to tbe batcher,
pork has been profitable and unprofitable,
graiu has fluctuated be ween ri hes and povert) ,
bat the dairy product, in spite of the con
stant and enormous accessions to the tanks of
producers, has moved steadily onward without
anything wide enough to be called tbe shadow
of a disaster. These are tbs facts of tbe man
u'acture as we look upon them from the trade.
Vow what do the facts indicate.
Tbe latent writer upon political economy,
Prof. Climes, remarks that tbe fluctuations of
the market prioe of a commodity within the
sphere of agricultural production bas peen
found to vary differently according as it baa
been drawn from the vegetable or animal king
dom. The vegetable product is liable to sudden
and considerable, but comparatively short fluct
uations, while the commodities of animal origin
rarely rise rapidly, but wben an advance I es
tablished, it is commonly held for a long time
at tbe increased rale. Thus the price of wheat
in England has halved and doubled within a
few years, but there bas been no such sharp
fluctuation in a commodity of animal origin.
Batcher's meat baa shown the most mark) d
advance is piic but he believe that unless
th value of gold should fall by some unexpect
ed ocarro there is not the smallest proba
bility that tbe price of meat will ever return to
wbm it was twenty yean ago. uuta tttraM.
UsEfJL lf,pOrfJION.
Coloring Process for Gems.
There is a fao'ory in Idar, Germany, where
the ooloring of stones for art purposes is Bald
to be carried on to a greater extent and more
peifectly than in any other part of tbe world,
the process pursued in thus converting chal
cedonies and red and yellcw carnelian into
onvxes resulting in the production of anrra-
Lblo specimens, which are known and prized in
ait tbe markets oi Europe ana America, rue
neculia'itv of this process consists in tbe fact
that the ribbons or zones in tbe different vari
eties of chalcedony which, in the kidney
formed masses of that substar.ee, lie su
perimposed differ in their texture and
compactness; but owing to their simi
larity of color in tbe nstural state, tbey
can onlv be distinguished from ech othir
with difficulty. The stone is, however, capa
ble of absorbing fluids in the dlrecion of the
strata; and as the s rata possess this properly
in Different desrees, it necessarily follows that
if a colored fl'iid bfl absoibed, aud the quantity
taken up by the pores of the stone is-diflerent
for every stratum of zone, a number of tin's
will be produced corresponding to the number
of zones, each being distiuct and colortd in
proportion to the quanti y of the fluid ab
sorbed. In this way a apeoimen of stone nat
urally but slightly colored may be rendered
equal to fine stratified chalcedony or onyx, and
may be employed equally well in tbe engraving
of cameos, or for any other purpose where the
variety of color can be rendered available.
The Pottebt Trek. Among the many veg
etable products of Brazil, tbe -pottery tree cif
Para, is not tbe least worthy of note. Th s
ties, the Moquilea uiilis of botanists, attains a
night of one hundred feet up to tbe lowest
branches. The stem is very slender, seldom
much exceeding one foot iu diameter at the
base. Tbe vood is very hard andcontans a
large amount of silica; not so much, however,
as tbe bark, which is larg-ly employed as a
source of silica in tbe manufacture of pott-ry.
In preparing tbe batk for tbe potter's use, it is
first burned, aud the residue is then pulverized
and mixed with cl'y in varying proportion".
Wit'i an f quid quantity of the two ingredients,
a superior quality of ware is produced. It is
very durabl-, and will bear almost any amount
of beat. The natives emj. toy it for a 1 mann r
of culinary purposes, hen fresh the bark
ruts like solt sandstone, and the presence of
the si ex may be readily ascertained by grind
ing a piece of tbe brk between tbe teetu.
Wuen dry it is generally brittle-, tuongb some
times bard to break. After btin burned, if of
good quality, it cannot be br ken up between
tbe fingeis, a pestle and mottar being required
to crush it. Am. Arlizan.
Goatintj Seams in Wbouoht Iron Tanks.
Someone aBks ihe Scientific American if there
is any preparation fur coating tne se ms f
large wrought iron tanks bo hs to prevent the
leakage of alcohol? Tbe tanks are for storing
it; they are perfectly water tight, but the sp-rit,
being of a much less spec fie gravity than
water, oozes out. To this qu ry that journal
replies as follows: Try cotton c'otb soaked iu
, J IJ ! . .-41. u: 1 A 1L.
glue, uuu cuiu riven wim tuia uejiweeu luu
plates. Let us know if this succeeds, and also
tbere-ultsof other expeiitnents tiied by you,
and we may be better able to infoim you of a
mode of procedure.
Oxxoen and Eoos. In dry oxygen rsb eggs
are not affected, unless punctured. Moi-t ox
ygen decomposes tbe eggs. In moist nitrogen
eggs will keep three months. Hydrogen the
same. Eggs, whether pierced or whole, are
perfectly preserved in carbonio acid, dry or
moist. Illuminating gas tbe same. Iu chlo
rine water 1 to 600 eggs kept eight months in a
closed vessel. In a solution of dilnte obi 'ride
of lime, eggs would not keep ten days. Lime
water and sulphite of lime kept them a little
longer. Caibolio acid solution 1 to 500 pre
served tbem abent six weeks.
' Interesting and Important Calculation
It is estimated that of tbe 12,000,0u0 omen in
Ameiica, at least 11,000,000 wear calico d esses.
It is not an unreasonable supposition that the
spirit of economy bas, during the past )ar,
induced them to forego one dress apiece, or an
average of eleven yards eich, making, in all, a
loss to the trade ot 121,000.000 vards. Tbis
is nearly tbe entire product of all tbe Massa
chusetts mills for a year. From tbe nbovo it
will bs seen bow easy, from a slight induce
ment or necessity for economy, nu ovei bur
dened markc-t may be produced in the atticle of
cotton goods.
Beet Cider, M. Plourd, a lawjer of An
delys, France, bas devised u new cider, aaid to
be very cheap and of exoellent flivor the pe
culiarity of wbiob is that a larg-j proportion ul
sugar beets is mixed with the apples before
piessing; 80 pouud s of beets are mixed ui It
701) quarts of app es, or about 11 poun Is to 100
quarts. The beets and app es ar pressed to
getber, tben saturated with wub-r.lef quit in a
t ellar for tweuiy-four hours, aud pressed anew.
This is receatid seven lio.es. The inventor
Bays he makes 100 quarts of cider for 80 centi,
which seems rather questionable.
New Use fob Gas-Tab. A gentleman in
Burlington, Vt,, of an investigating tuin of
mind, a week or to ago determined to t y it
auain with the rats which infes ed his bouse
He purchased a supply of coal UrattbegiS
works, aud pi csJ small quantities of it in tbe
rat holes in bia cell r, and elsewh re in iheir
runways. The rts, bedaub ng ti.emselvea, be
came disgust d with ih-manneroftueir.il-tertainment,
and speedily 1 ft th premises,
and have not been teen or hi aril from since.
Sci. American.
New Apflxgati ns of Elkotbo-Metallub-ot.
A very ingenious application of tlectr
metallurgy has recently bein brought b lore
tbe notice of tbe Society of Arts. Jt consists
in tbe application of a coat of eilier, by meaus
of tlectoilepeisition, on natural leaves and
flowers. By tbis means very deliiate orna
ments are produced, aim e the preci-e form an I
texture of tbe natural leaf is preservtd uucbr
the thin silver film. The special process b;
which these results are attained is the invention
of Mr. Denton.
Wooden Skewebh. The only manufactory
of wooden skewers in Ihe world, it ia snpi o-ed,
exists at Toledo, Ohio, whence millions of
them are shipped to Enuland. They are made
by machinery from hickory blocks. Between
eighty and ninety thousand are turned out
every day.
Combinations or Colors As n illustration
of tbe limitless number of combinations which
tbe three primary colors arc cipable of, it may
be interesting to know that in tbe Gobeliu
Upestry manufacture 2d 000 distinct shadings
of ) am are employed, each one disiinguUhsblo
by the practiced eye.
Glass vs. Marble. A n-iw invention is
clamed wheeby si can be mad into a
building ma' e ill far bou-e fronts, fliors or
pateuients, cheaper and more durable th.n
marble.
Coal on the Pacific Coast.
At the last meeting of the California Academy
of Sciences, Amos Bowman, formerly of tbe
State Geological Survey, read the following
paper on tbe "Coal Deposits of the Paoific
Coast:"
By permission of the Chief Engineer and
Directors of the Central Pacific railroad com
pany, I hope to be able to present to the Acad
emy, shortly, for examination and ciitioism,
one or more of a series of maps nude by me,
which accompanied a report to tbe Chief En
giueer, Mr. Mi ntagu, of a recounoisance,
undertaken at his suggestion, and recently
carried out by me in the employ of the railroad
oracanv.
The snbj'ct of this reconnaissance and of
tnese maps Is tne coal deposits adjacent to tne
lines of communication of the rai road.
Where coal furni-hes the sinews or motive
power of all our tiaffio, and where tbe cost of
getting it involves not only dollars and cents to
he railroad company, but fans and freights,
touching eveiy pocket in the Pacific States, we
are in a position to realize that the formations
in which coal is found are worth know inn
about, and that tbere can be a rase where eveu
fossils mean dollars and cen's.
I had previously given attention to tertiary
and principally surface g-olorfy as und-rlving
tbe great industry of hydraulio placer mining,
nd to the "aur.f rons slate formation" of the
mes-ozaio or middle age in oiher words, sec
ondary age, with its gold veius, as uudeihing
tbe qnartzmiuipgii'du-try of California, these
two indu-trtes together yielding California, an
nually, over $20,000 0t 0 in gold.
The present s'udy brings up tbe intermediate
period, the cretaceous, and in its comprehen
siveness it is, geologically, perhaps th most
important. California pays out over $6,000,
000 every year for coal; tbe people of tee TJni
ted S ates are paying, at tbe low average of $5
per ton, $220,000,000 every year for coal; the
civilized world is paying over b billion annually.
I wish to state, only very brieflv no, a few
of the leading facts tbftmy recouuoissance de
veloped: 1. 27ie fact of the existence of two continen's;
a Cordillerau continent far to the west of tbe
Appalachian continent, at tbe time when tbe
peculiar c mdiliouof things arose in ihe West,
which resulted iu giving us our coal beds.
The outlines o. the Cordillera continent of
tbe period I was able to trace muob more easily
and with much more detail than I bad autiut
pted wis possible, with the data and the
means at band whenl began. Tbe rocks of
the cretaceous period iu the Pacific Stales are
cenerallv sandstones, merely looally raetimor-
phnsed, and the fossils found in tbem sre so"
Htmndai t mat tbe oontumi ions oi geologists
of the United States and other exploring par
ties bave furnish-d sufficient data from which
their gcersl geographical distribution could be
mapped with perleot te lability.
Ihe Hoekv monntsins at our latitude were
not a part of this Cordillera continent, but
formed one large lB'aud, extending Irom Den
ver to SinU Fe. The Ove land railroad, where
i c osses tbe summit of ibr Bickv mountains,
follows what was the bottom of tbo sea, along
a strait, extending through the Rocky moun
tains. At Salt Lake it strikes the ancient
wes-ern continent of our coal period, and at
Bocklm it leaves it again.
The tea extended not onlv from Omaha to
tbe island of ihe Rocky mountains mentioned,
but 270 miles west of tbe dries of the ltncky
mountains, over wl at is n w the Unrdi leran
pla oku, as far as the Was itch m untains, and
down along the Co'oradu river into Arizona.
On the we s' side it covered a large poition of
Arizona of Eas'ern Oregon, and of 'ho interior
of British Columbia east of the Cascade moun
tains. The upper cretaceous and lower tertiary
rocks embiace a series of forma ions which
may be called the Cordilleran loal meaiures.
Their fauna and flora are lo-ely related to
e ch other. Tbtir lilhologio 1 cba'ader and
tbe geological conditions under which they
were firmed are identical, foiming as they did
a marginal deposit, extoi ding cl-ar ft-omul tbis
Cordilleran continent of our coal potiod, an I
giving us n hundred thousand square miles of
country uuro or less coal bearing.
That ihis statement may not appear exag
gerated, I wi 1 add that the localities bave been
tabnltted in the tepurt ref rred to, bv States
and Terntiries. and loot-d on the maps and
tha the coal-, tbemielves, with accompanying
fossils, were assiduouslv col'eoted or sent for
by myst If and Mr. Scupbam, Assistant Engi
neer of ihe Central Pacific railroad. They art
not packed away in boxes, but properly ar
rat gel and labsel, in paper tiays, and placed
on shelves, where tbey oan be seen. Th-ro are
about 300 specimens, representing tbe coals
xnd'oal measures, and they1 will speak for
themselves.
In tbe t bin of localit'? win re coal has been
found are given lh piirt.cnltrs of tbe s.ze nf
veius or seams of cosl as reliably as possible.
It preBeulative 1 calilies and repres-ntative
coal deposits are thus placed before tbe eye
fioui wbiob tbe conclusion la unavoidable aud
indisputable, that in respect to coal tbo Pacitit
Htaiet aud Territories have not been lelt oat in
the cold.
'I aking diff rent basins, so situated around
tho muig n of this Cordilleran continent as to
be at tolerable regular distances from each
otb-r, itis found th it tbe conditions for coal
makiug were in sen lal not unfavorable.
'Ihe test of tbis is the size of tbe veius in
rep esentative basius geographically di-trili
u'ed ihruulihout. Cunsid red either as to the
. xeutof distiibution, when compirtd with
similarlurge areas iu nth-r parts ol the world
orati tbe thickness of particular veins in
widely hi paiab-d localities, where tbe condi
ti na were most favorable, they do not seem to
fall shun of the rest of tbe w. rid.
The quality ot this coal of th" Cordillera has
been alieg d to bs sadly against ns. Many
will remember the t me when we used to regret
that we were so unfortunate as to have no lim
ber suitable for ship building.
Our coal has been tailed "lignite" by ex
perts because there was no other wrd in tbe
dictionary for it. Several geol 'gists have held
oo to Ihe old fallacy, long since abandoned bi
leading geologists, that there was no "tiue
coal" to be found in any other than one g o
logical period. Not being "true coal," it could
be nothing else than "lignite."
Neither ihe oriuin m r tbe chemical analysis
nor tbe quality of th Cordilleran coals justify
tbe o d nomenclature. Harden was tbe fir si to
speak out on the subject. Th-y are not lig
nites properly a name ptesnppoifiig that tbey
are derived prini ipally from ancient for. sts. In
tbe vegetation that gvi ri-e to these aocomu
lations, tbere ia a paralle'ism to that of tbe
carboniferous coal deposits, a resemblance in
method, though tbe plants were of different
faini ies.
To settle the question whether we must re
frsin from calling tbem "true coals," I set to
work HTfctt-ujaiicallr. First, I collected and
tat ulated all I be ultimate analysis that I could
fl d. I found abundant materia, representing
all our principal coal ba-ins, ex pling that of
Ban Pste, Diab. Th comparison witu wood,
wt b peat, and with eastern and foreign coals,
khuwei cbarly that tbe title "true coals," a
limited to auy formtiou or period, is not
scie.nt.ilc. Varying degree of bydiotn, in
association with oxygen, running' down to an
thracite, characterize our western coals, pre
cisely like those nf any otber formation. ,
Next, as to tbe eff ctive beat producing qnal
ities, I collected the results of half a d' zeu
series of elaborate experiments which have
bo-n made of our coals in comparison with
others, and tabula' ed tbem along with the ulti
mate analyses. The showing is that, no with
standing some of our coal is little be'ter than
peat, that some of it has a large percent go of
a-h, that most of it bas a large p rcentag of
w iter, we have not ouly flrst-olas o ds, coking
coals, a-ts coa's. and anthracite, but nea ly
every oth r varie'v that can be dt sired ( repre
sented iu the Cordil'erau coat measures.
Electric Lathe Chuck.
In order to obviate the inconvenienoe and loss
c f time involved in tho onlii ary mode of fixing
upon a lathe chnck certain speilal kinds of
work, such as tbin steel disks or small cir ular
saws, tbe chnck is converted into a temporary
magnet, so that tbe thin steel ai tides, when
Btmplv placed on tbe (aco of tbe chuck, are
I. eld there by the attraction of themsgnef, and,
wb n finished, can be readily detaobedny merely
breaking the electric contact aud demagnetiz
ing the cutick. The face plate of tbe magnetio
chuck ia composed of a central core of soft iron,
surrounded by an iron tube, the two being kept
apart by an intermediate bra-wring; aud the
tube and core are each surioucded by a coil of
insulated copper wire, tbe euds of which are
connected to two brass contsct rings that encir
cle the case containing Mhe entire electro-magnet
thus formed. Tbese rings are g'ooved,
and receive tbe ends of a pair of metal springs
couneoitd with tbe terminal wires of an elec
trio battery, whereby the chuck ia converted
into an el-o ro-manet capable of holding
firmly on its face the artiole to be turned or
ground. For ho ding articles of larger diame
ter, it is found more convenient to use bu or
dinary face plate, simp'y divided into halves
by a thin brass strip across tbe center; a horse
shoe magnet, cons sling of a bent btr of soft
iron, wi h a coil of copper wire round eaoh leg,
is fixed behind tbe fsoe plate, eaoh half of
which is thus converted into one of the poles
of tbe magnet Tbe whole is enclosed in a
cylindrical brass raing, and two brass contact
rings fixed round this casing are insulated by a
ring of ebonite, and are connected with tbe vwo
term nal wires of the magnet coils. A similar
airang ment is also adept d for ho lding wotk
upon the bed of a pUning or drilling maobine,
iu which case ihe brass contact lings are dis
pensed with, and any desired number of pairs
of the electro mncnelio face plates are com-
bint d so as to form an extended surface large
enough to carry large piects of work, tor ex
citing the electto magnet, any orninary battery
thst will produce a continuous current of eleo
irioitycaubeused; but in macbiue shops where
nower c in be obtained, it is more convenient to
employ a magnet i-electrio machine such as
Gramme's for instanoe rather than a battery.
The Dressed Weight of Animals.
Farmers who have but little experience in
feedlnc animals for the market, are often dis
appoint! d because their beef and pork
ilues not weigh as muob as tbey thought it
would, lhey are Ul-ely to overmoK certain
poiuts which ought always to be taken into no
count when estimating the dressed weight of
animals.
1. Ag". An old animal will not dress as
much iu proportiou to its looks rb a young and
grosing one.
2. The degrre of fulness. A creature which
is vtry fat will weigh a groat deal more than
one equally as large, but which bas nut been
well fattened.
3. Amount of grain whioh has been fed. An
animal which has had twenty or tbitty bushels
of meal will dress much hiavier tbau one which
was in equ illy good order when the fattening
was commenced, and wbiih may look equally
welt wben it ia finished, but whioh has been
led on'y about half as much meal.
4. Length of lime in which grain has been
fed. A creature wbl h bus been mealod for flvo
or six months will weigh more than one which
bas bad about tho saino quantity of meal, but
tins been fed only about half as long.
In all cases, liberal and long oontinuod feed
ing is t sscntial to tbe attainment of auy great
sin cess in fattening animals of any kind. Wet
Ewjland Farmer.
Life op a Locomhtivk. How long will a
locomotive lsst and be seiviceahle? An engine
nu the Heading lOid has been on duly sluoe
1857, and bas run in that time 475,733 miles,
or an average nf nearly 17,000 mil' s p"r yoar
or twenty- jght josrs. Probably there is very
little of the mMnil engino remaining except
the frame nd minor parts.
Tbeie is au engine in service at the Rich
mond coal vbirvta, Plnla lelphi i, bui t by
Brailhwaitn & Co., L tndon, weight 11 8-10 tons,,
wbiou waa first run on tho road in March, 1838
thirty-seven years ago.
Ctcls.s or Growth. A writer in the Prairie
Farmer, who bas lived on tbo prairies of Illi
nois for twenty vear', thinks that many plants,
if nut all, bave a minimum and maximum year
for producing flowers aud that tbeBu years are
at regu'ar intervals of time. They increase
gradually from minimum to maximum, and then
dt oreae gradually to minimum, thus forming
cycle. Tnese ojolea, differ in different plants
troni four to seventy years. He suggests that
this may account for Ihe diffarent varieties of
wrain "running out," and wishes others to
make observations in tbis direction.
America Bkvobe tub Dats of Columbus.
Tbe supposition that Ameiica was kuown to
tba northern nation b of Europe many centuries
lefore Columbus was b.iru is now very gener
ally credited. Tbe evidences in favor ol tbat
supposition are constantly accumula'iog. So
much interest is felt in tbe matter by European
scientists tbat an "International Congress" is
to convene at Nancy, France, on the 10th of
July next, of persons interested in investigating
this interesting and important subjeot.
Beast Means fob tub Pboduction or
Ozone Ozone may be easily and abundantly
geneiated in an apartment by means of an
aqueous solution of permanganate of potash
and oxalio acid. A very small quantity of
these salts, placed in an oten porcelain dish,
is all that is neccssaiy, tne water being re
newed occasionally as it evaporates. Metallic
vessels should not be used. Ozone, as most of
oar readers are aware, is remarkably condu
cive to health.
BtTBMiNa Undkb Pbesiiube According to
recent Investigations br M. Callletet, the re
sults of burning sulphide of osrbon, alcohol,
and carburet of hydrogen, under pressure
reaching thirty-five atmospheres, are that th
flame augmeuls considerably in brilliaooy,
whle tbe combustibility of the substance
burned is notibly diminished.
New TJs fob th Camera. Among recent
curious invention is tbe application of th
camera obscura to a railroad car, imparling to
tbe trataling and wotdering beholder a mov
ing diminutive picture of th country through
which b is passing.