ITOME A"NTD FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
Marvels of Everyday Science
Competent Scientists Apply Their Skill to Problems of Agriculture' Housekeeping, Schools, Business and Governmental Activities.
L
are the dimensions of the
smallest object which could be
perceived by the human eye
sruaying the moon through a tele
scope! Laymen ask tho astronomer this
question' frequently, and it is - not bo
easily answered as might be supposed.
lhey ask, "How near do the most
powerful telescopes bring us to the
moon J Would we be able to see humau
being9 if they were- walking around
tnereT" The scientific, question is,
"What is the size of the smallest object
that wo could distinguish on the surface
of the moon?"
Arago states in his "Popular Astron
omy" that as the moon is 238,850 miles
away, a ; telescope magnifying it ten
times ought to bring it with 23,885
miles, a magnification of 100 times
within .2,388 miles and a magnifica
tion of 1,000 times to within 238 miles
of tho earth so far as vision is con
ccrucd.
" What could we sec on the moon at
distance of 238 milesf Hardly anything
in detail, for all would be beyond the
power of sight. And besides where is
tho astronomer who can hope to ob
tain a magnification of 1,000 tiniest
Tho conclusion must bo that we can
hope to distinguish upon the surface
of the moon only very large objects.
such as mountains or huge craters.
According to Arago 's reasoning, if
we could secure a magnification of
2,000 times it would be as if we were
looking at somo object on earth re
moved to a distance of 119 miles
Hut this reasoning is all wrong when
applied to "a star high above the horizon
near tho zenith of the heavens. In
this caso our eyesight ha to .pass
through layers of air equal only to that
between us and an object, five miles
away on earth. Ihe problem must mere
foTO bo attacked from another, niore
scientific side, before the question can
be properly answered.
On account of tho limitations of
vision of tho human, eye, even when
aided by tho most powerful telescope,
tho figures given before must be" cor
rected. If wo get an enlargement of 90
times the amateur can sec objects 1,800
feet in diameter. If our eye could use
a telescope magnifying 1,000 times the
object seen on the moon might ne
onlv 100 feet in diameter : and 2,000
times only 81 feet in diameter,
this is only theoretical. ...
But
Practically the case is quite different,
fnr the imwer of tho eve is now the
main consideration. The' eye" may be
trained even for astronomical observa
tion, so that it seesmore, than the un
trained eye. But then we are face to
face with another difficulty, that of
tho atmosphere. The wider the opening'
of the telescopo the greater are our
difficulties with the atmosphere. The
imago becomes so trembling and in
distinct when looked at through the
larger telescopes that we see hardly
anything.
Theoretically we should have to se
euro an enlargement of 3.000 times to
see an object 54 feet in diameter, and
if wo wanted to see something a yard
in diameter tho enlargement, would
have to bo 54,000 times. Kveu if we
ever get a telescope of this power the
human eye will not be able to see
through it, even though we place the
telescope upon the highest mountain so
as to escape the thickest layers of the
atmosphere.
Tho greatest nstronomers, liko Sir
William Herschel, have made tneir most
valuable discoveries by comparatively
low-power telescopes. The eyd'of man,
unless somo new laws of optics are dis
covered, will never bo ablo to sco any
email object on tho moon, no matter
how powerful our telescopes are made.
Wo may see mountains and craters
that is about all.
Shoe-Box Closets.
For the living room the housewife
bought a wooden box for 10 cents at
tho shoe store. She had two shelves put
in and covered it with an old single
length of Japanese curtain material.
Stood on end it served the purpose of a
cupboard admirably.
- For tho two bed rooms two more shoe
boxes were bought, but only one shelf
was put in these. Tho tops were cov
ered with white oilcloth and tho sides
and fronts with silkolinc. The latter
was cut in three lengths, tops turned
W
in for gathers; lower edges hemmed to
make it easy to put shoes on the lower
part and towels or other small pos
sessions on the shelf. Each box was
nailed to the floor bo it would not be
unsteady or upset; the top served as
washstand.
Boiling Egg on Ice.
This Bhows how an interesting experi
ment was performed by Emil Bachc
let, inventor of a train without wheels
which goes 300 miles an hour. Backe
let's "flying train" is forced to move
by a series of electrical magnets. The
inventor's great secret is in the way
he controls tho -electrical currents.
While he has refused to explain, this,
he has furnished illustrations of how
tho principle works. For instance, he
boiled an gg in water in an-aluminum
kettje .which .was 'separated from the
Making Milk and Butter Yellow
Kind of Feed More Important Than the Kind of Breed, Experi-
' - ments Show
That the rich yellow color .cmanded
by the public in dairy products is pri
marily due to the character of the cow's
feed is demonstrated by recent experi
ments carried on by the, IT. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture in cooperation with
tho Missouri .State Experiment Station.
For some, yeais dairy experts have been
studying this question. Their conclus
ion is that; altlio gli 'to some extent a
breed characteristic, tho intensity of
this yellow, color . ;nay, within eprtain
limits; be increased or diminished at
will by changing the animal's rations.
Chemical tests show that the yellow
pigment in milk consists of several well-
known pigments found, in green plants.
Of thesv the principal "one is carotin,
so called because it constitutes a large
part of the coloring matter of carrots.
Tho other yellow pigments "in the milk
are known as xanthophylls. These are
found in a number of plants -including
grass, but nro especially aounaanc in
yellow autumn leaves.
These pigments' pass directly from
the feed into the milk. Thi3 explains
the well-known fact that fresh freen
grass and carrots increase the yellow
ness of butter, tho only standard . by
which the average person judges its
richness. On the other , hand, a lar,;e
proportion' of these pigments is de
posited in .the. body fat and elsewhere
n the cow. . When the ration is changed
to one; containing fewer . carotin and
xanthophyll constituent's, this hoarded
store is gradually drawn upon and in
conscquenca tho yellowness of tho milk
does not d.miliish So rapidly as it other
wise would. This yellowness increases,
however, the instant tho necessary plant
pigments aro restored to the ration.
Green grass is probably richer in
cartin than any other dairy feed. Cows
fed on it will therefore produco the
highest colored butter. Green corn, iu
vhich xanthophylls constitute tho chief
pigment, will also produce a highly col
ored product. On the other hand, a
ration of bleached clover hay and yel
low corn is practically devoid ot yellow
pigments and the milk from cows fed
upon it will gradually lose its color.
It is, of course, indisputably truo that
the breed does influence the color of
the milk fat; but vary the ration and
there will be a corresponding variation
magnet by a block of ice. The ice was
seemingly not affected by the currents
passing through it from the magnet, yet
the "harnessed" electricity set the
water to boiling within an incredibly
short time.
Revolving Ladders for Use in Picking
Oranges.
Ordinary ladders when used for pick
ing fruit from a tree often damage the
tree, and to overcome this a new form
of ladder has been adopted by some
orange growers of California. A cen
tral shaft is lashed to the trunk of the
tree, while horizontal arms are fitted
at the top and bottom so that they may
be swung about in all directions.
Notches cut-in the tops -of the arms
provide support for tho rungs of the
ladder at varying distances from the
tree. With this device, every part of
the tree may be picked without disturb
ing a branch.
in the color of the milk fat in each
breed.
In cows of the Jersey and Guernsey
breeds the body fat is frequently of
such a deep yellow color that some
butchers and consumers look with dis
favor upon beef from these breeds. For
this prejudice -there is absolutely no jus
tification. The yellowness of the fat
springs from tho same causes as the
yellowness of the milk and there is no
reason for objecting in one caso to the
very thing that is prized ,in the other
COMING EVENTS.
Tillikum Potlatch, Seattle, Wash., July
W-18:
Society of Montana Pioneers, Boze
man, Aug. 6-8.
Everett Chautauqua, Everett, Wash.,
September 12-20.
Frontier Days, Walla Walla., AVash.,
September 17-19.
Washington State Fair, North Yakima,
September 21-27.
Round-up, Tendleton, Ore., Sept. 24-26.
Oregon State Fair, Salem, September
28-October 3.
National Apple Show, Spokane, Wash.,
November 16-21.
Northwest Live Stock Show, Lewiston,
Idaho, November 30-December 5.
Pacific International Live Stock Ex
position, North Portland, Ore., Decem
ber 7-12. . " '
W. E. Adams, of. Farmington, Me., has
several russet apples which were (crown in
Ihe summer of 1912 and have been in his
cellar through two winters. The apples, are
perfect in every way, not even withered.
The music originating in this country is
not popular abroad.
I have on hand some of the best Violins
that can be bought for tke prices charged.
If iutcrested, write for prices, and send this
ad.
I Handle All Musical Instruments and
Sheet Music.
N. Hodson .
Ill Twelfth Street, Portland, Oregon.
J i-'A
Forest Fires
TWO convictions in Washington for
burning slash without permit
from, a fire warden, damage
amounting to perhaps $5,000 to logs
and logging equipment in the same
state through fires in slashings, but
no loss of green timber, is the Pa
cific northwest record for June, the
first month of the 1914 forest fire sea
son, according 10 Duiieuns receive
from several states by the Western
Forestry and Conservation Association,
All protective agencies were placea
.. . ... 1 MX
on the alert at tne ciose oi dune ojr
the prospect of a drying interior wind,
but the new forecast service especial
ly for forest fire conditions which it
supplied by the V. S. Weather Bureau
soon reassured them that the threaten
ing high wind pressure in Western Can
ada had split into two areas and the
danger was for a time averted. Never
theless all patrol forees are being rap
idly recruited for the season and about
2,000 men will be on duty in a few dayi
in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Mon
tana. About 500 patrolmen are em
ployed in these states by the timber
owners' protective associations, near
ly 200 by the states and the Govern,
ment iointly outside the National For
ests, and the others by the Forest Ser
vice within the National iorests. ine
British Columbia Government also has
225 men on duty.
Julv hazard to be guarded against,
other .than from camp fires, is reported
to lie chiefly in slash burning to dear
land and rights of way and in leaving
fires thus started to smoulder in logs
and stumps to break out later when
the inevitable hot and windy weather
arrives. Forest officers announce that
state laws, regarding burning without
permit and precaution will bo enforced
rigidly and also warn summer camping
parties to be extremely careful with
camp fires.
Mineral oil has been discovered in Sonull
and, and tho British government is investi
gating tho extent of the discovery.
Everything a Man Needs
$1 Complete Shaving Ontfit $1
10 Articles 10
To advertise our Universal Shaving
Outfit and Universal Products wo will
for a limited time only, send this well
worth .$3.00 Shaving Outfit for Si.uo.
We sell our products to tho consumer
direct, and, therefore, yon save all
agenta' profits, which, as you know am
very large.
1 Hollow Ground Razor.
1 5-inch Lather Brush.
1 Razor Strop, Canvas Back.
1 Nickel Easel Back Mirror.
1 33-inch Barber Towel.
1 Bar Shaving Soap.
1 Box Talcum Powder.
1 Decorated China Mug.
1 Aluminum Barber Comb.
1 Bristle Hair Brush.
Each outfit packed in neat box $1.00.
Coin or Money Order, postage 10c extra.
UNIVERSAL PRODUCTS CO.
Dayton, Ohio.
FOB YOUR DEN I
BeauUful College Pennants
Yalo and Harvard, Ech 9 in. r 24 in,
Princeton, Cornell, Michigan
Each " in. x 21 in. j
All best quality felt with felt heA.
ing, streamers, letters and mascot
ecuted in proir colors. This splendid
assortment sent postpaid for SO
and 5 stamps to pay postage. Bend now;
HOWARD SPECIALTY CO. .
Dayton, Ohio.
GOING EAST or
COMING WEST
W t can Sate you Money
Reduced rates on Ronaehotd Goods, PU&smi.
Automobiles, ete. Through consolidated ear
iosurtng prompt delivery and carefai
endlinf.
Kates and Information furnished os reauMf,
Pacific Coast Forwarding Company
20lW.icoi Building. Portland. Oro