Popular Science

The authorities of Guadaloupe, Weet Indies, offer a prize of 100,000 francs to the inventor of a procesa which will obtain over 14 per cent. of sugar from sngar cane. Competition is open nntil June 30, 1880. Tincture of iodine has been fully tried at some of the Indian agencies in the West as a substituto for quinine in the treatment of malarial diseases. and with entire success. Dr. Fordyce Griinmellwrites: "I have been astouishcd and delighted with the results." The seeds of timothy grass, clover, pine and fir from high latitudes are dísr tinguished from those of southem lauda for their high germinating power, which is shown not merely by the largo niiniber of fraitful seeds, but also by the energy, cleanliness and absolute weight. Sir Wm. Armstroxc; has invented a jointed cannon which unserews into three pieces, thus rendering it easily transportable on the backs of mules. Tliis gun has been subjected to very severe tests, which it stood very successfully, and has been adopted by the British army. The dangers of sjwnuaneous combustión of bituminous coa.' are illustrated by the fact tliat no le. than 1 per cent. of all the coal-laden vessels that have left English ports durh.'g the last flve years for destinations Boutv f the equator have been lost by ignitu'u of their cargoes. The composition of niello, or Kussian silver, hitherto a profound secret, has been discovered. It consista in nine parts silver, one part copper, one part lead and one part bismuth, melted together and saturated with sulplmr. The mixture produces the gorgeous blue. known as steel blue. A New method of cooling liot journals has bcen successfully einployed on largo occan stcamers. It consista of a mixturo of sulphur and oil or grease. The fine metal lust formcd when the journal runs hot forma a sulpbide with sulphur and grows soft and greasy, preven ting any appreciable amount of friction. Sir C. Wyville Thomson believes that there is now sufficient data collecfccd to warrant the assertion that the u erage depth of the ocean is a litüe over 2,000 fathoms, and that the depth nowhere exceeds 5,000 fathoms. It is ráre to tind depths greater tlian 4,000 fathoms, and they appear to be pits in the neighborhood of volcanic islands, lint thcre are submarino valleys of considerable extent, in general paridle] to the axes of the continents, wherc the sounding line noches 3,000 fatlloms. A. S. Wilson presenta the foHowing facts to show the marvclous indnstry of boos. Approximately, 100 heads of clover yield 0.8 gram of sugar, or 125 heads give 1 gram of sugar, and, thereforo, 125,000 heads 1 kilogramme of sugar. As each head contains 60 floret (125,000x60), not less than 7,500,00üi flower tubes must be emptied of their honey to obtain 1 kilogramme of sugar. The honey may, roughly, be estimated to contain 75 per cent. of sugar, and henee we have 1 kilogramme equal to 5,600,000 flowers in round numbers, or 2,500,000 visits for 1 pound of honey The seven cotton and woolen milis of Lawrence, Mass., have a capital of 7.850,000, employ over 10,000 hands, and run 338,000 splndlea and 9,057 looms, which produce every week 2,301,054 yards of cloth.