278 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCO VEEY. 



IMPROVEMENT IN SUGAR REFINING. 



In some stages of sugar refining, and in Turkey-red dyeing, bullock's blood, 

 in a natural state, is used, and in this condition it is difficult to cany and dis- 

 agreeable to keep. To obviate these evils, J. Pillars, of London, has taken 

 out a patent for pressing the clotted blood of animals into jcakes. then drying 

 them with currents of hot air. It is afterward ground to powder in a machine, 

 and in that state is used by sugar refiners and dyers. This is certainly a 

 valuable improvement over the old method, if it answers as good a purpose, 

 and the attention of all sugar refiners should be directed to it. The serous 

 portion of the blood which has been pressed out, is dried like the clotted 

 parts, and is supplied to calico-printers for using with their colors, and also to 

 the refiners of wine, for their operations, as a substitute for the white of eggs. 



RENDERING WOVEN FABRICS WATER-PROOF. 



An invention by James Murdock of London, renders cotton cloth water- 

 proof by the application to its surface of the following varnishes: In three 

 gallons of water, half a pound of alum, one pound of ox-gall, and two pounds 

 of linseed cake, are boiled for one hour, then allowed to cool, and applied 

 with a brush to the surface of the cloth to be coated, which is afterward 

 placed in a stove-room to dry. The next coating is composed of 3 gallons of 

 linseed oil, ib. of litharge, ^ Ib. of India-rubber, -J- Ib. of tar, and $ Ib. of 

 Prussian blue the latter as a coloring material. These are boiled for about 

 an hour, and well stirred all the time, when it will form a strong varnish. It 

 is now allowed to cool, and is put on the surface of the cloth with a brush or 

 machine. The cloth is then allowed to dry again in a stove room, and when 

 dry, its surface is rubbed with pumice-stone to make it smooth. The third 

 and last coat is composed of 3 gallons of linseed oil, boiled over a strong fire 

 for 2 hours, with 2 ozs. of the salts of tin, and the same amount of the sul- 

 phate of zinc both dryers. This varnish may also be colored with Prussian 

 blue, or other coloring material. "When cold, it is applied to the surface of 

 the cloth like the other coatings, and the cloth is afterward dried in the same 

 manner. The last coating is given with a thin copal varnish. 



ON THE ABOLITION OF THE SMOKE NUISANCE IN ENGLAND. 



At a recent scientific meeting in England, Mr. Spence questioned the great 

 benefit likely to be derived from the abolition of the smoke nuisance. The 

 imperfect combustion of fuel, as carried on at present, only led to an annoying 

 deposit of carbon, and this Mr. Spence regarded as a healthy body. By the 

 more complete burning of the fuel, this carbon would be oxydized into car- 

 bonic acid, a poisonous gas, and the sulphur at present escaping combustion 

 would pass into sulphurous acid. He instanced the smoke-consuming move- 

 ment in Manchester, and observed that vegetation in the neighborhood was 

 being destroyed, owing to the very much larger quantity of carbonic and sul- 

 phurous acids, which were now thrown into the atmosphere. 



