230 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



During the past year the waters of these springs have been care- 

 fully analyzed by Dr. Peter of Transylvania University. Their com- 

 position, according- to his analysis, is as follows : 



Specific gravity, 1.007 grains. 



Gases in 1,000 grains : 



Sulphuretted hydrogen gas, . . . 0.03947 grains. 

 Free carbonic acid gas, ..... 0.35470 " 



The former is in the proportion of about one thirty-sixth the volume 

 of the water, and the latter of about one fifth the volume. 



Saline contents in 1,000 grains : 



Carbonate of lime, ..... 0.3850000 grains. 

 Carbonate of magnesia, . . . 0.0022065 



Alumina, phosphate of lime, and oxide of iron, 0.0058330 " 

 Chloride of sodium, .... 8.3472930 " 

 Chloride of potassium, .... 0.0226690 " 

 Chloride of magnesium, . . . 0.5272000 



Bromide of magnesium, .... 0.0009394 " 

 Iodide of magnesium, .... 0.0007340 " 



Sulphate of lime, 0.5533300 " 



Sulphate of potash, .... 0.1519190 " 

 Silicic acid, .... . 0.0179400 " 



The water also contains traces of oxide of manganese, and apo- 

 crenic and crenic acids. The quantity of saline and other matters 

 brought out from the interior by this and other similar springs is 

 immense, and sets at defiance all efforts to find out their source. As 

 to the quantity of water which flows out at this spring, we find that it 

 emits 678 gallons per hour, equal to 16,272 gallons in the day of 

 twenty-four hours. Supposing the saline matters to constitute but one 

 per cent, of the water, the amount brought out in one hour would be 

 more than 58 Ibs. avoirdupois. But say that 50 Ibs. an hour is the 

 proportion, and the quantity will amount to 438,000 Ibs. per annum. 

 The specific gravity of common salt being 2.257, this quantity in solid 

 lump would contain about 310 cubic feet, or be enough to form a cube 

 of salt nearly 7 feet on a side ! And yet the water flows on without 

 any sensible diminution of its saltness. Whence is all this saline 

 matter obtained? Is there, imbedded in the deeper strata of the blue 

 limestone, an immense layer of rock salt, derived from the original 

 ocean under which the rock was deposited? Report by Dr. Robert 

 Peter, Ky. 



THE CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF MILDEW IN PAPER AND 

 PARCHMENTS, WITH AN ACCOUNT OF EXPERIMENTS ON THE 

 SATURATION OF GROWING WOOD WITH ANTISEPTIC SOLU- 

 TIONS. 



THE following paper was read before the London Society of Arts 

 by Mr. Alfred Glyde, in May: Owing to the imperfections for- 

 merly existing in the microscope, little was known of the real nature 

 of the plants called fungi until within the last few years ; but since 



