HA RD WICKE' S SCIENCE- G OSSIF. 



just the recognition of these tags and ends that is 

 wanting to establish the really clever problematical 

 reasoning of Mr. Grant Allen in regard to the daisy's 

 pedigree, as I have little doubt ; and if the reader is 

 of my mind, he will acknowledge that the Editor of 

 Science-Gossip in advocating the recognition here 

 of law in place of the byword of monstrosity, applied 

 invariably to that which we do not understand, has 

 thereby cast a flood of light on the past history of the 

 flowers. 



There remains a little finishing touch of purple on 

 the flowerets of the daisy resembling the mark of a 

 copying ink pencil, that is apt to attract notice. 

 Were a Grinling Gibbons set to carve a flower-head, it 

 is probable that he would turn it on the wheel, and 

 had he afterwards to colour it he would ask but for 

 few pigments, for robbed of compound hues, pattern 

 and half-.tones, the floral colours can be readily 

 suggested, and in point of fact fully-coloured flowers 

 such as dahlias and roses undeniably match well. 

 Perhaps one of the most surprising things to meet 

 with anywhere on this score is a field of roses, where 

 velvety full-coloured blossoms, red, purple, and 

 yellow, spring side by side from the wreck of the 

 things that were ; and curiously enough there may 

 be sublimed from the said black mould peacock hues 

 that will surpass the roses themselves in lustre. I 

 allude to the prismatic hues of aniline, first discovered 

 in 1826 by Unverdorben in the products of the dry 

 distillation of indigo, and in 1834, proved by Range 

 to be a constituent of coal tar ; and which like 

 aluminium, must be reputed one of the commonest 

 things in the world. Though I have not hitherto 

 obtained great results from staining flower bulbs 

 with prepared aniline dyes, I might yet hint that 

 some of the shale hills that diversify the black 

 country, containing as they do so much of the 

 innocuous raw material, might if ground to powder 

 and mixed with sewage or otherwise, work marvels 

 on the parterres ; for after walking some weary miles 

 over them, I can only aver that grass grows on them 

 luxuriantly and ragweed flowers prodigiously, nor 

 will I ever say that it was not a trifle more golden in 

 the sun. Indeed at the present the history of our 

 surprise garden blooms is proverbially far too much 

 of a mystery and too little of a science ; for all I 

 could elicit from a professor regarding his educated 

 favourites was, that they were obtained by crossing, 

 but when and where escaped him. 



Few people in England have the slightest idea of 

 the high value attached to scientific education in all 

 the Australian colonies. We have just received a 

 " Prospectus of the Stawell School of Mines, Art, 

 Industry, and Science," This is a well-known 

 Victorian mining town — whose population is not yet 

 commensurate with its pubhc spirit. Whilst we are 

 talking about adopting a Technical Education Act, 

 they are adopting one of their own. 



NOTE ON A FOOT-WORKING BLOWPIPE. 



By H. DURRANT. 



AMONG the portion of our working mineralo- 

 gists there are those who have often felt the 

 want of some method to produce the necessary stream 

 of air for the fusing of the diff"erent substances, so as 

 to do away with the blowing through the mouth. 



I propose in this short paper to give instructions 

 for making one, which, though rough and simple, 

 is very efficient, which after all is the great deside- 

 ratum. First of all then, an old square table is 

 wanted, mine is an old machine-stand, which serves 

 the purpose admirably, being very firm ; if you have 

 not got a spare table, you can easily make one, 

 providing you do not wish "a thing of beauty," 

 instead of a working machine ; if so, get a carpenter 

 to make the table for you, and so combine the two 

 qualities ; though after all it will not be an orna- 

 ment for the drawing-room. Supposing you have your 

 stand ready, the next thing you will want is a good 

 strong pair of workshop bellows. About four or five 

 inches from the floor, fasten a shelf under the table. 

 Six inches higher fasten a similar shelf. Now take 

 your bellows, lay them lengthwise along the lowest 

 shelf, so that the handles will project beyond the side 

 of the table. 



Fasten them in their place ; first by a screw through 

 the lower handle into the shelf, and next by a piece 

 of sheet-iron over the nozzle, fasten each side by a 

 screw. Next take a piece of wood, the same width 

 as the handle of the bellows, let it project about three 

 inches over the top bellows-handle ; fasten in place 

 by a couple of screws. Underneath it drive a staple ; 

 ditto on top. You will want now about a yard and 

 a half of rubber tubing. 



If the tubing was now fastened to the nozzle of 

 the bellows, and the other end to the blowpipe, you 

 would not, by working the bellows, be able to obtain 

 a continuous stream of air, which is what we want j 

 so we must make an air-chamber, to contain a supply 

 of air while the bellows are being refilled. 



For this purpose make a rectangular box about 

 six inches by two and a half. Before nailing the 

 sides up, a piece of thin cloth should be inserted 

 between the joints, to make it air-tight. 



The bottom of the box (one of the smaller ends), 

 will have to have a round hole cut in, and a little 

 clack fastened over it, to prevent air from rushing 

 back into bellows when pressure is released. 



A hole must also be cut in the top and another in 

 one of the sides. Now get a piece of copper or brass 

 tubing to fit tightly into rubber tubing ; fix one end 

 of your rubber tubing tightly round nozzle of bellows, 

 bend the piping round, so that it will come under 

 second shelf, in which a corresponding hole with the 

 one in bottom of box should be cut. Nail your box 

 on over this hole, tightly to the shelf. Now to make 

 the tube fit air-tight, you must get a cork, cut a 



