and 
io 
power; that is, bodies were rather opaque. But as the vacuum became 
higher the penetrating power of the rays became greater, especially for 
dense bodies. 
The third tube used was one of Queen’s adjustable vacuum tubes. To 
obtain what is here called a low vacuum, the auxiliary spark gap was 
closed or short-circuited. To obtain a high vacuum the gap was made 
as long as possible. A photograph of the hand with a low vacuum showed 
flesh and bones almost equally opaque, while with a high vacuum the 
flesh was almost transparent. A photograph of a piece of glass, alum- 
inum, -steel, carbon, rubber and cork showed that the glass, aluminum 
and steel were more transparent to the high than to the low vacuum 
rays. The reverse was true of carbon and cork. No difference was noted 
with the rubber. 
Soon after the X rays were discovered Edison announced that what 
are known as slow plates are the fastest for X rays. Here again the 
degree of the vacuum must be taken into consideration. For high-vacuum 
rays fast plates are most rapid. 
The fluoroscopic action of the rays also changes with the vacuum, a 
rather low vacuum giving the best results. 
Whatever be the nature of the X rays it is certain that they possess 
properties analagous in some respects to pitch and color. 
THE TROUBLE WITH INDIANA Roaps' By Danie B. LuTEN. 
A good road is defined as a road that is hard, smooth and serviceable 
at all seasons of the year. 
The State of Indiana has 60,000 miles of wagon roads, of which about 
8,000 miles have been improved by graveling or “piking,” aud now con- 
stitute our free gravel road system, maintained and repaired by the coun- 
ties. The remaining 52,000 miles are nearly all dirt roads, and are main- 
tained and repaired by the townships. 
If we are to judge of Indiana roads by the above definition of good 
roads, we must admit that less than one per cent. of our 60,000 miles of 
roads are good roads. I do not mean that the remaining ninety-nine 
per cent. are always bad; but I do mean that for five or six months of 
“every year they are bad, some of them extremely bad, and that at such 
