Vol. XXIV. No. i.] 
POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 
Brtmiide of potash lO grammes 
Distilled water lOO gramnies 
Fixing is done in tiie usual manner. Tiie batli of 
eikonogen is not colored by contact with the air, 
which permits its employment for the development 
of many plates in succession. 
It does not stain the fingers or the nails, it gives 
clear negatives, and development is easy and rapid. 
N. E. Druggist. 
[Note. — In our experience with eikonogen, we 
find it to give great detail, but not very much inten- 
sity. It also appears to have a tendency to cause 
blisters in the gelatine coating. It is especially 
adapted for developing bromide prints, and no 
clearing solution is necessary. — Ed.] 
♦♦v 
INDUSTRIAL MEMORANDA. 
A New Alloy has been discovered by llerr 
Reith, of Bockenheini, Germany, which is said to 
practically resist tlie attack of inost acid and alkaline 
solutions. Its composition is as follows : Copper, 
15 parts; tin, 2.34 parts; lead, 1.82 parts; anti- 
mony, I part. This alloy is, therefore, a bronze 
with the addition of lead and antimony. The 
inventor claims that it can be very advantageously 
used in the laboratory to replace vessels or fittings 
of ebonite, vulcanite, or porcelain. 
The safety of mining has been materially in- 
creased in recent years. The average ratio for the 
ten years ending 1S60 was one death in every 245 
persons employed, for the ten years ending 1S70 it 
was one in 300, for the period ending 1880 one in 
425, and for the present year one in 602. Even this 
more favorable ratio will, no doubt, be improved 
upon, and mining may become as safe as any other 
occupation. Seeing that an army of nearly 600,000 
persons are employed in or about the mines of 
Great Britain and Ireland, and that in round num- 
bers 183,000,000 tons of minerals were wrought last 
year, the importance of the industry can hardly be 
overestimated. 
The Transportation of Acids. — There has 
been patented in Germany a process by means of 
which sulphuric acid for manufacturing purposes 
can be safely transported. The inventor takes 
advantage of a property of certain salts, — of which 
alkaline sulphates are representatives, — by which 
they give up their water of crystallization when 
heated, and take it up again when cool ; and he does 
so by mixing the salts in an anhydrous condition 
with a calculated quantity of sulphuric acid. The 
whole mass becomes granular, or may be formed 
into cakes, and, when heated, the whole liquefies, 
»nd may be used as if it were sulphuric acid, for the 
presence of bisulphate of soda does no harm. 
Malleable Bro.nze. — A patent has been taken 
out, both in England and France, by Mr. A. Sentex, 
Mr. C. Marechal, and Mr. A. Saunier, establishing 
a process for producing malleable and ductile bronze 
bars or plates, which are free from cracks and blow- 
holes, are "inoxidisable," and which may be "rolled 
and drawn with the greatest ease." Moreover, the 
metal has the appearance and "sonorosity of gold." 
One and a half kilos, of tin are purified by melting 
under nitre. Ten kilos, of copper are melted, and 
50 grammes of equal parts of nitrate and cyanide of 
potassium are added, for the double purpose of 
reducing the oxides and "fattening" the metal. 
Then 25 grammes of bitartrate of potassium, with 
the same quantity of cyanide, are added, and, after 
poling, the tin is introduced; 25 grammes each of 
sal-atpmoniac and cyanide are thrown on, i gramme ' 
of "phosphuret of copper" introduced to "impart ' 
mildness," and 20 grammes of "Marseilles soap" | 
added, which still further "fattens" the metal. 
Finally, i gramme of sodium is added at the mo- , 
ment of casting. i 
Ttje Ont-Door morld. 
Edited by HARLAN H. BALLARD, 
President of the Agassiz Association. 
[P. O. Address, Pittsfield, Mass.] 
Every member of the Agassiz Association 
will appreciate and reciprocate the cordial 
greeting given by the editor of the Popular 
Science News. Let us increase our devo- 
tion to the study of the Out-Door World 
during the year now opening, and strive in 
every way to render our society more and 
more worthy of the commendation so kindly 
be.stowed upon it. 
T/ie Swiss Cross, which for more than 
two years has been the "official organ" of 
the Agassiz Association, is now combined 
with Santa Claus, the new and beautiful 
young folks' weekly magazine published in 
Philadelphia, and will continue its pleasant 
work of interesting the children in the study 
of Nature. In "The Out-Door World" we 
shall speak to those who are older, and who 
are approaching a maturity of thought and 
endeavor that will not rest short of thorough 
scientific attainment. The publishers of these 
two journals are in the heartiest accord, and 
will aid and supplement one another in giving 
our Association the completest possible rep- 
resentation. By a friendly clubbing agree- 
ment, both the Popular Science News 
(whose regular subscription price is $1.00) 
and Santa Clans ($3.00) will be sent to 
any addre.ss for $3.25. To this most gener- 
ous oHer we expect an equally generous 
response from ever3one interested in our 
work. 
In addressing for the first time the new 
audience to which we have thus kindly been 
introduced by the editor of this journal, a few 
words may be needed regarding the purpose 
and scope of our Association. Its aim is to 
awaken among the people an interest in the 
personal observation of their immediate nat- 
ural surroundings. As we have often ex- 
pressed it, we wish to lead as many as 
possible along the footsteps of Gilbert White. 
To this end we constantly invite persons of 
all ages and conditions to form local clubs 
and unite with us. On their part, they are 
to explore, as best they may, the country 
within, sa\', a ten-mile radius of their respec- 
tive homes ; make collections, if they choose, 
of their representative animals, plants, and 
minerals ; study the geological structure of 
the rocks above which they live ; found local 
scientific libraries ; provide courses of lectures ; 
and, in a word, establish, if possible, perma- 
nent scientific societies in their several towns. 
On our part, we undertake to help any who 
need assistance, by directing them to the 
simplest methods of organization, and the 
most approved ways of working in the acvcral 
departments ; by suggesting books appropri- 
ate to their varying necessities ; by putting 
them in communication with men of high 
standing, who are able and willing to give 
them sound answers to the questions that may 
perplex their inexperience ; and by providing 
for them a regular means of intercommunica- 
tion, so that they may not only maintain 
private correspondence and exchange their 
specimens, but ma}' also have a place in 
which there may be made a permanent record 
of whatever may be di.scovered of general and 
abiding interest. 
To this end we earnestly invite the co- 
operation of every scientific man and woman 
who reads this paper. Give us your sym- 
pathy, your counsel, your assistance. You 
will hardly be able to render the nation a 
better service than by helping to enlist our 
young men and young women in the consci- 
entious study of Nature and science. We 
plead for no sentimental smattering. Our 
young men mean business. Many of them 
have devoted their lives to science. Some 
have already attained eminence who began as 
boy-members of a village Chapter of the 
Agassiz Association. Help them now, and 
you will be unconsciously sowing seed that, 
after many days, shall produce a harvest 
worthy of your own gathering. You will 
some day wish to give a scientific lecture ; 
our Association is preparing you an audience. 
You may embody the results of your life- 
work in a book ; our Association is training 
those who will buy and read it. 
Another leading aim of the Agassiz 
Association is to increase the quantity, and 
particularly to improve the quality, of science- 
teaching in our public schcwls. Much has 
already been accomplished in this direction. 
We have awakened a desire for right and 
adequate instruction in nearly twenty thousand 
youthful minds, and have given them a suffi- 
cient understanding of what right instruction 
is, to make them absolutely intolerant of 
obsolete methods of rote-work and book- 
cramming. You couldn't hire a member of 
the Agassiz As.sociation to study botany with- 
out plants, mineralogy without minerals, or 
chemistry without chemicals. In this mat- 
ter we have constantly been in the closest 
sympathy of belief and endeavor with the 
"Committee on the Subject of Science in the 
Schools" appointed a year ago by the Amer- 
ican Society of Naturalists. We cannot 
better sum up our desires than by quoting 
the words of this committee ; for the Agassiz 
Association also asks for " the active support 
and encouragement of every parent and 
teacher who believes that the young should 
have their natural tendencies and longings for 
a knowledge of the things of Nature culti- 
vated ; their questions about it, which are in 
•v«ry w«y pure «n<l true, answered ; oppor- 
