88 
POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 
[June, 1S90. 
May 19. Tin ; Iiow prep;\re() for use I j, p 
Zinc; how prepared for use ( ' 
June 2. Story of a fern , Coal Master Weed 
.Story of a diamond Dr. D. F. J.lneoln 
June 1*J. Soapstone, uses and liow mined 
Other miiieral.s asiied for by class 
June .30. General review. 
THE A. A. HILL AND DALE CLUB. 
The " Hill and Dale Club" is composed 
of Chapters and members of the Agassi z 
Association living within a radius of fifty 
miles of Elizabeth, N. J. Its purpose is to 
lea^ its membei's on a systematic series of 
excui\sions to such points of interest as can 
be visited in a single day. Since March 
39 the Club has visited Fort Lee, Belle- 
ville, Bergen Hill, Castle Point, Newark, 
O'Roui-ke's Quarry at Orange, and Farming- 
dale, all in New Jersey, and New Rochelle, 
Van Cortland, and Fordham, in New York. 
The next excursion is set down for Satur- 
day, June 7, when the Club will visit 
Metuchen, N. J., to investigate the clay-pits, 
and to make botanical reseaiches, under the 
guidance of Rev. L. H. Lighthipe, President 
of the New Jersey Assembly. It is proposed 
to take the train on the Pennsylvania Rail- 
road, for which New York passengers must 
leave the foot of Coiu'tland street at* 9.30 
A. M. The fare for the round trip is $1.35. 
On June 14, Mr. T. G. White will con- 
duct the excursionists on a botanical and 
entomological trip to Richmond Hill, N. Y. 
The Club will meet at Long Island ferry- 
house; foot of E. 34th street, at 10.30 A. M. 
Fare, 40 cents. 
On June 21, under the care of Miss E. 
M. Watcis, of the Plainfield Fi-anklin School, 
and via the Central Railroad of New Jersey, 
(Liberty street. New York, 8.45 A. M.), an 
interesting botanical excursion will be made 
to Plainfield, N. J. Exclusion fai'e, $1.00. 
The last excursion of the month is to be 
on June 38. Destination, Paterson, N. J. 
This will be geological, and led by Mr. G. 
S. Stanton, via Delaware, Lackawanna & 
Western Railroad, Baiclay street, 9.00 A. M. 
Faie, 70 cents. 
To all of these excursions all members of 
the A. A. are coi'dially invited. 
REPORTS OF CHAPTERS. 
20, Fairfield, la., [A]. — Along with the general 
prosperity of Iowa Chapters, we have not been 
neglected. During the summer we profited by the 
presence of two of our leading members, who had 
just completed their medical education, and were 
qualified to give us some very interesting lectures. 
They prepared and articulated the skeleton of a 
horse and presented it to the Chapter. I refer to 
Dr. J. Fred. Clarke, now resident physician in the 
Hospital of the City of Philadelphia, and Dr. C. C. 
Cottle, now practicing at Marshalltown, Iowa. We 
have also had with us, during a large part of the 
year, another of our charter members, John G. 
Spielman, C. E. We were well represented at the 
sixth annual Convention of the Iowa Assembly, 
where we won the second diploma. — Carrie Lam- 
son, Pres. ; Bhula West, Sec. 
27, "High School Naturalists," Pittsburgh, Pa., 
[A]. — Our Chapter is divided into three sections — 
botanists, zoologists, and mineralogists. The bota- 
nists meet once a week, and have devoted their time 
thus far to mounting and arranging the plants in 
the "Naturalists'" herbarium. Today they under- 
t6ok their first collecting trip. The expectation of 
discoveries was not so great as the impatience to see 
something green and to sniff the spring air. Some 
hepaticas, Virginia saxifrage, rue-anemone, whit- 
low-grass, and, of course, dandelions and chickweed, 
were found in blossom. Woodpeckers and robins 
were seen. Rotten stumps yielded large black 
wood-beetles, different species of centipedes, co- 
coons, ants, spider-nests, beetle-larva;, and other 
creatures. All were eager to collect anything that 
showed or promised life. Even an immense bumble- 
bee was discovered, just rubbing his eyes and sleep- 
ily looking out into the world. Thus it was not a 
bad day, after all. The zoologists have each an 
animal or a group of animals assigned to them for 
study; they make their reports at the monthly 
meetings. "The American Pearl Clam" was one 
of the interesting papers read at the March meeting, 
and beautiful specimens of the shells (a species of 
unio) and pearls were exhibited. The mineralo- 
gists study Prof. Guttenberg's course. A committee 
is now busy preparing for a spring meeting of the 
society, to which all the members of the Higli 
School will be invited. — G. G. 
29, Barton Chapter, Boston, Mass., [U]. — We are 
still alive, and just as enthusiastic as ever. The 
year 1S89 has been very prosperous. We have, at 
present, thirty-seven active, members — eight more 
than at the time of our last report. We have held 
twenty-three meetings this year; the one which 
occurred on the 17th of June we made an all-d.iy 
excursion to Waverly Oaks, a charming spot within 
a few miles of Boston. We voted that hereafter we 
would keep this day for our field d.ay. In January 
we began a systematic course in botany, under the 
direction of Mr. J. H. Sears, of the Peabody Acad- 
emy of Science, Salem, Mass.- Papers were read by 
our members — for we were fortunate in having a 
number of botanists. Mr. Sears gave us three 
talks during the course. Our members living out 
of town kept us supplied with flowers. The season 
seemed to I'avor us, also, for wild flowers bloomed 
very early. This course finished witii the last meet- 
ing before the sutnmer vacation, June 24th. At 
this meeting it. was decided to begin to work for 
future cabinets, so different members were chosen to 
take charge of difterent departments. We bid fair 
to have a fine herbarium, and good scientific collec- 
tions of beetles, minerals, rocks, fossils, and shells. 
In the spring we started a set of "outings" for 
Saturdays and holidays. We sold season tickets at 
fifty cents to those who did not care to join the 
Chapter work, but wished the benefit of the outings. 
We always had some object in view — either geology, 
zoology, or botany. We -had twenty-one outings 
during the spring and fall, and one of our greatest 
benefits was the promotion of kindly feeling between 
the Chapter members. One of our most enjoyable 
days was spent at Fitchburg, Mass., on April 30, 
when Prol". E. A. llartwell showed us the beauties 
of RoUstone and Pearl Hills, and Mr. F. A. Marble 
kindly gave us the use of the rooms of Chapter 48. 
We held no meetings during July, August, and Sep- 
tember, but our members did not forget to work for 
the Chapter. Fossils came from Waterloo, N. Y., 
Illustraling the Sallna, Chemung, and Hamilton 
groups. Moths and beetles were searched for with 
cyanide jars under electric lights. Two of our 
members hunted in that enchanted field for mineral- 
ogists in the vicinity of Paris, Me., and came home 
laden with pink and green tourmaline, albite, mus- 
covite, lepidolite, quartz crystals, greasy and rose 
quartz, triphylite, cookeite, cimolite, cassiterite, and 
beryl. Another member visited Nova Scotia, in the 
vicinity of Blomldon. Our first meeting in the fall 
was held on October 7, when the Chapter unani- 
mously voted to take up the study of geology for 
this year's work. Our Committee of Instruction 
laid out a course based somewhat on the plan of 
Master H. L. Clapp's book, No. XV. in "Guides for 
Science Teaching," only our plan is very much 
more thorough, as that was meant for a class of 
children, while our Chapter is composed of adults. 
The first meeting was devoted to the chemical ele- 
ments contained in minerals; the next meeting to 
physical properties, structure, hardness, etc. ; the 
third to crystallography, Mr. George H. Barton, of 
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, givlni,' 
this talk, illustrating the subject fully with models. 
Then began our work. Specimens of difterent kinds 
of granite were given out, one to each member, 
with a card explaining "I Ian for Study," for each 
to tell what he or she found in his or her specimen. 
No names were called for — simply how many differ- 
ent kinds of minerals each found, and the general 
characteristics. At the next meeting each member 
reported. Then came a meeting devoted to quartz 
(all kinds) and feldspar (all kinds), showing the 
constituents of binary granite. We had papers on 
the uses as well as the kinds, to bring In the practi- 
cal side. At our next meeting we have mica and 
hornblende (amphibole family), to sjiow tlie kinds 
of granite. Then we shall give out all the accessory 
minerals found in granite, to be studied just as the 
granite specimens were. Then will come the allied 
rocks of the inore basic order — syenite, diorlte, dia- 
base, etc. Other rocks will be taken up in the 
same way, and we hope before next June we shall 
know something of the foundation beneath us. 
(^lestions are alw.iys given out on the subject of the 
evening to be answered at the next meeting. If 
any Chapter thinks this plan helpful, we should be 
glad to pass it along; also our botany plan of last 
year. We have three members who are taking 
Prof. Guttenberg's course in mineralogy, two Prof 
Cassedy's course in chemistry, and one Mr. Alex. 
Wight's course in botany-. On Fast Day, April 4, 
we spent a very enjoyable and profitable afternoon 
at the observatory on Blue Hill, Milton, Mass. Mr. 
H. H. Cla3'ton explained very minutely and clearly 
the workings of the meteorological instruments 
used in taking observations at the observatory. 
We note in the observations recorded by the Chap- 
ter that hepatica was picked as early as March 27, 
and late as November 4, 18S9. Pansies were picked 
in open air In Hyde Park on December 25. We 
have joined the Massachusetts Assembly, and hope 
to meet delegates from all the Massachusetts Chap- 
ters at the next General Convention. — Mrs. R. S. 
Beaman, Pres. ; Ella F. Boyd, Cor. Sec. 
, _^», ■-. 
Friction Caused iiv Electricity. — A curious 
phenomenon, in virtue of which electric cars are 
aided in ascending heavy gr-ides, is alluded to by 
Joseph Wetzler in his article on "The Electric 
Railway" in the April Scribiier. This phenome- 
non, which was probably first observed by Leo 
Daft, at his works in Greenville, N. J., in 1S82, is, 
that, when the current passes from the car wheel to 
the track, it causes an increased friction or resist- 
ance to sliding between them, the result of which is 
that slipping is to a large degree prevented, and 
heavier grades can be attempted. The explanation 
of this phenomenon, though not completely estab- 
lished, seems to lie in the direction of a slight weld- 
ing action which takes place between the wheel anil 
the rail, caused by the heat generated by the current. 
