ALCOHOL— ALMONDS 



43 



To understand why this adjustment of 

 the machine can have such a serious effect 

 and at the same time understand why ex- 

 ploitation and study were successful 

 abroad in raising the efficiency of the 

 alcohol engine from 12.2 to over 30 per 

 cent in five or six years requires a knowl- 

 edge of technolog>-. The reasons can only 

 heconie clear to one understanding the 

 mechanism of these engines and to one 

 familiar with the chemistry of the fuels 

 and the physical theories of expiosive 

 combustion. 



Ch.\rles Edward Lucke, 



M.S.. Ph.D.. Assistant Piofessor of Mechanical 

 Engineering, Columbia University. 



S. M. Woodward, 



M.S.. M.A.. Irriftatlon Engineer. Office of Ex- 

 perimental Stations. V. S. Department of 

 Agriculture. 



Alkali 



The Standard Dictionary gives the fol- 

 lowing definitions: 



Alkali is a chemical compound of hy- 

 drogen and oxygen with any one of the 

 elements of lithium, sodium, potassium, 

 rubidium, and caesium or the radical 

 ammonium. Alkali is characterized by 

 great solubility in water and capability 

 of neutralizing acids. In popular lan- 

 guage the term is extended to anything 

 that will neutralize an acid, such as lime, 

 magnesia, etc. 



Aqueous solutions of alkali act cor- 

 rosively on animal and vegetable sub- 

 stances, and also alter the tint of many 

 coloring matters, as red litmus, which 

 it turns to blue. 



Most of the alkalis in our soils have 

 been formed by the washing out of the 

 ashes of sea plants the sodium and potas- 

 sium. 



Alkali-flat is an arid plain, permeated 

 or encrusted with alkali salts, the bed 

 of an evaporated lake. 



Alkali-grass, a species of grass Distich- 

 Us, growing in the alkaline soils of the 

 western part of the United States. 



Alkali-land, a region marked by the 

 presence of alkali in the soil, and on the 

 surface. 



Alkali-soil, a soil containing an unus- 

 ual amount of soluble mineral salts. It 

 frequently collects on the surface under 



arid conditions and excessive evapora- 

 tion, and forms a saline crust. The salts 

 as they are found in the soils are gen- 

 erally chloride, carbonates, sulphates, and 

 bi-carbonates of sodium, potassium, mag- 

 nesium and calcium. Sometimes there 

 are also borates and nitrates. Sometimes 

 alkali is derived by the liberation from 

 the rocks of certain soluble salts, set free 

 by the process of disintegration and soil 

 formation. See ffoils. 



Allspice 



Allspice is the unripe fruit of a West 

 Indian tree. It is gathered and dried in 

 the sun, has an aromatic flavor and has 

 been thought to combine the qualities of 

 cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Used much 

 in cooking. 



Almonds 



The almond, Aniygdalus Communis,, grew 

 originally in Barbary and Morocco. Now 

 it is widely cultivated throughout the 

 milder portions of the temperate zones. 

 It is akin to the peach, the prune, the 

 plum and the cherry, yet tenderer than 

 any of these. The writer had an almond 

 tree in his orchard in Yakima county, 

 Washington, which grew vigorously and 

 bore fruit about every second year until 

 it was 12 years of age. The very severe 

 winter of 1908-09 when the mercury 

 ranged for several days about 16 degrees 

 below zero killed the tree. We had in 

 the same orchard peaches, prunes, apri- 

 cots, plums and cherries and the wood 

 of these trees was not seriously injured, 

 although two degrees to four degrees 

 colder would have damaged the wood of 

 the peach trees. The following year the 

 peaches and apricots bore no fruit of any 

 consequence, but the wood was not In- 

 jured. The almond tree was injured so 

 that we gave up hope of reinvigorating it 

 and dug it up. Experience has shown 

 that the almond will not stand severe 

 freezing, and therefore is better adapted 

 to warmer climates like California or 

 southern portions of the United States. 



It blooms a little earlier than the 

 peach, therefore is more likely to be hurt 

 by early frost. In the si ring of 1907 our 



