34 



LOCOMOTIVE STEAM POWER. 



Jlnswer to the Second. — If the power 

 from the steam engine be applied to the 

 wheel or axle, above the line aforesaid, in 

 the manner described, or by the aid of an 

 additional wheel placed above with a cog 

 wheel connected with the axle, so as to 

 work into another cog wheel connected 

 with the axle of the wheels that run up- 

 on the rails of the inclined plane, the 

 maximum inclination of a plane from the 

 horizon, on which wheels may ascend 

 when sufficient power is applied, and the 

 maximum inclination of a plane upon 

 which wheels may be retained by a brake 

 (which prevents them from turning) will 

 be the same,* provided the periphery of 

 each wheel is perfectly cylindrical, and 

 the rails a perfect plane, and both compo- 

 sed of non-elastic substances; because the 

 principle upon which the power is ap- 

 plied to the wheels to prevent them from 

 rolling down upon the plane in one case, 

 and causing them to roll upwards in the 

 other case is the same; the difference being 

 the manner of applying the power, and 

 the quantity, or degree of force applied. 

 The power required to cause the wheels 

 to roll upwards upon the plane will be 

 more than that required to keep them sta- 

 tionary, and the difference will be in pro- 

 portion to the elasticity of the substance 

 composing the wheels and inclined rails, 

 upon which they run, and, the irregular- 

 ity of the surface of each that comes in 

 contact with the other. 



With ordinary iron wheels and rails, the 

 difference in practice would not, probably 

 be more than one per cent. 



For tlie Observer and Record. 

 TO PREVENT OR CURE THE RHEUMATISM. 



The use of cotton cloth next to the skin, 

 is highly recommended for the cure and 

 prevention of this complaint. The rea 

 sons given for the superiority of this over 

 wool or flax, is its superior absorbent 

 power, thereby preserving a more uniform 

 degree of moisture to the skin where the 

 perspiration is irregular. Another ques- 

 tion naturally arises, what is the best sub- 

 stance to surround this? wool, fur, silk, 

 flax and cotton, each has advocates, per- 

 haps each may be best in particular situa- 

 tions, for instance wool and fur, may be 

 best in dry cold weather, silk in damp 



* Friction not estimated. 



situations, flax where the atmosphere is 

 both dry and warm, and cotton where it 

 is a medium between extreme dryness, 

 moisture, heat and cold. 



A proper degree of heat and electricity 

 in the human system appears to consti- 

 tute so large a portion of what is denomi- 

 nated health, that every fact (however 

 trivial it may appear) which shows how 

 to produce or preserve the just propor- 

 tions, is worthy of consideration. 



A. D. V. 



The above suggestions are certainly 

 upon a subject of great importance, to 

 which might be added something relative 

 to the color of clothing, for instance whe- 

 ther or not, the heat from the body pas- 

 ses outward to a lower temperature, tend- 

 ing to produce an equilibrium in the same 

 ratio, as the heat from the rays of the 

 sun passes inwards to a lower tempera- 

 inve.-Co7n7minlcations from experimen- 

 ters are requested. 



ON RAISING ORANGES AND LEMONS FROM 



CUTTINGS. 



By A. Hawkins, Esqr. Hort. Trans, vol. 2, part 1. 



The writer states that Mr. Luscombe 

 of Combe Royal near Kingsbridge, had 

 discovered a method of raising Orange 

 and Lemon trees from cuttings, by which 

 he had raised eleven plants out of thir- 

 teen. The art is to place the cuttings in 

 the mould deep enough to touch the bot- 

 tom of the pot; they are then to be plung- 

 ed in a bark, or hot bed and kept. This 

 method has been scarcely known to fail 

 of success in Mr. Luscombes* practice. 



ON THE BLIGHT IN PEAR TREES. 



To prevent the blight in Pear trees the 

 following method is recommended. When 

 the tree is about ten or twelve feet high, 

 cut off the centre or main branch, a foot 

 or two above the point where the lower 

 branches issue. Some persons attribute 

 the blight to an overcharge of electricity 

 in the main centre branch, and when that 

 is removed sufficiently low an increased 

 number of sprouts issue, each of which 

 conducts 9 portion of electricity to the 

 earth', through the body of the tree, in the 

 aggregate, more than the main branch 

 would have been capable of doing had it 

 been suffered to remain on the tree. 



