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AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



173 



WS^^WJL ^2a^Sa 



SciE.NTjFic Discovert. — Ata late sitting of the 

 French Academy, there were presented some spe- 

 cimens of solid air. Every one couhl tonch and 

 handle them, see them dissolve, escape from the 

 fingers and recover again the state o( gas without 

 leaving any traces. The pieces were divideil, dis- 

 tributed, every body could taste them, and feel the 

 impression of LXtraordmary cold which a solid 

 gas produces, when returning to the state of air, or 

 rather it was observed with surprise, that a sub- 

 stance, the touch of which congeals mercury and 

 spirits of wine, and causes the thermometer to de- 

 scend to 90 degrees below zero, did not produce 

 on our organs of sensation the cold that might 

 have been e.vpected. It would seem as if our 

 senses were not capable of appreciating such a 

 low degree of the atinos]]here ; it is a new sensa- 

 tion which is unknown to them, and which they 

 are unable, so to speak, to describe. 



We have said that there were specimens of solid 

 air, but it was not the atmosj.heric air, the air that 

 we breathe, which was shown by piece meal to the 

 academy, but we so speak of ir, to make more ap- 

 parent what there is remarkable, and truly aston- 

 ishing in the fact. For people in general, there is 

 but one sort of air, that which surrounds us, and 

 if we had said that we had succeeded in making 

 solid gas, this fact would appear very simple, and 

 would perhaps pass unnoticed. It would be 

 thought that gas is a chemical production which 

 can bend to its laws, and whose condition can be 

 altered by the scientific at will, without having 

 any right to call for the attention of the world. As 

 to the air which we breathe, it still enjoys its rep- 

 utation as an element — it is one of the powers of 

 nature — it is one of the great constilui-iit borjies 

 of tha world, anil if we learn that man has suc- 

 ceeded in governing it, changing its condition, we 

 expect to see him overturning the order and har- 

 mony of things. \'/'e forget that air is a gas like 

 any other, a cotnpound gas, which has not resist- 

 ed the agents of decomposition at the disposal of 

 the learned. To be more e.vplicit, the carbonic 

 acid gas, formerly known under the name of fixed 

 air, of which we breathe a certain quantity in the 

 surrounding air, is the true air which has been 

 compressed, the little particles of which are drawn 

 together, to the state of water in the first place, and 

 then tnade solid, as water itself becomes the solid 

 in freezing. 



It is from an enormous cylinder of cast iron, 

 capable of bearing a pressure of more than 60 at- 

 mospheres, that M. Thiorien has obtained the li- 

 qiiid carbonic gas. By allowing the gas to escape 

 through a very small tube, it is seen to spread it- 

 self out under the form of a snowy vapor — it is 

 sufficient then to ilirect the flowing of this vapor 

 into a tm box, when it may be seen to unite itself, 

 becomes a mass, and soon it may be collected, 

 pressed like common snow, and placed in a glass 

 vase. It was under this form that the solid car- 

 bonic acid was presented to the Instit'tte by M. 

 Delong, to whom M. Thiorien handed several 

 masses which he obtained from his ap|)aratus, 

 placed in an apartment adjoining the hall where 

 the academy was in session. We cannot suffi- 

 ciently applaud the perseverance and devoted- 

 ness of the author of this discovery. Much cour- 

 age is necessary to manage an api>aratus so pow- 

 erful and so dangerous. 



Gas Lighting. — A new mode of transport- 

 ing gas is about to be adopted in Paris. The 

 I'riumphal Arch do I'Etoil, the Prefecture of the 

 police, and the Mint, will shortly use what is 

 called "the ()ortative gas, compressed," by which 

 the laying of subterranean gas pipes is entirelv 

 avoided. This has already been used with .suc- 

 cess in the city ofKheiuiS. The discovery of 

 the uncompressed gas is due to M Huozean Nuivon, 

 a distinguished Chemist cf Paris. 



Bread. — The enormous price of wheat flour 

 has induced the bakers in New York to use su- 

 perfine rice flour as a partial substitute. They 

 make their bread of one fourth part rice with 

 three-fourths wheat, and the article is said to be 

 far more palatable and wholesome than that which 

 is made of wheat exclusively. Rice is probably 

 the most nutritious of all farinaceous substances — 

 it is the food of half of Asia, and is in general use 

 throughout our Southern country. — Hampshire 

 Gazette. 



An ingenious mechanic of Albany has invented 

 what he calls a " iMilkometer," to test the quality 

 of milk, and tell how great a proportion of chalk, 

 water, or lime it contains. Such an instrument 

 is very much needed, particularly in the cities. 



An English watchmaker named Stromber has 

 succiijded in constructing clocks on a new princi- 

 ple, having air for their moving power. In one 

 which he has exhibited, the simplicity of construc- 

 tion is truly astonishing. The air compressed so 

 as to have the clastic force of six atmospheres, is 

 emitted through a|)ertures, on as many wheels of 

 different dimensions ; and it is so contrived that 

 the velocity communicated to the wheel is uni- 

 form, although the force of the jet is contiiuially 

 diminishing. The moving power is renewed once 

 in three months. This application of the expan- 

 sive foi'ce of air, if it has been .achieved, is among 

 the most remarkable improvements of the age. — 

 Old Colony JVhig. 



RECriPT FOR FASTENING LEATHF.R UPON MET- 

 AL. — A. M. Fiiclis, of Bairere, says, that in order 

 to make leather adhere closely to metal, he uses 

 the following method : 



" The leather is steeped into an infusion of gall 

 nuts ; a layer of hot glue is spread upon the met- 

 al, and the leather forcibly applied to it on the 

 fleshy side, it must be suffered to dry under the 

 same pressure. — By these means the adhesion of 

 the leather will resist moisture, and may be lorn 

 sooner than be separated fi'oni the leather. — Long 

 Island Star. 



We have seen the following in several newspa- 

 pers, and though we cannot vouch for its effieacy, 

 from experience, we would advise its trial in case 

 of need. 



CcRE FOR THE TooTH AcHE. — It is with great 

 pleasure we announce to our readers, that we are 

 in possession of one of the greatest desiderata 

 in the whole materia medica. The remedy is 

 simple, easily procured, easily applied, and effec- 

 tual. We do not speak unadvisedly, for we have 

 tried it upon our own masticators, and those of 

 our family, and some half a dozen of our friends, 

 and wo are therefore enabled to speak with confi- 



dence and safety. The recipe is as folloivs : take 

 a limip of unslacked lime about the size of a hick- 

 ory nut, and dissolve or slack it in two-thirds, or 

 three quarters of a tumbler of watcjr. Hold the 

 lime water in the mouth contiguous to the aching 

 tooth, and certain relief will ensue. We never 

 knew it to fail. If the relief is not permanent, re- 

 peat the apiilicatioii as often as the pain returns. 

 If the pain is stubborn and refuses to yield, the 

 lime water may be made thicker and stronger. 



Bdckwhkat Straw. — A correspondent, who 

 signs himself" A Young Farmer," asks us wheth- 

 er any use can be made of his Buckwheat straw ? 

 Our reply is, that it is better for milch-cows than 

 the best timothy hay — that his cows will eat with 

 equal avidity, — that if it has not been exposed too 

 long to the vicissitudes of the weather it will prove 

 equally nutritious to them — that so far as the se- 

 cretion of milk is concerned it is infinitely prefcr- 

 alile to any hay or fodder within our knowledge, 

 and that when cut and boi'.ed, or steamed, it makeei 

 most acce[)table slop for the cows. We will say 

 further, that the "old plan" of throwing this 

 wholesome and nutritious provender upon the 

 dung-heap, or in the barn-yard, to be trampled 

 under foot, should be abandoned, and that hence- 

 forth it should be permitted to assume its [>roper 

 rank among the choicest hay lor neat cattle. — 

 Baltimore Farmer. 



New Plaster. — The French in Algiers, have 

 discovered a new plaster, used in the public works 

 of th.it city, composed of two parts of ashes, three 

 of clay, and one of sand. It is called by the 

 Moors, fabbi, and being stirred again with oil 

 resists the weather better than marble. 



Chapped Hands. — There is not a more com- 

 mon or a more troublesome com|;laint in the win- 

 ter season, especially with females, than chapped 

 hands. It is rather remarkable, that fevv individ- 

 uals seem to know the true cause of this affection. 

 Most people attribute it to the u.se of hard water, 

 and insist upon washing, on all occasions, with rain 

 or brook water. Now the truth is, that chappej 

 hands are invariably occasioned by the injudicious 

 use of soap ; and the soap affects them more in 

 .he winter than in the summer, because in the 

 former season the hands are not moistened with 

 perspiration; wWch counteracts the alkaline effects 

 of the soap; There is a small portion of alkali in 

 hard water, but not so much as there is in soft 

 water with the addition of soap. The constant 

 use of soap in washing, even though the softesi 

 water be used, will cause tender hands to be chap-' 

 ped, unless some material be afterwards used to 

 neutralize its alkaline properties. In summer, the 

 oily property of the perspirable moisture answers 

 this purpose ; but in the winter, a very little vin- 

 egar or cream will, by being rubbed on the dried 

 hands, after the use of soap, completely neutralize 

 its alkaline properties, and thereby effectually pre- 

 vent the chapping of hands. Any other acid or 

 oily substances will answer the same purpose. 

 There are some very delicate hands which are 

 never chapped. This exemption from the com- 

 plaint arises from the greater abundance of perspi- 

 rable matter which anoints and softens the skin. 

 Dry and cold bands are most afflicted with this 

 complaint. — Bosl. Post. 



