Scientific Notes.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 884, 9 July 1913, Page 7

Scientific Notes.

WOODEN BULLETS. One of the English war correspondents in the Balkans has sent back samples of cartridges he picked up on the field of battle after the Turkish defeat at Kumanovo. The cartridges were found in the original paper boxes, which bore the label of a German maker. They were all right in appearance, but the bullets were not lead, but wood. This may be one reason for some oi the Turkish defeat. One spologist for the Turks has offered the explanation that possibly these wore intended for use in sham battles, and that blunder and not graft had sent them to the field.

WOODEN TABLEWARE IN RUS&iA The peasant class in Russia, which forms 1 7 per cent, of the total population, still uses the wooden spoon. The people of this class- cannot afford steel knives and forks, and never have plated ware. The middle classes use steel and plated ware, and the wealthy classes usually have sterling. Most of the steel and plated ware is manufactured in Warsaw, Poland, and very little is imported. ' Probably 90 per cent, of the people of Russia use the very cheapest grades of tableware, and only 10 per cent, plated or silver ware. Silver plated knives and forks may be purchased 'at reasonable prices. Those having no decoration sell for 15s. to 255. a dozen; those manufactured from foreign steel and engravetl, 16s. to 28s. a dozen, and those that nave been pressed from one piece of steel and slightly decorated, 15s. to 30s. a dozen. These quotations are for the cheaper grades only, as they are the best sellers, and the only ones that can be profitably imported.

SUBSTITUTES FOR THE PNEUMATIC TYRES. It is safe to say that no subject has received more careful thought and attention from inventors ivithin the last year than the tyre problem. But nob one of the scores of recently patented devices is quite equal to the plain artillery wheel fitted with pneumatic tyre. Most of the devices employ -springs to take up the jar between the tyre and the axle, and use solid rubber or similar material for the actual tread of the tyre. Ingenious as many . of'-' these schemes are they are bound co be less serviceable than tins pneumatic tyre, due to the number of moving parts 1 which are subject to wear and breakage. Furthermore, there is a great tendency to rattle and jar whenever a small obstruction is met ■ by the tyre.

So although the 'problem of substitute for>:pneumatic tyres has not. been entirely;, solved, much work is being.done, and it jis_'apparently only a rnatter of time until we may expect-something even betfer than the present pneumatic tyre. ••:.■■■■..' ......-.■,-.••

NEW METHOD OF DEALING V-CJ-i I.■■:*.■•'■-■ LOCUSTS. ■ ~ .:■'':■- k; : ■ . .-'.-''■""■ . ■>''- '':. : iV;~- : --'•'■-.■"•',: -\ H. Felix d'Her lie, a.,young Frencii physician, has discovered: a new way of fighting., the locust plague;in Argentina. Observing'an epidemic among I the locusts, h,e succeeded in discovering the germ.of- the disease,: and decided that the best means of combating i the insect would be to spread this disease among them. The Argentine Government invited him to make a tical test of the idea, and a column of locusts, kept/ between barriers for observation purposes, were exterminated ' six days after they had eaten '',■ grass i sprinkled with a preparation cohtam--1 ing cultures of the bacillus. /Further tests showed -that the infected in sects spread the disease over great distances in a very short lime, dead locusts being found 30 miles from the infected fields. Forty days after the test, 10 7 custs bearing the characteristic marks of the epidemic were found 250 miles from the infected area.