SCIENCE NOTES.

Otago Witness, Volume 23, Issue 2684, 23 August 1905, Page 68

SCIENCE NOTES.

-A revolution in brewing promises to be the result of a discovery made by Mi gove Johnson-an Englishman , as we should remember,- when the critics aie Abroad— whilst .experimenting m fermenta- / S£>iih a,yie*r to i&lating. a particular Sobe. 'Instead, he isolated what proved to be pure yeast. The process has been patented under the' title of Saccharomycea Thermantitomuß, and will Tie known- as the 5 T. Ferment. The essential point of t.ie discovery is that fermentation can be carried on in an abnormally high temperature, and -beer can be produced -without coolers oi refrigerators. It is unnecessary to eitner Bkim or cleanse, as S. T. sinks as solid as putty to. the ' bottom of the fermenting .vessel after fermentation ceases or is suspended. In countries where brewing is now impossible unless expensive ice plants are used, the S. T. process will enable brewing to be carried on as easily as in Home breweries. Even to the Home brewer in ~Biot weather the invention must be of vast importance. It savesi time, capital, and epace. In tropical countries, where a «lass of beer is always costly, and generally a'asty, ' bee/ will be obtainable in perfect .condition,- and at a reasonable price. The discovery has- stood every scientific test. '— At Santa Clara College, San Francisco, - a publio •'exhibition was given the-other day "of Professor. John Montgomery's aeroplane, -or new flying machine. Several thousand • toersons were present^ including the faculty $tud studenfe of the college. - The inventor .regarded the' test as successful, as the aeroplane was made to sail against, the -wind «nd circle about, at the -will of the operator. In fact,' those who" saw it describe 'US 1 flight" as.- more 'nearly' like 'that of a liird than nas' been -achieved by anyO other flying machine. The aeroplane looks like a big butterfly.- - - There' are two ' double" .wings on'eaoh'side, one" Ee^. rigid and the -other capable: of being moved by the operav_ - to£, who sits between them in a kind of Baddle, and- regulates fhe wings by his feet, iwhich rest' in stirrup3r The spread of the wrings from tip to tip is 22ft. The tail and rudder measure , 6ft across. The weight of the whole machine is 451b. By lowering v or raising the tail with* cords held in the operator's hands The- course of the" machine may be guided. The machine must be lifted to' a considerable height before it can be used, and for this purpose an ordinary balloon is employed. At Santa Clara 'John 'Maloney, an expert aeronaut, was in charge of the novel flying machine. After 'the aeroplane had been blessed by Father IKenna, Maloney "prepared for the ascent, tut before he was quite- ready the guy rope ' ibroke, and the huge balloon rose, taking ithe machine with it. When it reached m, -height of 2000 ft Maloney cut the rope lhat held his machine to the balloon. For *. moment it looked as though the aeroplane was about to drop gradually like a parachute, but Maloney quickly gained conirol of it, and "then began to "soar upward. motion of the aeroplane was mucfi like ' "!that of a Bird. It dipped and then sailed iwith the, wings perfectly, -still, as an eagle or a, hawk soars. Maloney circled about within a radius of 100 ft to show that he had complete control of hie -machine;" then he «wooped down, and suddenly elevating the tail shot up. again. It could be clearly seen that he guided the machine at will. After 6 few minutes he began to prepare for his - descent, and to- prove that he was really in control of the aeroplane he actually landed in ~a wheat field which Professor Montgomery had ■' 'selected as safest place for a descent. The aeroplane came down quietly, without any damage to itself or the aeronaut. " "-■

—^A few years ago, when the study of , »a,tural history was regarded as the hobby of a few enthusiasts .rather than as a necessary branch .of education, the gift' of an ants' nest' 'as a Christmas present would Inave been - regarded by tlie average recipient with something akin to dismay, if ■ not disgust. But times and manners change, and during the recent festive season ants nests have in many cases been presented instead of the ordinary knickiknaeks. The nest takes the form of a case somewhat like a picture-frame, about •ne square foot in area, and the space between the _ glass^front and back is little teore than *m. This is filled' in with care-fully-prepared earth Jn which no fungus can find a foothold; and the earth being , populated with about 200 ants, the operations of the sagacious insects can be studied through the glass. 'All the food required as a morsel of honey and a little water about every six months, and the colony is calculated to last for at least six years. As a means of inculcating a taste for the study of Nature, such a gift &s that of one of tbese ants' nests must he highly commended.

"~ A , 26-storey office building, constructed _ entirely of glass above the first floor, is now being rapidly let at Dcs Moines, lowa. J~he glass used is made by a special prooess of wn-mg which has been patented. -I - ? ? ? j* 13 - 310 tem *> ] <V°f a very solid and feted fdeßl*%f deBl *% TJlough lo <*W ™»* tosuited for office purposes, mainly iierW because it has no windows, the * reverse » really the case, windows bein? quite unnecessary, as sufficient lio-ht is obtain -.d Sap // h t rJ ls - These i^S ■consist O f steel framework fitted with glass supported by brackets attached to Ihe *cams of the floor, in duplicate, thus making two walls of opalescent wire gJass. The walls are set approximately Ift apart, forming an insulating dead space to prevent 'loss of heat in winter and undue heat in summer. A trial has proved that these glass buildings are freer, from draughts

than any others in the town, also that they can be satisfactorily heated with onequarter less fuel than is necessary in buildings of the same size even when they are constructed of brick.. This system of construction allows of any arrangement of floor plan, from the fact that windows are unnecessary. The exteriors, too, can be treated in any way desired. The inventor of this new process of wiring glass believes that windows are an insurmountable evil in buildings, because of the admission of air through them, which is responsible for the drst, smoke, insects, and draughts. The glass wall is fire -resisting to a practical cegree, as it has been demonstrated that wire glass will resist a hot fire, and though it might bo necessary to replace it after a big conflagration, the- fire damage would bo local and easily replaced, at a cost much less than necessary when rebuilding a structure of other material. If an outlook is desired, a stationary portal of plate glass can be placed in the wall, or the columns in the treatment of the esteiioi* can be of plate glass, forming hays. Inside, the building oan be treated just as an ordinary office would be, with a wainscoting half-way to the ceiling, making a wall space available for desks, counters, shelving,- oi whatever might be required, on all sides of the room; at the same time, plenty of light would be obtained through the glass at the upper part of the room. The cost of these glass buildings compared with stone or brick wQuld be from a quarter to a third less for the outer walls ; the inner construction is similar to that in general use, cither steel or masonry. Cleaning the buildings 'will be a most simple operation. By means of a fire-liose the outer walls can be washed in a few hours. — The Royal Magazine.

— At^a recent meeting of the Imperial Commission appointed by the German Got yernmgn,t to investigate the relations existing between human and bovine tuberou1 losis bacilli, some very important statements were made in the course of a report by Dr Weber on the work that had already been done by that body of experts. The results of investigation point to the belief that bovine and human bacilli are biologically absolutely distinct from one another. Examination of the bodies of 56 persons who had' died from the disease showed that in six cases the bovine bacillus was detected., while in the other '50 only human bacilli couH be found. "Of the six oases three wore children, and it is presumed that they - received infection from the milk of a diseased cow. In two other cases bovine bacilli appeared an the glands and human bacilli in all other parts of the body These are regarded as distinct oases of double infection. One other most important discovery was that of the two kinds of bacillus in one lung. The conclusions so far arrived at by the \ commission are that consumption in human | beings is,caused by the human baoillus, but that infection- by bovine bacillus is possible, and that all precautions should be taken to guard against it. — Some recent experiments have been made in Bavaria in regard to preparing artificial cotton from pine wood, and it is said that the new process allows it to be | made cheaply enough so that the artificial cotton may compete with the natural pro- • auct. Jn the method which has proved the most_ successful the wood, which has had tne nark removed, is cut into thin sticks or fibres one-sixteenth of an inch, or less in thickness. These are placed in a large horizontal copper cylinder, into which steam is passed. When the separating action of the steam on the wood fibre hai been prolonged sufficiently, an acid solu£Lf 6 £ dl ? m , 6ui ? hite is added and the cylinder heated under a pressure of three atmospheres during 56 hours. The wood ZoZt* j become completely white, is washed and then passed through a crasher. After washing again, the fibres are further TW ™^t V Ch l° ride of lime treatment, .the matter thus obtained is dried and eon statutes a pure cellulose, which is then £X? Tt\ pr £f su F« with a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids and chloride of S?£ ,■? pasty mass is mixed with a little gelatine and castor oil. The cellulose is then formed into fine threads by a spinning machine, and these are washed in a carbonate of soda solution and dried. These threads are said to form a very good fabric when woven, and can, easily be dyed -According to a writer in American Medicine, investigations by Dr A. H Stew- | art/ of the Philadelphia Bureau of Health 2l£L^^ P^er, dipped in paraffin at <212deg Fahr., and then baked. This sterilises .the bottle, and prevents the milk coming m contact with the paper itvli and adhering, as it does, to the glass bottle For shipment, the bottles are packed in nests of 20, three nests being sealed in 'a sterJe bag- the lids are also put up in 1 ml X. aSeS - B ™ io ™ l °S* with i n m f-a J? ?, s W€re exceedingly satisfactory Certified milk in paper bottles kept sweet two days longer than that in glass bottles. If these paper containers give such results in general use, the delivery of milk in cities bids fair to be revolutionised.

In these new-fangled days of the pryin<* X-rays, Of faith-healing, and trance that's hypnotic, As life's secrets unfold, it's a wonder the old King of Terrors is still so despotio: But his grip is as strong as it was in tre long, JLong ago, ere th-e world was mature, Though \ye'U not give him best while each cold in the chest Yields to Woods' Geeat Peppermint Cuke.