Science Siftings

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 16, 22 April 1909, Page 635

Science Sift ings

BY • VOLT

Cinemacolor,

Cinemacolor is a new word for a process which preserves the natural color in cinematography. Some of these color pictures have just "been shown in the Palace Theatre, and they are certainly remarkable. They are more realist 'c than the uncolored, and will have the effect of diminish- " ing that flitting, shivering action that is so great a defect in the white and. black.

The Inventors of Stoves.

One -of the first attempts at making a closed stove •>£ iron was made by Cardinal Polignac in 17.09, and seven years later an attempt was made to introduce stoves of this kind into England, but without success, owing to the prejudice of English people in favor of seeing their fire. The Franklin stove was invented by Dr. Franklin in 1745:, and a quarter of a century later, in 1771, and during a few years following the discoverer of electricity invented several other stoves, one of which was designed for burning bituminous coal and which had a downward draft and con-, sumed its own smoke. Court Rumford was the next person to make an invention looking to the improvement of stoves and during the ten years between 1785 and 1795 devised several improvements.

The Habits of Wild Beasts.

There are few countries -in the world which are richer from the hunter's point of view than coastal Canada. And not only can the sportsman find most excellent shooting and angling in Canada's Maritime Provinces, but also he can still find much of the adventurous element, the element of risk and danger, which is as the breath in his nostrils to yo\ir true hunter. Wolves and bears are creatures worthy the sportsman's mettle. The strange, prehistoric-looking moose can prove himself an awkward customer indeed when wounded and at bay. Then there is the great wild cat of Canada. The lynx is one of the fiercest, strongest, and most interesting creatures of its tribe, and its hunting is a wonderful thing to watch. In ordinary circumstances, of course, the lynx will not show fight where humans are concerned j but tlie writer has known cases in which a big lynx has fiercely defied an unarmed man, and made the latter go about to avoid him. In these cases snow lay deep on the ground, and the great cat was occupied with, the carcase of a deer or some other creature it had killed on the track. The hind legs of the Canadian lynx are amazingly powerful, its claws as punishing as those of a tiger, its face, surmounted by its queer tufted ears, expressive of invincible ferocity.

Uses of Roots and Leaves.

Roots and leaves are the life organs of trees. A* large part of the roots, however, only serve as conductors of water and food material. The young fibrous roots that are covered by fine hairs are the only ones which take water and minerals from the soil. The trunk and branches simply serve as conductors of food material between the leaves and roots. If the fibrous roots are cut off or exposed so that they dry out, the tree will, in all probability, die. - Some trees, like locusts, willows, poplars, etc., have tlie power of renewing their roots readily. Such trees always transplant easily. Therefore, the first care in transplanting trees is to keep the fibrous roots from drying out, arid - to protect them from injury during the time which transspires before the tree is planted again. In growing, trees build up a body of cell tissues, make foliage, flowers, and fruit. They take up food material from the soil and air, changing it into cellulose and various other compounds. Like all other plants, trees depend upon moisture, heat, and liglit as the means of performing their growth. From the soil trees- principally get water by means of the fibrous roots. This water is carried to the leaves, through the trunk and branches, being partly used for wood formation on its way and partly given up tc the air by the leaves. Minerals are taken only in small quantities, and consist mostly of lime, potash, magnesia, and nitrogen. They are carried to the leaves, where they combine with part of the water in food preparation. • A leaf consists of cells, lying closely together and covered by a protection known as the epidermis. Between the cells are small spaces known as intercellular spaces. The epidermis has minute openings which open into the intercellular spaces, allowing the air and other gases to come in contact with the cells. These cells take carbon dioxide and give up oxygen. As oxygen is the gas which we need in breathing., and carbon dioxide the poison which we breathe out, it can readily be seen that every plant or tree is an important factor in the health of plants and animals.