Science Siftings

New Zealand Tablet, 30 June 1910, Page 1035

Science Siftings

BY 'VOLT'

Preserving Potatoes.

■ A German publication, the Practical Adviser in Fruitraising and Gardening, states that a new method for keeping potatoes and preventing sprouting consists in placing them on a.layer or coke. Dr. Schiller, of Brunswick, who has published the method, is of the opinion that the improved ventilation by means of coke is not alone responsible for the result, but believes that it is due to the oxidation of the coke, which, however, is a, very slow one. ;, Coke always contains sulphur, and it is very possible that the minute quantities of oxides of carbon and sulphur, which result from the oxidation, mixing with the air and penetrating among the potatoes are sufficient to greatly retard sprouting. Potatoes so treated are said to keep in good condition until the following July.

An Old Roman Secret.

A chemical discovery, or rather rediscovery of what was an old Roman secret known to have been used about 600 years ago, which seems full of practical possibilities, is a liquid preparation to prevent iron rust and wall dampness. When applied to the bottom plates of ships it is said to prevent oxidation, animal or vegetable marine parasites and growths, and, besides preserving the life of the iron plates, will also add to the speed of liners and war ships. When the inside of a ship is coated over with this liquid it stops the weeping of the inner skins of the iron sides, whicli, as shippers so well know, is so often the cause of much damage to ships' cargoes. Freshly-plastered rooms when painted with the same preparation admit of immediate occupancy or decoration, as the paper can be applied without delay or damage. The tests have extended over a period of many months, and the results have been announced as successful. My inquiries to date, however, have failed to elicit any definite information as to its commercial manufacture, as it is reported that experimentation has not yet been concluded.

Aluminum for Kitchen Utensils.

Aluminum is now so extensively employed in the manufacture of kitchen utensils that it is important to know how it is affected by the foods brought in contact therewith. Experiment along this line has developed interesting facts. Aluminum foil was boiled in fresh milk, sour milk, wine, mineral waters, and 10 per cent, solutions of various salts. The foil was weighed before and after the boiling, which was continued for half an hour. No appreciable loss of weight was produced by boiling in sweet milk, white or red wine, or solutions of sodium chloride, potassium iodide, sodium nitrate, potassium iodide, sodium nitrate, potassium sulphate, and calcium nitrate, and only a very small loss was caused by sour milk. The aluminum was strongly attacked, however, by sodium bicarbonate, magnesium sulphate, calcium sulphate, and mineral waters. These titles sound most technical, but they are attached to articles or compounds with which we come into almost daily contact in various forms. A little study of the chemical composition of food will show that they are old friends, instead of strangers with difficult names.

Electric Power from Niagara.

Consul James M. Shephard, writing from Hamilton, gives particulars concerning the proposition of the Provincial Government of Ontario to furnish electric power from Niagara Falls to the municipalities of that province, within a eircuit of 150 miles, concerning which he says:-'The Government-commission, composed of two members of the Cabinet of the Ontario Government, has charge of this department, and has given it careful study and attention. The commission has in its service expert electricians, who have spent a year or more in figuring out the possible cost to the municipalities as their share for the construction of the power line from Niagara Falls to the several points of delivery. This cost is to be shared pro rata between the municipalities entering into the scheme. It is proposed to furnish the electric energy to the municipalities at the price for which the Government contracts it from the supplying company at the Falls, to which is to be added the necessary expenses for maintaining the line and keeping it in working order. An extra charge is to be added for the construction of the line, which will continue to be a fixed charge for thirty years. At the end of that period the transmission line becomes the joint property of the municipalities, who will thereafter pay all necessary costs for upkeep and management, as well as for the electric power furnished, the Government retiring from further control in the matter. This is an attractive theory for those who favor municipal ownership of public utilities; but after figuring upon the cost of power and the construction and maintenance of the line the Government experts have not, thus far, been able to give a definite statement of what the cost per horse-power will be to the municipalities. The expectation of the Government commission is that it will be so low that the expense to manufacturers will be less than that of steam power, there being no coal supply in Ontario.'