Show f V i i SCIENCE AND PROGRESS MATTERS OF INTEREST AND INI INSTRUCTION IN IN- IN- IN I TO ALL ALL Dynamite Plowing Plowing- Curious Invert Invert- Interplanetary Signaling I Now New Era In u Gun Qun Balls Bails Bals The Tha Inventor t DYNAMITE PLOWING Tearing Up the Subsoil With High Grade Explosives with dynamite is la the tho latest lat mt est cst advance rn m n scientific agriculture D. D U Sloan of Atlanta has invented a n method by which the tile hard Ilard ground gound may be broken up to a n depth of two or 01 three feet at nt a n cost cost of 25 an acre This equal to the process pro cess of tr trenching used by market gar eners to loosen n the tho earth to a depth of two or three feet Ground prepared m In this way will wi absorb a great geat deal of water and sustain vegetation luxuriantly luxuriantly through a n protracted drought It will wi also receive and assimilate several soy sev eral times tho the quantities of fertilizers taken by the soil plowed to tho the usual depth and enriched to its full ful capacity capacity capacity capac capac- ity will wi sustain muck much much heavier crops It is possible in this way to make five bales of cotton or bushels of corn i to the acre This has bas been demonstrated demon demon- by the tho actual achievement of these those results The great trouble heretofore has hns gent been the enormous expense of trenching trench trench- ing hug goun ground As done by market garden gardeners erE the work costs about 1 1000 1600 1 an acre consequently but small email emal patches are so treated Mr Air Sloan proposes to do tho the same work for 25 25 an nn acre and so BO make intensive farming farming farm farm- ing hug so 80 economical that it will wi become tho thu fashion and the old surface surae scratching will wi be discarded ITis us Hs plan in brief is to drill holes hole two to three feet foot deep and und five feet apart making 1000 1600 to the acre In each ho lie puts an explosive and after tamping sets of off of the char charge e. e When properly arran arranged ed the explosive will wi disturb the tho surface of the ground gound very little but will wi crock crack and pulverize Itin Itin it itin in every ery direction to toa ton a distance of two or th three o feet according ing to the depth In and quantity of the explosive used On a n recent reent afternoon Charles L L. Patterson and J J. C. C Thurman representing the tho Chemical Company Com Coin Cm party pany arranged explosives in twenty twenty- eight holes dug duR u in in Mr Sloans Sloan's garden in ill the tim rear of his residence at No 15 East ast Mitchell Mitchel street The Te plat pint was as 2540 fe feet t and the tile holes boles were two feet deep In each was one fourth rth of ofa ofa ofa a V small sized zed dynamite cartridge with about an ounce of Judson powder Attached to an electric elec fuse these cartridges cartridge planted two feet deep were exploded by means of ofa a wire wiro communicating with a battery batter There was a n dull dul rumbling smothered smother smother- ed roar and the tho whole surface of the ground gound appeared to be lifted two or three feet while a few small smal clouds sailed e abo above the tile housetops When the tile smoke cleared away it was found that the ground was broken brok brok- en to the depth dept of gound thirty inches at atthe atthe atthe the points of of explosion and broken sideways for a part of the distance between between be be- tween the holes estimated The he plat was estimated esti sti- mated one fortieth of an acre and the cost o of tho explosions in twenty-eight twenty holes was 75 cents including two hours labor in ia drilling the holes Mr Patters saul said sait it was only a question queston of experiment to see just ito pinch powder to use and and at that depth two feet or place placeit it to make it all al the ground between the holes He lie offers to take contracts and to break break and pulver pulver- pulverize ize izo the ground two feet deep for 25 an acre acie Mr Ir Sloan has filed fed a caveat caveat ca ca- ca- ca veat vent for a patent an and Mr Pat Colhoun Col- Col Cl- Cl houn boun who is now in Washington will wi look after the patenting of the tile tion New Now Era In Gun Curt Bals Balls Experiments are in progress at the theUn Un United ted States Arsenal in Frankford which have for their ultimate object the decision of the important question question ques ques- tion of how to arm the troops of the United States arm army so as to bring them fully up to the tho latest latest requirements requirements require require- ments of modern warfare This subject subject sub sub- is now under tInder inquiry by a a. Board of Officers of the army ary of which Col Cot Robert Hall lan is President ent and Major George W. W McKee commanding officer at the Prankford arsenal is a a. mem mem- ber V S Tile The board is investigating the serviceability serviceability ser Ber ser ser- reliability of action and general worth of all al the tho various firearms fire fire- fre arms aims recently invented in England Franco France and Germany as well wel as in inthis inthis inthis this country and proposes to make an exhaustive countr study of all al tho the various phrases of the tho subject including explosives ex ox- plosives and projectiles before making making mak mak- l ing a n report to tho the War Department In the meantime officers of the United Unit l States army contend that this nation is not behind any other civilised government in this respect as all ni nations havo have reached no further furth furth- er than an experimental stage The Te United States is fully abreast if not in the lead of the others in the matter of arming men for service in the field feld lALIS OF GERMAN SILVER It is fully recognized by army experts ex ox- pers that tho the or ordinary in y black blaek gunpowder gunpowder gun gun- powder made solely from froth charcoal sulphur and saltpetre will wi eve eventually g give o way to some Rome of tho the newly invented invent ed cd smokeless powders Jowders And nd that the leaden leadell bullet bulet will be replaced b bj b- some harder and more penetrating metal metal Experiments are now being made in inthe inthe inthe the manufacture of cartridges and it appears to be pretty well wel settled that German silver siver will wil be the metal adopted adopt adopt- ed cd for the small smal arm projectile of the future futuro It is th the purest of all al substances substances substances sub sub- stances yet jet proposed for this purpose is less effected by the heat of the arm armin in reloading ar oes not deteriorate to any great extent by contact with the atmosphere Among tho tue principal questions to determine is whether or not the bullet bulet of the cartridge shall be I u ted So far tho the experiments at the arsenal have been in favor of lubrication The method of lubrication now being experimented experimented experimented ex ex- ex- ex I with is as follows JAPAN JAPA WAX AS A LUBRICATOR A series serie of four shallow counter counter- sunken n rin rings s or channels about one- one quarter of an inch apart and one- one eighth of an inch wide each are turned in ill the tho bullets near its base These channels are filled fled with Japan wax I which the heat from the powder when fired causes to melt sufficiently to lubricate the rifled grooves oo es of of ot the tile piece V This is i called caled the tho ss proc process VV i V- V n V V- V i Of the smokeless powders powder so far 11 used the best results have been obtained ob ob- ob tamed from the Wetteren and recently recent recent- ly a thirty thirty-calibre bulet bullet fired red at yards pierced its way through nineteen one inch pine boards placed one ont inch apart Curious Inventions V The history of ot growth and inventions inventions tons are subjects in which we are all al interested The pen brought tin in a Indian rubber tips to pencils metal plates for protecting the soles and heels of boots and shoes brought in 2 in nil all al tho the roller roler skates 8 A clergyman man realized a week by bythe the ce invention l of a toy another toy the return ball bro brought ht in an nn income income in in- come of the tho Dancing Jim Crow Cow a a. year Tho The inventor invent invent- or of a copper cap for childrens children's boots was able to leave his his' heirs beirs while Singer of md sewing ma chine f fame me left at h his hs s death nearly neary There Thero are other and wonderful thin things s which people have thought it worth while to patent strong in hope of making a n big fortune in tho the near future only oniT to find in so 60 many cases that their that their only inventions were impracticable able and very ver often V perfectly lous Amon Among such may be mentioned achild's a achild's a childs child's bib with a trough attached the whole formed of some waterproof material a pocket which cannot bo picked a muff and boa bon filled fled with air to save you from a watery water grave cuffs cul and collars colars made of steel painted or enamelled white trousers with vitis double legs legs on n les-n on the out outer r legs getting s soiled or bespattered rd you tuck them up and behold a n clean pair This arrangement would be suitable I should sa say only when worn with an overcoat o I Under tho the head of umbrellas and walking sticks we fn find some marvellous marvel marvel- bus lous inventions One is an umbrella which in some wonderful wa way is converted converted converted con con- into a n walking stick and so formed that a spear can cnn be attached when it is used as a weapon of offense and defence I recommend it to elderly elder ly ladies in the dog days as a a protection protection tion n against the sun Bun and mad dogs logs The Te next invention is a absorber rain to prevent rain from running down own from hats and umbrellas The absorber is formed formel of either uncovered uncovered un un- un covered sponges or of sponges covered by a fabric fabrI We ar are told tOIl that the absorber ahI ab ah- can be readily removed from rom I tho the article artice squeezed and re replaced We come next to an article which the inventor has named take named take a long breath and shut your eyes eyes tile tho This is an umbrella which can be taken apart the silk sik and ribs being hidden within the tile stick itis thus transformed into a zine stout walking walking Strand Strand Maga Maga- Ina Interplanetary Signaling At its most favorable oppositions Mars is still sti miles mies from us or a hundred and sixty times farther far far- artber ar- ar ther tiler than the moon while the tile diameter diame diame- diame ter tot of its disk is only 25 According to the tile smallest objects visible on its surface under the tho most favorable circumstances such circumstances such as a abright abright abright bright spot on the dark ground or a adark adark adark dark spot on a a- bright abright ground must ground must must ha 0 a diameter equal to a fiftieth tt part of that of the tho planet o or GO about eighty eighty- five f e miles mies This minimum can it is true be re reduced by using large objectives objectives objectives object object- ives permitting stronger magnifying but even then it is certain that luminous luminous lumin lumin- ous signals for example visible from the earth on Mars must have enormous enor enor dimensions The inhabitants of Mars if more ad advanced in astronomical knowledge knowl- knowl ledge than we as one of o our imaginative astronomers supposes they are would have in case they should desire to start an exchange of telegraphic communications with their earthly neighbors to give their theirs signals diameters of miles mies in every ever direction But would they think of it The re reciprocal reciprocal re- re re question queston to this is the tho one that puzzles me The earth during all al the oppositions of Mars is in conjunction conjunction conjunction con con- junction to it It Jt is lost in the rays of the tile sun and invisible from Mars I unless unless- it is in transit over the the suns sun's disk Then it is a little black blak round spot on which we have every reason to suppose the Martian astronomers will wi be able to distinguish distin nothing The earth will wi be better situated at the but also at a much greater geater distance The The Popular Science Monthly The Inventor I The Te true inventor needs moro more tb thi n tho the generality ot 01 readers will wi imagine I Ito to produce in this rapid age ago anything of value to his fellow feilo men Ia Ho must possess genius not genius not the tho genius of an artisan but of the artist the artist tho power to create not notto to elaborate He must be patient considering every detail relating re reo re- re lating to his discovery not into into in in- to print and patent office with nai half bait digested ideas that require subsequent supervision supervision of trained experts to reduce to o practical shape shapeS He must have sufficient means to support himself himself him him- self sel and family family if i if ho he possess VOne- VOne one one and to produce practical 1 evidence of his discoveries in order to illustrate te teto to the capitalist or promoter the their r ad ad- n- n vantages He lie must be forbearing un under under tin un- der del rebuff indifference or ignorance o otho on the tho part of those to enns en en- ns Jis in 1 his bis support S Scientific Dots I Pittsburg Pitsburg now talks to Philadelphia by telephone V V Forty eight different languages are arc said to be spoken in Mexico V The Te newest remedy for sickness is the hom one of or dr drinking king sea sel water V A lamp which combines the tho principles pies ples of the incandescent and Eles been een invented in C havo been discovered in Tas Tas- are perfectly lighted by myriads of glow glowworms One Ono of the caves cave is about four miles mies long A scientific journal states that A 1 little sugar put on the hands with soap will vill wi greatly increase its lather and cleansing power power power-ancl and will remove dirt an chemical stains etc Tho The largest largett known animal to exi exit t tin in the world at the present time is the whit h n averages feet in len length th the em sm is the monad which is only 1 of an inch in length Consul Heath says that many of the houses in Cantania are buit built of the lava which pour poured d forth from fron from Mount Etna is great geat streams on the tho nei neighboring clay cay beds This mixture of clay and la lava is now mixed and and- used to great preat eat advantage in building bunding q V 1 V Ii |