Science Siftings

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 33, 17 August 1905, Page 29

Science Siftings

By 'Volt'

Peat in Europe.

The world's peat centre is not in Ireland— which, however, has more than dOOO bquaie miles of bog— but in the north of Germany and the adjacent parts of Denmark and Holland. A square mile of bog ten feet deep is estimated to have a heating power equal to more than 300,000 tons of coal. Single bogs in Friesland are found to cover 1500 square miles, and Germany has more fuel in peat than in coal.

Plight of Birds.

This Is the result of calculation by recent American, English, and French observers, taking the carrier pigeon as a base of comparison ; tests made on extended level tracks, where timekeepers with stop watches stand on the linos, at ghen 'distances apart, and time the shadows of the flying birds as they pass from one line to another, recording the miles per hour—Swallow, 65 ; marten, 60 ; carrier pigeon, 50 ; teal duck, 50 ; mallard, canvasb-ack, 45 ; wild goose, eider duck, 40 ; pheasant, 38 ; quail, 23 , crow, 25. Small birds appear to fly more rapidly than the large ones, and deceive many observers. The humming-bird does not fly as fast as many very much larger, slow-flapping birds. Birds in rapid flight must overcome an atmospheric pressure of from 1121 bto 1301 bto the square foot of flying surface.

The Art of Cheesemaking,

The art of the cheese-maker now depends to an everincreasing degree on bacteriology. While bacteria seem to play a smaller part in the ripening of cheese than was formerly supposed, lactic bacteria are found necessary for acidifying the milk, ami specific moulds are essential for the flavors characteristic of some kinds of cheese. The newest discovery is that of certain bacteria, known in Holland as ' langvey,' that tend to prevent deterioration of cheese. These harmless organisms appear to exhaust the food of objectionable forms, and thus give a good product where without them no cheese at all could be made.

Mystery of the Diamond

The origin of the diamond, the hardest and in some ways the most remarkable of minerals, is one of the perplexing problems of geology. The idea has been held that great heat played an important part m its formation, and Moissan has confirmed this theory by causing small diamonds to crjstalli/e out from fused iron on suddenly cooling the surface of the latter. Some recent observations, howe\er, seem to indicate that such crystals ha\e formed at ordinary temperatures, growing to large si/c like ordinary water-deposited crystals./ For instance, apophyllite, a silicate of lime and potash containing 16 per cent, of water and easily fused by the blowpipe, has been found inside a diamond, and gold also has been reported as an inclosure in the centre of a crystallized Brazilian stone.

The First Starcher

Starch originated in Flanders. It was introduced into England, with the big ruff, in the time of Queen Elizabeth. It was like our starch of to-day, except that it was made in colors— rod yellow, green and blue. The effect of this was to tint delicately the white linen to which the starch might be applied. Before Queen Elizabeth's time ruffles were made of fine holland, wriich requirexUno stiffening. Then the ruffs of cambric came, and these must of necessity be starched. It is recorded that wihen the Queen had ruffs made of lawn am\ cambric for her own royal wearing there was no one in England could tell ihow to starch them, hut the Queen made special inquiries for some woman that could starch and Mrs. Guilham, wife of the royal coachman, was the first starcher. In 1564 a Flanders woman, Frau Van "der Plas'se, came to London and established there a school for the teaching of starching. The school succeeded, and the Flanders frau got rieii. She charged £5 a lesson and an extra 20s for a recipe for the making of starch out of wheat, flour, bean, and roots.