Science Sittings

New Zealand Tablet, 1 May 1913, Page 51

Science Sittings

By ' Volt.'

New Paper-making Process. - A new paper-making process described to the Paris Academy of Sciences has suggested new possibilities for the French colonies. Paper is made by felting cellulose, the elastic envelope of vegetable cells, and the new process is claimed to clean and make available much cellulose cheaper than that of wood. The plants include bamboo, alfalfa, poppy, sorghum, rice, maize, and seaweeds. Most promising of all is the banana, which on an equal area yields 133 times as much material as wheat, and is estimated to supply two tons of excellent pulp per acre every ten months, whilst the product of a pine forest, cut every sixty years, is only half a ton of pulp per acre annually.

White Paper from Black.

The paper of old newspapers and old books is used over again to make cardboard and coarse wrapping paper. Various attempts have been made to dissolve the oily or resinous part of the printing-ink with solutions of soap, petroleum, caustic sodas, and so forth, in order to wash away the black pigment afterwards. An American inventor has recently discovered a process for removing the ink pigment by treating the printed paper with boiling solutions of borax. The hope is expressed that this discovery may act as a check-on the rapid deforestation of America, and avert a condition that has threatened to cause a crisis in the paper industry.

Tapioca. Tapioca is produced from a plant which is a native of Brazil, and tnrives in all tropical countries. It grows very rapidly, attaining maturity in six months. 'Tapioca, the commercial product, is a farinaceous substance prepared from cassava starch, which is made from large tuberous foots of the plant. The plant itself is bushy, and reaches a height of six or seven feet. The stems are white, brittle, and full of pith. The roots are larger, and resemble turnips somewhat. Some of them weigh as much as 301 b. From three to eight roots grow in a cluster. ■* Both plants and roots contain a milky fluid, which is an acid poison. This is easily dissipated by heat and extracted. The roots are washed and grated to a pulp. The pulp is spread on irou plates and heated. The heat is sufficient to cause a partial rupture of the starchy granules, which burst into what is known as flake tapioca. Seed pearl tapioca is frequently known as sago. It is different from the ordinary pearl tapioca only in size and shape, caused by slightly differing methods of production.

The Action of Lightning.

A study of the action of lightning (says the Globe) provides us with many interesting facts, one of the most peculiar being that the victim of this subtle force is left in the very attitude in which he was surprised by death. Eight reapers who were eating their dinner under an oak during a violent thunder storm were all struck by the same flash of lightning, and later on a passer-by found them apparently still engaged on their meal; one had his hand in the dish, another was in the act of putting a piece of bread into his mouth, a third still held his glass; and yet all were dead—stricken in the position he was in at the moment the discharge occurred. A woman was struck while she was plucking a flower; her body remained standing in a slightly bent position and with the rose still in her hand. It seems surprising that a dead body could thus preserve its equilibrium, apparently in contradiction to the laws of gravitation; but "when lightning is in •question nothing should surprise us. Some kinds of trees, notably the bay and pine, are supposed to be immune from lightning, but experience has proved that, though certain species are rarely struck, the exception is due to the size rather than the species. Telegraph posts and hedgerows which are wet should all be avoided, and it is advisable not to run in a storm.