POPULAR SCIENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3583, 24 July 1912, Page 8

POPULAR SCIENCE.

A FIRE INDICATOR. A pipe running from the hold to the deck is often to be seen on cargo steamers. This acts as a fire-indicat-or. Even a little smoke from the slightest outbreak of fire occurring in the hold will ascend the pipe, anil, issuing at the top, will be noticed by some of the' crew. The checking of the fire at an early stage is a comparaeasy matter, whereas in tile absence of this pipe a fire might remain unnoticed until it assumed such proportions that it was impossible to subdue it. DAYLIGHT AT NIGHT. Those who match delicate shades and; colors in textile mills, arc often seriously handicapped by lack of pure daylight. Artificial light- has never been successful. An American inventor has recently nut into commercial use an intensified arc lamp that makes artificial daylight. It is enclosed in a suitable case, with a color corrective screen at the bottom. After filter- . ing through this screen the light- from the lamp is precisely the same in composition as that from a. north sky on a clear day. Color-matching plays ail important part in nearly every industry. From tobacco factories to wall paint and varnish factories, tne truth of color to pattern is of the utmost importance. Yet daylight, the true test, can only be relied on for a few hours each day under the best conditions. With the now lamp color-matching can he carried out at all times of the day and night, whatever the weather conditions.

CURED BY BEE, STINGS. A curious case of a man being cured of sciatica by bee stings is described by a. medical man. The patient was a well-built railway fireman, aged thirty-one, who two years ago, after a wetting, developed acute lumbago followed by sciatica perineuritis and neuritis, which resisted all the usual treatments continuously applied for 0 months (including severe blistering). At the end of this time, as the man, though desirous, was almost as unable to resume his work as six months previously, bee vaccination was tried. During the ensuing four weeks sixtyfour bee stings were inflicted along the course of the nerve. The symptoms rapidly improved, and his walk changed from a painful crippled hobble to an ordinary stride- At the end of six weeks he- resumed his heavy stooping work of stoking, without pain. Two months later lie presented himself to the doctor to report continued freedom from any trouble.

PRESERVING CUT FLOWERS

The official journal of a French society of chemists makes the statement that the decay of certain cut flowers can be considerably retarded by dissolving sugar in the water m -which the flowers are kept. Among the flowers so benefited are included chrysanthemums, roses, and carnations. According to this source of information the solution for roses should not be stronger than ten per cent., but chrysanthemums and carnations will do better with more sugar. Lilacs, lilies and sweet i>eas, cn the other hand, live longer in untreated water.