Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1876 — Infusorial Earth. [ARTICLE]

Infusorial Earth.

The numerous uses which the siliciona remains of the microscopic animals, known as diatoms or infusoria, have found Is illustrated fay the following list givemby Gruene and Hagcmann, the proprietors of the large German mines at ODerohe aad Hutzel: 1. As pure silica in the finest state of divirion, it is employed in the manafoeure of water glass, water glass soap,, artificial stone, cements, fatty lute ana ultramarine. 2. Because it is a poor conductor of heat, it Is employed forpackingsteate toad hot air apparatus and pipes, where- It excels every other material in lightness, for isolating fire-boxes and catching radiant heat by protecting shields filled wSth the earth, etc., for filling the space around money safes and ice-chasts, for lining and encasing the conduits for melted metals in founderies, and in laboratories as support for heating vessels, teat break 8. Because of its property of absorbing liquids, in which it surpasses that of any other material previously known, it is employed for rapid Miration, making precipitates solid, ranking dynamite aad other explosives, aad making cheap colors, because the infusoria tale colors like cotton. In surgery it la used for absorptive bandages rad supports. The abifiiy es infusorial earth to take up five time* its earn weight of liquid, and to suck it up rapidly without becoming fluid, ewables it to replace the filter press. It is simply necessary to surround the filter with a layer of dry infusoria* in order to obtain itt a very short space of time the same result that is attained by ordinary filtration in days or even weeks. Simple drying restores to the infusorial earth its absorptive power. 4. Owing to its great volume rad slight weight, it is employed for packing veiy fragile objects and glass apparatus, etc., ana mixing with plaster of Paris for making light casts. 5. Owing to its fineness, it is used as a cheap polish for glass and metal, rad Ja an excellent material for cleaning greasy vessels and pieces of machinery. —lt has been left to the Nevada China, man to find a way of utilizing worn-out oil cans. He fills ttiem with earth, and, piling one on top of another, toon has a wall capable of carrying the roof of M* low-studded hut. /