Page:Popular Mechanics 1928 11.pdf/16

 



Concealed in the policeman's club, a miniature camera takes from ten to twenty pictures at one loading, and the negatives, although but an inch square, are so sharp that they will stand enlargement up to four inches square or more, it is said. To make an exposure, all that is necessary is to press a button, then turn an unexposed film into place. Time or instantaneous pictures may be made as readily as with an ordinary camera.

  Practical use for television has been proposed by an orchestra leader in directing a group of musicians who play off stage during a symphony. Heretofore, it has been the custom to have an assistant leader, who peered through a hole in a wall, took his cues from the conductor and then directed the hidden players as he looked through the opening. By television, the leader's movements will be projected on a screen so that all the second-orchestra members can see them and the need for an assistant conductor will be rendered unnecessary.

 

Lilacs, flowering almonds and other blossoms may be had for Christmas decorations by exposing the potted plants to the vapor of a special chemical, Dr. F. E. Denny, of the Boyce Thompson institute for plant research, recently reported. The trick is an easy one, the chemicals are obtainable on the market and about the only precaution to be taken is that the gas treatment should be done in a tightly closed room. Ethylene dichloride or ethylene chlorhydrine is used and almost any florist can arrange a treatment room without great expense. Dr. Denny recently demonstrated the effectiveness of the method with two twigs on the same branch, as much alike as possible. The treated twig responded quickly while the other remained dormant. He has also applied chemical "awakeners" to various other plants and has succeeded in getting seed potatoes to grow soon after harvesting. This is expected to be of considerable commercial importance.

 

Advantages of a city water-supply system may be enjoyed in farm and country homes through an electric pumping and pressure outfit that starts and stops itself, is economical to operate and is furnished in two sizes to give either 210 or 420 gallons per hour. The unit is compactly constructed and housed under a hood that can easily be lifted off for oiling or inspection; only two pipe connections are required, and, if desired, the unit may be employed in connection with a big storage tank. The outfit can be installed in two hours. Users do not have to press any buttons or operate any switches and the pump is self-oiling, so that the apparatus requires practically no attention.

