Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Jeannie Howse, Victoria Woosley and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net [Illustration] SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT NO. 561 NEW YORK, OCTOBER 2, 1886 Scientific American Supplement. Vol. XXII., No. 561. Scientific American established 1845 Scientific American Supplement, $5 a year. Scientific American and Supplement, $7 a year. * * * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS. I. BOTANY.--A Century Plant in Bloom.--Interesting account of the recent blossoming of an _Agave Americana_ at Auburn, N.Y. 8965 Alpine Flowers in the Pyrenees.--1 illustration. 8965 II. CHEMISTRY.--Probable Isolation of Fluorine.--Decomposition of hydrofluoric acid by an electric current.--By M.H. MOISSAN.--Production of a new body, possibly fluorine, or perfluoride of hydrogen. 8963 The Determination of Nitric Acid by the Absorption of Nitric Oxide in a Standard Solution of Permanganate of Potash.-- By H.N. MORSE and A.F. LINN. Full description of a new and important volumetric determination.--1 illustration. 8964 Water of Crystallization.--By W.W.J. NICOL, M.A., D.Sc.-- Discussion of the state of water of crystallization in a salt in solution. 8964 III. ENGINEERING.--Combustion, Fire Boxes, and Steam Boilers--By JOHN A. COLEMAN.--Address before the June Convention of the Master Mechanics' Association. 8953 Compound Hydraulic Presses.--Different forms of presses designed for pressing bales for shipment.--Very fully illustrated by 8 figures. 8951 Examination Papers in General Construction.--Eighty-six questions in engineering propounded by the civil service examiners of New York city. 8956 IV. MEDICINE AND PHYSIOLOGY.--A New Apparatus for the Study of Cardiac Drugs.--By WILLIAM GILMAN THOMPSON, M.D.--Ingenious application of instantaneous photography to the study of heart movements.--Apparatus and views produced.--3 illustrations. 8966 Creosote a Specific for Erysipelas,--A new cure for this complaint. 8966 V. METALLURGY.--Primitive Iron Manufacture.--Iron furnace and blowing apparatus in use in Bengal.--2 illustrations. 8962 VI. MINING ENGINEERING.--The Catastrophe at Chancelade.-- Application of photography to investigating mine disasters. --4 illustrations. 8962 VII. MISCELLANEOUS.--Celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the University of Heidelberg. August, 1886. 8957