QUERIES ANSWERED. XXXIII. Anfwered by Mr. JACKSON. THIS yellow appearance of hufks, among the green ears of wheat, representing a kind of mildew, in this and fome preceding years, feems to have been occafioned by little flies, generally brought over, with Eaft winds, about the back end of May or beginning of June, which depofit their eggs within the valves, or hufks of the ear, and which, by the heat of the fun, within fome little time after, batch, and become small grubs, fcarcely perceptible to the naked eye, but when viewed in a microfcope, may be perceived to prey upon the embryo feed, and at lalt, even to deftroy the tender corn, hence, the hufk, whofe contents have been fo emaciated, prefently turns yellow, with the heat of the fun, and has the appearance of a mildew.-The infect which has been obferved to do the mischief, this prefent year, is a fmall yellow fly with blue wings, about the fize of a gnat, it has been feen to depofit eight or ten eggs, of an oblong shape, within a fmall fpace of time; thefe, by the fun's heat, become small yellow grubs, fcarcely perceptible to the naked eye; but when viewed through a microfcope, they appear, very diftinctly, preying upon the tender corn, in the manner above defcribed. When the corn comes more ripe it does not appear to me that they can do any harm; but to prevent the mifchief in its more infant ftate, Farmers would do well to try to impregnate it with fome vapour, which is known to be obnoxious to thofe infects, fuch as Rue, Wormwood, or fome ftrong fcented herbs or plants on whofe leaves we feldom fee infects alight. It is faid, Hh3 that that elder is a genus of plants of this kind, and a gentleman caufing labourers to walk through the corn with branches of elder waving among it, left a fmell fo unpleasant to the infects, that in that part of the field where the experiment was tried, they had not depofited their eggs, though the other parts of the field were much damaged. If thefe experiments be put in practice, another year, they may probably be productive of much good; however, we may be fenfible they can do no harm. XXXIV. Answered by M:. NICHOLSON. SCOT and Lot as Terms, fignify a customary contribution laid upon all subjects after their ability. Scot comes from the French Efcot i. e, a Shot. It is as Raftal faith, a certain custom or common tallage made to the use of the Sheriff or his Bailiff. Scot (fays Camden) illud dicitur quod ex diverfis Rebus in unum acervum aggregatur.And in this fenfe it is fill ufed; for when good-fellows meet at the tavern or ale-house, they at parting will call for a Shot, Scot, or reckoning; and he is faid to go Scot free, that pays not his fhare towards it. + cos ada XXXV. Antwered by MrJ. NICHOLSON. MEN when drunk are render'd incapable of juriging of tafies with that nicety and decifion that fober men are. There's a kind of fqualor upon the flomach, occafioned by the indigetted liquor he has imbibed, that prevents him diflinguishing with that m cety and delicacy, the particular diftinction that pievails betwix different taftes. Hence, we often find men when drunk, cat (fo keen and bitter is the ap petite) of that kind of food,which, when fober they loath $ loath and deteft: not from any delicacy in the perception of the taste the taste being destroyed, the liquer drank difqualifies them from judging of its quality; but from a certain voracity that preys upon the ftomach, and rejects not the coarfelt food for immediate fuftenance and relief. REZEZE New QUERIES. XXXVI. By Mr. W. WARD. Astbe Perfon who fent this Query, and its Anfwer, bas written it on the fuppofition that the Principles on which Mr Paffman founded bis anfwver to the 18th Question are not true, we have thought it would best answer the End of Truth to give both the Query and Anfwer together; in order that our Correfpondents may better understand the Writer's reafoning; but we pledge ourselves to infert every other Anfer that foall be fent us figned with a Real Name (or which has the real Writer's Name left with the Pub liber). Un this, as on every other Occafion we are determined to use the Art Impartiality, nor fill the illiberal Language of any Correspondents drive us from it. The Corretian made in Mr Jackfon's Letter is attended. SINCE, by a late method of Solution, it appears (notwithstanding, depth is confidered the mot effential part of the ftrength of a beam of Timber,) that, in a Prifin, if a part of that depth be taken from along the top edge, the beam will be ftronger for it; if this be true, what Philofophical reason can be given for it? 1. Anfwered by the SAM E. THE combination of Fibres compofes the ftrength of Timber, and that in proportion to the form in which they are combined and fixed. In a Pifm or Trapezoid, an uniform fimilarity of breadth may seem to give an uniform proportion of ftrength as well as area; and though this, probably, cannot be ftrictly taken for truth, yet a mean of both can ne ver vary much, for to shew the proportion of one to the other; and, that fuppoficion, the part cut off reduces the ftrength, which, according to Philofophical resfoning, it must do, because the strength of fo bmany particles are taken away from the depth, where they certainly acu minister the most ftrength. Now the reason why I choofed to take thus, which, af.er a ftrict investigation, will not be foa nd to vary much 1507 on from = I from the truth in thefe propertions, was, that Mr. Emerfon's rule pag 1344 of his Fluxions, gives 1-twelfth of the breadth into the fquare of the depth, for the whole ftrength of the Prifm, or beam whefe fection is triangle, and which Solution, Mr. P. has copied, for his knowledge of Fluxions, (only altering the symbols ;) but Mr. Fletcher, in his Mecha. mics, page 191, giving 1-fourth of the breadth into the fquare of the depth, for the total frength of the Prifm, or beam whole Section is a Triangle, made me rather choose to take their breadths, fimilar for their propertion of ftrength, which can never vary much from the truth. Now if we take Mr. Emerfon's expreffion 1-twelfth ba2 (where b= breadth and a= depth) or Mr.P's, from his copied Solation, 1-twelfth bbb (where b = breadth and b = deptb,) we shall find the strength = 45° 5621; but if we take Mr. Fletcher's expreffion ba2 or bb2 we shall find the ftrength 136-6864 and the whole beam ftronger than the parts, in proportion, as 136 to 48, allowing 51, Paffman's ftrength of the piece whofe fection is a trapezoid, to be true; but, by Fletcher's Propoftion, the frength of that piece will be found nearly, 120, and the ftrength of the whole beam, is to that part, as 136 1-half to 120, or 273 to 240, nearly, as found in my Solution of the Paradox.-Now, if fuch a part of its own depth, as a piece along each bottom corner, were taken away; which, if put into the wall, in the fame position by themselves, would not fupport their own weight, the balk would evidently be fronger without them, because, in that position. viz. along the bottom corners, they would become an incumbrance, by loading it with weight, and ad. ding nothing to the ftrength; and, in that cafe, prøve Mr. P's Salation to be true; but, if this fame part be taken from along the top edge, as prepofed in his Paradox, it must, in courfe, reduce the depth, and confequently the ftrength of the whole Balk, likewife. XXXVII. By Mr. J. HORN, Briscoe. IT is well known that polished furfaces are capable of a ftronger reflection than unpolished ones: Query why? XXXVIII. By Mr. NICHOLSON, Cotherstone. IN Exodus c. xxviii. v. 30. you read as follows. Thou shalt put in the Breaft [Plate, the Urim and Thummin. It is requested what we are to underfland ftand by the Urim and Thummin as here mentioned by Mofes ? bu QUESTIONS ANSWERED DRAW EP at pleasure, and at any point I in in it erect the perpendicular IC, and take IC, IL in the given ratio of the perpendicular and difference of the fegments. Bifect IL in K; draw CK, and at K, let fall the excess of the given the vertical angle above Make the angle KIN: 90°, and draw IN. From N, upon CK, fet off -&NQ= NI; draw QN, and draw CM parallel to it. With the centre M, and radios CM, defcribe the arch GCH, and draw CA, and CB. Make GP the given bafe, draw BP parallel to AC, and A'B parallel to EP, so shall ABC be the required triangle. For, ON being (by conAtruction) IN, and CM MG, alfo CM parallel to QN, and the pick & in the fame line,, feeing the angle NIK points I, G be parallel to IN, and the angle MGK ! (by 2 construction) == the excess of the vertical angle above a right one, and h the angle RMG (half the angle at the centre is the angle GCH at circumference the angle GCH must be the given vertical angle. -1 Laftly, Ance PB is parallel to AC, and AB parallel to EP, AB is — GP bat the given base, and the triangles ABC, and GHC are fimilar; and (CO being drawn through L, and CI continued to C) CI : IL :: CD : DO; Q. E. D. = H The |