urs' immersion, the bad corks come out spotted and channeled as if
they had been in the neck of a bottle for six months. On the contrary,
good corks resist the operation, and come out of the reservoir as
white and firm as they were when they were put into it.

[Illustration: Fig. 2.--SALLERON'S APPARATUS FOR TESTING CORKS.]

Fig. 2 gives a perspective view of Mr. Salleron's apparatus for
testing corks. A reservoir, A B, of tinned copper, capable of holding
100 corks, is provided with a cover firmly held in place by a clamp.
Into the cover is screwed a pressure gauge, M, which measures the
internal pressure of the apparatus.

A pump, P, sucks water from a vessel through the tubulure, _t'_, and
forces it through the tubulure, _t_, into the reservoir full of corks.
After being submitted to a pressure of five atmospheres in this
apparatus for a few hours, the corks are verified and then sorted out.
In addition to the apparatus here illustrated, there is one of larger
dimensions for industrial applications. This differs from the other
only in the arrangement of its details, and will hold as many as
10,000 corks.--_Revue Industrielle._

* * * * *

IMPROVED BISCUIT MACHINE.

The accompanying illustration represents a combined biscuit cutting,
scrapping, and panning machine, specially designed for running at high
speeds, and so arranged as to allow of the relative movements of the
various parts being adjusted while in motion. The cutters or dies,
mounted on a cross head working in a vertical guide frame, are
operated from the main shaft by eccentrics and vertical connecting
rods, as shown. These rods are connected to the lower strap of the
eccentric by long guide bolts, on which intermediate spiral springs
are mounted, and by this means, although the dies are brought quickly
down to the dough, they are suffered to remain in contact therewith,
under a gradually increasing pressure, for a sufficient length of time
to insure the dough being effectually stamped and completely cut
through.

[Illustration: IMPROVED BISCUIT MACHINE.]

Further, the springs tend to counteract any tendency to vibration that
might be set up by the rapid reciprocation of the cross head, cutters,
and their attendant parts. Mounted also on the main shaft is one of a
pair of reversed cone drums. These, with their accompanying belt and
its adjusting gear, worked by a hand wheel and traversing screw, as
shown, se