Fig. 19 illustrates such a bulb in a somewhat more advanced stage of perfection.  A metallic tube S is fastened by means of some cement to the neck of the tube.  In the tube is screwed a plug P, of insulating material, in the centre of which is fastened a metallic terminal t, for the connection to the leading-in wire w.  This terminal must be well insulated from the metal tube S, therefore, if the cement used is conducting—­and most generally it is sufficiently so—­the space between the plug P and the neck of the bulb should be filled with some good insulating material, as mica powder.

[Illustration:  FIG. 20.—­BULB FOR EXPERIMENTS WITH CONDUCTING TUBE.]

Fig. 20 shows a bulb made for experimental purposes.  In this bulb the aluminium tube is provided with an external connection, which serves to investigate the effect of the tube under various conditions.  It is referred to chiefly to suggest a line of experiment followed.

Since the bombardment against the stem containing the leading-in wire is due to the inductive action of the latter upon the rarefied gas, it is of advantage to reduce this action as far as practicable by employing a very thin wire, surrounded by a very thick insulation of glass or other material, and by making the wire passing through the rarefied gas as short as practicable.  To combine these features I employ a large tube T (Fig. 21), which protrudes into the bulb to some distance, and carries on the top a very short glass stem s, into which is sealed the leading-in wire w, and I protect the top of the glass stem against the heat by a small, aluminium tube a and a layer of mica underneath the same, as usual.  The wire w, passing through the large tube to the outside of the bulb, should be well insulated—­with a glass tube, for instance—­and the space between ought to be filled out with some excellent insulator.  Among many insulating powders I have tried, I have found that mica powder is the best to employ.  If this precaution is not taken, the tube T, protruding into the bulb, will surely be cracked in consequence of the heating by the brushes which are apt to form in the upper part of the tube, near the exhausted globe, especially if the vacuum be excellent, and therefore the potential necessary to operate the lamp very high.

Fig. 22 illustrates a similar arrangement, with a large tube T protruding in to the part of the bulb containing the refractors button m.  In this case the wire leading from the outside into the bulb is omitted, the energy required being supplied through condenser coatings CC.  The insulating packing P should in this construction be tightly fitting to the glass, and rather wide, or otherwise the discharge might avoid passing through the wire w, which connects the inside condenser coating to the incandescent button m.  The molecular bombardment against the glass stem in the bulb is a source of great trouble.  As illustration I will cite a phenomenon only too frequently and unwillingly observed.  A bulb, preferably a large one, may be taken, and a good conducting body, such as a piece of carbon, may be mounted in it upon a platinum wire sealed in the glass stem.  The bulb may be exhausted to a fairly high degree, nearly to the point when phosphorescence begins to appear.