The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-08-19
CURRENT TOPICS.

from whatever l0canty tuey ihay coue, aIe VI
interest to the entire people. There is no reason
why the people Of Nevada county, while they justly
boast of the limitess wealth buried beneath their
soil may not also look with pride at the first de-
yelopment Of industries which are calculated to
sustain population larger than she ever boasted
in the palmiest days Of mining. We have hereto
fore shown with what profit horticulture may DO
pursued, and how great the grape-produclng anu
and wine e-making interests may become lfmen Will
only grasPthe benefits which nature has here placed
within his reach. We are now enabled to place be-
fore our readers the result Of experiment In SILK
growing by MULLER s. IsoARD, Of this city, which
demonstrates the superiority of Nevada county to
any other county in the State for the pursuit OF
this important branch of industry. These gentle
men have from two mulberry trees, eight years
old taken four thousand cuttings, which are grow
inp spiendidly, besides feeding eight hundred
worms. which have produced cocoons which can
not he improved upon anywhere in the State. They
estimate that these two trees would easily feed five
thousand worms. Out Of the eight hundred eggs
sent to them by PROVOST they only lost seventeen,
and these were killed by q spider. About
seven weeks ago these gentlemen procured
the eggs from PREvosT-part Of them were
Matching when they arrived They are all now per-
fected and the floss silk separated. The cocoons
are nearly all of rich straw color with some white
ones and quite number Of bright orange. They
are fully one-fourth larger than the samples sent
by PREvosT from San Jose, and are pronounced py
gentlemen who are familiar with silk culture equal
to any they have ever seen. The cocoons are hard
and solid, and the silk Of the finest texture Null
1ER and IsoARD, after selecting lot OF cocoors for
eggs, propose with the balance to complete the
process for the production Of silk. For this pur-
pose the chrysalis will be stihed in the sun, this
being held to give richer gloss than any artificial
heat. The gentlemen making this experiment are
well satisfied with its success and are going to en-
ter largely into the culture Of silk. We advise all
who can famiharize themselves with the business
to do 80, and plant mulberry trees This industry
is destined to become great source of profit to
those who engage in it. and to greatly increase the
wealth Of the State"
Rev. Dr.. BELLOWS writes from Bingen-on-the
Rhine to the Liberal Christian OF this city 1T
ia much to be regretted that the friends OF tenn
peranoe have Of late been trying to unsettle the
opinion that drunkenness is rare in vine-growing
countries. 1t is 30 patent in France AMI In Ger
many that intemperanoe in the form Of drunken
ness is most exceptional vice. that Only wilful
blindness or partisanship could deny it. do
not recollect to have seen one tipsy man since
I left Paris, and only one in Paris, aud
have diligently sought the places where, in
our country, they would be found. The truth
is, wine is one Of the most common and one
Of the most beautiful gifts Of Providence an
article Joined with corn in tho praises OF saints.
The countries which possess it understand it's use,
and are Just as little subject to excess in using
wine as in using corn. Excess is found every
where, and all Heavens gifts are liable to abuse;
but to expect France and Germany to give up wine
or beer is absurd, nor would anything but harm
come from the attempt to enforce their disuse by
legislation. Special efforts must be made in north
ern climates to resist the tendency to strong
drinks, which is aggravated by cold and by tho
necessity ofharder work to live, not to add gloom
mess Of weather, short days and much darkness.
was somewhat Mortified to find, later, in COM
mon use among field laborers, both women
and men, in certain districts aside from the
Rhine, q fiery alcoholic drink called potato
wniskey-strong, intoxicating, and full Of fusl
oil. It is part Of the daily ration Of field Ia
borers in the region about FrsnAort-a half pint
per day; and in harvest time even this does not
satisfy them. They e1pend certain portion OF
the extra pay Of this season in adding to their
whiskey ration, and many Of them then drink,
am told, to drunkenness. This is proper deduc-
ducion 10 be made from the universal temperance
observed among the better classes, and should
give some pause to the inquirers verdict upon the
sobriety Of wine-msking countries. Unhappily,
the whiskey is only twenty-three cents per gallon,
and wine is many times dearer. 1t is, however,
universally conceded that drunkenness is more
and more rare even among this field class, and
that 1t Is wholly confined to it, with rare individual
exceptions. I shall press the investigation wher-
ever find opportunity, and report results without
fear or favor, be they in accordance with theories
or expectations or no."
TIE BUILDER asks curious question" How
long will London be hsbitsble2" The enormous
town is increasing 80 rapidly as 10 threaten to Sc
riously interfere with the comfort Of its inhabit-
ants. Already the prevalence Of Southeast
wind bears TO the vicinity Of the parks the dense
canopy Of smoke and the vitisted atmosphere OF
nine miles OF buildings. AS the circumference OF
the vast city is extended this evil is exaggerated
with each annual addition to the space built over
The sight remains Of vegetation are daily dimin-
ishing More than six hundred millions cubic feet
Of carbonio aoid gas are expired in London in the
course Of twenty-four hours by human beings alone
This is irrespective Of SMOKE Of the gaseous pro-
ducts of combustion, and Of all other sources
whereby the air is vitated. This quantity OF car
bonic acid renders twenty times its weight OF at
mospheric air unfit for the support OF Afe. On
perfectly CAIN day, when the respiration OF Lon
don hangs within the limits Of the metropolitan
districts, the polluted atmosphere, were it possible
to press it down upon the streets, would fill the
whole roadway to depth Of between eight and
nine feet This startling quantity Of poisoned air
London must daily exchange for fresh. AS to
smoke, it may be mentioned that on an average
1900 tons Of coal are daily consumed in the capi-
tai, . great portion OF which is cast into the at
mosphere in the partially volatilized form OF SMOKE
The increasing difficulty Of living in London
during tbs summer becomes every year more op-
pressiye, and there can be no question that the
actual experiment Of how large city can be
made, will not require many more years to solve.
TIE SAN FRANclsoo BULLETIN closes an article
on the Sandwich Islands ss follows: "The latest
data at hand show that there are thirty-three su-
gar plantations at the islands, involving capital
Of 81, ,OOO, 600, and monthly outlay Of about s5O,-
600. The yield Of rice last year was about one
million pounds-of cotton, eighty thousand
pounds. The orange crop was partial failure,
and only about two hundred and fifty thousand
oranges were exported. The coffee crop, on ao-
count Of blight, was also light. The imports in
1866 were Of the value Of g. 1921, increase Of
s47,555 over the previous year. The heaviest item
was cotton goods, valued at $297,OOO OF these
imports, $75S 022 were from the United tates. And
it may be noted that with all the drawbacks men
toned the trade Of the Islands has been increas-