Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-05-04

Every one, says Once a Week, who i
accustomed to the country knows a
fairy ring VIXEN he sees it. Each ring
is only belt of grass of a much darke:
green than that surrounding 1t. In a
paper on " The Fairy Rings of Pastures, y
read by Professor Wray before the
British Association, at Southampton, in
1916, it was stated that the grass of
which such rings are formed is always
the first to vegetate in the spring, and
keeps the lead of the ordinary grass OF
the pastures till the period of cutting.
If the grass of these fairy rings be ex-
amined in the spring and early summer.
it will be found to conceal a number of
agarics or toadstools of various sizes.
They are found situated either entirely
on the outside of the ring, or on the
outer border of the grass which COM
poses it.
The Professors view of the formation
of these fairy rings was as follows: A
ground, sheds its seed, and dies. On
the spot where it grew it leaves valu-
able manuring of phosphoric acid and
alkalies, some magnesa, and a little
su.phate of lime. Another fungus
might undoubtedly grow on the same
spot again; but, on the death of the
first, the ground becomes occupied by a
vigorous crop of grass, rising. like a
| phoenix from its ashes. DR.. Wollsston
and Sir Humphrey Davy both adopted
this elucidation of Professor Wray as
| the correct one; and his is the expla-
nation most generally accepted by the
best naturalists. The theory has also
been very clearly stated in an early vol
ume of the London Medical and Physi.
cal Journal thus: Every fungus eXhausts
the ground on which it grows, so that
no other can exist on the same spot. 1t
sheds its seeds around; and on the
second year, instead of single fungus
as a centre, q number arise in an eX-
terror ring around the spot where the
individual stood. These exhaust the
ground on which they have come to per-
fection and in the succeeding year,
the ring becomes larger, from the same
principle of divergency.
German and Swedish Emigration.
The Hamburg papers report that the
spring emigration of Germans to the
United States is already beginning, and
that the movement from Mecklenburg
is of such a remarkable character that
several villages are almost depspulated.
Forty-five hundred Mecklenburgers
passed through Hamburg last year on
their way to this country, and large
numbers are preparing to follow them
this season. Besides the Germans,
numerous Swedish servants and la
borers employed in Germany have emf
grated, and very few have arriv ed from
Sweden to take their places. 1t is
shown by the statistics of last year that
the German element IN the United
States, fed by continual accessions from
the Fatherland, is increasing relatively
faster than any other, and this increase
is apparently to prevail during the
coming year. The majority of the
Germans, forsaking our seaports, buy
lands or engage in farm service in tho
West and Northwest; and as very many
of tn IN have small capital with
which to begin operations, it is not
surprising to find that the newl ly settled
regions of the West are gaining in
wealth, population and general pros
perity. Similar results have followed
the settlement of the colony of Swedes
III MdlIe. nc plospeCt vi an iiCl eaoeu
immigration of Germans and Swedes
during the coming summer is, there
fore, one Of the good signs of the times.
Another Clergyman Blackmailed.
An English jury has just given YER
dict that American juries would do well
to heed and initiate. The Rev. John
Goodwin, of Morton, was accused by a
Mrs. Standishstreet of having seduced
her She threatened to denounce him
publicly unless he paid her a certain
sum of money. He refused, and she
carried her threat into execution. He
demanded wlitten recantation. Fail
ing to get this, he sued her for SANDER,
and was awarded damages of 1000.
Pending the suit, the would-be black
mailer and her husband absconded.
The presiding Judge, in summing up,
said "One can hardly conceive any
thing more diaholical than utterances
of this kind against the character of a
clergyman; and when they are so en-
tirely unfounded, and are SO persistently
adhered to, as in this case; it is right
that the jury should mark their estimate
of such conduct by the amount OF dam
apesh