Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-09-30
Miscellaneous Items,

The annual produce of the sale in Paris of
snais for food is computed at more than $4,000
francs.
firm of opticians at Manchester, England,
have presented 1900 pairs Of spectacles for con-
tributon to the poor of the warehouses.
A correspondent of a Kentucky paper tells of
a cat, belonging 10 lady whose condition was
such that she required game diet that would
bring in young rabbits and lay them on the sick
ady's bed, ceasng to do so, however, as soon
as she recovered.
Mr. Mechi sums up the result of the English
harvest in a letter to the London Times. He
says he is no alarmist, but he believes that Eng
land will have to pay for foreign corn, in guam
tity and price, fifteen to twenty millions sterling
more than in good wheat season.
An account is given in a French review, by NJ.
CHI Meme, OF experiments made in the Austrian
navy, for causing the smoke arising from the
fuel to be used in the steamship to be discharged
under water by the aid of blowing machine.
The results are stated TO be in every way salts
factory, the combustion being more active and
uniform, while the Objectionable funnel is len
dered unnecessary, and the chances of fire are
greatly reduced.
pamphlet has been published 10 show that
sugar can be made more profitably from melons
than from beets, and tells us that every farmer
can make his own melon sugar as easily as
maple sugar. The common melon is recon-
mepded for small establishments; the cantaleup
and Persian melon yields more sugar, but re-
quire more care and cost in manipulation. The
yield from the watermelonS is per cent. After
putting the juice over the fire and skimming of
the scum, lime-water or milk of lime is added TO
neutralize the acidity. and the evaporation by
heat, (never allowing the juice to bOlD is con-
tinued until thick enough for syrup or sugar.
flower has been recently described by an
eyewitness at Constantinople, which is so great
rarity that one is apt to treat it as a fable and
wal. for the confirmation of ones own eye-sight.
1t belongs to the narciSSuS kind of bulbs, and
bears the botanic name of Ophyrs mouche.
There were three naked flowers on the stalk
hanging on one side; the underneath one was
fading, while the two others were in all their
beauty. They represented a perfect humming
bird. The breast, OF bright emerald green, is a
complete copy of this bird, and the throat, head,
Deak and eyes are most perfect imitation. The
hinder part of the body and the two outstretched
wings are bright rose color, one might almost
say flesh coored. On the abdomen rests the
whole propagation apparatus, of deep dark
brown tint, in the form Of a two-wiuged gad-tly.
The rapid consolidation OF plaster Of Paris
may be remedied by the addition of from two
10 four per cent Of the root of marsh malow
finely powdered With this simple treatment
the plaster will not set for an hour at least Not
only does the mixture, as thus prepared, acquire
the valuable advantage named, but it also be-
comes so hard, on drying, that it may be saWn
tiled or turned, and in this condition is appliCa-
bic to the manufacture of dominoes, dice and
other small articles. If the addition of marsh
mallOw root be carried to an extent of s per cent,
the time OF setting is still further prolonged, and
the hardness Of the mass of plaster when cold
greatly augmented, remaining so, of course,
through all time. Such composition may,
while soft, be rolled out on glass slab, and
| thin sheets be produced which never crack in
drying, and which may afterward be easily de-
tached and polished by mere friction Colors
may be incorporated with the mixture, and
good limitations of marble produced by careful
manipulation, or the sheets or slabs may be
painted upon when dry and rendered impcrme-
able by polishing and vanishing