Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-01-05
MISCELLANEOUS.

"A man at Pacheco, CAL, who owned a
flock of 1900 sheep, lately lost nearly ev-
cry one by poison which he lad prepar-
ed for squirrels.
Mr.. Mullett, the government architect,
says there is but one tire-proor building in
the United States, and that is the apprais-
ers' stores in Philadelphia. There Is also
but one ire-proof material and that Is
brick.
The venerable James Gordon Bennett
founder of the New York Herald, has so
greatly failed in health and strength that
he now takes almost no interest in any
thing, and is gliding gently into helpless
ness and second childhood.
The United States consumes one hun
dred and twenty million pounds of rice a
year, over one-balf of which pays Uncle
Sam duty varying fom 100 per cent. on
the best to 400 on the poorest grades. We
raise less than half the consumption.
AS a sheep and stock growing country
New Mexico has no equal in all the West.
There is an increasing interest there in
wool growing, and many of the wealthy
MeXcans who have fiocks of from five to
twenty thousand head are improving the
stock by importations of Eastern breeds.
"A bill enforcing the system of compul-
sorry education is to be introduced at the
coming session of the Pennsylvania Legis-
lature. When Pennsylvania was colony
o. Great Britain similar policy was en-
forced. The Philadelphia Board of Edu-
cation unanimously favor the proposition.
Treasurer Spinner, during his term Of
office, has received and disbursed the al
most incompatible sum of forty thousand
millions of dollars, and of this vast SUN
seventy thousand is all that has been lost
by delalcations. The private business of
the shrewdost men in the country could
hardly make more creditable showing
than this.
jackson county, Florida, with about
fourteen thousand inhabitants rejoices in
record of 10 unpunished murders since
Andrew Johnson announced that peace
and good order reigned in all the borders
of the United States. a suspension of the
hdJeas corpus might result in bringing
some of the bushwhackers to justice.
"A farmer who lost his wife, few
weeks since, at Geary City, Kan, sent for
minister 10 come ana preach her luherai
sei"'on' anu 'iso marry nun 10 young
woman WIZ nau oeel' cheeri'S MS io'eh-
ness. The minister hadn't the necessary
swivel nature to flop from the grave to the
gay so suddenly and declined.
"A farmer near Nashua recently bar
gained his farm to another farmer for $4,000.
put wheh Tue uay ana the purchaser arrIV-
GU ih'oi"ie" MN ''i''t NE "i'e was III ny
s'ericS ""o"' TUE 'rlue' anu NC SucSseu hc
"ouiu oacN out bn'' saio tEe purcnaS-
er' nave COME ions u!s''uce' want 'he
i"thl anu ihus' nave H' no" hluch hloIe
WouIu ihduce you 10 sell wen, re-
pneu 'ho a3r'cul'uris'' give NE e-oo more
an" let her cry.
->h''tn Is 'aVorlte name III ihu'ahapo-
lis. 90 last uoeS Tue race o' 'he UBIQUITOUS
oohh increase 'hat tEe most lloefal Varia-
t'o"s !" o''uoSr"l"! ma'e W po resor'eu l"
III oruer !" keep tue uIiIeteht prancnes as
''hct' one enlelPris'he woman has Deeh
married h'e t'nles' ana mas ehdeu' as she
GeSan, with the dellThtiu' name. sac was
born smith, married hrst smith, then a
Schmidth, next Smylbe, next Smlthc,
and hnallya Smylhe.
Young women appear to be rapidly
demonstrating their ability to master the
hlgher branches OF learning. DIR. y. >.
Nelch, President oil the Stale Agricultural
ladies in the institution, and tha; but little
trouble arises from their intercourse with
tue young men. The intellectual capacity
of the sexes appears TO bo about equal.
The best chemist working in the analytical
laboratory is girl of IL. The girls DO all
the housework' under the superintendent
of a matron and general housekeeper.
1t has been ascer,ained by careful ex-
pertinent that three working horses, til-
teen and half hands high. consume hay
at the rate of 200 pounds week, or five
tons and ,040 pounds per annum besides
one and half bushels of oats per week, rs
bushels per annum. BY repetition of
the same experiment il is found that un-
worked horses consume hav at the rate of
four and quarter tons per annum.
Mr.. Darwin gathers some curious facts
HuSlcdl lnsecls. tlcauas can ne
heard mile The female is mute, as was
observed long ago by the Greeks, one of
whose poets sang somewhat wiclledly:
''Happy The Cicada lives, since they all
have voicclcss wives" The sound is made
by vibration at the spiracles or air passages,
aud made resonant by two scale-covercd
cavities. The Chinese keep these Great
nres in cages for their song, which must
be an excellent accompaniment to the tom
.om. In many insectsa sound is produced
by rubbing one wing against the other at
points which are adapted with serrations