Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-06-08


which the show cases stand are four
large maps of the United States, all di-
vided into spaces of different sizes and
colors, upon which are numbers cor
responding with a reference schedule
in one corner. These maps show re-
! spectively the comparative value of
farm land in this country, the respect
i've rates of wages paid for farm labor,
/ the proportion of woodland to farm
area, and the distribution of the pro-
ductiOn of textile fibres. BY means of
charts the average production per acre
of the country's staples is shown for
each State. Specimens of soils are ar
ranged in the order of their geological
/ formation, comprising marls. calcare-
Gus earths, green sand and phosphate
marls Then come Phosphate rocks,
animal and vegetable fertilizers and
combination of the three in manu-
/ featured state. The next feature, the
utilization of vegetable products, is il
/ Illustrated by means of specimens begin
ming with its product in its natural
state, and proceeding through the va
riOus stages of manufacture to the fin
ished article. 1t comprises the manu-
facture of -four, meal and starch from
cereals; of sugar from cane, beet-root,
maple and sorghum, and exhibits mod
els of the machinery used in the manu-
| facture of these. The fermentation is
shown of starchy substances from
which beer, ale and porter are made.
and also the distillation of whisky. \
model still and plans of notable Amer
/ lean distilleries are exhibited. Then
are seen the fermentation and distilla-
ton of sugar, molasses and fruits, re-
sulting in a complete set of samples of
American wines, these, in turn, being
distilled and converted into brandy.
The display of the wood growth of the
country is inexhaustihle. At the foot
of the cases stand many hundred sec
tons of logs, overhead in the case be-
ing specimens of the foliage of their
respective trees. Next to HOrticultu-
raj Hall and grounds this spot affords
the botanist the greatest delight which
| the Centennial can give him. From
the sub-tropical growth of the Gulf and
| Southwestern States up TO the hardy
conifer9 of Maine and the Northwest
there is not a tree of Importance which
is not here represented. The patience
of the curious is sOrely taxed in count
ing the rings of old stagers that had
reached the heyday of their growth
two hundred years before Columbus
first saw Guanahani, and of some that
had doubtless sheltered weary abOrig-
ines while Louis of France was battling
for the cross in Palestine. Most of
these interesting specimens were oh
tanned from the Sierra Nevada Noun
tains in California The principal of
those of which accurate statistics can
be given are as follows: One of sugar
pine, 175 feet high and q feet in cir
cumferance at the base, and SIS years
old, the section having been made at q
diameter of feet = inches; one of q
soft, white pine, $50 feet high, % feet
in circumference at the base, $40 years
old, the section having been made at a
diameter of feet inches high, and
one of red silver fir. 1872 feet high, 81
feet in circumference at the base taper
ing for one hundred feet before the frs
branch was reached, and 1872 years old
All these grew ON the Sierra Nevada
There is also one of twisted pine from
the Rocky Mountains, l23 feet high, =:
feet in diameter at the base and 30
|, years old. A curious exhibit for mos
folk in the middle States is that of tn,
, many varieties of native oak and tn,
remarkable want of resemblance anon,
them in regard to foliage, the tan-barl
oak of California, for instance. havin,
: velvety, willow-shaped leaves, Will
those Of the black jack oak of TIN
/ Southern Atlantic States are bell-shap
ed. In the grain of the wood, the SAM
= wide divergency exists. While the liv
+ oak of the Southwest has "a smOotl
) bark and fine grain, the post-oak o
this region is rugged both in bark an,
! grain.
) Uncle Sans Centennial Brancl
Post Office" which occupies spac
| forty by sixty feet in the south-wes
/ wing of the building, is as cOmplet
r and well-ordered as any city in tn
l country possesses. 1t is inclosed by
: walnut partition with glass front, an
t has five hundred convenient lock boxes
9 There are ten carriers employed, an
4 30 boxes for depositing mail statione
| at various points on the grounds. Tn
: clerks speak all languages and tie de
D post loxes are lettered in English
French, German, Spanish, Italian an
I and japanese. Hourly trips are mad
e to the main city post Office 10y the Ger
: tennial mail wagons, which are hand
e some vehicles with drivers in uniform
S One of the carriers is John China
y man, whose queue hangs down hi
I back as natural as the curl of pig
n tail.
a The space occupied by the Post Offic
department, proper, is 40x 40 feet, an
n displays many interesting exhibit:
t The little envelope machine and nickt
!, plated Baxter engine, mentioned befor
: which is now turning out p, 900 enve
opes per day, with the new centennis
stamp, attracts "A constant crowd a