The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-10-29
TIMELY TOPICS.

The year 1879 will pass into American
history as year of wonderful agricul-
tural prosperity. The cotton crop is
larger by half a million bales than ever
before, the tobacco crop $4,000, 900
pounds greater and the sugar crop ex-
ceeds by some 10000 hogsheads all pre-
vious yields. These are crops which be-
lorg almost exclusively to the southern
half of the republic. In behalf of the
Northern States tie excess of products
this year over the crops of any previous
year is. according to the Chicago Journal
of Commerce, 90, 900, 900 bushelsof wheat
and from 10000, 900 to 100, ,0O0, 600 BUSH
els of corn. The hog crop also is larger
this year than for a number of years
past--if it be not the largest ever raised.
Reviewing the reports on the Madras
Qndia) famine submitted by DIR. Cor
nish, sanitary commissioner of that
presidency, the commission has arrived
at the following conclusions First, that
the same atmospheric conditions which
produce scarcity of food produce also
epidemic diseases; secondly, that large
proportion of the mortality of a famine
season is due more to epidemic disease
than absolutely to want of food, although
the destructiveness of an epidemic is in
creased by the fact that people half
starving or i'll fed are less able to with
stand disease; thirdly, that point in
the process of chronic starvation, when
nutriment no longer sustains life, is often
reached before people can obtain or will
seek relief at a distance from their
homes.
Some idea of the magnitude of the
telegraph business in the United States
may be gained from the annual report of
the Western Union Teleg raph Company,
which shows that the company has at
present 80, ,987 miles of line, oil ,566 miles
OF wire, and 1884 offices. During the
year 5,O7O, LOG messages were sent. The
capital stock of the company is Sal ,O73,-
4l0, and of forty and halt millions of
net income in the last thirteen years, a
little less than twenty millions have been
paid in dividends to stockholders; six
and half millions paid for interest and
principle of bonded debt; more than
thirteen millions added to the plant, in
the construction and purchase of new
lines and stocks in other companies and
real estate, all of greater value for the
uses of the company than their cost;
and three-quarters of million remain as
surplus ip the treasury.
At the recent meeting at MONTPELIER
of the French Agricultural Society the
majority of the proprietors whose vine
yards have been ravaged by the phyl-
loxera were of opinion that they must
look to the introduction of vine stocks
from America as the only means of
meeting the trouble they are in. Ex-
periments have proved to the satisfac-
tion of some of the most experienced
members of the commission appointed
to investigate this subject that certain
American vines offer a vigorous resist
ance--more especially in respect to the
peculiar formation of the root, the tis-
sues of which are exceptionally thick
to the dreaded plague. On the other
hand, it is apprehended that these vines
will only be a success in certain portions
of France. The failure in the grape
crop is quite as severe as the failure in
ordinary agricultural produce in Eng
land. The 300, 900 hectares under vines,
which represented in great degree the
wealth of the department of Herault, are
gone. Fortunately, Frenchmen are not
in fat years unmindful that lean may
follow, or the condition OF things would
be very serious indeed.