The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-07-22
TIMELY TOPICS.

/
|
The Germantown Telegraph suggests
that our agricultural societies. which
give so many and high premiums for
| fast trotting horses, might at least SPARE
little for the announcement of the
food which the noble animal is to eat.
Premiums for well-grown hay, clean
hay, hay from improved grasses, and
well-manaSed hay fields, it thinks,
would surely be objects worthy the
attention of even State agricultural
society.
A wretched woman, brought lately to
London police court, proved to be the
wife of an ex-officer of the army. She
is of excellent birth, has been presented
at court, and is very accomplished, but
can't keep from the gin bottle. The
name was studiously concealed. The
magistrate suggested an inebriate asy-
lum but it was explained that her con-
sent was necessary and that she
wouldn't give it. Ultimately her husband
came for her.
Forestry, so neglected in this country,
now receives very careful attention in
France as well as Germany. One of the
| French under secretaries of state is di-
rector of forests, and has q large staff.
An eminent French scientist, who COM
plains that meteorologists too often neg
| lect observations on animal or vegetable
| physiology, recommends that the dates
of the arrival and departure of migra-
| tory birds, the leafng and Towering of
plants, and the ripening Of corn shall be
| noted in each district. Notes, too, are
| to be made by foresters of such natural
history phenomena as fall within their
notice.
The rate of increase in population of
seventy-two cities in the United States
during the decade is "a so rer cent.
| Denver shows the maximum rate-6l4
per cent. The gain in San Francisco is
nearly half rs much as that of Brook
| lyn, and that OF New York is 6,9lO
more than the whole population of San
| Francisco. The following is a table
| showing absolute gains in population {:
New York, 234 269; Philadelphia, l67,-
97S; Brooklyn, 1854; Chicago. 49,
023; st. Louis. "a, 1856; Boston, 1Ol 474 /;
Baltimore, 62,644: Cincinnati, 90 9l4 !;
San Francisco. II, s77; Pittsburg, 80, 939.
Total, l,l66,65l.
The terrible explosion in South Wales,
by which at least lis lives were lost,
adds another to that long line of disas-
ters which the inventive genius of Davy
and Stephenson has been powerless to
avert. In horror this colliery accident
approaches nearly to that of Lundhil,
where, in 1857, $50 miners perished. or
to the calamity at Hartley, when 202
men were bu'ied alive by the destruc-
tion of the shaft. The responsibility in
This instance may never be known, but
| there is certain timeliness in the news
| that the British employers and work
| people have come to terms in regard 20
the bill to determine the degree of lia-
| bility in the event of accidents. In ac-
| cordance with this agreement system
| OF insurance may be established by en-
ployers which will prove of mutual ad-
vantage to them and the laborers
Agricultural statistics show that
in the last fifteen years the production
| of wheat and barley in the United States
| has doubled; that of corn, cotton and
tobacco more than doubled; potatoes
| nearly doubled; hay increased more
| than one third and oats about I40 000,-
| 600 bushels The vast increase in
cereals is mainly due 10 the rapid devel-
| opmeut of the Western and Northwes-
| tern States. During the present gener-
| alton the corn-center has been transfer
red from the South to the West, and
the wheat from the Middle States
to the far West. From 1870 to 1878 the
production of tobacco increased 100 COO
| 600 pounds, mainly in the South while
Texas and Arkansas have been the chief
contributors to the increase of two and
a quarter million pounds OF cotton in
the same time. In the former l57 ,000,-
600 were raised in 1870. and 500, 600, 600
in 1878; in the latter IL, ,000, 900 pounds
in 10, and 3ls, 100000 in '7s.
Ever since the mutiny of 1867 the peo.
| pie Of British India have been disarmed,
though generally in villages bordering
| upon forest one or two inhabitants are
| licensed to carry matchbox, which,
although useful in driving off hogs, is OF
small value in tiger Staying. This,
| therefore, becomes especially the busi-
ness of the magistrate of the district.
| Consequently, when tiger appears in
| the neighborhood, one or two officials
pitch their camp in his neighborhood,
but are often thwarted for weeks by his
cunning, and sometimes do not get him
at all. A man-eating tiger is abnor-
mally suspicious, and is off at the slight
est alarm. When once a tiger has be-
come man-eater he seems to care only
for man, and perhaps OH this account
usually comes off rather short OF food,
and when killed seldom presents pros.
porous appearance. Not one tiger in a
hundred, however, is a man-eater; but
once let one of this sort get near a vii.
lage. and it has often happened that the
whole of the inhabitants will, after re-
peated losses. in despair, move en- nlaSse
to neighboring town for safety. This
has frequently happened in Central In.
dia, but is row rare.