The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1880-04-15
CURRENT TOPICS.
WHEAT AND FRUIT CROPS IN THE

Reports from Ohio. Indiana and Kentucky
| regarding the wheat and fruit crops have been
carefully compiled by the Cincinnati Enquirer,
whose correspondents have reported from
| every county. From these reports an increase
of wheat acreage is shown, but 1t is thought that
this will probably be reduced to the average of
| last season. owing to the destruction of very
| many fields In the lowlands by the excessive
rainfall during The winter months. Save In
those districts which suffered from overfows.
the growing crop is reported to be In flourish
ing condition. the growth being heavy and the
| stand we'll made. The fruit crop In nearly all
| sections of the States above mentioned is
exceptionally promising. and II no late frost or
| or other evil befalls 1t, will exceed any crop
harvested since the memorable fruit year Of 1858
| and 1864. The crop OF apples promises to be
enormous, and that Of peaches exceedingly
| good. After this favorable showing of ap-
preaching prosperity 1t will be In order for
John Sherman to point to It, and triumphantly
exelaim: This is my work. Behold. there is
additional fruits of my resumption policy |"
| And while saying this 1t will not be amiss for
| him to remark tby way OF parenthesis) that he
| is candidate for the Republican nomination
| at Chicago. but 1t was not q matter Of his own
seeking. There is nothing like taking advan-
| tage of favorable circumstances. and Mr. Sher-
| man has shown hims elf to be a man fertile In
devices for captivating the popuaee.
| CAPITAL PUNISHMENT In AFRICA.
| Now that the question of capital punishment
| is being agitated again an account of the mode
practieed by the Al. Quadjls. small tributary
off shoot of the great and powerful Deiour
tribe In Central Africa. will. doubtless bs of
interest. although 1t is not likely that 1t will be
adopted In the United States for more than
one reason. The malefaotor condemned to die
| is bound to post firmly driven into the
ground In an open space where no trees 8fford
| O shade, and Is there slowly roasted
to death. not by any artificial means.
| involving q waste of fuel. but by
| the natural heat of the suns rays as they reach
| the earth In Its equatorial regions. To protraet
! his suffsrings and to avert his too speedy end
| by sunstroke the ingenious AL Quadils cover
their erring oompatriol's head with fresh green
| leaves, which effectually shield his brain from
the fiery darts. No such protection is. how
ever, accorded to his body, which gradually
| dries up, shrinks together and ultimately be-
comes carbonizsd. One chance of salvation Is
open TO the roasting man. II q cloud pass
between the sun and his place of torment he Is
at once cast loose from his post and becomes
the object Of popular reverence as mighty
magician in whose behalf the supernatural
powers have deigned to intervene. But 1t Is re-
marked that clouds seldom interfere with the
administration of justice on the days chosen
| for public executions By the Al.Quadji
authorities, In which respect these African
clouds differ very materially from the average
State executive In this country. especially on
the eve of a new election. No doubt the people
of Texas. who are complaining of their Gov
ernor's combinations OF the death penalty.
apA nd, h1o tr fro1 nt,tt
| OF the AL. Quadiis In their criminal code.
RUSSIAN STATE PRISONS.
The Russian State prisons are In such a
shocking condition at present that hey are un-
fit for human accommodation. The jails of st.
Petersburg wilma. Moscow. Kieff and, In fact,
throughout the entire empire, are said to be
Disgrace to civllIz ation. They are foul dun
geons. and the treatment of the unfortunate
creatures confined In them Is described as
cruel beyond belief. The TAILOR considers
1t his bounden duty to torment his
wards In every possible way and is
unchecked. when not encouraged In his bru-
talty by his superiors. The greater number of
those arrested recently are confined In the
casemates and subterranean cells In the for
tress of st. Peter and st. Paul. Within its oath-
some walls some four hundred young men are
lingering at the present moment. awaiting the
sentence that will send them to Siberia or per-
haps to worse doom still. They are for the
most part students from the School of Medicine
and Surg ry the Technical School, the Mill
tary Academy and some OF the more element
ary establishments of education. Numbers of
them were compromised by the late discovery
CT the secret printing office. while several were
| arrested iu consequence of certain papers
| found Ia possession of Mlodetsky the attempt
nd ~ A ~
| from st. Petersburg says that the chief of the
execution committee has threatened to close the
universities II the students continue to swell
the ranks of the Nihilists.
WHITE AND YELLOW CORN.
A correspondent wants to know 'the differ
ence. II any, In nutriment. between white and
yellow corn for man and beast" So far as our
information goes there Is no specific difference
on account of color. Yellow corn ts generally
esteemed as better food for stock because the
grain Is softer and easier to masticate and
consequently. more digestible 1t Is remarked
that In the spring horses will abandon white
corn and take the yellow freely. The yellow
corn is richer, perhaps. in the essential oils,
such as fusil oil. etc. The idea. b ,wever,
that yellow corn meal Is more nutricious than
white proceeds from the fact that yellow
corn is usually grown on richer aud more
)uthern soils: white corn more exclusively
at the North. Northern corn Is flnty and has
larger proportion of the carbon. m aking pro-
ducts. starch. etc. Southern corn Is richer in
the nitrogen-yieldng products. Hence. the
difference is primarily In soil and climate and
not as our correspondent thinks. In color. at
the North yellow corn meal is preferred be-
cause yellow corn is raised In the South. II
ground alike. yellow meal is probably as d.
gestible as white. but yellow corn being softer
it makes finer meal with the same set of burs
than white corn. aud consequently gives
heavier bread In baking. There is no question
as to both white and yellow corn be ing nutri-
tious. as every soldier of the Confederate army
we'll knows. At times. In fact. 1t comprised
their only food.
ANOTHER REPUBLICAN BARKIs.