The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1880-04-04
CURRENT TOPICS.


Mr., james Stewart, editor OF the Montreal
Herald, who was recently In New York states
that since the advance Ia the price of American
paper took place some OF the Canadian COM
panies had been charging from one-fourth to
one half cent moro per pound than was pre-
viouslyidemanded. The present rate for news
print he says is as low as ak cents and for
the past eighteen months the rates have been
six and half to seven cents. The cnuse OF this
slight rise is that there has been n marked ad-
vance In the price Of chemicals entering into
he making of paper. Since tho chemicals have
gone up In price rags ard other paper stock
are relatively much cheaper than twelve
months ago. III the prices which ruled In
Canada some years ago were to hold now. In
view OF tho increased prices In other depart
ments. 1t would. he thinks. be u serious matter
to publishers. He says that II the United
States tariff was not almost prohbitory the
publishers Of American newspapers could now
get paper at seven and q half to eight cents q
pound from Canada. At the present time largo
consumers Of paper In the United states are
buying In Canada at seven and fourth to
eight cents. and laying It down In New York
after paying 80 per cont duty. At the present
rate In the United States the Canadian makers
are undersellng. or almost doing 80. the Ameri-
canmili mon. even with the tariff against them.
Since the rise the Canadian paper mills have
had an enormous rush OF business. and their
producing capacity has for sometime back been
taxed to the utmost. They are shipping paper to
St. Louis, Chicago. New York and Boston. In
fact the Canadian paper makers are having
flush times Just now.
ELECTRIC LIGHT ON VEGETATION.
DR.. Siemens. an eminent man Of science and
q we'll known electrician. has recently demon
strated that the electric light has remarkable
H. auence over the process of vegetation. which
has heretofore been attributed quite as much to
the heat rays as the light rays Of the sun. He
proves beyond question that plants exposed to
the electric light not only grow rapidly. but
preserve their natural, color as effectively as
when exposed to the sun light. In the presence
of the Royal Society OF London he placed a pot
OF budding tulips In the full brightness OF an
electric lar and In forty minutes the buds
had expanded into iull b DOM. 1t Is stated that
the doctor has been conducting experiments
with plants under the electric light for two
months. resulting In the discovery that vegeta-
ton kept In absolute darkness dies. while
In cases where exposed to daylight or
electric light 1t thrives equally we'll. The
theory that plants. like animals, require Ger.
tain period OF rest and inaction In order to re-
cuperate their energies. is likely to be mate.
rally modified by this discovery. By this
N cane florists and market gar deners interested
In forcing plants and vegetables to rapid growth
and maturity will be able to profit largely. es-
pecially where the mechanical energy needed
to produce 1t can be derived from cheap and
accessible water power. DR.. siemens has al
ready sugges ted that heat radlated from pow-
erful electric arcs may be used In this way TO
counteraet frost aud promote the riDening Of
fruit In The open air.