The Newtown bee., 1881-01-05
TIMELY TOPICS.


 A Boston capitalist has engaged 8 company of raisers of forest seedlings in Illinois to break and blow large area in Kansas and plant no less than ?, 2,72O trees to the acre, and cultivate these until they shade the ground. At the end of that time-say ten years -the plantations will be delivered over to the owner. No trees less than six feet high are to be counted.
 The famine in Russia, it is predicted, will assume proportions altogether be- yond previous estimates, and no steps are taken to meet it. The Russian peas- ant cannot afford at the best of times to eat wheat, and this grain has been sold long ahead to the Jews and other mid dlemen. What is needed is an immedi- ate importation of cheaper grain, if such can be obtained.
 The Finnish government has hit upon plan for ridding the grand duchies of wolves and afford the soldiers practice in shooting. Enormous numbers of wolves having appeared in the forests of late years, it has been decided this winter to dispatch against them bat talion of rifles. The men will be al- lowed unlimited ammunition, and will be told off in squads to attack the CT emy, and at the end of the contest money prizes will be given to those who have killed the greatest number of wolves with the fewest shots.
 The edict of Joseph Emanuel, king of
 ortugal, published in I769, is not without it's interest at this time. By this instrument widows of more than fifty years of age were forbidden to mar ry, because" the preamble recited, experience has shown that women of that age commonly marry young men of no property, who dissipate the fortunes such marriages put them in possession of, to the prejudice of children and other relations" Spinsters were not appa- rently considered so liable to be be- guiled.
 Dr. Schweinfurth, the Soudan traveller, has published at Vienna letter just re. ceived from Cairo, which stigmatizes in strong terms the recent increase in the. Egyptian slave trade. The re- sumption of the traffic dates from the deposition of the ex-khedive and the retirement of Sir Samuel Baker; but it has increased more especially since Colonel Gordon has left. In spite of the English and French consulates, there is every week wholesale importation of little negro children into Jeddah, and there is no prospect of this lucrative traffic soon coming to an end.
 Ther are many indications that ir the present condition of applied science the time is not far distant when all our telegraph lines will be under ground, where they will least impair the beauty 0f ct1 nd bn T verse atmospheric influences. And it is not improbable that after 8 few years experience of the cost, not to say the danger, of elevated railroads in cities, noiseless, smokeless, well-lighted, and wholesome tunnel routes Of city rapid transit will be adopted. The fa- cilities for both changes are even now within reach.
 Senator Booth, of California. who wants to succeed himself in the United States Senate, has s formidable oppo- nent in General John Bidwell, ex-g gov ernor of that State. General Bjdwell is worth over $I, ,000, ,0O0, most Of his prop erty being in lands. His ranch at Chico, in Northern California, where President Hayes and his party were en- tertained during their recent trip, is one of the gre ,test of the many things of that State. On this place there are more than one hundred miles of fences and it is possible to ride for hours in any di- rection without leaving General Bid- wells property.
 Petroleum fountains and asphalt mines, very rich, have been discovered in Venezuela, South America. The petroleum issues in streams from sand bank full of holes. One of the fountains spurts petroleum and water at the rate of 240 gallons per hour. The petroleum is found to equal in value that imported from the United States. Excellent an~ thracite coal is also found in the same regions. The discoveries are near the city of Maracaibo in the State Of Zulia. The presence of the petroleum was no method of refining it at that time. It now promises to become 3 valuable article of commerce.
 The Methodist Record derives very lit- tie comfort from the fact that, notwith- standing the widespread prevalence of both diphtheria and scarlet fever, the types of the disease are not unusually severe at present. 1t contends that this is by no means 8 subject for congratula- tion at this season, in view of the reason- able possibility of the increase of both diseases during the spring, and the prob able increase of their malignancy. Very few physicians have lost fifty per cent. of their cases of diphtheria thus far. Even twenty per cent. would be & very high figure. Still, the prospect of the continuance Of this comparatively low ratio of mortality is far from promising. At least, the wise practietioner must be on his guard, and do everything he can, not only to treat promptly and efficiently all cases in hand, but prevent their in- crease. Whatever can be done by the physician to narrow the chances of the spread of the contagion lessens the chances of mortality even in mild epi- denies.
 Recently complaints have been made to the French authorities that oleomar- garine butter .has been substituted for the genuine article in the asvlums of Paris. The Paris Academy of Medicine has made vigorous investigation, under an order from the government. The report of the committee is against the use of margarine in the asylums, and is also adverse to it's general use as substitute for butter. The margarine as originally prepared is no longer an object of commerce, being too dear. That which is actually in use is an industrial product open to various frauds. Vegetable oils are especially intoduced, and if it is easy to decide by chemical analysis whether 8 given pro- duct consists of butter or margarine, 1t T l. II. I. IL