The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-08-18
Miscellaneous.

berne. n. c., turns out 600, 900 of the
plates each week.
n geologist predicts that Montana
will become the greatest coal produc-
ing State III the Union.
\ driver in the Troy fire depart
ment has invented a cOntrivance by
which his horses are Embarrassed by
simply pulling the reins.
The Minnesotians of st. Paul, lost
the senior four Dared boat race at the
National Regetta, at Detroit. Mich,
OH last Tuesday by about three feet.
On the second day of August there
arrived in Chicago Car load of up
land prairie hay from Cherokee Co.,
Indian Territory. The hay sold for
$l3 per ton.
For the first time in the history of
the commonwealth the State prisons
of New York were Self.suStaining in
1881, and there was surplus to their
credit of $564.35.
II. 5. Crayton, Jr., of Anderson, S.
c., sold recently Il $500 confederate
note for $50. 1t is said to be the
Only note of that denomination issued
by the confederate government in
1851
An ordinary freight-car costs about
500. and an ordinary mai! and bag
gage car about $500. An ordinary
passenger coach costs about 81 500.
An ordinary palace car costs from
Sl2,0O0 TO $4,000.
Spirits of turpentInc is now made
from Saw-dust and refuse of the SAW
mill. 1t is extracted by Il Sw<ing
process, and yields fourteen gallons Of
spirits, three 10 four gallons of rosin
and a quantity of tar per cord. The
spirits produced has a different odor
from that produced by distillation.
\ Wyoming man who recently
went To American Falls, Idaho,
writes "StOp all from coming out
here that you can. They try to keep
it quiet and not let IT get out, but it is
wrong and everybody should know it.
This is a tough country. There is Il
killing affair here every day, but the
small pOX is the worst of all
Comparatively few people are
aware that the poStOflice department
regularly employs about one thousand
cats, which are paid for their services
in food and shelter. These creatures
are useful i'm keeping rats and mice
out OF the mail matter, and their
number and the cost of their main
tenance are strictly accounted for.
There is reported to be now about
200. 900 sheep in the eastern portion
of Montana. and that the cost of
keeping i'm herds of 1900 each is
about 81 per head. The wool is said
to average S., 900 and the lambs 81 900
from such Il herd. or about 100 per
cent. over the cost of keeping.
During the last fiscal year closing
July 3lst, the United States govern
ment sold 100000 acres of the pub
lie domain. 1t is estimated that dur.
ing the same period the various
States holding public lands, and the
railroads, disposed of about 100000
acres. The great bulk of the whole
amount has been sold in moderately
small tracts and to actual settlers.
n gun invented by man in Rip
ley, Miss. is, if it is what it is
claimed to be, one of the most won
derful inventions of the age. 1t can
be fired from ten to twenty thousand
times Il minute, can be elevated or
depressed or turned to the right or
left, inclined to cover the slope of a
hill, contracted so as to bring the fire
to bear upon one spot or expanded to
cover wide area, and all with the
greatest ease and in the simplest man.
ner, by merely turning Il crank.
III. G. Webster. of Delaware coun.
ty, Pennsylvania, OWNS about six
hundred hens, and believes that the
raising of poultry can with proper at
tenLion, always be made. one of the
most profitable departments of the
farm. During the first eight months
of the past year he obtained 1900
eggs, which he sold, with the except
ion of those consumed in his own
family, for 1902, about one. half of
winch was profit. His stock consists
of mixed breeds. which have ample
space To roam. Their feed largely
consists of wheat screenings.
Tom Woodward, OF WOrks0p, Scot.
land. undertook to shear twenty six
sheep within five hours. Woodward
set to work ut noon on Wednesday,
and showed his marvellous skill in
strengthening. The whole job was
completed in thirty five minutes I'M
der the time, apparently with the
greatest ease. Some of the sheep
were shorn in about five and one-half
minutes Il piece. a considerable
amount of money was staked and laid
on the result.
In the best apple-grOwing regions
of western New York well.managed
apple orchards decline ut about so
wears of age--some live longer, and
many not so long. At a meeting Of
the Illinois horticultural society A..
Bryant placed the average age in that
state at 20 years and Mr.. Nelson at
Is years. Others knew of some
orchards much older. Trees grow
rapidly in Illinois. and it was gener.
ally admitted that it is better to