Morning journal and courier., 1884-12-30
EDITORIAL NOTES.

seventy-fve years ssgo9 the first tomatoes grown in this country were cultivated as 8 strange and showy horticultural curiosity in a garden in Salem, Massachusetts. Forty years ago or little moFe they began te be used as E vegetable in the season. Last year nearly seyanty-iva million cans of tomatoes were packed in this country.
 We congratulate the heavily -burdened tax payers of this city on the defeat of the Derby railroad scheme, It is astonishing that such a scheme gained so much support as it did. Fortunately, there were some strong men in the Council who could neither be esjeled or bulldozed. Messrs Graves, Gallagher, sar- gent, Martin, and those who acted with them did their duty against great pressure, and they deserve the thanks of those whose in terests they so conscientiously and skillfully protected.
 The American Architect has lately had curious and unexpected evidence of the way in which the times have affected ths busi- ness of the trained artists whose interests it represents In response to an offer of prizes for competition in building barn of moder- ate cost, no less than 97 designs were sub mitted, or more than double the number ever before received under similar circum- stances. Fully half of them were of about equal exeellenae, hut as onlg three are tQ be chosen, the Architect, in despair of being 1 able to publish the others, suggests that it may possibly have short public exhibition | of them.
 Professor Doremus, of New York, one of whose specialties is the study of the effect of climate upan building stone, calls attentiee.n iee.n l to the disintegrating effect of our climate upon the Egyptian obelisk in Central Park. He has gathered from time to time fragments 1 from the base which have become detached l by the action of water or frost, and now gives his opinion that the disintegration in this climate will increase from year t9 year, unless it shall be arrested by some protecting process. While approving policy that will ! fill the pores and render the stone water proof, he rejects polish, because it wastes the stone and is seon destroyed, and also disspproves of gil, which will change the color of the stone. He prefers resorting to parafine, experiments with which are now being made in Europe
 The first report of the commissioner of
 navigation is much more gratifying docu-
 rnent than might might have been anticipated. It
 has been the quite general belief since our
 commercial marine lost its prestige (because
 of the rebellion and the EnRlish-rebel cruis- ers) that we have nothing worthy the name of trade fset. And yet it appears that England is the only power of the world that 1 has greater tonnage than the United States.
 We have nearly 1000 seagoing vessels with a
 tonnage of nearly 4,Ooo, GOO. This includes
 422 steamers. The total number of vessels
 of all descriptions, registered under the flag 1 is 24, ,0S2, and the estimated total value is l $1eo, ,000, OO0 Our wooden ships are the best
 and fastest of the world. The commissioner
 anticipates great benefits from the shipping act of the last congress,
 The decision by Judge Lane, of the Fede-
 ral court in Utah, that a polygamous wife
 has no property rights as such which any
 body is bound to respect will be severe
 blow to the Mormon institution of concubin- age, not so much with reference to the con