The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-30
TIMELY TOPICS.


France, where an inventor, NJ. Boutet,
claims the honor of discovering a new
force by the application of air and water.
How he does it, he tells no more than
MIR. Keely, but he promises to exhibit
tramway operated by the new motor at
the coming Antwerp exhibition.
The dahlia. after having been unfash-
lonable for many years, has of late again
gained many friends, who will no doubt
be interested to learn that this flower
might this year celebrate the centenary
of its introduction into Europe. In 1884
the Spaniard Vincent Cervantes found a
new plant in Mexico with small red,
violet. or orange flowers along a large
yellow centre, growing on long thin
stock. He sent specimen to Senor
Cavanilles, the dire ;tor of the botanical
gardens at Madrid, who gave the flower
its present name. From Spain the dah-
liza was exported all over Europe. For
the first thirty years it was cultivated in
England in greater variety than in any
otner country, but later on Germany, and
especially the town of Kostritz, has
taken the first place in the culture of
dahlias.
Making cyclone pits is one of the do
mestic industries of Georgia. They are
underground refugees for shelter in tor
nado. The tremendous force of these
storms, several of which sweep across
the State every season, destroying every
thing IN their track, has warned the peo-
pie to provide safe shelters near the
house where the family can find refuge
when the tornado approaches In general
The latest improvement is called a
waterproof pit" the floor and walls be-
ing lined with brick lined with cement
The track of tornado is so narrow, very
rarely so much as half mile wide, that
the area swept by them is small com
paratively, and the likelihood that any
particular house will be in the path of a
tornado is not great Most of the MAX
ers of cyclone pits will never need to use
them, but if the need does come it is
very imperative.
The progress of the tea plants at tine
station near Summerville, S. c., is re
ported by the superintendent as being
quite satisfactory. The plants, it is
thought. are now large enough to afford
leaves in sufficient quantities to warrant
an effort at tea manufacture, if such ar
operation should be considered necessary
by the department at Washington. That
the Chinese tea plant can be grown ovel
large portion of the United States, ano
that good teas can be made from these
plants, have been demonstrated, bu
whether teas can be procured of standard
qualities to meet the requirements o
commerce and bring profit to the plante
and manufacturer are questions which
have not Eeen practically demonstrated
1t is well recognized that in some essen
tial conditions of successful tea produc
tion "a principal one being deficiency
in the average rainfalD there is sufficien
reason for caution in experiments on
large scale, even in the most favored eli
| mate.
A Chinese imperial decree has recently
been issued, ordering that the late vice
roy of Yunnan, through whose negii
gence. it is alleged, Sontay and Ba'
Mini were captured by the French, ant
the viceroy of Kwangsi, who did not ad
vance beyond Langson to the relief o
these two towns. are to be beheadet
after the 'autumnal assizes." The vice
roys Ii and Tso, who strcnuously inter
coded for the culprits, are degraded tw,
degrees in official rank. The viceroy o
Canton, who was guilty of recommend
ing one of them for employment, is ais,
| to be punished. He is, however, to b.
| leniently dealt with on account of recen
services in providing for the defence o
| his province. Chang Pe,un, who com
manded at Foochow during the bonn
bardment, is summarily degraded ant
dismissed, and is ordered to Pekin TO
trial, while several other military com
manders and high officials who recon
| mended them for employment are alst
either degraded or handed over to tn
| board of punishments for trial.
Anv one in need of carpet or Sc
| of chairs would naturally be attracted
! by the announcement, in New Yorl
| paper, that 'Coloncl c. Bonner, beins
| about to sail for Europe. will sell his en-
tire household furniture, pictures" etc
| The fact, however, is that Colonel Bon
ner is mere myth. The auctioneer, ol
the other hand, is a swindler, who hire
a house and furnishes it, merely for tn
purpose of showing off worthless furnl
ture upon unwary buyers. The name o
Colonel Bonner is occasionally varied b.
the advertisement of "a private famil.
breaking up Housekeeping after only ST.
months" In these cases their is Away
a Steinway grand action piano, and some
| times two, and this instrument adds dig
nifty to the SALE The method is to fiji
the house with cheap but snowy furni
ture, made only to sell, and then hav
their underbidders, who lure on the gen
uine purchaser The latter, of course
learns by his experience, as he sees tn
"barpains F" tumble tor pieces; but ever,
auction brings its new set of greenhorns
and so the fraud becomes a permanen
feature IN the season.
DR.. W. E. Sylvester, in a paper which
appeared recently in the 4lienist ant
Neurologist, states that twenty years agt
the number of insane persons in tht
United States was only "a, 042. In 1871
it had reached 81, 432, and in 1880 treat
ment was required for 81, 959 lunatics
From 1870 to 1880 the increase in insan
ity was nearly $50 per cent, while tha
of the total population was about twenty
six. These figures do not, however, rep
resent actual increase, but during thi
period a large number of insane persons
previously concealed, were brought t.
public notice by more thorough investi
cations. In America, apart from severa
large county asylums, there are eight,
| fo