The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-11
TIMELY TOPICS

The moss crop of Florida is said to be
worth more than the cotton crop. and it
can be placed on the market at less ex-
pense. The demand exceeds the sup
ply, and there is not a county in the
State in which the product is not going
to waste.
The city of Los Angeles, CAL, mas a
population of about 3d. ,OOO It's streets
are lined with eucalyptus and pepper
trees and with handsome business blocks,
| which are more numerous and costly
than in most American cities of five times
the population.
1t is officially announced that the cpl
demic of trichinosis prevailing from
September to December last in the dis
trict of Magdeburg, Germany. resulted
in 4O3 cases of sickness, of which sixty
SIX proved fatal, was caused by a single
pig. Careful investigation proved that
death was in every case due to eating
| the flesh raw.
A local government inquiry was held
| recently in Manchester, England, TO in
quire among other things into an app!i-
cation of the corporation to impose rcgu-
Iatlons Oh the sale of horse flesh. Evi-
! dence was given that horse flesh was
largely sold in the poorer neighborhoods
| of the city, dressed like beef, cut up into
steaks and sold at five pence and six
pence per pound. Much of the horse
| flesh sold was unsound. The corpora
| tion. who were supported by the butch
ers' association, desired to impose regu-
| lations on the sale
The Fuegians are the lowest human
| beings in tho scale of existence. Their
! language contains no word for any mum
ber above three; they are unable to dis
tinguish one color from another; they
| have no religion and no funeral rites,
and they possess neither chiefs nor
slaves. Their only weapons are bone
pointed spears, and. as they grow neither
| fruits nor vegetables and their country
is naturally barren, they are obliged to
live entirely on animal food. Even these
| savages possess, however. some social
virtues They are not cannibals; they
| i'll treat neither women nor the old, and
| they are homogeneous.
In Cuba two hours before a paper is
| distributed on the street a copy must be
| sent, with the editors name, to the gov
ernment and one to the censor. When
| the paper is returned with the ccnsor's
| Endorsement the paper may go out to the
| public One of the newspapers in Ha-
vana disrcgards the law. publishes what
it pleases and when it gets ready. Every
few weeks the government fines the
editor and suppresses the paper. The
next day the paper appears under new
name. Its frequent brushes with the
| government advertise it, and people buy
it to see what new indiscretion it has
committed. The subscription price is
$24 year.
Near Astoria, Ore, there is deposit
of clam shells which covers an area OF
over four acres, and is piled in places to
depth Of over four feet. The amount
of shells is incalculable. Over 1, 900
loads have been hauled away to make
roads, but that amount is hardly noticed
in the diminution of the immense heap
From time to time relics Of the cid clam
eating tribes that made that place their
headquarters are found Aparty recent
ly found clam-opener. It was made
from whales tooth, is about eight
inches long, and is ground sharp at the
end. There are some sixteen inches of
soil on top of these immense clam is,
on which grow fir trees. some of tm >.
400 years old.
An elephant attached to an itinerans
circus at Bridgcwater, England, recentl,
managed to get loose during the nigl.:,
and thievishly entered a bar-room. Hc
had evidently been accustomed to know
| what was worth eating and what was not,
for on its way to the public house the
animal tempted barrel of pigs was, :"
that stood in the way of its getting at
| victuals. Everything that was eatabls
in the bar room was devoured, 8: ':inclucs.
ing as the local report has it, 60
| quantity of potatoes, several loaves Of
bread, and about a couple of pounds OF
butter" The sage animal vas on the
point of attacking the bar, when the
inmates and policeman gave the alarm,
and the elephant was secured after much
rOuble"
A New York company which manu-
factures every day 1900 bustles stuffed
with renovated antelope hair has begun
the manufacture of life prescrvers stuffed:
with the same material A test of tn:
comparative value of different life pre-
servers has just been made. 1t requires
only ten pounds of buoyancy to keep
live PERSONS head above water. A cork
buoy weighing nine pounds was thrown
overheard, and was found TO support
thirty three pounds; buoy of California:
tule held up fifty pounds, and an Alaska
down buoy of five pounds held up sixty.
four pounds. The company recently
fitted out several yachts with antelop
hair or Alaska down cushions, which can
be thrown overheard, and each will sup
port dozen persons.
The schemes of "Small Farm Com,
pany" in England is already assuming
definite shape. The general scope OF
the company will be to buy up land
and resell it in small parcels by sys-
tenn of annual payments. In SO doing
the company will, it is hoped, meet the
70 ,f ole Of