The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-01-05
SCIENCE AND lNDUSTY.


High scientific attachments seem to
be favorable to longevity. The average
age of the fourteen members If the
Royal Society Of London who have died
during the past year was no less than
seventy-fve.-N. 7. Ledger.
Chicago has over 100 shoe factories.
employing $4,000 people. II i only Of
late. however. that the Chicag, girls
shoes have been made ut home since
some Of the factories have enlarged. =
Detroit Free Press.
"A company has been formed i,
Bucnos Ayres for working the petroleum
deposit recently discovered near the
city Of Mendoza The Argentine Re.
public has hitherto obtained the bulk
Of its petroleum from the United States
Public Opinion.
In the woodworking and lumber
industries OF Memphis, Tenn. abou, 80
men are employed. and these are paid
in wage. from e325.ooO to $3.50. 900.
The value Of the business done by
Memphis concerns each year now i
industries are constantly growing. The
mills in that city are now running night
and day. and most Of them employ two
sets Of men. The woodworking bust.
ness will likely increase twenty-five per
cent. within the next twelve months.
The woody melon-shapcd fruit Oh
the sand-box tree Of the West Indies is
made into neat box by saving off the
top and scooping out the seeds and il
used in Bar BADGES for holding sand.
When. however. the fruit is allowed to
ripen on the tree. it bursts cxplosivclv,
scattering the seeds over the ground.
An experimenting naturalist recently
sought to preserve a specimen of the
fruit by drying carefully. but it ex-
ploded with such violence as to destroy
the box containing it--ArkansaU
Irarcler.
During the past few years Japanese
manufacturing industries have made
very considerable progress. and full
advantage has been taken Of the limited
liability principle. Foreign residents
in Japan looked upon the movement
with some amount of suspicion. think.
ing it might be wanting in stability.
Recent returns. however. have shown
that substantial profits have been
earned. In miscellaneous list Of
thirty-four companies tho dividends
vary from four to twenty-six per cent.
for the half year.
MIR. c. V. Boys, whose extraordi.
nary success in producing extremely
minute threads Of mineral substances
was recorded some time since, has con.
tributed paper on the subject to the
Journal Of the Physical Society Of Lon
don. The mineral 6bcrs which he has
produced are described as being fan
finer and more perfect than those
made Of spun glass. Light arrows OF
straw were attached to beads of melted
mineral and then shot out of power.
full cross-bow. Threads of rock crys-
tai obtained in this way were less than
the one hundred thousandth part of an
inch in diameter Threads of this sub
stance are as strong as steel and pos.
sess enormous elasticity. They are
useful in many kinds of delicate scien.
titic apparatus. y Ledger.
DIR. Dubois has investigated the
ligh'-emitting organs of the cucnyo. OF
Pyrophorus noctiiucns. They are three
in number-two prothoracic aud one
ventral. The prothroracic plates give
a good illumination in front. laterally
and above, and serve when the inscc,
walks in the dark; when it flies or
swims its fine abdominal lantern is un-
masked. throwing downward an in
tense light with much greater range.
The insect seems to be guided by its
own light. II the prothoracic appar.
stus is quenched on one side with lit
he black wax the cucnyo walks in 4
curve. turning toward the side Of the
light II both sides are qnenched il
walks hesitatingly and irregularly,
feeling the ground with its antenne,
and soon stops. Public Opinion