The Opelousas courier., 1889-01-05
SCRAPS.

Norman Lockycr, the English scien-
fist, claims to have discovered that the
origin of the universe is found IN the
meteorite.
No less than 800 little planets arc now
known in the asteroid zone, sixty of
them having been discovered by DR..
j. Palisa, the well-known astronomer of
Vienna.
The municipal gardeners of Paris
raise 232 varieties of APPLES in the or
chard of the Luxembourg Gardens. The
fruit is divided into three parts; the
finest specimens are sent to the Project
of the Seine, the second part is given to
the Val-dc- erase Military Hospital and
the third is sold to the great Paris res
| taurants.
The singular fact is demonstrated
that, while the most rapil cannon shots
scarcely attain a velocity of 600 metres
a second-over 500 miles per hour--
mctcoritcs are known to penetrate the
air with a velocity of 40, 900, or even
go, 900 metres per second, a velocity
which raises the air at once to a temper
allure of from 1000 to {, 900 degrees
Cent.
Experiments with the diffusion pro-
cess" of extracting sugar from the cane,
which have recently been made in
Louisiana, arc very encouraging to those
who believe in this mode of manu-
~facture. 1t is claimel that by the diffu-
sion process almost all the sugar is ex-
tracted, and, on this account, that the
cane can be profftably grown in this
country.
There have recently been discovered
in the high Alps, near the summit of
the great st. Bernard, five large granite
| affairs and a number Of other relics of
the stone age, such as axes, knives,
ETC., used in pagan epoch5 for sacrifices.
Swiss writer's emphasize the historical
Importance Of this discovery, in th9t it
is a proof that Mt. Saint Bernard was a
place of sacrifice il pagan times, and
also that as far back as the age of stone
the Canton Valais wal Inhabited by
human beings.
The plan for signalling accurate time
from seacoasts was first adopted by
Great Britain about thirty years ago.
That country has now on its coasts four
teen tim balls and five other time
signals, and its colonies and dependen-
cics have twenty-six tlme-balls; Ger
many has seven time-balls; France, four
time-balls and two other signals; Swe-
den and Norway, Austria Hungary,
Holland with Belgium, and the United
| States, have five time-balis each; Dem
| mark has two; Spain and Portugal, one
each; Italy, o
Alfalfa, according to Prof. Morrow,
endured the drought better than any
other forage plont OF the farms of the
University of Illinois, and red clover
came next. Of the true grasses orchard
grass was best for quickness of starting
| after cutting or after rain, and for the
amount of food furnished while the
| drought was at its worst. Timothy was
| slow to start after cutting and did not
respond cadily to the rains. Blue grass
stopped growing first of all the pasture
grasses, but quickly revived after mod
crate rains.
The use of oil by vessels at sea for
soothing the waves in time of storm, APP
pears to be on the point of very extended
and practical application. 1t is Stated
that 'tsea breakers" appliances for the
distribution of oil, have been patented
both at home and abroad, and are used
by all cattle-carrying steamers and
soma other vessels, while o special oil IS
now manufactured for the purpose
The photographer of tho United States
has published within the last two years,
in pamphlet form, digested from the
Monthly Pilot Chart, a list of 100 au-
thcnticated cases in which furious seas
were allayed by the use of oil.