The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-03-02
COwlptLsd fer TIE ArkGnsdr Troceter.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Cremation has been legalized In Sweden, and Is
likely soon TO be authorized in Norway.
The non-rusting property of aluminium bronze
has led the Austrian government to experiment
with Ii as q material for gun barrels.
During the past four years London has had a
Society of Amateur Biologists which studies
geology on Saturday afternoon excursions.
BIRTH or NEw PLANT SrEcIEs.-The plants re-
Gently collected from Christmas Island by the
English admiralty prove TO be closely allied TO
those of Java. Yet their isolation has had the
effect of making them mostly unlike their Java
congeners, though not sufficiently different to he
specifically distinguished. I'm this gradual altera-
ton Mr.. W. T. Thselon Dyer sees "a manifest case
of nascent species"
RUSSIAN FIBRE.-A new textile has been dis
covered on the shores of the Caspian by NJ. q.
BakenbOurg. The plant is known TO the natives
as "kansf," and grows TO height of ten feet, with
diameter of about a tenth of an itch. BY careful
cultivation and preparation, a textile matter that
Is suited for most ordinary purposes, and would be
particularly desirable for sacks, tarpauln, ropes
etc, is obtained 1t is lighter, cheaper and much
stronger than hemp. Ii is soft, elastic and silky
and the finer stutfs made from it can be beached
chemically and dyed any shade of color.
BEET-SrGAR N EuRorE-The first beet. sugar
factory was established in Lower Silesia near the
close of last century, but unsuccessful What
was called the true method tracing beet sugar
was 1aboriousy developed about the beginning of
been made that forty per cent less beet is now re-
quired to produce given quantity of sugar than
in 1896. Germany, the chief producer, now has
4ol factories with 9eoooo acres under beet cuiti-
vaton, and turns out about a million tons of beet
sugar yearly. France and Austria Hungary pro-
duce about half a million tons each, Russia and
Poland about $4,000 tons, and Belgium 90 O00
tons.
THE ELECTRIC BLowrIrE-The ordinary methods
of electric welding by passing the current through
the points to be fused together are not convenient
for all purposes and Prof. Samuel Sheldon, of Iar-
ward university, suggests what he believes would
be better for many The pole of powerful
magnet strongly attracts repels the electric arc,
which may by this means be driven out sideways
into point very similar TO the point of flame pro-
jected from ordinary blowpipe. At the end of
this point the heat is intense, being sufficient TO
melt large copper wire instantly and to fuse any OF
the metals. Ii would serve admirably for welding,
and slight alteration would fit any arc lamp to
perform the double function of lighting and weld
ing.
Orr CoMMoNEsT PLANTs.-Gras as Dr. III.
Trimen states, the most universally diffused
over the globe OF all Towering plants there being
no district in which they do not occur, while in
nearly all they are a leading and dominant feature
of the flora. Two other orders COmpOSifd and
LegUhpinOST-con 'ain a greater number of species
than the GrdmineG, but none has so many indi-
vidual plants. The species of grasses probably
number about 5000, and they form about
twentieth of the Towering plants as a WHOLE
though in almost any given locality this proper
ton is largely exceeded The actual proportion of
species of grasses to the whole flower bearing flora
in different countries is found to vary from about
one fourth in the Arctic regions to about one
twenty fifth at the Cape of Good Hope. 1t is
about one twelfth in the British Isles and in the
United States, increasing to one eighth in the
southern part of the latter.
MaTdi Gras--New Orleans and Mobile.
Eobr IN