Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1890-03-15
=, 81 - ~ 50 = - y 4
ODDS AND ENDS.

-
stsyc,.iaia. the active principal Of
t;ie isa:,, vo:nica bean, is SO intensely
bitter rs to i:?lpart a sensible bitter
Taste TO COO, times It's weight of
water.
When the flower OF the chickweed
expands boldly and fully, no rain will
happen for four hours or upwards. If
it partly conceals its flower, the day is
showery; if wholly, stormy day.
Belgian farmers have become
alarmed at tho way in which the
frogs arc being exhausted by French
pot hunters, aud havo pettioned the
king to forbid killing frogs during GER
tain months of the year, as IS done
with other game, Tho farmers re-
gard the frogs as valuable slug and in
sect destroyeS.
In Germany, women physicians,
however well qualified, have no legal
standing, and are forbidden to sign q
prescription. No matter what their
attachments, they are only regarded as
dabblels (Kurpfuscher). Thoughtful
German women, however, are begin
ming to put in plea for women doc
tors.
The expectations from Florida for
the last six nfeuths of 1889 were
valued at SIS, 46S, sol. Among the ar
ticles exported were 100000 pounds
of sugar, 10000 head OF cattle, no.
O0O. 900 cigars, SEQ, 900 worth of alliga-
tor hides, So, Ill, 74O worth Of lumber,
81, SS7, ia worth OF fruits and vegeta-
bles and SSO5, 900 worth of sponges.
The small letter 81" was formerly
written without the dot. The dot was
introduced in the Fourteenth century
to distinguish q" from &c" in hasty
and indistinct writing. The letter 81"
was originally used where j" is now
employed. The distinction between
''is and j" was introduced by the
Dutch printers at q comparatively re-
cent date, and the ''j'' was dotted be-
cause the Il" from which it was de-
rived was written with n dot
At a late meeting of the Royal b.
tanic society an interesting sweet
scented fern from the societys garden
was exhibited. The perfume closely re-
sembles that of pressed hay; and, like
it, is retained after the frond is dry,
and lasts for many months, if not
years, imprting its fragrance to any
thing in contact with it. The secre-
tary thought it might be grown as a
source of perfume by amateurs, if not
commercially. AS yet itappeared to be
little known in collections OF exotic
ferns.
During the last year Signor Crispi
authorized payments to the amount Of
nearly half million francs to Italian
newspapers friendly 10 the govern
ment and himself personally. OF this
sum 225, coo francs went to newspapers
in Rome, $4,000 francs to the Neapoli-
tan press, 10000 francs to newspapers
at Milan, $4,000 francs to ministerial
organs at Turin, $4,000 to Venice and
10000 francs to Florence. The bal
ance was spent on Tie SiciGan press
and individual correspondents.
The pony is the horse Of hardshirs,
says horscman in an exchange, and
one that has sprung from some poor
country where he has ever been the
child Of neglect, he and all the prede-
cessors of his race. In rich country
like the horse regions Of kentucky, for
instance, his pony characteristics
would invariably run out in the course
of afew generations. He isnot dis
tinct strain. as many would seem to
suppose. He doubtless sprang orgi-
nally from as good a strain of horses as
the world knew of at the time, and his
present reduced size and characteristic
toughness have resulted unQuestiona-
bly, from local circumstances.