The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-10-30
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

-Prunes aEe very profitable crop in
California. One grove" expects to get
$1,000 for his crop.
There are 10000, 100000 reet of un.
cut lumber in the basin tributary tc
Gray's Harbor, Wash.
The owner of a new tire, made Of
hollow spring steel, circular, oval, oI
square, thinks that it will succeed rub
Der tires for wagons or bicycles It car
be fixed on so that it can never come off.
Carleton College Observatory ha:
issued star catalogue giving the exact
places of GA companion stars" as de.
termined by original Observations. II
represents two and half years of work,
and is a valuable contribution to astro
nomical science
Two French biologists have con
cluded that microbes are not killed di
rectly by the electric currents ordinarily
used in medical work, but that the oh
served destruction of bacteria has been
due to the disengagement of acids or oi
oxygen.
An enthusiastic entomologist is re.
ceiving daily from the local ineman the
moths which find their way into the arc
lamp globe in an adjacent street during
the night Birds are fearlessly build
ing their nests in the hoods of the
lamps, and we are told that an electric
light superintendent in Nashville re-
ceived unique present from colored
workman in the form of sack full OF
in,
the hood of an electric lamp, where ii
had settled the day before.
Some months age Prof. Schiaparelli
announced the astonishing conclusion
that the planet Mercury rotates on its
axis in the same period of time in which
it revolves around the sun, and the
eminent Italian astronomer has now
brought forward evidence tending to
similar conclusion with regard to Venus
If these views prove correct, both Mer-
curry and Venus must turn one side con.
stantly to the sun, just as our moon al.
ways turns the same side toward the
earth.-Arkansaw Traveller.
A recent communication to the
Academic de Medicine respecting DR..
Mesnet's Investigations as to stigmata.
or c5iches, as they are now often called
shows that if pressure on the skin OF
susceptible subjects is made in the form
of letters, such letters are clearly dis
tinguishable when nervous derange
ment causes the skin to change color
In one experiment the words La Ma
ture' were traced out on a patients
1o+ - Fo, Toe
developed in color. 1t is observed that
people susceptible to stigmata are hys.
terical or epileptic, and frequently ex,
perience local want of sensation.-En.
glish Mechanic.
Great Britain is the center of the
small fruit industry of the word. Ac.
cording to recent statistics, tie areas
devoted to small fruit culture there, in.
including the cultivation between the
trees in orchards, aggregate 1862 acres.
The annual value to the growers aver.
ages from SIS, 600, 900 to $4,000, 600. The
industry has been veritable boon tc
English agriculturists. Small fruit
growing is taking the place of unpIotit.
able root and grain crops. In the cDun-
ty of Kent alone there are al out So.
600 persons engaged as growers. pickers
and packers in the production of jams,
and over 10000 tons of sugar is used
annually in the industry.-San Fran.
cisco Bulletin.
Wood brought to mirror polish i,
coming into use for ornamental pur
poses in Germany, and has this advan
tage, that, unlike metal, it is not at
fected by moisture. The stuff is first
treated with bath of caustic alkali for
two or three days, at temperature be
tween 1914 degrees and 1877 degrees F.
Next comes a dip in hydrosulphate o.
calcium, for from twenty-four to thirty,
six hours, after which concentrated
solution of sulphur is added. After
another soak in an acetate of lead solu.
tion, at 95 degrees to 100 degrees F., ii
is thoroughly dried and polished with
lead, tin or zinc, as may be desired
when it resembles shining metal.-Sci
entifc American.