Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-05-23
STRAY eITs

The United States government pays N
nually TO the railroads the sum OF nearly
SO OO0, 900 for carrying the mails
The oyster Is one Of the strongest Great
ures on the earth. The force required to
open an oyster IL more than l, 800 smes it
weight.
Each member Of congress gets about
5000 envelopes full Of seeds every year, and
the bill Uncle Sam pays for them amounts
to about 100000.
near New London, from which the friends
of Yale and Harvard have watched many
boat races, has been graded out Of exist
ence.
During the last six years s,62i women
have sought divorce in France as compared
with $500 men. Ten men and l65 women
sought divorce while under twenty years
of age
Silkworms when newly Matched scarcely
weigh one-quarter Of an ounce, yet in the
course Of their life, which only lasts about
thirty five days, they will consume between
5000 and 1000 pounds of leaves.
In each ton Of camphor wood brought to
the United States from Japan there il Is
per cent. Of camphor and rs per cent. Of
waste. Moreover, one-half of the camphor
evaporates during the sea voyage, leaving
l2Is per cent. Of the drug after reduction.
Depots for the collection Of pine cones
have been established in Vermont. The
seeds are failed out. placed in bags, and
shipped direct to France and Germany, to
be used by these governments in renewing
the forests. One bushel Of cones yields .
pound of seed.
1t will surprise many readers to know
that Castle Garden, New York, is nothing
less than "a fortress extended and built over,
and THAT in the early part Of the century it
was considered u stronger building than
Castle William, which fronts it across the
way on Governors Island.
The sense by which we appreciate the
sweetness of bodies is liable to singular
notifications For the leaves Of the Gym
nema sylvestre, plant Of India, when
chewed, take away the taste of sugar for
twenty-four hours, without otherwise in
juring the general sense OF taste.
A lady in Americas, Ga, is using lamp
chimney she has had and used daily for the
past eight years, and she expects to use it
for many years yet She says that she
boiled it in salt and water when it was
bought in 1882, and no matter how large .
fame runs through it. it won't break.
A relic Of great value has been stolen
from the army museum in the arsenal at
Vienna-namely, the field marshal's staff
Of Gen. Radetzky, given to him in 1850 by
the emperor. 1t was solid gold weighing
three pounds, and was studded with diar
monds, rubies, emeralds and other precious
stones.
By the thirty -eighth annual report Of the
Ragged School Shoeblack society Of Eng
land, it appears that the weekly average
earnings of each boy is s4.5G. OF this sum,
accWding to the system Of division, e il
paid to the boy wages, ST. Is is saved up
for him in his bank. and Sis retained by
the society, which provides comfortable
home and an evening school.
A successful English physician Of 4
dimes at .:aO every evening and goes to bed
at g. He rises at 2 in the morning, reads
two hours and writes three hours. He eats
breakfast at and goes to bed again, rising
at IL. lie rrnetises his profession between
noon and I in the evening The amount
and quality Of his work are wonderful, and
within five years he has risen to a foremost
place in the profession.
VAN HoUTEN's CocoA-.'O tried.
always used mar2spnh1~nr