The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-09-13
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

About - 900 species of insects, on an
average, have boon discovered yearly
during the last century.
In some portions of the world at the
timo of full moon there is said to he n
tendency toward Ammunition Of clouds.
Beers, an Austrian sculptor, has
succeeded in discovering a process Tor
molding marble fluid precisely as bronze
is nodded.
The electric spark has been photo
graphed by means Of a special camera,
in which the sensitive plate rotated
9, 500 times a minute.
One car building company in Penn
sylvania has on hand orders for $4,000
freight cars. The largest order Is for
10, 900 cars.
Col. Zilimboff, of Siberia, claims to
have discovered in ordinary eggs an oil
by which he can greatly increase tho
force of explosives.
Mr.. +. A. Swinden, of brentwood,
Tex, has an orchard of 1000 pecan
trees-the largest orchard Of the kind
in the world. The average yield OF a
fu%ll-grown tree is about fourteen
bushels a year, which sells from 81 to 81
a bushel.
The camphor tree flourishes at
Tampa, Fla, and its cultivation is said
to be more profitable than any other
business in the State. Camphor can be
distilled at any season of the year and
the tree is not affected by heat or cold.
1t grows very rapidly. The process of
d%istillation is very simple.
"A new gas detector. proposed by Mr..
H. N. Warren, is formed by saturat-
ing asbestos yarn with a solution OF
platinum oxalate, and then igniting
in a platinum crucible. When heated
to eighty degrees Fahrenheit, this pre-
pared warn becomes incandescent in an
atmosphere containing 0.5 per cent. by
volume of coal gas.
Tho making OF wooden shoes Is quite
a business in New York. Not only is
there a big demand for wooden-soled
shoes required by workers in certain
trades, but for the wooden sabots such
as are seen in pictures of life abroad
French and German women arc the
principal buyerso OF wooden shoes. These
shoes cost about $1.25 a pair. They are
mostly worn in the East Side tenement
district.
Tho question, GLOW is it that tele
graph lines make a musical sound wheI
there is no p~erceptible breeze blowing?'
is thus answered by the Scientific
American: There seems to be particu
lar directions and strengths OF wint
that correspond with the natural vibra
ton period OF the wires. A strong win'
out Of accord may ave little effect
where a slight wind in accord has
powerful effect"
The economy OF small electric mo
, tors for industrial purposes is shown II
a shoe factory in Brockton, Mass, wher
for the last year and a half q twenty
five-horse power motor has been run
ming the machinery. This is being re
| placed with three motors of fifteen, to-
, and fve-horse power respectively, an
. o saving OF six-horse power is looked 70
from the change. The electric powe
company that furnishes h curren
v arrees to charge less for the curren
for the three small motors than it di
for tho one large one.- n. Y. Sun.
j. w. Fewkes tells in the America
q Naturalist that vegetation exists In nc
springs. The highest temperature o
!, record in which 1t occurs Is 2OO0 i
This indicates that vegetation may hav
:. occurred at a much earlier stage OF tn
earth's history than has been general
supposed. The prevailing form OF veg'
O tation in these heated waters is alga
Diatoms also occur, but sparingly. The
il have been found in Nevada at a tempe
U ature at which the vegetation Of h'
n springs is most fiourishing, but usual
l. occur in great abundance in the coole
waters Of hot springs.