The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1890-03-21
ODDS AND ENDS.

Strychnia, the active principal of
the nux vomica bean, Ii SO intensely
bitter as To impart q sensible bitter
taste TO 600,0 900 times its weight oil
water.
When the flower OF the chickweed
expands boldly and fully, no rain will
happen for four hours or upwards. II
it partly conceals its flower, the day is
showery; il wholly, a stormy day.
Belgian farmers have become
alarmed at the way in which the
frogs are being exhausted by French
pot hunters, aud have petitioned the
king to forbid killing frogs during Ger.
tain months Of the year, as is done
with other game. The farmers re.
gard the frogs as valuable slug and in.
sect destroyers.
In Germany, women physicians,
however we'll qualified, have no legal
standing, and are forbidden to sign q
prescription. No matter what their
attachments, they are only regarded as
dubblers (Kurpfuscher). Thoughtful
German women, however, are begin
ming to put in a plea for women doc,
tors.
The expectations from Florida 70,
the last six months of 1889 were
valued at $1S, 46S, S01. Among the ar
ticles exported were 2,70O, 900 pounds
of sugar, $4,000 head of cattle, l40,.
600, 900 cigars, $40, 900 worth of alliga.
tor hides, 50, i'll, 740 worth of lumber,
81, 1857, ia worth of fruits and vegeta.
bles and $3O5. 900 worth of sponges.
The small letter ii" was formerly
written without the dot. The dot was
introduced in the Fourteenth century
to distinguish ii" from 'e" in hasty
and indistinct writing. The letter "i''
was originally used where Il" is now
employed. The distinction between
Il" and u" was introduced by the
Dutch printers at comparatively re.
cent date, and the 81" was dotted be,
cause the ii" from which it was de.
rived was written with 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, imparting 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 to the govern.
ment and himself personally. Of this
sum 225, 600 francs went to newspapers
in Rome, $4,000 francs to the Neapoli.
tan press, 1000 francs to newspapers
at Milan, $4,000 francs to ministerial
organs at Turin, 25, 900 to Venice and
10000 francs to Florence. The bal
ance was spent on the Sicilian press
and individual correspondents.
The pony is the horse of hardships,
says a horseman 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 few generations. He is not dis
tinct strain, as many would seem to
suppose. He doubtless sprang origi-
nally from as good 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.