The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-30
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

I'm Mexico there is q small euphor-
biacoous treo, named hurd crepitdns,
which ejocts its seeds from tho capsules
with worry loud and disagrooable noise
Tho beliof that chimney-swoep's
cancer Is disappearing from London
with improvement in methods of sweep.
Ing docs not seem to be we'll founded.
DR.. Butlin shows from tho registrar
generals statistics that the liability of
tho sweeps to malignant disease is
about eight times as great as tho aver
age liability of all males.
Two years experience at the Brook
Ign bridge upon the comparative cost of
cable haulage and of locomotive haulage
shows that while the cost per car-mile
is in tho case of cables but 8. IL cents
that by locomotive is So 10 cents 1t
must, however, be remembered that
Brooklyn bridge is especially favorable
to cabIo work.
In our Indian mail we find that q
German company has got tho contract
for the first Siameso railway. Tho line
will DO 1875 miles long from Bangkok to
Koran. German rails and machinery
will be used, and German engineers
will be mostly appointed. Mr.. Bathze,
in charge OF tho work, promises to lay
tho line down for FL, 600, OOO. -Engineer-
ing and Mining journal.
1t is stated that the cultivation Of
cotton is assuming large proportions in
Russia Tho cotton manufacturers Of
certain sections of the empire arc buy
ing large quantities of American cotton
seed and giving it to farmers for cultiva-
ton. Russian capitalists also are begin
ming to interest themselves to consid-
cradle extent in cotton growing.
"A discovery of petroleum is reported
to have been made at the foot of a hill
named tho Puy do la Polk, four miles
from Clcrmont, in Auvcrgne. Tho nap
tina which exudcs from the rock is equal
to Baku or Pennsylvania oil, and geolo-
gists arc of the opinion that it extends
in subtcrrnncan sheet ovor tho vast
plain Of Limagnc, and is probably to be
found at depth of 1000 feet
San Diego County, California, is an
unusually productive region. Last year,
1t sent out ten thousand tons of oranges
and other fruits, ono hundred and fifty
thousand tons of hay and grain, twenty
thousand tons Of vegetables and two
thousand five hundred tons of raisins.
An experienced raisin-grower estimates
CALIFORNIA; raisin yield as superior to
that of Spain, which has boon so long
considered the best source of supply.
The fact that certain red stars havo
disappeared from the heavens has re-
Gently boon noted by Mr. Birmingham.
of Tuam, Ireland. who also mentions
that other stars OF tho Same color have
undergone extraordinary changes in
brilliancy. Tho cause of this variability
In colored stars is unknown IL is sup
posed, however, that red stars arc or
dinarily in an ember-like condition and
are occasionally heated to whitcness in
some manner not yet understood.
Lieutenant II. b. Vaughn, in q re-
port of his journey in Eastern Persia.
remarks that among the animals seen
wero snakes which used to climb
bushes, and, hitching their tails around
bough, would stick their bodies out in
imitation of a withcred branch and thus
remain motionloss for hours. My serv-
ant said that they were waiting for n
bird TO come and perch on them. when
they would Immediately strike it" If
this be authentic, it ascribes an amount
of consciousness to the reptile which
may be referred 10 the psychologists for
consideration.