The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-12-25
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

"A French beekeeper has eXperi-
mented with his bees as carriers of dis
patches. One difficulty OF the bee serv-
ice is that the insects will not return
over distance of more than two or
three miles.
Prof Mayer has calculated that if
the motion of the earth were suddenly
arrested, the temperature produced
would be sufficient to melt and even
volatile it: while, if it fell into the sun,
rs much heat would be produced as re-
suits from the combustion of 5000
spheres of carbon the size of our globe.
The aquatic plant, the bladd erwort,
feeds on animal life. The tiny bladders
attached to the leaves and leaf stalks
are each furnished with a door. the
whole acting on the cell-trap principle.
ANY small water creature that ventures
to peep in it is seized in the clutches OF
the murGe1ous plant and is at once
swallowed and assimlated.
In Virginia there are Is, 900, 900 acres
of arabic land lying untitled. The
greater part of it is the property of
large holders who get no income from
it, and who do not possess the capital
needed for its cultivation The state
authorities have come to their aid and
are striving to attract immigrants who
will take it up and put it to service.
Prof. Huntington, of Cambridge,
said in recent lecture that meteorite
which fell in Russia in 1856 contained
Aearbon in Ibs'. erystallized form of the
gest an explanation of the origin of
diamonds, which has never been salts
factorily explained.
The last bulletin of the American
Geographical society contains an inter-
esting paper on the curious discovery
of human remains under the Tuolumne
Table mountain of California. Bones
of men and grinding instruments were
there found by Prof, Whitney, inn
bcdded in aurifcrons gravel under lava
at the foot of the mountain. Remains
of plants belonging to the Tertiary
age, and the bones of extinct NAM
malta, such as the rhinoceros of the
west and the American mastodon, are
also met with in the same strata.
During the past ten years there has
been decided increase in the fishing
interests of Washington, notably in the
oyster fishery, the yield of which has
advanced from 5000 to go, 993 bushels;
in the salmon fishery, in which the
catch in 1850 was reported to be 800 600
pounds. and in 1883 was $3.50 739
pounds; in the vessel fishery for food
species (including halibut and salt sal
NOM which has been established in re-
cent years, and the product of which in
1855 amounted to CSC, 900 pounds. The
fur-seal fishery has declined considera-
bly, in value, though to a less extent in
number of skins
One of the earliest accounts of star
showers is that which relates how, in
472, the sky at Constantinople appeared
to be alive with flying stars and mete-
ors. In some eastern annals we are told
that in October, 1902, the stars APP
peared like waves upon the sky. They
flew about like grasshoppers and were
dispersed from left to right" 1t is re-
corded that in the time of King William
ii. there occurred in England Il wonder
full shower of stars. which seemed to
fall like rain from heaven. An eye-wit-
ness seeing where an acrolite fell, cast
water upon it, which was raised in
steam with great noise of boiling
Some years ago American cotton
seed was planted in Turkestan, and the
development has been something phe-
nomenal. In 1854 about 360, 900 pounds
of cotton were exported, while the proG-
uct for this year is expected to reach
8, 500, 900 pools, or about 12G, 100000
pounds. At this rate of increase Asia
threatens to become very formidable
rival to the cotton production of the
United States. The Asiatic as well as
the Egyptian cotton is packed much
heater than our cotton, and is com
pressed so tightly as to almost preclude
the possibility of spontaneous combus-
ton or other causes which cause fires
on shipboard and as consequence it
is preferred by shippers, and is carried
at lower rate of insurance. N. y.
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