The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-02-14
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

The Evan Hall plantation in Louis
lana has already turned out 1000, 900
pounds of sugar, with more than half
the crop of cane yet to grind
"A new insecticide has been recon-
mended by Prof. j. b. Smith, viz, pot
ash in the form of muriate and kainit.
In the proportion of one ounce to one
pint of water muriate of potash de-
stroys plant lice, mealy bugs, bark lice
and Thousand legs"
Not only is It now conceded that
new species can originate by hybridi-
zation, but new genera also. S0phro-
cdtIeyd is a new genus recently estab-
ished, which was actually raised by
cross between Sophronttes and Oat-
byd-two well known and very distinct
genera of orchidaceous plants.
Cincinnati, besides making 200, 600
sets Of harness, turns out 90, 900 saddles
annually. The saddles are of rude
manufacture, however, and do not COM
pare with the English article. The
finest American saddle made does not
sell for more than $50, while the En-
glish make are up as high as $3.50 apiece,
and they are worth it, says a manufac-
turer.
"A well-known manufacturer claims
that the only proper way of making
ready-mixed paint in which there is
considerable portion of white lead and
zinc white present, to keep indefinitely,
Is to emulsify the OIL This prevents
the chemical action which the painter
knows as "fatting''-that is, prevents
the formation of that particular kind of
lead soap which will not dry.
Professor Kirchoff, of Halle, in an
article speaks of the anxiety with
which scientific men looked for the
meeting of the international conference
on degree measurement, for observa-
tions seemed to show that a decrease in
latitude was in process, implying an al
teration in the direction of the earth's
axis. The fluctuation observed is prob
ably due to minute oscillation caused
by some changes in the internal mass of
the planet.-English Mechanic.
1t is not often that lost art is re-
covered, but it is said that the chemists
have triumphed in the matter of the an
cient "Alexandrian blue" This blue,
the ideal of painters and decorators, was
a peculiar and remarkably durable
color. The chemists are said to have
achieved successful analysis of the
coloring on the Pompeiian frescoes, and
to have reproduced the paint, identical
with the ancient coloring in every par
ticular.
1t appears from the studies of Mr..
R. p Bigelow on the habits of the Por-
| tuguese man-of-war, that this interest
ing iell-fsh feeds largely on small fish,
which, swimming against its tentacles
are caught and benumbed. The fish
struggling to free themselves from con-
tact with the poisonous tentacles, cause
the latter to contract, and thus the prey
is drawn up to the feedingbells. If the
fish does not struggle, the tentacles fail
to contract The feeding-bells spread
themselves over the fish and digest it.
The Seattle Telegraph puts forth
some useful information about that
smart young city and its progressive
State. Seattle's jobbing trade last year
was about S35, ,000,0 900, gain of SIS, ,O00,-
600 over the previous year. Her bank
clearances aggregated almost S54, ,000,-
600. She started five new banks, built
1,SS7 new buildings, costing over Sc, ,O00,-
900, and dealt in real estate to the value
of $23, 600, 900. The lumber output OF
the State was large; the grain yield
$4,000, 900 bushels. The State exported
$4,000, 900 more of products than she i'm
ported; mined coal in sixteen counties
and built All miles of road.
The remarkably rapid growth OF
some plants almost equals that o:
Jonah's gourd of the olden time. 1t has
recently been noted that in one twenty
four hours of an April day-the Eas
India summer-a bamboo made thirteer
inches of growth. This is well for tht
tropics, but here in temperate regions
are often growths no less remarkable
At a recent meeting of the Academy o
Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, ;
shoot of a Japan plant, Pueraria Thun
bergianum, was exhibited siXty-five fee
in length, the whole of which had beer
produced near that city between Ma,
1st and September 1st. Six inches ;
day being the average-no doubt, create
at times, is as good as the East Indian
case, considering difference of climate