Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-01-15

NEGROES IN missouri nave plunged INTO
ghost dancing with a fanactic enthusiasm
that rivals even the craze of the In
dlans. They have Messiah of their
own, and theiY religious revels take them
back to ancient savagery. If this thing
keeps on we may have all the semi-ciVilized
peoples on tie continent going off
into this lugubrius business.
The Copley medal for original sclen-
tifc research has been awarded for 1890 to
Prof. Sipon Newcomb of the naval obser
vato1y at Washington, The astronomer
who holds the chair of mathematics and as
tronomy at Johns Hopkins university.
Few Americans have received this distinc-
ton, which has been bestowed for 40 years
upon famous scientists of England, France
and Germany.
ACCORDING to Senator Teller, the pros
pect for the copyright bill in the senate
il rood. Mr.. Teller does not believe
In it himself but he does believe
the public 'favors its passage, and SO he
has put the DILL in Senator Platt's hands,
and thinks the senate will pass it without
merGment, and it will be law within 80
days.
The manufacture OF automatic cans of
packing fruits is now great industry in
California, the machine for this purpose
being masterpiece Of ingenuity. The
process is begun by a set of steam scissors
cutting a piece of tin IA 20 into four
parts, which is passed to a feeder, then
fed by a rosin flux of oil; then by means of
clamps on revolving wheel, the can is
formed, carried through its various pro-
Gesses by means of steam tramways to the
finishing touch, hydraulic machine, that
is, which dips it into hot water and sub
jects it to test pressure, lastly depositing
it IN crates, perfect can for fruit pack
ing made without any inside solder and
free from acid.-American Econ omist.
THE Rural New Yorker says the win
ners Of the first and second prizes offered
by the American Agriculturist for the
largest yields of potatoes the past season
are both western men. The first prize
went to William ]. Sturgis, of Johnson
county, Wy, for yield of 974 bushels and
48 pounds on one acre without fertilizers
or manures of any kind. 1t was virgin
soil, however, rich in potash and copi-
ousIy irrigated with water rich in saline
matter. The second largest yield from
one acre was obtained 10y r. A. Chrisholm
in southern Colorado, who grew SAT bush
els This was fertilized with |, 900 pounds
OF the Mapes potato manure. This acre
adjoined the acre which received the sixth
prize for 491 bushels IN 1879, and which
was fertilized with stable manure.
THE DEADLY CIGARETTE.
A cigarette bill has recently passed the
Georgia legislature. 1t makes it crime
to sell or give a cigarette Or cigarette pa
per to any minor Illinois has such a law
also. The city of Frankfort, Ky, pro-
hibits the entire sale of cigarettes. This
shows how it is regarded by careful legis
lators. Business managers of large COM
meIcial enterprises begin to understand
that the habit incapaeitates for business
prominent business house in an eastern
city has a sign over the cashiers desk:
"No cigarette smoking by our men" AS
a result, "a couple of hundred clerks are
said to be superior to those other houses
in the same line of business.
GEN. BOOTHS MILLION.
We see it stated that funds are stead
lily pouring in toward General Booth
million" He asked for 100000, at the
outset of his effort to put his benefcent
scheme in practice and at last accounts
had received in pledges $685. 900 The in
terest shown in his proposed methods of
relief for the denizens of Darkest Eng
land, is really quite surprising. 1t goes
to show at any rate. that the apparent
apathy on this subject, of which COM
plant has so often been made, may have
been very much due to the fact that no
plan or work in that behalf, appealing at
once to sympathy and to common sense,
had been proposed