The Bossier banner., 1891-11-19
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

queen of Sheba have not been found IN
Mashonaland whence the wonderful
gold of Ophir Is supposed to have come.
But the Zimbal ruins show that this
strange country was once the scene of
| a mighty civilization.
The water of the central basin OF
the Mediterranean has been found to
be warmer, denser and richer in dis
solved salts than the western. While
white disk was easily visible at forty
three metres, Photographic plates were
| affected at 500 metres.
Machines for opening and cleaning
cotton have recently been improved by
an automatic feeding apparatus, applied
to the feed apron, and by means OF
which one man can tend two machines
when being fed with raw or bail cotton
easier than he could heretofore tend
one. A large amount of seeds and leaf
is extracted by this device.
A German botanist, Mr.. Regel, has
recently given to the public the result
of his researches as to the causes of the
perfumes of plants, and the factors
which diminish or increase them. Light
and heat naturally plays very import
ant role Darkness prevented the de-
velepment of perfume in flowers of
which the buds were only slightly ad-
vanced when submitted to it's influence,
and even the plants whose flowers ex
hailed perfume only at night lost their
odor if compelled to live in continued
darkness.-Paris Revue Scientifque.
1t has been claimed that the seeds
taken from ancient Egyptian tOmbs are
capable of growth, but proof of the
claim is lacking. 1t has been demon
started, however, that seeds of very
great age are capable of development.
Raspberries have been raised from seed
taken from the stomach of man who
died during the time of Emperor Had
rian, who reigned in the second century
of our era Think of it, a seed spring.
ing into new life, after lying dormant
sixteen centuries
Some idea of the faith and patience
which the California miner displays
may be gained from the case of the Cen
tennial gravel mine in Nevada county.
For eighteen years work has been car
ried on in tunnel which is now one.
third of mile into the mountain to a
large vein of blue gravel that always
carries large amount of gold. About
$3.50, 900 has been spent in these years
without a cent in return, yet the stock
holders are confident that when divi-
dends begin they will soon compensate
for the long delay.
1t is reported that recent borings foI
srtesian wells in South Dakota have
. disclosed an extraordinary variety OF
=. clays, gravels and quicksands, hundreds
|. of feet deep, beneath which is hard
rock resent bling granite. The cretaceous
formation abounds with remains o.
plants, animals and fossils, among
which are those of fig tree and five
new species of fish, three of them here
tofore unknown to science. This OF
itself is interesting, but most extraor-
dinary is the conclusion drawn by
" scientific men that the area lying be.
. tween the quartz line and the Lauren
:. tian- Huronian line was once the bed oi
: ;, a sea.-N. Y. Recorder.
Paper is fighting wood hard in the
manufacture of boxes, buckets and ever
packing cases, and 50 perfect is the
= manufacturing process that in many in
:, stances nothing but the wonderful diff
ference in weight can afford clue tC
the presence of paper in the manufac
- ture. Paper packing cases arc inde
structible, apparently, and the saving
> they effect in freight is enormous
Thousands of dollars are already in
:. vested in this comparatively new indus
t.y, and a new company with 81, 25o, 90
capital has bec1 organized to introduc'
,v paper boards into other lines
n The successful voyage of the whale
= back steamer, Charles w. WetmorG
from Duluth to Liverpool, with carg
of wheat, is an event of unusual inter
>, est, and brings the plans of the lax
shipbuilders to the front. Capt. Nc
!, Dougal says that his company will la
:, the keels for ten more whaleback boat
for service on the Atlantic, Soon tn
% captain also says that they will build {
n least one high-speed whaleb back steame
for service during the worlds fai
This will be 45O feet long, with a
- commodations for 2,0OO passengers. :
Railroad Gazette.
"A writer in the Chemical News say
n "While analyzing qualitatively mi
IT, ture containing iodides and bromides,
I occurred to me, as my starched pap
~ was gone, and l was disinclined
5o break off my work to make more thu
~ might find an efficient substitute
al ordinary white writing paper. tri
this, after moistening with water, al
found to my delight that it did as we
&c as the best staroh-paper that ever WI
~ prepared; and why not, seeing that,
the process of manufacture, writil
paper-or, indeed, any common paper
is finished with size, which contains
7as notable quantity of starch?'
20, Curious Instincts.
That birds can foresee a hard wint
4 l1.zf - o.o,,o,,1 +r, bo fOr,pdad {