The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-03-03
MISCELLANY.

DR.. Corrupt, a Belgian sanitary off
cial, reports the annual army death
rate to be 3.97 per cent. in Germany,
4.O7 in Belgium, 6 in France, and 6.94
in Austria-Hungary.
The bluish-grey color of the shell of
the crab and the lobster is found to be
due to the superpOsitiOn of the pigments,
one red and the other blue. The blue
pigment is easily destroyed, as by boil
ing and sometimes by disease, leaving
the red more stable and in all its bril-
liancy.
The element fourine is of great
interest to chemists, as it is the most
powerful solvent known. Hitherto it
has been found in nature only in a
state of combination, and has, been
isolated with the creates difficulty,
but two French investigators have
lately obtained evidence of its existence
IN a free state in fOurSpar.
THE ELECTRICAL MAP.-An i~nstruc-
tive scientific toy sold in paris consists
of a map with metallic plugs inserted
to mark the chief towns. Questions at
the sides of the map ask what are the
chief towns of the different Depart
ments, and also have a metallic plug
for each. A small electric bell and a
dry pile are provided. The child puts
one end of the conducting wire yer
any question plug and moves the other
end over the town plugs until the bell
rings, when the town is correctly
indicated.
A BLOOMING REGION.-The Maritime
Alps, a small department in southern
France blessed with an exceptionally
mild climate, makes a speciality of
growing flowers, particularly in the
winter season, the product has become
really astonishing, reaching al annual
total of 3,3OS, 900 Kilograms nearly
1900, 600 pOunds), having q value of
about Is, 900, 900 francs. This includes
1870, 900 Kilograms of orange blossoms
the chief crop; 1000, 900 Kilograms of
roses; 157, 900 Kilograms of violets;
147, 900 Kilograms of jonquils, and 90
600 kilograms of mignOnette.
BUILDING STONES AND FRosT.-An
English chemical journal reports a
series of experiments by Mr.. Bansch-
niger to determine the resistance to
frost of natural and artificial building
stones. From 3 to 6 pieces of each
kind were selected, and their tensile
strength, wet and dry, their capacity
for absorbing water, alteration in vol
ume, tensile strength and behavior
| toward water after freezing and throw
ing 25 times, and their specific gravity
were determined. Of samples of ri
different kinds of natural stones, only
zone of delOrite, one of diOrite, and 4
SandStOneS-Were found to resist re-
peated freezing, though others resisted
fairly but not absolutely. Of Al
| samples of artificial stone similarly
| tested, only 3 were thoroughly I'M
affected while s were fairly resistant.
The STEFANITE ALUMINIUM PROCESS.
"A minute percentage of aluminium
has the effect, as is we'll known, of
lowering the melting point of iron or
steel, making it extremely fluid, and
facilitating the production of castings
free from blOw-hOles. The new Stefanite
process, with which experiments have
been made in Germany, is designed to
lessen the cost of the alloy and make
its general use practicable. This pro-
cess consists simply in the addition of
emery and alum before the ron ore or
! pig is melted, the reaction Of the alum
on the emery giving rise to vapors of
; metallic aluminium, which instantly
alloy themselves with the iron, impart-
! ing the improved qualities which have
hitherto been gained by the addition
| of manufactured aluminium or ferrO-
aluminium.
LIKENESS OF CARRIED COUPLES
| Resemblance between husband and
wife have often been noted, and have
been ascribed to the influence eXerted
by each on the other during many years
of life together. This explanation, how
ever, does not satisfy M. Hermann Fol,
a careful French observer, who is con-
WINGED that in a large number of cases
| there isamOre. or less striking similarity
from the beginning, and who concludes
that in such cases marriage is due to
qualities possessed by the couple in
common, not to those in which they
| differ. The resemblance in the many
newly-married people visiting Nice
first drew his attention to the subject.
The curious phenomenon SO impressed
him that he obtained the photographs
of PSI couples for comparison, and he
found a resemblance between husband
and wife in 1872 about &C., per cent? of
the 1913 young couples represented, and
in 80 about III per cent? of the 50 old
couples.
TELEGRAPHIC CABLES.-When it is
! considered that some 10, 900 messages
daily I sent over the 10 cables con
Meeting Europe and North America,
something will be realized of the
present importance of submarine tele-
graphy. The cables Of the world,
according to Mr.. Geo. w. Niven, now
number 1915, of which 798 belonging to
governments and 247 to private com
panies. The total length is 100, 07O
nautical miles, of which 107, SAG miles
are owned by private telegraph com
panies, nearly all British, and II, 524
by governments. The Eastern Tele-
grayhic Company has 20 cables Of a
total length of II, 958 nautical miles.