The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-01-15
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

According to the official figures the
total quantity of wine produced in Spain
last year was COS, 157, SOC gallons, the
vineyards being about 4,276. $50 acres in
extent This production exceeds that
of France by nearly 5000, 900 gallons.
About $1,000 corn cob pipes are
daily manufactured in this country, all
being made in three factories at St
Louis, Greenwood, Neb., and in Kansas
The cobs are all procured in Missouri,
and are all supplied by the Collier va
riety of corn, on which they grow usu-
ally heavy, woody and hard.
"A great obstacle to the manufac-
ture of lead pencils will soon arise in
the scarcity of soft cedar wood. At
present the wood used in all the lead
pencils in the world comes from Florida
and that supply is expected to be ex-
hausted within FIVE years.
1t has recently been estimated that
in the world at large 1000 manufac-
turers produce yearly 900, 900, OOo kilo-
grammes of paper. Three hundred mil
lion is used in periodicals, and the re-
mainder in books, brochures CONNER
cial circulars, etc. The amount used in
periodicals has increased one-third in
ten years, and is constantly growing
Quill toothpicks came first of all
from France. The largest factory in
the world is near Paris, where there is
an animal product of 10000, COO quilts
The factory started TO make quill pens,
A..s xw.t,o 81. Il
1t was converted into toothpick mill.
The number of geese raised by the far
mers in the surrounding country to sup
ply quilts must be very great
1t is calculated that the deficient
crop of last season in New Zealand. as
compared with ordinary seasons, means
loss to farmers of over $500 OF
this total, wheat represents S45S, S95,
oats 500, $50, barley S12.5oO, and pota-
toes SIS, 000 With the fair prospects Of
good season and the high prices, that
will inevitably rule, next seasons re-
turns may possibly almost wipe ont
last seasons loss.
Many German engineers prefer ma
sorry to iron for bridges. and they have
revived the practice of building masonry
bridges with lead joints at the key and
points of rupture near the spring lines.
The Romans used sheets of lead be-
tween cut stones, and in bridges built
in England in 1888 bands of lead were
placed in the joints for two-thirds of
the distance above the springing line.
The use of lead is for maintaining the
proper interval of joint and for uniform
ly distributing the pressures.
Diamonds, according to an experts
classification, have sex as well as other
attributes not known to common folk.
Here, said jeweler, lis a specimen
that will prove to you that there is a
difference of sex in gems. That is what
is called the female, multiplying dia-
mond." He held the gem under strong
magnifying glass and pointed to four or
five smaller diamonds clustered about
one of the facets at the edge of the
table of the stone. THE male gen."
the jeweler said, sis sharp pointed and
never gathers these embryo gems"
AT a recent meeting of the Paris
Academy of Sciences, NJ. Rommier sead
a paper on the yeast of wine; the bou-
quet, or aroma, of the wine made from
srep~s of the same species but grown
in different districts, being quite dis
tinct The characteristic bouquet seems
to be due to the district and wine from
shifted vines or cuttings does not neces-
sarily possess the special flavor of the
original when planted in other districts.
1t is known that the best wines are pro-
duced from grapes raised on volcanic
soils