The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-05-06
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

The Scientific American thinks tina
the devices for sending torpedoes to de
stroy any vessel three miles from shor'
in safety, through any kind of sea, may
also be used in sending lifeboats al
equal distance to rescue passengers from
q wreck.
Two marked improvements have
recently been made in the use of gas fol
lighthouse illumination. One is process.
of enriching gas made from ordinary
coking coal by the addition of hydro
carbon and heated air. The other is the
new dioptric lens.
MIR. Sinclair has discovered a new
mode of respiration in myriapods, the
breathing organ in scutigera holding
a position intermediate between the
trachee of myriapods and the lungs OF
spiders. He holds that the trachea
have developed into the lungs of spiders
and scorpions.
1t is stated that German firm has
perfected a means of making profita.
BILE disposition of sawdust by which il
is applied to a mechanical use and has
thus far been attended with success
An acid is mixed with the sawdust and
the whole mass nodded into blocks OF
any other form, resulting in a fine ma
terial for building purposes. The blocks
assume extreme hardness of surface and
are practically non-combustible.
-Double-headed snakes have beer
known to occur; and in u German jour
nal DIR. Collins, of Berlin, describes and
figures double-tailed earthworm, and
mentions four other cases of such NAL
formations. Double-tailed lizards have
occurred, also double-headed and dou-
ble-tailed fishes. DR.. Collins infers that
all such cases as double tails are due to
abnormal processes of regeneration,
after the original tail has been lost.
1t has been finally settled that the
shoe and leather industry will have a
separate building at the worlds fair.
Representatives of that industry have
accepted the site offered them, and will
erect, at an expense of 100000, build.
ing, measuring $50 by 800 feet, in which
they will show an almost endless array
of leather products, and every process
in their manufacture from the raw hide
to the most finished article.
The Schweizerische BauzeitunR pub
fishes very interesting note concern
ing the influence of steam on magnets.
When heated by steam they lose from
80 to 81 per cent. of their magnetic
power. But if, after being remagne-
tiled, they are again submitted to the
action of heat, the loss of power is insig-
nificant, and diminishes as often as the
operation is repeated. This would seem
to point to the means of permanently
magnetizing pieces of steel.
Honey could be immensely i'm
proved by the planting of the flowers
known to yield fine favored nectar.
Everyone knows the difference in the
quality of the comb contents in differ
ent parts of the same country and in
different regions. The Narbonne honey
obtains its fine flavor by being harvested
chiefly from labiate plants, such as rose
mary, etc, and though it appears that
the Maltese honey does not, as often
stated, owe it's fine aroma to orange
blossoms, the latter undeniably per.
fumes the Greek honey.
The census bulletin shows the total
area of land devoted to the cultivation
of hemp in the United States in 1889, tc
have been 25,054 acres, and the produce
ton of fiber 1l,51l tons, valued at
81, 1O2,602 The average yield per acre
is 1929 pounds, and the average value
per acre s44.01 or s95.79 per ton. Ken
lucky produced 1887 of the total hemp
crop of the country. Illinois produced
ABB per cent. and the remaining six
states from which hemp was reported
had an aggregate yield of only l6l tons
Following are some interesting sta
tistics of the rapidly developing industry
of Argentina. The area of the cane plan
tations this year is AZ, 500 acres, which, al
the usual rate of production, will yield
1873, 900, 900 pounds of cane. The area
of cultivation in 1889 WAS 34,250 acres
and the yield was 1,507, 200 pounds Of
cane. The gross value of the crop this
year is estimated at sl2, $50, 900, as com
pared with o., 1875, 900 in 1889. There are
thirty-six sugar factories, representing
capital value of about $50, 100000 in
gold. The actual production in 1873.
was 77,OOO.OOO pounds, and this years
yield is estimated at $4,000, 900 pounds
or 50, 500 hogsheads. chicago Herald.