The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-08-12
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.


propriated 12o, 900 francs (s24, 000) for
an exhibit at the worlds fair of the
Swiss matchmaking industry. 1t also
approved subsidies for exhibits of other
industries, including female work in
the manufacturing line.
London manufacturers of musical
Instruments have discovered that the
skill of their workmen has deteriorated
since the abolition of the apprentice sys-
tenn, and recommend a return to it
with a view to raise the standard of
British workmanship in the trade"
The deep sea explorations that have
been conducted by the Austrian govern
ment in the eastern part of the Medi-
terranean show greater depths than any
before recorded. and as a result, the
great depression of this sea must be
shifted considerably east from its for
mer central position on the maps.
Miss Ormerod, an English woman
who is enjoying high scientific repu-
tation, bit the tail of live triton some
years ago in order to study the effects of
the acrid secretion the animal gives out
when angry. She was seized with
spasms and commissions that lasted sew
eral hours, and sore throat that lasted
rs many days.
More shingles are being shipped to
the east from Puget Sound than ever
before. Twenty to twenty-five car
loads go east every day from Tacoma
alone. Last year the cut of shingles in
western Washington was 500, 600, 900,
and the sales about 425, 900, 900. This
year the cut will reach !, 900, 600, 600, and
the shipments 100000, O00.-N. y. Post
The healthiest children are those
whose mother has not reached 35 years
Those born of mothers between 35 and
40 years of age are 8 per cent
weaker, and those Of mothers of over 40
are ten per cent weaker. The children
of aged fathers and younger mothers
have, as a general thing, a strong con-
stitution, but if the parents are of the
same age, the children are less robust
AT the Royal gardens in Edinburgh
is a large insectivorous plant, of the
genus Roridula. The plant is native
of Tasmania. 1t is branching bush,
with filiform leaves, more sler Ter than
those of Drosera, and, like the latter,
furnished with glandular hairs, with
which it captures flies. The glandular
hairs of the leaf of Drosera will not
move on contact with Inorganic matter,
but will contract on minute piece Of
fresh meat in the space of twenty sec
onds. The insects most abundantly
captured by Drosera are ants.
1t appears that what have been con-
sidered a good" e., perfectly distinct
species of moths and butterflies, are
wet season and dry season" forms
of the same insect. Several so-called
species, some described even by Lin
naus have been shown by Mr.. Jenner
Weir to be such FORMS We thus have
not only winter and summer forms, or
seasonal varieties, but wet season"
and dry season varieties of forms.
| Thus species" are more and more, as
closer observations are made, becoming
arbitrary, or artificial sets of individ-
uals
| The Lighthouse board has received
information relating to a magnesium
fash light, which, it is said, is going to
prove far superior to anything which is
yet known for lighthouse purposes.
The light, which was devised by Prof.
Schirm, of Berlin, Germany, is pro-
duced by blowing a small quantity of
magnesium powder with a current of
air, which has previously passed through
pumice stone saturated with benz;ne,
into benzine gas flame. The fash
produced is exceedingly intense. With
the use of ten centigrams of magnesium
powder flash of 100000 candle power
can be prod uced, which can be seen on
clear sunshiny day at q distance of
six miles.
in Mindinac, the farthest south
eastern island in the Philippine group,
upon one of its mountains, the volcano
Apo, a party Of botanical and ethno-
graphical explorers found recently, at
the height of 1850 feet above the sea
level, a colossal flower The discoverer,
DR.. Alexander Schadenberg, could
scarcely believe his eyes when he saw
amid the low-growing bushes the i'm
mense buds of this flower growing like
gigantic cabbage heads. But he was
still more astonishsd when he found q
specimen in full bloom, a five-petaled
flower nearly a yasl in diameter, as
large as a carriage wheel, in fact
Weighing these when opportunity
served. it was round that single flower
weighed over % pounds.