The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-12-01
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

During the last year nearly 5000, oU
# skins were imported into England
Of Australian opossum there were 2, 254,'
o9r: of muskrat, 1896, 900; skunk, 554, 900
raccoon, $40, 100; fur seals, 125, 700; bear
l3,70o; beaver, 1900; chinchilla, 1900
and otter, 1900.
1t appears that a colored or dark
pigment in the olfactory regions il
essential to perfect smell In cases
where animals are pure white they arr
usually otally devoid of both smell aud
taste; and some, the white cat for in
stance, are almost invariably deaf.
The use of commercial fertilizers
in Japan is of comparatively recent
date. owing to their cost, the profits of
Japanese farmers being snlll There is
one factory making nearly $4,000 tons oil
superphosphate. annually, and about
5000, 900 pounds of bone are imported
from Corea
notwithstanding the great re-
sources of New South Wales as timber
growing country. the importation OF
wood is very considerable, amounting
in 1890 to nearly 1000. 900 feet of dressed
timber valued at $325, 900, and over
80. 900, 600 feet of undressed valued at
81. 700. 900, besides other kinds,
The earth reaches that point in its
orbit nearest the sun about the LIST OF
January. and the point farthcst from
the sun about the LIST Of July. We arc
900. 900 miles nearer the sun on the lst
of January than on the list of July,
hence the southern hemisphere is
warmer than the northern.
The remains of carnivorous mar
supial mammals closely allied TO the
existing couched wolf, or Thylacine, of
Tasmania, have been made by Ameghi-
no in the tertiary strata of Patagonia
This will be OF interest from the fact
that no marsup ais except opossums
occur outside of Australasia Y.
Independent
An improvement in the prepare.
ton of lubricants is a soap, formed by
treating wool grease with alkaline lye.
This Is dissolved in water and filtered.
and to this solution another of alum is
added, forming a brown precipitate.
From this. when dry, lubricating oils
of any viscosity may be produced by
simply dissolving it in fluid mineral oil
But one species Of venomous bird is
known to the student Of archaeological
oddities, the Rpir N'Doob or bird of
DEATH" e feathered paradox of New
Guinea. Persons bitten by the creature
are seized by maddening pains, which
rapidly extend to every part of the
body. Loss of sight, commissions and
lockjaw are the other symptoms, which
follow in rapid succession.
Fatigue caused by brain work acts
as a poison which affects all the organs,
especially the muscular system. The
blood of dogs fatigued by long racing
also acts as poison, and when injected
into other dogs makes them exhibit all
the symptoms of fatigue. Sense of IA
tigue seems to be due to the products
of the nerve cells rather than to de-
ticiency of proper substance.
M. Balland has communicated to
the Academy of Sciences, Paris, the re-
suits Of his Investigations as to the
corroiibility of aluminium, with special
references to its use for domestic cook
ing utensils, etc. He concludes that
tlfis metal is not SO easily attacked as
iron, copper, lead, zinc or tin by air,
water, wine. beer, coffee, milk, oil,
butter, gas, urine or saliva Vinegar
and salt attack it, but not to such an
extent as to render its use undesirable
Electrical Age.
The combined Australasian colo
mics have l,25O 900 hogs, and their i'm
ports of hog products last year were
valued ut over $500, 900, almost the whole
of it being in bacon and hams The ag-
gregate value of the poultry. eggs and
honey products is S5.0)o,O9 With total
products, in 1891, of $4,000, 900 pounds
of butter and 10000 900 pounds of
cheese, they imported 1872. 600 pounds of
butter and 1872, 900 pounds of cheese.
The weaker teas of China are being
disp aced by the stronger teas of India
and Ceylon, and within the pa t five
years, while the import of Ccylon teas
into Great Britain has increased five
fold, the quantity of China tea imports
has diminished about one half This il
Illustrates phase of colonial policy that
Is becoming very noteworthy over the
water. Everything has been done to en-
courage Ceylon tea-growing and make a
market for the product in Great Britain.