The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-11-05
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY,

The Brazil nut contains from fifteen
to twenty-four seeds, which all germi-
nate at one time. The most vigorous
one gets first through small hole at
the top to the open air, and thereupon
it strangtes and feeds upon the rest.
"A case of jaundice due to movable
kidney has recently been reported by
DIR. White, a physician in Guys hos
pital, London, which throws some light
upon the fact long ago observed that
jaundice and gallstones occur much
more frequently in women than in
men, and especially in women who are
addicted to tight lacing.
The Chicago Paper Trade club
gives the following statistics with re-
gard to the paper mills of this country:
Yearly product, 5000, 600, 900 pounds at
a valuation of sl75, 900, 900. The forestry
division of the department of agricul-
ture, in its report of 1890, gave the an
nual capacity of wood-pulp paper mills
as 1, 2s3, 100, 900 pounds, and the author
ity above quoted gives the product OF
these mills for 1891 as I, 400, 900, valued
at $50, 10000
An investigator, who lived during
two years in tomb at Gizeh, has col
lected evidence to prove that the tools
used in working stone four thousand
years ago had jewelled cutting edges
like modern tools. He says that the
builders of the pyramids used solid and
tubular tools, straight and circular
saws and many other tools supposed to
be modern. In some specimens Of
granite drill had sunk on e-tenth of
an inch at each revol ution, indicating
that the pressure was at least two tons.
Nothing is known of the material OF
the tools. AS the diamond was scarce
then it is probable that corundum was
used.
The railway mileage of Canada has
just about doubled in the past ten
years. In 1881 there were 1860 miles OF
railway in the dominion, and last year
there were 1900. The earnings last
year were s4s, 1872, O99 and the expenses
s34, 900, 449. The Canadian Pacific
earned s1s,672, ia, of which 81, 134, O4o
was net. The Grand Trunk earned
81, 423, $50, of which 81, sO2, 1891 was net.
Commenting on these figures, one prom
inent Canadian newspaper congratu-
lates the country, but regrets that a
satisfactory growth of settlement has
not followed the extension of the rail-
way system, and points out That there
is much room for improvement on that
special point
"A well-known German naturalist,
DIR. Sauermann. has published a num-
Der of curious observations on the arti-
fetal coloration of canary birds fed
with cayenne pepper. The plumage
changes from yellow to red. The pep
per contains an oily matter and an irri-
tating principle, and when these are
extracted by maceration the pepper
loses its coloring property, but if. olive
be added to the macerated pepper its
coloring property returns. Hence the
oil is considered the vehicle of the color.
White hens treated in the same way
also become reddish, and the yollxs of
their eggs become a bright red.
An investigation as to the relative
danger of ether and chloroform has
been conducted by a committee of tho
German surgical congress, and some in
teresting statistics were given at its re-
cent meeting. Prof. Gurlt, the chair
man, states that 100, $50 narcoses have
been observed, of which 80 terminated
fatally; of these, "a, 1913 narcoses were
by means of chloroform, the number of
deaths being 36-that is, proportion of
to 2,614; ether was employed in S,431
cases, with 1 death; chloroform and
ether, 1881 times, with 1 death; ether
and alcohol, 1850 times without fatal
termination; bromethyl, afro times, also
without deaths; pental, the new reme-
dy, 219 times, with 1 death.-N. Y.
Medical Record.
Several weeks before the fruit on
the berry farms of New Jersey begins
to ripen the growers are visited by an
agent, who. finds out how many pickers
will be needed and agrees to furnish
these by a specified time. This agent,
generally an Italian, goes back to the
Italian colony in Philadelphia, arranges
with his people for the work to be done,
goes to the farms with them and re-
mains until everything has been settled
with the farmer. There are now from
5000 to 1000 of these people-men, wo-
men and children-picking berries in
Atlantic and Camden counties. They
earn from thirty cents to one dollar and
fifty cents per day. They work about
fifteen hours each day, breakfasting at
o'clock, iunching at 9, IL and half-past
3, and having a substantial meal at twi-
light, after the days work is done.