The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-03-05
sclENcE ANb INDUSTRY.


1T is not generally known that the
light of the sun and the moon exercise
deleterious effect on edge tools
Knives, drills, scythes and siclSles as
sume blue color If they are exposed
for some time to the light and heat Of
the sun; the sharp edge disappears and
the tool is rendered absolutely useless
until it is retempercd.
--Oh the estate of the Marquis de la
Laguna. in Spain, a water wheel of
twenty horse power runs o dynamo.
Flowing by electricity has been propos.
ed, and the current is TO be transmitted
to field three miles distant, where
motor on pillow is to be operated. The
cable to be attached to the plow is to be
wound on reel and drawn over the
field.
Cyclones of grand dimensions are
generated in the zones where the trade
wind of the opposite hemisphere pene-
trates. They are caused by an aug
mentation or swelling Ia volume of air,
proceeding from the opposite hemi-
sphere. attending unequal distribution
of the normal limits of the atmospheric
circulation, and determined by the re-
tardation which the trade wind or mon
soon meets with in following the suns
movement
Professor Won Pettenkofcr has been
studying the Iser River. which flows
through Munich. carrying the city's
sewage. He says that five miles below
the city there is not trace of the pol
luton which finds its way into the river.
Some observers have thought that the
self-purification of rivers is due to de-
position of sediment DIR. Won Petten-
kofer. however, maintains that the real
agent at work in purifying the Iser
River is the oxygen of the air which is
absorbed by or Dissolved in the water,
"A course of.experiments continued
through several years, in Germany. has
resulted in producing breed of silk
worms that eat satisfy and thrive on it
rs well as other breeds thrive on the
white mulberry. This will enable the
Germans to enter proftably upon silk
culture As the climate of our eastern
and middle states is about the same as
that of central and south Germany,
American agriculturists can avail them
selves of the result of these expert
ments.
--Raisin raising and prune growing
are two comparatively new industries in
California that are attaining very large
proportions, and the domestic products
have almost driven the foreign goods
from our markets During nine months
ending September so. 1901, only 1885,
1855 pounds Of raisins and $500, $50
pounds Of prunes were imported, as
against IL, 769, 056 pounds Of raisins and
IS, sos, $50 pounds of prunes in the same
period of 1890 Four or five carloads of
raisins are leaving San Diego daily for
the east at this time.
, Some recent experiments in light
house signalling in England have shown
some remarkable results from directing
the light vertically to the sky, instead
Of horizontally across the water When
all weather conditions are favorable the
light of the Eddystone lighthouse. as
ordinarily directed, can be seen seven
teen and half miles at sea, but it was
found that beam of light of much less
power directed vertically was visible
exactly twice as far, and could be we'll
discerned through an ordinary fog.
The number of locomotives in the
United States is about 5000 lone to
every five miles of railroad, and of cars
of all kinds /, 100, 900. of which 81. 900
are passenger coaches The locomo-
tives cost $3.50. 600, 900. the cars $780,
600, 900. making the approximate cost of
the rolling stock 81, 500. 600, 600. Each
year freight engine hauls $4,000 tons,
and passenger engine pulls 10000
passengers These railways employ
725. 900 persons, nearly all men, who
provide . living for nearly 5000. 600
people. or about one-twentieth of the
whole population
-Onc Of the theories with. regard t.
the so-called Druidical rocks at Stone
.henge is. that they were erected with
an astronomical aim, and one of the
legends states that the sun rises on the
longest day of the year immediately
above the top of an isolated monolith.
The latter statement has been proved
by Mr.. Bacon, who made trip there at
the time of the last solstice, accom-
panied by Mr.. Howe, q photographer,
who succeeded in getting fine view of
the sun, as it rose above the point of
the rock in the manner named by the
legend.