The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-09-07
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

10 the DlLe OF TINS Dlrd. winch causes
excruciating pains in every part of the
body, loss OF sight, commissions. lock-
, jaw and certain death within two
! hours.
According to the American Manu-
facturer's estimate our market of pig
iron for the first half of this year was
1852, 70s tons. The Iron Ages esti-
mate is 1865 tons less than the Manu-
facturer. These estimates, in substan-
tial agreement, are nearly per cent
less than the make for the first half of
last year.-Railroad Gazette.
Extensive drought will cause the
snail to close its doors, to prevent the
evaporation of its bodily moisture and
dry up. These little animals are pos
sessed of astonishing vitality, regain
ing activity after having been frozen
in solid blocks of ice, and enduring
degree of heat for weeks which daily
crisps vegetation.
According to the Iron and Coal
Trades Review there were on June 80
in Great Britain IA blast furnaces, of
which 3s4 were in England outside of
land district, 103 in Wales and lis in
Scotland. During the half year two
furnaces were pulled down; no new
ones were completed, but five are nm
der construction. On July l, 345 far
naces were in hlcat and S99 idle.
"A Wisconsin tobacco grower, ac-
cording to the Minneapolis Commercial
Bulletin. estimates the product of mer-
charitable leaf in the Badger state in
1891 at 81, 600, 900. The reported area in
1892 was %, 600 acres producing So, 000,-
600 pounds, worth 5000, 900. He esti-
mates that this year there are $1,000
acres which ought to raise 40, ZOO, 900,
pounds, which at the increase of prod
uct and price should realize at least
So, 500, 600.
During the past year astronomers
have discovered % new planets OF
this number two were found by Palisa,
the veteran asteroid hunter of VII
emma" The remainder were appraised
by means of photography. During the
three opening months of the present
year % planets have been added to the
list. The total number of asteroids
known on April is 374. Astronomers
are confident that the number will be
400 before the close of the year.
The decora lions of walls prove to
have very important influence upon
gas bills. From recent figures it has
been calculated that with different
decorations room would be equally
lighted by the following candle pow
ers: Black cloth, 100; dark brown pa
per, 81: blue paper, ~; clean yellow
paint, co. dirty wood, so; clean wood,
60; cartridge paper, 20: whitewash, Is.
Only about ore-siXth as much illumi-
nation is necessary for the white
washed room as for the same room
papered in dark brown.
-Jute is largely cultivated in the
northern and eastern districts of Ben
gal India, and to a smaller extent in
the central part of the province. 1t is
also grown somewhat in Assam, the
area under crop in these two provinces
being !, 333 600 acres a few years ago,
with an output of 1869 600. 900 pounds
of iute, more than half of which was
exported to Great Britain and the
United States While iute can be cult
waited on almost any kind of soil. the
best quality is grown upon high lands
where rice-pulse and tobacco form the
rotation crops.
Leaves breathe in the carbonic acid
upon which trees and plants subsist
through the thousands of minute
mouths with which the surfaces of each
are provided. These mouths, which
are oval openings exceedingly minute
in size, vary in number from about 700
to more than 10000 to the square inch
of leaf surface. The apple tree leaf
has about $4,000 mouths to each inch of
surface, which would make about 10O,-
600 to the average sized leaf The hy-
drangea is much better provided for in
this line. having 100, 900 to each inch of
! surface, or an average of 1850, 600 in
each leaf.
The English wheat crop of 1892
was l40OO. 900 bushels below that of
1891. due to the reduced acreage and
very poor results in the last harvest.
The most notable decreases in crops
were in the production of hay and
beans, that of hay being the lowest on
! record, reaching only II, 500, 900, and
this year the indications are that it
will be even considerably less The
condition of the bean crop in June,
1891, stood at 92.3 per cent, but last
year it fell to 74.7 and this year has
dropped to the extremely low limit of
, 69.6, or 30.4 under an average, which
represents most serious loss.
A mem Der of the Physiological So
ciety of Berlin definitely explains the
making of sugar sweeter by the addi
ton of salt. From mis- experiments he
finds that if to solution of sugar there
! be added slight amount of salt and
water, SO weak that it eXcites no
saline taste, the result is extra sweet
I ening of the sugarcd water. The weak
est of quinine solution is said also to
! produce similar results. The eXplana-
! ton given of the above seeming incon-
! gruitv is that the ever so feeble salty
bitterness imparts an increased sensi-
! bility to the sensation of taste by the
! simultaneous stimuli. and hence an APP
] preciati1u of additional sweetness.