The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1893-07-15
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

as published in the United States CEN
sus reports for 1890 are: Cotton, 1,191,-
919 bales, valued at $50, 900, 900. Corn,
81 1929, 900 bushels, valued at 500, 10s, OIL.
Wheat, 1888, 900 bushels, valued at
g., 555, $50. The usual combined value
of these principal crops is about s79.-
100000.
Lavender has suddenly appeared in
South Australia, the plant springing
up luxuriantly over large area OF
black swamp in the south of the
colony. At first the settlers thought
the plant was weed, but on finding
out its true nature they resolved to
cultivate lavender on considerable
scale, with the view of establishing q
regular perfumery trade.
The salmon syndicate of the north
west are all busted in encouraging the
increase of the Pacific coast salmon.
Fifty thousand million salmon are
turned loose into the rivers of Oregon
by the syndicate alone every year, and
as the Industrious female salmon lays
900 eggs to every pound of her weight,
the prospect of the fish seems encour-
aging.
1t is a well-known fact that heav-
emily bodies invisible to the human eye,
even when assisted by the most power
full telescope, may be detected by the
Photographic plate. A practical illus
tration of the value of photography in
this connection is found in the expert
ence of March, when no fewer than
eighteen small planets were detected
photographically. Twelve of these were
discovered by M. Charlois, at Nice.
The scientific world of Germany
has suffered another heavy loss in the
sudden death of Prof. Hermann Schaaf-
hansen, the famous anthropologist of
the University of Bonn. He was pupil
of Johannes Mueller in Berlin in the
sos. After extended travels he became
professor at Bonn in 1874. He was
one of the first advocates of the theory
now known as the Darwinian. He was
born in 1916.
DIR. Schott, of Germany, has been
making some interesting Investigations
of ocean currents, the height of waves
and the rapidity of their progress. He
explodes the idea of waves mountain
high" and says that in the worst storms
they do not rise higher than thirty
six to forty feet This will be disap-
pointing to sea-sick voyagers who
fancied that they were several thou
sand feet high and full of ipecac or
some other nauseating drug.
This is how to extinguish a candle
without blowing or shutting it out:
Take piece of thick copper wire coiled
in spiral at the end. Fasten the other
end to wooden handle. Hold the wire
SO that the coil will be around the
flame of the candle and very quickly it
will be extinguished. The copper, by
its great conductivity, takes the heat
away from the flame and cools it so
rapidly that the temperature falls be-
low the point of ignition and the light
goes out.
Prof. C. v. Riley, who has been for
years recognized as the leading Ameri-
can entomologist, and is, as report has
/. it, to be made assistant secretary of
agriculture, has probably done more
than any living man to rid agriculture
of its pests. His work and experiments
have long been among the most import
ant features of the agricultural depart
ment, and it is through his writings
and lectures mainly that farmers are
able now to exterminate easily what
have formerly been considered verit-
able insect plaques.
1t has been observed that in the an
tique Greek statues the male eye is fire.
quently more convex than the female
eye, and the older anatomists have OBJ
served that such a difference does exist
in nature; but quite recently Herr
Greef has actually measured the dis
parity, and finds that while the average
radius of the cornea, or apple of the
eye, is 1888 millimeters for men, it is
only 1852 for women. Other measure
ments by Donders give 1858 and
7.799 millimeters respectively.-Cas-
sells Family Magazine.
I'm 1892 the cotton crop of the south
was valued at about 1915, 000, 900. The
corn crop was valued at $24s, 000, 900,
wheat over $40, O00, 900 and oats about
s25, 100000. These three products then
were of equal value with the cotton
crop. Adding to them the value of to
bacco raised, over So, 900, 600; of rice,
about s10,0O0,0OO; Florida oranges,
about 90, 500, 900, and of garden truck,
fruit and vegetables shipped north, be-
tween $40, 600, 900 and $50, 000, 900, the
total value of the products named
! amounts to about $500, 600, OOO.-Manu-
facturers' Record.
The following experiment, which
illustrates in pleasing manner the
actual formation of halos, has been
given by DIR. Brewster: Take satu.
rated solution of alum, and having
spread few drops of it over plate OF
glass, it will readily crystalize in
small, fat octahedrons, scarcely visible
to the eye. When this plate is held be-
tween the observer and the sun or a
candle, with eyes very close to the
smooth side of the glass plate, there
| will he seen three beautiful halOs OF