The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-23
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

About $40, 900, 900 is paid every year
In Germany for the creation and pres
ervation of forests; 200, 900 families are
supported for them, while something
Hike 5000, 900 find employment in the
various wood industries of the empire.
The total revenue from the forests
amount to S14, 500, 600 and the current
expenses are IS, 500, 900.
Water always crystalizes in the
hexagonal or six-sided system, and con-
sequently all snow crystals must be
formed by the combination of hexag-
onal, or in occasional cases, triangular
(hemihedraD forms The variety of
snow crystals is innumerable, but they
will always be found to have six sides
and angles, or multiples of that num-
Der
New Zealand cheese and butter
makers have urged their government
to secure the services of leading ex-
pert, to lecture and instruct In cheese
and butter making. They also advise
the establishment of model factory,
the granting of certificates for skill,
also that the produce shipped to the
London market should be inspected by
a competent judge before being offered
for sale.
Assuming that each sheep clips four
pounds of wool, the English farmer is
receiving rs cents per sheep less, an
nually, than his average between 1860
and 1880. This makes a difference of
$75 on every hundred sheep, and as the
Il i
third of the gross revenue to the sheep
farmer, this Is very serious factor in
his income.
DIR. Sanermann publishes in the Ga
zette de FRANKFORT some interesting re-
marks about artificial celebration of
birds. Canaries, he says, when fed with
cayenne pepper, gradually change their
color, passing from yellow to red. Cay
enne pepper contains tinctorial sub
stance an Initiative principle and an
oil When the last two substances are
extracted by sleeping in alcohol, pepper
loses its coloring properties, but an ad-
dition of olive oil restores them From
this fact the conclusion is drawn that
the oily principle of pepper is the neces-
sary vehicle Of color
"A remarkable discovery in the do
main of medical science is reported from
Vienna. Dr. X. L. Schleich claims that
the results obtained by the use of chic
reform and cocaine may be secured by
subcutaneous injections of a solution of
sugar or salt. or even of simple cold dis
titled water while the ill effects that
sometimes follow applications of the
former are avoided. This claim, it is
asserted, is based upon series of ex-
periments. and some medical authori-
ties are said to be satisfied of the genu-
ineness of the claim.
Lizard skin has for the past two
seasons or SO been a very popular mate
rial for card cases, purses, pocket books,
and such articles, and large business
has sprung up in meeting the demand
for the raw material. Over 500 900
lizard skins were imported from the
Mexican state of Tabasco alone last
year, and the local governments esti-
mate puts the number of lizards killed
in that state during the same year at
full s. 900. 900. Many of the skins went
to Europe, and large quantities are
marketed IN MEXICO.
The delicate threads for hanging
the galvanometer needles are usually
made of silk; but Whistler finds that a
fiber drawn from quartz can be OBJ
| tanned much finer, and is 81 times
stronger than silk fiber of the same
diameter and 4 times stronger than
steel wire The quartz fiber showed
also AZ times more sensitiveness than
the silk fiber, and the needle returned
exactly to the zero point, which was
not the case with silk. The quartz
fiber, therefore, appears to be better
adapted to this use than silk.
During 1892, I'll vessels aggregating
/, 26l 107 tons were launched in the
United Kingdom. OF this number thir-
ty were war ships aggregating Isl, 1877
tons displacement The remaining 6S1
vessels totalled /, 1O9, $50 tons The out
put of the year falls below that of 1891
By about 81, 900 TONS In both years the
proportion of sailing tonnage was I'M
usually high, amounting last year to
over "a per cent, and in 1891 over %
per cent. of the total production. The
output of 1889 is the largest on record.
Making allowances for estimated pro-
portionate values of steam tonnage
compared with sailing tonnage, the
output of 1892 was $50, 900 tons below
that of 1885,