The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-07-27
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

The whole bulk of tobacco produced
In Cape Colony, South Africa, does not
exceed $4,000 pounds annually in dried
leaves. The majority of the farmers
are not in favorable circumstances, and
the culture of the weed is of the most
primitive description.
Some writers think the process of
turning white among arctic animals is
in some way connected with decrease
of vital energy and in his notes on
recent science, in the Nineteenth Cen
fury, Prince Krapotkin brings for
ward as an example the alleged per-
manept white colors of domesticated
animals in sub-arctic regions, such as
the Yakutsk horse.
1t is proposed to open five farm
schools in the Madras presidency of
India, all to be under governmental
control The idea is to erect school
houses in which practical and theoret-
ical teaching of agriculture and veter-
mary science will be given, the curri-
culum to extend over four years, the
schools and farms being under the i'm
mediate management of the director of
agriculture.
There is no proof whatever that
meteorites come from the sun; the
bright granules on the sun-the facu-
l@-are entirely distinct from the sun
spots, and they are not composed of
helium in combination with hydrogen;
we only know of the existence of he
lium through its spectrum; it is not
contained in meteorites, and even if it
could be transferred to the earth would
not solidify.
1t has been stated that cheeses,
bearing date of 1860, are still to be seen
in Switzerland. In some parts of the
country cheese forms the staple food
of the people, and the laborers are
often paid with it. There are no fewer
than $500 cheese making factories, and
nearly $4,000 tons are exported annu-
ally, the value of which is over 81, OOO,-
900. Exports of cheese to the United
States are about 5000, 900 pounds, at an
invoice valuation of 100000
I'm the human body there is said to
be more than 100000 perspiration
glands communicating with the surface
by ducts, having total length of some
ten miles The blood contains millions
of millions of corpuscles, each struc-
ture in itself. The number of rods in
the retina, supposed to be the ultimate
recipient of light, is estimated at 3d.
O00,O00 A German scientist has calcu-
latedthat the gray matter of the brain
is built of at least 800, 900, 900 cells.
just imagine wild flower with
leaves three feet long and flower stems
seven or more feet high, bearing about
40 flowers on stalk, with each flower
having white ray petals half an inch
long and yellow disc an inch wide!
This is literally "a daisy" The Amer
lean Senecio aureus will give an idea
of what wonderful thing this mon
ster Senecio sagittifolius must be. 1t
is new species recently discovered in
Uruguay by NJ. Andre.
"A correspondent of Notes and
Queries, writing as to the age of trees,
and as to the oldest tree in the world,
says that the age of the late Dragon
Tree of Orotava was variously estimated
at from 5000 to 10, 900 years. On the
lowest estimate it surpassed not only
bOihCoudN Odho anu hOOhd Wy Pl CooCo,
but the Hedsor Yew, with it's 5000
years, and Alphonse Karr's Baobabs of
Senegal. Balfour gives the ages, as
ascertained by De Candolle, of the
cypress as $50 years, the oak 1,5OO, the
view 1880 and the baobab as probably
the same as the yew.
There is canal to be opened in
Greece which has been a spell of time
in construction. 1t crosses the Isthmus
of Corinth. It's construction was begun
in the time of Nero, in the first century
of the Christian era. 1t shortens the
distance between the countries of west
ern Europe and Athens. The gentle
Nero first struck the earth with a
pick in building this canal, but he had
to go elsewhere in the empire to attend
to some pressing business in putting
down a revolt. Ten years ago modern
capitalists took up the idea and the
canal has been completed at cost of
S14, 100000.
The variations in our snakes have
been studied by Prof. Hay. who finds
that in the striped snake the variation
from the average number of body
vertebr8 amounts to IA per cent, in
the black snake to per cent, in the
green snake to AS per cent, and in an
other variety to 13 per cent. He adds
that the variations in the number of
caudal vertebr@ is still greater; and,
were breeders interested, they could
very soon produce breeds of snakes
with long bodies and short tails, and
short bodies and long tails, or any
other combinations that might be de-
sired.
Truthful ness.
A sincre attachment to truth, moral
and scientific, is a habit which cures