The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1893-11-11
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

his two sons, are probably the largest
peach growers on the Atlantic coass,
and perhaps in the world. An early
estimate indicated that the ex-governor
and his sons. would send to market
about s75. 900 baskets of peaches. The
three men own between twenty-five
and thirty peach farms.
Roots draw enormous quantities of
moisture from the soil and by this means
it isdischarged into the atmosphere. For
example, the common sunfower was
found to exhale twelve ounces of Water
in twelve hours and an oak tree with
an estimated number of 10000 leaves
would in the same way give off some
thing like seven hundred tons of water
during the five months it carries its
foliage.
The growth of the orange industry
in Florida has increased from q pro-
duction of 100000 boxes in 1885 to
$500, 900 for the season just closed, and
according to conservative estimates.
the combined crop will be fully 5.0OO.-
600 boxes, of which over 1000, 600 will
be marketed. The average price re-
ceived by growers the past season was
s1.31 per box.-Charleston News and
Courier.
Birds have very acute vision, per-
haps the most acute of any creature,
and the sense is also more widely diff
fused over the retina than is the case
with man, consequently q bird can see
sideways as well as objects in front of
it. A bird sees-showing great uneasi-
ness in consequences hawk long be-
fore it is visible to man. So, too, fowls
and pigeons find minute scraps of food.
distinguishing them from what appear
to us exactly similar pieces Of earth or
gravel.
The growth of ivy on the walls of
houses renders the walls entirely free
from damp, the ivy extracting every
particle of moisture from wood, brick
or stones for its own sustenance, by
means of its tiny roots, which work
their way into the hardest stone. The
overlapping leaves of the ivy conduct
water falling upon them from point to
point until 1t reaches the ground, with.
out allowing the walls to receive any
moisture whatever from the beating
rain.
Returns from New Zealand, for the
1898 crops, show decrease of 1880. 900
bushels in the wheat harvest as COM
pared with 1892, a decrease of 1.115,O0
bushels of oats, a decrease of 81, 900
bushels of barley and Of also, 900 BUSH
els of potatoes. In the extent of land
broken up bnt not under crop there
was an increase of Is, 800 acres, but the
total area actually under crop was ST.
400 acres less than in 1892. The Hessian
fly did considerable damage, ranging
from five bushels per acre to half the
entire wheat crop, in different sections
The annual report of the Hun
garian minister of agriculture has APP
peared. Its estimate of the worlds
production of wheat this year is 2, 49,
100000 bushels, against the official
average of 2,2s0, 000, 900 annually for
the last ten years. The report also
gives the following figures: The de-
ficits to be filed by the importing
countries will require S79, 900, 600
bushels. The surplus available in ex-
porting countries to satisfy this de.
mand is s7s,664, 900 bushels. The
worlds product of rye is given as 49,.
600, 900 hectoliters
The sugar cane was introduced into
the Madeira islands in 1425, and in 1895
the annual product exceeded 1000, 600
pounds. The introduction of sugar
cane into the West Indies, however,
destroyed the industry, and grape cul-
ture took the place of the sugar cane
until 1852. when the phylloxera nearly
swept all the vines out of existence.
The sugar cane is again being cult.
waited, and last year half a million
pounds were made. The supply will
always be limited, because the cane
cannot be profitably cultivated at
higher elevation than 1000 feet.
"A new material is proposed as a
substitute for leather. 1t is called
''flexus fibra," and is derived from
fax. suitably prepared and oiled. It
has the same appearance as leather,
is particularly supple, and takes
polish equally we'll with the best
kinds of calf The material is said to
possess great tenacity, while affording
great case and comfort to the foot
when made into shoes F1exus libra,
being of vegetable origin, is calcu-
lated also to facilitate free ventilation,
and thereby to obviate the discomfort
arising from what is called drawing
the feet.--St. Louis Globe Democrat.
For centuries the mud wasp has
built its cells of soft mud; in the bot
tom of these cells the female lays its
minute egg. building its mud home just
the size that the young will be when
grown. Before closing this mud-walled
cell the wasp catches suitable sized
spider, injects into its body fluid that
causes it to remain torpid through the
winter until with the warmth of re-
turning spring the wasp grows, con-
suming the spider for food, thus gain
ing strength to break the mud walls
snd emerge into the outer world full