The Bossier banner., 1893-11-09
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

the carbonate of lime of which their
shells are formed fran the sea. After
the death of the animals the shells
accumulate at the bottom of the ocean,
forming lofty mountains and vast beds
of chalk.
Among solids, glass is apparently
perfectly elastic. A plate of glass bent
under pressure and allowed to remain
under stress for twenty-five years,
when released and carefully tested for
any permanent set was found to have
returned to exactly its original shape.
1t is estimated that more than
200, 900, 900 bushels of corn will be har-
vested in Kansas this year, and that
its cash value will be $50, OO0,OO This
will be the largest yield since 1899,
when 274, 200, 900 bushels were har-
vested. The crop that year netted the
farmers s51, 100000
The bluebottle fly discharges not
unimportant duty as natural scaven-
ger. Its larvae of maggots must devour
large quantities of putrefying and de-
caying matter, and must therefore re-
move from the earth's surface much
material offensive, if not disease-pro-
ducing, in its tendencies.
The carpenter bee lays her eggs in
hole she bores in suitable wood. As
the eggs are placed in several cells and
the labor requires many days the grub
in the lowest cell is Matched first, and
a way for his escape without injuring
the rest is provided by means of a back
door entrance to the long gallery.
"A projected canal from Marseilles
to the valley of the Rhone is attracting
the attention of French engineers, and
they are at present engaged in seeking
an outlet on the Mediterranean coast.
This scheme would place port which
absorbs third of French commerce
in communication with the canal and
river systems of the continent.-N. Y.
Engineering News.
Wood ashes are recommended In
the American Agriculturist by Mr.. J.
M. Stahl as valuable medicine for
farm animals. The author keeps them,
with charcoal and mixed with salt, ac-
cessible to his hogs, with the best eff
fects; and he furnishes them to his
horses by putting an even teaspoonful
with the oats twice week or by keep
ing the ashes, with the salt mixture,
constantly before the animals. ls.-Popu-
lar Science Monthly.
A chemist computes that at the
present market value the average hu,
man cadaver contains something like
| e1S, 900 worth of calcium. But, like the
| fabulous values of aluminium in clay,
or of gold in sea water, the cost of ex
traction at present prevents all profit
to the would-be enterprising manufac
turers, and the schools of anatomy will
have no immediate cause for alarm as
regards commercial competition.
AT the north pole there is only one
direction-south. One could go south
in as many ways as there are points on
the compass card, but every one oi
these ways is south East and west
have vanished. The hour of the day
at the pole is paradoxical conception
for that point is the meeting place OF
every meridian, and the time of al
holds good, so that it is any hour one
cares to mention. Unpunctuality il
hence impossible-but the question
grows complex and its practical solu
ton concerns few.
Trout will not thrive-indeed, will
not live in ponds where the tempera
ture of the water gets as high as rs de.
grees. That degree is reached in sum
mer in many of the trout ponds in
Connecticut that have been made with
great care and at some expense, and
the owners have been puzzled to ac
count for the failure of the trout. A
temperature of 50 degrees does very
well for trout, but he can't stand the
tepid water of summer in even the
clearest and most carefully J made artifi
cial pond where the temperature o
the water reaches 75 degrees.
In the whole German empire Oh
May last there were 27,540 miles o
railroad, of which s,40s had doubl
track, 25 miles three tracks and 8
miles four tracks. The length of mar
row gauge lines was 78S miles Th'
increase since April 1, 1892 13months)
had been 437 miles, SO miles of it mar
row gauge. Of the whole mileage onl,
1854 miles (1OH per cent?, was worke'
by companies, though 205 miles more
worked by governments, was owned b.
them. Besides the above, open to pub
lie traffic, there are 1924 miles of rail
road in the empire in mines factories
yards, etc., not serving as common
carriers, and of this 39S miles isnarrov
gauge.-N. Y. Railroad Gazette.