The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1893-05-27
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

About $40, ooo. 900 is paid every yea.
In Germany for the creation and pres.
ervation of forests; 200, 900 families are
supported for them. while something
like 5000. 900 find employment in the
various wood industries of the empire.
The total revenue from the forests
amount to Ga. 500, 900 and the current
expenses are IS. 500. 900.
Water always crystal.zes 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 difference OF
SIS on every hundred sheep, and as the
sale of wool Is estimated to make one
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 coloration 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 arc
extracted by sleeping in alcohol, pepper
loses its coloring properties, but an adj
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. Schle;ch claims that
the results obtained by the use of chic
reform and cocaine may be secured by
subcutaneous injections of solution of
sugar or salt. or even of simple cold dis
titled water, while the i'll effects that
sometimes follow applications Of the
former arc avoided. This claim, It is
asserted, is based upon a 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-boolxs,
and such articles, and large business
has sprung up in meeting the demand
for the raw material. Over 500, 600
lizard skins were imported from tho
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 yaar at
full s. 900, 00o Many Of the skins went
to Europe. and large quantities arc
in Mexico.
The delicate threads for hanging
the galvanometer needles are usually
made Of silk; but Whistler finds that
fiber drawn from quartz can be OBJ
tanned much finer, and is 64 times
stronger than silk fiber of the same
and n times stronger than .
steel wire. The quartz fiber showed
also ~ times moro scnsitiveness 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 aggrcgating
|, 26l,1 tons were launched in the
United Kingdom. OF this number thir-
" were war ships, aggregating 151, 1857
IONS displacement The remaining 6S1
vessels totalled 1, 100. $50 tons The out
put of the year falls below that of 1891
BY about 81, 900 tons In both years the
of sailing tonnage was UNI
Usually high, amounting last year to
over "a per cent, and in 1891 over %
Der cent of the total production. The
output of 1859 is the largest on record.
Making allowances for estimated pro-
,ortionatc values of steam tonnage
compared with sailing tonnage, the
output of 1892 was $50, 900 tons below
hat of 1889.