The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-04-22
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

--Last year Spain produced about
500, 900 gallons of olive oil, Italy 34i, ,2jO
gallons, France 7s 100 gallons, and the
United States California; about 1000
gallons. The quality OF cottonseed oil
mixed with these quantities is not
known.
In Germany 200, 900 families are
supported from the care Of the forests
apon which about s40,O0O,00O Is ex-
pended annually, 1900, 900 people more
finding employment in the various
wood industries of the empire. The
forest account shows an annual profit
Of between s5, 100000 and s6, 100000.
Sea serpents, flying dragons, birds
with teeth, connecting links between
birds, fishes and reptiles animals so
large and clumsy that a second brain,
located near their tail, were necessary
10 properly direct their movemcnts-au
these have existed in past times, and
have left the traces of their bodies in
the rocks for our instruction in these
latter days
The blue color of the s',y is prob
ably merely the color of the air, seen
through the length of about forty-fve
miles. II has been observed by those
who have assembled about five miles
above the earth's surface that the sky
appears of dark, inky hue, owing to
the very small reflection and dispersion
of the light, while the blue color no
longer appears above, but below them.
If, when Wellington won the battle
of Waterloo, in 1915, the news could
have been telegraphed off Immediately,
/ g.Aa = 4lrN
would not have reached them. If the
tidings of the first Christmas tide in
Bethlehem had been thus sent to the
stars. there are some orbits situated in
the turthermost depths of space which
could not receive the message for long
time yet
The history of the earth is meas
ured by millions of years, and Richard
Proctor has ventured to predict mil
lions of years to come, unless some
catastrophe intervenes, of which there
is no sign of likelihood. He thinks
. the earth's decay is an assured fact
4. The water supply, including the volume
Of the seas, is destined to diminish. The
: action of the tidal wave is constantly
: : reducing the rate of the earth's rota-
ton, making longer day The action
must be very minute, yet If it is real
. the effect will be palpable enough after
:. lapse of millions of years
a In Switzerland cultivation ceases at
n 1000 feet above the sea level. Above
n this height all forms of vegetation are
small and poor, consisting of low
a scrubs, stunted frs and larches AS
4 general rule, vegetation reaches a
c higher point in the east and south of
A Switzerland than in the northwest
a The total arso of land under cultiva-
:. ton is j, 1878, 900 acres, of which 1,7l6, 600
q acres, or 80 per cent, are meadow land,
and /, 9G3, coo acres, or 3S per cent, are
=. pasture The arabic land covers 1885,
:, 900 acres, or 20 per cent, vineyards S.
II 900 acres or l.6 per cent, while the
!. area devoted To gardening is about IA
+ per cent
- In Switzerland the minute division
i of the land and the cheapness of labor
,s do not Justify the general use of mod
,. ern labor-saving agricultural imple'
ID ments. For cutting, threshing and
winnowing purposes the scythe, fail
+. and winnOwing- basket are used. The
e. scythe is apparently an exact counter
q. part of that which IS seen in the hand:
IN OF Time" in the school primer. The
10 plow would adorn an archaeological
y. collection, requiring four horses and
three men to work it, and cutting only
~ one furrow. Instead of the harrow OF
ar cultivator, Il number of women and
S. children, armed with clubs, go over the
$. ground after it is plowed and pulverize
IN the clods on the surface.
to "A beautiful and instructive lecture
d. experiment, illustrative of the condi
IN tions of the heated atmosphere which
le give rise 10 the mirage, is described II
= the Aunales de Chimie ct de Physique
he Water is poured into a long rectangular
trough, with glass sides, and covered
in with a layer of alcohol about two cen
ut timeters thick, containing trace o
lie fluorescencc. After a few hours, dur
n ing which the alcohol diffuses slowl
lie through the water, fat beam of ligh
is sent through the mixture at yer
slight inclination to the horizon. III
der these conditions kind of garlan
~ of light is seen to traverse the liquit
"a due to a series of curvilinear detiectioI
~ or "mirages" in the less highly refra
IL tive water below and total reflection
- ~ at the upper surface OF the alcohol
~ Popular Science News.