The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1894-03-08
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

AS to where man first appeared it
is beyond doubt that his earliest home
was in southern Europe, or Asia, or
north Africa. No earlier traces of him
have been found than those found in
the area that is now England, France
and Spain.
1t is believed that whales often at
tain the age of four hundred years.
The number of years these huge crea-
lures have lived is ascertained by
counting the layers of lamin8 forming
the horny substance known as ''whale-
bone" These laminB increase yearly
just as the ''growths' do on tree.
Two basket mills at Dover, Del,
turned out 1000 peach baskets per day
during the summer. The work is done
with great ease, rapidity and precision.
The fastest basket maker in the Dover
mills makes from two hundred and
fifty to three hundred baskets per day.
He is paid one cent per basket.
In many parts of Germany the
hardest outdoor work falls to the lot
of women. They plow and spade the
fields, follow the coal carts through
the cities and put the coal in the cell
lars while the male driver sits on the
wagon, and draw the milk wagons into
the towns, woman and dog gener-
ally making a team for the milk cart.
For two or three years past Japan,
with an annual output of about 8, 25O, 900
tons, has had more coal than is needed
for home consumption, and with char
actistic enterprise the Japanese have
been looking for foreign markets. Their
exports now amount to fully 1925, 600
tons year. There was some talk OF
shipping coal to California, which has
not yet, however, been done to any eX-
tent; but several cargoes have been sent
to Bombay and there found market.
-Engineering and Mining Journal.
In 1887 Levi estimated that the
earnings of English agricultural labor
ers were e75, 900, 900 per annum; of
those engaged in textile manufactures,
947, 600, 900; building trades e43, 600, 900;
metals, g32, 900, 900; ships and railways,
e2S, 900 600; servants, $50, 900, 900; show
ing that agriculture was still the most
remunerative business for the laborer.
The cultivation of camphor is an
important industry in Japan. Some
of the larger and older trees have
diameter of fifteen feet and reputed
age of three hundred years. About
five million pounds of camphor are
sent out of Japan every year. One
fourth of this goes to the United States
The state forests are estimated to be
able to maintain present supplies for
another quarter of a century.
1t is we'll known that, in freezing,
water congeals in a crystalline form,
and its volume is thereby increased by
about one-eleventh. This expansion of
its bulk is effected with such over
whelming force that even rocks are
split in the process, and all bodies con-
tanning water which freezes must per-
force, for good or for evil, be swelled
out to the same degree as the water
swells in freezing.
1t appears, from a statistical re-
view of fish culture in Europe and
North America, prepared by n. Boro-
dine, of the Russian Association of
Pisciculture and Fisheries, that the
eighty fish hatcheries in North America
(sixty-six in the United States and
fourteen in Canada and Newfoundland
produced in the year of their last re-
port 1,616, or, 1872 fish Matched, and 416
hatcheries in Europe, 277, 973, ,016 young
fish. The North American hatcheries
are all governmental; most of those in
Europe are in private hands. The aver
age production of one hatchery is $685.
GOO in Europe and 13, 400, 900 in North
America.