The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-07
TIE QUESTION OF COST.

But the most important difficulty was
considered to lie in the high cost of the
inoculating gelatine culture, which Prof.
Loeffler furnished to the Greek govern
ment at 81 for q small tube. However,
Uncle Sans psychologists do not in
dorse these views. They say that, with
the plant possessed by the bureau Of ami
NAL industry, the stuff could be turned
out for 10 cents tube. Now, the con-
tents Of single tube are sufficient to fill
with the germs volume of bouillon or
other suitable solution equal to that of all
the oceans Of the world. All that the
microbes need is start and something TO
live on. Thus it will be seen that the
requisite disease-producing material could
be made cheap enough, the amount of
bread needed for treating even a large
farm being not very great. The geatine
culture preserves it's properties for two
months.
The field mice Of Thessaly. Scotland
and the United States are three different
species of the same genus. Unlike the
others, those of Scotland do not live in
| burrows, but in the heritage All of them
| eat the roots of every kind Of vegetable.
In meadows they live almost entirely on
the roots of grasses, thus reducing the
| yield Of hay per acre often very largely.
| When they become so numerous that
their ordinary food supply is insufficient,
they devour everything green. They do
great damage to fruit trees in winter
by gnawing away the bark all around the
| trunks from the ground level to the sur
| face Of the snow. In this way they will
| destroy entire orchards, and In the same
manner tens of thousands of naples and
beeches are killed. In Scotland
| they have inflicted much injury on
the sheep industry by running the grass
crop.
SOME EXTRAORDINARY STORIES.
During the recent plague In Thessaly
the mice were present in such swarms
that the fields were vocal with their
squeaking. Extraordinary stories are
told of their doings. In one instance
a farmers had given orders that several
acres should be moved the next morning
When the laborers arrived they found no
grass TO cut; the vermin had destroyed
the entire crop in a single night. On an
other occasion miller went TO field and
cut a quantity OF corn, which he loaded
on an ass and brought to his mill. Then
he went for a second load, but on his re-
turn he found scarcely a vestige of the
first load remaining. Surprising that he
had been robbed, he hid himself for. the
purpose of watching, and presently an
army of mice appeared and proceeded TO
carry of the gram. There is mention Of
such plaques of small rodents In the
Bible, and the ancient Greeks had a
mouse killing god--Appollo Myoktonos.
The field mice Of the United States are
not more plentiful In any particular part
of the country than elsewhere. From
time to time they increase enormously in
numbers in one section or another and be-
come plague for one or more seasons.
Like the Greek species they live in shall
low burrows, each pair having its own
dwelling in which they rear their young
and deposit a store of food for the winter.
These subterranean animals produce
three or four filters year for each fe-
male, with FIVE or six young ones at a
birth Sometimes this rapid rate Of re-
production is increased beyond the nor
mai limit The causes which bring about
the plaques are difficult TO ascertain, In
Scotland the present trouble is attributed
in part 10 the destruction OF the natural
enemies Of the mice, such as owls, crows
and weasels.
THE MOST DEADLY FOES.
The most deadly foes Of field mice are
the short cared owls, which are always
present in great numbers when a plague
occurs. Enemies quite effective in their
way are adders, but 1t would hardly be
practicable to encourage the propagation
of dangerous serpents for such a reason.
In South America the plains Of the Ar
gentine are much infested by these