The Bossier banner., 1894-01-25
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

| Nevada has sent out $500, 900, 900 In
| silver and gold, over 5000, 600, 900 of
which came from the Comstock mines.
Minnesota grows every year As, OOO,-
900 bushels of wheat, 49, O00 900 of oats,
22,000,0OO of corn, and produces 49,
600, 900 feet of lumber and $50, 600, 900
shingles.
| Prof. Hazen, of the weather bu-
reau, expresses the opinion that all
the conclusion experiments to produce
rain have been failures, and that those
conducted in Connecticut last summer
seemed to prolong the drought in that
section, while there was plenty of rain
in all the region roundabout.
"A vessel returned to San Francisco
from carrying supplies to the whaling
| fleet in the Arctic Ocean, north of
| Alaska, reports that one whaler found
open water at the mouth of the Mac
| kenzie river, and had followed it in
northerly direction until he reached
! point a little above 81 degrees, or
farther north than the Greedy expedi-
tion reached. 1t will be interesting to
know whether this report can be veri-
fied.-Scientific American.
The whale fleet sailing out of the
port of San Francisco has this year
caught in Arctic regions no less than
353 whales-probably larger number
than has been caught by whaleships
sailing from all the other ports of the
country. Small steamers made larger
catches than were known in the his
tory of the whale fishery. The product
of this seasons catch would have been
represented by about $4,000, 900 had
prices remained as they were about
three years ago.-San Francisco Call.
Thomas Kelly, of Keokuk Ia,
writes that evidences of a preglacial
river have been found which in earlier
ages drained Lake Michigan westward
into what is now the Mississippi river.
Some of the places where this river run
are covered by nearly two hundred
feet of deposit, but the silt which occu-
pies the rivers bed is black, and con-
tains shells which show remains of
earlier animal life, probable before
men lived on this planet.
1t is a fact of striking magnitude
that more than $1,000, 100000 of rail
road property in this country is now
in the hands of receivers. There is
likely to be a general reorganization
of insolvent railroads, and the govern
ment proposes to take hand in the
reorganization of the Union Pacific, in
which it has a creditors interest of
about $50, O00,0 Five great railroad
systems-the Union Pacific, Northern
Pacific, Reading, Erie and Richmond
Terminal-which now enjoy the pro-
lection of receiverships, have mileage
of 25, 900 miles, a combined funded in
debtedness of S517, 600, 900 and aggre-
gate assets exceeding 81, ia, 900, OO0.-
Pittsburgh Post.
The compensating advantages of
fog are often overlooked. 1t would
appear that the special function of
fog is to purify the atmosphere. Just
as good shower of rain not only
sweeps the streets, but washes" the
air, so to speak, by dissolving such
impurities as are capable of solution;
so the mysterious fog penetrating far
and wide searches for and gathers in
its embrace particles of carbon, organic
bases and all kinds of irritating insol-
uble "specks,' mechanically suspended
in the air. 1t is enough to see the pave
ment after the fog has in a measure
subsidized to realize from what impuri-
ties we have been delivered.
-Georgia's experiments in tobacco
culture have proved successful. A good
crop was raised on the experimental
farm at Waycross, and it has just been
successfully cured by the air-curing
process. Experts pronounce the to-
bacco very fine. 1t is to be made into
cigars at Waycross factory. For sew
eral years the state government has
been doing much to encourage the to-
bacco industry in the state, yet the
present house of representatives in the
state Legislature passed a bill week
or two since making it a crime to han
die cigarettes, cigarette paper or cigar
cite tobacco in any way and for any
purpose. The senate, hearing from
Waycross maybe, threw out the bill.
Prof Preyer, whose study of the
infant mind is again attracting atten-
ton, returned a somewhat ungracious
reply to the American women who
begged that he authorize them to Sc
lect mothers in this country who
should watch the development of their
little ones at home and send to him
the result of their observations. He
doubted whether amateur work OF
this kind, as it would be in every sense
of the word, could be accepted as data
for scientific conclusions, and most OF
the mothers who have learned what
Prof Preyer expects of them in the
way of minute observation realize tha'
it is only the woman of rare intelli
gence, skill patience and ample leisure
who could hope to follow his instruc
tions.
Mlrth and Cheerfulness.
Mirth is an act, but cheerfulness is