The Bossier banner., 1894-02-22
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.

clamation, the enormous increase in
the exports of frozen mutton, the i'm
petus given to the dairy industry by
the opening of British markets and
the increase of population induced by
these conditions.
The United States consul-general
at Frankfort, Germany, reports the
hop crop of that empire for 1898 to be
less than half the usual average. There
was a similar shortage in all Europe
except Russia, Bohemia, Holland and
Belgium, where the yield was in excess
OF the preceding crop. The net deficit
is estimated at 81, 600, 900 pounds.
The discovery of new disinfect-
ant more powerful than any hereto
fore known is announced. The process
of manufacture consists of extracting
the chlorine from sea water by cleo
tricitY. The residuum, the disinfect-
ant in question, will be extensively
used in and about New York City in
guarding against an outbreak Of
cholera.
The largest irrigating f1ume in
California was completed last week, 1t
is in Fresno county, and is fifty-two
miles long, extending from Stevenson
creek, at an elevation of 500 feet, to
Cows, twelve miles from Fresno, at an
elevation of 400 feet. 1t will carry 800
cubic feet of water per second, and
will bring 100000 acres of new land
under cultivation. Many million feet
of lumber will also be floated down
annually.
-Corals increase by eggs, spontan-
eous division and termination. The
rate of growth has not been fully de-
termined. Prof. Agassiz indicates the
growth ofreefs at Key West at the rate
of six inches in one hundred years, and
adds that if we double that amount it
would require seven thousand years to
form the reefs in that place and hun
dreds of thousands of years for the
growth of Florida.
A prominent physician of New York
argues earnestly against the visiting of
the monkey houses in the parks in
winter. He says that consumption is
prevalent disease in the monkey spe-
cies, and the degree of temperature and
the poor ventilation make the houses
places of danger. The fact that con-
sumption is contagious is now accepted,
and intelligent people protect them
selves and others against the possibil-
ity of breathing a contaminated atmo-
sphere.
The owl is hated by all birds
Where one is discovered by other day
loving species they subject it to the
direst persecution. Owls could scarce
ly live as a day-loving bird under
the present order of things. 1t
would be driven from the earth;
and, supposing it took on grad
ually its thieving habits for a liv-
ing, it has had to love darkness rather
than light because of these evil deeds.
At any rate, the naked fact seems to be
that Woodworking creatures can gen.
orally see well in the daylight when
they want to.
The trade in agricultural imple-
ments is reported to have been very
good in southeastern Russia for the
season just past. There was special
activity in reapers, on account of the
scarcity of hands, the outbreak of
cholera having driven them away.
Over four thousand reapers were sold,
of which one thousand were American,
the remainder, of Russian make, find
ing sale solely because they were
cheaper. The hay crop was very poor,
and only about two hundred mowers
and five hundred hayrakes were sold,
all being of American manufacture.
The eleventh annual report of the
Northern Pacific (EmployesO Bene-
fetal association for the year ending
June 80 last has just been issued. The
association has hospitals at Brainerd,
Mimi, and at Missoula Mont. These
hospitals treated during the year 2,399
cases and 49, AT were treated by the
surgeons outside the hospitals. A
number of the officers of the railroad
have made important contributions of
books for the use of the patients at the
hospitals. The receipts of the associa-
tion for thirteen months were s103, ,934,
of which about s92, $40 was ordinary
revenue from members The average
cost per patient per day was, at the
Brainerd hospital, s1.67; at Missoula,
81. &c; outdoor and Office patients, 80
cents. The total average cost per in
door patient was s44.17 at Brainerd
and s57 at Missoula. Railroad Gazette.
A Celestial Clock.
Wynn Molesworth has invented ana