Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-12-27

less that Of a young woman. had Dcen
subjected to successive operations to re-
lieye epilepsy, or like trouble, and ut
last there was large opening-four IN
ches long by IN inch wide. This hole
was covered by Il silver plate, and tho
plate was found in the mummy case
with tho remains. 1t ia not denied that
the operations may often have been In
dictated Ivy desire for the expulsion or
release Of evil spirits; but there are all
the indications that intelligent surgery
presided over attempts to remedy cram
inl fractures and cure or alleviate GER
tain diseases of the brain.
PhosphatcA and Fertility.
According to IL lecture delivered be-
fore the Franklin institute Of Phila-
dclphia by DR.. Francis Wyatt, 1,OOO,-
OOO, 900 acres are under cultivation In
this country and Europe. yielding al
average of one ton of crop per acre.
The depth Of the soil is nine inches.
and the contents in phosphates Is 1000
pounds per acre, making 1000 100000
tons to the whole cultivated area.
Every ton of crop takes 40 pounds OF
phosphate out Of the soil, so that the
1.OOD.OOO.OOO of crop carry away Co.
100000 tons of phosphate every year.
Half this is possibly recovered by nat
ural processes from the farm itself and
adjacent country. Hut there is yearly
deficit of 1O,OOO,OOO tons and this would
entail absolute sterility Of the new soil
in 200 years. Many districts are now
in such a WORKOUT condition, in others
the farmers have resorted to phosphate
fertilizers and hence the upgrowth of a
great modern industry. DR.. Wyatt
estimates that all sources now drawn
on only furnish about S,00O,0OO tons of
phosphate food for the soil, so that
careful survey would indicate as steady
an improvement of the timber lands
and the coal mines, even should sup
plies of phosphate continue to be devel
oped. The lesson is that every COM
munity has a duty to perform in re-
turning to the soil as much as possible
of The elements absorbed from it for
nutrlment, and that in this respect as
well is in their drain upon the younger
rural population, the cities are in real
ity acting seriously against their best
interests. 1t is predicted that much of
future invention will lie along the lines
Of creating artificial fertilizers based Oh
the better economy of waste products.
New ideas are being advanced all the
time. Thus, Dr. Wyatt does not men,
ton basic Stag in his list, but the pro-
portion of fertilizing elements in it
make it, bulk for bulk, equal to the
best superphosphates and England is
now using from 10000 to 10000 tons
a year of it, with every prospect of
rapid increase. IN the preparation of
this Stag for farm use, it is ground so
fine that S. per cent will pass through
sieve having 10000 holes to the
square inch.
New Process of Gas Making.
AS the result probably of sharp com,
petition in one form and another, gas
making and consumption have under.
gone many improvements in recent
years. indeed. at least one gas expert
has claimed that the gas art has made
greater advantages than the electric
lighting art in the same period. OF
corlrse, the great objection remains
that there is a naked flame using up a
certain proportion of the necessary con-
sttuents of healthy atmosphere; but
the vast majority Of people are still
very Indifferent to this, provided their
illuminant is cheap. A new process
Is said to be creating a sensation in
lighting circles, and its origin is very
curious. In prosecuting work for the
electrolytic reduction of refractory OK
ides to yield aluminium, Mr.. Il. L. Will
son found that large quantities of cal
ciunl carbide were producible, from
which acetylene is readily obtained.
Now, acetylene has remarkable illllni-
mating power, but no method has hith-
er to been known for it's cheap prodrc-
tien. 1t is stated that burner taking
IA cubic feet of acetylene per hour
affords a beautiful clear, white light
fully equal to fifty candle power, while
the cost puts it on more than q parity
with that of existing methods. 1t will
be seen that there is here the promise
of much cheaper lighting of better
kind. The only objection to the new
gas Of any Importance noted thus far
has been tendency to smoke little
when turned down low, but this is
easily cured, and in oil lamps has been
endured for centuries.
HiE Smokcstacks for Factories.
Aside from the fact that tall cllimneys
are better for the public health, by
lifting the deleterious product of com.
bustion far into the upper air, it would
seem that technical considerations alone
might recommend them. But there has
been q fad lately for low chimneys In
factories, and MI. w. b. LIE Van ex-
presses the weighty opinion that they
are mistake AS to first cost, there is
no saving over high, we'll proportional
chimney, and the entire drift Of manu-.
featuring requirements demands the
building of high chimneys so as to
enable more fuel to be burned in a
given time and space, thus increasing
the power and output Of the boilers.
A rapid draft is equivalent to u large
fire-grate area, and has the advantage
that the heat is transmitted much more
rapidly to the boiler by reason of the
higher temperature obtained. More
over in many industries, the goods pro-
duced are liable to be spoiled by smoke
and smut permeating the lower strata
of the atmosphere.
The Devastating London Fog.