The Van Buren press., 1894-04-07
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.


1T is said that frigate bird can
fly at the rate OF one hundred miles an
hour, and live in the air week at q
time. day and night, without touching
q roost.
Contracts for about $4,000 tons OF
rails are said to have been placed this
year, and there are inquiries in hand
"for about 10000 tons, of which one
half are intended for roads west OF the
Mississippi"
The aerial space within the limit
of our vision is calculated to have
diameter of 42O, 600, 900, 900 miles, and a
circumference of 1890, 742, 600, 900 miles.
And this is only fragment of the inn
mensity of space.
Solid air, Prof. Dewar's latest won
derful achievement, is produced by
placing tube OF air. e., an empty,
tube-inside another full of liquid
oxygen, and boiling off the oxygen
under high vacuum. The intense
cold produced by the evaporation
brings down the air in the inner tube
as liquid and then in solid or icy
form.
The total gold output of the colony
of Victoria, Australia, during last year
was, 707, S67 ounces of the value OF
about $4,000, 900. This was $4,000
ounces more than the yield in 1892 and
the largest since 1885. The gold ex-
port from Cape Colony, Africa, during
| last year was 1,49O, 1856 ounces, valued
at about 500, $50, 900.
Neptune takes 1876 years in making
its journey around the sun, SO that
more than a century would have passed
away on our earth before it had COM
pleted one year. Neptune is SO far
away from our earth that, although 1T
is the third largest planet, we cannot
see it unless we look through tele-
scope.
"A few years ago number OF scien-
lists of New England made calcula-
ton as to the amount of water given to
the atmosphere by the Washington
Elm," Cambridge, Mass They calcu-
lated that the leaves OF that tree would
cover over 100000 square feet OF sur
face and that they gave out every fair
day during the growing season 15,50o
pounds, or ~ tons, of moisture.
According to Bonfort's Wine and
Spirit Circular, Italy is the greatest
wine-producing country in the world,
"her annual production amounting on
an average to 675,0O0,0OO gallons.
France and Spain come next each with
about GIG OOO,O gallons. The COM
bined production OF Austria and Hun
gary each year is some 215, 900, 600 gal
Ions; that of Portugal, 1872, 600, 900; Rus
sa, rs. 700, 900; Greece, $1,000, 600; Rou'
mania, 81, 800, 900; Germany, 51,700,000;
Bulgaria, 49,676, 900, and Turkey, 81,
500, 900.
Depression in the locomotive build
ing industry in England is said to have
resulted in 92S fewer hands being en-
ployed in 1898 and 1861 fewer than in
1891. The st. James Gazette adds
.It is probable that another thousand
will be dismissed next month, and the
prospects for 1894 are said to be poor
The worst of it is thata good deal o
the falling off is in foreign orders. A
large part of the world used to get its
locomotives from Great Britain. Now
nnhappily, it makes them at home Oh
gets them from America
"A modern treatment for nervous
prostration requires that the patient
be put to bed in quiet room and fec
for weeks on enormous quantities Of
milk. He must take exercise, how
ever, and this he does by proxy through
the device of massage. He must dc
absolutely nothing for himself, and il
his nose itches the nurse must scratch
, 1t. Patients under such treatment
sometimes gain four or five pounds o.
flesh per week. 1t is, of course, {
luxury for the rich.
The internal temperature of treel
has been investigated in Belgium by
M. w. Prinz, who finds that, as rule
a large tree is warmer than the air il
winter, and little colder than the ali
in summer. The mean annual tenn
perature of tree is practically thu
same as that of the surrounding air
but the monthly means differ by sew
eral degrees. Heat changes are trans
mitted slowly to the heat of tree
! the temperature of the interior differ
Ing sometimes as much as 30 degree
from that of the air. When the al
temperature is below freezing poin
the temperature of the tree appears t.
| remain just above the freezing point o
} its sap, snd in the hot days of summe
the internal temperature was no
known to vary more than degree
from SO degrees.