The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-02-01
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.


condition of unprecedented prosperity,
| owing to the rapid strides in land re-
| clamation, the enormous increase in
the exports of frozen mutton, the inn
| 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
of the preceding crop. The net deficit
is estimated at 81, O0O,O 600 pounds
| The discovery of a 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.
l hC Ahi SCoC III X ebbih Al
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 300
I cubic feet of water per second, and
1 will bring 10000 acres of new land
under cultivation. Many million feet
of lumber will also be foated 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 of reefs 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 hum
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 a
prevalent disease in the monkey spe-
CItS, anu JllC lltS Itc VI Jul Z anu
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 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
uaily it's 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 we'll 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
! SCdIClby VI t1lC oubDI Chh VI
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
association has hospitals at Brainerd,
Mimi, and at Missoula, Mont. These
hospitals treated during the year ?, 399
cases and IS, Ar 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-
ton 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, Sl.67; at MissOula,
80; outdoor ana once pdIlenIS, o
cents. The total average cost per in
door patient was S44. II at Brainerd
and S57 at Missoula. Gazette.
Suspended Payment.
The bullying manner sometimes as
sumed by certain barristers in cross
examination, in order to confuse wit
ness and make mis- replies to important
questions hesitating and contradictory,
is notorious, and many are the tales
told of cute witnesses who have
turned the tables on their prosecutors.
The following relates to a case of this
kind:
In civil action in money matters
the plaintiff had stated that his tinan-
cial position was always satisfactory
In cross. examination he was asked il
he had ever been bankrupt
NO" was the answer
Next question WIS: Now, be care
full did you ever stop payments"
Yes" was the reply.
"Ah," exclaimed the counsel, 8
thought we should get you at last.
| When did that haDDen?n