The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-17
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


simply placing therein for a night, a
bucket Of water with some hay in It.
Fifteen thousand tons Of starch have
been made from potatoes this season in
Wisconsin. Minnesota and North Dakota.
This enormous output necessitated the
use Of nearly three and a half million
bushels of potatoes.
-Eben +. Rexford writes in the Home
Journal that ants do not harm plants to
any great extent. Indeed. they are of
benefit in most instances, as they catch.
the insects which. If left to themselves,
would soon damage the plants greatly.
The Lancet points out that when
horseiess carriages shall have come into
general use good sanitation will be
much simpler matter. There viii then
be an end to the contagion from the sta
bic pit, and disease derived from horses
viii disappear.
Mathematical calculations show, says
the Popular Science News. that an iron
ship weighs q per cent. less than a wood
en- one, and will carry rs tons of cargo
for every 1o0 tons carried by wooden
ship of the same dimension, and both
loaded to the same draught of water.
A graphic idea of the immense size
of Siberia may be CLEANED from the fol-
lowing comparisons: All of the states.
Kingdoms. principalities. empires, etc, of
Europe Except Russia), and all of the
United States, including Alaska, could be
placed side by side in Siberia, and yet
but little more than cover that immense
country.
1t is reported that the Germans. who
have recently made heavy purchases of
American apples.-intend to use this fruit
in the manufacture of champagne by an
entirely new and secret process. Whether
this be true or not, the American apple is
gaining a firm foothold in European mar
kets, in spite of the enormous quantities
OF French and Dutch fruit
"A sort of boom in antarctic explora-
tions is developing in London. where a
syndicate has just been formed to send
a whale and seal fishing expedition on
two steam whalers of about 400 tons,
while a smaller whaler will accompany
them and take a small scientific party
under the guidance of Borchgrevink. the
explorer. Peary's late companion, AStrup
is also expected to be included in the
party, which will be landed al Cape Adare
OF Coulman island. A like expedition is
being fitted out at LEIGH, and the most in
teresting matter is expected to be col
lected as a result of these researches.
1t is curious thing how animals are
affected by conditions which one would
think were immaterial," said Chief Keep
er Nancy of the Geological Garden TO
the Philadelphia Record. Take an Amer
lean wild cat, for example. If we put one
of these animals into a large cage where
1t can jump about it Will sicken and die
of heart disease, whereas if we pen them
up In little cage where they can hardly
turn around they will live and be healthy.
1t is something that is hard to account
for. Almost all the American animals
are hard to keep. We can't keep a moose
here and we shall have to be very careful
with the mountain sheep that we expect
to receive in few days from the west"
1t developed at the irrigation conven-
ton held at Sidney last week that Ne
braska would have 100000 acres under
irrigation next year. 1t appears from the
government reports that this will increase
the value of these lands more than $5C
an acre, thus adding more than $4,000,
600 to the sum total of Nebraska wealth
1t is conservatiVely estimated that the
annual increase of the value of the prod
ucts Of lands irrigated is $40 per acre
This means an increase for Western Ne
braska Of Sl0O00'000 a year more than
has been realized by that portion of the
state, and irrigation in Nebraska is still
in its infancy. 1t was also stated at the
Sidney convention that in one instance
two irrigated acres produced enough to
comfortably feed two families.
Elephants are able to make their way
up and down mountains and through a
country of steep cliffs, where mules would
not dare TO venture, and even where men
find passage difficult, says Public Opinion.
Their tracks have been found upon the
very summit of mountains over 1000 feet
often compelled to descend hills and
mountains which are almost precipitous
This is the way in which it is done; The
elephants first maneuVre is to kneel down
close to the decliVity. One foreleg is then
cautiously passed over the edge and a
short way down the slope, and if he finds
there is no good spot for a firm foothold
he speedily forms one by stamping into
the soil If it is moist or kicking out a
footing if it is dry. When he is sure of a
good foothold the other foreleg is brought
n
the same work over again with his feet
bringing both forelegs little in advance
of the first foothold. This leaves good
places already made for the hind feet
Now, bracing himself by his huge, strong
forelegs. he draws his hind legs, first
one and then the otner, carefully over
the edge where they occupy the place made
by the forefeet. This is the way the huge
animal proceeds all the way down. zigzag
kneeling every time with the two hinc
| legs while he makes footholes with his
| forefeet. Thus the center of gravity is
preserved, and the huge beast prevented
from topping over on his nose.
When new car is crowned, says he
| New York Tribune, from five to six hun.
| bred thousand of his subjects from al
| parts of the empire assemble at Moscow
| Populations being sent from all the prov.
| inceS, and representatives from every
| tribe within his immense domain; from
| Siberia and Central Asia and from the
| Pacific to the Arctic Sea. Among then
| sacks, Circassians, Georgians, Bashkins
| Turks, Tcherkesses, Abassians, Kalmucks
| Tartars, Karapapaks Daghistands Ar.
| menianS, KurdS, and a multitude of wan.
| dering peoples in the heart of Asia form
! ing a concourse of more than fifty nations
! which recognize the rule of the great white
| czar throwned beside the Neva and which
| bring him on his coronation their tokens
| of allegiance. More than fifty languages
/ and twice that number of dialects are
! spoken in Russia, and the newly crowned
| ruler receives congra tulations in all OF
| them. the representatives, according to
! usage addressing him in their respective
| tribal tongues. The pageant is made as
| gorgeous and spectacular as possible, ir
| order to impress upon the representatives
| of their distant and scattered peoples 2
| sense of the grandeur and power of their
! ruler. and it is without doubt the mos
| magnificent performance of the kind nov
| to be seen in the world. 1t costs on al
| average four or five millions of public
money besides the private outlay, which
| may represent an equal amount The new
| car is soon TO be crowned, the ceremony
! taking place in the Cathedral of the AS
| sumption in the Kremlin, according t.
! custom, and promises to be as costly a No
| splendid as any which that venerab lf
| temple has ever witnessed 1t will be !
great day for Holy Russia, and in its
| nVini0n 4