The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-18

about the cod, which is such popular
food fish herea bouts as we'll as throughout
the country. He declared 1t TO be the
most prolific fish that swims and went on
TO say that il all the eggs produced by
the cod were Matched and all the young
fish reached maturity, the oceans of the
world would in the course OF two or three
centuries, become a solid mass OF wrig-
CLING Goldfish. This statement sounded
littlo wild and the Gossirer couldn't re-
strain an expression OF iDcreduility, which
resulted in the fish dealer bringing
figures in to back up his statement. In
proportion to its size and weight, he said,
the roe OF the Goldfish is SO enormous as
to be without parallel. In many instances
this roe equals one half of the total
weight Of the fish. Estimates have been
made by counting given weight OF the
eggs an weighing the remainder. and
have shown tnat single roe contains the
vast number of 100000 eggs. In the
light Of this information the statement
aobut wriggliDg mass OF Goldfish filling
the oceans OF the world doesn't seem so
extravagant, and one Is disposed TO regard
the fact that but small proportion of
the eggs are ever hatched and the fish
matured, as wise disensation of Provi-
dence TO prevent the monopoly OF the
seas by the prolific Goldfish.
In another way the common every
day potato Is quite as remarkable as the
Goldfish. Indeed agricultural records do
not show another staple that has in
creased so enormously in use since its dis
covery as has the potato. 1t was in 1876
that Raleigh first carried potatoes to En-
gland and il is probable that the Spain
ards had earlier introduced them in spain
and in Italy. In the little more than
three centuries that have lapsed since
then the cultivation OF the potato plant
has extended to about every part of the
civilized world. Ia 1887 Mulhall declared
that the civilized countries on the glore
produced 80, $50, 600 tons, OF which enor-
nous total the United States was credited
with much more than half or over 5,000,-
00O tons. Looked at in one way three
hundred years is very long stretch of
time, but IL is brief indeed for such a
marvellous and widespread extcntion as
has been given potato culture. In nearly
all cases of staple plants used for food
they have been domesticated SO long that
the wild species have become extinct or
can no longer be identified. With the
potato the case ia different, for OF the 300
species of the plant nearly one third still
grows in the wild state.
There isn't any doubt that some of the
bicycle accidents that have become SO
frequent of late are due more to the in
experience of. the rider than to reckless
ness on his part. The inexperienced bi-
cyclist is in about the same position and
about az dangerous to tnoso about him as
the novice on skates. In either case he
can go ahead with comparative ease and
security, but when it.comes to turning a
corner, avoiding a collision or getting
around en- obstruction his want of kill
is displayed In the running down of all
who happen to he In his path and have
not taken warning In time TO get out of
the way. In Vienns, Austria, they don't
have any OF these bicycle accidents be-
cause there no one can ride a bicycle i'm
the public thoroughfares until he has
passed an examination to demonstrate
his ability to manage wheel under all
and circumstances. Ibis ex-
animation is a very thorough and practi-
cal one. For instance, an applicant for q
permit to ride In the public streets is re-
quired to guide his machine between two
boards laid on the floor without touching
the sides or edges OF either of them.
Further than this he must at the word OF
be BILE 10 dismount either TO
the right, to the left or backward and
torily he is compelled TO confine his wheel
ing exploits to the privacy to his own
premises.
A gentleman who is we'll informed on
such matters tells the Gossiper that silk
is the stongest tibre Of animal or veget-
able origin that Is known. Threads made
Of 1t are credited with being three times
as..strong as those of equal size of flax
and twice as strong as those OF hemp. II
Is further claimed that the original thread
rs produced by the silk worm possesses
greater strength than steel wire Of the
sane thickness.