Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-08-27
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Three years ago. when the tax on
bicycles was first levied In France, the
number Of wheels In the country was
| 10000. The number was exactly
doubled last year. and this year the
total Is $4,000.
The British authorities In India have
heen obliged to discontinue the
bounties on dead snakes because the
natives went into the business OF
breeding the reptiles on large scale
In order to secure the reward paid for
their dead bodies.
1T Is beyond question:" says the
Chicago Times Herald, that the aver
age farmer enjoys more OF the creature
comforts of life. better health and
greater independence than the aver
age business man operating on like
capital In the city"
Mulhall, the great English statlsti-
clan, alleges that Mt the death Of Au-
gustus Caesar the population Of the
earth was but $4,000, OOO That Of Eu-
rope before the fifteenth century did
not exceed 5O,OOO,OO0. The worlds
population Is now estimated Mt 1,479,-
729, 400, that of Europe being 357 &c.,
600.
This 10 a great fruit year In this
country, and under existing condi-
tions Of cultivation every year, the
New York World thinks ought to be q
great fruit year. In addition to sup
plying our own demands we can build
up a large fruit-export trade which
will be a valuable addition to our re-
sources. The sale In London Of the
second Of the seasons cargOes OF Cali
fornia fruit is reported as an improve
rent on the first one. There Is a rich
future for an industry which has as
yet not been considered worthy Of rec
ignition.
The New York Tribune believes that
a considerable saving Of time will be
effected by the new method Of dis
charging and distributing foreign
mails which has just gone into opera
ton. Fast tugs now meet the mail
steamers at Sandy Hook and receive
tugs and distributed to the various
railroads without passing through the
New York post Office. New York con-
tinues TO be the great receiving point
for foreign mails, but a gain Of several
hours Is made in sending them over
the country. Every gain of this kind
is appreciated by the people at large,
and especially by the business commu-
nify.
The economy Of municipal owner
ship of gas and electric light plants is
proposed as a subject for joint investi-
CATION by the National Department Of
Labor and the Bureaus of Labor Stats
tics in the several states, the agents
Of the national bureau to cOnfine their
inquiries to states which have no
bureaus of statistics. The inquiry will
be made in all cases upon uniform
blanks and according to uniform meth
DDS. This will add greatly to the
value Of results and their convenience
for investigators, because it will make
1t possible to make easy and exact
comparisons. Every electric and gas
lighting plant in the United States
which is owned by the municipality
will be reported upon, and a sufficient
number Of private establishments to
afford basis Of comparison between
the two classes.
A Rochester IN. W horseman says:
Farmers are again beginning to raise
horses in this country, and more ard
bought and sold now than there were
two years ago. The cause is that we
are finding an English market. The
English are much slower than the
Americans to adopt the new transit
system, and they still make great use
Of the old tramcars drawn by horses
It has been the custom Of the railway
companies to buy their horses In Scot
land and on the continent. They have
lately discovered that they can get
better and cheaper horses on this side
Of the water. At the same time the
American farmers are finding the
same thing out in many localities, and
they are raising horses to meet the de-
mand. Horsemen say that this de-
mand is increasing each year instead
Of diminishing"
A Los Angeles man tells The Wash
ington Times that Los Angeles may
soon become the largest city In Cali
fornia. "San Francisco" he says, has
been steadily retrograding, while the
population of Los Angeles has been as
steadily increasing. Los Angeles has
the whole Of the interior back Of IT,
while San Francisco, being situated on
narrow strip of land backed up by
mountains, has no place to spread and
no country from which to draw sup
plies. In 1890 the population Of San
Francisco was 100000, while to-day 10
is only 2S5,OOO. Los Angeles's popu-
lation in the same year was $1,000,
while to-day it is 175,OO0, so you see
we are steadily pulling up on them. In
my section of the country we know
nothing at all of the hard times that
exist in the rest of the States. Every
thing is on the BOOM"
The British Government has recently
prohibited peculiar game called
Barsa IA Salta, which Is popular In
India. 1t consists in making bets on
rainy days on the quantity OF rain
which will fall, and the method OF |
playing it is thus described In an Eng
lish journal. Upon the terraces or
roofs Of many houses in India there
Is q water tank provided with waste