The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-04-02
OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

The largest apple orchard in the
world covers 1887 acres in Falrmont,
Kan.
A race horse galloplng at full speed
clears from twenty to twenty-four feet
every bou !.
In Italy there are more theatres In
proportion TO the population than In
u"y other country.
In Middle Smlthfeld, Pa, there is a
chestnut tree that measures nineteen
feet in circumference four feet above
ground.
Statistics prove that a single house
fly may become the progenitor of a
family of 2.0S0.320 descendants in one
season.
The largest check was one of $685.
650 drawn on the Bank of England In
payment for the Kimberley diamond
mines.
After ten years the Rugby (Tennes-
see) settlement started by Thomas
Hughes and other Englshmen has only
1000 inhabitants.
In one of his astronomical lectures
Prof. Proctor once said that 100000
worlds the size of our earth could be
stored inside of the sun.
The British census report says that II
all the houses in England were placed
side by side they would cover a space
OF $50 square miles.
The coldest place in North America
is at the mouth of the Mckenzie River,
where the temperature Is often as low
as 20 degrees below zero.
After the Franco German war II
was calculated that the proportion Of
killed to the bullets spent in endeavor-
ing to kill them was as 1 to 1900.
The city of San Salvador, capital OF
the Central American republic Of the
same name. is called the Swinging Mat,
on account of Its numerous earth
quakes.
Statistics aver that since bicycling
has become a popular pastime, the rub
ber trade. in consequence. has risen
probably s5.O00,O00 within the last eigh-
teen months.
The smallest flower known to the
botanist Is said to be that Of the yeast
plant 1t is microscopic in size and Is
said to be only one-hundredth of
millimeter in diameter.
Capt. C. w. Thomas, of Cole County,
Me. has produced the largest water
melon ever known-weighing seventy
three pounds-which he has christened
1.-The Defender, the world-beater."
In England and Scotland milkmaids
believe that II they forget TO wash their
| hands after milking their cows will go
| dry. This superstition Is diligently fos-
tered by the owners of the cows.
There is a superstition among many
colored people in the South that to
meet frog Is a lucky incident, indi-
| eating that the one thus favored Is
| about to receive money from some un-
| expected quarter
Although Vermont has for several
years offered the liberal bounty of $l5
on bears, the animals are still found
upon the mountains, and, in the opin-
ion of hunters and trappers. are grow
Ing in numbers in that section.
A Baltimore policeman was recently
fined s25 by the Police Board of that
city for interfering with a baseball
game. While relieving another officer
on duty during the game the offender
walked across the field close to second
base, and delayed the game fully five
minutes.
The sobriquet, Father of His Coun-
try" was first applied to Marius, the
| Roman officer who, b. c. 102 and lO1,
won signal victories over the northern
| barbarians Marius declined the honor,
| but the name was afterward given to
| Cicero, then to several more or less
| worthy Roman Emperors, and finally
| to Washington.