The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-05-26

agriculture has sent pacv bushels OF
lhe acorns thjther for planting. Por-
tUg&i IS the greatest producer Of cork
tcdav, and theeoormous consumption
cf the article is indicated ~ the cir,
cUmstaDce that the world annually
uses Z, coo, Geo, ,00G cut corks jcr bottles
The msterial has many otner usSs,
however, being employed for bicycle
handles, nat JlningS, tol.es powder,
linirg foc ice houses, lie preservers.
saddles. life boats, artificial legs and
arms, buoys and inner soles for shoes
II Southern Elrope it is utilized for
roofing, pals, window lights, plates.
iabs, cups, religious images, horse
shoes ara coffins Much of the finest
quality goes into nose pieces for eve
glasses. We imported 81, GIG ,357
worth Of cork las. year.
The culture Of the rubber tree is be
ing tried in the region of the Florida
Egecglades. IL that part OF the couu-
try is vast swampy region that could
be made to supply the world with rub
Der. At present the market supply IS
threatened seriously by the reckless
destruction Of trees IN Mexico and
Brazil. There are several rubber
producing plants, the best of them be
Ing the Siphon elastica, superb trop-
ical tree, which has seeds like horse
chestouts, three in q pod. When ripe
the pod bursts like cracker, throw
ing the seeds to distance. This tree
does not cone into full bearing of sap
until It's Goth year. The juice is 56
per cent. rubber. a full-grown speci
men will produce so pounds OF mix"
per annum for forty years. The I'm
est rabb:- blankets are made By pour
ing the sap upon canvas. 1t is strlk.
icg fac: that This country imported
SIC, 6,ig3.0 0GG worth ofcrude rubber last
year.
There IS 40 reason WY the opium
poppy Should not be cultivated 10 the
United States, excep! that popular
Urejduice exists against it. The pre-,
JUDGE, however, does not prevent the
importation Of 400, 900 pounds of tae
drug intS this couatry annually.
Nearly the whole of this vast quantity
is SNUG sled from China direct or by
way of British Colunbia Only abuut
sc. 600 pounds is employed for medi-
c!nal purposes, the balance being con.
sumed by "fends." The opium vice
is nearly always secret one, and vic
TINS OF it are greatly more numerous
than is generally imsgined. Up to
he 18th century the drug was known
only as a product of Asia Minor.
From thence it was Introduced into
India and China. The gum from the
seed pods of the plant is the opium OF
commerce.
1t seems surprising to learn that
S166, 3S4 worth of seaweeds were I'M
ported into this country lass year.
These plants aroused largely in the
manufacture OF soda, iodine, bromiae
and gelatinous extracts. On the
French shore of the British Channel
more than 2,250,000 tons OF S aweeds
are gathered esch year with drags
and rakes. OF seaweed products the
most important is iodine. the entire
worlds supply of which IS got from
this source. 4 marine plant called
Japanese isiuglsss" contains so macn
gelstine that it has eight times the
gsIatiniz;ng power OF ordinary geia-
tine. Two common species called
.'la7er" and ''oulse" ere eaten by the
Eaids Indians OF our North invest coast;
they are dried, pressed in solid BLOCKS
and cut in slices for boiling. Another
kind, known ss Irish uoss," furn.
:shes cosmetic :or the hair-''baodo-
iue." Il is collected in large quanti-
ties on Cape Cod every soum7r sid
sold for making puddi1gs. Brewers
and calico printers use It in their bust
ress. But nearly all of the saawsed
crop in this country reu.alns uugath-
cred.
TrufHes have recently bscn gather.
eo and preserved in large quantities IN
California. They are put up in CANS,
parboiled anG sealed in their own
Juice. II may be that these delicious
fungi OF domestic production might
take the place OF the imported, OF which
many thousands Of dollars worth
come frcm France annually. That
country produces every year s., OCO,
600 worth of trufnes. which sell for 50
g pound, They are found under
ground about oak trees, and dogs and
pigs, which were both very fond OF
them, are employed to smell them out.
The origin Of the fungus is very GU
rious. In July and August little
blue-winged fly makes its way inao
the soil at the base of the oak
tree piecces the bark of the root
and lays It's eggs in the wound.
From the scar develops Wis.
cous substance, which grows into
.ruffis. The latter when full grown
is about the size of walnut and has
warty surface.
The demand Tor citron in this coun
try viii soon be supplied by the do
nestle product. The growing OF the
fruit is an increasing industry IN Cal
;fornia and Florida. Only the thick
sind is utilized. The fruit IS cut il
halves and pu. in casks With strong
o.ine; then the pulp is separated fron
the rhind by gouging it out. The
rlndS are immersed IN fresh water Tor
three days to free them Of salt, and
are then boiled in copper ca!dfon
until they are tender. Afterwards
they sre soaked and boiled in syrups
| of different strengths, and, finally,
when com pletely saturated with su-
gar, are dried on wire net, coming
out most appetizingly covered with
sugar cry rystals.
| In Southern Florida might be culti-
vatsd the trees tnst produced myrrh
and frankincense, which are Ia con-
/ siderable commercial demand. My~rh
is the gum of s tree that gro VS. IN
Southwestern Asia. The chief markets
are Bombay and Alden, whera ii is
sorted, the best quality being seat to
Europe and the poorer grades to Chi,
Ia. Queen Victoria makes an ofer-
! ING OF cold. frsnkincepse and mvrrh