The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-22
FACTS IN A FEW LINES.

gious The Romans adapted it to house.
hold decorations
1t is always sure sign OF rain when
horses and cattle stretch their necks aud
snuff the air for long time.
Incandescent lamps increase in effect.
iveness during the first so or 100 hours
of use, after which they slowly fade.
Nearly 5000 persons are engaged in
the wood pulp and paper industry in
Maine. The yield is about $4,000 tons
year.
1t is calculated that Londoners nav
an extra water rate of some $3.50. 600 ar
$500, 900 q year in respect of the article
which they buy as milk.
Russia has the most rapidly increasing
population of any country in Euror,e-
The growth in the last 100. years has
been fraction under 1000, 600 annu.
ally.
AT the funeral of an unmarried wo-
man i'll Brazil scarlet is the mourning
hue. The coffin, the hearse, the tran.
pings of the horses and the livery of the
driver must be scarlet.
Venezuela, or Little Venice, as the
early Spanish explorers called the conn
try, the natives having built their houses
on piles along the shores, is not go very
little" since it is twice the size OF
California.
Lifeboats are now being made in
some quarters of pumice stone. This is
material Of great lightness and
strength, and boat made thereof will
support a considerable load even when
full of water.
The COW tree is found in Venezuela.
This name is given because when the
tree is tapped in the trunk it gives forth
milkliko beverage. 1t is certainly a
wonderful tree. 1t grows tall and the
foliage 10 palmlike.
The biggest turtle does not furnish
moro than 16 pounds of tortoise she'll.
Formerly the under she'll was thrown
away, being considered worthless, but
at present it is very highly valued for
its delicacy of coloring.
A tree which grows wild in Venezue.
la spreads out at the top like an UNI
brella i'll shape and attains such bulk
that the circumference is several hun
dred feet. This tree is species of mi
moSa or sensitive plant.
The Slnmese, rs IL class, are not over
ambitious III trade. and the greater part
of the small retail establishments and
various kinds of shops are i'll the hands
of the Chinese. The latter also furnish
the labor Of the country.
In 1901 there were only $50, 600 per
sons i'll the limits of the United States
who spoke German as a mother tongue.
Now over 100000 of our people, Ger
mans or descendants of Germans, read
and speak that language.
There has been lately found Oh the
lsthmus of Tehuantepeo flower which
roughly does the work of clock. In tho
morning it is white, mt noon it is red
and at night blue, the changes of color
being remarkably regular.
The bushmen, or low grade Hotten-
tots. on the plains of South Africa, have
language which has been proved by
GARNER to be close approximation to
that Of the higher apes. 1t consists Of
Missing. clicking and gruuting sounds.
Sheep will eat much forage left by
other animals and do much to shift for
themselves. They do want some care
though, dry place to sleep and shell
ter from rain and SNOW. Cold does not
bother them much if they are kept dry.
An English expert declares that he
knows of at least 600 counterfeits of the
old masters which are now hanging in
the private galleries of the United
States, and ali of which were originally
purchased i'll Europe at very high prices.
The queen of England has three
sea pictures executed by NJ G. Ricard
Cordingley, a young French painter,
who spent long time on board one of
the smacks in the North sea making
sketches of the men at their arduous
work.
The domestic tastes of the Princess of
Wales have most natural origin. Her
father, in early manhood, was poor
younger son and lived almost in seclu-
sion with his wife and children. Her
mother, German natron, trained her
to housewifery.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth
the extension of English comm, rec re-
suited in a remarkable development of
the English language. and ~ associa-
tioh Win loIe]Ru NATIONS thousands or
words unknown before i'll England were
brought into common use.
Among the wilder tribes of the eau
casus every child is taught to use the
dagger almost as soon as it can walk.
The children first learn to stab water
without making Il splash, and by inces-
SAINT practice acquire an extraordinary
command over the weapon.
The age of woman is always mat
ter to keep man guessing, and the
folln1uin1r 1ntnn % Al,n hill. 20 a.Ia