The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-02-11

acetate OF lime in commerce. Acetate Of
lime is used for making acetic acid. Full
ly three-6fths of all the wood alcohol
and acetate of lime produced in the
world are made in the United States.
A considerable quantity is also produced
in Sweden, and at the exhibition now
being held in Stockholm specimens may
be seen. Over $1,000 acres of forest
per year are cleared in the United States
Wood alcohol affords a perfect substitute
for grain alcohol for manufacturing and
mechanical purposes, and at less than
one-third the cost. 1t is used principally
as solvent in the making of shelac
tographic paper. 1t makes beautiful dye
tints, is antiseptic and is used for lini-
ments and for skin rubbing in bath
houses.-Mining and Scientific Press
Magic Wrought by Rain.
The whole of the interior of Australia
is not, as some people appear to think
desert. 1t is traversed by river courses,
such as those of the Finke, Varcoe and
Warburton, all draining southwark to-
ward Lake Eyre.
Nothing could be more striking than the
contrast between the dry and wet season,
states Prof. Baldwin Spencer, who visit
ed Central Australia on scientific mis-
sion last year.
In the former one travels mile after
mile over bare, stony palms. with scarce
ly sign Of plant or animal life. The
sun beats down holly on shining fields
of brown and purple stones, crossed every
now and then by thin bands of drcary-
looking mulga trees.
Such plants as there are comparatively
few and far apart. AS to the animals,
they have to survive as best they can;
ants, flies and grasshoppers exist in
countless numbers and afford food to liz
ards, and perhaps smaller marsupial rats
and mice.
In the rainy season. which may only
occur once in eighteen months. every
thing is changed. From the highlands in
the center and from every range of hills
the water ruShes down in torrents Vast
areas, previously impossible by reason of
drouth, now become impossible from
flood Within few hours the whole
scene is changed. The water has loos-
ened the hard ground and countless ami
mails have appeared.
Clap pans and water holes are noisy
with the croaking of frogs; crustaceans
hatch out with wonderful rapidity from
eggs which have lain on the dry ground
for, 1t may be, many months; small mol
lusks buried in clay are released and
every inhabitant of land and water sets
to work to make the best of it's short
life.
The ground within a day or two is
green with the leaves of countless seed
lings, which grow rapidly; birds appear
as if by magic and the once dry and ST.
lent country is now bright with flowers
and foliage and animals, all decked out
in their liveliest colors
After perhaps a few days the rains
| cease and the waters quickly become con-
hned to the river channels. securing out
holes here and there, where a small sup
| ply will remain for time after the shai-
lower parts have all dried up.
AS the water disappears everything re-
turns to its arid state. and it is only those
animals and plants that have succeeded
in reaching. sufficiently advanced stage
| of growth that have any chance of surviv-
| ing. The weaklings among the plants
are quickly killed off.-Pall Mall Gazette.
Cows for Pack Animals
when l go into snowy mountains to
prospect, I'd take a COW instead of Il
horse for beast of burden, every time"
| The speaker was the hermit miner of
Rogue river. Howe, one of the few hui
man relics of the conquest of California.
MIR. Howe's auditor was a reporter for
the Oregonian, and the story that fol-
the discussion of the ways and means
of reaching the new gold fields.
"1n 1858. in dead winter. saw a cow
carry a pack of $50 pounds across the
Slsklyou mountains, and act as the trav-
cling dairy for two men besides. For
| fifty miles her owners put her through
snow that was four feet deep. In many
places the crust would hold her up, but
when she had to founder she acted as
decently as would any mule.
| Her owners were two prOSpectors who
were looking for gold basins, such as
that which had been found at Jackson
creek l was out on a similar mission,
and | followed them for few days.
| had horses, and. of course, | COM
pared our pack animals.
''The cow got along over the snow AS
we'll as did many horses, and when we
camped and they We're all turned out to
feed think the COW Jared better. She
put in her time browsing upon the twigs
| of the mountain underground. Tho
horses wasted their nights and energies
by paving away snow to bite off such few
| ground. Given equal quantities, the live
twigs are more nutritious than the dead
grass. But, in addition, the twigs af-
forded more abundant forage than did
the grass.
"Now, suppose we had been reduced to
such cXtremlties for food that it had he
| come necessary to kill our pack animals.
than horsefesh.''
Some of those who are taking oxen and
COWS to Dyea to use on the passes prob
ably have in mind the advantages which
Prospector Howe saw demonstrated in fa-
vor of cattle as pack animals. But as
cattle are slower of motion than horses
and not so easily managed, they will prob.
ably not supersede the regulation pack
animal.
A Gigantic Nest.
The malice hen of Australia lays its eggs
i'll huge nest. The nest is really an ar
the size of it's maker, and the purpose is
a cooperation incubator 1t is built by
many pairs of birds, male and feml'e
working alike to construct it. These same
pairs or tiocks of birds annually repair
and enlarge the queer-looking cone which
rises up like Il turret dome from the level
| prairie.
Sometimes these tunnels attain height
of fully Is feet in the perpendicular, with
radius of equal measurement. Many eff
these nests have measured as much as
50 yards, or 100 feet, around their Dast.
That would give the largest one meas
ured diameter of about SO feet. These
mound nests are entered through sort of
funnel cavity at the top of the cone.
| The hens of all the building and re-
pairing pairs lay in this immense nest.
| The eggs are deposited about six feet
below the surface. While each hen lays
her egg in the family mound, no hen
drops her egg closer than twenty inches
to that of her neighbor. The egg is de-
posted in a cavity made for it, where
in it is placed in vertical position, care
| fully snloothed over by the hen before
she quits the nest. Contrary to the usual
practice of the bird aud fowl specie
these malice hens lay at night instead of
in the day. Several days elapse, also.
between the dropping Of two eggs by the
same hen. 80 =. \. !; :: - -
The. eggs OF the malice ben are out of
lnll proportion II her size, hey are as