Evening star., 1900-10-06
Ne 9z29gg 81 HEARD a.
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country was again visited by a similar
spell of hot weather, and in the ensuing
crop. In view of what has been the expe-
rience on the two occasions mentioned
look for similar results next year as re-
CARDS the wheat CROP
X y
Many people who hold the shark in fear
and execration would hardly believe that
it's carcass is highly valued for commercial
purposes" observed a leather dealer in
New York to writer for The Star recent
ly. But as a matter of fact thousands
of sharks are annually caught in West In
dian and South American waters and ship
ped to this city, where, in factories, the
skins are cut up and dried and sold at from
So to So each, according to size. The dry
ing process makes the skins hard as
adamant and as smooth as mother of pearl.
The material is known as 'shagreen. and is
used mostly for making whip handles and
for covering instrument cases. 1t Is also
used by cabinetmakerS for polishing fine
woods The fins are made into a glue that
is used very extensively by silk manufac-
turers.'
X X
Few persons are. perhaps. aware that a
thing of beauty is common peanut plant,
growing singly in a six or eight-inch pot
and grown indoors during the colder
months" observed florist to a Star re-
porter yesterday. Kept in a warm room
or by the kitchen stove a peanut kernel
planted in pot of loose mellow loan. kept
only moderately moist, will soon gerninate
and grow up into a beautiful plant. 1t is
in similar way that the peanut planters
test their seeds every year. beginning even
early in the winter, and the facility with
which the seeds will grow in this way has
suggested to many southern flower lovers
the possibility of making the useful peanut
an ornamental plant for the parlor or sit
ting room window.
LAS the plant increases in size and ex-
tends its branches over the sides Of the pot
in pendant manner, there are few plants
of more intrinsic beauty. The curious haDlt
OF the compound leaves Of closing to-
gether like the leaves of book on the ap-
proach Of night or when a shower begins
to fall on them is one Of the most interest
ing habits of plant life- And then. later
on, for the peanut Is no ephemeral WONDER,
enduring for day or two only the appear
ance Of the tiny yellow flowers and putting
forth of the peduncles on which the nuts
grow imparts to this floral rarity strik-
ing and unique charm all its own. There
is nothing else like 1t, and florists through
out the country might well add the peanut
plant to their list of novel and rare things"
X
Not the least beautiful Of the many
sern-precfous stones, for which there Is al
ways large demand. is the topaz" said a
wholesale dealer in gems to the writer yes
terday. The name topaz generally sug-
gests only yellow stone, yet there are
light blue, brown and green varieties which
are frequently sold as aquamarines. The
genuine aquamarine may. however be easi-
ly distinguished from topaz, as the former
stone more closely resembles the color of
green sea salt. Besides, the topaz admits
of a higher polish, and is extremely slip
perry to the touch. Strange to say, the yell
low topaz when slightly heated becomes
pink; heated further the pink grows paler,
and by long heating it is entirely expelled.
leaving the green colorless, The sherry
colored or brown topaz is bleached in a
very short time by the rays of the sun or
strong daylight. and all the white topazes
found in nature have been coloriZed in this
way. The topaz is found in granite rocks
In Siberia, Japan. Peru, Ceylon, Brazil and
Maine, and in volcanic rocks in Colorado.
Utah and New Mexico"