The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-24
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

already is known on French railways.
but now a German railroad has opened
a larger field to women and is en-
ploying them as booking clerks, tele-
graph operators and in other posts.
The busiest collecting station in
Scotland is that at Eglinton street. in
Glasgow, on the Caledonian Railway.
At this depot 600 trains are dealt with
daily. The average number of tickets
collected each day is $1,000 and 10000
on Saturdays.
The smallest exhibit at the Buffalo
Exposition is the fig wasp from Cali
fornia. 1t can be seen only with a
microscope. The insect is an impor-
tant aid in producing the fruit, and
the United States government spent
$4,000 in establishing it in the Pacific
fig region.
An immense potato crop has been
raised this season by irrigation in the
Yakima Indian reservation in the state
of Washington. The quantity for ex-
port is 1900 carloads, and one farmer
will clear $4,000. 1t is estimated that
the crop will be 10000 tons, worth ST.
100000.
South Australian apples are now
sold in the Vienna market at from S
cents to 10 cents each; choice ones
even higher. The apples are packed
and shipped in small long boxes con-
tanning 100 each. Each apple is wrap
ped in tissue paper, and they are pack
ed In wood wool (excelsior) and the
leaves of corn husks.
Mayor Morris of Ottawa, Canada,
proposes to get even with the local coal
dealers who have made a combination
on the price of coal and showed the
price up dollar higher than it can be
obtained in neighboring cities, by es-
tablishing municipal coal yard. He
maintains that he can purchase coal
| cheaper than the dealers and that he
can sell it at a lower price than they,
and he expects to protect the poor fam
lilies of the city in this way.
Charitable and religious organiza-
tons. mainly those supported by the
Roman Catholic Church, will be bene-
fitted to the extent of $3.50, 900 by the will
of Mary Corrigan, which was filed in
| the Chicago Circuit Court the other
day. The largest single bequest was
that of $4,000 to the House of the
Good Shepherd. The Little Sisters of
the Poor are to receive $4,000, and to
number of churches and other socie-
| ties are given sums ranging from 81, 900
to $4,000.
For striking coins and medals and
stamping and shaping articles of jew
elry it is very important that the me-
tai used shall flow well. This is some
thing that the average reader knows
nothing about, perhaps. The flow takes
place when the metal is subjected to
rolling, stamping or hammering, and
4s111- 80
ried into all the sunken parts of the
die without the least. fracture. 1t is
thus that perfect impression is made.
Standard silver is remarkable for this
property.
Why do they persist in calling
Roosevelt our young PRESIDENT" asks
the Boston Globe. People seem to for
get that a man is not old these days !
till he gets in the neighborhood of four
score. Roosevelt is a year older than
the Emperor of Germany, twelve years
older than the Gear of Russia, ten
years older than the King of Italy,
twenty two years older than the Queen
of the Netherlands and twenty eight
years older than the King of Spain.
If one cares to make Mr.. Roosevelt
young by comparison, let him compare
him with the Pope, the Emperor of
Austria or some of the old men whose
deaths are daily mentioned in the pa
pers as having gone to the windward
of a century. Things have changed
since they used to speak of a man at
60 as being IAN old man."
After laughing at the French peo-
| pie for their frog-eating proclivity the
United States is doing very we'll in that
line, for the Food Commission esti-
/
about 100000 frogs, that we may use
their toothsome hind legs for the graf
| ification of our appetites. These frogs,
which have been hopping for years
more and more into gastronomic favor,
are sought for in all parts of the coun-
| try, furnishing paying industry, not
only for the hunters of them in their
natural haunts, but for scores of per-
sons who have frog farms and raise
them as they might raise chickens. To
| these persons the frogs mean an an
nual investment of 100000, according
to the report of the commission, and
that means $150.000 to the. consumers.
Horse chestnuts contain about 27
per cent. of albumen. this remarkable
proportion being greater than is found
in any cultivated plants, but their Bit
| ter taste, due to the presence of about
10 per cent. of bitter rosin, has con-
demned them as unfit for food. By
extracting the bitter principle, Flugge
of Hanover. claims to have made use
full another waste material After
partial roasting to loosen the shells,
the kernels are removed and pulver-
lied, and the powder is placed in a
tight percolator, with alcohol for
about a week. To extract the bitter
completely it may be necessary to re-
place the fluid with fresh solvent. The
alcohol dissolves out the rosin, leav-
ing a pleasant and nutritious meal,
which contains all the albumen and
starch of the chestnuts, and is a VAL
liable food.
"A technical journal, LIE Diamant,
published in Paris has the following
notes on rubies which have lately come
into greater fashion than heretofore
and have in consequence advanced very
materially in price. There are three va
rieties, Oriental Siamese and the
spinel. The first is the most beautiful
OF all colored gems. They are becoming
more and more rare and weight for
weight are valued 10 to 20-fold the
price of diamonds. The best come from
Ceylon, India and China The Siamese
| rubies are very dark red, the spinel is
less richly colored. The largest ruby
known is one of the crown Jewels of
Russia The Shah of Persia has a ruby
or lI5 carats; Gustavus Adolphus of
| sweden had one of the size of a small