Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-02-18


ready had marked influence on rice
growing. In the report of the Secre-
tary of agriculture for 1900 he says of
the introduction of the seed: ut has
brought about the opening up and de-
velopment of an extensive region in
southwestern Louisiana and south
eastern Texas, where the land was not
previously Of any value except for cat
tie grazing. 1t has resulted in the in
vestment Of probably $20,000,000. It
has increased the production of rice
in Louisiana more than $1,000000 per
annum. Rice now has future in the
United States second only to wheat.
Southern Planter.
Once upon a time-and it was not SO
very many years ago-it was regarded
as somewhat singular. that man
should wish to specialize SO far as to
call himself an electrical engineer.
Electricity has grown SO fast, though,
that nowadays even electrical engl-
neers are beginning to be highly spe-
cialized, and we find railway, lighting,
power, electrochemical, telephone and
telegraph engineers, with perhaps
other species of the genus to come
later. It is curious fact, though one
not generally known, that in an install
lation costing a given sum of money
more engineering work has to be done
if the plant happens to be telephone
exchange than if it is any other variety
of electrical engineering installation.
Electrical Review.
The steam turbine begins to dis
place the ordinary steam engine. It
possesses large and important advan-
tages over reciprocating forms of
steam engines for dynamo driving. 1t
has no dead points; it has no varia-
lions of speed within the length of its
stroke, because it has no stroke; it is
fairly economical motor; it's normal
rate of rotation is so high that it will
bring us back to the easier and simp-
largely been surplanted in the effort to
couple dynamos direct to engines of
the slower type now in use. To any
one who looks back over the history
of the influence on the steam engine
Of electric products til evident that
the speed of engines has been de-
creased and many special alterations
made in their design to fit them for d.
rect coupling with large electrical
units. The nature of the dynamo is
such that it is normally high-sneed
machine. With a given frame and
weight, the faster the machine runs
the greater is it's output, while the
floor space and house room occupied
are Electrical Review
There is a very general impression
that electricity is destined to super
sede steam as the great moving force
in the world, and that it will embrace
in itself all the forces of the world,
even gravitation. 1t is true that cleo
tricity only waits upon the price CT
coal to become the principal source Of
the worlds power. We see this pro-
cess now going on in Northern Italy
and in Switzerland, where water pow
er is cheap and coal is dear. The
absence from that country, is amazed
on his return at the manifold applica-
lions of electricity which is generated
by water power The miry lanes IN
Zermatt, where he once picked his
way at night, guided only by dim can
die lights in the chalets, are now il
Illuminated by electric lights, and the
Switzer woman turns the button of an
incandescent lamp even in her kitch-
en-. The traveller will soon be lifted
to the top of the Jungfrau by electri-
city generated from mountain
stream.-Boston Herald
In a recent lecture Prof J. A. Elem
ing noted that it was not until 1864,
when Clerk Maxwell read his most IN
teresting paper on the dynamic theory
of the electromagnetic field that any
reliable explanation of what takes
place in transmitting electrical waves
was available. There have been, he
said, three theories as to the nature OF
electricity. By the first it was as
sumed that either was a rare gas, but
this had to be abandoned. as had also
the theory that it was an elementary
solid. The theory developed by DR..
LamOr, known as the rctating-et ether
theory, was, the lecturer thought. at
present most favorable. One deduc-
ton from the theory was that electri-
city was atomic in character and thai
matter generally was a solid form OF
electricity. There was much to be
gained by the study of these various
theories, Prof. Fleming said, even if
they should be discarded in favor OF
others in the course of a few years
Theories helped us to search for new
facts which would not be discovered
but for theoretical predictions. AT
the same time they helped us to rear
range the facts already ascertaineI,
and in this way forwarded general
knowledge Western Electrician
A simple remedy against MOSQUITOES
has been employed in several places in
South America and is equally we'll
adapted to the temperate zone. It
consists in planting the castor-oiI