The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-28
ITEMS of INTEREST.


teresting than the salmon, and in no
other fishery have the benefits of arti-
fetal propagation been more clearly
demonstrated, says Success. The hon.
ing instinct of the salmon enabled the
propagators of fry to learn, at the be-
ginning of their work, that it was
worth doing. Salmon Matched in any
stream usually return to that stream
when they are of spawning age. The
propagators reared salmon to the size
of fingerlings, marked them, and turn
ed them loose. In due time the mark
ed fish returned and were caught in
the home stream. 1t is a curious fact,
however, that, in spite of the homing
instinct, salmon are found at the
spawning season in the brackish wa
ter at the foot of Alaskan glaciers,
where, it is believed no fish was ever
Matched. Another curious fact, learned
through marking the artificially propa-
gated fish, is that of a lingering weigh
ing from one to two ounces may grow
to weigh from two to ten pounds In
six or eight months, and in two years
a weight of forty pounds has been
reached. The growth depends, of
course, on the food supply. But where
salmon feed and what they feed on
have not yet been learned. 1t is sup
posed that they find small marine ami
mails so numerous in their deep-sea
haunts that they swim about "as if in
a soup" Perhaps the deep-sea haunts
will sometime be discovered.
An amusing story is told in the
North China Herald of an attempt of a
French engineer to combine scientific
investigation and railroad building in
Corea. He went around with a tape
line and measured the coolies heads.
Under Heaven and above EARTH" said
they, what can he mean by taking the
size of our heads?" "Mean?" said the
others, "he's after medicine, don't you
know that?" Later on there was
skull found that seemed to have no
owner and the engineer sent it home to
Paris. There" said the coolies,
that's for medicine, too" and suspic-
ions grew SO pronounced that fresh
batch of workmen struck, saying they
would not have their heads measured.
Then" said the Frenchman, you
shall not work under me-" They went
in a body to Yi-Topgik, Lord High
EXecutioner of Corea, and presented
ancents," said vi, this man must be
dismissed. He is employed to build a
railroad, and has no authority what
ever to go round preparing his devillish
decoctions." Work stopped, and there
was a long tug of-war. 1t was ex-
planned that it was for scientific pur-
poses that the heads were measured.
Scientific purposes, what kind of med
icine is that?" asked vi. mo more
money for the road while this man is
in and 1 hold the strings" So the
Seoul-Euiju Railway ha stopped.
The total harvest of sea fish sold at
Gloucester and Boston. which are the
principal markets, during the past
year. officially reported, amounted to
162,21S,921 pounds. worth 1885, 102, of
which the Newfoundland banks pro-
duced something more than siXty-five
million pounds, while the grounds off
the New England coast yielded nearly
100000 pounds, says Success. There
We're 3,731 fares (Smack loads),
brought to Boston. OF these, PSI fares"
were landed of which 66S were from the
eastern banks. On the Pacific coast, the
catch amounted to 217. 1865. 1856 pounds,
the value of which was $6,27S,63 The
capital invested there amounted to
nearly $13000,000, and 10000 people
found employment in the business. For
the sake of comparison, it may be
worth telling that the fresh water
lakes, which Uncle Sam also cultivates,
yielded 113,72S040 pounds of fish, worth
$2,611 ,482, while the Mississippi and its
tributaries produced 94,713, 402 pounds,
valued at $1,771, S12. To sum it>up, the
principal fish fields of the United States
produced, in one year, for the market
the extraordinary amount of 5SS, $685.
519 pounds of edible fish, for which the
fishermen received more than SIS 000,-
900. This does not include the run of
eJ,o G-l,
New York city and other ports south;
nor does it include the quantities taken
in local waters and consumed in the
villages and smaller cities. Neither
does it include the shellfish-F'rom
Farming the Ocean," by John R.
Spears, in the October Success"
There are many interesting things
in nature that we can fully under
stand without having to bother with
the dry problems that confront the SCI
entists, says the Scotsman, and this
is one of them Flowers live by the
insects and the insects live by the
flowers. The nectar in the heart of
the flowers is the insects food, and
the insects, to get at it, light on the
flower and thrust their proboscis down
into it for sip. In doing this they
bring to the flower on their legs and
feet pollen gathered from other flow
ers. Without this pollen the flowers
would be without the fertilization that
they must have to live and continue
their kind. So you see how dependent
one is on the other. There are certain
flowers that open at a certain time of
the day, and others that open only at
night. Now this is not the result of
chance. These flowers depend on GER
tain insects for fertilization and thew
open when those particular insects are
on the wing. Flowers sometimes act
as if they were endowed with human
intelligence. Cut a spray of laurel
from outside and put it into water in
your house. Now, you will find that
the flowers will last longer in the house
than those on the bush from which Won
cut them. 1t seems almost incredible.
but it is true, that these flowers last
because they are waiting for the visits
of the insects on which they depend
for fertilization, and from which they
have been separated by your bringing
them into the house. Some tropical
orchids last longer in our hot houses
than they do in their natural state for
the same reason-they are waiting for
natural fertilization.
A week ago the great library of
Congress was opened to readers for the
first time on a Sunday. The experi-
ment is said to have been a great sue
cess, as no fewer than 4,30O persons
took advantage of the privilege. That
the majority of these 1890 were not inn
PEELED by idle curiosity nor by a desire