Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1904-10-28
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Among the vegetable products De-
culiar to Madagascar is the fibrous sub
stance known as rata, which the ma
uVes weave on hand looms into a va
rlety of fabrics, used for sacking, for
draperies, and occasionally for dress
goods. Under the name "rabanas," a
striped and colored variety of this ma
terial is sold for curtains in the Amer
lean market. Recently a new use has
been found for rata fiber In the manu-
facture of cigarette paper, and our
consul at Tamatave, Mr.. Hunt, sug-
gests it might prove valuable for max
Ing other kinds Of paper. The rata
plant has long been grown for orna-
mental purposes In European gardens.
Man has just learned how to fee
from the malaria bearing mosquito,
and now, If he could, he would teach
pear trees to avoid the blight-carrying
money bee. Experiments conducted in
California, and recently reported to
the Botanical Society Of America, in
dlcate that bees are active agents in
the spread of pear blight at the period
when the trees are in bloom. Pear
trees protected with coverings, after
the analogy of mosquito nets, which
prevented bees from reaching their
blossoms, were unaffected with blight,
while other neighboring trees not thus
protected were badly blighted. Other
honey-seeking insects besides bees also
carry infection.
DR.. Max Wolf, of Heidelberg, has
Photographed a remarkable nebula in
the constellation Cyngus, which, on ac-
count Of its shape, he calls the Amer
lea nebula" 1t Is the first time that
such an object has been named for
any Of the natural divisions of the
earth. DR.. VOLTS photograph shows a
really striking likeness to an outline
map Of North America. The softly
glowing nebula represents the form Of
the continent surrounded by the dark
background Of the heavens as by an
ocean. The narrowing toward the
south, the huge gap Of the Gulf OF
Mexico, and the graceful curve of the
coast Of Central America and the 18TH
mus are to be seen.
Prof. Charles Baskerville, of the
University of North Carolina, has dis
covered two new chemical elements,
allied to thorium, from which the man.
ties Of Welsbach burners are derived.
He has named one Of them carolinium,
in honor of his State, and the other
berzelium. after the name Of the great
Swiss chemist, Berzelius. Both the
new elements are radioactive, giving
off rays that penetrate metals, wood
and other substances, and that are ca,
pable of producing Photographic and
visible light effects. Like other radio
active elements, they are Of high at
omic weight Prof Baskerville has
been on the track of these new ele-
ments for several years.
A German experimenter describes a
singular electric phenomenon exhibited
by glass tuDeful or rad1um bromide
The substance had been sealed up in
the tube in December, 1902. Six months
later the experimenter was about tc
open the tube with file, but as soor
as the metal touched the glass the tube
was pierced by a brilliant electric
spark, accompanied by sharp sound
1t is thought that the retention in the
tube Of the positively charged Alphs
particles, which cannot penetrate glass
and the continual escape Of the mega
lively charged Beta particles, which dt
penetrate glass, set up difference IL
the electric potential inside and out
side the tube so great that at last {
spark was able to pass through th'
glass wall.