Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-19
GLEANiNGs AND GOSSIP.

People who live in fear of microbes
aught to know that somebody has dis
covered that lavender and rose perfumes
are germicides.
The New York Sun refers to Jersey
skeeters as the "culicid dipterous pests"
The Sun appears to use such language
without fear than any one will charge 1t
with "showin' Off"
A substitute for cotton has been made
from wood pulp. Cloth manufactured
from the fiber is declared to be as ser
vice able as cotton cloth. and to be capa-
BILE of possessing more brilliant luster.
Some of the cloth and raw material was
exhibited as a cotton manufacturers as
ISOLATION at Rouen, France.
Air for the reading-room of the Chica-
go public library is purified by means OF
an ozone apparatus before being forced
into the room at the rate of 1000 cubic
feet in minute. Not only have tests
shown the value of this sterilzed air In
it's effects on germs. but the humidity OF
the room has been reduced per cent.
1t is estimated that at the next census
to be taken next year. the British isles
will show a population of 45ooo,oU In
1901 the population of England and Wales
was 32527.S43; of Scotland. 4.472.109; OF
Ireland, 4458.T5: and of the outlying
islands, 15O,37O These. with 367736 men,
mostly soldiers and sailors, classed as
"undomicled,' made total population
for the British isles of 41,976.827
The open-air concerts in Central park,
New York, this summer. have been of a
higher grade than hitherto. and the re-
spouse of the public has been such as to
prove the practical wisdom of the park
commissioners plan. rhe Volpe and
Kaltenborn orchestras have played at
the concerts during the summer. and a
dignified attempt has been made to pre-
sent new work by American composers
At the Kaltenborn concert this week
new suite by E. S. Kelley is to be per-
formed.
Detroit has a ''child clairvoyant
dimpled young girl Of Is or so. who
makes up to appear or 10 years old
newspaper woman who called upon her
liked her pleasant nature, but was not
favorably impressed by such demonstra-
tions of psychic powers as she saw. al
though the young miss asserted that she
was a 'natural-born' medium. She said
that $500 would be her price for finding
the callers lost lover" but finally
agreed to do it for so cash. The police
may be invited to test the genuineness
of the girls talent at wrestling secrets
from the past, present and future.
Not counting the Montauk lighthouse.
the last building in America to be seen
by the traveller on transatlantic
steamer out of New York is believed to
be hotel at Long Beach, l.. l. Also. of
course, this is the first building to be
seen from an incoming steamer bound
for New York. A man who had heard of
this supposed fact wrote to New York
paper asking whether it was likely that
with strong glass signal displayed
at the hotel could be seen from the
steamer. If this should turn out to be
possible, the ceremony of farewelling a
travelling friend could be prolonged by a
run down to Sound Beach and the sig
mailing of a last bon voyage" from the
Flagstaff of the hotel.
The national forests of Colorado are
being damaged by porcupines. The ami
mails diet consists principally of grass.
shrubs and rots, but when their fodder is
covered by snow they go to the forests of
the higher attitudes and eat the bark of
pole pine. A reconnaissance party as
the Denver Republican termed it, killed
p porcupines in the Routh forest in two
days hunting over small area. DR..
Dearborn of the national biological sur
vey has gone to Colorado to study the
situation. This is not the only trouble
in the Colorado forests. In certain re-
forested areas field mice and chipmunks
are causing ravages of sufficient serious
ness to draw an expert from Washington
to make a special study
Pittsburg. Pa, is the latest city to
make a provision for the employment of
the blind. Money was appropriated for
workshops, the first of which, to be
opened in September. will be devoted to
the manufacture of brooms. The SER
vices of c. F. F. Campbell general sec
rotary of the Pennsylvania association
for the blind, have been offered by that
association, to act as director of the
workshops An important part of the
work in Pittsburg will be the furnishing
of employment to the blind in their own
homes. Raw material that can be turned
into household articles will be provided
by the workshops, and the workers will
be paid the difference between the cost
of the raw material and the selling price
of the finished goods. About rs per cent
of the blind in Pennsylvania are over
school age. and therefore not eligible for
the schools, and the Pennsylvania asso-
citation urges the establishment of work.
shops in all large centers of population
to assist the e-bodied men and women
who will be glad of the opportunity to do
remunerative work.
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