The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-09-13
WORLDWIDE BITS
IN SMALL CHUNKS

The people living along the Yu-
kon River in Yukon and Alaska bet
when the great ice break will occur.
They organize pools at Fairbanks
and Dawson where large sums are
won and lost at the betting. A pole
four inches thick and twenty feet
high is frozen in the ice in the
middle of the river. A wire cable
connects this pole with ar electric
stop clock on the shore, set to STAN
dard time. The second the ice moves
the pole the clock stops, and that
moment marks the record of the be-
ginning of the ice break and de-
cides all bets. The usual date is
about May 10.
The lamp" of the FREELY consists
Of substance termed luciferine,
and the light is produced by the
oxidation of this substance in the
presence of an engine called luci-
ferase. The oxygen is furnished by
the air tubes with which the clamp"
is abundently supplied, and is set
free by nerve impulse so that the
light is under the control of the in
sect. The efficiency of the light
may be judged by comparing it with
the efficiency of various other lights.
That Of a carbon incandescent lamp
is O.0O42, of a tungsten bulb 0.013,
of an open arc 0.072, of a quartz
mercury arc 0.068, and of the fire.
fly 0.96. This light is the most per-
feet illumination known, the radia-
ton consisting practically entirely
Of light rays, with only an infinitesi-
NAL production of heat rays.
The upper Mississippi bottoms
are threatened by drainage
scheme. These bottoms are the
most prolific spawning grounds for
black bass and other game and food
fishes, and to the Bureau of Fisher
les they are invaluable for stocking
lakes and streams. The bottoms are
the natural feeding grounds for
ducks, brant and greese, mink, musk
rat, racoon and many other kinds
of wild creatures. The promoters
have pledged $7,0OO,O00 toward the
project and will ask Congress to ap-
propriate $14,000,000. Most of this
drainage tract will produce farm
land Of little value even when
drained, according to prominent ag-
ricultural experts.
If the 150,000,000 acres now in
farm wood lots in the United States
were placed under sound forestry
methods they would yield substan-
tial revenues to their owners, Is
well as lumber to help relieve the
timber shortage which has already
begun to be felt.
The Japanese bride on her we'd
ding day receives eleven command
ments from her mother. These COM
mandments are rules of conduct
which have been handed down from
generation to generation, and all
self-respecting brides are expected
to live up to them.
A drop of acid placed on one
ide of the body of frog will cause
the hind foot on that side to wipe
it off. This would seem to indicate
intelligent behavior, yet a frog in
which the brain has been severed
from the rest Of the nervous system
does the same thing.
Both the gopher snake and the
king snake Of our southern states
are inveterate enemies of the rattle
snake and are immune to his poison.
The injection of the poison of
rattlesnake into the circulation of a
cobra, in the Bronx Geological
Gardens, resulted in the Cobra suf-
fering no i'll.
A trillon marks a day were print
ed by the money presses of Ger
-, opy J,,r;,n Az +b;rI ,voalx of I,,l,,