Part 47

C. T. Smith, Braddyville, Iowa—The United States Government has erected a line of towers in Illinois on about the meridian of Urbana, and similar towers in other places, including the one near South Bend, Ind., for the purpose of effecting a more accurate survey of the country, and for other scientific purposes.

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D. W. Barlow, Nettleton, Mo.—Honey-dew is a sweet substance found on the leaves of certain trees and plants in small drops, like dew. There are two kinds of honey-dew, one which exudes from plants, and the other which is deposited on leaves by an insect called the _aphis_, or vine-fretter.

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H. M. Eastman, Fourche, D. T.—The oldest form of religion now extant is the Hebrew religion. The next oldest, probably, are Parseeism, or the religion of Zoroaster, and Brahmanism. All of these have changed materially as regards ceremonial, but in doctrine they are essentially consistent with the faith of their founders.

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“306,” Dana, Iowa—General P. H. Sheridan was at Sedan, by courtesy of the King of Prussia, at the time of the surrender of Napoleon III. and Marshal MacMahon’s army. At the opening of the battle, according to the account of the correspondent of the New York _Tribune_, written on the field, “the King, Count Bismarck, General Von Roon, the War Minister, General von Moltke, and Generals Sheridan and Forsythe stood in a group overlooking the principal field of attack.”

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Leonard Bauman, Clarence, Iowa—The most productive salt region of the United States is the Saginaw salt district, Michigan. The most famous and productive salt mines in the world are those of the rock salt region of Wieliczka, in Gallicia, a province of Polish Austria. Great chambers have been excavated in the solid salt, some of them fully 150 feet in height, and of immense length and breadth. One of these is fitted up as a chapel dedicated to St. Anthony.

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An Engineer, Des Moines, Iowa—The assertion that State prisons are filled with criminals of good education is a gross exaggeration. Unhappily, the laws of all the different States do not provide for full and carefully kept statistics, but in all cases where such statistics are kept they go to show that, as a rule, ignorance is the accompaniment, if not the foster parent, of crime. For the most reliable report on this subject write to the Commissioner of Education, Washington, D. C., asking for copy of the paper of Dr. Wickersham, read at a recent session of the National Teachers’ Association.

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P. L. Stevens, Montfort, Wis.—Coal oil is much better as a preservative of fence posts than kerosene oil, which is more expensive and is not so effective.

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Peter Sanborn, Chicago.—Every soldier who, prior to June 22, 1874, had made a homestead entry of less than 160 acres, may enter so much more as, when added to the quantity previously entered, shall not exceed 160 acres.

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S. G. Salisbury, Independence, Kan.—You are right in the opinion that the President may call the militia from one State to another.

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Subscriber, Chicago.—The great single span of the Brooklyn bridge is 1,595½ feet, or about one-half longer than the great span in the Cincinnati suspension bridge, which is 1057 feet.

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F. V. Noggle, Galien, Mich.—Probably the deepest mine in the world in actual working is a shaft in the Rosebridge colliery, near Wigan, Eng., which is 2,445 feet deep.

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C., Muscatine, Iowa—According to the laws of Iowa, one-third of the estate, real and personal, of a wife who dies without issue and intestate goes to her husband as dower, and the rest goes to her parents or heirs on the parents’ side.

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A Subscriber, Pittsburg, Ind.—1. The total number of troops called for by the President during the late civil war was 2,763,670 men, and there were 2,772,408 men furnished, besides 86,724 paid commutations, making an aggregate of 2,859,132 men.

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A. O. A., Cambridge, Wis.—The total tobacco crop of the United States in 1880, as given by the statisticians of the Bureau of Agriculture, was 446,296,889 pounds, valued at $36,414,615. The crop of 1881 was 449,880,014 pounds, valued at $43,372,336.

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A Farmer, Cresco, Iowa.—Trichinæ may sometimes be seen with the naked eye, appearing as minute specks. They average in size one-seventy-eighth of an inch in length and one-thirtieth in breadth, and it does not require a very powerful microscope to disclose them.

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R. A. Santer, Hitesville, Iowa.—To kill white willow, cut it close to the ground in February or March to encourage the wood growth, and then cut again about the middle of the following August. If any of them sprout after that, keep them cut back and the roots must perish.

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Minnie Brumfield, Perry, Iowa.—“Sheridan’s Ride” was written by Thomas Buchanan Read, one of the most delightful of American poets.

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John Nail, Xenia, Ill.—Your question has been answered very recently. A husband and wife cannot, both, make pre-emption or homestead entries. A married woman can do so only where she is held to be the virtual head of the family, as in case of the insanity or imprisonment of her husband, or abandonment.

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A Subscriber, Hobart, Ind.—The proportion of butter in milk varies with the breed of cattle and their food. The average is about 5 per cent in good milk. It is nearer 6 per cent in the milk of Jersey cows on good feed. The proportion of butter in cream also varies considerably. It will average about 5½ pounds of butter to ten of cream.

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C. S. Hasbrouck, Mendon, Mich.—The ancient language of the Irish was of Celtic origin, and specimens of it are still extant in old legal documents. As a living written language it no longer exists, but a corruption of it is still spoken among the natives of the mountain districts.

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S. M., Moline, Ill.—Northwestern Arkansas has been partially described in another part of “Our Curiosity Shop” to-day. The more common trees are the poplar, oak, pine, sycamore, ash, elm, and hickory. This part of the State is watered by the White and Arkansas rivers, and their tributaries. The principal railroads are the St. Louis and the Little Rock and Fort Smith. Upon the former the important towns are: Van Buren, population, 1,029; Fayetteville, population, 1,788, and Bentonville, population, 784; on the latter, Ozark, population, 824, and Clarksville, population, 656.

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A. B., Chicago—At the census of 1880 the “West Side” division of this city had the largest population. The Fourteenth Ward contained the most inhabitants, 56,464; the First Ward, the business center, the fewest, 14,770.

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E. H. Topper, Greensburg, Pa.—Historians disagree as to the number in Xerxes’ army when he invaded Greece, but no one of them was ever so insane as to assert that he had 35,000,000 men. According to Herodotus, the whole number of fighting men in the military and naval force was nearly 2,500,000. He supposes, and it was evidently a wild guess, that with the raw recruits picked up in passing through the territories of Thrace, Macedonia, Magnesia, and other half-savage districts, who hoped to share in the spoils of Greece, and the servants and camp followers, there was a total multitude of about 6,000,000 persons. Other Grecian writers regard this as a gross exaggeration.

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James Dunnoon, Davenport, Iowa—The extent of the Victoria Nyanza, or great fresh water lake at the head of the Nile, is a little more than that of Lake Huron and a trifle less than that of Lake Michigan. It does not vary in size 1,000 square miles from either.

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De Lesseps, Peoria, Ill.—The average height of the Atlantic Ocean at the Isthmus of Darien above the Pacific is given in “Haswell’s Engineer’s Pocket-book” as 6.56 feet.

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W. I. Pratt, Tuscola, Ill.—The nickname “gentle shepherd” belonged to the Hon. George Grenville (born in 1712), and originated thus: He was a Whig, and while urging a tax upon cider, asked his opponents where they would have it. Becoming excited, he exclaimed: “Let them tell me where; I repeat it, sir, tell me where;” when Pitt, who was one of the opposition, raised a laugh by repeating the words of an old song, “Gentle shepherd, tell me where.” Your other questions we cannot answer.

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N. Johnson, Peoria, Ill.—The three most level States in the Union are Delaware, Louisiana, and Illinois; the latter being more broken than either of the others.

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Readers, Chicago—John Wilkes Booth was shot in a barn near Bowling Green, Va., April 26, 1865 twelve days after the assassination—while resisting arrest—by Boston Corbett.

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L. D. Nickerson, Appleton, Wis.—The name of the author of “Ecce Homo” and “Ecce Deus” is John Robert Seeley.

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A Reader, Freeport, Ill.—The essential difference between a galvanic and a Faraday battery is that the former uses a connecting fluid between zinc and copper, and the latter uses the magnetic coil.

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“Anxious Mother”—Kansas has established a reform school for boys at North Topeka. The Nebraska Legislature has voted $10,000 to open an industrial reform school at Kearney.

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F. G. Day, Strahn, Iowa—Cole Younger is working out a life sentence in the Stillwater State Penitentiary, Minn.

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An Inquirer, Joliet, Ill.—Prince Gortschakoff skillfully retreated with his garrison from Sebastopol when beleaguered by the allied armies.

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Frank C. Mercer, Kansas City, Mo.—1. A troy ounce weighs 480 grains; an avoirdupois ounce, 437½ grains. 2. Aaron Burr was the third Vice President of the United States, having been elected with Thomas Jefferson in 1800.

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Samuel Burt, Girard, Kan.—The distillery having the largest capacity in the United States is located at Peoria, Ill. If the great distillery at Des Moines, Iowa, were fully equipped, as originally intended, it would be the largest in the world.

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L. D. Crotchett, Edwardsville, Kan.—1. The salary of United States Senators and Representatives is $5,000 each. 2. The Vice President and Speaker of the House each receive $8,000. 3. According to a decision of Attorney General Brewster, a Congressman is not a United States officer within the meaning of that term in certain statutes; but in the broader sense of the word he is an officer. See definition of officer in Webster’s Dictionary.

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B. Frank Hoover, Penrose, Ill.—The days you name are not made school holidays by statute, although they are legal holidays as regards commercial paper. Saturdays, New Years, Fourth of July, and Christmas are the only legal school holidays in Illinois, unless the board of directors agrees to grant other holidays, which it has power to do.

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M. L. Karney, Brodhead, Wis.—The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad pays Mr. Lawler twenty-five cents for every freight car, and fifty cents for every coach which he transports across the Mississippi upon his pontoon bridges at Prairie du Chien. The company has no other means of crossing at that place.

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J. H. Rhodes, Big Rock, Ill.—The Erie Canal, extending from Buffalo to Albany, has at the western end an eastern flow for a short distance—from Buffalo to Seneca River, then a western flow from Lodi to the Seneca River, and finally an eastern flow from Lodi into the Hudson River near Albany. The motion of the water is greatly moderated by the numerous locks, which serve to impede the current. The expense of constructing this canal was much less per mile than the cost of the Suez Canal.

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George W. Robbins, Peru, Neb.—The United States statutes are silent upon the subject of National holidays, except that they provide that as to negotiable paper, bills of exchange, promissory notes, etc., the effect of July 4, Dec. 25, and Thanksgiving Day shall be the same as that of Sunday, or the first day of the week.

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C. E. Stevenson, Bryant, Ill.—Sam Patch made his last and fatal leap at Genesee Falls, New York.

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P. A. Brooks, Mt. Vernon, Iowa.—The Constitution of the United States was framed by a convention of delegates from all the States except Rhode Island, held at Philadelphia in September, 1787. Tom Paine was not a delegate.

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J. R. Cripper.—Adelaide Neilson was a distinguished actress. She filled several successful engagements in this city, and died in Paris in 1852.

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R. S., Kill Creek, Kan.—The height of mountains is determined from the relative height of the barometer. Ascending from the sea level the air becomes lighter, and the mercury in the barometer falls. Civil engineers, knowing the height of the barometer at sea level, and also at the place whose height they desire to determine, are able to compute the elevation of the place. Other methods are sometimes used.

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Harry T. Ashton, Chicago—Emile Gaboriau is a man. 2. “Ouida” is the assumed name of Miss Louisa De la Rame, an English novelist of French extraction.

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V. G. Bush, Cayuga, Ill.—A young lady ceases to be a minor when she attains the age of 18. 2. Brokerage is computed on the face, or par value of stock.

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H. Joint, Logan, Kan.—The statutes of California declare the marriage of white and colored persons unlawful. The Constitution of the United States does not forbid it.

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Milton T. Cox, Fairmount, Ind.—The steamship Alaska, which made the quickest time on record from New York to Queenstown, viz., 6 days 18 h 37 m, sailed 2,925.7 miles. This may be considered a fair estimate of the sailing distance between the two places.

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Ex-Soldier, Kellerton, Iowa—1. Alcohol thermometers are used for observing temperature below 38 degrees, though ordinarily they are not as accurate as mercurial thermometers.

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John A. Hughes, Grapeland, Texas—For the election of members of the lower house of the General Assembly of Illinois the State is districted so that three members represent each district. Then every elector is permitted to cast three votes. He may give three to one candidate, one and a half to each of two, or one to each of the three.

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Subscriber, Belmond, Iowa—The real name of Eli Perkins is M. D. Landon.

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G. W. D., Chicago.—As nearly as one can judge from the names, about four-fifths of the Chicago saloon-keepers are foreign born. As to their politics, it is hard to tell where to place them, except in a local election, when a majority of them are sure to be in favor of low license and anti-Sunday legislation.

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F. M. P., Clipper, Iowa.—It is probable Saint John died at Ephesus during the reign of the Emperor Trajan. Jerome states that he was 100 years old, Suidas 120 years. There is no reference to the age of Job, save that he lived 140 years after his trials ended. 2. Molasses is a singular noun.

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R. P. Drake, Shenandoah, Iowa—The origin of the word dude, is not certainly known. It has been in English slang for a 100 years at least. It has not been widely used in this country until comparatively recently, but in Salem, Mass., and vicinity, it has held a place in local slang for many years.

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Subscriber, Houghton, Mich.—St. Patrick’s Day is the day set apart in the Romish calendar for special religious observances in honor of the founder of the Christian church in Ireland, canonized by the Church of Rome as St. Patrick. It is probably not the day of his birth, since it is generally conceded that it is impossible to determine that.

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Mrs. J. R. Dowling, Wheatland, Iowa.—After the death of the great Roman general and statesman, Cæsar became a title of all of the Roman emperors, and from them has passed into several other European countries to designate the chief ruler. In Germany it appears as Kaiser, and in Russia as Czar. 2. We have lately answered your other questions.

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E. C. W., Garden City, Kan.—The Dry Tortugas and several other islands off the Florida coast belong to the United States. The government has a military station, hospital, etc. on the Dry Tortugas, and sometimes sends convicts there.

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A. V. Bacon, Lansing, Minn.—The principal reasons for outgoing trans-Atlantic steamers from the United States bearing north, are: the influence of the gulf stream running from the southern extremity of Florida up the American coast, making to northeastward between New Foundland and Ireland; the higher latitude of the British Isles; and in certain seasons the prevailing winds. “Imaginary lines” have nothing to do with their choice of this course. If the form of the earth was the only thing to be considered, the steamers would sail on the great circle connecting the port of departure and the port of destination, both going and coming, because such a circle marks the shortest distance between the two points on the sphere. But winds and currents are more important than shortest distances.

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E. D. Vorhes, Peotone, Ill.—We believe Whittier is sometimes referred to as the “bachelor poet,” but we know of no living poet of distinction referred to as “the boy poet.” Isaac Watts wrote verses at a very early age, despite of all the attempts of his father to reform him of this weakness. Our own William Cullen Bryant, who was very fond of declaiming some of Watts’ hymns at 7, 6, and even 5 years of age, began to make verses of his own at 8 years, and wrote a poem for a school examination at 10 years, which was of sufficient merit to become a stock declamation in other schools. He wrote “The Embargo” and “The Spanish Revolution” when he was but 13. Henry Kirke White wrote good poetry before he was 15, and published a volume of poems when he was not quite 17. Other “boy poets” there have been, but who is the “boy poet,” so recognized, of this prosaic age?

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Fred Cooke, Butte City, M. T.—Probably New York State leads all others in the quantity and quality of marketable apples produced and in the prices realized.

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Adaline, Moline, Ill.—A lady writing to a person who does not know whether she is single or married should sign Mrs. or Miss ——, as otherwise the receiver cannot tell how to address his reply.

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A. P. Hargrave, Lowden, Iowa.—The rectangular system of survey was adopted by the United States Government May 20, 1785, several years before the adoption of the present constitution. It was put to practice first in Southwestern Ohio; the first principal meridian being run from the mouth of the Great Miami.

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Theodore Wiltz, Dana, Ill.—Yes, “a person who has resided in the United States but one year, and has only taken out his first naturalization papers can pre-empt or make a homestead entry in Dakota.” He does not need to reside in the country a year; fifteen minutes is long enough after he has formally declared his intention to become a citizen: so great-hearted and liberal is “Uncle Sam.”

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Charles W. Collins, Louisville, Wis.—In cases of simultaneous applications to enter under the homestead laws, the rule is as follows: Where neither party has improvements on the land, it should be sold to the one who bids highest. Where one has actual settlement and improvements and the other none, it should be awarded to the actual settler. Where both allege settlement and improvements, an investigation must be had, and the lands awarded to him who shows the prior actual settlement and substantial improvements, each as to be notice on the ground to any competitor.

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Inquirer, ——, Kan.—The law making it necessary for an officer of one State to have a requisition from the Governor of the same upon the authorities of another State before he can arrest and take therefrom any person charged with crime is designed to prevent persons from being transported to other States, in some cases far from home, friends, business interests, to be tried among strangers, without good evidence that a crime of some magnitude has been committed. Similar reasons, but of much less cogency, apply in support of laws limiting the authority of sheriffs and constables to the counties to which they belong, except when armed with special warrants.

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L. J. Martin. Bowling Green, Ky.—The following States cast their electoral votes for Mr. Lincoln for his first term: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin.

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J. S. White, Paw Paw, Mich.—The largest ratio of colored population in Kansas in 1880 was in Bourbon County, being as 7,314 to 8,642, or nearly 47 per cent of the total. The next was in Christian County, where it was as 14,639 to 17,043, or a little over 45 per cent. The ratio in Fayette County was almost as great, say as 12,974 to 16,049, or over 44 per cent. There were no other counties where it was nearly so great.

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Subscriber, Blendon, Kan.—1. The Penitentiary at Sing Sing, N. Y., is a State institution. Prisoners convicted in Federal courts are sent there under an arrangement between State and Federal authorities. 2. Rip Van Winkle is the fictitious hero of one of Washington Irving’s “Sketch Book” tales, entitled the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The popular play of the same name is the same story, with some alterations, as dramatized by Dion Boucicault.

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B. F. McCormick, Rock Valley, Iowa.—“Sunset Cox” takes this nickname from a really vivid but rather grandiloquent description of an Ohio sunset, which was widely copied into exchanges at the time it was written, many years ago. “Extra Billy Smith,” not “of New York,” but ante bellum Representative from Virginia, and subsequently Governor of that State when in rebellion, fairly won this name from his predilection for recommending and voting extras in appropriation bills.

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W. I. Pratt.—1. Thomas Green Fessenden was an early American author and journalist of wide reputation. He was born in New Hampshire in 1771; graduated at Dartmouth College in 1796; studied law, but made more reputation as a writer. His poem, “The Country Lovers,” was popular, as was also his humorous, satirical poem, “Terrible Tractoration.” He settled in Boston in 1804, where he became editor of the _New England Farmer_, He died in 1837.