Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1857-05-08
sunflowers Preventative of Ague.

% Lieutenant Maury, in an article com
municated to the Rural New Yorker,
/ maintains that the growing of sunfower.
q around dwelling located near a fever
e and ague region, neutralizes the masmi
d in which the disease originates; anC
% seems to support the theory by successful
l. experiment. He was led to make the
d experiment by the following circumstan.
ces: The dwelling of the superintendent
lie of the Observatory at Washington i,
5, situated on a hill on the left bank of the
}. Potomac, in lat $50 39' 53H. 1t is %
X feet above low water mark, and 40C
d yards from the river. The grounds per-
r tanning to it, about II acres, are enclosed
. by wall on the east, south and west,
n and with picket fence on the north, 49,
, The south and west walls run parallel
: with the river, the Chesapeake and Ohio
G canal and q row of sycamores, of some
: twenty years growth, separating the wall
from the river. In fact the river, with
its marshes, enoireles about half of the
grounds, The house is, therefore, in a
bend of the river, and the place is so
unhealthy that the family of the super
intendent are compelled to vacate it five
months out of the twelve, the marshes
being covered with rank growth of
weeos which begin to decay early in Au-
gust A knowledge of these facts led
Lieutenant Maury's mind to the following
process of reasoning:
+" If it be the decay Of the vegetable
matter on the marshes that produces the
sickness on the hill, then the sickness
must be owing to the deleterious effects
of some gas, miasma or eilluvium, that is
set free during the decomposition, and if
so, the poisonous matter or the basis of
it, whatever it be, must have been elab-
GRATED during the growth Of the weeds,
and set free in their decay. Now, if
this reasoning be good, why might we
not, by planting other vegetable matter
between us and the marshes, and by
bringing it into vigorous growth just
about the time that that Of the marshes
begin to decay bring fresh forces Of the
vegetable kingdom again to play upon
this poisonous matter, and elaborate it
again into vegetable tissue, and SO purify
the air2
This reasoning appeared plausible
enough to justify the trouble and ex-
pense of experiment, and was encour-
aged 10 expect more or less success from
it, in the circumstance that everybody
: said 'plant trees between you and the
G marshes they will keep off the chills :"
But as to the trees, it so happens that at
the very time when the decomposition on
the marshes is going on most rapidly, the
, trees for the most part, have stopped
their growth to prepare for the winter;
t and though trees might do some good,
yet a rank growth of something got up
for the occasion might do more Hops
climb high; they are good absorbents,
and of rank growth, but there were
objections to hops on account Of stakes,
poles, &c. rccollected that had often
seen sunhowers growing about the cabins
in the West, and had heard in explana-
ton that it was "healthy" to have them.
This was SO much more in favor Of ma
king the experiment with sunfowers."
Lieutenant Maury says that an acre Of
sunfowers will absorb during their growth
many thousand gallons of water more
than are supplied by the rains. They
are Of easy cultivation, and the seeds,
which are very valuable, find a ready
market at the drug stores. The theory
or science of the experiment is this--the
J ague and fever poison is set free during
the process Of vegetable decay, which
poison is absorbed by the rank growing
sunAower, again elaborated into yegeta-
bic matter, and 50 retained until cold
weather sets in. The result of the ex-
J pertinent is thus narrated:
T1HI1ly, I res6lvG6 % maEG rhd GZ7~
pertinent ct the risk Of spelling the looks
Of beautiful lawn. Accordingly in the
fall of 1855, the gardener trenched up
to the depth of q feet a belt about A.
feet broad around the Observatory on the
marshy side, and $50 to 200 yards from
the buildings. The conditions of the
theory | was about TO try required rich
ground, tall sunfowers and rank
growth. Accordingly, after being well
MANFRED from the stable yard, the ground
was properly prepared and planted in
sunfowers last spring. They grew fine
ly; the sickly season was expected with
more than usual anxiety. Finally il set
in, and there was shaking at the Presi-
dents House and other places as usual f; |
but for the first time since the Obserya-
tory was built the watchmen about it
weathered the summer clep Of chills
and feyers. These men, being most ex-
posed TO the night air, suffer most, and |
heretofore two or three relays Of them
would be attacked during the season
for as one falls sick another is employed /
IN his place, who, in turn, being attack
cd, would in like manner give way TO a
fresh hand And last year attacks Of
ague and fever were more than usually
prevalent in tho noighboring parts Of the
city"
During tho present year Lieutenant
Maury intends 10 repeat the experiment,
with variation in two respects. First,
the seeds arc 10 be planted later; and
second, there are 10 be two paintings, so
that the last crop may be caught by The
frost while yet in the flower. IL on a
second trial the result proves equally
favorable, the practical benefit Of the
discovery will be great indeed, and Lieu
tenant Maury will have added another to
the evidences he has already given that
true science is the handmade Of practical
utility. !
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TT Fashion is the idol Of fools /!