The weekly Arizona miner., 1869-06-12
Prom the Prairie farmer. Anti-Miasmatics.

For several generations the negroes in the Southern States have been accustomed to plant sunfowers and castor beans about their cabins for the purpose of preventing local diseases, sup posed to he caused by the impurities in the air. The educated whites saw nothing but supersti- tiou at the bottom Of the practice, and believed that line of srufowers about a cabin would have no more to do with protecting the tenants from the fever and agus than the wearing of red string about the neck-as is done in many parts of New England would insure the wearer against bleeding st the nose. Aside from an al fusion to this practice, by Lieutenant Msury lit he has ever been written in this country on the subject
 Recently, however, the great prevalence of miasma in some portions of Belgium has induced the Government to try tO devise som. means to render those districts less unhealthy. Fortunate iy for the health of those residing in the sckly region referred to, n clever Dutchman noticed that the sunnower, heidnifhns dnH,nls, grew to a remarkable size, producing an abundance Of leaves, flowers and seeds on those soils which seem to absorb sthe miasma most plentifully. Taking advantage of this observation he plant ed large quantities Of the seeds Of this plant on an estate of his that had heretofore been re- markedly unhealthy; but no sooner bad the plant gained considerable growth than every vestige of the disease previously SO prevalent disappeared These coarse and ungainly plants had completely disinfected the air by changing the miasmatc efiuvia into various forms Of veg etable tissue.
 Critical examination aferward disclosed two very important facts: first, that most of the sub stance Of the plants was derived from the air and not from the soil: and secondly, that the pith of the stalk, we'll as the leaves contained large amount of nitrogen. The course of the action of the sunhower conld not he understood. The poisonous substances in the air were largely composed of nitrogen, which was greedily taken up by the plant
 Besides this testimony from the Southern States and Holland, in relation to the efficacy oi the suufower, in removing miasma from the air We leru rom travellers in India that the inhab itants of the marsh countries there plant the betel pepper around dwellings, in part for a sim liar purpose. The question then may arise tn what extent may we render healthy other parts of the country, where the ague, or other disease. caused by the other impurities of the air ar, prevalent, by the cultivation Of quick growing plants.
 That many localities are exceedingly unhealthy when first settled. but afterward become noted for their salubrity. Is fact that Is we'll known The whole region about Chicago was once th' hotbed of the ague; now it has entirely disap peared- Has the change been effected ,hrougl the agency of any cultivated crop. If so. wha Is ir There is certainly feld for scientific in auiry. "
 It is indeed a pleasant thing to think of ii planting crop, that besides enrichiug our stor, we are at the same time rendering bad ali healthful and life-giving. Is the sunfiower tn. beet or only disinfectAnt. In what quantitie must 1t be planted to insure us from local dis eases' Can anything be planted in the vicinit, of rich svamps that will destroy the missma ris ing from them at the season of Towering, Ther are thousands of square miles ef valuable laas in the Mississippi valley that are uninhabited for the reason that 1t Is almost certain death {, pass the summer months upon them. Is there vegetabe antidote for this poison? Who has no heard Of the unheAithfnIness Of the Bog of Allel in Ireland and the Pontine.