New-York tribune., 1873-03-15

|
as On excellent aud certain remedy for collie in horses
has been highly recommended by the Agricultural
Central Association in Potsdam. Half an ounce OF
it is given in pint of castor oil This remedy, how
ever should be administered with caution.
WAX ON PLANTs-Accordng TO Prof. de Barry,
the wax found in plants is not simple coating on
the surface if laid with brush, but consists
of dense forest Of minute hairs VI wax. each bay-
ing one end the epdermis, the other either rising
straight up or rolled and curled among his neghbors
A microscopic examination always reveals the true
FORM The locality in which the wax is first de-
tected is the cutice and the elements OF the epider-
mic cells and not tho slightest trace is seen in the
cell contents in the chorophyle, Certain insects
also appear to be coated with whitish hairs, which
are, in reality, composed entirely of wax
DISEASE OF TIMOTHY GRAss.-A new disease
threatens to impair the usefulness of the timothy
grass Phleum pratense ~, the great favorite of our
agricultnrsts. 1t was first observed in Silesa, and
Prof j. Kihn ascertained its cause to be parasite
cal fungus lSpharia typkina, Pers). dense tissue
of graysh white color forms, usually at the third
Joint above the ground though it sometimes appears
at the lower nodes. Propagatng organs tGonidtd)
develop rapidly and Mr.. dc Barry believes the my
ceum of the parasite to be perennial IN the stem;
its origin is, as yet, unknown, Early cutting and
pasturing by sheep recommended as means OF
preventing it spreading.
CHANGE IN THE on OF SEEDS IN GERMINAuoN.-
series of experiments by Mr.. Muntz, instituted to
ascertain whether seeds containing fatty oils, when
terminating, are decomposed into glycerine and
acids, and whether one of the constituents is alb
sorbed sooner than the other resulted as follows:
/. During the termination of oily seeds the fatty
substance progressively separates into fatty acids
and glycerine. 9. The gycerine disappears as soon
as liberated. 3. At a certain time the young plant
contains no free fatty acid A. While the embryo Is
growing these fatty acids absorb oxygen slowly but
progressively the amount of which, in the above
experiments, never exceeded 34 per cent
| CHANGE OF TEMPERATURES DURING THE GERMTNA-
TON or SEEDs.-Prof. Wiesner has ascertained that
| during the termination of seeds the temperature
increases before the development Of carbonic acid
begins. and he believes that water is condensed
within the tissues of the seed and heat thus llber
| aed. He considers this proof that the increase
of temperature is, to a certain extent, independent
of be chemical process. In another series of expert
| ments different seeds were exposed to increased
| temperature, and it found that some, as beans
the seeds of cOnifcrs &c. wilfnot suffer from heat
of 1jso F.; while in willows for instance, the germ
Of the seed is killed by simple exposure to the sum-
| U,BITs or DROsERA.-Mr. Ziegler has lately been
making some studies upon the ella of the Drosdds
or Sun-dew Plant which, as is well known, exude
from their tips a viscOus secretion by which insects
are secured Whenever an insect is thus taken, the
external ella bend round and cover the insect as II
i'm the clasp of the hand and do not relax their hold
until at the end of several days. in order to secrete
mucilage anew and entrap new prey 1t is an in
terestng fact that illuminated animal substances
under ordinary circumstances, will not exercise any
evident action upon the ella of the plants in ques
tom but if they are held few minutes between
the fingers they acquire the property Of causing the
ella to contract. If, however. these same animal
substances are then mostened with distilled water
and dried in sand bath, they lose the property they
had acquired from the fingers.
BENTHAM OF PHYULoXERA.-Mr. Bentham, in his
anniversary address to the Linn9an Society, In
speakin of the grapevine louise, remarks as gem
eraI summary of his observations already made
that the Phylorerd like other Aphides, through
a number of apterous generations of single SEX
but multiplying with enormous rapldty; for one or
two individuals will lay az many as 800 eggs fer
tilizing without previous copulation 1t also gives
birth occasionally to winged generation of both
sexes the females of which lay only two or three
eggs each.
| The apterous Phyllooera is also dimorphous,
,mooth-bodied form living in little gals formed on
the leaves of the vine, where it is comparatively
harmless, and tubercuate form living in the
noducs it produces on the root fbers causing first
the smaller and then the main roots to rot, weaken
ing in the first instance. and finally killing the
whole vine. Each form has its winged generation.
ISPLuENcE OF SPRING WATER on MEADOW
! GRAss-Bever, in a series of experiments upon the
| influence of river aud spring water upon meadow
! grass. has come TO the following conclusions
| / That meadow-grasses can come to full develop
ment by means of the food contained in rlyer or
spring water, as represented by Vincent.
. That during the first period of growth from such
dilute solutions the foods devoted to the formation
Of roots and that only after large rootsurflce has
! been formed can the organs above the surface OBJ
tam sufficient nourishment to arrive at maturity.
| 3 That the quality of the water has a separate and
distinct influence on the total produce, and on the
dovelopment of different grasses in the same mix
ture of seeds With river water HolcaS tdndias be-
! came developed in a mixture with grass-seed in
greatly prepondeTating proportion, whereas with
spring water few plants of Hoicus dRduS developed
! lint the product Of the mixed meadow glasses was
| greater.
4. That an apparently totally bauen soil with
proper irrigation, grow grasses for short time.
| Among other experiments Boyer tried an almost
sterile SOIL from which the finer particles had been
washed ont This was kept mostened with distilled
| water The seeds terminated well, and were vigor-
ous during the first two Summers, but refused to
grow afterwad
| PRESERVATION or WINE BY HEAT.-In a memoir
| unon the employment of an elevated temperature
| for the improyement aud preservation of wines,
ycronette- amotte gives the following conclusions