New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-05-31

IN Frorco although fhe Winter season has not been
favor,hla 10 the prosecution of many experiments
Mr. Faucon, who has been among the more dngent
investigators into the natural history OF tins insect
reports that he has not lost sight Of 1t for any
r,oment but has made repeated examinations of the
roofs Of the vines as well as the plant ITSELF and has
satisfied himself that the excessive rains have caused
the death of great many of the insects; and that
this will always take place whenever the submerson
of the roots of the vine is complete for sufficient
length of time or else when the rains are capable OF
producing corresponding effect The dead insects
long time, If protected from contact with the
atmosphere; but soon exposed they dry up, and
the color becomes dark brown OF black. 1t re-
Quires, therefore, very practced eye TO dstln-
guish the dead insects from those which are only
alternating this sometimes being impossible even
by the aid of the lens.
STEAM As A FIRE EXTINGUIsHER.-Dr. Weiden-
busch of Wiesbaden highly recommends steam as o
fire-extinguisher aud suggests experiments as to
the best method Of employing it. as well by the use
of portable boilers where the connecting pipes
would produce the chief difficulty as by pipes and
boilers arranged for each building. AS an ilustra
ton Of its efficiency, he gives the case OF factory
about 1Q6 feet long and SO feet wide, the garnet
of which was filled with rags shavings, leather
scraps, &c. in which, when the fire was detected,
half the length of the roof was burning The tre
apparatus arrived about hour afterward, and the
extinguishing appliances of the building itself were
80 defective that the whole roof was in flames and
had fallen in, and the lower story was on lire IN dlt
ferent places. About "a hours after the outbreak OF
the fire steam boiler, separate from the DulldlhR
| and not in for some hours, was tred up WIN
wood and the cast-iron pipes were cnt by daring
! carpenter who entered room OF the burning Dunu,
| ing The effect was instantaneous. The room, nlled
with the steam issuing under high pressure winch,
however. he does not consider essential soon daIA-
aft fhaTn A
the heaps of rags the garrett with free access OF
| air were gradually eXungushed, and after nail an
hour all danger was regarded as past Inc erect
was too marked to be ascribed TO the ire- engnes
! operating during the same time, and the hremen
| were more and more impressed with the fact that
their labor was superHuous as the steam came INTO
play.
! FISHERY LAWS IN GERMANY.-A committee OF
the German Parliament, in connection with one
| from the Deutsche FishSrei-Verein, IS engaged In
preparing the draft for new law of the Empire for
the protection of the fish and fisheries, more espe
cally those of the inland waters Although the de-
tails have not yet been completed it has been de-
cded that for the protection of the fish there shall
be both the socalled Close Time" Tor period dur
ing which no fishing is allowed, and also close
ranges or stretches which, as being specially Oe-
cupied by breeding fish, shall not be disturbed,
at all, during at least two months of the year
The absolute prohibition of the fisheries during GER
tain seasons. excepting on the aetual breeding
grounds of the fish, is not considered expedient as
the result would be to cause great distress among
the fishermen, and, indeed, to drive them 10 other
occupations since, with their usually very small
| profits, they would not have the capital to en-
able them to lie idle during a heightened period.
| 1t is probable that special committee will be
| ordered to examine the waters of the Empire
critically, and 20 decide in which fishing shall
he absolutely prohibited, and those in which 1t can
be freely allowed under proper restrictions and with
proper apparatus, at all times excepting the close
period. The close season WILL of course, vary with
the species thus that for the trout and salmon will
be in the Autumn, just before the spawning season
begins and that for grayling and other species will
be at various periods in the Spring and Summer
months. The close period for each kind is not to
exceed from six weeks to two months, and during
this time fishing will be allowed about four days in
week, captures being absolutely prohibited for at
least three days out Of the seven During the pro-
hibted period it will be illegal to hold fish, or to
offer them for SALE unless it can be proved that they
| were not taken under the forbidden conditions.
TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MASSACHUSETTS
AGRICULTURAL CoLLEGE-The Tenth Annual Re
port of the Massachusetts Agricultural College.
presented in January of the present year, has
just been published, and contains a consider
able amount of matter of interest to agri-
culturists Not the least important is the report
Commercial Fertilizers by Prof Goessman, in which
he takes into consideration the ubect of fertilization,
generally in reference to the commercial fertilizers
usually employed and gives a sketch of the kinds
recently introduced He also presents the result of
an analysis of number of the fertilizers in use
among the farmers of Massachusetts In reference
to stable manure which is now the main fertilizer
in ordinary farming operations, he states that its
value depends more upon its influence upon the
physical condition of the soil than in adding inn
pOrtant constituents and by tabular statement of
the ingredients he shows that, although the most
complex OF fertilizers 1t can claim to possess this
function only exceptionally, and that the permanent
improvement OF the soil depends almost entirely
upon the introduction of other manures whatever
these may be; whether guanos, phosphates other
substances. According to Prof. Goessman. the use
Of any mineral fertilizer is extremely inexped-
lent; sometimes because its per centage in such
quantity may be highly injurious, and under any
circumstances IL involves an unnecessary waste of
capital variety. therefore, should be sought for
in which some one ingredient OF another may find
its special application to any crop which may be
The great number of artificial fertilizers now in
market has induced the Professor to make a critical
examination of the different kinds offered for COM
petition and the farmer does not expect to pay
for anything but phOsphOric acid nitrogen, and
potassa the valuation of the several articles has
been based upon the proportion which they possess
of these ingredients standard of prices has been
lately recognized by dealers in Massachusetts, which
allows 1925 cents for each pound of soluble phos
phoric acid cents for every pound of insOluble
phOsphOric acid, 80 cents for nitrogen and cents
for pOtassa. Thus, while one fertilizer is valued by
him at $54 81 per ton, another making equal claim
TO consideration is worth only 49, % the Guanape
guano is worth $91 81 per ton. AS general CON
clusion he finds that the Guanape guanO, although
inferior to the average Peruvian guanO, To- at its
present price, the cheapest ammoniated phosphate
in the market.
LIQUID CARBoNIc AcID.-In the description by
ThHorier of the properties of liquid carbonic acid
the conditions under which the experiments were
performed are not given. The following are the
principal results Of an investigation. made by Gail
letet of the behavior Of liquid carbonc acid at Or
binary temperatures. The liquid is colorless, and
very mobile: il is q non-condnetor of electricity