New-York tribune., 1878-10-12
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

annual report Of the SewYork Commissioners Of Fish
cries has Just been published II contains an account OF
the operations OF the Commissioners during 1871 ana
interesting reports by Professors Lintner and
Peck OF the plant and insect life found Caledonia creek
where the State nshhatchlng establishment s located
Very satisfactory progress made IN the disri
button Of trout, salmon and whitehsh, while shad
Matching is s kept up large scale. Various eG'
permens also IN progress In raising cross breeusi
particularly between trout and salmon. which give
promise Of resulting In valuable kinds OF fish. The
Commissioners strongly the necessity OF securing
an abundant supply OF proper food beforehand in the
streams IN which young brook trout other fish, are TO
be placed To have full supply Of fish, they say, there
must be plenty OF hsh-food 1t has been sad that the
size of trout depends the extent Of tho Of
water which they access but large and
lakes only imply unlimited food 1t would be more COT
say that the size which trout will grow is reg
ulated, within certain limits, by the quantity OF food
they can obtain. The largest trout IN the world are
means as large Lake Superior and some OF the front
Maine are found the buebacEed trout sa@o oqaossa
species which only obtains limited size ana when
throughout the entire year. Without the
trout OF Maine would be larger than the trout OF the
twelve pounds they would never come to weigh more
than Eve each. And with this resource the trout OF
Eew-York would be rs large as those OF Maine
Coon MORTAR FOR BRICK BUILDINGs.-In
recent paper In The Journal Of the Franklin Institute.
Philadelphia Mr. Henry PembertOD traces the cause of
the white efiorescence which commonly dishgures
brick houses in cities manly to the employment OF
time containing magnesia for the mortar used in the
walls The mRgnesa absorbs the sulphurous vapOrs OF
the coal in the air. becomes converted into huphae
fmagnesa and being dissolved by rain, peDetrates the
substance Of the bricks and ultimately eoresces upon
their surface By using pure lime instead OF magnetism
time, for the mortar, the evil 10 prevented. WOrsmen'
however often object to the Of pure lime mortar
because IL requires different manipulation from that con-
tanning magnesa. The purest quality of lime 10 found,
Tor instance, within few miles OF Philadelphia and is
sold at lower price than ordinary builders lime. and
yet it will not be accepted used by the Duiders In
some parts OF the country however as IN Pltsbur the
cent Of magnesa and often less than per cent the
brckayers accustomed to 1t, know no other. and
ours on the buildings there notwithstanding the ENJOY
nous consumption OF coal in the cy and neighoorhood
PLASTER OF PARIs.-M. Landrin, a French
Investigator has just communicated to the Academy of
Sciences the results Of loDgcontnued studies relative
10 the different qualities Of this substance BE hnds
that the more less rapid setting Of the plaster h due
to the mode which II s burned. It's properties are
very different when 1t 10 prepared in Jumps or In pow
der. The former, when mixed with its own weight OF
water in five minutes; while the latter under aim
liar circumstances takes twenty. The reason probably
e that plaster in powder is more easily burned than
when II s In Jumps and what tends to that fact
s that when the latter s exposed longer than usual 10
the action OF fire 1t sets slowly. Gypsum, when
prepared at high temperature loses more and moro ts
affinity water retaining, however, its property Of
absorbing water of capitalization Plaster heated to
redDess, and mixed in the ordinary manner. will 10
longer set, but f. instead Of applying the ordinary
quantity OF liquid the smallest possible portion 10 used,
say Onethrd OF its weight It will set in twelve
houTs and then is less and becomes extremely
hard. To prepare plaster for moulding, it must be
burned slowly for long time sufficiently TO drive Of all
A and for Ia 10 a
affinity for the liquid NJ Landrn stated that similar
result could be obtained by other means II the plaster
Is exposed the fire OF The kiln for time short enough
70 allow It to retain or per cent Of is water 1t 10
burning Is again resumed, the substance soon loses its
moisture ana II then exposed to the air It very rapidly
continues more slowly. It then be used it sets
slowly, but acquires great hardness.
THE ANTENNR OF INsEcTs.-M. TreuveOt, q
foreign scientific Observer experimenting with
butteries order solve the disputed question 10
the use antsnna He found that they could fly
when deprived OF the aneDn9 but with some hesitation
Of It has been stated by other entOmologss
that they foil at without any power Of flight When
temporarily blinded by covering the with India Ink
they could fly without dashiDg Into objects provided the
antenne left on, but cut of they fell at
When blinded they did not perceive sugar by the
tenna 9ut II the stump touched with IT, the tiny
probOscs was at once unrOlled aud searched for IT,
When the stumps were covered with gum arabic, they
were nsensibe 70 the seduetions OF suRar water. NJ
acombiDation Of all three; bqt that differs essen
italy from any experience By human beings isa kind
Of feeling and smelling at a great distance.
BORING THE STEMS OF TURKISH PIPEs.-In
an article on Artisans OF the East" MI f. H. wenham
well known English scientific writer describes the
method boring the sticks for Turkshpipe stems
OF which than Oft long IN order reach from
the sitter dvan tray placed the floor for the
reception Of sparks ashes The process OF drilling up
the sticks truly though seemingly rude is both expedi
tous and accurate. II this The must be per-
fectlg straight If not IL be made by seaminG
bending the crooked parts under fire heat. The drills
are soft iron wire, these may be easily kept
sharp by le The cutting end OF the drill Is hattened
out, TO make q hole about One-fOurth smaller IN
diameter than the hole to be bored. Attached TO the
other end Of the wire wooden pulley, exactly like
ordinary cotton reel The wire OF the drill is driven
only about fourth way down the hole In the reel In
wooden block fastened to the floor driven wire spike
that fits the hole in the reel Drills Of several lengths
used in boring pipe-stem beginning with short
one The workman sits the floor, marks entering
centre hole in stick places short drill TO begin
with upright the spike, and works the drill TO and fro
bOrngs fall down without the necessity of removing the
drill, which is changed for longer one as the work sd-
principally consists I'm allowing the stuck 70 slip round
maintained The stick is grasped with the left hand
above the work.
THE FUTURE OF MANHATTAN IsLAND.-Ac-
cording to Professor s. NewberFy various facts ind
cate that the coast Of NewJersey and Long Island is
gradually sinking. From the marshes OF New-Jersey
are taken the trunks OF trees which could not have
grown there except when 1t dricr ground, and
the shore stumps seen, now under water, OF
which have grown land so, too, the throws
up In storms portions turfy SOIL covered only by
the air. and similar soil has been reached below the
level in pits dug through drfed along margin
II 10 also said that the land boundaries have been
changed and farms diminished where the wash OF
IT,