The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-05-22
USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.

ON all The peach trees tnat the 1rult
buds have been killed by the severe cold
weather of winter, there should be a
severe shortening-in. Cut back the
branches from one third to one-half, and
get growth of young, thrifty wood for
bearing next year. Be sure, however,
that the fruit buds are all killed, for if
one fifth are left unhurt, there will be as
many as are needed for good crop
Coleman's Rural World.
STRAW FOR HoRsEs.-A small guam
tity of straw might be fed to working
horses without injury. Straw fed only
once a day to working horse is an en-
tirely different thing from straw morn
ing, noon and night. And it is the same
with fattening animals. l have known
straw 10 be fed to those in small quaint
ties with some advantage. With mich
COWS it is different, and they may be fed
considerable quantity OF straw and not
affect the flow of milk. The most i'm
portant thing, and something that is
usually neglected, is to keep the appe
tite of the stock always good. This is
easily accomplished by judiciously feed
ing straw and hay together. l think a
greater quantity of hay and straw can
be fed together than of either alone. 1t
is serious mistake to give cattle a sur
felt of straw, and, indeed, of any thing
else Country Gentleman.
The ORIGIN OF EXISTING FLoRAs.--
In u report to the Royal Society, Baron
Ettinghausen says that all the existing
foras of the earth are the descendants
of the plants which constitute the Ter
tiary fora. The Tertiary strata contain
the original species of the recent foras
and plant forms of all parts of the globe
Moreover, in each of the recent floras
are to be perceived the elements of their
common origin. They have, however,
been more or less changed, and have
developed into manifold forms. The
fossil plants, according to the Baron,
vary more than the living ones, the va
rieties of the fossil plants corresponding
with what are now regarded as species
The varieties, for instance, Of the fossil
pine, called Pinus paleostrobus, so en-
tirely correspond with many of the re-
cent species of PinuS, that the former
must be regarded as the original forms
of the latter. The Eocene fora of Great
Britain, to which the author has given
special attention, is remarkable for a
series of ferns of tropical charact err.
These have been discovered at Bourne
mouth, Bovey Tracey, and elsewhere.
A NEW THEORY OF DEw.-Prof.
Stockbridge, of the Amherst Agricul-
tural College, has been making some
experiments as to the origin of dew,
and has arrived at conclusions some
what different from those generally &C
copied. 1t is usually he'd that dew is
a moisture of the air condensed through
contact with objects of lower temper
AZURE, and that it does not form till a.
diation has reduced the temperature OF
tie earth. Prof, Stockbridge asserts,
however, that dew is the result of con-
densation by the air of warm vapor
which Uses from the soil, and he en-
bodies the result of his experiments in
these propositions: l. The vapor of
the soil is much warmer at night thar
the air, and would be condensed by it.
2 Vapor from the soil is soon diffused
and eqnslized in the whole atmosphere,
but in the largest proportion when evap-
Grafton is taking place near the surface
OF the soil; and, other things being
equal, plants nearest the earth have the
most dew 8. Dew under haycocks,
boards, and like objects on the ground
could receive it from no other source,
DRINKING WATER.-Several samples
OF well water have been received by the
chemical department for analysis. The
families using water from these wells
were i'll the greater portion of the fall
and winter. These persons seemed pe-
culiarly liable to any prevailing form of
disease. After much sickness and sew
eral deaths, the water was suspected and
brought to the Laboratory for the pur-
pose above stated. On examination. it
was found that most of the SAMPLES con-
tanned organic matter in more or less
abundance. Beside the substance COM
monty found in "hard water" sodium
chloride, common salt, was abundant
IN all the samples. This led us to suspect
sewage contamination in some form
Upon inquiring, it was ascertained that
IN each case the wells were in close
proximity to out houses or stables; or,
that kitchen Stops were thrown near the
well and permitted to soak off through
the earth, 10 finally become incorporat-
ed with the we'll water Where these
sources OF contamination are so situated
that the strata incline toward the well.
1t is obvious that the water can not long
remain pure and potable. 1t will, in
time, become impure, however favorably
situated, if the distance be not great
for, at length, the soil will become satu.
rated, and will permit the impurities to
pass through Manhattan lKas J H.
dxstrialist.
BREAD.-F. S. B. Franco is de Chan
mont, M. D., Professor of Military
Hygiene in the English Army Medical
School, has recently given the results of
so ne investig ations he has zen making
with regard > the weight and nutritiye
vail Q of bread. One fact which he states
mig mt have been anticipated, namely:
that The amount of crust has good deal
to 20 with the loss of moisture while
cooling and subseouentIv Whom Gov