New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-20
GENERAL NOTES.

Professor Goessman, OF the Massachusetts
Agricultural College has confirmed By recent nye-tiea
uon Ills belief that be has found for the yeogs
that archcncmy Of peaches and OF those who eat them
No" the learned professor will turn his attention TO
that mysterious complaint which dstorts the vision Of
peachGrowers while the crop is maturing he will de-
serve still better Of his country.
Mary Ann Hermann, the poor lunatic who
beat TANNER at his own and died last week after
1tythree days fast, uttered only cry OF euferng
curing her long period Of torture and that was shortly
before her death, when singulary enough. a severe
attack OF the mumps added her miseres During
the last twelve days Of her life she lost twenty pounds
weight and at the time OF her death weighed scarcely
more than seventyve pounds having lost 1O5 pounds
III al during the last.
Inc sudden and unreasonable lightning which
startled this part Of the country one day last mcnh
stripped of the bark and split the solid trunk OF arg,
oak on Governor Greenes estate East Greenwich
r. L. and plOughed two deep burrows forty feet long in
the frozen ground II the unfortunate tree only pos
sessed the faculty which made Tennysons talking oak
famous II might give interesting description Of how t
feels 70 be struck BY lightning, for It stu lives and
likely 10 survive No had HIS trunk split by
electricity and lived to recount his sensations
In sensible article upon the Mississippi
floods, The VckSbg Herald deprecates the spreading Of
exaggerated aud sensational reports and calls special at
tention 10 the hardship and additional loss which such
reports inct by destroying credit OF persons wko
merchants have refused supplies to whom the foods
have only slightly not at all affected. The Herald
adds "Thee very many portions Of the valley yet
unnjured, and doubt not fair crop viii be raised In
almost all portions. While the people in many places
Inconvenience and losing OF their live
stock, they not in the dreadful plight described.
there two months before cotton planting time IA
past the water Ia almost 10 subsde In time raise
q crop Taking all the circumstances into cOnsdera-
ton il Is better have less vi the and more OF
determination to 20 to work to produce crop
the river falls
The Postmaster of Philadelphia has invented
style OF letterbox which he Is testing the
Of Ninth and Chesnutsts in that city. On The face Of
the box at the bottom, is notice OF the times twelve
day in this case) when collections are made at this box
by the carrier. Above this notice the words Col
lectiOns from this box reach the Post Office about -
the blank being filed By the figures Of revolving disk,
which changes each time the carrier shuts the lid with
ont any further effort his part The disk is made 10
note any number Of collections and when the last
carrier OF the day, who leaves the Post Office at mid
night visits the box he opens and shuts the door until
he hears the bell ring which indicates that the dial
for the morning collection The Postmaster thuks that
there Will be little expense in attaching this apparatus
TO all the boxes In use, and that would be great
satisfaction to the public to have them thus fixed 40
the same says 1t would be check upon the
riers any gruy between the reading OF the dial
and the time or day would be noticed by the public and
reported to him. showing that the carrier had
neglected TO visit the box at the proper time had
the dial forward two points with "a view OF omit
ting the next collection.