New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-26
NJ. Jean de Loverdo in La Nature.

M. Jean de LoverdO in La Nature
An inherent tendency in our minds often L,
US TO imagine that habits. dsllkes. acts and
siOns like our own belong 20 the beines \
surround us, 10 our lower fellow creain,,
the animals q the stable and The beasts .,
woods, to the tyrants Of the air and the -
full dwelers in the waters Bat rare Ar.
living creatures that have as good i'm
these attributes as the microbes Their nvs.
world seems like an echo OF our strife and -,
bats, OF our activity, OF our industries n Il
qualities and Of our miScrcs. Some o. -
beneficial to man, enroll themselves Willins,v Il
his service and rival each other in strife n u,
ment his resources, while others, without p
ton to US seem to have no action on thei, q,
roundings: they live without care az ara,e.
as artists, or IL you prefer the word as al,
lists. Sometimes they grow in our kitchens n,
our bread red or our milk blue. sometimes I,
transform into scarlet the white SHOWS OF Az,
regions or lend to the immensely Of the 49,
the varied tnts Of their respondent matter
But side by side with these inoffensiye h,
tamil, who seem to exist only for the joy i
showing their brilliant colors Of the sun II
microbian world alsO-alas includes a num-
Of groups Of very bad reputation-poiso,.,
murderers and vandals who not content 4 ;
attacking the lives Of ourselves and orr Il
nestle animals. carry their rage for destraaa|
so far as To set fire 10 our property Arl
they pay dear fer it, for the flames destroy h,
also, tneA 90 All III AU'lI power 10 UflnE ~ :
this result. Many cases Cf spontaneous con. j
ton are incontestably their work
Although the cause Of these conbus
seems to have been known and experiment
proved as far back as Liebigs time, 1t Is I'd
recently that it has been established to the "a
faction both Of scientists ana practical NJ
Among the conversions brought about b.
evidence Of facts we may note that Of g..
Austrian agriculturist, NJ. Benesch. who
thirty years refused % put faith In the So,
ueitv Of such combustion. Nevertheless
eral years ago he was forced 10 admit i i
accident that occurred az his farm at Mel
In an inaccessible barn on a very high
fold he placed. one after the other five hBrdr
loads Of hay cereals and legumes cut gre
About the middle Of the pile mass Of mI .
oats and vetchcs began 90 grow hot. The
ploye OF the farm. as well as us owner d.
appreciate the danger. and waited for TN
cool this incoWprehensible ardor. They .
badly. however. for several days OF va
served only TO encourage and make more a.
the work Of the microscopic heaters. AT IN
Of a week light curl Of smoke arose from
barn and caused disquiet in the farm Of
hOf.
NJ Benesch. after his unfruitful appea
time. had recourse TO air, whose contsf'
thought would cool off the pile and dlspefS
the winds the vaporous products Of this
ferrous efferVeScence. But scarcely hal
laborers reached. with great toll, the cert
the pile when flames burst ont on all
Transforming the heated forage into an INN
furnace. The laborers. indeed dd not gei
alive without great effort Every presunl
If incendarsm or the contact OF puT
body being impossible to maintain. this mr. L
an end to the previous sceptcism OF the = \
prietor Of Meerhof in regard to the spOntans
combustion OF hay.
Other facts. not less striking. confirm the s.
taneity Of these accidents so well that Gen
ton to the matter Of foreseeing them in
way. The losses of one company from
cause reached in a relatively short time the T;
OF $500 900 francs (SJ0OUnW. We need
OF US expect that our farms VIII essay
Strangely enough. an excess ~ water brngs |
the fire. The history of Vet years shows Z l
well. Last August a haystack holding i'' |
Kilograms sixteen tons took fire near A.Ia.
sous Bots and a barn fun II hay burned 8
taneouslv near Saint-Amand This was yea
the hay harvest of lN!N took place IN unia'@
able conditions. and The excess = MOISTURE |
disposed the hay o. inflammation
This spontaneous combustion. m iact L
the last act in one If these secre, dramas
are played silently In the centre ~ taGy Z.
masses Of forage or in fhe heart of bales o
ton or tobacco. The microbes that exist
these vegetable matters, excited ny 'he oDT
Of water Vapor, g.uN ana increase 10y
Their battalions form for the attack Oh /
great fortresses az vegetable fibre Wheh %
dismantle and digest This work Of disoca.
and fermentation cannot go on without
tain production of heat when is I'Vd'-'e
reason of the defective conductNity Of III
substances. For this very reason the e'n
comes aggravated: the theatre Of al ~
microbian operations is oyerheated ana. M
of extending their oaloric activity. tne III.
become their own cXecutIoners. IN shVig . -
been proved that in the places Where ny otsreI
ish the temperature rises to oVV ues!.es no,cS
ing the bay into carbonaceous matter po'.
and very Ijght In these unsuspecied kAns !.
forage. being altered into finely DIVIDED ca
consumes without flame for want OF On! -, -
when the pile is suddenly opened 'he g.. a., j
air causes the inoanGescent mass " imam"
stantly.