POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



141 



tration, the quantity distributed amounted 

 to twenty millions a year for species of tlie 

 salmon family only. The business of prop- 

 agation has been extensively carried on in 

 England as a commercial speculation. Since 

 1854 the Messrs. Ashworth have put 260,- 

 000 salmon in Lough Corrib, Connaught, 

 Ireland. A special establishment has been 

 erected at Perth, and Cooper's fish-ladders 

 have been put in all the rivers frequented 

 by salmon. Important establishments for 

 the artificial propagation of salmon have 

 been created in Holland. The basins of 

 the Zoological Garden of Ghent and of the 

 Horticultural Society of Brussels have been 

 adopted for purposes of hatching. Several 

 lakes in Switzerland have been largely re- 

 stocked by artificial means. The most prac- 

 tical results, according to M. Gauckler, in the 

 perfection of processes, have been gained 

 in America, and acknowledgment is freely 

 made of the value of the labors of Baird, 

 Livingston, Stone, Ainsworth, Seth Green, 

 Collins, Mather, and others, in bringing 

 down the science from the domain of spec- 

 ulation to that of palpable facts and remu- 

 nerative results. 



Sanitary Protection Associations. San- 

 itary protection associations have recently 

 been formed in Edinburgh and London, the 

 objects of which, as stated in the prospectus 

 of the London Association, are : 1. To pro- 

 vide their members, at moderate cost, with 

 such advice and supervision as shall insure 

 the proper sanitary condition of their own 

 dwellings ; and, 2. To enable members to 

 procure practical advice, on moderate terms, 

 as to the best mode of remedying defects in 

 houses of the poorer class in which they are 

 interested. The associations are not in- 

 tended as a substitute for a municipal in- 

 spection, or to conflict with the public au- 

 thorities, but to supplement their action. 

 The idea of the associations originated, ac- 

 cording to the statement of Professor Fleem- 

 ing Jenkin, the founder of the one at Edin- 

 burgh, in a paper read by him before the 

 Society of Arts, in his endeavoring to ex- 

 plain in a lecture the principles of sanitation, 

 so that they could be applied practically by 

 householders. He found that he could not 

 do it, but that, after all his efforts to make 

 the matter clear with general demonstrations 



and diagrams, professional advice had to be 

 sought by each householder for his own 

 particular case. What advice could the 

 public obtain? The plumber and builder 

 were interested parties, and not always com- 

 petent ; engineers held their services at too 

 high a rate to be readily accessible to the 

 majority ; public ofiicers could not be called 

 upon unless there was probably some actual 

 serious defect to be remedied. The thought 

 occurred that an association of householders 

 might be formed, to employ an engineer, at 

 a fixed salary, who should make an inspec- 

 tion, draw plans, and propose improvements, 

 for each subscriber, at an expense to the 

 latter only of his annual subscription. The 

 subscription to the Edinburgh Association 

 was fixed at one guinea a year. The sum 

 has been found enough to answer the in- 

 tended purpose, and the work has been 

 conducted with entire satisfaction and suc- 

 cess in that city for three years. The Lon- 

 don Association requires an entrance-fee 

 of two guineas for houses of less than four 

 hundred pounds rental, and subsequent an- 

 nual fees of one guinea. A person joining 

 either association and paying the entrance- 

 fee obtains all the privileges of member- 

 ship for a year without committing himself 

 to any further payments. He has a right 

 to a thorough professional inspection of all 

 the water and drainage apparatus in his 

 house, including every pipe, tap, cistern, and 

 sanitary convenience, for efficiency, leak- 

 age, smells, and ventilation, and the main 

 drain between the house and the town sew- 

 er, the opening of which, however, is at his 

 expense. As soon after the inspection as 

 may be, he may receive a detailed report, 

 describing the condition of his house, 

 accompanied by a sketch diagram showing 

 every pipe and trap, in connection with 

 which recommendations for improvements 

 are made when necessary, with rough esti- 

 mates of the probable cost if they are de- 

 sired. The wishes of the occupier are taken 

 into account, the more important are dis- 

 tinguished from the less important alter- 

 ations, and the suggestions are specific 

 enough to enable the occupier to consult 

 intelligently with his plumber or builder on 

 the subject. The society has no interest in 

 recommending any expenditure, and the oc- 

 cupier has his option whether he will incur 



