POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



861 



between which a fall of 700 feet took place. 

 These specimens were likewise found to 

 be nearly identical in composition, with 

 neither the carbon nor the nitrogen dimin- 

 ished by the aeration consequent upon the 

 fall. The introduction of mineral matters 

 often produced very much greater effects 

 than it was possible to show to be connected 

 with aeration, and which varied in a con- 

 siderable degree according to the nature of 

 the matters added. From his experiments 

 on this point, Professor Hartley derives the 

 conclusion that the peaty coloring-matter in 

 water " acts like an organic acid, and that 

 it is probably a body of the type of alizarine 

 or litmus, and is only slightly soluble, or is 

 even insoluble in pure water, but is readily 

 dissolved in water containing traces of al- 

 kali, or of soluble carbonate, such as ammo- 

 nia or potash. With metallic oxides, iron 

 and alumina, it forms insoluble compounds 

 of the nature of lakes. Lime-water also 

 precipitates it. Mineral acids, sulphuric, hy- 

 drochloric, and nitric, precipitate it. Peaty 

 water may be perfectly bright and free 

 from turbidity. These facts, and a further 

 observation that subsidence will not clear a 

 peaty water of its coloring-matter, lead to 

 the conclusion that the coloring-matter is 

 held in solution, and is precipitated as a 

 lake, by various mineral bases." These con- 

 clusions are applicable to organic matter of 

 a peaty character only. 



Traits of Ancient American Civiliza- 

 tion. Max Steffer, in a recently published 

 book on the " Agricultural Economy of the 

 Civilized Ancient American Peoples," de- 

 clares that it is really shameful to our 

 boasted Caucasian superiority that Euro- 

 pean agency, instead of advancing the civil- 

 ization of those nations, utterly destroyed 

 it. The relics we have of them represent 

 the vestiges of a civilization which in its 

 way not only yielded nothing to that of the 

 avaricious Spaniards, but in many respects 

 surpassed it. They furnish evidences of a 

 thorough systematic regulation of affairs, 

 and of the cultivation of the soil by steady 

 industry, with careful foresight and skilled 

 practice. The Mexican people had secured 

 an irrigation of the soil by means of canals 

 without machines, to which the only counter- 

 parts in Spain were the works, not more in- 



genious, which the Moors had left ; and the 

 Spaniards betrayed their incapacity to ap- 

 preciate the value of such constructions by 

 allowing them to go to ruin, and sometimes 

 destroying them in the expectation of find- 

 ing golden water-pipes within them. The 

 cultivation and irrigation of the soil were 

 matters of public interest, and agriculture 

 was placed under similar regulations to those 

 which prevail in China and Japan. The 

 division of the land and all changes in pos- 

 session were made under the direction of 

 the magistrates. Many conditions in the 

 details of management were similar to those 

 prevailing in Japan. Both people were with- 

 out yoke-animals, and their estates were so 

 small, and their manner of living such, that 

 the employment of such animals was not 

 necessary. The cultivation was rather that 

 of the garden than of the field, and, as ani- 

 mals were not kept, the additional land they 

 demand was not required. In the absence 

 of domestic animals, minute and painstaking 

 devices to get manure, like those prevailing 

 in China, were adopted. The Peruvians en- 

 joyed an advantage in having guano. Like 

 the Eastern Asiatics, the ancient Americans 

 also had no milk, although they possessed 

 in the llama an animal that might have fur- 

 nished them that aliment, with all its prod- 

 ucts. 



Hints on Furnace-heating; and Ventila- 

 tion. Mr. E. S. Philbrick, C. E., of Bos- 

 ton, has given some useful hints in " The 

 Sanitary Engineer " on the management of 

 heating apparatus and furnace-ventilation. 

 If the air-box of the furnace is not opened 

 after a wind subsides, if it is not open 

 enough at any time, or, if, during windy 

 weather, the air-box is not large enough to 

 supply all the demand, the air is often taken 

 by natural laws from one room down to the 

 furnace and through it, to supply another 

 room. The former room then becomes cooled 

 off. In the last case the rooms on the wind- 

 ward side of the house are always the ones 

 cooled, for it is hard to force the air into 

 them from the hot-air pipes, unless an open 

 fire is supplied to draw off the surplus press- 

 ure. Open fireplaces are efficient, generally, 

 in promoting the comfort of the family, even 

 if no fires are lighted in them. Air can not 

 be induced to enter a tight room unless some 



