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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ble. Her clothes were loosened and artificial 

 respiration was begun, and the first sign of 

 life appeared about three minutes afterward. 

 Breathing was greatly impeded, when respira- 

 tion was first resumed, by accumulations of 

 saliva, whieh were removed. Consciousness 

 began to return and the muscles of the arm 

 to regain strength in between half and three 

 quarters of an hour. Sight was restored to 

 the right eye, but it could not be moved. 

 Though the subject could not speak, the pa- 

 ralysis passed away slowly, so that in about 

 two weeks solid food could be swallowed. 

 Twelve or fourteen hours after the accident, 

 intense pain set in about the head, neck, 

 arms, and chest, which did not pass away 

 from the head for seven days, and occurred 

 occasionally after that. At the end of four 

 weeks the patient was able to return to her 

 home. In six months complete recovery had 

 taken place, except in the left eye. To the 

 question whether the patient could have re- 

 covered without the assistance rendered just 

 after the accident, Prof. Mills replies that 

 " considering that respiration was suspended, 

 that the circulation, even with artificial res- 

 piration, was so feeble that the temperature 

 fell, that consciousness did not return for so 

 long, it does not seem reasonable to believe 

 in the possibility of spontaneous recovery. 

 But the case does seem to teach, in the 

 clearest way, the importance of using such 

 means as those employed in this instance 

 promptly and perseveringly." 



Natural Guides to Land Values.— The 



chief of the Agricultural College at Down- 

 ton, England, has given in a recently pub- 

 lished article some of the indications by 

 which the fertility of soils may be judged. 

 The following colors indicate barrenness in 

 soils: 1. Black, as being in most cases 

 caused by an excess of vegetable matter or 

 peat. 2. White, as indicating a thin, chalky 

 soil, or the presence of white sand close to 

 the surface. 3. Yellow, whether dark or 

 light. 4. Light gray. 5. Blue. 6. A pie- 

 bald or variegated color. A good soil 

 ought to be from twelve to eighteen inches 

 deep. Alluvial soils owe their fertility in a 

 great measure to their depth. Tenacity 

 docs much to determine the productive 

 power of soil. Tenacity is seen in the 

 clearly cut furrow, and the impression left 



by the foot when the soil is moist. In 

 tenacious soil the footprint is clear and 

 sharp at the edges, and every nail-mark 

 shows ; whereas, in loamy soil the tread is 

 indistinct and the edges of the footprint 

 crumble away. In dry weather, a cracked 

 surface and hard yellow clods are the marks 

 of a stiff soil. The skillful judge of land will 

 not rely too much upon the physical charac- 

 ter of the soil alone. Land always covers 

 itself with herbage of some sort, from the 

 quality and quantity of which the best pos- 

 sible indication of the soil's yielding power 

 may be obtained. Plenty of timber is a 

 favorable augury. "Who can not recall some 

 beautiful valley where the well-grown trees 

 seem almost to meet their branches over 

 green meadows and patches of grain and 

 other crops ? On the other hand, inclement 

 and thin soils carry a stunted and forlorn 

 timbering. Turning to the sort of tree, we 

 may mention large, spreading oaks as signs 

 of good land. The elm is found to perfec- 

 tion on village greens and near to home- 

 steads where the ground has become, or 

 always was, rich, and in other favored situ- 

 ations. The mulberry and the walnut, the 

 apple and the quince, are never found vig- 

 orous on other than good land ; and the ash, 

 the sycamore, and the chestnut are also in- 

 dications of fertility. Certain other trees 

 indicate the reverse. We see plantations of 

 larch on barren uplands and soils difficult to 

 put to other uses. Scotch fir, spruce, yew, 

 and other cone-bearing trees are often found 

 on poor land. Beeches thrive on the thin- 

 nest of limestone, and the birch will grow 

 in the most unpromising places. Coming 

 down to the plants, none is a more unfailing 

 guide to fertility than chick weed. Nettles 

 never grow on bad land, and dandelions and 

 buttercups are not seen on poor pastures. 

 Thistles also show a good soil. The state 

 of growing crops and the appearance of 

 stubbles should also be noted, although such 

 indications may show rather the character of 

 the farming. Certain wild grasses show 

 barrenness, while grass-land which seems 

 covered with dead, unkempt stuff, like badly 

 made hay, is always barren. 



Gardening Classes of the Missouri Bo- 

 tanical Garden.— The Trustees of the Mis- 

 souri Botanical Garden, carrying on the in- 



