*5<5 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[August i, 1884. 



the use of its principal park containing 247 acres of 

 ground ; the Government of Louisiana will recommend a 

 liberal appropriation by the legislature, and the board of 

 management have called upon the citizens to increase 

 their subscription to §1,000,000. 



At the near assembling of the legislatures in the several 

 states and territories of the United States, particular at- 

 tention will be directed to supply local representations 

 upon a commensurate scale, and a'ready the people of 

 different districts and counties of the country have per- 

 fected organizations for the purpose of securing by pri- 

 vate contribution a local display by their respective states. 

 The desirability of having exhibited suitable articles and 

 designs from the various executive departments of the 

 General Government has been recognized by the President, 

 who has ordered that a board composed of one person 

 designated upon a nomination by the head of each de- 

 partment of the Government, and also of one named in 

 behalf of the Smithsonian Institute, one in behalf of the 

 department of Agriculture and one in behalf of the 

 bureau of education, shall be charged with the prepar- 

 ation ot the materials for an exhibit illustrating the func- 

 tions and administrative faculties of the Government. 



The main building is 1,375 feet in length and 905 feet 

 in width, affording 1,300,000 square feet of floor space, 

 with convenient apartments attached for police, fire de- 

 partment, public comfort, offices, meeting-rooms for various 

 national organizations, and with a central music-hall capable 

 of seating 11,000 persons and a machinery-hall 1,375 feet 

 in length by 250 feet in width. Extensive accommod- 

 ations have here been provided for the display of factories 

 of all varieties in motion. 



The horticultural hall is said to be the largest conserv- 

 atory ever erected. It is 600 feet in length, 194 broad 

 in the centre, with glass roof, a glass tower 90 feet in 

 height, with heating apparatus and cold storage attach- 

 ment for preserving fruit. It is designed to have an in- 

 ternational exhibition of plants and shrubbery arouud the 

 sides of this building under cover, and au international 

 display of fruits extending throughout the central spaces 

 of the building. 



Mexico has consented to adorn the main centre with 

 royal palms and native plants, and will occupy 200,000 

 feet of space adjoining the hall for a garden. 



The Republics of Central America will adorn 250,000 

 feet oi the garden, and au equal extent will be occupied 

 by floral products of Florida and California. 



At art gallery of native marble is to be provided, and 

 every effort will be made to accommodate the extensive 

 collections of art treasures and antique relics now at the 

 command of the Association. One thousand feet of space 

 in the main building has been designed for an agri- 

 cultural hall. 



Forty acres of ground have been laid off for growing 

 farms, experimental and vegetable gardens, and forty 

 acres provided for building'3 to accommodate live stock, 

 poultry and birds, with a half-mile stock arena wherein 

 sales of animals will be permitted on stated days. 



Suitable arrangements have been made for a national 

 educational display upon the endorsement of the National 

 Educational Convention and the cordial co-operation of 

 the United States Commission of Education, and appro- 

 priate steps have been taken for the organization of a 

 department of woman's work under the high direction of 

 those interested in offering women an independent position 

 in the economy and industries of the world. The Ex- 

 position grounds will be embellished with six lakes, and 

 generous collections of evergreens from the United States 

 and the Latin American countries, presenting groves of 

 the cedar, pine, pomegranate, magnolia, lemon, palm, orange, 

 coconut and banana. 



The conveniences of transportation for visitors and con- 

 tributions have not been overlooked. 



One hundred and fifty lines of railroads have agreed to 

 a maximum rate on pfissengers of one cent per mile, and 

 excursion rates will be frequently introduced. 



Both passengers and freight can be brought by a railroad 

 into the main building, and a wharf adjoining the Ex- 

 position grounds will be provided for the accommodation of 

 visitors and exhibits arriving by steamships or steam- 

 boats. " 



AKTESIAN WELL-SINKING. 



In connection with the recent discovery of an arte- 

 sian spring in the Far North at a depth of 1,220 

 feet, the following account of a still deeper boring suc- 

 cessfully achieved in the city of Pesth, in Hungary, 

 will doubtless prove of interest. It is extracted from a 

 Hamburg paper, the Reform, and is as follows : — "The 

 well has been already sunk 951 metres (3,366 feet) in 

 depth, while the artesir.n well of Paris is only 547 

 metres. Since June the boring has been through 

 dolomite for a distaoce of . 33 fathoms. The water 

 obtiined is pure as crystal, contains chalk and sulphur, 

 and is so warm that it stands at 57'6 Reaumur (about 

 162° Fahr.) on reaching the surface of the earth. The 

 stream which is thrown out in 24 hours amounts to 

 6,939 hectolitres (152,680 gallon*), and this quantity 

 can be increased by a daily supplement of over 1,000 

 hectrolitres. It is the intention of Hen- Zsigmondy 

 (the director of the work) to go down until he reaches 

 a heat of 65° Reaumur, and obtains a supply of warm 

 curative waters sufficient for the various city baths. 

 Tbe scientific results of the sinking, which has extended 

 over several years, are very great, and not less im- 

 portant are the technical inventions which the neces- 

 sities of the undertaking almost forced Herr Zsigmondy 

 and his brother to make. We may mention, by way 

 of example, that they managed the feat of driving in a 

 nail at this enormous depth, when required, and also 

 to withdraw it by means of the magnet, if it happened 

 to be wrongly placed ; they cut off iron wedges driven 

 in with a force of 10 cwt., also broken pipes, and 

 drew them up out "f the bore, while an ingenious 

 invention of Herr Bela Zsigmondy, by which the boring 

 is effected by means of the up stream of water, does 

 this work twice as quickly as by the old system of 

 pressure from above. It is also of interest to note 

 that the degrees of heat registered at different depths 

 are altogether at .variance with the results of previous 

 observations. The water ehoots into the air to a 

 height of thirty-six feet, and is at present led off into 

 the canal When once the well is finished it will be 

 possible to utilize the warmth obtained so as to turn 

 that part of the Stadtwaldehen into a perennial summer 

 garden, while the water can be carried through the 

 city in pipes for curative purposes." There is another 

 interesting Artesian well at Saint Etienne, which M. 

 F. Laur describes as follows : — " This well brings the 

 water from a depth of 502 metres, and causes it, to 

 spurt at intervals to a height of 26 metres above 

 the ground. The diameter of the tube which conducts 

 this spring of thermal and very gaseous water is 21 

 centimetres. The appearance of this column is, owing 

 to phenomena, identical with those of the famous geysers 

 of Iceland. It is susceptible of being artificially provoked 

 in several ways, and throws' consequently consider- 

 able light upon the mode of formation of these astonish- 

 ing volcanoes of boiling waters. M. Yam in has named 

 a commission of five numbers, who are to repair im- 

 mediately to the scene to study these phenomena. 

 Iu fact, these will cease to be visible as soon as the 

 works are commenced to get the waters under control. 

 The President appointed of this Commission is M. 

 Daubree, whose competence is known to all, and who, 

 we are persuaded, will return with a report worthy to 

 be placed by the side of those which have made the 

 reputation of the Academy, and which have become 

 too rare since the death of Arago. In the meanwhile, 

 it is fitting to congratulate the engineer who has 

 observed this singular phenomenon, and who has con- 

 ceived the excellent idea of bringing it to the attention 

 of the Academy before it was too late to set out to 

 make an examination upon the spot." — Adelaide Observer. 



A co^rPANY of Chinese has applied for 200 acres near Tort 

 Darwin for rice-growing. — Queenslander, 



