EFFECT OF BLUE GLASS. 223 



quality of the fruit better, the grape larger, and the crop 

 earlier, by the introduction of this blue glass into his grape- 

 houses. He explains the fact upon the theory that there is 

 something in the blue glass which modifies, to a certain extent 

 the sun's heat,- and in that way makes it more advantageous to 

 the growth of plants. He went on with some curious exper- 

 iments. He took a litter of pigs, and put half of them into a 

 green-house made in the usual form, with uncolored glass, and 

 the other half of that litter of pigs he put into one of his green- 

 houses where he had the colored glass, and the difference in 

 the growth of those pigs was so great that in two months those 

 under the blue glass had outstripped the others by more than 

 twenty-five per cent. He then took a sickly bullcalf (I never 

 saw a bullcalf that was not sickly in my life) and put him 

 under the influence of the light through the blue panes of 

 glass, and the effect was wonderful. He revived in a short time, 

 began to grow, and in less than two months he was a new calf, 

 regained his health and spirits and strength, and throve as well 

 as any animal could. 



Now, this is a thing worth considering. The experiment is 

 to be tried in Salem. In a little grape-house that is being con- 

 structed there, blue glass is to be inserted, and I hope we shall 

 have an opportunity to learn the result. 



Dr. Durfee. Can you tell what effect it would have on a 

 sickly child ? 



Dr. Loring. There it comes right home. If it is true that 

 blue glass has such an effect upon vegetable and animal life, 

 that is under our control, I should be in favor of having blue 

 glass put into our windows. I have no doubt it would be use- 

 ful. At any rate, I am willing to try it. What the effect of 

 this blue shade is, I cannot say. I don't suppose it can be 

 accounted for. I don't know how it was discovered, but there 

 is the fact exactly. As Prof. Agassiz once said to me, " Science 

 is nothing but deductions drawn from facts," and there are the 

 facts. That is what Lord Bacon said, too, two hundred years ago. 



The Chairman. Farmers, themselves, are oftentimes sur- 

 prised at their own foolishness. After selecting, as Dr. Dur- 

 fee says, with great care, the best fruits, — apples, pearo, peaches, 

 or whatever they may be, — they take but little pains in regard 

 to the soil and location in which the trees are planted. In a 



