222 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



were so importuned that we did not use any of them. We 

 examined a good many lightning rods, and concluded to put 

 one up ourselves. We found that the largest rods that were 

 offered us only contained one-third the conducting material 

 that Ihey should have had ; and not only that, but the copper 

 in those rods was sold at from three to seven times the 

 amount that we could buy it for. We took four large wires 

 and twisted them together and put up a rod. I may say that 

 it had not been up but a little while before the rod was struck 

 by a flash which was sufficiently severe to jar down glass in 

 the building, wake everybody up in that vicinity, and melt 

 the tops of the wires. But the rod protected the building 

 perfectly. 



Question. I will inquire whether it would be necessary 

 for the rod to be higher than any other object ; for instance, 

 a tree standing near the house. Would it be necessary that 

 the rod should be higher than the tree in order to afford pro- 

 tection ? 



Prof. Brewer. Yes, to protect the tree, but not to protect 

 the house. 



Mr. Sedgwick. A year ago this past summer, my farm- 

 house, which has two large elms close by it, and which is pro- 

 tected by a lightning-rod on the opposite end from the trees, 

 was struck by lightning. The liglitning struck one of the 

 trees, glanced from that to the rod, went down the rod al- 

 most to the ground, and came in through the side of the 

 house, making a hole through the plaster large enough to 

 stick your finger through, and shaking up the neighborhood 

 pretty thorouglily. In that case, the tree did not answer as a 

 perfect conductor, nor the lightning-rod either. 



Mr. Hart. Would a lightning-rod terminating in a cistern 

 constantly filled with water afford adequate protection ? 



Prof. Brewer. No ; I believe there are some cases where 

 that has not been sufficient. T may say that you may have 

 occa,sionally a discharge so exceedingly severe that the build- 

 ing nuist be a good deal better protected than buildings ordi- 

 narily are to escape injury. The one of which I spoke, that 



