RECENT SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 611 
It is impossible to give, within the limits of an article like this, sufficient informa- 
tion to guide the operation of reclamation through all its stages, but enough has been 
said to impress on the minds of thinking men the importance of the scheme, its feasi- 
bility, and its value to public interests. : 
The work has been initiated in New Jersey; it is about to be continued in New York, 
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and the distant State of Califormia; and itis prob- 
able that, within a few years, we shall see a general reclamation of these plague-breed- 
ing swamps throughout the country. ' 
—————SS 
RECENT SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 
THE FARM YARD. 
Carbolic acid and rinderpest—Dr. Hope, in a communication to the 
British Association, stated the result of certain experiments upon cat- 
tle with carbolic acid, during the prevalence of rinderpest in 1867. Of 
about 270 cows under his charge, the majority were attacked by the dis- 
ease; but by injecting a solution of carbolic acid, either through the 
mouth or rectum, he was enabled to save 111 of them. The remain- 
der, not so dealt with, died, or had to be slaughtered. For this reason, 
he argued that the chemical treatment of contagion is much better than 
the medicinal, both in respect to man and adult animals. 
Cooling of brooded eggs.—An inquiry is made of the German Poultry 
Journal whether eggs brooded upon and allowed to become cold can be 
hatched ; in reply to which it is stated that, from extensive observation, 
it has been shown that eggs which have remained cold for two days or 
more may even then be successfully brooded, and that the nearer to the 
period of the escape of the young, the longer may this cooling last. It 
is, however, necessary that at least half of the brooding period be 
passed, as, if eggs are left too long in the first half of the period, espe- 
cially if this is repeated many times, the embryo will, in almost every 
instance, die. In the second half of the period the chick is already so 
far formed that a prolonged cooling is not especially injurious to it. It 
is also established that eggs thus cooled require a longer time than usual 
to come to maturity. ; 
Preservation of beet leaves for fodder.—In France beet leaves are used 
very largely as food for cattle. <A difficulty has hitherto existed in 
reference to this application, on account of the readiness with which 
the leaves become decomposed, and the impossibility of keeping them 
fresh for any considerable length of time. Weare now informed that 
this has been overcome by M. Mehay, who subjects the leaves to the 
action of dilute hydrochloric acid, by means of which, after under- 
going a special treatment, they can be stacked away in large quantities 
and kept indefinitely for future use. The application of the acid em- 
ployed, so far from injuring these leaves as food, seems to impart to 
them special alimentary peculiarities, visible in the production of an 
improved quality of butter. Several veterinary surgeons have certified, 
as the result of a critical examination of the experiments, that the food 
gave rise to no disturbance of the digestive system, and that in every 
respect the new preparation was to be considered a success. 
Feeding unbroken grain to hogs.—Dr. Lehmann has already communi- 
cated to the Agricultural Association of Saxony the results of some ex- 
periments in feeding unbroken grain to hogs, the animal to which the 
