No. 2. 



Lightning Rods. — The Strawberry Plant. 



Lightuiiig Rods. 



A Letter from Professor Hare to the In- 

 quirer and Gazette. 



^ Newport, August ICtli, 1845. 



Dear Sir, — In the Inquirer and National 

 Gazette of the 14th inst., it is mentioned 

 that the barn of Mr. Detwiler, near Read- 

 ing, was struck by lightning while furnished 

 with a lightning-rod at the east end of the 

 building. Although I can but ill spare the 

 time, from other objects in which I am en- 

 gaged, I am led to call attention to the sad 

 consequences of this error of not putting up 

 a conductor intended for the protection of 

 aivy building against lightning, at the west- 

 ernmost part, and preferably the nortinvest- 

 ernmost end or corner. I am under the im- 

 pression that all thunder-gusts, in this part 

 of the world, come from the westward, and 

 generally from the north-westward. We 

 have sometimes storms from the south-east, 

 accompanied by diffuse electrical flashes, 

 but such genuine thunder-g-«s/s as produce 

 dangerous discharges of concentrated light- 

 ning, agreeably to my observations, come 

 always as above stated. Being consulted 

 about ten daj's since, by the proprietor of a 

 house, respecting the proper mode of putting 

 up a lightning-rod, I advised that it should 

 be secured to the north-western chimney, 

 so as, while duly pointed, to extend about 

 10 feet above it. Had Mr. Detwiler put 

 up a rod, tcell jjointed above and properly 

 terminated below, at the north- westernmost 

 part of his barn, I am of opinion that it 

 would not have been struck. I advance 

 this opinion conditionally, because a light- 

 ning-rod is competent as a conductor of 

 electricity only so far as it terminates in 

 contact with a conducting medium capable 

 of diffusing into the earth any electricity 

 which may be presented to it. Unfortu- 

 nately the conducting power of the soil in 

 which these rods usually terminate, is due 

 only to the moisture which it naturally 

 holds; while according to Cavendish, the 

 conducting power of water itself, is two 

 hundred thousand times loss than that of 

 iron. It follows that an iron rod, when ter- 

 minating in dry earth, is wholly incapaci- 

 tated from acting as a conductor. It is like 

 a pipe plugged at the lower end. Even 

 when the soil is moist, the rod cannot re- 

 ceive more electricity than the soil can 

 carry off" from it. Hence under ordinary 

 circumstances, the competency of lightning- 

 rods is dependent on the pointed form given 

 to tlie upper end, which prevents the elec- 

 tricity from being received above in greater 

 ([uantity than it can get oft' through the soil 

 below. 



Lightning-rods should always be made, if 

 possible, to terminate in the nearest spring 

 or stream of water, whether at the bottom 

 of a well or the surface of the earth ; it 

 being excepted that in cities, where there is 

 an extensive ramification of metallic pipes, 

 for the conveyance of water or gas, a con- 

 nection with such a ramification is to be 

 preferred to any other termination. 



In the case of vessels employed in navi- 

 gation, where the bottom is coppered, an at- 

 tachment to the sheathing by solder, is the 

 best termination possible; but where there 

 is no sheathing, a sheet or strip of copper, 

 so situated as to be always under water, 

 may be resorted to. 



From the immense conducting power of 

 the metallic chimney, and the necessary 

 connexion of the machinery with the water 

 in which steamers float, I cannot conceive 

 that they are liable to be injured by electri- 

 cal discharges, unless in the form in which 

 they produce tornadoes. 



You will perceive that I have said more 

 than my premises would warrant, but I hope 

 what I have added may carry with it suffi- 

 cient apology, in the desire by which I have 

 been actuated to promulgate information re- 

 specting the means of avoiding an awful 

 source of human calamity. 



I am, Sir, yours with esteem, 



Robert Hare. 



The Strawberry Plant. 



I YESTERDAY, for the first time, met with 

 Mr. Downing's work on fruit. 1 doubt not 

 it will be a work of great value. I discover 

 from it, that I have erroneous opinions re- 

 specting the character of the strawberry 

 plant, I was not, like Mr. Downing, "born 

 in a large garden, on the banks of one of 

 the noblest rivers in America," and there- 

 fore "claim a natural right to talk about 

 fruit." But I have resided for forty-one 

 years, on the banks of La Belle Riviere — 

 the Ohio — at the then village of Cincinnati, 

 now the Queen of the West, and destined 

 in less than half a century, to be the second 

 city in the Union. Thirty years of that 

 time have been devoted in part to horticul- 

 ture, and I have paid particular attention to 

 the character of the strawberry plant. If I 

 am wrong, I am without excuse, and should 

 pay for my error. 



It seems, according to Mr. Downing, that 

 all strawberries in their natural state, have 

 blossoms perfect in both the male and female 

 organs. Of course, all new seedlings have 

 perfect blossoms. But it seems, in rich 

 soils, a feic of the runners will become de- 

 fective in the male or female organs, and be 



