1836.] 



F A U RI E R S ' REGISTER. 



21- 



From the Baltimore American. 

 CULTURE OF THE TEA PLANT IN OHIO. 



The geographical positinii of China and the 

 United States is similar, both being situated on 

 the eastern side of their respective continents, and 

 lying between nearly the aamc latitudes. — Hence 

 there is, it is said, gi'eat resemblance and corres- 

 pondence between them in climate. Our attention 

 is called to these circumstances at the present mo- 

 ment by seeing the annexed account of the suc- 

 cessful culture of the tea plant in this country. 

 The plant tlourishes in China as high north as the 

 fortieth degree of latitude, although the other 

 kinds grow in the more southern provinces of 

 China. Unsuccessful attempts have been made in 

 variou.s parts of the world to rear the tea plant, 

 but this we believe is the first in our own country. 

 We see no cause why the jilant should not flour- 

 ish in this climate, and a knowledge of the art of 

 curing it can be easily attained. 



^Mr. John Plait of Marietta, Ohio, advertises 

 in a paper of that place, that he has succeeded in 

 cultivating the genuine Tea Plant of China. He 

 has, he sajT, raised the plant for ten years past at 

 Marietta, and after a scries of expensive experi- 

 ments has been fully successful in discovering the 

 tirt of drying and ttianufacturing the leaves into 

 tea of a quality quite equal to nnported Young 

 Hyson. He ofl'ers gratuitously to (tarnish fresh 

 'seed of the last year's growth to any gentleman 

 desirous of pursuing the cultivation. " 



in it a little less than five minutes, afier which they 

 are to be washed witi\ fresh river water, and to be put 

 into a vessel for keeping. Leeches that have been 

 used are likewise served in this manner. 



iYom t1ic Dutilin Journal of Alcd. and Ghem. Science. 

 ■pRESERVATIOiV OF LEECHES. 



A. Voget. in a notice inserted in the Pharma- 

 ■ceutische Zeitung, observes, that he has been in 

 the habit of adding a small quantity of powdered 

 -crab's eyes, to the water in which he keeps leech- 

 es. This powder of course sinks, forming in the 

 bottom of the vessel a thin stratum, in which the 

 leeches seem to take the greatest pleasure, creep- 

 ing about on it, and thus cleansing the surftice of 

 (heir skins, and getting rid of the mucous threads 

 and flocculi, with which they.^oon become cnciiin- 

 bered, when in a state of captivity. 



Cavaillon, Chevallier, and Moreau de Jones, 

 liave all borne witness to the good effect of mixing 

 charcoal with the water in which leeches are 

 transported fi-om one distant place to another. In 

 cases where it is necessary to carry them durino; a 

 long sea voyage, the inside of the ve.'^sel should be 

 well charred, and some very finely powdered 

 charcoal should be added to the water. Cavaillon 

 prefers for this purpose animal charcoal, as it pos- 

 sesses much stronger antiseptic powers than the 

 vegetable. It was by means of charring the casks 

 and adding some charcoal to the wafer, that the 

 French succeeded in conveying, in health and 

 vigor, a considerable number of the fish called go- 

 rana, from the isle of Bourbon to Martini(|ue. 



Doctor ICIuge, of the Charite, in Berlin, made 

 some interesting experiments, on the best means 

 of preserving leeches. — From his researches. Dr. 

 Heyfelder has been led to recommend a mixture 

 of three parts of rectified spirits, four parts wine 

 vinegar, and twenty-lour parts water. The leech- 

 es are to he placed in this mixture, and are to be M\ 

 Vol. IV— 28 



From Jameson's Journa). 

 RESISTANCE ON RAIL ROAF/S. 



At the late meeting of the British Association, 

 Dr. Lardncr made the following observations on 

 rail roads. He stated that every road oilers a sen- 

 sible resistance to traction, but this on a rail road 

 is less, because the surface is more uniform. The 

 resistance on a rtail road to the power of Iraelion is 

 always the same, as the resistence produced by 

 ascending an acclivity, rising one foot in 2.50; that 

 is, supposing the rail road to be level. Supjio-sc a 

 rail road rising 1 foot in 250, resistance to traction 

 then proceeds from tAvo causes, — the resistance on 

 the level, as already explained, and the resistance 

 offered from the actual declivity. The resistance 

 to be overcome on the level is equivalent to nine 

 pounds per ton; and on the road ascending 1 foot 

 in 2-50, it would be eighteen pounds per ton; and 

 thus it is seen that, in the latter case, the drawing 

 power must exert twice the force necessary on the 

 level. If the road rose 2 feet in 250, the drawing 

 force would be twenty-seven pounds to the ton. 

 This view of the subject is confined to ascents, but 

 it should not be forgotten, that when a rail road is 

 worked, the transit is from one end to the other. 

 It is necessary, in estimating the merits of rail 

 roads, to consider their action dovvnwards as well 

 as upwards. In coming down a steep no force is 

 required to impel an engine, and the gravity re- 

 stores that force in going down which it has robbed 

 from it in the ascent. You have to provide in an 

 ascent of 1 foot in 250, for a resistance of eighteen 

 pounds to a ton, but in descending, no fierce is re- 

 quired. If it was desired, to stride an average be- 

 tween the ascent and descent, the road would 

 present asurfiice which would be equivalent to a 

 level. This i:;oint, respecting ascent and descent, 

 struck the House of Lords, before which he gave 

 his opinion, as a paradox, but it was one only in 

 soitnd and not in realitv. Dr. Lardner remarked, 

 that these observations referred to ascents not more 

 steep than 1 \hnt in 2.50; but supposing the rise to 

 be 3 feet in 250, and where the strain would be, 

 consequently, ihirly-six pounds in each ton, would 

 aravity give this back in the descent 1 It was true 

 that no power was required in descending, but 

 while only nine pounds were gained in the descent, 

 twenty-seven pounds were lost in the ascent. Be- 

 sides, the loss of power, there was also the danger 

 resulting frnni the too great velocity occasioned by 

 sudden descents. In one of the lines of rail way, 

 for which a bill had been applied to the Hoyse of 

 Lords, tiiere was aslope of" 1 foot in 106, in a de- 

 scent of two miles and a hallj and the velocity 

 niven to an engine on arriving at the loot of the 

 slope could not amount to less than seventy miles 

 an hour. To mitifjate defi»cts arising fi'om these 

 abrujit descents, breaks were applied, but not al- 

 ways with success. The break is a jiiece of wood, 

 pressed against the tire of the wheel by a level, 

 and if it acts with full effect it ought to prevent ac- 

 celeration. 1 le had seen several cases in which it 

 had totally failed, and one instance which occured. 

 he would detail. Alone of the slojies between 

 Manchcsler and Ijiverpool, he was descending 



