SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVII. No. 426 



EXPLORATION OF THE BLACK SEA. 



We learn from the Proceedings of the Royal Geographical So- 

 ciety for March that Profe?sor Woeikof, at a recent meeting of 

 the Society of Friends of Science of Moscow, communicated some 

 results of the scientific exploration of the Black Sea in the Russian 

 gunboat " Tchernomoretz " in June and July, 1890. The mean 

 depth in the basin is 6,000 feet. The minimum depth (below 600 

 feet) was found in the north-west region, bounded by a line pass- 

 ing from Varna, In Bulgaria, to Eupatoria, on the west coast of 

 the Crimea; and the maximum depth (7,365 feet), in the central 

 part, between the Crimea and Anatolia. The surface temperature 

 varies from 72° F. in the centre of the basin, to from 73° to 77° 

 on the west and east. At a depth of from 39| feet to 174 feet, 

 the temperature was only 57° towards the south coast, 54° in the 

 centre, and 52° in the north and near the west and east shores. 

 The variation of temperature in the Black Sea is very character- 

 istic at depths exceeding 180 feet. At this point the thermometer 

 marks only 45° ; but then the temperature begins to rise, and at a 

 depth of 6,000 feet it is 49°. In other seas, in mean latitudes, 

 the temperature diminishes regularly from the surface to the 

 bottom, or rather below a certain depth it remains invariable (56° 

 for the Mediterranean). 



Another peculiarity of the Black Sea is, that at a depth of 450 

 feet, traces of sulphuretted hydrogen are found, the proportion of 

 which increases so rapidly that it becomes quite sensible at 600 

 feet; and at 940 feet, and under, it renders animal life entirely im- 

 possible. At that depth were found only the semi-fossil shells of 

 certain moUusks characteristic of the brackish water of the la- 

 goons of the Black Sea and of the Caspian. They are the remains 

 of the Pontic fauna which inhabited the Black Sea at the pliocene 

 epoch, when this basin, still separated from the Mediterranean, 

 and with a depth of only o,000 feet, contained water of but feeble 

 salinity. At the opening of the Bosporus, the waters of the Med- 

 iterranean would make their way into the Black Sea, and lead to 

 the disappearance of the ancient fauna. The sulphuretted hy- 

 drogen, then, is only one of the products of the decomposition of 

 these ancient organisms, the elimination of which takes place very 

 slowly, owing to an immobility almost absolute of the water at a 

 certain depth 



The Black Sea receives annually, by way of the Bosporus, only 

 a thousandth part of the total volume of water in the basin, and 

 consequently it will take a thousand years to completely renew 

 the whole contents of the basin. It is thus easy to understand 

 the slowness with which the deep waters participate in the circu- 

 lation of the liquid mass. 



THE VEGETABLE FIBRES OF TRINIDAD. 



The United States consul in Trinidad has recently forwarded to 

 the government a report upon the vegetable fibres of that island, 

 and gives a description of some of the most important of them. 



The maholtine is a plant which grows wild in large quantities. 

 It is easily cultivated by simply cutting down bushes and burning 

 them, and scattering the seeds of the plant. One acre of good 

 ground will produce about five thousand pounds of stalk; and this 

 stalk, reduced to fibre, will make about eight hundred pounds. 

 The stalk grows from eight to twelve feet, the skin or bark of 

 •which is stripped off, and steeped in cold vrater, eight or ten days 

 after which the green watery substance is washed out, leaving a 

 fibre eight to ten feet long. 



The white mahoe {StercuKa caribcea), like the maholtine, grows 

 wild, and may be cultivated in the same way, producing the same 

 quality of fibre. The fibre is whiter and more silky than that of 

 the maholtine, and is believed to be superior to it, although it has 

 never been sent abroad to test its merits. A crop is reaped every 

 seven months. 



The gumbo, or ohra (Abelmoschris esculentiis), is another stalk 

 fibre, the plant growing six to eight feet high, and producing a 

 fibre about the same length. Cultivated on good soil, it will pro- 

 duce four thousand pounds of stalks, yielding as much fibre to the 

 pound as the maholtine or the white mahoe. 



The filTe of the gumbo, unlike those above mentioned, will not 



contain water, but throws it off like oil silk. A ci'op is harvested 

 every seven months. 



The plantain (Micsa sapientiim) will produce from five to six 

 pounds of fibre to each stalk. The stalks grow from eight to nine 

 feet high, and eight hundred of them may be produced on an acre 

 of ground. The fibre is obtained by putting on two wooden 

 rollers, and rolling and squeezing the stalks to crush the watery 

 pores, then steeping it in water eight to ten days, and finally 

 putting it under the same rolling process with heavier weights. 



The banana {Musa paradisiaca) grows four to five feet high, 

 prodvices two to three pounds of fibre to the stalk, and eight hun- 

 dred stalks to the acre, and the crop is annual. 



Ramie, or China-grass, grows very thickly, and, when once 

 planted, sustains itself against other grass. After the first year, 

 it can be cut every six months. The stalk grows about four feet 

 high. It will produce an ounce of fibre to every square foot. The 

 plant was imported into Trinidad from China for experimental 

 purposes about three years ago, and has not yet assumed any 

 commercial importance. 



The mahoe bord du mer {Paritium tiliaceum) does not grow 

 inland, but on the seashore. It is a stalk fibre, but, unlike the 

 above, it branches, and the branches also produce fibre. It grows 

 eight to fifteen feet high. Each tree will produce about half a 

 pound of fibre, and one acre can support eight hundred trees. 



Red mahoe {bteraulia caribcea) grows wild on any soil of the 

 island, produces about eight hundred trees to the acre, grows 

 eight to ten feet high, and then branches. The stalk and branches 

 are both used for fibre, which is used by the natives for mak- 

 ing rope, The crop is annual. 



Rucon, or annotto, an Indian plant from South America, is a 

 very strong fibre. One acre will support eight hundred stalks 

 cultivated on fertile soil, and each stalk will produce about half a 

 pound of fibre. 



Black sage {Cordia cylendros) is a small shrub about six feet 

 high, and produces a very strong fibre, used by the natives for 

 making ropes. An acre of ground will support sixteen hundred 

 plants, and they wiU give one-fourth of a pound of fibre to each 

 plant. 



Bois sang, or blood-wood, grows twenty-five feet high, and 

 branches out eight to ten feet from the bottom. When tapped, 

 the tree emits a fluid resembling blood, which produces a red 

 stain. Both stem and branches produce fibre. About six hun- 

 dred trees may be produced to the acre, and each tree wiU produce 

 two to three pounds of fibre, which is used for rope-making. The 

 fibre varies from four to six feet in length, is very tough, and 

 would, it is said, make a superior twine for bagging. It is cut 

 and planted every three years. 



Balizier (Hilicomea) is a wild plant, grows on cool soil, and its 

 presence indicates superior land.^ The blades, which resemble the 

 blades of the plantain, produce the fibre; but the blades grow 

 from the roots of the bush like a pine-apple, and they are six to 

 ten feet long. One acre will produce about ten thousand blades, 

 and each blade will produce half an ounce of fibre. It is a coarse 

 fibre, not so strong as the others mentioned, but is useful for door- 

 mats and similar purposes. 



Cacao {Theobroma) is cultivated for its valuable fruit; but the 

 tree, which grows fifteen or twenty feet high, is trimmed annually 

 in the spring of the year, and the branches of each tree thus 

 trimmed .will produce half a pound of fibre, which varies from 

 three to five feet in length. It is strong, and is used as rope for 

 making hammocks. 



Bois Vome {Guazuma ulmifolia) is a straight tree. At a dis- 

 tance of eight or ten feet up the body of the tree, five or six 

 branches shoot out in a circle round it ; and, from this point to the 

 top of the tree, encircling branches shoot out at the distance of 

 about one foot apart. The lowest circle of branches are the longest, 

 and they shorten as they ascend the tree, causing the tree to 

 assume the shape of a sugar-loaf. Both the body and branches 

 produce fibre. It is a straight brown fibre, and very strong, used 

 generally for rope and twine making. Eight hundred trees may 

 be produced to the acre, and, after the third year, will produce 

 annually from one to two pounds of fibre to the tree. 



The Agave Mexicana grows three or four feet high, and one 



