August 13, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



141 



$61,000,000 to Switzerland, etc. The exportation 

 to the United States has increased $105,000,000 

 since 1869, though in 1872 it was somewhat 

 greater, and in 1882 reached a total value of $107,- 

 000,000. 



— Professor Forbes publishes in the ' Bulletin of 

 the Illinois state laboratory of natural history,' vol. 

 ii. pp. 257-331, an account of the continuation of 

 the interesting studies on the contagious diseases 

 of insects begun by him in 1883. In this account 

 he describes at length a common and highly de- 

 structive disease of the European cabbage-worm 

 (Pieris rapae). This disease he believes to be 

 caused by a spherical micrococcus, of which he 

 gives two excellent microphotographs. More 

 complete and conclusive studies were made of a 

 disease of the silkworm, which was apparently 

 that known as jaundice. ■ Of especial interest is 

 the fact that he was able to produce this disease 

 in cabbage-worms by moistening their food with 

 culture-fluids containing the bacteria of this 

 disease derived from silkworms. These experi- 

 ments seem to us to be of the highest importance. 

 If this or some other bacterium could, be used 

 against the cotton- worm, how^ much more effectual 

 it might be than the poisons which are now used ! 

 These are liable to be washed away by the first 

 rain, and will not multiply themselves. Pro- 

 fessor Forbes also reports at length on a disease 

 attacking two si)ecies of datana in his breeding- 

 cages. This disease he is positive is the well- 

 known flacherie of the silkworm. 



— One of the most interesting special reports 

 issued in connection with the last census is part i. 

 of the report on ' Social statistics of cities,' by Col. 

 George E. Waring, jun., the sanitary expert, which 

 is now going through the press, and will be ready 

 to be issued Sept. 1. The subject-matter of this 

 volume is confined to the statistics of certain 

 cities in New England and the middle states ; and 

 the second part, wliich is still to appear, will be 

 devoted to the cities in the southern and western 

 states. The method pui'sued is to give a historical 

 sketch of the town, which is followed bj^ a 

 description of the climate, the drainage, the finan- 

 cial condition, the gas supply, interments, manu- 

 factm-es, parks, reformatories and healing institu- 

 tions, police, places of amusement, population, 

 public buildings, sti'eets, water-works, and, in 

 fact, complete statistics of the social life in the 

 places described. In many instances, maps are 

 given showing the system of sewerage, the loca- 

 tion of places of amusement, j)arks, libraries, and 

 museums. The sketches of the cities of Boston, 

 New York, and Philadelphia are very elaborate, 

 especially in relation to the subject of sanitary 



drainage. The second volume will contain a 

 sketch of New Orleans, furnished by Mr. George 

 W. Cable, the novelist. The report complete wiU 

 contain about 2000 pages. 



— The Ophthalmological society of Heidelberg 

 has awarded Professor Helmholtz a gold Graefe 

 medal and the sum of fifty dollars yearly, as the 

 greatest benefiter of science. 



— The Commissioner of agriculture has pre- 

 pared a circular containing rules and regulations 

 for CO operation between the department of agri- 

 culture and the authorities of the several state& 

 and territories, for the suppression and extupation 

 of contagious pleuro-pneumonia of cattle. It will 

 be remembered that congress appropriated $100,- 

 000, at its last session, to be employed in such 

 manner as the commissioner may think best, to 

 prevent the spread of pleuro-pneumonia. 



— The following changes have been made in the 

 personnel of the coast survey since our last issue r 

 Assistants Boyd, Bradford, and Ellicott have beeii 

 instructed to organize a party to perform field- 

 work on the coast of Maine, and to survey the to- 

 pography of the north-eastern corner of the state. 

 The steamer Bache, Lieutenant Hawley command- 

 ing, is doing the hydrographic work ; Messrs. VinaU, 

 Hodgkins, Van Orden, and Gray have taken the 

 field on the re-survey of Long Island Sound ; Mr. 

 E. L. Taney, with a topographical party, is at work 

 on the KiU von Kull ; Captain CO. Boutelle is 

 organizing the parties for furnishing points for 

 state surveys. The appropriations for this pm-- 

 pose this year being so limited, only four parties 

 can be put in the field. The constitution of a per- 

 manent tide station on Sandy Hook has begun, 

 and will be finished in about two months. It is 

 hoped when this gaiige is finished that an uninter- 

 rupted series, both winter and summer, extending 

 over a period of 19 years, will be obtained. 



— The number of deaths from yellow-fever in 

 Rio de Janeiro for the fifteen years preceding the 

 last was 15,338. The fever first appeared in 1849, 

 and has been continuous since, though much 

 more severe at times. In 1850 the number of 

 deaths of cases treated in the hospitals was twenty- 

 six per cent, in 1870, seventeen per cent, and in 

 1883, thu'ty per cent. 



— New discoveries of gold in West Austraha, 

 where it has liitherto not been known to exist, 

 are causing considerable excitement in that part 

 of the continent. The locality is in the north- 

 western part, four hundred miles from King 

 Sound, in a wild, desolated, and almost impassable 

 region. The gold is found near the surface in 

 alluvium. 



