January 17, 1890.] 



SCIENCE. 



47 



A Peculiar Pipe from the Susquehanna. 



I BEG to present the outlines of an Indian pipe which may be 

 interesting as representing the figure of one of the Delaware 

 ** Totems." The relic is composed of a dark green steatite, carved 

 into an admirable image of a turtle. Fig. i represents the back 

 of the animal, which is well polished and distinctly marked with the 

 lines shown in the figure. 



Fig. 2 represents the under suriace, which contains the cavity of 

 the pipe and the ornamental (?) markings. The hole for the stem 

 is well drilled, of a smooth bore, and inclined at the angle given in 

 the sketch. This unique specimen was found some thirty years 

 since, by a friend of mine, on the present site of the village of 

 Fairview on the Susquehanna, in close proximity to an old Indian 

 burying ground. Harvey B. Bashore. 



West Fairview, Pa., Jan. 5. 



Soils and Alkali. 



The last bulletin of the Colorado State Agricultural Experiment 

 Station at Fort Collins published in October and entitled " Soils 

 and Alkali" is issued in the name of Prof. D. O'Brine. 



The subject treated is one of acknowledged importance, and for 

 this reason and the fact that it is issued under the auspices of an 

 institution expressly endowed by Act of Congress for the purpose 

 of scientific investigation, renders the fact to which I beg leave to 

 call your attention, especially lamentable. 



The first eleven pages of this bulletin are, so far as statement of 

 facts are concerned, practically extracted verbatim from a recent 

 work of my own entitled " Rocks and Soils," and published by 

 Messrs. Wiley & Sons of New York, little more than a year 

 ago. 



In support of this assertion I enclose extracts from the bulletin 

 mentioned and from my own work, a comparison of which in par- 

 allel columns will demonstrate absolutely the truth of my asser- 



tion. I may add further that the specimens extracted embrace 

 only a small portion of the subject matter to which the same asser- 

 tion would hold true ; they are offered however as specimens and 

 speciine7is only, 



STOCKBRIDGE (p. 159). 



''The quantity of water thus requiied and evaporated by difEerent agricultural 

 plants during the period of growth has been found to be as follows : 



One acre of wheat exhales 409,832 lbs of water. 



" " ^^ clover " 1,096,214 •' *' " 



u V( 'A sunflowers '^ 12,585,994 " " " 

 cabbage 5,049,194 " " " 



*( '.' ** grape-vines " 730>733 '* " " 



* hops " 4,445,021 " '* " 



O'BRINE (p. 8). 



*_' The quantity of water required and evaporated by different agricultural plants 

 during the period of growth has been found t ' *■ " 



*' " " sunflow* 



*' " '■ cabbage 



" " " grape-vi 



'' '* '' hops 



STOCKBRIDGE (p. 160). 



xhales 409,832 lbs of 1 

 1,096,234 *' •' 



5.049,194 " " 



730,733 " 

 4,445.021 " " 



O'BRINE (p. 



" Deitrich estimates the amount of 

 wa'.er thus exhaled by the foliage of plants 

 to vary from 250 to 4C0 times the weight 

 of dry organic matter formed during the 



Die 



timates the amount of water 



:haled by the foliage of plants to be 



trom 250 to 400 times the weight of dry 



organic matter formed during the same 



time. 



O'BRINE (p. 9). 



* Hoffmann concluded that the quan' 1 Hoffman has estimated that the quan- 

 tity of matter dissolved from the soil by tily of matter dissolved from the soil by 

 water varied between 0.242 and 0.0205 ' water varied from .242 to .0205 per cent 

 per cent of the dry earth," ' of the dry earth. 



STOCKBRIDGE (p. 165). 



STOCKBRIDGE <p. 166). 



; of the heat of the soil are 

 three ; namely, solar heat, as the sun's 

 rays ; heat of chemical decomposition 

 within the soil J and the original or plu- 

 tonic heat of the earth, proceeding from 

 the still molten earth interior. 



The latter source though great in itself 

 yet is so removed from the surface, and 

 the radiation there is so rapid, that this 

 heat is of no considerable value to the 

 plant. The heat of decomposition, though 

 considerable in soils rich in organic mat- 

 ter, occurs only in the presence of com- 

 paratively high temperatures, and is there- 

 fore not manifest except in soils not need- 

 ing Its action to influence their behavior 

 towards vegetation. The sun, therefore, 

 remains the only source of heat of mater- 

 ial importance as related to the production 

 of plants from the soil." 



STOCKBRIDGE (p. 125). 



O'BRINE (p. 9). 



The heat comes from three sources : 

 Solar heat, as the sun's rays ; heat of 

 chemical decomposition within the soil, 

 and the original heat of the earth's inter- 

 ior. The latter cannot be of any value to 

 plants ; the heat of chemical decomposi- 

 tion is not of any value, except in a few 

 special cases. '1 he sun, therefore, remains 

 the only source of heat of practical im- 

 portance in relation to the production of 

 crops from the soil. 



" Oats, rye and buckwheat thrive w 

 the lowest amount of organic matter, re- the l 

 quiring but from one to two per cent, quiring from 

 while wheat and tobacco evidently require \ and tobacco 



O'BRINE (p. 4). 

 and buckwheat thri 



most among common a^ 

 growing best in thos' 

 from five to eight per c 

 matter. 



oils containing 

 : of dry organic 



The 



STOCKBRIDGE (p. 127). 



thus 



1 putrid 



ultingfr 

 ndergoes a furthi 

 position known as nitrification, resulting 

 like the original putrefaction from the ac- 

 tion of oxidizing microbes through the 

 activity oi which 

 formed into nitric 



STOCKBRIDGE (p. 124). 



"Of thee 

 : than f 





ght of all plants 

 :nt in any case is 

 ongii 



wo per cent. Wheat 

 require most among 

 I agricultural products, and do 

 ;ir best upon soils containing from five 

 eight per cent of organic matter. 



This 

 composi 



soil. 



ninety-five per cent Ts wholly of atmos- 

 pheric origin ; most of which becomes 

 added to the soil-mass on the death and 

 decomposition of the plants." 



STOCKBRIDGE (p. 154). 



*' And it is a fully accepted fact that, 

 other things being equal, that soil is in- 

 variably most fertile which exists in the 

 finest state of division, whose particles 

 are the smallest."' 



STOCKBRIDGE {p. 157). 



" Liebcnberg has shown, however, that 

 the action in the soil may be either up- 

 wards or downwards according as the 

 atmosphere is dry or supplies soil-saturat- 



O'BRINE (p. 5). 



dergoes a further 

 lied 7iitriJication, resulti 

 at putrefaction, from the 



O'BRINE (p. 5). 



ital weight of the plants, about 

 It is of soil or mineral origin ; 

 Cling ninety five per cent is 

 atmospheric origin ; most of 

 s added to the soil mass 



the death and decomposition of the plants. 



O'BRINE (p. 7). 



It is a fully accepted fact that, other 

 things being equal, soil vs. invar tab lymosX 

 fertile which exists in the finest state of 

 division, whose particles are the smallest. 



O'BRINE (p. 8). 



Liebenberg has shown that this move- 

 ment may be either upwards or down- 

 wards, according as the atmosphere is dry 

 or supplies soil-saturating rain. 



Before deciding to request the publication of this statement of 

 facts I requested an explanation of Prof. O'Brine, in response to 



