SCIENCE. 



[Vol. X. No. 230 



reports it would seem that it is closed, as indicated on our map ; 

 and seal and walrus are said to abound in its western part, which 

 is formed by low land. If this information is correct, this would 

 be an excellent starting-point for the exploration of the archipelago 

 west of EUesmere Land and the west coast of this large island. 

 Such an expedition would not be ver)' expensive, and almost with- 

 out danger. The American expeditions of Schwatkaand Hall show 

 that sledging in the Arctic is the most successful and least dan- 

 gerous way of making explorations. This district is of the greatest 

 importance from a geographical point of view, forming the north- 

 ern limit of the American continent. It will be verj' interesting to 

 know the configuration of this district and its extent towards the 

 north-west. The study of this region will show how far the heavy 

 ice met with at the outskirts of the Arctic islands extends south- 

 eastward. 



Another exploration which might be easily accomplished is that 

 of Fox Basin and Hudson Strait. A ship stationed in these waters 

 for two years might solve all important questions of that country. 

 Ethnologists wish for an e.xploration of the central parts of the 

 Arctic coast, particularly between King William Land and the 

 Mackenzie, where the Eskimos may be studied uninfluenced by 

 Europeans. These are tasks for American travellers. But where 

 is the patron to-day who would encourage and support such enter- 

 prises ? Who will be the next to earn,- north the little Henry 

 Grinnell flag, which waved in so many parts of Arctic America .' 

 The means which are required to carry on such researches are so 

 small that they will not hinder the resuming of the work as soon as 

 it may be considered desirable. 



Such work is not the adventurous ' polar expedition,' the only aim 

 of which is to push north ; but these explorations will enable us to 

 go on step by step, and to reach the unknown regions of the Arctic 

 Basin without running great risks. Explorations in Jones Sound 

 will show how far we can go. East Greenland offers a safe basis 

 for expeditions towards the north, and so does Franz Joseph Land. 

 Hazardous expeditions into the open ocean without the shelter of 

 land and without any line of retreat, such as de Long's expedition, 

 must be abandoned, as they will almost always end in disaster. The 

 exploration of the pole is not a work for a single adventurous ex- 

 pedition, however lucky and successful it may be, for the risk such 

 travellers run is not adequate to the probable results. Progress 

 must be made cautiously, and founded on the discoveries and ex- 

 periences of past expeditions : therefore we believe that spasmodical 

 efforts now in East Greenland, now in Smith Sound, now in Franz 

 Joseph Land, are not desirable, but that one plan ought to be pur- 

 sued by Arctic explorers. It is only thus that scientific results can 

 be obtained. 



The problems which must be solved in the Arctic regions are 

 numerous and important. It is more than curiosity if we desire to 

 know the outlines and the interior of the Arctic and Antarctic 

 islands and continents ; for without this knowledge geographical 

 science is imperfect. We must know it, if we want to understand 

 the circulation of the oceans and of the air ; and researches in the 

 Arctic are indispensable for the study of terrestrial magnetism. It 

 is sufficient to mention these facts. Even commerce will profit by 

 such expeditions. The produce of whale-fishery adds yearly con- 

 siderably to our national wealth, and by new expeditions new 

 hunting-grounds have always been opened. Many other resources 

 of the Arctic Ocean are not yet made use of. There are enormous 

 herds of walrus in regions easy of access, there are the lakes and 

 rivers abounding in salmon, there is the valuable fur of the black 

 fox and polar bear, and, though the commercial interest will always 

 be of secondary importance in such enterprises, we must not over- 

 look it. 



Our map teaches that the problems of arctic exploration 

 must not be looked for in the extreme north alone. The coasts of 

 Arctic America and its numerous islands are a field for travellers 

 which will yield important results for years to come. The explorer 

 of these regions will contribute not less to science than the adven- 

 turous traveller who seeks to reach the pole, and his work will be 

 surer of success, and accomplished with less danger and at smaller 

 expense. We hope that researches in these regions will soon be 

 taken up again, and that we may soon see American explorers 

 again at work in this field. 



DISTILLERY-MILK REPORT.'— IV. 

 Bibliography. 

 In the replies received from our correspondents in answer to the 

 circular letter, references are made to the following authorities, from 

 which we make liberal quotations ; — 



Matiual of Cattle-Feeding. By HENRY P. Armsby, Ph.D. New 

 York, Wiley, 1887. 



In the manufacture of distilled liquors, the first stages of the 

 process are essentially the same as in the preparation of malt 

 liquors, but after the fermentation the mash is subjected to distilla- 

 tion to separate the alcohol. The residue remaining in the still 

 constitutes distillers' grains, or ' slump.' This has much the same 

 composition as brewers' grains, except that it is more watery, con- 

 taining only about eight or nine per cent of dry matter. Like 

 brewers' grains, it has lost chiefly non-nitrogenous matters : it con- 

 sequently has a narrow nutritive ratio, and is a valuable addition to 

 fodder poor in proteine. Moreover, it contains a considerable pro- 

 portion of mineral matters, which may be of advantage under 

 some circumstances. Distillers' grains are best adapted for cattle, 

 and yield excellent results in fattening or feeding for milk when 

 rightly used. For sheep, hogs, and horses, they are not well suited. 

 In using this feeding-stuff, its watery nature should not be forgotten. 

 Its relatively large proportion of proteine renders it a suitable addi- 

 tion to a fodder deficient in this nutrient ; while, on the other 

 hand, the health of the animals requires the addition to the ' slump ' 

 of some dry, coarse fodder, like hay or straw. A poor quality of 

 coarse fodder may be rendered more palatable to cattle by saturat- 

 ing it with distillers' grains, and thus the watbriness of the one 

 fodder, and the poverty of the other as regards proteine, can be 

 simultaneously corrected. Used in this way, distillers' grains con- 

 stitute a perfectly healthy fodder. Much of the common prejudice 

 against the use of distillery slops appears to be occasioned by their 

 irrational application, and frequently by the filthy surroundings of 

 the animals, rather than by any thing injurious in the feeding-stuff 

 itself. 



' Milk : its Adulterations, Analysis, etc' By John Morris, M.D. 

 {Maryland Medical Journal, June 15, 1882.) 



Of all the nutrients employed to rear children deprived of natural 

 food (the mother's breast), I know no one more pernicious than the 

 swill-milk sold in all large cities. Children fed with it appear to 

 thrive and fatten, but their real vitality is much less than that found 

 in those properly nourished. What seems to be fat is merely adi- 

 pose tissue, just as is seen in chronic ale and beer drinkers, who are 

 also deficient in vitality, and unable to withstand attacks of disease, 

 endure privation or great suffering. During the summer months, 

 cholera-infantum plays sad havoc among swill-fed children. Fre- 

 quently after a few hours' illness they fall into a state of extreme 

 prostration, collapse and death following rapidly. From the want 

 of tissue-making food, they lack the vital force already alluded to, 

 and all the efforts of the physician to arrest the disease and restore 

 their impaired strength prove unavailing. The infant mortality in 

 our large cities may be attributed in a great measure, I am con- 

 vinced, to the employment of milk from cows improperly fed. 



The draymen connected with the breweries of London are the 

 most unhealthy body of men to be found anywhere. These men 

 have the unlimited privilege of the brewery cellar. Though ap- 

 parently models of health and strength, the slightest accident that 

 befalls them generally proves fatal. Sir Astley Cooper mentions a 

 case of a drayman, a powerful, flesh-colored, healthy-looking man, 

 who received a slight injury from the splinter of a stave. The 

 wound was trifling, but it suppurated. Sir Astley opened the 

 abscess, but in going away forgot his lancet. On returning to get 

 it, he found the man dying. Beer-drinkers, when attacked by any 

 acute disease, are unable to bear the proper treatment necessary, 

 and consequently die. They cannot undergo the slightest surgical 

 operation with safety. Dr. Buchan says, " Malt liquors render the 

 blood sizy and unfit for the circulation : hence proceeds obstruction 

 and inflammation of the lungs. There are few great beer-drinkers 

 who are not phthisical, brought on by the glutinous and indigestible 

 nature of ale and porter." 



^ Continued from Vol. IX., p. 604. 



