General Notices. 675 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



A RT. I. General Notices. 



Distribution of Sea Water all over the Country, — This will be practicable by 

 means of the railroads, which, in a short time, will cover the whole country 

 with a sort of network of communication, radiating from the large towns in 

 the interior to the different seaports. As the direction of these roads is 

 straighter, and their surface nearer a level, than those of the common roads, 

 pipes might be laid down, at a proper depth under the rails, and sea water, by 

 the occasional aid of sea engines, conveyed everywhere, and supplied by ser- 

 vice-pipes all along the roads. We believe the Brighton railroad has one 

 uniform slope, from a short distance from Brighton, all the way to London ; 

 so that, by raising the water from the sea to the highest point, it would flow to 

 the metropolis without further trouble ; and might be raised by steam to Bir- 

 mingham, whence it would descend to Derby and Manchester. This would 

 enable salt-water baths to be estabhshed in London, an object for which there 

 was a company formed between twenty and thirty years ago. The principal 

 question is, whether sea water could be turned to such an account, either for 

 baths or agricultural purposes, as v/ould pay the expense. Our agricultural 

 chemists would soon determine this. In the mean time, we may notice the 

 practice of preserving grass and clover in a green state in pits, by the aid of 

 pressure and a little salt, lately come into use in Germany, as brewers' grains 

 are about London. This will be one use, and a most important use it is ; and 

 salting spoiled hay or straw would be another. L-rigation with diluted sea- 

 water would also be found beneficial. (See Quart. Journ. Ag., Oct. 1843.) 



The Distribution of filtered Sewer Water trom our large towns might be 

 effected all over the country, by similar means, along the railroads, and pro- 

 bably will be so in the course of another generation. At present it would not 

 pay. — Cond. 



Draining-Pipes are now made, which are adapted for carrying drains through 

 loose sand, and which, indeed, may be used as an economical substitute for 

 draining-tiles, and even for conveying water from one basin or pond to 

 another. These pipes are " made by a machine, which every brick-maker can 

 have constructed for a very few pounds. It is merely an imitation of that by 

 which macaroni is made in Italy. A quantity of well-tempered clay is put into 

 a wooden or iron cylinder, in the bottom of which is an iron plate or disk, in 

 which the exact section of the pipe is cut out ; a strong piston, forced down 

 by any simple machinery, drives out the pipe, which is received on a wooden 

 mould, set perpendicularly, of the size of the bore of the i)ipe, having a 

 shoulder and handle at the bottom. Wiien the pipe is 13 in. long, it is cut off 

 with a wire ; a boy seizes the handle of the mould with the pipe on it, and 

 places the pipe on a barrow with a flat stage on it, which, when full, is 

 wheeled away. At the moment the first boy removes the mould, another boy 

 places another vertically, to receive the next pipe. One cylinder, when filled, 

 will squeeze out twelve pipes, or more ; it is then removed to be filled a^ain, 

 while it is replaced by a full one. With a little practice, the operations go on 

 most rapidly, and the greatest portion of the labour of moulding pipes and 

 bending them is saved. We have no doubt that, with fair competition, pipes 

 2 or 3 inches in interior diameter may be thus made and burned, where fuel is 

 moderately cheap, for less than 20a-. a thousand, and lai'gcr in proportion. 

 {Gard. Ckron. for 184-3, p. G59.) 



Forcing Ili/acinths so as to bloom at Christmas. — To do proper justice to 

 forced hyacinths expected to bloom at Christmas, they ought to be potted not 

 later than the middle of August. It is true we manage to flower them as early 

 as Christmas, after potting them as late as the end of September and begin- 

 ning of October ; but this is too much for the bulbs , the flowers are not as 



