March 12, 1886. J 



SCIENCE. 



237 



— The house committee on agriculture has re- 

 ported favorably a bill to establish agricultural 

 experiment-stations in connection with the colleges 

 in the several states. The object and duty of these 

 stations are to conduct original researches or verify 

 experiments on the physiology of plants and ani- 

 mals ; the chemical composition of useful plants ; 

 analysis of soils and water ; the composition and 

 digestibility of different kinds of food for domestic 

 animals ; the scientific and economic questions 

 involved in the production of butter and cheese, 

 etc. The appropriation sought is $15,000 a year 

 for each state, or $570,000 in all. Similar experi- 

 mental stations have been conducted in Europe 

 with great success for the last thirty years, and at 

 the end of 1884 there were one hundred and forty- 

 eight in existence there. There are now nine 

 stations in this country. 



— It has been decided to abandon the govern- 

 mental tea-farms recently established, as they have 

 not been productive of good results. 



— The Prince of Monaco, it is reported, pro- 

 poses the attempt to ascertain the course of the 

 Gulf Stream by means of submerged floats, which 

 will not be subjected to the influence of the winds. 

 It is also said that the co-operation of the British 

 authorities has been asked in the scheme. 



— A recent London telegram announces that 

 Mount Etna is in a state of eruption. It is 

 supposed that lava is issuing from the crater, 

 but the dense mist prevents observations. Slight 

 shocks of earthquakes have been felt in the imme- 

 diate vicinity, and stones and cinders are continu- 

 ally being thrown out. 



— Active steps are being taken for the founding 

 of a Hebrew university in New York City. It is 

 proposed to make it a thoroughly orthodox secta- 

 rian institution, chiefly with the object of educat- 

 ing young men for the ministry. In addition to 

 voluntary subscriptions, it has been proposed to 

 rely upon a tax on the different Jewish congre- 

 gations. 



— Prof. A. C. Merriam of Columbia college, 

 whose editions of Herodotus and the Odyssey, 

 and more particularly his investigations in Greek 

 archeology, have gained him a foremost place 

 among the classical scholars of this country, has 

 been elected director of the American school at 

 Athens, for the year 1887-88. While in Greece, 

 Professor Merriam will pay particular attention to 

 archeology, especially Cyprian. 



— The cost of small-pox to Tennessee is esti- 

 mated by the State board of health to have been 

 nearly one hundred and fifty thousand dollars 

 during the past five years. 



— Russian papers have lately been discussing 

 the project of a canal between the Sea of Azov 

 and the Caspian Sea, with speculations upon the 

 probable effects of the higher water-level of the 

 former. The shores of the Caspian Sea are low, 

 and there is a question whether or not they would 

 be inundated. 



— An article by G. L. Kittredge in a late num- 

 ber of the American journal of philology describes 

 a singular custom among the Greeks. An ancient 

 Greek, if he murdered a man. sometimes mutilated 

 his victim in a peculiar way, known as /laaxa/A^/v. 

 or arm-pitting. The extremities of the hands 

 were cut off, strung together, and fastened under 

 the arm-pits of the corpse by a band or girdle 

 round the neck. There are two main theories as 

 to the purpose. According to the one, the pac- 

 xalt^etv was a part of the axboclucic. The cut-off 

 extremities were the a~apxv °f the victim, a sin- 

 offering to the infernal gods to expiate the mur- 

 der. According to the other, the mutilation of the 

 body w T as supposed to effect a corresponding mu- 

 tilation of the soul ; so that the shade, deprived of 

 its limbs, would be powerless to take vengeance 

 on the criminal. It is the latter view that the 

 writer advocates, formed on the basis of a close 

 examination of the loci classici, and next by a 

 long array of evidence from the history of culture. 



— An extract from a letter recently received at 

 the hydrographic office from the master of the 

 Russian bark Preciosa, at New Orleans, states, 

 that "on the 26th of January, at six a.m., the 

 vessel being in latitude 17° 04' north, longitude 

 69° 07' west, running with all sails set, steering- 

 west, speed ten knots, wind fresh, north-east, I 

 felt what I considered to be a strong earthshock. 

 It threw the vessel over a good deal, and at the 

 same time we shipped a heavy sea, although the 

 vessel was in ballast, and the water had been 

 smooth all the morning. It only lasted for a few 

 seconds, and, directly after, the wind went to the 

 south-east, and died away ; afterwards it was 

 nearly calm for the three following days." 



— We would call the attention of amateur 

 astronomers to a very convenient collection of 

 ephemerides, etc. , contained in the ' companion ' 

 to The observatory, for 1886. Positions for the 

 sun, moon, and major planets, are given at suit- 

 able epochs, with ephemerides for the satellites of 

 the planets, and in many cases for physical obser- 

 vations. There are also lists of double and varia- 

 ble stars, test objects, remarkable nebulae and 

 clusters, etc., all made easily accessible and in- 

 telligible. 



— The Transactions of the seismological society 



