April 2, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



307 



which may contain further refutations. Madame 

 Blavatsky herself appends to the pamphlet a brief 

 and indignant denial of the grave charges which 

 have been made against her. 



— The success of the U. S. fish commission has 

 caused complaints in England of the negligence 

 of that government in matters pertaining to 

 the fishing interests. The Athenaeum states that 

 at the present moment there is not in the three 

 kingdoms one scientific naturalist employed by 

 the government to whom it has the right to apply 

 for information on fishery questions. It is now 

 said to be the intention of the government, how- 

 ever, to forma new fisheries board or commission. 



— Caustic lime, ground fine, and consolidated 

 by a pressure of forty tons into cartridges two 

 inches and a half in diameter, is used in some col- 

 lieries for getting coal, where gunpowder would 

 be dangerous. After the holes are drilled in the 

 face of the coal, an iron tube half an inch in 

 diameter, with a small groove externally on the 

 upper side, and several perforations, is inserted 

 the whole length of the hole. The cartridges, 

 which have a groove to fit the tube, are then in- 

 serted and lightly rammed, and the hole tamped. 

 A small force-pump injects through the tube a 

 quantity of water equal hi bulk to the lime. The 

 water escapes through the perforations and along 

 the groove, saturating the whole, and driving out 

 the air. The tube is then closed by a tap to pre- 

 vent the escape of the steam, which, by its force, 

 cracks the coal away from the roof, and then fol- 

 lows the expansion of the lime. 



— A system of irrigation is on trial in Colorado, 

 in which the water is conducted through pipes, 

 laid a little below the surface several feet apart, 

 and having small holes at intervals on the upper 

 side to permit of the escape of the water, which 

 percolates through and thoroughly moistens the 

 soil. The advantages are claimed, that the sur- 

 face of the soil is not chilled by flooding, and that 

 the ground is not subsequently baked by the hot 

 sun. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



Correspondents are requested to be as brief as possible. The 

 writer's name is in all cases required as proof of good faith. 



Phylloxera. 



What evidence have we on the following points in 

 regard to phylloxera ? — 



First, was it well known as a pest in this country 

 before its introduction abroad ? 



Second, when and how did it reach Europe ? 



Third, why is it more injurious in Europe than in 

 its native habitat ? and 



Fourth, is there any reason to suppose that the 

 pest will be mitigated by natural causes as time goes 

 on ? A. M. D. 



New York. March 29. 



Certain questions relating; to national endow- 

 ment of research in this country, and their 

 importance. 



I have read with interest Dr. Shufeldt's arguments 

 in Science, favoring endowment of research, and the 

 recognition on the part of the government " of those 

 persons in her employ who have from time to time 

 demonstrated their fitness to perform certain work," 

 but I would like to ask the talented author why he 

 would restrict this recognition to those in the govern- 

 ment's employ, or why, indeed, there should be any 

 distinction made between such men and other able 

 men in civil life. The physician who finds that he is 

 far better qualified for some other pursuit than that 

 of medicine gives up his profession, and accepts a 

 position where his talents can be better applied. Is 

 not the same resource left for army officers ? Dr. 

 Shufeldt will hardly claim a monopoly of talent in 

 government employ ; then why are not the many 

 struggling students of science in civil life who have 

 shown evidence of their fitness to perform certain 

 work equally entitled to recognition ? By all means, 

 if such a scheme is feasible, endow or assist original 

 research, but put all citizens absolutely on the same 

 level. While one may sympathize with the talented 

 officers who are compelled to undergo wearisome 

 drudgery not akin to their tastes or inclination, it 

 cannot be forgotten that there are many other 

 equally talented scientific men who have to struggle 

 without even the assurance of a comfortable salary. 

 Endow research, but let the endowment be impartial. 



W. S. N. 



New Haven, Conn., March 27. 



The anachronisms of pictures. 



Supplementing your recent publications touching 

 the above-named subject, an example interesting to 

 geographical botanists may be recorded among the 

 existing curiosities of the national capitol. 



The senate committee in charge of the fine arts 

 has secured a picture representing a well-known 

 incident in the life of Columbus, that occurred in old 

 Spain anterior to the discoverer's first trans- Atlantic 

 voyage. This picture is hung at the head of the 

 marble stairway near the seats reserved in the 

 senate hall for the ambassadors of foreign powers. 

 It proclaims to the world that the plaut (the Opun- 

 tia [cactus of Linneus] ficus indica, or prickly pear) 

 which has figured in Mexican patriotic symbolism 

 from time out of mind, and which holds the most 

 prominent place in the oldest of Aztec legends, — the 

 plant which Mexico regenerate has chosen as an em- 

 blem sanctified by association and antiquity, and has 

 placed upon her banner and her dollar, — this sena- 

 torial picture proclaims that this cactus, so dear to 

 the patriotic Mexican heart, is not originally Mexi- 

 can, but that it was a possession of the usurper, and 

 in pre-Columbian times grew by the dusty wayside 

 in old Spain. That it had not reached Europe at the 

 date of the incident represented in the picture, there 

 can be no doubt. 



I would refer the student to Alfonse de Candolle's 

 work, 1 Origin of cultivated plants ' (Appleton, 1885), 

 p. 275. Speaking of the Opuntia ficus indica, the 

 eminent botanist says, "It was one of the first plants 

 which the Spaniards introduced into the old world, 

 both into Europe and Asia. Its singular appearance 

 was the more striking that no other species belonging 



