MOORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
AU@.  26 
VEGETABLE  LEATHEK. 
The  Eiiglitilj  Mccliaiiic  Hays Under  the  title 
of  “  Im proven ient8  in  Ibo  Manufacture  of  Vege¬ 
table  Leather, "  a  i)atent  baa  recently  boon 
obtained  in  Great  Britain  for  an  invention  which 
])roHii8eB  to  niilize  certain  waste  or  cheap  pro¬ 
ducts.  Fuens  of  several  species  and  Laminaria 
are  well-known  sea-weeds,  as  plentiful  on  the 
sea-coast  as  grass  in  (he  Helds,  and  waste  textile 
materials  of  vegetable  origin  are  still  in  sufticient 
abundance  to  find  profitable  employment  in  the 
manufacture  of  this  “  leather." 
Kboets  of  carded  wadding  arc  manufactured 
with  cotton  waste  or  cott<>n  itself,  according  to 
the  cpiality  required  te  be  firoduecd.  uniform  in 
thickness,  length,  and  width,  which  sheets  are 
placed  on  polished  zinc;  or  olhcir  metal  ])lates, 
then  the  wadding  is  coated  with  a  concentrated 
decoction  of  “  fneus  cris|)UK  "  or  pearl  moss,  or 
other  fucus  or  mucilaginous  lichen  (rock  nmss), 
or  any  other  similai'  mucilaginous  substance 
may  bo  employed.  The  metal  plates  require  (0 
bo  kept  liot,  in  order  te  allow  the  mucilaginous 
decoction  to  fienotrate  t  horoughly  into  the  llla- 
ments  of  the  cotton.  The  slioet  is  then  dried 
ciuickly,  tims  giving  to  the  surface  afqdiod  to  the 
metal  plate  a  glazed  or  polished  ap]jearanoo 
rosombling  the  gloss  of  ordinary  leather.  The 
sheet  thus  j)re|)ared  is  jjassod  between  two 
hoatod  cylinders  or  rollers  iierfectly  iioUslied, 
having  a  Sfiace  between  them  the  exact  tlhck- 
noss  required  te  be  given  to  the  sheet  te  be  pro¬ 
duced. 
Groat  pressure  is  recpihod  in  ord<U'  to  press 
and  felt  all  the  filaments  of  cotton  thoroughly 
together,  and  thereby  render  the  thickness  of 
the  sheet  uniform.  Tlio  sheet  is  then  coated 
with  boiled  linseed  oil.  and  dried  in  the  oiioii  air, 
or  by  means  of  artilicial  boat.  When  the  sheet 
is  dry  a  coating  of  thin  vegetubJe  wax  is  ajrplled, 
according  U)  tlie  ii.s«  to  \vhich  it  is  to  bo  adapted, 
and  the  shoot  is  sol't.en<al  by  passing  it  tiu’ough 
heated  tinted  rollers,  l)y  which  moans  it  is 
softened  in  a  uniform  maimer  ;  it  is  then  passed 
through  other  iiolislied  rollers,  according  to  the 
quality  of  the  leather  required,  either  jdain, 
morocco,  embossed,  glazed,  or  otherwise,  and  it 
is  then  bronzed,  silvered,  gilded,  or  varnished, 
and  Ihiished  in  lilie  manner  to  ordinary  leat.luu'. 
French,  vegetable,  or  similar  leather  thus  pre- 
jiared  is  waterproof,  and  easily  stamped.  Eliis- 
ticity  is  given  te  vegetable  leather  tliiis  produced 
by  ]ilaeiug  the  sheets  impregnated  with  the 
decoction  of  fiuius  or  other  mucilaginous  sub- 
Btanco  between  two  plates  perfectly  niljustcd, 
having  the  design  embossed  or  in  intaglio. 
Great  pressure  is  then  applied  to  the  ]ihites,  and 
the  dried  sheet  is  thou  passed  through  rollers, 
which,  by  lliittenmg  the  embossed  juris,  form  a 
smooth  sui  faeo,  which  is  then  treated  as  above 
stated,  and  becomes  elastic  jiftcr  the  oil  is  di’y. 
Pressure  may  be  also  successfully  ajipliod  before 
the  leather  is  imiireguated  with  siocalive  oil. 
The  materials  can  he  made  white  in  tlic  manner 
previously  de.sci’ihed,  by  selecting  very  white 
fucus,  and  by  bleaching  the  oil  te  he  used,  and 
vai’ious  colors  fi  om  the  lightest  to  the  darkest 
may  be  obtained.  If  the  leather  thus  produced 
is  requu-ed  te  bo  inodorous  it  is  only  nocessai'y 
to  wash  the  oil  in  a  weak  solution  of  chloride  of 
lime.  '• 
A  meihoil  of  preparing  vegetable  leatJier  of  ' 
this  ohai'aclcr  for  use  as  cheaj)  sole  leather  con-  ‘ 
sists  in  tliiekouiug  the  decoction  of  fucus  or  ■ 
mucilaginous  lichen  with  cotton  waste  or  dust  i 
luitil  it  heeomes  u  thick  juste.  The  juste  is  * 
then  run  into  molds  or  blocks,  and  is  pressed 
by  means  of  an  hydraulic  press,  in  order  te  form 
solid  blocks  of  any  suitable  thickuess.  which  are  ( 
then  dried  aud  cut  by  saws  or  otherwise  into  I 
plates  or  sheets  of  the  ordinary  thickness  of  sole  c 
leather.  These  plates  or  sheets  arc  then  soaked  i 
in  boiled  linseed  oil,  ami  when  <lry  are  jiressed  t 
again  between  polished  metal  plates.  ] 
Besidos  the  use  of  Colton  waste  and  dust,  all  a 
kinds  of  texiilo  materials  aud  their  waste,  a 
especially  cocoauul  lilier  waste  aud  dust,  may  be  r 
emjiloyed  in  the  mamifactm’e  of  vegetable  t 
leather  suitable  for  carjjcts  or  floorcloth  of  novel  4 
aud  superior  quality.  Tliis  new  or  imjiroved  b 
"French  vegetable  leatlier "  can  be  used  in  t 
jilace  of  natural  leather,  and  may  be  employed  a 
for  covering  tables,  chuirs,  sofas,  traveling-bags,  a 
for  the  lining  or  boilios  of  hats,  caskets,  carriages,  n 
harness,  military  equipments,  slippers,  book-  t 
biuding  and  various  other  piuqiosos.  h 
fore  not  in  harmony  with  science  to  say  that, 
because  carbonic  acid  gas  is  heavier  than  air, 
_  the  ventilators  should  be  at  the  bottom.  If 
“  there  be  any  real  advantages  in  having  them  at 
the  bottom,  I  believe  it  to  be  due  to  the  modify¬ 
ing  influences  wliioli  ourrouts  have  on  the  equal 
®  diffusion  of  the  gases,  they  being  unfavorable  to 
*■  It.  Some  importance  attaches,  therefore,  te  the 
jiosltion  of  the  ventilator  in  oi'der  to  secure  the 
most  healtliy  exchange  of  air. 
In  a  climate  like  ours,  the  seienec  of  ventila¬ 
tion  is  of  iiocessitj’,  associaUvl  with  the  subject 
of  artificial  heat.  The  old  idea  of  admitting  the 
'  imre  near  tlio  bottem  and  liaviiig  its  place  of  exit 
^  on  a  high  Jevol  has  been  abandoned.  In  this 
case,  the  air  eiiUTing  at  tlie  bottom  would  tend 
in  tlie  llrst  instance  to  ascend  on  account  of  its 
rarefaction  (i.  e.,  if,  as  wo  are  presuming,  the 
^  source  of  heat  be  a  hot  air  tul>e),  and  thus  es- 
^  tablish  a  slight  current  in  the  upwaid  direction. 
’  Tlio  air  apjiroaohlng  the  top  would  evidently  not 
'  have  been  equally  diffused  tliroughout  the 
ajiartmoiit,  and  (hiding  au  ajicrture  at  the  toji, 
'  would  at  once  csoiijic.  The  atmosphere  of  the 
>  lower  portion  of  the  room,  would  as  a  matter  of 
■  course,  be  colder  and  more  or  loss  stagnant. 
The  reverse  of  the  above  metliod  is  now  nni- 
vorsally  recognized  ns  being  tlio  most  practi- 
^  cable,  i.  e.  with  the  ventilators  at  the  bottom 
and  the  jilace  of  exit  for  the  aii’  being  on  a 
lower  level  than  the  jilaec  of  entnineo.  Here 
again,  allow  mo  to  say  the  reasons  for  having 
them  hero,  arc  not  hi  he  exjilainod  on  the  grounds 
intimated  in  your  juiragrajih  wliich  1  have 
quoted  above.  But  in  point  of  explanation  1 
would  adduce  the  following  :  'Jiic  air  entering 
tliii  ajmrtmcut  would  tend,  as  in  the  former 
case,  in  an  ujiward  direction,  but  tliere  being  110 
outlet  at  the  teji,  tho  current  entering  is  almost 
iinmoiliately  broken ;  it  now  obeys  the  law  of 
diffiiKiim  of  gases,  wanning  and  jmrifyiug  the 
almoHjiliere  of  the  ajiartmeut.  At  the  same 
time  (he  ivir  most  cliarged  with  carbonic  acid  gas 
and  other  jiroducte  of  insjnratlon,  is  escajung  at 
the  bottoiii,  HO  that,  owing  to  the  dni(  ts  or  cur¬ 
rents  of  the  ventilator,  the  most  vithitcd  air  was 
to  he  found  at  the  lowest  jKiiiit  of  the  room ;  the 
jiurest  next  above,  (due  te  t  he  entering  draught) 
roindilng  jierliajia  te  the  bight  of  about  3  foot 
above  the  level  of  the  floor,  wliile  tho  more 
equally  diffused,  and  on  tlie  whole,  healthiest 
air  of  (ho  iqinrtmcnt,  would  he  emdained  in  the 
area  aliove  this  jioiut. 
Wliere  recourse  must  ho  hiul  to  the  w  indows,  it 
is  desiralile  to  BociU’C  a  sudieieiitly  rapid  ex¬ 
change  of  air  with  as  little  draft  us  jiossi^.lc. 
The  liest  method  of  securing  this.  Is  by  openiug 
as  many  of  tho  window  sivshos  as  jiracliciililc  in 
a  room,  hut  only  relatively  as  much  as  it  would 
roijuiro  oue  to  be  raised  or  lowered. 
If  the  weather  is  cold,  or  oue  is  sensitive  to  a 
draft,  a  very  satisfactory  plan  is  te  take  a  hoard, 
equal  ill  length  te  tho  width  of  tlie  sash  and  an 
inch  nr  more  in  thickness,  jilaeing  it  iimiiediately 
bc'low  the  lower  sash,  to  prevent  It  lowering. 
This  brings  tlio  ilpjjcr  edge  of  tho  lower  sash 
almvo  tlie  lower  edge  of  tlie  upjier  sash,  thus 
leaving  an  ajierturc  through  which  air  rushes 
into  tho  room,  not  direetly,  howover,  hut  neces¬ 
sarily  in  an  upward  du’oetion.  No  draft  is  folt 
by  this  method,  and  yet  .an  abumlaiieo  of  fresh 
air  can  lie  thus  iuti'oduced. 
Rloe|>iiig  rooms  can  bo  very  satisfaeterily  vou- 
tJlated  by  the  last  mcutioiiod  mo<lo,  by  thus 
avoiding  the  jicruidous  rcHults  of  drafts.  Sleep- 
iug  chambers  should,  as  a  rule,  also  iiavc  a  teaii- 
Bom  over  tho  door  with  a  revolving  wiudow. 
Door-sills  arc  unfavorable  to  proper  vcutilation, 
and  should  therefore  bo  abandoned.  Fearing  I 
have  already  tresspassed  on  forhldden  ground, 
I'il  ih-op.  j.  ai.  A. 
Wien  we  oonsidor  that  a  healthy  man  liqxiils  in 
twenty-four  hours,  by  respiration,  720  cubic  feet 
of  atmospheric  air,  that  is,  a  mass  of  air  eleven 
feet  Rijuaro  and  six  feet  tliick  (idem  p.  2(18)  and 
that  resjiiratioTi  goes  on  within  a  foot  or  so  of 
the  floor,  our  correspondent  may  conclude  that 
bottom  ventilation  is  quite  “  in  harmony  with 
science  "  for  tho  very  reason  that  carbonic  acid 
is  heavier  than  air. — Eds.] 
PKOF.  LAW  ON  HOG  CHOLERA. 
SOMETHING 
VENTILATION. 
In  Edral  of  J uly  Ist,  I  notice  the  two  follow- 
.ing  sentouoes  : — ••  Carbonic  acid  gas  is  heavier 
than  atmosplieric  air.  In  ventilatiiig  oiu-  sleejj- 
iiiri  rooms  or  other  apartments,  the  ventilators 
should  therefore  bo  at  tho  bottom." 
It  is  now  a  well-established  law,  that  gases 
diffuse  equally  through  each  other  in  any  given 
space,  though  of  differcut  densities.  It  is  there- 
[It  is  true  that  when  gases  of  different  densi- 
(i»!B  are  mixed  that  they  do  not  tend  to  Bejiarato, 
foniiing  difforeut  layers— but  tho  "  velocity  of 
diffusiou  ”  is  vei-y  different,  the  law  being  that 
it  is  inversely  jiroiioiiioual  te  the  square  roots  of 
tho  hjicciflc  gravities  of  the  gases,  (sec  Drajier's 
Kauo,  J).  2117).  The  siiccific  gravity  of  carbonic 
acid  is  1,521,  aud  lienee  when  tlisengagoii, 
accumulates  in  all  cavities  within  its  reach  and 
may  cau.-io  fatal  accidents  to  animals  who  enter 
unadvisedly.  In  volcanic  countries  (idem  ji. 
48(5).  caverns  are  frequently  occupied  to  the 
level  of  their  surface  by  this  gas,  exhaled  from 
the  ground;  and  an  exjieriment  often  tried,  to 
amuse  the  traveler,  consists  in  walking  into  such 
a  cavern  with  a  dog,  which,  holding  the  head 
near  the  floor,  is  almost  instantly  aspluxiated  by 
tho  layer  of  oai’bouie  acid,  while  tho  men,  whose 
heads  ai’c  above  its  level,  breathe  pure  ah' ;  the 
dog,  on  being  thrown  inmiediately  into  a  neigh¬ 
boring  jiond  recovers  from  his  slujier. 
Tlio  high  specilio  gravity  of  this  gas  and  its 
slowness  of  diffusion,  are  well  shown  by  the 
familiar  experiment  of  jilatung  a  lighted  taper  at 
the  holtqm  of  a  jar  containing  ah',  aud  Biking  in 
the  hand  another  jaa’  containing  caibouic  acid. 
On  inclining  this  jar,  the  heav3'  gas  pours  over 
tho  edge,  nearly  as  water  would  do,  into  that  in 
which  the  taper  is  placed  and,  falling  to  the  bot¬ 
tom,  extinguishes  it. 
I  I’kof.  Law  of  Cornell  Universit.v,  in  comment- 
I  I  hig  on  one  of  the  many  “  sure  cures”  for  hog 
•  cholera,  says ; 
When  tried  in  a  suflicient  number  of  cases,  aud 
extending  over  a  scries  of  years,  all  these  hoaat- 
ed  fljiociflcB  have  hilliorto  broken  down.  Exam- 
jilos,  which  might  be  very  greatly  extended,  im- 
jily  that  a  sound  mixed  diet  is  of  great  impor- 
tauee  in  maintaining  a  liealtby  activity  of  the 
various  organic  functions  and  a  vigor  to  a  large 
extemt  antagonistic  to  this  and  other  diseases, 
and  tliat  a  somowliat  similar  immunity  may  be 
secured  by  the  use  of  tonics,  autiscojiticH  and 
gently  silmulatiiig  agents.  But  if  wo  rest  om- 
faith  ujioii  any  or  all  of  these  as  sure  cures  or 
jireveutives,  we  shall  only  pavo  tho  way  for  dis- 
ajijiointmeMt  whenever  tho  disease  takes  on  an 
unusually  mallgnaiil  tjqie.  Thus,  iu  spite  of  tho 
protefCtive  jxiwcrof  a  jiartially  milk  diet,  as  above 
mciitionod,  how  often  does  tho  diHoaso  prevail 
most  disasti’ously  hi  the  herds  of  cUeo.se  aud  but¬ 
ter  factories,  and,  iiotwitlistaiiding  tho  good  of- 
feete  of  an  occasional  umal  of  flesh,  wo  find  tho 
most  exteusivo  losses  among  pigs  that  are  largely 
carnivorous  (flosh-eatiug)  in  tlmlr  habits. 
Keep  your  hogs  clean  is  good  advice.  Protect 
tliem  from  the  hot,  reiddng  bed  of  mauuro  and 
close  slcojung  place,  where  the  emanatious  from 
deeoiiiiiosing  dung,  urine,  straw  and  othor  or¬ 
ganic  matter  are  added  te  those  of  their  own 
skins  aud  lungs  when  hiidilled  tegellier  in  great 
mmibers.  See  that  both  food  and  water  are 
clean — liiat  is,  free  from  disease  germs  and  from 
tlie  microscojiic  particles  of  deeoiiipusiug  or¬ 
ganic  matter,  which,  within  tlie  systeni  as  well 
as  oiiteide  of  it,  furnish  ajjjiropriate  food  for  the 
diseasii,  jioisou,  aud  favor  its  increase,  wliile  tliey 
dojii’ess  the  vital  pow’ers  and  lessen  the  chances 
of  the  virus  beiug  tlu-own  off.  No  less  imjiortaut 
is  the  jmrity  of  the  air,  since  tho  delicate  mem¬ 
brane  of  the  lungs,  perhaps  more  tlian  any 
other,  furnishes  an  easy  mode  of  enteauce  for 
any  injurious  extenial  matter.  Finally,  pm'ity 
of  tho  blood  can  only  be  niaintuined  by  a  healthy 
fnuctional  activity  of  all  tho  vital  organs,  which 
insures  tho  jierfect  elaboration  of  every  plastic 
constitueut  of  the  blood  and  tho  exca'otion  of  all 
waste  matters  that  have  atecady  served  their 
jnirposc  in  tho  system. 
By  iKirfcct  cleanliness  the  poison,  oven  if  gen¬ 
erated  or  iuti'CKiuced,  will  ho  virtually  stai'ved 
out  as  Hiu'ely  as  an  army  iu  a  closely-besieged 
fortress.  But  it  will  he  observed  that  this  ini- 
jiUes  tho  separiition  of  soimd  from  diseased  ani¬ 
mals  aud  the  free  use  of  disinfcctautB  (Holutious 
of  suljihate  of  iron  ami  cliloridc  of  lime,  fumes 
of  biu-uiiig  suljihur,  etc.)  to  purify  the  air  and 
other  surrounding  olgects,  as  well  as  tho  simple 
clearing  away  of  lilth.  And  it  is  hero  tlial  jjurk 
raisers  are  most  frequently  at  fault.  Fifty  or  a 
huuch’ed  pigs  are  allowed  to  ci'owd  together  in  a 
filthy  manure  heaji,  a  rotten  straw  stack,  or  uii- 
dor  a  barn  subjecteal  te  the  di'ojipiiigs  of  other 
animals,  as  well  as  their  own  products.  Theh' 
feeding  troughs  and  drinking  water  we  so  suji- 
plicd  that  tliey  can  got  into  them  with  their 
lilthy  feet,  and  they  must  devour  tho  most  ob¬ 
noxious  inatter  or  starve.  If  under  this  abuse 
disease  is  developed,  the  healthy  are  left  with 
the  sick,  as  "they  will  all  have  it  auy  way,”  and 
tho  result  is  usually  a  cloaii  sweep. 
Wheu  hog  cholera  exists,  tho  sick  should  be 
jilaeod  by  theiiiseKes  under  a  sjiecial  attendant 
and  imdor  tho  free  use  of  disiufectants ;  the 
liealthy  should  bo  carefully  watched,  aud  on  the 
lli-st  sign  of  illness,  as  increased  temperature,  to 
bo  ascertained  by  tho  introduction  of  a  clinical 
thei  momuter  into  tho  rectum,  they  should  be  at 
once  taken  from  the  herd  and  carefully  secluded. 
This,  with  active  di.siiifectiou,  will  enable  tho 
owner  to  cut  short  au  outbreak  and  save,  jier- 
haps,  the  great  majority  of  au  already  infected 
herd. 
lar  destructive  insects,  could,  in  part,  at  least,  be 
-saved  by  the  dissemination  of  a  knowledge  of 
their  habit*  and  the  enforcement  of  laws  for 
their  suppression.  Now,  what  is  true  of  insect 
enemies  is  also  true  of  epidemic  diseases,  which, 
in  the  main,  are  caused  by  parasites  belonging  to 
the  animal  or  vegetable  kingdom,  hence  we 
heartily  agree  with  (he  National  Live  Stock 
Journal  iu  whiit  it  says  in  regard  te  the  duty  of 
tlie  Government  in  such  eases. 
We  cannot  urge  bto  strongly  the  Importauce  of 
scientific  investigatiou  into  the  nature  of  the 
various  obscure  diseases  in  swine,  which  have 
for  several  years  past  created  such  havoc  in  the 
pons  of  Tfestern  hreodors  and  feeders.  The  loss 
which  has  been  from  this  cause  entailed  upon 
the  West,  is  almost  incredible.  A  jirominont 
banker  in  one  of  tlm  richest  counties  of  Iowa 
recently  informed  us  Uiat  he  had  suflicient  data 
to  satisfy  him  (hat  more  than  one-third  of  the 
hog  crop  of  his  county,  last  year,  was  lost  by  tho 
ravages  of  hog  cholera,  ami  he  jilaced  the  cash 
value  of  the  projierty  thus  lost  at  not  less  than 
Jjil 00,000.  When  it  is  remembertsl  that  this  is  an 
estimate  made  by  a  jirudont.  cart;fiil  man,  accus¬ 
tomed  to  weighing  facta  and  figures  carefully, 
and  who  was  never  knowm  to  lot  his  imaginatiou 
get  the  better  of  his  judgment,  and  that  his  es¬ 
timate  is  for  a  single  county  alone,  some  idea  of 
the  extent  of  tho  datnages  inflicted  by  this  dis¬ 
ease — if  it  lie  a  single  disease — may  be  foi-med. 
It  ajipears  te  us  that  tho  duty  of  the  general 
government,  of  our  State  agricultural  societies, 
and  of  agricultural  colleges  in  the  jiremises,  is 
imjierative.  If  our  Agricultm-al  Bureau  at  Wash¬ 
ington  would  undertake  tho  work  of  making  a 
thorough  scientific  investigation  into  tho  nature 
aud  causes  of  these  various  obscure  aud  ojiidemic 
diseases  in  swine,  instead  of  wasting  the  apjiro- 
jiriations  lavished  iijion  it  in  distribution  of  the 
commonest  sort  of  conmion  seeds  te  (lie  seisliest 
sort  of  seedy  Cougressnum,  and  wlio  have  no 
higher  interests  to  subserve  than  tho  securing  of 
theii'  own  re-election  by  these  cheaji  favors,  some 
substantial  good  might  rcsalt. 
HciontiJlc  inquiry,  extensively  apjilied,  aud  per- 
scveringly  followed,  ui  various  parts  of  the 
countrj’,  may  reasonably  be  tixjicctod  to  remilt  iu 
wresting  from  iiatnro  the  socrot  causoH  of  this 
terrible  scourge :  and  these  once  discovered,  tho 
rcmeily  will  be  fortlicoming.  It  is  a  crying 
sliame  ujjon  our  boasted  euterjiriso  and  intelli- 
geiice  that  not  one  dollar  has  bee/i  uxjjended  by 
our  general  or  State  governments,  nor  by  our 
State  Agricultural  fSocielies  or  colleges,  in  tho 
investigation  of  this  subject.  Hearn  ujion  I'cam 
of  jiajier  lias  been  wasted  iu  jmhlishing  accounts 
of  the  ravages  of  this  disease ;  but  tho  efforts 
thus  far  put  fortli  to  ascert  ain  its  nature,  or  ar¬ 
rest  its  jirogross,  have  been  about  uj»on  a  par 
witli  the  injunction  of  the  amdent  Homan  who 
Called  upon  tho  jieojilo  to  "  run  to  your  houses, 
fall  upon  your  knees,  jiray  te  tlio  gods  te  inter¬ 
mit  the  plague!" 
We  have  had  full  enougli  of  this,  and  insist 
that  (t  is  time  our  National  Bureau  of  Agricul¬ 
ture  should  do  something  te  redeem  itself  from 
the  contempt  iu  which  it  is  held  by  all  Lutelligent 
agricujtuiLsts.  Lot  a  comniinsion  of  men  distin¬ 
guished  for  tlieir  sciculiflc  and  practical  knowl¬ 
edge,  be  appointed  te  investigate  this  subject 
thoroughly.  Let  them  go  into  the  regions  of  tlie 
countiy  where  these  diseases  aie  jirovailing,  aud 
subject  all  tho  couditious  of  climate,  food,  water, 
soil,  confinement,  breeding,  etc.,  to  the  most 
rigid  investigation. 
EPIDEMIC  IN  SWINE. 
Time  and  again  we  have  urged  that  the  Na¬ 
tional  Legislature  should  assist  iu  suppressing 
noxious  insects,  which  were  likely  to  overrun  the 
whole  country,  or  an  extended  region  thereof  ; 
but  we  are  compelled  te  admit  that  few  of  our 
contemporaries  joined  us  in  m'giiig  the  import¬ 
ance  of  such  a  measure. 
The  millions  of  dollars  annually  lost  by  the 
depredations  of  potato  beetles,  cotton  worms, 
cabbage  worms  and  bugs,  and  many  other  simi¬ 
CAMPHOR  TREE. 
Db.  Paul  Maisonneuve  has  published  an  ex¬ 
haustive  history  of  Dryobalanojis  aiomatica,  the 
Oanqihor  Tree  of  Borneo.  It  einbotlies  a  brief 
summary  of  vrliat  has  been  written  by  various 
authors  relating  to  tliis  tree  and  its  products, 
aud  tho  result  of  Dr,  Maisomieuvo’s  re.searches 
to  ascertain  where  and  how  tlio  camjihor  is 
formed.  There  are  two  products,  the  oil  of  oam- 
jihor  and  tlie  solid  or  erj'stallized  camphor. 
Tlie  fonner  is  found  in  quite  young  trees,  but 
the  latter  only  in  trees  of  a  considerable  ago,  and 
only  in  the  oentral  port  or  ,pith.  Tho  main 
facts  observed  in  all  the  series  of  examinations 
of  difleieut  parts  of  tlie  plants,  says  the  Garden¬ 
ers’  Ohroniclc,  aro  these  :  —l.  All  the  young 
jiarts  abound  in  a  reddish  j  alee,  which  disajqxiarH 
almost  completely  by  the  time  these  parts  ai'o 
thi'oe  years  old ;  aud,  -2,  numerous  cavities 
fouud  111  all  Jiarts  of  the  plant.  These  cavities 
increase  in  number,  and  afterwaids  in  size,  by 
fusion,  eventually  becoming  a  vast  system  of 
channels,  furming  a  comiuunieatiou  betweeu  tho 
most  distant  parts  of  the  ti'ce  and  the  center  of 
its  truuk.  The  medullary  rays,  too.  always  eon- 
taiii  a  colored  juiee.  b'roui  those  facts  Dr. 
Maisouuenvo  thmks  we  may  draw  two  legitimate 
conclusions.  First,  Uiat  the  oil  of  camphor  is 
formed,  and  remains  us  such  in  all  the  young 
parts  ;  and,  secoud.  that  arrived  at  the  center  of 
the  stem  it  absorbs  tivo  extra  equivalents  of 
water,  and  is  thou,  jiartially  at  least,  deposited 
in  crystals,  foiming  tho  true  Boruoau  camphor, 
the  chemical  comjiusitiun  of  which  Is,  according 
to  Pelouze,  C  20,  H  18,  O  2. 
e _ 
