318  TENACITY  OF  LIFE  OF  SEEDS  &  SPORES  OF  SOME  PLANTS. 
estimated  at  $1,000,000,  which  is  about  the  lowest  figure  at  which 
it  can  be  placed." — Boston  Med.  and  Surg.  Journal. 
Another  Explosion  at  San  Francisco. — As  we  go  to  press, 
news  arrives  of  another  fearful  explosion,  supposed  to  be  of  nitro- 
glycerine, on  April  16.  The  number  of  persons  killed  and  the 
amount  of  damage  done  appears  to  have  been  greater  than  in  any 
previous  casuality  of  the  kind.  We  may  here  state  that  a  bill  to 
regulate  the  storage  and  transport  of  nitro-glycerine  will  be  in- 
troduced into  the  House  of  Commons  immediately.  It  is  inten- 
ded to  put  nitro-glycerine  under  the  same  restrictions  as  fulmina- 
ting mercury  and  similar  compounds. —  Chem.  News,  June  1, 
1866. 
Reiidering  Nitro-  Glycerine  Non-Explosive. — It  appears  that 
practically  there  is  no  greater  difficulty  in  rendering  nitro-gly- 
cerine non-explosive  and  explosive  at  pleasure  than  there  is  in 
accomplishing  the  same  feat  with  gunpowder,  although  the  means 
employed  are,  of  course,  dissimilar.  The  recent  accidents  with  * 
the  new  explosive  agents  have  induced  Mr.  Nobel  to  turn  his  at- 
tention seriously  to  the  subject,  and  he  is  now  enabled  to  state 
that  by  mixing  the  nitro-glycerine  with  methylic  alcohol  (a  cheap 
spirit,  popularly  known  as  spirit  of  wood)  the  nitro-glycerine  is 
rendered  unexplosive,  either  by  percussion  or  heat.  When  re- 
quired for  use  water  is  added,  which  absorbs  the  spirit,  and  the 
oil  sinks  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  whence  it  is  drawn  by  a 
syphon,  and  its  explosive  nature  thereupon  found  to  be  restored. 
Experiments  for  testing  the  value  of  this  discovery  have  already 
been  made  in  America,  and  given  highly  satisfactory  results.  We 
look  upon  the  subject  as  one  of  the  greatest  importance  to  miners, 
and  shall  be  glad  if  the  new  discovery  enables  us  to  transport 
nitro-glycerine,  at  least  as  safely  as  blasting-powder,  while  we 
believe  it  has  already  been  proved  much  more  efficacious. — Chem. ' 
News,  June  8,  1866,  from  Mining  Journal. 
NOTE  ON  THE  TENACITY  OF  LIFE  OF  THE  SEEDS  AND 
SPORES  OF  SOME  PLANTS. 
By  Prof.  William  H.  Brewer. 
Edwards  and  Colin  (Annales  des  Sci.  Nat.,  [2],  Bot.  I,  257) 
made  experiments  on  the  power  of  resisting  elevated  or  de- 
