Volume 28 (1874) (430 pages)

February 28, 1874.] MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS. 137 Fisn Culture. Within the paat few years cousiderable attention has been paid to the cnlture of fish; and to the ersdit of California, be it said, that a number of pereoua are now engaged Iu raising tront and other fish in this Stste. The efforte of the Callfornia Acclimatizing Socioty in this direction are much to he commended, since they have not only set a good example, but have attained sxcellent practical results, and have been enabled to furnieh sgys for hatching toindividuals. There are thousands of places in California where trout could be raised with yory llttle troable, if a few dollars and a little labor were expended in fittiag up poads, eto. In thie connection it may be remarked, that it is rather surprising that the fnoilities for raising tish in many places are ao entirely disregarded. Many farmers who live on becon and beans, and occasionally a little freeh meat, aro, from their distance from tbe eeubourd, deaied tho nse of fresh fish—a good and wholesome food. By the oxpenditure of a small amouut of money and a little tims, they conld have au abundant supply of trout on their tables. The writer reinembers, on the occasion of an sxtended horseback trip, ae far eonth as Santa Barbara from this city, aor ne at a sheep ranch, on the borders of San Luis Obisbo and! Santa Barbara oonnties, where there was a fine stream of water within thirty yards of the honse. He asked the prone on tho ranch whether thero wore any fish there. One man, who had lived thero for two years, remembered bottom. The ends are 5 inohee high. The water ie made to flow in under the npper end and ont over the lower ond, as the arrowe indicate. By thie mesns all the eggs are thoronghly covered by constantly changing water, and less sediment ie deposited on the eggs. The end of each box near the head of the trough ie made higher than the lower end to cause the water to fiow in the manner indicated. The trongh is 16 feet long, 8 inches deep, and 18 inches wide. Tho longitudinal section is made on a seale of 14 inch to the foot. Seth Green, the groat fisb oulturist, nsed a trough somewhat elmilar, but he led the water in aud out of each box by means ofa pipe which cansed o steady flow only near the mouth of the pipe. In Mr. Williamson’s box the flow is equal on all parts, and the eggs have ploaty of freeb water. The npper current rons up throngh all tbe eggs; and the eggs being on top the sediment does not collect on them, There being so ninch more enrfaco to place eggs in the same relative epace, -coneiderable room is eaved in the hatohing honse. The California Acclimatizing Society are beginning to nse these boxes at their hatching house at Poiut Pedro, in Sau Mateo Connty. The device is not patented. The University of California. Ou Washington’s Birthday the Regents of the University and invited guests made a visit to the State University at Berkeley and inspected the gronnds and buildings. Lanch wae served, and epeeches were made by severa Agricultural Chemistry. Whst is agricultural chemistry, and what is its practical use ? Theso are questions naturally suggested to the miuds of thoughtful men, and froqueutly uttered. To describe the nature of agrionltural chomistry with any degree of accuracy wonld necessitate writing a book which should Include all of its salient points, a course which wonld appear hardly necussary, in view of the mass of printed matter already issned npon the subjcct. Itis certuinly true that we havo had altogether too much of the vague, nnsatisfuctory, seneational kind of talk which is provaleut. Agricultural chotuistry is made a quasi figurehead hy many writers, who confound verbiage with eloquonce, and rantiug with progressiveness. And itis noticeable that those who are londest in praise of what is oalled scientifio farming, are usually those who least appreoiate the meaning of the term. While we admit the impossibility of giving a comprehonsive description, it may he well to consider hriely the more prominent featores of the scieuoe. Agricultoral chemistry ie one of the very youngest of tbe soiences, Theoretical or abstract chemistry is comparatively new, a8 itis now understood, and is making such rapid stridee forward that the text books of one year must be discarded the next, if one would keep up with the steady march. Some thirty or forty years ago, only, the distinction was accepted between theoretical and technical chemistry, The letter expreesion was intended to cover all cases where the general acience a single instanoe, to show that science here is truly practical, Not many yeare ago, observere engaged in {he geological surveys of the different States, noticed that all along the Atlantic seaboard, from New Jersey to Florida, there existed a great belt of phosphatic deposits. These were petrified. silicified and fossil remaias of vast beds of bones and shells, of animals extiuct and now existiug; the deposits were oertainly very ourious and interesting to ecientific men, but of no particular nse, that auy one could eee. Tho fossils wore entirely distinct froai marl, which is phosphatic remaius partially decomposed and incllow, and which hsd previously bsen ars with gocd results to exbausted lands, ut the raw, stouy looking maases of sharks’ teeth, whales’ vertebrm, molluscs’ shells, what wore they good for, except to be put away in geologioal cabinets? And a small portiou would fill all the musenms of the world. It was owing to the rocommendation of tbe State Geologist of New Jersey, Professor Cook, that a fair trial of the unpromising material was made. Without tho euggoetioa the treesure might have been spurned by the feet of men for centuries. And now for the result. The lands of older Statee when first settled were in a virgin condition, and yielded to the hardy immierants wonderful returns, of which we have traditions. After centuries of oonstunt oroppiag, these fields, just as rich originally as the black prairie loem of the Mississippi Valley or the wheat lands of our own Oalifornia, beoeme wora out, and conld prodnce only a titbe of their pristiae crops. The particnlar substance most needed and most wanting, wag a soluble ge . ie fill i Ith Ith having seen a fish canght in tbe brnsh dam dnring a fresbet in the winter, but nobody had ever tried to catch anyotbers. Tbesemen lived entirely on sheep meat, hread and onions, with ocoasionally potatoes. Beef, perhaps, once a month, as they were tbirty-five or forty miles from a hutcber ehop. Being supplied with tackle bronght from the city, on the evening of his arrival, the writer went down to the creek; and, before making a cast, saw several fine salmon trontinthe pond, It took but a few mo. ments to land a fine mess—enough for the whole party—two of them weighing nearly tbree onnds. With this delicions food cloee at and, tbe rancheros had lived on mutton from one year'e end to the other, without teking the tronble to even see whether the creek contained any fish or not, This, perhaps, is an ieolated case, but facilities equally as good, are neglected in other localities. After once etarting ponds, they are of little tronble, and prodnce an abundant retnrn for thetime and money expended. To those persons engaged in fish cnlture on a large scesle, an improvement in batohing boxes, recently perfected by Mr. John Williamson, Seoretary of the California Acclimatizing Society, will he of interest. We give an engraving of thie box which possesses eome peculiar features. Mr, Williamson oalle it the Lmproved double rifile hatohing box. Ite epeciai featuree can easily be eeen by reference to tbe cuts. The upper fignre shows a trough with light batching hoxes, and the lower figure is a section of the box, one-qnarter of full eize, The nsual way of arranging these hatching boxes, is to plsce the egge on the bottom and allow the water to flow over them, A box the eame eize ae the one represented, will then hold 20,000 eggs. Mr. Williamson puts in the box, five trays, 1944 inches long and 18 inches wide with a frame % of an inch thick and one inch wide, with a wire bottom, having eight sqnares to the inch, By this means he has space to hatch 120,000 eges, where he only hed before, in the same hox, space to hatch 20,000 eggs. This ie of great importsnce in hatching honsee where room is desirable. The hatching hox holding the trays, is made of 44 inch ends, andone inch . LA NEA CURRANT ARR IMPROVED DOUBLE RIFFLE HATCHING BOX. gentlemen, after which the gnests went over the buildinge and gronnds while the Regente and tbe Joint Legislative Committee held a conference with respect to the affairs of the University. The committee consists of Senetors Leine, Keye and Evans and Assemblymen Ammermen, Canfield, Turner, Friedenrich end Myere. They have reqnested full written informstion from the officere of the University on the following pointe in conformance with the resolution of the Legislature: Firet—What instruction has been given in agriculture and the mechanic arts, in the Univereity of California; whether the eame bas been defeotive or not, and, if defective, wherein euch defects consiet, and whst is the cause, as well as the remedy for such defect. Second— What hae been the management by the Regents ofthe University of California of the 150,000 acres of agricultural lande donated by the Congrese of the United States tothe State of California, and by the State to the University; whether the eame has been defective or not, and, if defective, wherein such defect bas con. sisted, and what is the caase, as well as the remedy, for such defect, Third—Whether or not the Regents have properly administered the funds of the University whioh bave been intrusted to them, andif not, in what narticnlars. Fourth—Also npon any other matters relating to the University upon whicb, in the opinion of the Committee, information may be of nse to the Legislature or the pnblio. The Committee bave made an examination of the buildings and have expressed their determination to look thoroughly into the snbjects referred to above, By this means the publio ought to be able to know all about the Univereity and ite management, a subject in which they are just now much interested. The farming commnnity in pirticular are anxione to learn what facilities are to be afforded to learn the scienoe of agriculture and what stepe are to he taken to give the etudents instrnction in its practical departments. As etated in a formed issne, thie hitberto apparently neglected Department of the University sbould be placed on its proper footing. Its importauce should give it all the epecial legielation necessary to secure this result. is applied to common things. But as the field broadened and evennes opened out, astill more minnte enbdivision became necessary. One of the new branchee was tormed agricultural chemistry, and its real founder and ohief exemplar was Baron Liebig. In his studies on the neture and composition of orgenic bodies, he became interested in tbe influence of soil upon growth, in a chemical sense, and wes led to trace roughly, at first, their minute relations. It wae found that the coustitnents of vegetable componnds veried muck moro widely thau had been enpposed, The proportione of water, fibrin, glutea, alkaline ealts, phosphates, etc., were discovered to he entirely different in varions plants, and sometimes iu the same plaut when snbjected todissimilarconditions. ‘Thus the reaeon why certain plauts grew beet on certain eoils became evident on comparing the analyses of each. True, there are other influences besides ohemical combination, which must be considered, euch as the capability of retaining moisture and heat, or the contrary, . which may be called the mechanical agencies. But, other things heing equal, a given plant would require a eoil made up of peculiar elements, existing within a fixed limit of qnautity; and after long experience it was found practicable for a ecientist, who might be reslly ignorant of actnsl] farming, to prononnce judgment upon soile eubmitted to him for examination, If the scienoe had stopped here, its benefits would have been lurge and apparent. But the next great step was the successful attempt to reproduce good land in poor, by substituting one element for another, by adding or neutralizing, until the composition of a normal soil for the growth of any plent should be approximated. Tbis ie done by using fertilizers. These fertilizers are either direct in their action, that is, they enter immedistely into the g:owth of the plant, or they are indirect aids, being employed to counteract or remove injurious elements. Thus many new fertilizere have heen added 1o the list; and many artificial onee, whicb are now in common use, were invented. Well, the reader may ask, wouldn’t we use manures witbout agricultural ‘Much, And to prove the assertion we will cite chemistry; whst hasit to do with the qnestion?) alkaline phosphate, And this is just what can be taken from the bone fossils, So to-day, especially in South Carolina, the whole region within the great belt is being systematically mined for the valuable matter. Cropping out at the surface in spots, and lying beneath the surface only a few feet, in most pleces, the extraction is simple enough. Trenches are dug, and as soon aa cleared are moved sideways, the fresh refuse beiug thrown into the useless hole, Movable wooden railways connect the diggings with centrel depots, where, by ingenions macbines and processee, the raw material is sorted and prepared for market. Eveu along tbe shores of the famed Sea-ieland cotton etrips, and in the heds of rivers, the searoh aud extraction is constantly going on. Thus far the applioation of this new fertilizer to the old lands has proved highly beneficial, and without it, or some equivalent eubstitute, many farms would now be cousidered worthless. We have given hnt a single example; the choice ie almost nnlimited. Rarn.—The rainfall in thie State tbus fsr this eeason has been very large, Even in San Diego county, where tbe' average rainfall is very emall, they have already had tbe almoet unprecedented quantity of 144% inchee. Senta Barbsra hae had 13.11 inobee this season and the total fall of last year was only 10.45. In this city the Signal Service office reports the rainfall at 18.97 inches, and Mr, Tennent reports it at 20.25. Over in Contra Costa they have had about 1534 inches. San José has had about half as much ae we have bad in this city. Monterey and Senta Cruz counties have had about as mnch ae San Francisco. The average rainfall of 22 seasons hae been, as meeeured at Sacramento, 28.5 inches. Guinzs’ SuaTE-ROOFING, PAINT AND CEMENT.— Every person designing nsing tbie paint, or wishing further information about it, shonld see the advertisement in the Press. One hundred and twenty-five packages are now on the way to this coast; so we are informed by the patentees,

February 28, 1874.] MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS. 137 Fisn Culture. Within the paat few years cousiderable attention has been paid to the cnlture of fish; and to the ersdit of California, be it said, that a number of pereoua are now engaged Iu raising tront and other fish in this Stste. The efforte of the Callfornia Acclimatizing Socioty in this direction are much to he commended, since they have not only set a good example, but have attained sxcellent practical results, and have been enabled to furnieh sgys for hatching toindividuals. There are thousands of places in California where trout could be raised with yory llttle troable, if a few dollars and a little labor were expended in fittiag up poads, eto. In thie connection it may be remarked, that it is rather surprising that the fnoilities for raising tish in many places are ao entirely disregarded. Many farmers who live on becon and beans, and occasionally a little freeh meat, aro, from their distance from tbe eeubourd, deaied tho nse of fresh fish—a good and wholesome food. By the oxpenditure of a small amouut of money and a little tims, they conld have au abundant supply of trout on their tables. The writer reinembers, on the occasion of an sxtended horseback trip, ae far eonth as Santa Barbara from this city, aor ne at a sheep ranch, on the borders of San Luis Obisbo and! Santa Barbara oonnties, where there was a fine stream of water within thirty yards of the honse. He asked the prone on tho ranch whether thero wore any fish there. One man, who had lived thero for two years, remembered bottom. The ends are 5 inohee high. The water ie made to flow in under the npper end and ont over the lower ond, as the arrowe indicate. By thie mesns all the eggs are thoronghly covered by constantly changing water, and less sediment ie deposited on the eggs. The end of each box near the head of the trough ie made higher than the lower end to cause the water to fiow in the manner indicated. The trongh is 16 feet long, 8 inches deep, and 18 inches wide. Tho longitudinal section is made on a seale of 14 inch to the foot. Seth Green, the groat fisb oulturist, nsed a trough somewhat elmilar, but he led the water in aud out of each box by means ofa pipe which cansed o steady flow only near the mouth of the pipe. In Mr. Williamson’s box the flow is equal on all parts, and the eggs have ploaty of freeb water. The npper current rons up throngh all tbe eggs; and the eggs being on top the sediment does not collect on them, There being so ninch more enrfaco to place eggs in the same relative epace, -coneiderable room is eaved in the hatohing honse. The California Acclimatizing Society are beginning to nse these boxes at their hatching house at Poiut Pedro, in Sau Mateo Connty. The device is not patented. The University of California. Ou Washington’s Birthday the Regents of the University and invited guests made a visit to the State University at Berkeley and inspected the gronnds and buildings. Lanch wae served, and epeeches were made by severa Agricultural Chemistry. Whst is agricultural chemistry, and what is its practical use ? Theso are questions naturally suggested to the miuds of thoughtful men, and froqueutly uttered. To describe the nature of agrionltural chomistry with any degree of accuracy wonld necessitate writing a book which should Include all of its salient points, a course which wonld appear hardly necussary, in view of the mass of printed matter already issned npon the subjcct. Itis certuinly true that we havo had altogether too much of the vague, nnsatisfuctory, seneational kind of talk which is provaleut. Agricultural chotuistry is made a quasi figurehead hy many writers, who confound verbiage with eloquonce, and rantiug with progressiveness. And itis noticeable that those who are londest in praise of what is oalled scientifio farming, are usually those who least appreoiate the meaning of the term. While we admit the impossibility of giving a comprehonsive description, it may he well to consider hriely the more prominent featores of the scieuoe. Agricultoral chemistry ie one of the very youngest of tbe soiences, Theoretical or abstract chemistry is comparatively new, a8 itis now understood, and is making such rapid stridee forward that the text books of one year must be discarded the next, if one would keep up with the steady march. Some thirty or forty years ago, only, the distinction was accepted between theoretical and technical chemistry, The letter expreesion was intended to cover all cases where the general acience a single instanoe, to show that science here is truly practical, Not many yeare ago, observere engaged in {he geological surveys of the different States, noticed that all along the Atlantic seaboard, from New Jersey to Florida, there existed a great belt of phosphatic deposits. These were petrified. silicified and fossil remaias of vast beds of bones and shells, of animals extiuct and now existiug; the deposits were oertainly very ourious and interesting to ecientific men, but of no particular nse, that auy one could eee. Tho fossils wore entirely distinct froai marl, which is phosphatic remaius partially decomposed and incllow, and which hsd previously bsen ars with gocd results to exbausted lands, ut the raw, stouy looking maases of sharks’ teeth, whales’ vertebrm, molluscs’ shells, what wore they good for, except to be put away in geologioal cabinets? And a small portiou would fill all the musenms of the world. It was owing to the rocommendation of tbe State Geologist of New Jersey, Professor Cook, that a fair trial of the unpromising material was made. Without tho euggoetioa the treesure might have been spurned by the feet of men for centuries. And now for the result. The lands of older Statee when first settled were in a virgin condition, and yielded to the hardy immierants wonderful returns, of which we have traditions. After centuries of oonstunt oroppiag, these fields, just as rich originally as the black prairie loem of the Mississippi Valley or the wheat lands of our own Oalifornia, beoeme wora out, and conld prodnce only a titbe of their pristiae crops. The particnlar substance most needed and most wanting, wag a soluble ge . ie fill i Ith Ith having seen a fish canght in tbe brnsh dam dnring a fresbet in the winter, but nobody had ever tried to catch anyotbers. Tbesemen lived entirely on sheep meat, hread and onions, with ocoasionally potatoes. Beef, perhaps, once a month, as they were tbirty-five or forty miles from a hutcber ehop. Being supplied with tackle bronght from the city, on the evening of his arrival, the writer went down to the creek; and, before making a cast, saw several fine salmon trontinthe pond, It took but a few mo. ments to land a fine mess—enough for the whole party—two of them weighing nearly tbree onnds. With this delicions food cloee at and, tbe rancheros had lived on mutton from one year'e end to the other, without teking the tronble to even see whether the creek contained any fish or not, This, perhaps, is an ieolated case, but facilities equally as good, are neglected in other localities. After once etarting ponds, they are of little tronble, and prodnce an abundant retnrn for thetime and money expended. To those persons engaged in fish cnlture on

a large scesle, an improvement in batohing boxes, recently perfected by Mr. John Williamson, Seoretary of the California Acclimatizing Society, will he of interest. We give an engraving of thie box which possesses eome peculiar features. Mr, Williamson oalle it the Lmproved double rifile hatohing box. Ite epeciai featuree can easily be eeen by reference to tbe cuts. The upper fignre shows a trough with light batching hoxes, and the lower figure is a section of the box, one-qnarter of full eize, The nsual way of arranging these hatching boxes, is to plsce the egge on the bottom and allow the water to flow over them, A box the eame eize ae the one represented, will then hold 20,000 eggs. Mr. Williamson puts in the box, five trays, 1944 inches long and 18 inches wide with a frame % of an inch thick and one inch wide, with a wire bottom, having eight sqnares to the inch, By this means he has space to hatch 120,000 eges, where he only hed before, in the same hox, space to hatch 20,000 eggs. This ie of great importsnce in hatching honsee where room is desirable. The hatching hox holding the trays, is made of 44 inch ends, andone inch . LA NEA CURRANT ARR IMPROVED DOUBLE RIFFLE HATCHING BOX. gentlemen, after which the gnests went over the buildinge and gronnds while the Regente and tbe Joint Legislative Committee held a conference with respect to the affairs of the University. The committee consists of Senetors Leine, Keye and Evans and Assemblymen Ammermen, Canfield, Turner, Friedenrich end Myere. They have reqnested full written informstion from the officere of the University on the following pointe in conformance with the resolution of the Legislature: Firet—What instruction has been given in agriculture and the mechanic arts, in the Univereity of California; whether the eame bas been defeotive or not, and, if defective, wherein euch defects consiet, and whst is the cause, as well as the remedy for such defect. Second— What hae been the management by the Regents ofthe University of California of the 150,000 acres of agricultural lande donated by the Congrese of the United States tothe State of California, and by the State to the University; whether the eame has been defective or not, and, if defective, wherein such defect bas con. sisted, and what is the caase, as well as the remedy, for such defect, Third—Whether or not the Regents have properly administered the funds of the University whioh bave been intrusted to them, andif not, in what narticnlars. Fourth—Also npon any other matters relating to the University upon whicb, in the opinion of the Committee, information may be of nse to the Legislature or the pnblio. The Committee bave made an examination of the buildings and have expressed their determination to look thoroughly into the snbjects referred to above, By this means the publio ought to be able to know all about the Univereity and ite management, a subject in which they are just now much interested. The farming commnnity in pirticular are anxione to learn what facilities are to be afforded to learn the scienoe of agriculture and what stepe are to he taken to give the etudents instrnction in its practical departments. As etated in a formed issne, thie hitberto apparently neglected Department of the University sbould be placed on its proper footing. Its importauce should give it all the epecial legielation necessary to secure this result. is applied to common things. But as the field broadened and evennes opened out, astill more minnte enbdivision became necessary. One of the new branchee was tormed agricultural chemistry, and its real founder and ohief exemplar was Baron Liebig. In his studies on the neture and composition of orgenic bodies, he became interested in tbe influence of soil upon growth, in a chemical sense, and wes led to trace roughly, at first, their minute relations. It wae found that the coustitnents of vegetable componnds veried muck moro widely thau had been enpposed, The proportione of water, fibrin, glutea, alkaline ealts, phosphates, etc., were discovered to he entirely different in varions plants, and sometimes iu the same plaut when snbjected todissimilarconditions. ‘Thus the reaeon why certain plauts grew beet on certain eoils became evident on comparing the analyses of each. True, there are other influences besides ohemical combination, which must be considered, euch as the capability of retaining moisture and heat, or the contrary, . which may be called the mechanical agencies. But, other things heing equal, a given plant would require a eoil made up of peculiar elements, existing within a fixed limit of qnautity; and after long experience it was found practicable for a ecientist, who might be reslly ignorant of actnsl] farming, to prononnce judgment upon soile eubmitted to him for examination, If the scienoe had stopped here, its benefits would have been lurge and apparent. But the next great step was the successful attempt to reproduce good land in poor, by substituting one element for another, by adding or neutralizing, until the composition of a normal soil for the growth of any plent should be approximated. Tbis ie done by using fertilizers. These fertilizers are either direct in their action, that is, they enter immedistely into the g:owth of the plant, or they are indirect aids, being employed to counteract or remove injurious elements. Thus many new fertilizere have heen added 1o the list; and many artificial onee, whicb are now in common use, were invented. Well, the reader may ask, wouldn’t we use manures witbout agricultural ‘Much, And to prove the assertion we will cite chemistry; whst hasit to do with the qnestion?) alkaline phosphate, And this is just what can be taken from the bone fossils, So to-day, especially in South Carolina, the whole region within the great belt is being systematically mined for the valuable matter. Cropping out at the surface in spots, and lying beneath the surface only a few feet, in most pleces, the extraction is simple enough. Trenches are dug, and as soon aa cleared are moved sideways, the fresh refuse beiug thrown into the useless hole, Movable wooden railways connect the diggings with centrel depots, where, by ingenions macbines and processee, the raw material is sorted and prepared for market. Eveu along tbe shores of the famed Sea-ieland cotton etrips, and in the heds of rivers, the searoh aud extraction is constantly going on. Thus far the applioation of this new fertilizer to the old lands has proved highly beneficial, and without it, or some equivalent eubstitute, many farms would now be cousidered worthless. We have given hnt a single example; the choice ie almost nnlimited. Rarn.—The rainfall in thie State tbus fsr this eeason has been very large, Even in San Diego county, where tbe' average rainfall is very emall, they have already had tbe almoet unprecedented quantity of 144% inchee. Senta Barbsra hae had 13.11 inobee this season and the total fall of last year was only 10.45. In this city the Signal Service office reports the rainfall at 18.97 inches, and Mr, Tennent reports it at 20.25. Over in Contra Costa they have had about 1534 inches. San José has had about half as much ae we have bad in this city. Monterey and Senta Cruz counties have had about as mnch ae San Francisco. The average rainfall of 22 seasons hae been, as meeeured at Sacramento, 28.5 inches. Guinzs’ SuaTE-ROOFING, PAINT AND CEMENT.— Every person designing nsing tbie paint, or wishing further information about it, shonld see the advertisement in the Press. One hundred and twenty-five packages are now on the way to this coast; so we are informed by the patentees,