November, 1878. THE WEST SHORE. 81 A New Poison for Rats and Mick. At the Zootechnicel Institute, in connection with the Royal Agricultural Academy at Proakau, a series of experiments has been carried out UKn the comparative activity or inactivity of the various poisons most oommenly employed for the destruction of rata, mice, and other rodents. The result of these are now published by the director of the Institute, Dr. Cramim. Of all LUe uiaUriaia experimented with, the most elli oacious proved to be precipitated carbonate of baryta. This occurs as a heavy, line, white powder, devoid of taste or smell, and can lie purchased at any ordinary drug store. In the experiments of Proskau, a portion of it was mixed with four times its weight of sound bar ley meal, and made into a stiff paste with wator, and small pellets of the soft cako introduced into the holes of rats, house mice and Held mice. Ono great advantage of this preiiaration is that the smallost quantity of it proves fatal. Furtliur, it appears to cause immediate and complete paralysis of the hind extremities, so that it may be assumed that mice eating of it in their holes will die within them, and so not prove destruc tive in their turn to domesticated animals that might otherwise devour the oarcassos. It was found in practice that neither fowls nor pigeons would touuh the paste, either in its soft state or when hardened by the sun, so that its employ ment is probably free from danger to the occu pants of the p ml try yard. Some rabbits on the other hand, that got access to the paste, ate heartily of it, and paid the penalty with their lives. Farm Lite. It is a common complaint that the farm and farm life are not appreciated by our people. We long for the more elegant pur suits, or the ways and fashions of the town. But the farmer has the most sane and natural occupation, and ought to find life sweeter, if less highly seasoned, than any other. He alone, strictly speaking, has a home. How oan a man take root and thrive without land? He writes his history uuon his field. How many ties, how many resouroea he has; his friendship with his cattle, bis team, his dog, his trees, mo ssusiac. tion of his growing crops, in his improved fields his intimacy with nature, with bird anil Iwast, and with the quickening elemental foroes; his oo oDorations with the cloud, the sun, the seasons, heat, wind, rain, frost Nothing will take the various social distempers which the city and artifioial life breed out ol a man like farming, like direct aud loving contact with the soil It drmwi out the poison. It humbles him, teaches him patience and raverenoe, and restores the nroDer tone to his system, ('ling to the farm, make much of it. out yourself into it, be stow your heart and your brain upon it, so that it shall savor of you and radiate your virtue after vour day a worn is done: vonn ur. rougkt, in Srritmer. Dhoouraokmints. -In the battle of Uk Krie Commodore Perry stood upon the quarter deck of the flag ship looking down upon the men who manned the great gun. A broadside from the ensmy swept them away. The reserve corps hj.hu their enmnaninna mangled and dyinil.Mii thinking of homes and wiveaand children, turned pale and hesitated. Their beloved Commodore looked at them silently, (lazing into his lace ;.i,.., thou afomtiul til their nlsoes all' wivuvu m ' " j 1' i r wnrltwl the trim. The Ltti MM Out of on hoard onlv twenty escaiied Yet the battle was won. Satan means that dis nnneammtanta should keel) US from our work The Iiord means them to arouse all our lovs an trust and oourae. I)ok at the discouragement and yon will shrink, falter, fail. Fix your eyas steadfastly upon the lrd Jesus as he silently w.ii.Kia vnu mid vnu will 110 forwsnl. F.ven should the ship sink, your rain appear to bs oompleto, yet the !ord's battle shall bs woo, and yon shall be crowned, "in was gionou. they conouer though they die." Or. K.C Raj, Mori than 8,000 100-acre farms were taken up this year along the .Northern racinc rau Limi-Jpici Biscuits. It is not very satisfac tory to tell about a thing without giving direc tions for doing it, but this is all we oan do with "lime -j urn." biscuit We give the following facts as vouohed for by an F.uglish exchange, in oase some of our skillful domestic chemists may find out for themselves the method of manufac ture which is held a secret by the lime juice biscuit m.Wrg In England. TI value ol nine juice as a medicinal agent and also as an artjcleof laily diet being now so fully recognised, It be comes a matter of importance that it should be obtainable in a convenient form, agreeable to the taste, and also safe for transport This object has been accomplished in a a itisfactory maimer by the production o( lime-juice fruit biscuits, which are manufactured under a pat euted process recently discovered for the ores ervation of tho juiooa of fruits in thoir fresh state; they contain the equivalent of 40" of fresh lime juice, onndonsod in volume, but un changed in other respects as to its natural con dition. Tho condensation of tho juice is effect ed by the elimination of the greater part of its constitutional water, at a temperature of about 100" Fahr. ; by means of scientific preparation the lime juice nt the biscuit preserves its orig inal anti-scorbutio efficiency in even concentra ted degree. Moreover, its associate compounds oo-oierate in this protecting influence, at the sumo tune that they give an alimentary character to the product I he lime-fruit juice biscuit, therefore, is not only a specific against scurvy and a purifier of tho blood, but a highly nutri tious food for general use as a part of the daily diet. For summer use they will be found very grateful either dry or dipped in water and then eaten, alleviating the thirst, while at the sains time serving as an agreeable nourishment. Ventilation or ('urnnARiM. -The vantila tion of cupboards is one of those minor matters that arc frequently overlooked in the erection of houses, while the want of a thorough draft is apt to make itself unpleasantly apparent to the smell. The remedy ot the delect m however, very simple; if possible, have ierforations made through the back wall of the closet, and a fsw in the door; when the wall of the closet cannot be perforated, hole holes freely on the top and bottom. To prevent dampness, with the aeeom panying unpleasantness aud injurious effects of mildew in clipboard!, a tray oi uuickiiinn annum bo kept, and changed from time to time as the lime becomes slacked. This remedy will also Im found useful in safes or iiiuiiimeiit rooms, th damp air of whioh is often destructive to valu able deeds and other content. The Metallic St.KKrr.il Prolim. Many railroads, the Central Paoifio among them, has triad experiments to tost the efficacy ol Iron sleepers in the hop to out off tho expense oi perishable timber. The earns problem is being worked at in Kurops. It is stated that M. da Hoignie, a Belgian engineer, and formerly a forgo master, has patented a bv , longitudinal sleeper in steel, rolled all in one pice, and that the John Oookerill Company are now rolling an experimental couple of thousand pieces, to belaid near Client, between Qustrouht and Melle. Tho compound rail and sleeper Is I 'J meters lung by H00. millimeters broad, and weigh Al kilometers the meter run. If adopted, the Belgian iron and steel trades would benefit to the extent of 103 kilometers of stool, and IS kilometers of iron (or every motor of way laid with the new combination, and this, of oourso, is reason enough why it should bo warmly reoommoiided to the attention of tho llelgiau Minister of Public Works. All tho advantages ol the llilf and I to Merres and 1 1st tig alooper, both of whioh are now being experimented with by the State, are combined anil augmented in M. da Hoignls'e invention. A flirr to Botanist-. The inheritor of the Tilla Mussel, near ('amies, has presented the building, together with the msunilluent herha rium ami library attached to it. and all the set entitle iastriiinnnta and aniilisnces. to the French government, to be maintain, d as a plaoo of study for botanists of all nations, free of mat Persons desirous ol studying there, wic.se appn cations are favorably entertained by the manage mant. will be omvnled with (roe board and lodg ing in the institution for six weeks, and every opportunity afforded them to prosecute Iwtan ioal research, in tho case ol applicant, noi pro viiled with academical credentials, an llitroduc tion or lettor Juf reoommo idatiou fromaome rsoog nlaed vieoni will be required. Ma. AMMtftHOMHI, The following story is told to show the rigid honesty of Pmsulen Lincoln in early life. hen he wss ixietmasl. in a small Illinois village word came that thi postoflioe agent would lie along In a day or two to Collect HlB !llney II US HI ins .MIVSTUinens. It aa about 17 jy and one of Lincoln's friends, alarms.! lest 'the young postmaster should bs mnUrrassed by the sudden demand lor so mucn M.oiiev. offered to lend him the sum. Mr. Lin coln declined the proffered kindness, awl, going to the upper shelf of a oloatt brought down l..,. n.ntaminir the amount in the very coins -,h had coma iuto his hands. He said ha ..v.r allowed himself to use, even for s. lay money which was in his possession belonging to F.rrirr or Cohstaut Vibration Urov Iron. Shafts of side-wheel steamers and propellers sometimes break suddenly, and It la eappoeed that the constant vibration ol certain qualities f apparently sound iron causes a crystallisation and lose of cohesion, lately the steamer Vily ( 'hrtttr was proceeding at an ordinary rats f 1 in clear, calm weather, when, without a word of warning, two blades of her wheel drop pod off simultaneously, crippling her at ouoa. The manufacturers and builders laslisvs that an examination of the remainder of tho propeller will probably show again that tho constant vi bration had crystallised the metal, so that the whssl want to pieces sll at ones, like the dra con s "one horse shay. I he nrooaiyn aiui uiiKosta that thia gradual crystallisation of iron ia one of the dangers which threaten the elova. led mails How long the trestle work will re tain its strength of fiber under ths osaaelssa vibration it ta oiled upon to endure, it la a luostion whioh ouly ooetly tipsrisnos will deter- MM Tiir. Nsr.ii or Cimuei i Mtatr Hi sun We read that Prof. J. Peter lieslsy, at present Htato (Isologiat of Pennsylvania, and for some I ears engaged in conducting the elaborate geo iigioal survey of thst State, breaks out Into loud lamentations over ths utterly InadequaU lelineationa of the topography ol the nut n which ha has to fit his geological charts. " I hey neither fit on to each other nor correspond to any oommon standard map," he says. ( 'ounly lines, lis ssys, are soinatiniss hail a mils sway from thsir true places. Ths Joint commission of ths Stales ol New York and Pennsylvania to establish the line between tboee Htalea, has found ths old aooepted line wrong at evsry point so far as It has sarvsysd. Ths (.oast Survey la now authorised to eitand lis system ol Irian- gulation over any Htsla which provides for a scientific surrey, ami there never was a lima when It was easier to get largs corps of si pert surveyors. AixtRtRRATiii or Nervous Viuxtmr ay toe Win. A translation In the Journal of Ik FronkU aefatsss says that Chauvsau has lately undertaken two distinct sets of espertmesla. In the first, he eosn pared the velocity of trans mission in the nerves of the laryngeal muse las (rod voluntary Rsosoles), sad la loos of ths osrvical position of the oesophagus (rod Invol untary muscles). In the ssoostd, ths com pa isoii was attended to the serves of ths terminal portion of the meopbagus (pale involuntary muscles). He finds that In toe motor nerves of the rod involuntary mueeles, ths velocity c' transmission of centrifugal sioitetaeut Is six eight tints less Uua in the serves of ma which have aa identical structure, bat belong to the portion of the ss secular that la controlled by the will way. other people.