not be avoided they should be made by screwing the parts firmly together by a coupling ferule, and should be rendered water tight.

4th. It is sufficient that the rod terminates in a single point, although multiple points are frequently employed. The point which must be sharp, should be encased with platinum. This casing will not only protect the point from the action of the weather, but if of sufficient thickness, (one-twentieth of an inch) will insure against liability of melting from any probable electric discharge.

5th. The rod should be fastened to the building by iron eyes. Cylinders of glass are generally used for insulators. They are of but little service, especially after they have become wet with

water.

6th. Acute angles made by bending the rod should be avoided. The more direct the communication with the earth the better.

7th. The gravest errors are sometimes made in establishing the connection with the earth. "The rod should be connected with the earth in the most perfect manner possible; and in cities nothing is better for this purpose than to unite it in good metallic contact with the gas-mains or large water pipes in the streets; and indeed, such a connection is absolutely necessary, if gas or water pipes are in the house. Electricity, by what is called induction, acts at a distance on the perpendicular gas pipes within a house, rendering them so highly negative, the cloud being positive, as to attract the electricity from a lightning rod imperfectly connected with the earth, or even from the air through the roof. Damage to buildings on this account is of constant occurrence. The above connection can be made by soldering to the end of the rod a strip of copper, which, after being wrapped several times around the pipe is permanently attached to it. Where a connection with the ground cannot be formed in the way mentioned, the rod should terminate, if possible, in a well, always containing water; and where this arrangement is not practicable, it should. terminate in a large plate of iron or some other metal buried in the moist ground. It should, before it descends to the earth, be bent so as to pass off nearly at right angles to the side of the house, and be buried in a trench surrounded with powdered charcoal.”— (Prof. Joseph Henry.)

8th. Large masses of metal within the building, particularly those that are vertical in direction, should be connected with the rod.

9th.

"When a house is covered by a metallic roof the latter should be united in good metallic connection with the lightning rods; and in this case the perpendicular pipes conveying the water from the gutters at the eaves may be made to act the part of rods, by soldering strips of copper to the metal roof and pipes. above, and connecting them with the earth by plates of metal united by similar strips of copper to their lower ends, or better to the gas or water pipes of the city. In this case, however, the chimneys would be unprotected, and copper lightning rods, soldered to the roof and rising a few feet above the chimneys, would suffice to receive the discharge."-(Prof. Joseph Henry.)

10th. The rod should be placed on that part of the building towards which showers generally direct their course, and particularly on the chimney from which currents of heated air, serving as conductors of electricity, ascend. Rods extending high above buildings should be securely braced.

11th. A lightning rod is regarded as protecting a circle whose radius is double the height of the rod above the building; hence, on large buildings several rods would be required. It is safer, however, to place the rods nearer one another then this rule would require, especially in the case of buildings in which a large amount of iron enters into the construction. There is no objection to an indefinite number of rods on a building, provided a proper connection with the ground be established. In order to safety, it should be remembered the rod must absolutely extend into water or permanently moist earth.

In the protection of vessels, copper has been advantageously substituted for iron, as in the protectors planned by Sir W. Snow Harris for the ships of the English Royal Navy. They consist of bands of copper overlapping each other, and let into the rear side of each mast. They pass down to the keel, and are continued through it by means of copper bolts into the water. They connect also with bands of copper laid under the deck beams, and continued through the sides of the ship.-(American Cyclopædia.)

It has doubtless been noticed that in the treatment of this subject, theoretical considerations have been largely set aside, otherwise it would have been deemed necessary to dwell upon the probable and known sources of atmospheric electricity, upon the manner in which clouds serve to condense electricity in the air, upon the influence by induction of the positive electricity of the clouds upon the earth, developing at the more elevated points

negative electricity of high tension, and to treat more fully of the philosophy of the electric discharge. On the other hand the endeavor has been to fortify the statements made and the positions taken by an array of facts as large as the circumstances of the occasion would seem to warrant, but by no means as large as the importance of the subject would justify, and from these facts to make inferences which can but be regarded as well founded.

It was hoped when this paper was commenced that an amount of statistics gathered from our own State, or from our own section of country, serving more completely to demonstrate the utility or inutility of lightning conductors could be presented. With this end in view letters were addressed with the following questions or arrangements for statistical data, to the officers of about twenty fire insurance companies, including several companies in our own State. In selecting from the foreign companies, those only were chosen that have within the last three years taken risks within this State amounting annually to at least a million dollars:

SCHEME FOR STATISTICS.

1. Number of buildings insured since incorporation.

2. Number of buildings injured or destroyed by fire.

3. Number of buildings not furnished with lightning rods, struck by lightning.

4. Number of buildings furnished with lightning rods, struck by lightning.

5. Condition of the rods before the stroke, (so far as ascertained) as to points, connections and extending into moist earth. 6. Are you willing that the statistics be made public?

I regret to state that in most cases the courteous answers to the letters of inquiry did not give the desired information, but indicated that a large amount of labor would be required to eliminate from business records extending over many years the needed data.

The statistics furnished by Charles P. Wiggin, Esq., of Bangor, Maine, Secretary of the Penobscot Mutual Fire Insurance Company, are, however, to the point, and I gladly avail myself of his kindness in putting them at my disposal. The company was authorized to insure against damage by lightning in 1859. The records furnished by Mr. Wiggin date from the time of his entering upon the duty as Secretary, viz., May 1st, 1865. From that date to May 1st, 1871

The number of policies issued by the company, was....5,842

. The number of losses..

The number of losses by lightning.

222

11

Mr. Wiggin adds, "I do not find a loss among these eleven that was protected by lightning rods."

No man has a right to suppose from the claims made by any intelligent advocate of lightning rods, that old rusty irons about a building, with loose joints and perhaps with actual breaks, and with one end planted simply beneath the surface of the soil, can furnish anything like adequate protection; but from a sufficient number of rods as large as recommended, in good condition, properly pointed, in perfect metallic continuity, and extending into the earth in the manner and to the depth previously indicated necessary, almost absolute security from lightning may with the fullest confidence be expected.

I have yet to learn of the first instance in which the conditions of protection shown to be needful, have been fully complied with, and disastrous consequences from lightning have followed.

In noticing the properties and effects of lightning-St. Elmo's fire-a discussion of the questions, "Do persons struck by lightning see the flash?" "What organs are most usually affected in death or injured by lightning?" and several other points involving considerations of exceeding interest, were necessarily omitted to give place to the treatment of topics, if not so fraught with interest, yet deemed indispensable.

This paper already too long protracted should not be concluded without a word in favor of that agent, which throughout has been treated as an enemy. By it the air we breathe is made purer; by it, from the combinations it effects in the elements of the atmosphere, the results of which are brought to the earth in summer showers, the soil we cultivate is made richer; by it, when under the control of man as he is learning to control it, the homes we inhabit are made happier through the advantages derived from the encomparable swiftness with which it flashes our thoughts from continent to continent, and almost literally around the world.

While remembering and acknowleding its beneficience, let us not forget that He who "directeth his lightning unto the ends of the earth," has pointed out the means by which we may protect our firesides and all we hold most dear from its otherwise terrific or fatal attacks.

WEDNESDAY, January 24, 1872.

The Board was called to order at 10 o'clock, COLONEL SWETT in the Chair.

ORCHARDS AND FRUIT CULTURE.

MR. T. S. GOLD of Connecticut.

Mr. President and Gentlemen:-In opening the discussion upon "Orchards and Fruit Culture," I shall not advert to the great enjoyment and profit to be derived by the farmer from this branch of agriculture, but shall confine myself to a plain statement of those practices which I have found in my own experience and observation to be essential to successful fruit culture, principally confining myself to those leading fruits-the apple and the pearwhich are best adapted to general farm culture.

First, our attention is drawn to the soil. The essential thing is that it should be dry; that the trees planted upon it may have what is called a dry bottom, and not stand with wet feet. In some sections of the country, any artificial methods to accomplish this are entirely unnecessary; there is no hard pan underlying the soil; there is no difficulty in the roots getting down to any desirable depth; but in other sections it is very different, and provision must be artificially made for this, if it does not naturally exist in your lands. It is absolutely essential to the successful culture of fruit, that the land be naturally or artificially underdrained, so that the water can flow off freely, and not stand about the roots of the trees.

The aspect has much to do with selecting a location for an orchard. And here let me remark, that sometimes orchards succeed in one aspect and sometimes in another, even within a very limited area, and upon a single farm; an orchard one year where the fruit is brought forward early by its sheltered and warm position, escapes; another year, an orchard by its position, is late, escapes frost, and if a man wants to be sure of fruit upon his farm, for the supply of his family or for market, it is very desirable that he should select different aspects and locations for his orchard, and not confine it to one single field or enclosure.

With regard to the preparation of the soil. If the land is capable of culture, usually deep cultivation with some crop, corn, potatoes or other hoed crop which admits of high manuring, and requires it, for success, is the best preparation of the soil that you can make. On some rocky, fertile hillsides, that you could plant