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POPULAR MISCELLANY.
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tration, the quantity distributed amounted to twenty millions a year for species of the salmon family only. The business of propagation has been extensively carried on in England as a commercial speculation. Since 1854 the Messrs. Ashworth have put 260,000 salmon in Lough Corrib, Connaught, Ireland. A special establishment has been erected at Perth, and Cooper's fish-ladders have been put in all the rivers frequented by salmon. Important establishments for the artificial propagation of salmon have been created in Holland. The basins of the Zoölogical Garden of Ghent and of the Horticultural Society of Brussels have been adopted for purposes of hatching. Several lakes in Switzerland have been largely restocked by artificial means. The most practical results, according to M. Gauckler, in the perfection of processes, have been gained in America, and acknowledgment is freely made of the value of the labors of Baird, Livingston, Stone, Ainsworth, Seth Green, Collins, Mather, and others, in bringing down the science from the domain of speculation to that of palpable facts and remunerative results.

Sanitary Protection Associations.—Sanitary protection associations have recently been formed in Edinburgh and London, the objects of which, as stated in the prospectus of the London Association, are: 1. To provide their members, at moderate cost, with such advice and supervision as shall insure the proper sanitary condition of their own dwellings; and, 2. To enable members to procure practical advice, on moderate terms, as to the best mode of remedying defects in houses of the poorer class in which they are interested. The associations are not intended as a substitute for a municipal inspection, or to conflict with the public authorities, but to supplement their action. The idea of the associations originated, according to the statement of Professor Fleeming Jenkin, the founder of the one at Edinburgh, in a paper read by him before the Society of Arts, in his endeavoring to explain in a lecture the principles of sanitation, so that they could be applied practically by householders. He found that he could not do it, but that, after all his efforts to make the matter clear with general demonstrations and diagrams, professional advice had to be sought by each householder for his own particular case. What advice could the public obtain? The plumber and builder were interested parties, and not always competent; engineers held their services at too high a rate to be readily accessible to the majority; public officers could not be called upon unless there was probably some actual serious defect to be remedied. The thought occurred that an association of householders might be formed, to employ an engineer, at a fixed salary, who should make an inspection, draw plans, and propose improvements, for each subscriber, at an expense to the latter only of his annual subscription. The subscription to the Edinburgh Association was fixed at one guinea a year. The sum has been found enough to answer the intended purpose, and the work has been conducted with entire satisfaction and success in that city for three years. The London Association requires an entrance-fee of two guineas for houses of less than four hundred pounds rental, and subsequent annual fees of one guinea. A person joining either association and paying the entrance fee obtains all the privileges of membership for a year without committing himself to any further payments. He has a right to a thorough professional inspection of all the water and drainage apparatus in his house, including every pipe, tap, cistern, and sanitary convenience, for efficiency, leakage, smells, and ventilation, and the main drain between the house and the town sewer, the opening of which, however, is at his expense. As soon after the inspection as may be, he may receive a detailed report, describing the condition of his house, accompanied by a sketch diagram showing every pipe and trap, in connection with which recommendations for improvements are made when necessary, with rough estimates of the probable cost if they are desired. The wishes of the occupier are taken into account, the more important are distinguished from the less important alterations, and the suggestions are specific enough to enable the occupier to consult intelligently with his plumber or builder on the subject. The society has no interest in recommending any expenditure, and the occupier has his option whether he will incur