General Not lees. 85 



bines tlie following requisites, viz. security against leakage, simplicity of 

 construction, and great durabilit}'. It can be taken to pieces, to clean or 

 repair, without removing the shank from the boiler or cistern, which, with 

 the common cock, is at all times inconvenient, and frequently very ex- 

 pensive. The plug («) being a hoJlow cone, the sediment from the boiler 

 or cistern rests inside the cone instead of against the wearing part of the 

 plug (as with the common cock) ; and, immediately on opening the water- 

 way (6), it is washed through without injuring the barrel or plug. As the 

 water is constantly pressing on the inside of the cone or plug, consequently 

 the greater the pressure from the boiler or cistern, the tighter the cock 

 holds ; which is the reverse with all other cocks. This conical plug is 

 not liable to stick fast, as it gives way to the expansion of the metal occa- 

 sioned by heat. As the plug wears so it tightens ; and, having but one 

 opening, it has a greater lock than those in common use. The screw in 

 front {c) is for the piu"pose of adjustment when the plug turns too easily. 

 The water flows on litting up the handle (c/) to the position shown by the 

 dotted lines (c), which brings the two openings (6 and/) in contact. 

 Those inijn-oved cocks are made, by the inventor, of the best gun metal, 

 and not of the common pot metal (which contains a large proportion of 

 lead), and are sold at prices varying from ds. to 1/. 1*. We have adopted 

 one of these cocks in a boiler for heating our house by hot water ; and they 

 are also employed by Walker, Cottam, and some other engineers. We 

 strongly recommend them to all gardeners who have any thing to do with 

 hot-water or steam boilers, or, indeed, with large cisterns or vessels of any 

 kind which require to be occasionally emptied. Where these cocks are 

 sold (145. High Holborn) may also be seen the excellent self-acting water- 

 closet of Downes, already recommended (Vol. V. p. 345.) as by far the 

 best machine of its kind. — Cond. Nov. 25. 1830. 



The Protection of the Blossom of Fndt Trees agriiuft Walk from rains and 

 frosts, by means of projecting boards, has been suggested 

 in a paper, which we regret not to have room for, by T. B. 

 After noticing the injuries to which bloom is liable from 

 sudden storms of rain, he says, " a couple of feather- 

 edged boards may be nailed together, so as to form a 

 surface of 2 ft. in width. These boards may be projected 

 from the top of the wall, at an angle of 45° (fig. 11. «), 

 supported by strutts abutting against the v.all (/j), and 

 held in their place, to keep them from being blown away 

 by wind, by two strings, one at each end of the board (c), 

 which may be tied to staples driven into the bottom of 

 . '^' the wall." — T. B. April 3. 1830. 



N ^ Straiv Protectors for preserving Fruit Trees from tlic 

 Frost. — Sir, I take the liberty of sending you one of the 

 straw mats (fig. 12.) which I make for protecting my 

 fruit trees from the frost in spring. Should you think 

 proper to use it, or make it public, I should be very 

 — ■! happy to show you how I construct them. I have always 

 used them with the greatest success, and have thus insured a crop of 

 wall fruit every year, particularly of peaches and nectarines, without the 

 danger of breaking off the young shoots in their removal, as is the case 

 with nets. I let the mats remain as long as the frost continues, and then 

 remove them without injuring the trees. I am. Sir, j'ours, &c. — Rene 

 Langelier. Acton Lodge, Sept. 8. 1830. 



It will easily be understood from the figure that this strav/ protector 

 consists of small handfuls, averaging not more than two or three dozen of 

 straws each, tied together at the root end, and suspended from the wall, 

 beginning at the bottom ; so that the ears of one range of protectors will 

 always overlap the root ends of the other range, in the manner of thatch. 



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