mw's €Mt. 



Trial of Isiflements at Geneva. — Our paper 

 goes to press too early to permit us to give an 

 acwunt of this exhibition. A large number of 

 ISIowing, Reaping, and Thresliing machinea are 

 entered for competition. On tlie first day the 

 Mowei-8 were tried, and the competition was very 

 spirited. On the second day we witnessed the 

 trial of Reapers, some eight in number. Tlie trial 

 was very satisfactory. Tlie number of people 

 arsemble'd was not large at any one time. 



To^\-v Aguicuxtural Societies.— A correspond- 

 ent informs us that they intend getting up a Town 

 Agricultural Society in Naples, Ontario county, 

 N. Y., and a^ks our opinion of the plan. We 

 cordially approve of it, and think its general 

 adoption would be attended with great benefit to 

 the agricultural interest. Not that we wish them 

 to supercede the County and State Agricultural 

 Societies, but to co-operate with them. Tlie Town 

 Fair should be held a few weeks previous to 

 the County and State Societies, and selections be 

 there made of articles to be sent to the County 

 and State exhibitions. In this way we should have 

 individual, town, county, and — when we have 

 our National Agricultural Show — State competi- 

 tion, which cannot fail to facilitate the march of 



agricultural improvement. 



♦ 



EuiSELL CoMSTOCK, the professed discoverer of 

 "a natural law in vegetable growth and life," has 

 been delivering lectm-es to the farmeis in Western 

 New York, the past tew weeks, at a dollar a head. 

 An introductory lecture was delivered in this city, 

 which was not very satisfactory, as Mr. Comstock 

 stated that he made it a point at that lecture not 

 to say anything that would expose his system. 

 He, huwever, told some large stories — such as 

 raising fifteen hundred bushels of potatoes on an 

 acre by his system, which he calls Terra culhire. 

 The lecture was attended by many of our most 

 intellicent gardeners and nui-serymen, who put 

 many important questions to Mr. Comstock, 

 wliich he declined answering until the next lec- 

 iwre. After tliat next lecture we may give our 

 opinion of this new discovery. 



P. S. Since writing the above, Mr. Comstock 

 has called upon us, and w-e learn from him that it 

 is not his intention to divulge his secret in Ro- 

 chester, until two hundred liave signified their 

 intention of attending. If this number ii obtained 

 in season, ili-. Comstock will lecture on or about 



the 21st of August. Mr. Comstock has been in 

 town some six or eight weeks, and could at any 

 time since his arrival have obtained an audience 

 of from fifty to one liundred ; and the ftxct that he 

 refuses to lecture to tliis number, creates a little 

 suspicion. 



Zinc Paint. — Oxide of lead for many years has 

 been the main ingredient in all oil paint. Tliis 

 being a virulent poison, painters have always 

 been subject to a disease called Painters' C'holic, 

 the effects of this poison upon the system. We 

 notice in a report of the Sanatory Committee of 

 Paris, that in one year there were 302 cases in 

 that city, of which number 12 died and one be- 

 came insane. Many of the colors used are also 

 poisonous, such as green from copper. M. Le- 

 caire, a house-painter of Paris, after trying a 

 series of experiments for four years, with a view 

 to remedy this evil, finally succeeded in not only 

 obtaining a white paint that is entirely harmless, 

 but also the colors; and his paints are represented 

 by high French authority as being more durable, 

 as well as more beautiful than the old. His dis- 

 coveries are — 



Ist, A pure and dazzling White — the oxyde of 

 zinc. 



2d, A gold, lemon, and straw Yellow — a prep- 

 aration of the oxyde of zinc. 



3d, An excellent Red, having for its base sul- 

 phate of antimony. 



4th, A number of fine Greens, resulting from 

 the oxyde of zinc and the sulphate of cobalt. 



6th, A pei-fect drying oil, which is obtained by 

 boiling 100 pounds of Unseed oil with five pounds 

 of per oxide of manganese. 



We have examined the White Zinc Paint, at the 

 store of M. F. Retnolds, who is the agent for this 

 city, and for beauty and clearness it is far superior 

 to any preparation of lead paint. 



In Sussex county, N. J., large veins of zinc ore 

 ex-ist, and some years since an association under 

 the name of "The New Jei-sey Zinc Company" 

 was formed for manufocturing this ore into paint. 

 The Scientific American says: "Tlie Company 

 about two years ago erected works on the Passaic 

 river, near Newark, N. J., and manufactured 

 white zinc paint, and various shades from a light 

 cinnamon to a cinnabar color. The sales of the 

 Company amount to seven tons of paint per day, 

 and in a few years will amount to twenty tons." 



