No. 12. American Agricultural Society/. — Annealing of Iron. 



387 



To the Editor of the Farmertj" Cabinet. 



Sir, — The object of the annexed form of 

 a subscription, is to ascertain whethei* there 

 is a sufficient number of the friends of tliis 

 great measure in the Union at this time, 

 willing to lend their influence, to warrant a 

 call of a primary meeting to organize the 

 Society. Should the indications appear fa- 

 vourable, a committee of the friends of the 

 cause will take upon themselves the respon- 

 sibility of naming a time and place for the 

 meeting, of which you will be duly notified. 



I fondly hope you will promptly lend your 

 own name, and procure a few names of other 

 friends of agricultural improvement in your 

 vicinity, and then forward the subscription 

 by mail in time to reach Washington by the 

 10th of August, addressed to the "Hon. 11. 

 L. EUswortii, Commissioner of the Patent 

 Office, for Solon Robinson." 



If you are averse to asking your friends to 

 give pecuniary aid to this measure in its in 

 cipient state, please make use of the first 

 part only of the paper, 



I hope you will charge the liberty I take, 

 to the zealous ardour I feel in promoting this 

 great national object. 



I have the honour to subscribe myself your 

 agricultural friend, and humble servant, 



Solon Robinson. 

 Lake C. H., la., June 3, 1841. 



National American Society of Agricul- 

 ture. 



" To elevate the character and standing of the Culti- 

 vators of the American Soil." 



The subject of forming such a society, be- 

 ing now agitated in the United States, we do 

 hereby pledge ourselves to the support of 

 such a society, according to our ability; and 

 we earnestly hope that the active leading 

 friends of the measure will take the neces- 

 sary steps to organize the society in the 

 course of the year 1841. 



Knowing that funds will be necessary to 

 bring this great beneficial National Institu- 

 tion into active operation, particularly as wo 

 hope to see a National School of Agriculture 

 connected with the society; and also a sci- 

 entific Journal worthy the proposed name 

 and character of such an institution — those 

 of us who have added certain sums to our 

 names, have freely contributed those sums, 

 and placed them in the hands of , 



to be expended in aiding the formation of 

 such a society. 



Names. I Residence. I $ 



Success is a constant motive to activity — 

 every stroke of your hoe is a step forwards, 

 and makes you approach nearer to the object 

 you have in view. 



For the Fanners' Cabinet. 

 Annealing of Iron. 



Mr. Editor, — On inquiring of a friend the 

 rationale of the fact mentioned at p. 319 

 of the Cabinet, on the annealing of iron, 

 namely, that "the same process which hard- 

 ens steel softens iron," he replied " first as- 

 certain that the fact is as there stated — it 

 might be another of Dr. Franklin's fishes." 

 I therefore took a piece of stout wire, and 

 doubling it so as to bring the ends together, 

 placed both in the fire at the same time, 

 withdrawing them when about a white heat, 

 instantly quenching one in cold water, but 

 permitting the other to cool gradually : and 

 I found indeed it was a fact, that the end 

 which had been quenched was so soft that it 

 might be twined around the finger with the 

 greatest ease, while the other remained hard 

 and comparatively intractable. 



But I found also another fact, which ig 

 worth remembering. In my eagerness to 

 carry out the experiment, on laying hold of 

 what I considered the quenched end of the 

 iron, I found I had made a slight mistake and 

 had grasped that which was but just below 

 redness, by which my hand was burnt very 

 severely. A friend present recommended me 

 to apply yellow soap to the wound, which I 

 did, without loss of time, and in less than one 

 minute the pain had left, and I have never 

 since felt the slightest inconvenience from it, 

 although at present there are large portions 

 of dried skin, the remains of blisters, on my 

 hand. Now, here is another inquiry — How 

 does the application of yellow soap operate, 

 so as instantaneously to draw out the fire 

 from a burn, and leave not a vestige of pain I 

 tor such was the fact. These are important 

 inquiries, and I think you have a correspond- 

 ent who could answer them if he would. The 

 author of the very excellent article at p. 320, 

 on " The Tumid Jaw of Cattle," who signs 

 himself " Medicus," but who, if I mistake 

 not, has often before interested and instructed 

 us under another signature, would not, I con- 

 ceive, find it difficult to do so; and as he has 

 expressed himself pleased with such inqui- 

 ries as lead to objects of practical utility, and 

 willing to answer them when he has the 

 power to do so, perhaps he would oblige us, 

 by giving his attention to the subject, so as 

 to furnish the answers for insertion in your 

 next. B. 



Wretchedly perverse or singularly un- 

 happy has been he, who has lived from in- 

 fancy to the grey hair, without having cre- 

 ated a place in society, and secured some 

 faithful bosom upon which he may lean in 

 the decline of nature ! 



