NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



3(i3 



rrninh, and from 6 to 8 lbs. of tow separated 

 iiturally by the hecklers into tivo qualities. Our 

 vomen here perform this labour to much 

 lis^ulvantage, from the want both of operative 

 lexterity, and more perfect in?!ruments. The 

 kill which they do require, however, deserve? 

 he highest praise; and that napkin of diaper, 

 low laying on the table, which was spun, woven, 

 ileached and linshed by the hands of Jliss Sarah 

 Archibald of Musquoiloboit, bears testimony of 

 vbat can be accomplished. 



CHI.VIiNIES. 



JVe/Aorf of building Chimnits lliat teill not smole. 



Contract the space immediately over the tire, 

 o that you may be sure of the air being well 

 leated and rarefied there : this will ensure a ctir- 

 ent upward. All chimnies should be carefully 

 luilt, and every joint well tilled with mortar, 

 o as to prevent communication in case of the 

 himney catching (ire. 



Smoky chimnies are frequently occasioned by 

 heir being so very narrow as scarcely to admit 

 he children, usually employed for the purpose 

 f sweeping them, to reach properly to the top. 

 This evil may be remedied, and that inhuman 

 ractice rendered unnecessary, by adopting the 

 allowing mode, which has been used for time 

 inmemorial in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other 

 Sties in the North; and which effectually an- 

 (rers the end intended. 



Procure a rope for the purpose, twice the 

 ength of the height of the chimney, to the mid- 

 "^le of which is to be tied a bush (of broom, 

 iirze, &c.) sufficiently large to fill the chimney. 

 'nt one end of the rope down the whole pas- 

 nge; and, if there be any windings in it, a bul- 

 El, or round stone, is to be tied to the extremi- 



of the rope, and the wood end of the bush 

 ntroduced after the rope has descended into the 

 Ihamber, where a person must pull it down- 

 wards. By the elasticity of the twigs, the bush 

 weeps the sides of the chimney as it descends 

 ind carries the soot with it. Should it be ne- 

 essary for the man at the top, who has hold of 

 he rope, to draw the bush up again, the person 

 lelow must turn the latter, so as to send the 

 »ood-end uppermost, before he gives notice 

 B the assistant at the top to pull it upwards. 

 Jhironies thus cleaned, never require one-tenth 

 art of the repairs, rendered necessary where 

 hey are swept by children : for, as these are 

 Ibliged to work themselves up, by pressing their 

 :nees and feet on one side, and their backs on 

 he other, they not unfrequently force out the 

 iricks thafdivide the chimnies. This is the chief 

 mise 'why, in many houses of cities, afire in one 

 'partment always fits the adjoining ones with 

 noke, and sometimes even the neighboring house. 

 Whole buildings have often been burnt doti;n, from 

 ihis concealed cause ; as a foul chimney, taking 

 re, communicates it by these apertures to emp- 

 j apartments, or to such as were filled with 

 lumber; and in which it was thought unneces- 

 ary to make any search, after the tire had been 

 xtinguished in the chimney where it first be- 

 fan. We, therefore, seriously recommend this 

 ractice to be universally adopted, as an object 

 f interest, not less than on account of its hu- 

 nane tendency. It would, farther, be no detri- 

 ent to those who procure their subsistence by 

 he sweeping of chimnies ; for, if this plan 

 ^ould be countenanced, fhej would be as ne- 



cessary, then, for the convenience of the public 

 as they are at present ; and those very persons 

 would be unavoidably induced to provide them- 

 selves with ropes for the purpose. Lastly, such 

 a beneficial change might alford the only prac- 

 ticable means of rescuing many unfortunate 

 children from their degr:ided situation ; pre- 

 vent many accidents by which they become de- 

 formed; and obviate the evils attendant on a 

 premature old age. — Domestic Encyclopedia. 



PERKINS' STEAM ENGINE. 

 Extract of a letter from a gentleman in London, to the 



editor of the JV. 1'. Daily Advertiser, dated April 23, 



1824. 



Jlr. Perkins' discovery lias been, I think, 

 overstated by his friends and too lightly estimat- 

 ed by his enemies. I have taken some pains 

 to understand the subject, and the following ap- 

 pears to me to be the state of facts. Mr P. has 

 undoubtedly made a great and valuable improve- 

 ment in the steam engine. The evidence of this 

 is that he has now in his establishment two en- 

 gines in opertaion — one a small engine of per- 

 haps 5 horse power, the first that they construct- 

 ed ; the other a 12 or 15 horse engine. The 

 latter is connected with a pump to raise water, 

 by means of which the exact power of the en- 

 gine may be ascertained. This is nearly com- 

 pleted, and the result of the experiment will 

 probably be soon communicated to the public, 

 perhaps by Mr. Perkins himself, who is, 1 learn, 

 about to publish a description of the engine. 

 Sufficient experiments have been already made 

 to induce Perkins & Co. to contract to furnish 

 engines which will save two-thirds af the fuel 

 and 19-20 of the water used in other engines, 

 my own opinion is that the engine will even do 

 better than this, besides saving half the cost of 

 construction, and 4-5 in weight and bulk. Such 

 is the entire confidence of the concern in the en- 

 gine, that they have now building a vessel of 

 400 tons, in which 2 engines of 50 horse power 

 are to be put, for the purpose of going to In- 

 dia. 



Mr. Perkins' Steam Gun, of which you may 

 have heard, is a discovery resulting from that 

 of his steam engine. He discharges at the 

 rate of 240 ounce balls per minute, from a 

 musket barrel, with a force equal to that of 

 gunpowder. This extraordinary affair attracts 

 thousands to witness the experiments, among 

 whom I have seen Dukes, Marquisses, 

 Earls, Viscounts, Barons and Baronets. There 

 can be no illusion in this matter. — Mr. Perkins 

 is a frank man, incapable of practising any de- 

 ception of which he is not, with others, the j 

 subject. He foresees no^ difficulty in applying 

 his discovery to military purposes, to the exclu- 

 sion of gunpowder. This perhaps is counting 

 too fast — but 1 shall not be surprised to see, as 

 the result, a considerable modification in military 

 and naval tactics. 



An engine is now constructing to be taken 

 to the U. States by Mr. Goodrich, of Connecti- 

 cut, in July or August — he being appointed 

 the agent of Perkins & Co. to manage their 

 affairs there. Thus you see, the people of the 

 United Stales are likely soon to have an opportu- 

 ty of judging for themselves of the success of 

 their ingenious countryman, without being left 

 to doubt amid the contradictions of interested 

 publications." 



Deviation of the Mariners Compass. — The 

 Board of Longitude has conferred the parlia- 

 mentary premium of £500 on Mr. Peter Bar- 

 low, of the Royal Military Academy, for his 

 method of correcting the local attraction o 

 vessels. The great quantities of iron employ- 

 ed at this time in construction and equipment of 

 ships of war produces so much deviation in the 

 compass (varying according to the direction of 

 ship's head) as to render it almost an useless in- 

 strument, particularly in high northern and 

 southern latitudes. The difference has been 

 observed in the recent voyage of the Griper to 

 amount to 50, and at Spilzbergen, to 75 degrees. 

 Mr. Barlow's method of correcting this has been 

 completely successful, though extremely sim- 

 ple. It consists in merely placing a small plate 

 of iron abaft the compass, in such a situation as 

 to counteract the effects of the ship in any one 

 place ; after which, without removing it, it 

 continues to do the san»e in all parts of the 

 world, whatever change may take place in the 

 dip or intensity of the magnetic needle. The 

 important advantages that will result from this 

 discovery, are too obvious to require enumera- 

 tion. — London paper. 



Horticultural. — There were lately in bloom, 

 at the Linnaean Garden, New York, six plants 

 of the species of Poeonia, Moutau, or Tree 

 Peony, one alone of which exhibited forty-one 

 buds and flowers. Each flower was from 18 

 to 20 inches in circumference, and combined 

 with splendid color an agreeable fragrance. 

 The number of bulbous flowers which have 

 bloomed, the present season, in that garden, 

 exceeds 23,000, of which 15000 are yet in 

 their beauty. Of early tulips there are 120 

 varieties, of" Bizards 158, Violet Bibloems 118, 

 Rose Bibloems 81, Primo Baguets 20, Baguets 

 RigautslI8, double flowering 83, Parrot 10, 

 Breeders 22, forming a complete collection of 

 different classes. - ' 



To give lustre to Silver Plate.. — Dissolve a 

 quantity of alum in water, so as to make a pretty 

 strong brine, which you must skim very carefully 

 — add some soa|) to it, and when you wish to use 

 it, dip apiece of linen rag in it, and rub over 

 your pieces of plate. This process will add 

 much to its lustre. == 



Curiosity. — We lately saw a curious specimen 

 of ingenuity, in a miniature Malay Proa, with 

 a crew on board, and e\ery part of the rigging 

 complete, the whole made of cloves so niceljr 

 strung together, that they appear to be one 

 mass. We understand that it is to be deposited 

 in our Marine Museum, a present from Mr. Shil- 

 laber, of this town, commission merchant at Ba- 

 lavia. — Salcin Ob. 



Jigriculture. — He who has dominion over an 

 acre, and rescues it from barrenness, and cov- 

 ers it with a smiling harvest, has more Tirtu- 

 ous self-applause, than the conqueror of large 

 territories, waste and desolate. The culture of 

 the earth savours of filial affection. It is our 

 bounteous mother ; it affords us nourishment, 

 and shelter and shade— ^fertile streams — fra- 

 e;rant flowers and refreshing fruit. We should 

 love it for the sake of tlte living — for the sake 

 of the dead. A beautiful plant, or a luxuriant 

 vine, may suggest to a poetical mind the spirit 

 of departed, beauty, putting forth again from the 

 earth where its form was inurned. 



