No. 2. 



Conversion of Wood into Iron — 6fC. 



45 



Conversion of Wood into Iron. 



The conversion of wood into iron and 

 stone for railroad purposes is exciting much 

 interest in England. If the experiment bears 

 the test of thorough trial, it will add im- 

 mensely to the facility of constructing rail 

 roads. We hope the engineers and those 

 concerned in the building of rail roads will 

 not delay in testing the value of tiiis new 

 discovery. The following extract of a letter 

 of Professor Wright, dated London June 18, 

 1844, and publislied in the Boston Chronicle 

 of July 10, will show how the matter is re- 

 garded by intelligent men in England. 



" A good deal is said lately about wood, 

 and a patent has been taken out for convert- 

 ing it into iron, 1 should rather say into 

 stone, by means of iron. This metulized, or 

 or rather fossilized wood has been used in 

 constructing the terminus of the Dover rail- 

 way, and it really seems to have both the 

 properties of stone and iron. Rails of it 

 laid down at Vauxhall, for experiment, en- 

 dured a travel equal to that of a year on the 

 most thronged railway, without any percep- 

 tible wear, not even the saw marks of the 

 timber being removed. It is supposed that 

 timber thus prepared will not be subjectto rot 

 or decay of any kind. This, time will test. 

 If this proves true, the invention will be of 

 immense importance to the United States, 

 where timber is yet plentier, and iron scarcer 

 than here. The process of preparing tim- 

 ber is simply this; the pieces, after having 

 been fitted by the carpenter or joiner for 

 their places, are introduced into an immense 

 iron cylinder, which is then exhausted by 

 an air pump. A solution of sulphate of 

 iron is then injected, which immediately 

 enters into the exhausted pores of the wood. 

 The wood is then withdrawn, and again 

 placed in a similar vacuum in a solution of 

 muriate of lime, which coming into contact 

 with the sulphate of iron within the wood, 

 decomposes it, and forms an insoluble sul- 

 phate of lime or gypsum, within the wood ; 

 and the muriate of iron, the other new com- 

 pound, goes about its business. So the wood 

 becomes thoroughly impregnated with stone, 

 as hard as a rock, and is yet as tough as it 

 was before. The expense of preparing 2000 

 sleepers, enough for a mile of railway, is 

 said not to exceed $400. Some of the 

 greatest engineers have expressed their 

 confidence in the invention, and the process 

 is employed on many of the government 

 works. What an invention for our Missis- 

 sippi Valley! Railways built of light porous 

 wood, the more porous the better, probably; 

 may, for less than a thousand dollars per 

 mile, be converted into roads, nearly, if not 



quite as durable as iron. — New York Farm- 

 er and Mechanic. 



Salt for plum trees. — Mr. Benjamin 

 Jacobs, of Dorchester, had a small plum 

 tree which never bore more than half a 

 dozen plums that came to maturity; seeing 

 salt recommended as a remedy, he applied 

 two quarts, the first of March, in a space 

 about two feet wide around the tree, com- 

 mencing about six inches from the tree. It 

 was dug into the ground a little. The con- 

 sequence has been a fine lot of fruit. We 

 saw this tree a short time since, and it was 

 as full as it could hold. It is evident that 

 salt made the great contrast between this 

 and previous years as to the production of 

 fruit. — Boston Cultivator. 



Points of a good milch cow — The fol- 

 lowing is from a report of the Guernsey Ag- 

 ricultural Society: — Points. 1. Purity of 

 breed and qualities of the dam for yieldincr 

 rich and yellow butter. 2;. Small head, large 

 and bright eyes, small muzzle, small ears, 

 orange colour within. 3. Straight back from 

 the shoulders to the tail, and chest wide. 4. 

 A fine and loose skin, with soft and short hair. 

 5. Sides well rounded, flank small between 

 the side and haunch, tail fine. 6. Fore legs 

 straight and well proportioned, hind legs 

 broad above the knee, fine and clean below. 

 7. Udder large, and the teats large and 

 springing from the four corners of the udder; 

 milk-vein largo and well defined. — Ex, 

 Papen 



Guano, a preservative of flowers. — 



Those who are lovers of flowers, and delight 

 in having them constantly in their rooms, 

 may contijiue to keep them fresh for a very 

 considerable time, by putting into the water a 

 pinch of Peruvian Guano, which is rendered 

 immediately soluble, and taken up by the 

 cuttings. Guano is essentially different from 

 all other manures ; it possesses most of the 

 constituents of plants, and contains a great 

 portion of salt and other antiseptic^-and yet 

 the most fertilising ingredients. — Exchange 

 Paper. 



Tanners' bark is slow of decomposition. 

 On this account it is generally neglected as 

 a manure. The best way of employing it, 

 is undoubtedly, in the form of compost with 

 lime and earth, or with liquid or solid farm 

 yard manure, by which procedure decay is 

 speedily effected. Tanners very frequently 

 burn their spent bark, and apply the ashes 

 to their grounds. 



