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Friction Paste for Wheels. — Ross' Phoenix Strawberry. Vol. VII. 



is the result of memory. Perhaps in some 

 instances it is so, but memory could not 

 have guided an ass over two hundred miles 

 of country, which he had never passed be 

 lore ; and the same unexplained instinct 

 which brought him back to his stable at 

 Gibraltar, may guide the bee to his hive. 



This instinctive sagacity, which guides 

 animals who have been taken from their old 

 haunts, in making their way back to them, 

 appears in some to whom we should have 

 been less disposed to attribute it. I have an 

 anecdote from a gentleman, who resided 

 some years on an estate high up the Susque- 

 hanna, of some pigs, which, having been 

 brought in a sack fifteen miles through an 

 American wood, by the next morning had 

 found their way back, from their new, to 

 their old home. I have also been assured 

 that Welsh sheep have been known to find 

 their way back, from the neighbourhood of 

 London, to their native mountains. It is no 

 uncommon thing for dogs who have been 

 taken a great distance in carriages, to make 

 their way home again, and that in a very 

 short space of time. A friend of mine took 

 a pointer dog in his carriage to some shoot- 

 ing ground in Scotland, more than a hundred 

 miles from his house. Upon receiving some 

 correction from his master, he left him, and 

 made his way back to his kennel. 



A friend of mine had a poodle-dog pos- 

 sessed of more than ordinary sagacity, but 

 he was, however, under little command. In 

 order to keep him in better order, my friend 

 purchased a small whip, with which he cor- 

 rected the dog once or twice during a walk. 

 On his return the whip was put on a table 

 in the hall, and the next morning it was 

 missing. It was soon afterwards found con- 

 cealed in an out-building, and again made 

 use of in correcting the dog. It was, how- 

 ever, again lost, but found hidden in another 

 place. On watching the dog, who was sus- 

 pected of being the culprit, he was seen to 

 take the whip from the hall table, and run 

 away with it, in order again to hide it. The 

 late James dimming, Esq., was the owner 

 of the dog, and related this anecdote to me. 



Friction Paste for Wheels. — The best 

 composition that can be prepared to relieve 

 carriage wheels and machinery from friction, 

 is composed of hog's lard, wheat flour and 

 black lead, (plumbago.) The lard is to be 

 melted over a gentle fire, and the other in- 

 gredients — equal in weight — may be added, 

 till the composition is brought to the consist- 

 ency of common paste, without raising the 

 heat, near the boiling point. One trial of 

 this paste, will satisfy any one of its superior 

 utility. — Am. Mechanic. 



From the Cultivator. 

 Ross' Phoenix Strawberry. 



Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker. — At your 

 request, I send you an account of my seed- 

 ling strawberry, which promises to be a great 

 accession to the lovers of this delicious fruit. 

 In June, 1836, 1 was in Mr. Beekman's gar- 

 den in this town, and he gave me a straw- 

 berry from the variety called Keen's seed- 

 ling, which I carried home as a present to 

 my wife. The seeds of this strawberry I 

 separated carefully from the pulp, by rubbing 

 them in dry beach sand, and then sowed them 

 in a 7 by glass box, filled with good earth, 

 which was placed behind the coal house of 

 E. Gilford, Esq. The seeds came up well, 

 but had no care taken of them. Next spring 

 I happened to notice the box, and found all 

 my plants had been destroyed by the frost, 

 with a single exception. The box, with this 

 plant was removed to my house, when find- 

 ing it had a singular round leaf, different 

 from the original strawberry, I took better 

 care of it. In the spring of 1838, having no 

 good place of my own, I removed it to the 

 garden of Mr. Brooksbank, but owing to the 

 vicinity of some flower beds, the plant suf- 

 fered much. In 1839, I found that one of 

 the runners had set for fruit, and I removed 

 it to my garden, where it yielded some fine 

 fruit. Next year, I had some berries that 

 measured 5-£, and one that measured 6^ in- 

 ches in circumference. The fruit was so 

 much admired by our best Horticulturists 

 who saw the plant and fruit, that I deter- 

 mined to send specimens to your city and 

 New- York, in 1840, but was prevented by 

 some trespasser, who carried oft" the whole. 

 I let Mr. Wilson, Horticulturist of your city, 

 and Mr. J. T. Perkins, of Hudson, have a 

 few plants, both of which have produced fine 

 fruit; and Mr. Perkins, gave some single 

 berries that filled a wine glass. The fruit 

 is of fine appearance and excellent flavour. 



I measured some of the leaves out of curi- 

 osity, which were 5^ inches in diameter. — 

 When on a good soil the plants grow very 

 strong, and require room, as one plant will 

 cover a space of 3 square feet in one year ; 

 but if deprived of their runners in summer, 

 these will make large plants in spring. I 

 think this strawberry will produce the larg- 

 est strawberries, and yield the greatest 

 number, of any variety I have seen, or that 

 is cultivated in this neighbourhood. The 

 name above given, was conferred by friend 

 Wilson, from the circumstance of the seed- 

 ling having twice narrowly escaped destruc- 

 tion. Yours with much respect, 



Alex. Ross. 



Hudson, July. 1842. 



