SOUTHERN CULTIVAROR. 
243 
that has been well of the distemper otherwise some three 
or four weeks, but the lump between his jaws still re- 
mains, and when I open it blood runs out, and but little, j 
if any, matter appears. Exquiuer. 
Cai'c Springs, Ga. 
' BECENT AMEPtICAN INVENTIONS, &C. 
Ws copy the follov/ing from the ScieuLific Arnerimn, of 
a late date : 
Caslx Chair for Preventing Sea Sickness.— By Wm. 
Thomas, ofHingham, Mass.— Consists in hanging the 
chair in swivel bearings, so that the seat will always re- 
' main level without changing position, no matter how 
much the vessel rolls. It is alleged that the occupant will 
be thus relieved from sea sickness; if this is so it presents 
a fine example of the triumph of mechanical genius over j 
medicine. The improvement is also applicable to beds j 
and settees. I 
Bemoving Head Dandruff. — On the 6th of April, j 
184C, James McKay, residing in New York city, obtain- ! 
j ed a patent for a lotion made of the following materials 
I for removing dandruff from the head. Boil a pound of 
! carrots until they are soft, in a quart of water, then squeeze 
them in this liquor to press out the juice, and add a pint 
of rum, a gill of sweet oil and about 50 drops of the oil of 
bergamot, to scent it. This is the patent lotion for re- j 
moving dandruff. It has the appearance of being a very 
good hair wash, as we should judge from the nature of the 
ingredients. A solution of borax will remove dandruff, 
but it has a tendency to make the hair fall out. 
Catching Ducks.— In January, 1830, a patent was 
granted to Wm. Coffield, of Norfolk, Va., for catching 
ducks by the use of nets with meshes about six inches 
square. The nets were to be set on the surface of the 
water, and as the ducks arose from feeding on aquatic 
plants below, they were to be noosed in the meshes ; or 
these nets were to be sunk in the water, and when the 
ducks dived down they run their necks into the meshes. 
The difficulty of carrying out this method of catching 
ducks consisted in the fact that a duck could run his head 
back or out of the mesh of a net as easily as he ran it 
into it. 
Wardrobe Trunk. — By J. McCracken, of Rochester, j 
N. Y.— Consists in combining with a trunk the ornamental 
piece of furniture known as a wardrobe. Everything is 
attached complete, to wit, doors with looking-glasses, 
drawers, closet rooms, fee. When set up for use it looks 
like substantial piece of mahogany cabinetwork, gen- 
t^lfFcnough for a princess ; but, in the twinkling of an 
eye, it may be folded up in the form of a trunk, and is 
i then ready for transportation ; the trunk, which is of an I 
ordinary size, constitutes the base of the contrivance. 
[ If genius continues to progress, the time will come 
when families emigrating v/estwili be able to carry houses 
v/iih them, furnished complete, from kitchen to parlor, all 
I within the compass of a flour barrel. Already has a stove 
j been invented which uses lime instead of fire. Though 
! hardly bigger than a man’s hat, it will cook a domestic 
j dinner at a moment’s notice. 
‘ Seed Sower. — By Hosea Willard, of Vergennes, Vt. — 
Consists in the peculiar devices employed for distributing 
the seed, whereby the grain is scattered evenly and equal- 
ly, whether the machine is used on side hills, uneven or 
rough ground. A new mode of covering the seed also 
forms part of the invention. Drawings would be required 
to convey an idea of the construction. 
Iir^s. — In September, 1835, a patent was obtained by 
John D. Myers, of New York, for making ink into cakes. 
Common writing ink was deprived of its moisture by 
evaporation, and when reduced to a proper consistency 
was molded into cakes, then dried. By the application of 
hot water to dissolve tliese cakes, they were made into 
writing fluid. They were easier carried to a distance than 
inks in bottles, but they never came into use. 
On December 5th, 1812, Peter Ferris, of Greenwich, 
Conn., was granted a patent for writing ink made as fol- 
lows : Boil 12 lbs. of logwood in 12 gallons of soft water 
for tlu’ee hours, then strain through a sieve, and to the 
clear liquor add 10 lbs. of nut galls, 3 lbs. of copperas, 6 
oz. of blue vitriol, 4 lbs. of gum arable, 1 lb. of Prussian 
blue, and 1 lb. of indigo, and 1 lb. of sugar. 
All these ingredients are then boiled for 5 hours, and 
left to stand 10 days, stirring it daily, then the clear liquor 
poured off, and if there be less than nine gallons of it, wa- 
ter is added to make it up to this quantity, and a gallon 
of alcohol likewise. It is stirred regularly for ten days, 
then bottled up for use. This is a good permanent wri- 
ting and copying ink, but it is somewhat expensive to 
manufacture. 
Bronze Figures. — The following is the method of 
bronzing plaster of Paris figures : Make a varnish of isin- 
glass, by dissolving a little of it in water, then lay it over 
the figure until every part of it is equally wet. When this 
is dry, go over the figure again with a little size, but let 
no more size be on the brush than that which may barely 
damp it; the figure will now have a shining appearance, 
when it will be fit to receive the bronze. The bronze 
powder is dusted on with a little cottonwool and the figure 
is put to dry, when all the loose powder is rubbed away. 
BEPORT ON SITJLES. 
From the Committee appointed by the Newberry Agricul- 
tural Society. 
The Committee to whom was referred the subject of the 
Mule, beg leave to submit the following report: 
“The object of all knowledge being practical utility,’’ 
your Committee deem it unnecessary to go back into 
ancient history to trace out the origin of the Mule: “An 
hybrid animal, the product of an Ass with a Mare.” 
The Mule, like all other hybrids, is incapable, inter se, of 
perpetuating its race, notwithstanding we have a well 
authenticated case of the mare mule producing colts by a 
stallion. John T. Kilby, of Spring Hill, Nansemond co., 
Va., had a mare mule which produced two colts by a 
stallion,* neither of which was raised ; the second colt was 
foaled in August, 1835, and died in August, 1836. — 
Query — can the produce of an hybrid be raised I Your 
Committee not being able to answer this query, refer it to 
“sages more versed in nature’s law to explain.” 
The breed of mules have been greatly improved in the 
last half century, and this improvement is mainly attribu- 
table to the selection of Jacks. Much more can yet be done 
in the same direction, as in the opinion of your commit- 
tee, more depends upon the Jack than the mare, but by a 
judicious selection of both, greater improvement may yet 
be effected. 
In the selection of a Jack, size, form, action and vigor 
are necessary. The Knight Errant, a Spanish Jack, the 
property of Thomas Patton, of North Carolina, was a 
model Jack, he was 15 1-2 hands high, long bodied, clean 
limbed, active and vigorous, he made two or three sea- 
sons in the northern portion of this District about the 
years 1840-41; several of his colts took premiums, award- 
ed by this Society, and were generally of good size, actioiv, 
quick, strong and serviceable. 
As to the matter of raising colts, a few words will be 
necessary as to food and care. A suckling mare should 
be fed on grain at least once a day, have a good grass 
*See Farmer’s Register, vol. 3, page 440. 
