PRESERVATION OF POTATOES.-BURRALL’S CORN-SHELLER. 
337 
from a sporting branch, the Double Moss Rose, that 
is, a Double Cabbage or Provence Rose, covered 
with that glandular excrescence which we term 
moss ; this brancher plant was propagated, and the 
variety handed down to us, perhaps as much or 
more admired in the present day as when first dis¬ 
covered. These Roses always have been, and I 
hope always will be, favorites; for what can be 
more elegant than the bud of the Moss Rose, with 
its pure rose-color, peeping through that beautiful 
and unique envelope ? 
The assertion advanced by some writers that this 
Rose, when cultivated in Italy, “ loses its mossi¬ 
ness almost immediately, through the influence of 
climate,” is puerile, when the fact is so well known 
to us that it retains this distinctive character at 
New Orleans, and at other localities far exceeding 
Italy in an approach to a tropical climate. 
The ancient variety which we have referred to, 
called the Common Moss, Mossy Provence or Red 
Moss Rose, is of a pure rose-color, and when in 
hud is surpassingly beautiful. When fully expand¬ 
ed it is a fine rose, but at that period, the moss 
being concealed beneath the petals, it no longer 
presents to the eye its distinctive attraction. Dur¬ 
ing nearly a century that this rose existed in Eu¬ 
rope, no new variety was produced, but of late 
years the greatest attention has been devoted to the 
roduction of seminal varieties, and the success has 
een so triumphant that not less than 70 fine varie¬ 
ties have been produced, including some which 
bloom several times during the year, and others 
hybridized with the Bourbon and other classes of 
roses. I have, at great expense, imported the en¬ 
tire collection. — Prince's Manual of the Rose. 
PRESERVATION OF POTATOES. 
If potatoes are immersed for four or five days m 
ammoniated water, containing an ounce of the 
common liquor ammoniae to a pint of water, they 
will, on removal, be found to have their vegetative 
principle greatly checked, or altogether destroyed, 
so that they may be preserved throughout the year 
without the least deterioration of their general 
qualities. The temporary action of the ammonia in 
no way affects the potato beyond that of destroying 
its power of growth ; if, however, any change is 
produced, it is rather beneficial than otherwise, 
somewhat improving the appearance and flavor of 
inferior potatoes, and giving them a mealiness they 
did not possess. The transient nature of the appli¬ 
cation removes any suspicion of injury from the 
material employed, and it is all lost by evaporation, 
so that not a trace remains behind ; nor could the 
most fastidicus ever detect that the potatoes had 
been immersed in ammonia, so volatile is its nature, 
so perfect its escape. The exportation of potatoes 
to foreign climates, chiefly within the tropics, is an 
object of importance ; and for the comfort of sailors 
there is nothing in the way of diet greater than the 
luxury of a potato with their salt food. As a 
means of prolonging their enjoyments, and adding 
to the healthful diet of a sea life, this mode may be 
adopted with advantage. The expense of immer¬ 
sion is very trifling, and they subsequently require 
to be spread in an airy situation to dry. Potatoes 
so tieated, have been used after ten months’ keeping 
in a warm kitchen closet, and were found to be per¬ 
fectly good. If the potatoes, instead of being re¬ 
moved in five days, are continued in the ammoniacal 
water for three weeks, the potato becomes tough 
and shrivelled while in the liquor, and, when dried 
by exposure to the air, assumes quite a new form ; 
it appears consolidated, and its qualities are greatly 
lost, for on boiling it assumes the appearance of 
sago, or starch, yet still firm, and retaining its form; 
if used in the dry and uncooked state it has a mealy 
flavor, and the properties of grain. There is no 
chemical change effected in the potato, but merely 
a mechanical consolidation and extraction of mois¬ 
ture ; for precisely the same effect may be pro¬ 
duced by immersing potatoes in a strong solution of 
salt and water, taking care to remove by subsequent 
ablution the whole of the salt, and this requires 
some time, and repeated changes of water.— Edin¬ 
burgh Journal of Agriculture. 
BURRALL’S CORN-SHELLER. 
Burrall’s Corn-Sheller.—Fig 79 
This truly labor-saving machine is constructed of 
various sizes, and is made entirely of iron. The 
upper part consists of a strong chamber or box, in 
which revolves a short cylinder or disk armed with 
numerous teeth, as is also a portion of the inner 
surface of the box. The ears of corn are dropped 
by hand or otherwise, into the opening, a, and 
when the cylinder is set in motion by means of a 
crank or other power, the cob comes out at c, and 
the corn falls through a hole at h, perfectly shelled. 
A man and boy can shell five bushels in an hour, 
and if a steam or horse-power be applied, with pro¬ 
per fixtures for feeding in the corn, 100 bushels 
may be shelled in a day! W e strongly recommend 
this machine to farmers, notwithstanding its cost, as 
an improvement in e'very respect over the common 
mode of shelling corn with a frying-pan or fire- 
shovel, by hand. Price $10 to $12. 
