PATENT SAFETY HEIN.—NEW YORK FARMERS* CLUB, ETC. 
233 
THE PATENT SAFETY REIN, 
For the above cut and the fol¬ 
lowing directions for the use of 
the Safety Rein, we are indebted 
to the New York Spirit of the 
Times. The article was address¬ 
ed to John S. Skinner, Esq., of 
Washington, by Mr. Thomas 
Blagden. We gave a full account 
of this rein, page 350, of our last 
volume, or would copy Mr. Blag- 
den’s letter entire. It was invent¬ 
ed by a Mr. Miller of Scotland. 
Directions for use of Safety 
Rein. —In putting on the rein for 
a gig, keep the buckle to the left 
hand, or nearside ; that will place 
the loop, which is on the middle 
of the rein, below the hook or head 
of the bridle, which prevents it 
from being thrown out by the mo¬ 
tion of the horse’s head. For a 
pair of horses, keep the two short 
chapes outmost, and the loops on the middle down¬ 
ward. For saddle, keep the buckle to the left 
hand. 
When the rein is used either for running, rear¬ 
ing, kicking, or going backward, it should be ap¬ 
plied suddenly with a strong arm, keeping up the 
pressure until the horse is still; it should then be 
relieved suddenly, at the same time motioning the 
horse to go on. If he is only a runaway he will 
obey it at once, such horses being generally of a 
willing good temper. But should he possess the 
other vices, or any of them, it frequently proceeds 
from a stubborn, sulky temperament; with such 
horses the above process may require to be repeat¬ 
ed, until he is subdued, and obey the motion, 
which will be effected, even in the worse cases, 
after a few times. 
To derive the full benefit of this rein, it is recom¬ 
mended after the horse has been a few times firm- 
ly gripped with it, to use it occasionally, and it 
should frequently be used instead of the bit-rein to 
stop him on ordinary occasions; this will remind 
the horse of his subjection, and will accustom the 
rider or driver to the ready and accurate use of it 
in case of an emergency. 
By attending to the foregoing directions, the 
most troublesome horse will, to a certainty, be¬ 
come quiet and manageable. 
NEW YORK FARMERS’ CLUB. 
Potatoes , Lettuce , etc. —Junius H. Smith, Esq., 
made an interesting written communication to the 
club on the subject of seed-potatoes, setting forth 
his success in producing an early and a productive 
crop of potatoes from very small seed, and also the 
economy of using such potatoes instead of giving 
them to the pigs. He also presented a cos lettuce 
weighing three pounds and one ounce a plant, and 
potatoes grown from small chits, as large as those 
usually produced from full-grown potatoes. 
Mr. Sprunt, gardener of Stephen A. Halsey, Esq., 
of Astoria, presented some very fine sovereign po¬ 
tatoes, distinguished for their fine color, and large, 
Patent Safety Rein.—(Fig. 48.) 
fine skins; also, an ox-heart cabbage weighing ten 
pounds. 
Late Strawberries. —Samuel Stevens, Esq., pre¬ 
sented some large strawberries on the stem, some 
ripe and others ripening. These are in season, 
while others in his garden have done bearing for 
this season; also a ripe nutmeg-lemon of fair size, 
grown since being transplanted from the hot-bed in 
the open air. 
Galvanic experiment on Potatoes. —Mr. Ross of 
Ravenswood, presented some potatoes measuring 
seven inches in circumference. He planted the 
seed-potatoes on the 5th of May last, using leaves 
only for manure. To three rows of two hundred 
feet in length, he applied perpendicularly, at one 
end a plate of copper, and at the other one of zinc, 
both about five feet long, and connected the two 
plates by a copper wire supported on an adjoining 
fence, so that with the moist earth of the three 
rows, the electric circuit was complete. All the 
potatoes of the field were planted at the same 
time, but those having no galvanic apparatus, have 
small potatoes not larger than peas. He removed 
the blossoms from the potatoes, and the stems and 
leaves are all much alike; so that this enormous 
difference in the tubers is due to galvanism. 
He had cucumbers, last year, five inches long, in. 
five weeks, from the seed, by using the galvanic 
circuit. 
Chairman —These experiments are not new. 
They have been tried in the conservatories of Eng¬ 
land, and with especial success on pine-apples and 
some other fruits. 
Value of Urine. —It is calculated that if the 
urine of the 2,000,000 inhabitants of London was 
collected and applied as manure, its annual value 
would be =£500,000, about $2,500,000 ! The farm¬ 
ers of Lucca, in Italy, give $5 per family at Pisa, 
for the contents of the cesspool, and transport them 
a considerable distance. At that rate, what is an¬ 
nually wasted in New York city, would be worth 
at least $350,000! 
