380 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
N. Y., Sept. 1858. 
Another Washing Machine- 
We have had frequent chapters upon “ Wash¬ 
ing Day,” “ Washing Machines ” and “Washing 
Recipes,” but we have no fear of tiring our read¬ 
ers with this subject, so long as there is a hint to 
be given which will tend to lighten the labors of 
mat “worst day of all days in the. week,” as a 
lady correspondent fitly terms the “ second day.” 
Sometime since we described “ our new wash- 
tub.” We liked it then, we like it still, for in 
principle it is right. But we have since got anoth¬ 
er new wash-tub, or machine, which we think 
very valuable. To say nothing else, it has short¬ 
ened the washing-day, at least two hours, and by 
so much at least, we consider it an acquisition. 
After six weeks trial we esteem it highly enough 
to give it our unqualified approval as a useful im¬ 
plement, and we have therefore got up for the 
American Agriculturist the accompanying original 
engravings, and will present a brief 
DESCRIPTION. 
Fig. 1 shows the implement set up and in oper¬ 
ation. a, is the tub, 26 inches high, and 24 inch¬ 
es in diameter at the top and 21 inches at the 
bottom. The tub stands upon the base-board b. 
The pounder c, is made up of a series of 16 
smaller pounders or pestles, p. One of them 
is shown enlarged at P. These pass loosely 
through c, being held from dropping out by small 
brass pins. A strong spiral brass spring, w, keeps 
them down as far as the pin across the top will 
permit. It will readily be seen that when brought 
down forcibly upon clothing in the tub, the small 
pestles or pounders will yield, by compressing 
the springs w. This effectually prevents tearing 
the fabrics washed, breaking buttons, etc. A 
lady correspondent tells a pretty tough story of it: 
she asserts that a small thick cologne bottle left 
in a dress was not broken, though the dress was 
pounded clean. We cannot doubt her word, but 
we would advise clearing the pockets of such 
fragile articles as glass bottles, even when using 
the “ Metropolitan Washing Machine.” We tried 
letting the mass of pestles strike down upon the 
foot, with considerable force, and it scarcely pro¬ 
Fig. 1 
duced a painful sensation. We can say this 
much, that there is certainly a great saving of 
buttons and in the wear of garments, when they 
are washed with a series of yielding spring pes¬ 
tles like those here shown This separate ar¬ 
rangement of independent pestles divides the 
force so that the inequalities upon a mass of 
clothing in the tub are fitted by the yielding 
springs. Again, the surface of the water is so 
broken up that there is none of that splashing 
which occurs when a broad single pestle is struck 
down. In several trials we found it next to im¬ 
possible to splash the water over the sides of the 
tub. 
k 
Fig. 2. Fig. 3. 
The pestle or combination of pestles is hung at d, 
(fig. 1,) on a double cord r, which can be shortened 
by simply twisting it. This cord is stretched be¬ 
tween the upper ends of two wooden springs, s, s. 
These springs are thin strips of tough wood set 
loosely into mortices in the baseboard, b so that 
they can be taken out when not in use. In order 
to show its construction we have elevated the 
pounder above the surface of the tub, though in 
ordinary use it is not raised so high. It may be 
worked with one hand as in fig. 1, or with two 
hands upon the cross piece, h, as in fig 2, 
where the pestle is down upon the clothing and 
just being thrown up by the springs. 
Fig. 3 shows the springs, base-board and pes¬ 
tle packed into the tub and the whole set aside. 
It occupies no more space than the width of the 
tub 2J feet, and the hight of the springs (6 feet). 
The whole operation is simple and effective. < 
The batch for washing is 25 to 30 yards of cloth 
or say eight or ten shirts, or their equivalent in 
other garments. Our first trial was upon a lot ot 
bed quilts being washed and put away for Sum¬ 
mer, and these at once brought out the capabili¬ 
ties of the machine for heavy work. The 
springs throw up the pestle well, and it works so 
easily that a woman of only moderate strength 
is able to give it the requisite motion and forcible 
blow, and still stand in an erect position. We hope 
some ingenious mechanic will next bring out a 
wringing machine. 
The price of the machine, $10, we thought rath¬ 
er high, and in behalf of our readers we wrote 
several expostulating letters to the manufactur¬ 
ers ; but they gave us the items of cost which 
can not be well reduced without making a poorer 
article, and on the whole we suppose that with¬ 
out enormous sales these tubs can not be offered 
at a lower rate. They are certainly worth the 
money to purchasers, and though our own was 
presented unsolicited and even against our wish¬ 
es, we should now be loth to part with it for twice 
$10 if it could not be replaced. It came from Da¬ 
vid Lyman of Middlefield, Conn., and judging 
from this and others we have seen of his manu¬ 
facture, we can recommend them as of first qual¬ 
ity of materials, &c. Particulars as to sale, etc., 
must be looked for in the advertising columns. 
-- ■ * » ! »■ - -*-<•«- 
To Dye Black. 
“ Kentucky Housewife” sends us the following 
which she says has saved her several dollars : 
Dissolve 1 lb extract of logwood in 5 galls, soft 
water, boiling it for a few minutes in an iron ves¬ 
sel, and add a tablespoonful of copperas. Dis 
solve 1 oz. of blue vitriol in 5 galls, of soft water 
Scald the materials to be colored, first in the vit¬ 
riol water, then boil them for two hours in the 
logwood, stirring often. To set the color, wash 
in a strong lather of home-made s.oap and dip in 
salt water. Sweet skimmed milk is also good to 
set the color. To give a luster to old silk, or that 
just colored as above, strain some cold coffee, 
and add a little gum arabic, into which, when 
dissolved, dip the silk ; wring out and iron on the 
wrong side. 
To Dye Cochineal. 
Also, from “ Kentucky Housewife” : Boil 3 lbs. 
ot yarn 10 minutes, in a liquor made of 3 oz. 
cochineal dissolved in 3 galls, water ; then add 2 
oz. cream of tartar, 3 oz. muriate of tin, and boil 
10 minutes longer, after which wring out and 
rinse in soap suds. 
-— --— » B«— -- 
To keep Flies from Ceilings. 
Hang in the room several sprigs of asparagus 
foliage, which can be gathered in a few weeks 
after cutting for the table is over. These, neatly 
arranged in festoons around the room, are rather 
ornamental than otherwise, and the flies will al¬ 
ways collect upon them in preference to the walls 
or ceilings. Any kind of shrubbery, or slips of 
paper, will answer a similar purpose. A little trou¬ 
ble of this kind will keep the plaster or wall-paper 
looking neatly ; and if a room be not otherwise 
soiled by exposure to smoke, or dust, at least 
one-half of the annual or semi-annual whitewash¬ 
ings may be saved. 
Clough’s Fly Trap, noticed and illustrated on 
page 247, has worked admirably with us the past 
month, catching flies by the handful daily; though 
for every fly caught it would seem as if a dozen 
came to attend its burial. Such of the is/)urners 
as would not pay their respects to the trap, have 
been furnished with roosts in the asparagus 
branches. 
