90 
SOAK FOR SEEDS -—FINE-WOOLED SHEEP, ETC. 
SEASONING AND PRESERVING TIMBER. 
No. 1. 
Experiments, in accordance with the testimony 
of history, prove that, if deprived of its sap or sub¬ 
stances tending to organize, and excluded from the 
contact of moist air, all woody fibre may be pre¬ 
served for an indefinite period. At a certain 
depth under water, too, it may be preserved 
indefinitely, as is proved by the durability of 
piles. But if not protected against the action of 
air and moisture, the particles of woody texture are 
gradually forced asunder, their bright colors fade, 
pass through various shades till they become jet 
black, and in process of time, the whole mass 
crumbles into atoms and final decay. 
Numerous attempts have been made from the 
days of the Romans, to render wood impervious to 
rot, the ravages of insects, and the action of fire. 
Among these, the patents of Kyan, Margary, Bou- 
cherie, Burnett, and Payne, have succeeded in this 
object to some extent, by introducing various me¬ 
tallic oxides and alkalies into the cells of the wood, 
by means of exhaustion and pressure; but who¬ 
ever will attentively examine a piece of timber 
with the microscope, will at once perceive, from the 
smallness of these cells, how difficult it would be 
to fill them with any fluid by the processes ordina¬ 
rily employed. Previous to the inventions of Bou- 
cherie and Payne, the chief substances made use of 
for impregnating the timber, were expensive pre¬ 
parations of mercury and copper, which, on grounds 
of economy alone, would forever exclude them from 
general use. By Kyan’s process, the timber is usu¬ 
ally steeped in a solution of corrosive sublimate 
(bichloride of mercury), in upright tanks, the pro¬ 
portions of the ingredients recommended, being 1 
lb. of the corrosive sublimate to 5 gallons of water; 
and it has been found by experiment, that a cubic 
foot of oak timber absorbs 3 pints of the liquid, 
which will usually require about three weeks. 
The ingenious method adopted by Boucherie, 
was, to cut off the top and a portion of the branches 
of the tree, at the period of the rising of the sap, 
and then plunge the lower end of its trunk, cut close 
to the ground, into a basin or vat, containing a so¬ 
lution of pyrolignate of iron, or some coloring mat¬ 
ter, which capillary attraction draws up into the 
cells of the wood in place of the sap—a process 
evidently limited in its application, and wholly un¬ 
fitted for the preparation of any kind of timber, ex¬ 
cept for hoop poles or very small tree$. 
The chief merits of the more recent invention, in 
England, by Mr. Payne, consist in the combination 
and chemical action of different elements, producing 
a new substance, with new physical characters, 
which, it is stated, render the wood operated upon 
uninflammable, free from the ravages of insects, and 
entirely proof against dry rot. By this process, the 
timber is first placed in a vacuum, in a solution of 
sulphate of iron (copperas water), which is made to 
saturate it thoroughly by exhaustion and pressure. 
A similar operation is then followed with a solu¬ 
tion of the muriate of lime, and within the pores of 
the wood there is thus created, by decomposition, 
an insoluble sulphate of iron. The principle acted 
upon by the inventor, was, that the source of the 
evil exists in the very nature and properties of the 
wood itself, and that a complete change must be 
effected in its structure by the diffusion of a sub 
stance capable of resisting external influences and ar¬ 
resting internal decay. By this process, it is computed, 
that, taking all expenses into estimation, the cost of 
preserving the sleepers of a mile of railway will not 
exceed $500. Each sleeper, it is stated, will ab¬ 
sorb half a pound of copperas in solution, and an 
equal weight of the muriate of lime. 
SOAK FOR SEEDS. 
It was observed by Baron Humboldt, that simple 
metallic substances are unfavorable to the germina¬ 
tion of plants, and that metallic oxides promote it 
in the exact ratio of their oxidation. Consequently, 
he was induced to seek some substance with which 
oxygen might be combined in such a manner as to 
facilitate its separation. In order to effect this, he 
made choice of oxygenated muriatic acid gas. in which 
he immersed some seeds of the common garden cress 
(pepper grass), which exhibited germs in the re¬ 
markably short period of six hours; whereas, when 
immersed in water alone, they did not germinate in 
less than thirty-two hours. 
Another very successful and economical steep for 
garden or other seeds, consists of a solution of a 
quarter of an ounce of chloride of lime to one gallon 
of water, in which the seeds should be allowed to 
soak for the space of four hours , and then be sown 
in the ordinary way. It is stated, on good authori¬ 
ty, that corn and peas, treated in this manner, have 
been known to throw out germs one and a half 
inches in twenty-four hours; and in forty-eight hours, 
to acquire roots more than double that length. 
The latter experiment may be tested, at a trifling 
cost, and should it succeed, as stated above, the 
germination, or coming up of many seeds, may be 
accelerated at least a week or ten days. 
FINE-WOOLED SHEEP AT THE WEST. 
Mr. Nathaniel Sawyer, of Cincinnati, Ohio, 
writes us, that he exhibited six bucks and six ewes 
of his flock, at the show of the New York State 
Agricultural Society, at Saratoga last September, 
and obtained a premium upon them. His flock is 
what is called the Guadaloupe variety, and came 
originally from New Hampshire. He considers it 
a pure flock of Merinos. 
Mr. Sawyer has a flock of about 1,200 on the 
praries, 25 miles west of Columbus, Ohio. He says 
his sheep are as healthy there as in any part of the 
Union. The only thing he fears is dogs. We 
trust the Legislature of Ohio, at their present sitting, 
will have the good sense to pass a law to tax dogs 
for the benefit of the flock masters of their state. 
Several thousand sheep are annually killed by 
worthless curs, kept for no purpose, but to gratify 
miserable loafers and reckless sportsmen. 
We are familiar with the country Mr. S. speaks 
of, and a more eligible one for sheep and general 
farming purposes it would be difficult to find. 
How to Make a Durable Whitewash. —Take 
a peck of quicklime and slake in hot water; add, 
while hot, 6 lbs. of lard or any common grease, 2 
lbs. of Spanish whiting, and 3 gills of salt. 
Stir the mixture well and apply it while hot. 
Rain nor dampness, it is said, will not darken its 
color for a great length of time. 
