MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
(iI)rE[iarb anb (larbra. MmmWt (Itanoraii. ^3lEc|iiTiiit Iris & Itinite. 
REPORT ON FLOWERS. 
The following is the report of the com¬ 
mittee on Flowers exhibited at the union 
Fair of our Agricultural and Horticultural 
Societies, held in Corinthian Hall on the 
2Cth ultimo:— 
The Committee award the following premiums: 
Amateurs. —Miss Sarah M. Hayward—One 
very large table bouquet, $1. 
Miss C. W. Cheney—Best display of dahlias, 
^5. 
Miss C. W. Cheney—Best round hand bouquet, 
$ 1 . 
Mrs. A- Fitch, (Riga)—2 baskets of flowers, 
$ 1 . 
James Vick—Floral ornament of German As¬ 
ter, $1. 
Priscilla P. Chappell—2 flat bouquets, $1, 
Mrs. S. G. Crane—2 best round bouquets, ,“$2 
John Ra|)alje exhibited 2 fine varieties of flow¬ 
ers, and Mr. Alfred Fitch some very fine bal¬ 
sams. 
Nurserymen. —King & Dowe, greenhouse 
plants; second best display during the season, ;^5. 
Roses, best display, ^3; Verbenas, do do Diplo¬ 
ma; Pansies, do do do; Phloxes, do do do; Dah¬ 
lias, best 12 varieties, do. Besides the above, 
Messrs. K. & D. exhibited 4 very fine bouquets, 
and a variety of other flowers. 
C. J. Ryan & Co.—Dahlias, best display, di¬ 
ploma; bouquets, 2d best. Table, $2; do do, round 
hand, $1; do, b#8t flat, $2. • 
S. Moulson exhibited a fi.ne collection of Dah¬ 
lias. 
Charles Powis—Dahlias, 12 very fine var. 
Ellwanger & Barry—Dahlias, 44 c£ the best 
and newest varieties; Roses, 20 var., mostly Hy¬ 
brid Perpetual. A fine collection of Pansies; do 
of Verbenas; do pf Phloxes; do of Astors; do of 
German Stock; do of Altheas; Bouquets 2, round 
hand. 
Note. —Mr. Ellwanger beingchairman, Messrs 
E. & B. did not offer anything for competition-— 
None of the premiums awarded to E & B. at the 
last June Exhibition will be drawn from the So¬ 
ciety. Geo. Ellwanger, Chairman. 
MATERIALS FOR POTTING PLANTS. 
According to the Gardener’s Chronicle, 
the best materials for the cultivation of 
plants in pots, are the following: 
Loam —the best is procured from very 
old pastures or commons—the surface to be 
pared off not more than two inches—to be 
laid in a heap to decompose for 8 or 10 
months. A heavier and a lighter will be 
found of great convenience, for plants of 
different habits. 
Peat—\a. choosing this, it should be pro¬ 
cured from a dry rather than wet locality. 
If coarse from fern roots, it should decom¬ 
pose in a heap. Peat is of great value in 
keeping composts open, and assisting drain¬ 
age. In this country, where it cannot al¬ 
ways be easily had, leaf-mould, from the 
woods, is a good substitute. 
Manure —stable dung, quite rotted, is 
perhaps as good as any thing. It should 
never undergo fermentation. For some 
kinds of plants, cow-dung three or four 
years old, will prove very useful. 
Sand, of a pure white kind, is the most 
desirable—the nearer it approaches pound¬ 
ed silica, the better. 
To attempt any thing beyond mediocrity, 
without being posessed of the above mate¬ 
rials, will be found a waste of labor. These 
materials should be always kept within 
reach of the potting bench, in a condition 
fit for immediate use. It is this foresight 
that has rendered the course easy to many 
a successful aspirant, and the want of it the 
ruin of half the plants propagated. For 
plants will not generally thrive in any com¬ 
post, however carefully attended to, unless 
some attention is paid to their natural wants 
and habits. Plants in pots are in an artifi¬ 
cial position and require a proportionate 
amount of care ; . • ration. 
FALL MANAGEMENT OF ASPARAGUS. 
A SUBSCRIBER rcquests a few hints on 
this subject, and inquires whether the stalks 
should be cut away in the fall. When the 
plants are dead, the stalks should be cut 
and removed, and they may be used as lit¬ 
ter for hogs, or otherwise converted into 
manure. It is better to cut off the stalks a 
little above the surface; then the remains 
of the stalk may be -removed more conven¬ 
iently in the spring, tlian when it is cut just 
below the surface, as the butt is then out of 
sight. These old butts of the stalk should 
be removed early in the spring, that they 
may not obstruct the tender shoot- 
If the roots of the asparagus have been 
set low, in a trench, shallow plowing, in the 
fall, will be a good mode of culture, for the 
purpose of destroying the weeds, pulveri¬ 
zing the soil, ,&c. If the roots have not 
been set sufficiently low to admit of plow¬ 
ing, the harrow may be used to advantage. 
If there is a lack of richness in the soil, ap¬ 
ply manure before plowing or harrowing.— 
N. E. Farmer. 
Storing Winter Cabbages. —Such cab¬ 
bages, at the extreme north, as you wish to 
keep through the winter and early spring, 
may be pulled up by the roots, and arran¬ 
ging them in rows, with their heads down¬ 
ward, resting on the surface of the ground, 
so that their stalks will stand upright in the 
air; then they may be covered with straw 
and earth, and treated in every other re¬ 
spect as directed for root crops. Should 
the weather be unusually warm, the earth 
and straw should be opened to let in air. 
BOILING POTATOES. 
A writer in the London Times says:— 
“ The following method of dressing po¬ 
tatoes will be found of great use at this 
season of the year, when skins are tough 
and potatoes are watery. Score the skin 
of the potato lengthwise and across, quite 
around, and then boil the potato in plenty 
of water and salt, with the skin on. The 
skin readily cracks when it is scored, and 
lets out the moisture, which otherwise ren¬ 
ders the potato soapy and wet. The inv 
proveraent to bad potatoes by this method 
of boiling them is very .great; and all who 
have tried it find a great advantage in it, 
now good potatoes are very difficult to be 
obtained.” 
If there is any value in the above rec¬ 
ommendation, its simplicity warrants a trial. 
Every one must have observed the differ¬ 
ence, that constantly occurs in the quality 
of boiled potatoes of the same varieties, 
and no one can account for it, or find a con¬ 
stant rule for that simple process of cook¬ 
ing. Whether putting the potato into hot 
or cold water, quick or slow boiling, or hard 
or soft water, is undecided. It is no trick 
to bring on the table fine, mealy boiled po¬ 
tatoes, when fresh dug, but after they are 
wilted and have been exposed to the air, 
they are half the lime wet and waxy.— 
Who wijl settle the rule to be observed for 
' boiling so important an item in domestic 
economy ? It is worth investigation. 
One thing we are quite certain of, that 
there is not half salt enough used in the 
boiling of vegetables—the cooks allowing 
the consumers to season for themselves, 
and the salt not being properly dissolved 
and disseminated, too great a quantity is 
used, creating great drouth in, and injury 
to the stomach by the required introduction 
of extreme quantities of liquids.— Ed. 
HOW TO PRESERVE GRAPES. 
The folloAviftg simple method of- preser¬ 
ving grapes fresh, we have knoAvn prac¬ 
tised with success for several years past. 
Some persons use kiln dried sawdust instead 
of cotton batting, and think it preferable : 
“ For several years past I have succeeded 
in preserving Isabella grapes till March.. 
We have had the luxury of having fresh 
grapes all through the winter; and have 
found them very useful and refreshing to 
the sick, especially to consumptive people. 
We pick oiu- grapes to preserve for the 
winter as late as we can, and save them 
from the frost; gathering them when they 
are perfectly dry, .say in the middle of a 
sunny day.' We take a dry box—a com¬ 
mon candle box is very convenient for the 
purpose—first cover the bottom with cot¬ 
ton batting. We then put down a layer of 
grapes, one cluster after another, as thick 
as they can well lay. Care should be ta¬ 
ken that no broken or green ones are in the 
clusters. If there are, they will cause the 
others to mould and decay. We then put 
down a layer of cotton batting, and then 
another layer of grapes till the box is full. 
Some have been at the trouble to seal 
the end of e^ch stem with wax. We do not 
delieve it is of any service. As the stems 
are brittle, it is necessary to handle them 
with a great deal of care. When they are 
thus laid down, much depends upon the 
place where you deposit the box. It should 
be placed in the dryest and coolest place 
you have in the house. Some prefer the 
garret. There they are apt to wilt and 
lose all their flavor. Sometimes they will 
mould in the cellar. The principal difficul¬ 
ty in preserving grapes, lies in keeping them 
secure from the time you lay them down 
to the setting in of cold weather. After 
that there is no difficulty. I have general¬ 
ly had them come out as green and as fresh 
in the middle of winter as they were when 
first laid down, and with their original flavor. 
So far as my experience goes, I have 
succeeded best in preserving them in the 
upper part of the cellar. I have never 
failed in preserving them in this way. As 
they may be kept, they become a more de¬ 
sirable fruit, jmd the cultivation of the vine 
should be greatly increased, not for the pur¬ 
pose of making intoxicating drink, but as an 
article of wholesome food. There can be 
no doubt but that fruit should constitute a 
much larger share of our diet. The free 
use of it relieves us in a great measure of 
some of our most common diseases.—[A. 
W., in Newark Advertiser. 
Preserving Quinces. —“ Select the lar¬ 
gest and fairest quince, (as the poorer ones 
will answer for jelly.) Take out the cores 
and pare them. Boil the quinces in water 
till tender. Take them out separately on a 
platter. To each pound of quince allow a 
pound of sugar. Make the syrup, then 
boil the quinces in syrup till clear.” 
This is is said to be excellent and cheap, 
and every housekeeper who is so situated as 
to be able to procure quinces, should lay in 
a good supply. 
LIST OF PATENTS 
ISSUED FROM THE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 
For the week ending October 1, 1850. 
To Herrick Aiken, of Franklin, N. H. for im¬ 
provement in wrought-iron car-wheels. 
To Stephen Bowerman of Detroit, Mich., for 
improvement in cotton-stalk harvesters. 
To A. BufTinan & P. Thorp, of New York, N. 
Y., for improved double-acting rocker, for washing 
gold. 
To W. P. Coleman, of New Orleans, La., fo’' 
improvement in mills for grinding. 
To R. J. Colvin, of Lancaster, Pa., for improve¬ 
ment in slides of seed-planters. 
To Reuben Daniels, of Woodstock, Vt., for im¬ 
provement in vegetable-cutters. 
To Ilalvor Halvorson, of Northampton, Mass., 
(assignor to Wrn.' M. Chace, of Boston, Mass.,) 
for improvement in looms. 
To J. J. Harndon, of Marlborough District, S. 
C , for improvement in rice-harvesters. 
To O. R. Judd, of Rockton, N. Y., for im¬ 
provement in saw-gates. 
To Lewis Lupton, of Winchester, Va., for im¬ 
provements in dash-boards for carriages. 
To M. M. Mathews, of Rochester, N. Y., for 
the use of rosin-oil in printers’ ink. 
To Wm. Markland & J. Milnes, of Lowell, 
Mass., for improvements in weaver’s shuttles. 
To Gelston Sanford, of Ellenville, N. Y., for 
improved auger handle. 
To Wm. W. Smith, of Boston, Ma.ss., for im¬ 
provement in spring callipers. 
To C. S. Snead, of Louisville, Ky., for im¬ 
provement in grain driers. 
To Ashley Townsend, of Pavilion, N. Y., for 
improvement in the construction of endless aprons 
in threshing machines and grain cleaners. 
To Amos Westcott, o^ Syracuse, N. Y., ior im¬ 
proved door spring. 
To Isaac Woodward, of Mechanicsburgh, Ohio, 
for improvement in straw cutters. 
RE-ISSUES. 
To L. R. Living.ston, J. J. P«,oggen & C. Adams, 
of Pittsburgh, Pa., for improvement in shanks of 
door-knobs. Patent dated July 7, 1846: im¬ 
provement added Dec. 11, 1847. 
DESIG.N. 
*To Anthony W. Jones, of New York, N. Y., 
(assignor to E. R. Brown, of Albany, N. Y.,) for 
design for stoves. 
SAFEGUARDS FOR STEAMBOATS. 
An exchange says that the many disas¬ 
ters wliich occur in steamboat navigation 
have awakened much attention to the sub¬ 
ject of providing proper safeguards for life 
on such occurrences. A writer in the ISTa- 
tional Intelligencer suggests that,oach ves¬ 
sel be provided with pieces of dry pine 
scantling, six inches square and six feet long, 
having a four-inch hole bored through the 
middle, and carefully stopped at e.^*'--h end. 
This piece of timber will weigh about for¬ 
ty-four pounds, and displace two cubic feet, 
or one hundred and twenty-four pounds 
of water; making a difterence of eighty 
pounds, which will be the load required to 
sink it. If the human head averages ten 
pounds in weight, this float will support 
eight adults with their heads out of water. 1 
For convenience of holding on, there should 
be a small cord fastened at the ends, along 
two sides of the float, and on riders, promis¬ 
cuously thrown overboard, several of them 
where the stream would carry them away. 
It should be attached by cords, and a line 
to connect with a boat, or an anchor,-or to 
the steamer; twenty of these floats would 
fill but forty cubic feet, and admit of com¬ 
pact stowage. They might also be used as 
seats, &c., for the deck passengers, with no 
small improvement of their comfort These 
might save, if each was fully loaded, one 
hundred and sixty lives. But, making al¬ 
lowances for everything, twenty floats might 
be estimated to save one hundred persons 
from drowning. 
IMPROVED SAW. 
Mr. j. H. Tuttle, of Seneca, Ontario Co. 
N. Y., has invented a new and useful im¬ 
provement on saws, for which he has taken 
measures to seciu'e a patent The improve¬ 
ment is in the teeth—their construction and 
arrangement; it is not a rasping saw, but a 
grooving and planing one. Two fleame 
teeth are made at the usual distance apart, 
with their points set opposite to rip two fine 
grooves, and then behind two such teeth 
there is one set straight, which shaves out 
the wood between the two rip grooves.— 
This is the way the teeth are arranged along 
the whole length of the blade. It may be 
supposed from the great age of the saw, 
that improvements on it have been long ex¬ 
hausted, but it often happens that these are 
just the kind of things on which great im¬ 
provements are made now and then:—the 
steam engine of Hero was two thousand 
years old before any improvements were 
made on it; and it is only within the past 
century that the plow—the old, time-honor¬ 
ed plow—was raised from rude barbaric 
construction and form to its present scien¬ 
tific and princely position among machines. 
The proof of the value of any improvement, 
is its practical test—its use. This saw has 
been fairly and fully tried along with others 
of the common construction, and it has been 
stated that one man can do as much work 
with it in the same time as two with the old 
kind.— Scientific American. 
THE LONDON INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION. 
A LETTER from the Hon. Abbott Law¬ 
rence to Prof. W. K Johnson, recently 
received, makes the following appeal to 
his fellow citizens in the United States 
to do themselves full justice at the ex¬ 
hibition in London, in 1851: 
I am happy to inform you that ar¬ 
rangements for the proposed exhibition 
are now being made upon an extensive 
scale in France, two thousand persons 
having, as I learn, already entered their 
names in .France as exhibitors. Every 
country in Europe will contribute to this 
great show, and Egypt, Persia, India and 
China are preparing the products of their 
skill and labor for the exhibition. I be¬ 
lieve that nearly all nations will come here 
in 1851. 
I cannot but entertain the sanguine hope 
that the citizens of the United States will 
avail themselves of this opportunity not only 
of exhibiting the various products of our 
skill and labor, but induce as many men as 
possible to come here who possess the ability 
to profit by what they see produced by other 
countries. I believe, in a commercial point 
of view, we may reap great advantages by 
increasing our exports. To the inventors, 
mechanics, and skillful men in the mechanic 
arts and productive sciences, it will be emi¬ 
nently useful to come here and examine the 
products of mind and labor that will be bro’t 
together from all parts of the world; and 
above all, we have the opportunity of im¬ 
pressing upon all nations the extent, resour¬ 
ces and power of our great and favored 
country. If we present specimens of our 
minerals, agricultural products, manufac¬ 
tures and inventions from the various States 
of the Union, I am sure that we shall make 
a deeper impression upon the public mind 
(as a nation) than could be accomplished by 
the exhibition of .fleets and armies. If we 
come here as exhibitors of the progress we 
have made in the industrial arts, pray let it 
be in our full strength and power. It is one 
of those occasions when we should do our 
best. I will suggest the necessity of the 
early appointment of an agent in London 
to receive the articles intended for the 
exhibition. 
IMPROVED SMUT MACHINE. 
Mr. Geo. Hathaway, of Corning, N. Y. 
has made an improvement in Smut Ma¬ 
chines, for which he has taken measures 
to secure a patent, and which appears to 
be a good invention, both on account of; 
its simplicity, effectiveness and durability. 
He has a set of revolving arms in the 
inside a slat framed shell, and on each 
arm there are a number of longitudinal 
beatefs made of iron. These, by revolv¬ 
ing, beat the grain against the slatted 
shell, which is also made of the same 
iron, and a fan operated in the usual 
way, blows out * all the impure matter, 
and the grain is delivered below beauti¬ 
ful and clean. In this smut machine, the 
action is a beating one, not rubbing, hence 
the parts do not get worn smooth and 
useless, but it maintains its working qual¬ 
ities until it is worn out. This machine 
can be made very cheap, because it is 
constructed of ^heap and durable mate¬ 
rials, and any good blacksmith make 
all its parts.— Sci. Am. 
The Triumph of Genius.— By late ac¬ 
counts from Europe we learn that Robert 
Stephenson, the projector of the Brittannia 
Tubular Bridge, has been offered knight¬ 
hood, and has refused it. Mr. Farraday, 
the celebrated chemist, has also been ten¬ 
dered knighthood, and has, in like manner, 
declined it. This reminds us that West, 
the great painter, and Watt, the inventor of 
the steam-engine, refused to accept knight¬ 
hood, though pressed to do so by George 
the Third. 
Navigating the Air. —We yesterday exam¬ 
ined a new invention which promises to realize 
the hitherto visionary anticipations of a success¬ 
ful and practical navigation of the air. This in¬ 
vention is a nev/ application of the principle of a 
flying Machine which has already attract the at¬ 
tention and received the approbation of many 
eminent scientific men in this country. It is be- 
delieved that the feasibility of air navigation has 
been indisputably demonstrated, and that by this 
machine space can be annihilated with a rapidity 
second only to a Magnetic Telegraph. The in¬ 
ventor, Mr. John Taggart of Charlestown, Mass, 
expended much tim^ and labor in perfecting his 
improvement, and purposes exhibiting its action 
by an ascension from thi« city, which will take 
place in a few weeks. Tne machine may be ex¬ 
amined at 135 Fulton-st, Dulap’s Hotel. 
[N. Y. Tribune. 
Navigating thf air. —The Paris correspondent 
of the Southern Literary Messenger states that 
iBiial navigation is all the rage in Europe, and 
says he should not be astonished if we are upon 
the eve of discovering the secret of locomotion 
at will through the air. Spain, England, and 
France, are rivalling each other in their efforts 
for this magnificent result. 
Copper Mines in Pennsylvania. —Valuable 
veins of copper ore have been found and opened 
in Pennsylvania, near the Schuylkill river, about 
twenty miles from the city of Philadelphia. The 
Pennsylvania, says these mines, in richness and 
extent, are said to be equalled only by the rich 
mines of Cornwall, in England, which they are 
said to resemble in a remarkable degree. Some 
of these veins have been opened to a great deptp, 
and traced for three miles in extent, showing that 
they are very regular and inexhaustible. 
liuninrnuB anb fmuaing. 
How TO MAKE A Raisk. —An entertain¬ 
ing correspondent mentions a good retort 
which he once made upon an acquaintance, 
' whose wont it was to go aroimd the city 
“ sherry-coblerizing ” of a Sunday morn¬ 
ing, and who in winter was often for a week 
at a time in a “ state of whiskey-pen- 
chiness.” 
He was once very angry with me; I said 
to him one morning, “I’m going ‘to make 
a raise ’ soon, and as you are to be the 
means, for civility’s sake, I’ll tell you about 
it, though it is not essential.’/ 
“Well,” growled my friend, “ how is it?” 
“Why,” I intend getting your life insur- 
ed'for ten thousand dollars, and then ma¬ 
king you a present of fifty dolfars worth of 
whiskey! You’ll drink yourself to death 
in six weeks! ” 
You never saw a “madder” man 
Intellectual Capacity. — A Common 
councilman’s lady, paying her daughter a 
visit at school, and inquiring what progress 
she had made in her education, the gov- ^ 
erness answered: 
“Pretty good, madam; miss is "'very at¬ 
tentive, if she wants' anything, it is capac¬ 
ity ; but for that deficiency, you know, we 
must not blame her.” 
“ No, madam,” replied the mother; “ but 
I blame you for not having mentioned it be¬ 
fore. Her father, thank Heaven, can af¬ 
ford his daughter a capacity, and I beg she 
may have one immediately, cost what it 
may.” 
Economy. — A Dutch farmer down on 
the Mohawk had just built a new barn, and 
while the operation of shingling was going 
on, he one day mounted to the roof to over¬ 
look operations, and soon discovered what- 
he considered a very great piece of extrav¬ 
agance in the workmen, and that was, that 
while they drove but one nail in the small 
shingles, they invariably put two in the 
wide ones. Mynheer said nothing, but 
while'the .boss and hands were in at dinner, 
he went out to the barn, hatchet in hand, 
and split all the wide shingles. < 
An Editor’s Retort. —At a late festival, 
a pretty Miss helped the editor to a pie plate 
of antique manufacture, in the centre of 
which he espied the following couplet: 
“ One sweet kiss 
Is the price of this.” 
As soon as an opportunity presented, he 
I motioned the young lady to his side, and, 
pointing with liis knife to the lines, said, 
“ Young lady, your pay is ready whenever 
you present your hill!” 
A New Pill. —Dr. Wendell has just in¬ 
vented a new pill “to purge melancholy.” 
They are made of fun and fresh air, in equal 
proportions, and are to be taken with cold 
water three times a day without stopping. 
“ Dr. Parr,” said a young student once 
to the old linguist, “ let’s you and I write a 
book.” 
“Very well,” replied the doctor, “ put in 
all that I know, and all that you don't know, 
and we’ll make a big one.” 
Genin, the New York h.atter, has writ¬ 
ten a letter to Dodge the vocalist, (who gave 
$625 for the first Lind concert ticket in Bos¬ 
ton,) requesting him to send the measure of 
his head. It is well Genin didn’t ask for 
the measure of his ears, for they must be 
I immeasurable. 
A Curiosity. —A man at Schaticoke ad¬ 
vertises a rattlesnake for sale as tame “ as a 
politician after a defeat.” Shouldn’t won¬ 
der if he had been trying to get the office of 
Constable of the Watch, and met with a 
slip up. 
Natural Curiosity. — A white, crow' 
was taken in the eastern part of this city 
last week, by Mr. John 0. Curtis. . Two 
of them were seen together, and fired 
upon; and a wing of one being broken, 
it was taken alive. It was purchased by- 
Mr. Alonzo Butler, who had its wing set, 
and it is now in a thriving condition.— 
The bird is truly a rara avis, and comes 
pretty near being something new iJtider 
the sun. '• As black as a crow,” will no 
longer answer for an illustration. The 
white crow is not entirely unknown in 
natural history, but it is a stranger bird 
than Poe’s raven. Mr. Butler has refu¬ 
sed $50 for this specimen. — Kennehec 
Journal. 
-- 4 
Good-breeding is a guard upon the 
tongue; the misfortune is, that we put it on 
and oft' with our tine clothes and visiting- 
faces, and do not wear it where it is most 
wanted—at home! 
Idleness is the devil’s pin-cushion. Be 
ye therefore, industrious. Happiness will 
follow. 
The very circumstances which make the 
shallow, misanthropical, incline the wise to 
be benevolent. 
Rather go to bed supperless than rise 
in debt. 
The trials of life are the tests which as¬ 
certain how much gold is in us. 
