MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
LETTER FROM MICHIGAN. 
-, Oakland Co., Mich,, Oct., 1850. 
Friend Moore —(I call all friends that 
try to learn us how to grow wheat and roses 
and onions:)—When I get a little leisure I 
shall chase down a few Wolverines and 
make them subscribe for my old friend, the 
Farmer—and if you will send me a few ex¬ 
tra numbers of the Rural, so that I can go 
armed, I will try and get a few for you. — 
You are aware that the order of nature is 
changed up here, so that a man is not sure 
of reaping what he sows—that is, wheat, 
oats and barley produce chess, rye and 
brush. Yet we find (assertions to the con¬ 
trary notwithstanding,) that those that read 
and heed your instructions have much the 
best luck, or at least grow larger and clean¬ 
er wheat than those that do neither. 
We like your paper for many reasons.— 
One is, it comes to us weekly, which is im¬ 
portant in these times, as most papers arc 
thrown by before they are cold, to give 
place to others. We feel anxious to extend 
agricultural knowledge, and we think that 
in time we shall be able to change the or¬ 
der of things, so that like will produce like, 
and Michigan wheat and flour will be equal 
to Genesee Avheat and flour—which would 
be the case now if by some method we 
could prevent wheat, rye, cockle and chess 
growing together. 
Truly yours, -. 
Remarks. —We do not publish Iho above ex¬ 
tract from a private letter wholly on account of its 
talk about the Rural —for had wo time to attend 
to the “ mutual admiration ” department, wo might 
give, from letters just received, extracts far more 
complimentary. One object in giving it, however, 
is to show what some farmers (and the writer of 
the above is, by reputation, among the best in the 
Union,) think about sustaining weekly agricultural 
journals. The remarks about wheat and chess 
are rather caustic, and withal suggestive. 
Wo take this occasion to thank the writer of the 
above, and numerous other persons from whom 
wo have recently heard by letter, for their generous 
olFers to extend the circulation of the New- 
Yorker. During our connection with the press, 
(including the period in which wo published a 
monthly agricultural journal, having a larger cir¬ 
culation than any similar one in the Union,) wo 
have never, in the same length of time, received 
half so many requests for specimen numbers, ac¬ 
companied with complimentary remarks and vol¬ 
untary offers of aid, as within the past two weeks. 
Such evidences of confidence, and tokens of en¬ 
couragement, are warmly appreciated, and will 
stimulate us to still greater exertions in the good 
cause. 
APPLES FOR HUMAN FOOD. 
The importtince of apples, as food, has 
not liitherto been sufficiently estimated in 
this country, nor understood. Besides con¬ 
tributing a large portion of sugar, mucilage 
and other nutritive matter, in the form of 
food, they conttiin such a fine combination 
of vegetable acids abstractive substances, and 
aromatic principles, with the nutritive mat¬ 
ter, as to act powerfully in the capacity of 
re fringe ments, tonics, and antiseptics; and, 
when freely used at the season of ripeness, 
by Eural laborers and others, they prevent 
debility, strengthen digestion, correct the 
putrefactive tendencies of nitrogenious food, 
avert scurvy, and probably maintain and 
strengthen the powers of productive labor. 
'* The operatives of Cornwall, in England, 
consider ripe apples nearly as nourishing as 
bread, ;... more so than potatoes. In the 
year 1801 , a year of scarcity, apples instead 
of being converted into cider, were sold to 
the po'or; and the laborers asserted that they 
could stand their work on baked apples with¬ 
out meat; whereas a potato diet required 
either meat or fish.” The French and Ger¬ 
mans use apples extensively; indeed, it is 
rare that they sit down, in the rural districts, 
without them in some shape or other, even 
at the best tables. The laborers and me¬ 
chanics depend on them, to a very great ex¬ 
tent, as an article of food and frecjuently 
dine on sliced apples and bread. Stewed 
with rice, red cabbage, carrots, or by them¬ 
selves, with a little sugar and milk, they 
make both a pleasantjind nutritious dish.— 
Water Cure Journal. • 
Fruit. — The value of fruit generally 
depends on the manner of gathering and 
saving. Carelessness in this way will often 
reduce its value one-half. It should be • 
gathered with great care, as bruising disfig¬ 
ures it, causes decay or insipidity. Fruits 
keep best in rather damp cellars, if aired 
in cool, dry weather. In dry cellars they 
shrivel. Those usually transient have been 
kept a year, sealed up in tin cans. Some 
French writer recommends putting fruit in 
a tight vessel, enclosing it in another, and 
filling the intermediate space with water.— 
Fruit will generally keep well in the ground 
buried in a dry soil, surrounded with boards 
or straw, to keep it from the ground, and 
making a cone of earth over it, or a cover¬ 
ing of boards to shed the water.— Cole. 
Rogues in rags aroj^kept in“countenance 
by rogues in rulflea 
Iji dDuliarii anil (Harkii. 
SEASONABLE HINTS. 
Fruit in Cellars. —A great deal of 
winter fruit suffers early decay in conse¬ 
quence of a deficiency of ventilation, especi¬ 
ally during autumn and after the fruit is 
deposited. Another cause of decay is the 
improper location of the shelves or bins, 
which are placed against or around the walls. 
By this inconvenient arrangement, the as¬ 
sorting of decayed specimens must be done 
all from one side, and the shelves mu.st 
hence be very narrow, or the operator must 
stretch himself in a most irksome horizontal 
position. The circulation of the air is at the 
same time greatly impeded by the want of 
space next the walls. To avoid these evils, 
the shelves sliould be in the centre with a 
passage all round. This allows circulation 
of air, and the shelves may be twice the 
width with the same convenience in assort¬ 
ing or picking. If suspended from the 
joists above on stiff bars, rats cannot reach 
them. We have never succeeded so well 
by any other than this arrangement. It is 
said that the Germans are very successful in 
the ventilation of their cellars, by a commu¬ 
nication with the principal chimney, the 
heated air in which necessarily maintains a 
current, which sweeps out the noxious and 
stagnant gases from the vegetable and other 
contents. 
Keeping Beets and Turners for the 
Table.— Tlie epidermis of the beet and 
turnep root, unlike that of the potatoe, ad-, 
mits the rapid escape of moisture, and hence 
if exposed to dry air for a few days, they 
begin to wilt and lose their freshness.— 
Buried in heaps out of doors, they keep well, 
but are hard to get at in winter. Good sub¬ 
stitutes have been devised, by lining and 
covering the boxes which contain them in 
the cellar, with flakes of turf; or by bury¬ 
ing them in barrels with slightly moist clean 
sand. A more convenient way, however, is 
to substitute slightly mois't peat for the sand, 
which is very much lighter than sand, and 
more easily applied and removed. 
Unheaded Cabbages. —There are often 
many of these when the crop is gathered at 
the approach of winter, commonly thrown 
away as useless. They may be rendered 
fine for spring use by transplanting them in 
a close double row, and then covering them 
with boards or slabs like the steep roof of a 
house, with an additional coating of a few 
inches of earth. They should then be 
properly ventilated. By next spring a large 
portion of them will be found well headed 
and delicately blanched. 
Rebelling mice from fruit trees.— 
We still often hear of the death of trees by 
mice, girdling. Prevention from this disas¬ 
ter is one the easiest and most certain things 
in the world, consisting simply in throwing 
up a little circular bank or mound of earth 
round the turnk of each tree, nine or ten 
inches high. One man will do hundreds in 
in a day, and w'e have never known a sin- 
single instance out of thousands of cases, 
where it has failed. 
Protecting tender Plants and Shrubs. 
—There is one principle which should not 
be forgotten, whatever be the nature of the 
covering applied to tender plants, more 
especially to the woody portions or parts 
above ground. This is, that the exclusion 
of moisture is an important object without 
excluding air. Ligatures are sometimes left 
on inserted buds for protection, and more 
usually destroy the buds by retaining water 
like a sponge. Closely wrapped straw op¬ 
erates in the same way, as well as by-ex¬ 
cluding air, which is often important. Roots 
and stems like those of the grape, which 
will bear a greater degree of moisture, are 
partial exceptions. Roots, even, are often 
destroyed when in a too moist soil; and their 
is no doubt that many tender herbaceous 
perennials would survive the rigors of our 
winters, if in earth with a dry dottom, and 
sheltered from rain .—Albany Cultivator 
NEW NATIVE PEARS. 
A NEW native pear was exhibited before 
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, by 
Messrs. Ilovey, & Co., on the 31st of’ Au¬ 
gust, which will pfobably prove to be the 
finest summer pear now known. The com¬ 
mittee on tasting the specimens pronounced 
them “ equal to the Urbaniste in its finest 
condition,” a recommendation of the high¬ 
est character which could be given to fruit. 
The pears are of large size and beautiful 
appearance, attaining a fine yellow hue 
when mature, with a delicate blush on the 
sunny side and ripen from the 15th to the 
30th of August, just before the Williams’s 
Bon Chretien, or Bartlett. The specimens 
were tried with the Rostiezer, Bloodgood, 
Dearborn’s Seedling, and other early pears, 
and did not suffer by comparison with eith¬ 
er of them, while they have the additional 
merit of being twice their size. Mr. Dana, 
of Roxbury, exhibited a new seedling pear, 
ripening about the same time as the Blood- 
good, and having something of its appear¬ 
ance. It possesses, however, rather better 
qualities than the Bloodgood, and, should 
it improve by cultivation, it promises to be¬ 
come a desirable acquisition.— Ilovey's Hor- 
ticultural Magazine. 
THE NEMOPHILA. 
The Nemophila insignis is one of the 
prettiest of all dwarf annuals for the bor¬ 
der, or for masses on a lawn. Its foliage is 
delicate and fine, and its flowers of a beau¬ 
tiful blue. It blooms in great profusion, 
and a long time. We extract the following 
notice from the Horticultural (English) 
Magazine: 
A A 
[j 
fMm 
mikk 
This is a showy annual of a dwarf growth, 
which soon displays abundance of small 
blue flowers, a little cupped, having a pure 
white eye, and deeply cut leaves. Its seeds 
may be sown at different seasons, a few in 
April, and a few at the end of September; 
for if the winter be not very sharp, they 
will bloom very early in the spring, and 
those sown in the spring will come into 
flower by the time the autumn sown ones 
decline. The young plants will bear remo¬ 
val, but I prefer sowing them where they 
are to bloom; there is, however, no harm in 
planting out the few that you take up from 
a patch when they have been sown too 
thickly; and some gardeners make them reg¬ 
ularly potted plants, and therefore sow all 
in one place, and pot off or plant out at 
pleasure. They are very beautiful till they 
begin to straggle along the ground, when, 
although they still keep flowering a little, I 
should advise you to make room for some¬ 
thing better. 
lorafstic (Itaiianuj. ■ 
* Anotta Dye. —This beautiful summer 
color is one of the readiesit known to the 
good housewife; but as there are some w'ho 
have to make it, we will give them the sim¬ 
ple direction. First, be careful to procure 
the article pure, as it is one very subject to 
adulteration. Cut it into small pieces and 
boil it in soft water with an equal weight 
of pearlash,in a copper boiler, say one pound 
to four gallons of water. Rinse the articles 
to be dyed, in clean water, and then let 
them boil some time; take out and rinse.— 
The quantity of anotta used must be regu¬ 
lated entirely by the depth of color required. 
A little experience will soon teach that— 
American Agriculturist. 
Making Brine —For the use of Young 
House-keepers .—Dissolve four pounds of 
good salt in each gallon of water. Add a 
few handfuls of small lumps of rock or coarse 
salt to each cwt of meat, as you pack it, be¬ 
fore putting on the brine. This will main¬ 
tain its strength. If the pieces of meat are 
small and lean, they will absorb salt enough 
to be palatable, in three days. You may 
then take it out, and if the weather is cool, 
keep it hung in a dry room, or pack it dry 
in coarse salt 
Housewife’s Cream. —Take half a pint 
of good cream, a quarter of a pint of white 
wine, a teacupful of pounded white sugar, 
and the rind and juice of one lemon. Put all 
into a large basin, and whisk till it becomes 
quite thick: then put into glasses, and let 
them remain in a cool place till required. 
[This cream is better if made the the day 
before it is wanted, and it will keep good 
for several days, if the weather is not too 
warm.] 
Rice Fritters. —Slice the rind of a lem¬ 
on, and boil it in milk, with sugar enough to 
sweeten it, and a cup of rice. When the 
rice is quite soft, take it out; beat up the 
rice with a glass of brandy, shape it into 
fritters, brush them with yolks of eggs, cov¬ 
er them with bread crumbs, fry them in 
butter, and serve them up with lemon juice 
squeezed over them. 
• Rice Balls. —Pour upon half a pound 
of rice three pints of boiling milk, and boil 
it with a little cinnamon, sugar and lemon 
peel, until it is quite tender; allow it to re¬ 
main until it is cold, and then make it into 
balls. Beat up two eggs, roll the balls in it, 
and afterwards in grated bread crumbs; fry 
them in lard drain them on a piece of paper, 
and serve them up with sifted sugar. 
Jfiuljairit Ma ^ Icitnu. 
LIST OF PATENTS 
ISSUKI) FROM THK UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 
For the week ending October 22, 1850. 
To Chaa. Benedict, of Waterbury, Conn., (as¬ 
signor to the Hotchkiss & Morriman Manufactur¬ 
ing Co.) for improvement in suspender buckles. 
To H. W. Bortholf, of Sugar Loaf, N. Y., for 
improvement in feeding apparatus for straw 
cutters. 
To Joseph Card, of Fairport, Ohio, for improve¬ 
ment in cheese presses. 
To L. H. Crocker of Cincinnati, Ohio, for im¬ 
provement in machines for making and holding 
cores for casting. 
ro Isaac Cunningham, of Reading, Pa., for 
apparatus for reversing or stopping locomotive 
engines. 
To J. T. Elliott, of Carrollton, Miss., for im¬ 
provement in cotton presses. 
To Wm. C. Pagett, of Xenia, O., for improve¬ 
ment in sub-soil plows. 
To T. B. Pyron, of Salina, Tenn., for improve¬ 
ment in apparatus for releasing horses from car¬ 
riages. 
To E. S. Reriwick, of Washington, D. C., for 
improved wrought railroad chair. 
To T. C>. Stagg of New York, N. Y., for im¬ 
provement in preparing beef-steaks for cooking. 
.To M. •&, A. K. Whittlesy, of Spring Port, N. 
Y., for improvement in the fastenings of coulters 
for plows. 
To J. 11. Wurtz, of New York, N. Y., for im-* 
provement in process for manufacturing alum. 
RF.-ISSUKS. 
To M. F. Potter, of Charlemont, Mass., for im¬ 
provement in portable furnaces. Patent dated 
Jan. 22, 1850. Re-issued Oct. 22, 1850. 
To S. A. Bentz & Wm. Andrews, of Frederick, 
Md., for improvement in mills for grinding. Pat¬ 
ent dated Dec. 4, 1849. Re-issued Oct. 15, 1850. 
DESIGNS. 
Po Ezra Ripley, ot Troy, N. Y., (assignor to 
G. W. Eddy, of Waterford, N. Y., for two de¬ 
signs for stoves. 
To J. L. Jackson, of New York, N. Y., for 
design for grate frame and fender. Dated Oct. 
15, 1850. 
[Translated for New-Yorker from French Journals.] 
NEW TREATMENT OF DISEASE. 
A CURIOUS fact is about to be exhibited 
to the medical world. It is a method of in¬ 
stantly curing sciatica, by the application of 
a small Bouton de feu moxa on the ear of 
the side affected. This treatment has been 
known for centuries by the Scythium and 
Persians, and at the present time in some 
parts of Portugal and Corsica. 
According to the instruction furnished by 
the Journal des Connaissancco Medico 
Ghiurgecules, published by Dr. M. Lawzer, 
numerous experiments have been made at 
the Hotel Dieu at Paris, by M. J aubent at 
Saint Louis, by M. Malgaigne, at the hos¬ 
pital at Toulon, and by M. Calvy and vari- 
’ ous other distinguished physicians, who have 
communicated their experience on this sub¬ 
ject to this Journal. 
The greater part of the results, are most 
surprising. Sciatic affections of months 
standing, are instantly cured by this trifling 
and simple burning. It is to be hoped that 
this discovery, may by found beneficial to 
various other painful nervous affections. 
BARTLE’S SELF-ACTING REGULATOR. 
Bartle’s Self-Acting Regulator for ad¬ 
justing and maintaining at a uniform height 
the water in Steam boilers, is an invention 
based upon well defined principle in science 
and well established facts pertaining to 
steam power. The apparatus is now on 
exhibition at the Fair of the American In¬ 
stitute, and constantly in operation during 
the day; it is applicable to every descrip¬ 
tion of Boiler and Engine whatever, either 
stationary or otherwise. 
It has been fully tested and has been 
found to answer perfectly the purposes for 
which it is designed; by the use of this self 
acting regulator, water may be maintained 
in the boiler uniformly, at any required 
height, without the constant watching of 
the Engineer. This is certainly a great 
invention; by its application the principal 
causes of explosion may be obviated; it 
a,lso tends tb the preservation of the boiler, 
and saves much of the time of the Engi¬ 
neer, which he may devote to other business. 
In connection Avith this regulator there 
is attached an index which shows, at a glance 
of the eye, the exact quantity of water in 
the boiler, and also an alarm bell, which, 
when the engine is not in motion will an¬ 
nounce the fact of the water being at any 
time too low, and when in motion, that the 
pump is not throwing water. The whole 
of this ingenious machine, combined, forms 
an arrangement more trusty, and reliable, 
than the most careful Engineers to be found. 
We would call the particular attention of 
machinists and engineers to this Regulator, 
and advise them to examine it thoroughly, 
for we certainly think no engine can be 
perfect without it. 
Applications to purchase the Regulator 
with right to use the same, must be made 
personally or by letter, to the Patentee and 
Manufacturer, Warren S. Bartle, Newark, 
Wayne county, N. Y.— N. K Bun. 
THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FAIR. 
This annual festival of Industry now 
draws to a close. Yet our time has been so 
thoroughly engrossed by other duties that 
we have done but partial justice to its in¬ 
teresting features, especially in the way of 
Inventions. We will speak of a few more 
to-day, leaving others to be noticed hereafter. 
Smut-Mills.— There are two excellent 
machines for clearing grain of all smut, dust, 
rust, and other impurities on exhibition at 
the Fair, but the one we shall speak of this 
morning is that of F. Harris & Son, origin¬ 
ally patented to hull and pearl rice and cof¬ 
fee, but now improved and adapted to 
the smutting and polishing of Grain, includ¬ 
ing Buckwheat. It will clean from seventy 
to one hundred and fifty bushels of grain 
per hour, according to size, and from seventy 
to eighty thousand before requiring to bo 
dressed or picked. It is earnestly com¬ 
mended by Hecker k Brother, N. H. Gil- 
lett, .Josiah Paine, the famous Gallego Mills, 
(fee., (fee., and seems wherever used to liave 
given general satisfaction. It is sold at Den- 
ten’s Mills, Butler st, Brooklyn, and at 
Elizabethtown, N. J. 
The Eagle Anvil.— This is an Ameri¬ 
can invention, and a good one. The body 
of the Anvil is of the best cast iron; the face 
of the finest cast steel, say three-fourths of 
an inch thick, and the whole warranted 
never to give or become depressed in the 
centre, as English Anvils do. The two 
parts are perfectly welded together and form 
one piece, warranted not to break or crack. 
They are made by Fisher & Norris, Trenton, 
N. J., Avho, though the business is new, have 
sold eight thousand within a year, of which 
less than a dozen have been returned as de¬ 
fective. We trust the importation of An¬ 
vils (hitherto almost exclusive) is nearly 
done over. 
Iron Wagon. —J. Hyde efe Co., have a 
light Pleasure Wagon on exhibition made 
entirely (save the upholstery) of Hollow Iron 
—wheels, hubs, shafts, body, seat, every¬ 
thing. It weighs three hundred pounds 
and costs $80 well finished. It has a self- 
oiling axle, which theAvheels have no chance 
to get away from. 
Sash-Lifting and Bund-Fastening.— 
Mr. Maguire has a very ingenious and cheap 
arrangement for raising and lowering win¬ 
dows by means of metallic weights without 
cord or pulley—costing less than half the 
old plan and seeming incapable of getting 
out of order. Connected with this, is a con¬ 
trivance for opening and closing window 
blinds without putting your hand outside— 
a capital idea. The whole is cheap and 
simple. Mr. Maguire is from Cincinnati. 
Colored Daguerreotypes. — We notice 
in the case of the Brothers Mead, of No. 
233 Broadway, a peculiar style of colored 
border around portraits, which is produced 
by a chemical process which Messrs. M. 
employ here and first introduced into Lon¬ 
don and Paris. There is a pleasing blend¬ 
ing of hues, which increases in a great de¬ 
gree the beauty of small pictures. Messrs. 
Meade are among the most successful and 
extensive operators in this country, both in 
pictures and materials.— N. Y. Tribune. 
DURABILITY AND DECAY OF 
PLANK ROADS. 
A PLANK road may re(piire a removal, 
either because it has worn out at top by 
the travel upon it, or because it has been 
destroyed at the bottom by rot. But if the 
road has travel enough to make it profitable 
to its builders, it will wear out first, and if it 
does, it will have earned sufficiently enough 
to replace it twice over, as we shall see pres¬ 
ently. The liability to decay is therefore a 
secondary consideration on roads of impor¬ 
tance. As to natural decay, no hemlock 
road has been in use long enough to deter¬ 
mine how long the plank can be preserved 
from rot. Seven years is perhaps a fair av¬ 
erage. Different species of hemlock vary 
greatly, and upland timber is always more 
durable than from wet and low localities. — 
The pine roaffs in Canada generally last 
about eight yeai-s, varying from seven to 
twelve. The original Toronto road was 
used chiefly by teams hauling steamboat 
wood, and at the end of six years began to 
break through in places, and not being re'- 
paired was principally gone at the end of 
ten years. Having been poorly built, badly 
drained, not sanded, and no care bestowed 
upon it, indicates the minimum of durability. 
Oak plank cross-Avalks are used in Detroit, 
the plank being laid flat on those of pine.— 
It is believed that oak plank, well laid, would 
last at least twelve to fifteen years. One 
set’of sleepers will outlast two plankings. 
Several Canada roads have been re-laid up¬ 
on the old sleepers, thus much lessening 
the cost of renewal. 
Infinite Variety. —In speaking of the 
range of the human voice, the editor of the 
Mediced Times says:—There are about nine 
perfect tones, but 17.592.180.044.415 differ¬ 
ent sounds; thus, 14 direct muscles, alone 
or together, produce 10.383; 30 indirect 
muscles, ditto, 173.741.823, and all in co¬ 
operation produce the number we have 
named; and these independently of differ¬ 
ent degrees of intensity. 
