MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
TIGHT vs, open barns.-filling brains. 
Hit. Editor:— In your paper of July 11, 
I saw an article on tight and open barns, 
and as facts are what we farmers want, I 
will give you some on this subject. 
In 1848, 1 built two barns,—one 34 by 
44, the other 20 by 40, and made them as 
tight as they could be with matched pine 
siding. I have put wheat in them too green 
to be fit for market, which when threshed 
in October, was in first rate order for grind¬ 
ing. I kept the doors shut at ell times 
when practicable, for in my opinion barns 
cannot be made too tight for grain or hay, 
nor kept shut too closely. These barns are 
both set up on stone walls 8 feet high; un¬ 
der one I have a tool house and horse stable, 
and in the other deep bays, and a cellar 
under the floor. Corn stalks must be dry, 
or they will spoil in such barns as the above. 
— While writing, I wish to inquire about 
under-ground drains. I have been making 
them occasionally for the last ten years, and 
have filled them with small stone. When 
they have run straight down the hill they 
have worked well, but where side-ways 
they have filled up. I wish to know whether 
tile pipe will do so or not ? I shall be much 
obliged, if you or any of your correspon¬ 
dents will inform me through the Rural 
New-Yorker. M. C. Crapsey. 
Lockport, Niagara Co., N. Y., Feb. 22, 1851. 
PRACTICAL RECIPES. 
Poll Evil. —The poll evil is generally 
produced by the horse receiving a bruise 
upon the top of his head, which produces a 
mass of corrupt flesh, that keeps continually 
increasing. As a remedy for this I would 
recommend cutting open the pipe large 
enough to admit of the insertion of a piece 
of arsenic about as large as a grain of cof¬ 
fee. Wrap the arsenic in cotton and let it 
remain in the pipe several days. Keep the 
sore washed daily until cured. In order to 
keep the arsenic from eating, the sound flesh 
it would be well to rub a little grease around 
the out edge. By this method I have known 
several horses to have been effectually cured 
after they had been given up as lost. 
Cure for Coughs in Horses.— Some 
years since I saw it recommended in the 
Cultivator, by a writer signing himself J. 
L. B., to take human urine and put in a buck¬ 
et of water and let them drink it; or on their 
food and eat it, as a cure for coughs. He 
says:—“My carriage horse had an extreme¬ 
ly bad cough which had continued for six 
or eight months; different applications were 
made but without effect.” He then applied 
to a person who had had considerable experi¬ 
ence in such matters, and who informed him 
of the above remedy. “ I then directed my 
driver” says he “ to do so, and in one week 
my horse was entirely relieved.” Try it 
coachmen, stage proprietors, farmers and 
others, and see. 
Film in the Eyes of a Beast. —As a 
remedy for film in the eyes of beasts I would 
recommend spitting tobacco juice in them. 
This remedy has been applied with perfect 
success by the farmers down south for years. 
When the horse’s eye is weeping or looks 
weak, entire relief will be afforded by doing 
so. 
To Cure Garget in Cows’ Bags.— 
When the symptoms appear—which are 
noticeable by a swelling on one side of the 
bag, bloody, or clotted milk, and in some 
cases a loss of appetite—feed them plenty 
of garget root—or as some call it, Julap 
root—and it will have the desired effect — 
It has been deemed advisable by some, 
when the case is considered serious to in¬ 
sert a bit of the root in the dewlap, in ad¬ 
dition to feeding it to them. 
Where an extensive dairy is kept a patch 
of this root should be raised in the garden 
by all means, and carefully gathered and 
dried for future emergencies. It is also 
said to be a cure for the horn-ail. 
_ 
Cure for the Hoof-Ail. —When the 
cow lays down, take a sharp knife and make 
an incision lengthwise through the skin on 
the bottom of the foot where it is most swell¬ 
ed and inflamed. In a day or two you will 
perceive matter making its way from the 
wound, aud in a few days thereafter it will 
he well. Leonads. 
Philadelphia Co., I’a., ISol. 
STRAWBERRIES. 
The article on strawberries in the last 
number of the New-Yorker, from the pen 
of your correspondent, H. P. N., of Brock- 
port, I was glad to notice—for I am confi¬ 
dent that a comparison of notes among 
strawberry raisers, and the experiments re¬ 
sulting from the suggestions thus thrown 
out, will result in placing us all in posses¬ 
sion of many more facts in relation to this 
delicious fruit than we all together now 
hava Or, I might say, I almost entertain 
the opinion that the nature and habits of 
the strawberry are as yet but very imper¬ 
fectly understood, even by the best cultiva¬ 
tors in our land, but of which I am very 
solicitious to inquire and learn — and 
therefore, I hope that the discusion will 
every where go on, that facts may be elicted 
to throw light upon the subject. 
I cordially agree with H. P. N., in not 
caring for the question of the sexual differ¬ 
ence in the varieties, only as it may serve 
to throw light on the main question, viz., 
the character of this plant and its habits 
of bearing. 
The case cited by H, P. N., in which 
Hovey’8 bore the first year, and then be¬ 
came barren, is similar to those I have often 
noticed; and then, again, I have occasion¬ 
ally observed the plants sterile the first 
year, even with proper culture and sur¬ 
rounded with Duke of Kent and other 
staminates, and after which, without any 
change, I have known them become very 
fruitful. I have also noticed plants taken 
from apparent sterile beds, as cited by H. 
P. N., that became great bearers, and quite 
as frequently I have known fine plants of 
Hovey’s taken from beds bearing bounti¬ 
fully, refuse to bear altogether in another 
garden a few yards off. 
In my own garden, last year, I had a 
fine bed of Hovey’s two years old, say 25 
feet long. About three-fourths of the bed 
bore finely, and some of the fruit measured 
full five inches in circumference; but the 
other six feet of the bed scarcely bore a 
single berry—and yet the barren end was 
decidedly the deepest, richest, most mellow 
soil, raised say two or three inches higher 
than the rest of the bed, while the fruitful 
part was a lower, harder, obstinate soil, and 
the plants were inferior in appearance to 
the barren ones. The bed was on low 
ground, well watered and not affected with 
drought. Staminates ranged along the 
whole length on an adjoining bed, and yet 
it did not help the barren Hovey’s. 
In Palmyra we cannot say Hovey’s uni¬ 
formly afford a full yield, even when grown 
near the Boston Pine, or Early Scarlet, in 
our gardens, and the same fact I have had 
occasion to notice in Seneca Falls and other 
places—although Hovey’s often afford us 
here, a full yield. 
Another case. I have a neighbor near 
me who has a bed of Hovey’s, say 50 feet 
by 40, which has borne astonishingly during 
the past four successive years, although 
the owner assures me there is not a stam- 
inate plant within, say 200 feet. The fact 
of their bearing so very largely in succes¬ 
sive years attracted my attention at once, 
and I have with particular care made fre-, 
quent personal examinations, in Yain, dur¬ 
ing the fruiting and flowering season, to 
detect if possible a staminate plant or blos¬ 
som, the latter of which is very easily 
noticed by a practiced eye. 
All these facts, which have come under 
my own observation, indicate to me,—1st 
That Hovey’s seedlings will sometimes bear 
well without any staminates near them. 2d. 
That they sometimes obstinately refuse to 
bear, even with staminates by the side of 
them, with good culture and plenty of wa¬ 
ter. I might multiply cases on both of 
these points. 
Now, although it may be best to mingle 
staminates with pistillates, as they are easily 
placed by the side as is truly said, yet this 
does not reach the whole difficulty. The 
crop will continue to fail sometimes, with 
us, too frequently for most gardeners. I 
therefore incline to the opinion that Hovey’s 
are not sufficiently reliable with vs for gen¬ 
eral cultivation; they will do better for 
amateurs. In different soils we see they 
do better. 
I am glad to see strawberry writers so 
generally referring to and experimenting 
with Hovey’s, for the plant or fruit need 
not be mistaken for any other by any ex¬ 
perienced cultivator; and besides, I think 
Hovey’s are as much affected by these va¬ 
riations in the soil and climate, and as fickle 
and uncertain in their habits of bearing, as 
other of our new and best kinds. 
In some places in Western New York, 
Hovey’s and the Early Scarlet are entirely 
satisfactory, but in other places they are 
both quite too uncertain. What kinds are 
as reliable as the Rhode Island greening 
apple ? An answer t.o this is important— 
Every man, almost, will raise Hovey’s, but 
we want a few kinds that will be satisfac¬ 
tory to ordinary cultivation. Perhaps Burr’s 
New Pine will prove to be one; but, 
what others ? 
It appeals to me quite probable that the 
peculiarites of the soil,,even in the same 
garden, may account for a large portion of 
the difficulties in question. Some chemical 
ingredient necessary to the fruit, but not 
to the plant, I think was absent from the 
soil on the sterile end of the bed in my 
garden; and I am decidedly of the opinion 
that chemistry and careful experiments will 
yet develope to us many more valuable 
things in regard to raising several of our 
delicate, high flavored fruits, than the most 
enthusiastic among us have even dreamed of. 
I shall look with interest for II. P. N.’s 
remarks on his other varieties. Let all our 
observations and experiments be made com¬ 
mon stock. R. G. Pardee. 
Palmyra, N. Y., Feb. 28, 1351. 
SETTING OUT ORCHARDS. 
As an orchard is intended to last for a 
life-time or longer, the utmost care should 
be observed in the selection of the kinds of 
fruit to be planted therein. It costs no 
more to raise a good apple than a bad one, 
while the former will find a readier market 
and a better price than the latter. But we 
desire it also to be understood that good 
fruit cannot be expected to grow upon poor 
land. We recommend that all sites intend¬ 
ed for orchards should be congenial to the 
fruit to be grown thereon, and that great 
care should be observed in the manuring 
and preparation of the soil. As to the 
manure, we think a compost of equal parts 
of stable or barn-yard manure and marsh 
mud, in which say ten bushels of ashes, 
and five bushels of bone-dust were mixed 
with every twenty double-horse cart loads 
of the two first-named articles, would prove 
as good manure as could be applied; of such 
compost at least twenty loads should be 
put broadcast upon each acre, plowed in, 
and the ground sub-soiled, and harrowed, 
and rolled. In setting out the trees we 
would give to each at least half a bushel of 
the compost, mixed with the surface soil; 
this would furnish food for the young trees 
on their first starting next spring. If the 
orchard ground had not been previously 
limed, it should be treated to fifty or one 
hundred bushels per acre, as soon after the 
trees were planted as may be convenient. 
In the course of the next spring and the 
early part of the summer two or three work¬ 
ings, at intervals of a few weeks, would 
promote the growth of the trees or a crop 
of corn or potatoes may be grown between 
them. — Prairie Farmer. 
COMPOST 1 FOR FRUIT TREES. 
Fruit trees must be fed, if we would 
have them thrive and bear. Decaying 
leaves or the scrapings from the forest form 
one of the best ingredients for compost de¬ 
signed for any kind of fruit trees. Mr. 
Downing, a distinguished fruit culturist and 
editor of the Horticulturist, gives it as his 
opinion that the best compost adapted for 
general use, with fruit trees, is that com¬ 
posed of swamp muck, or the black, decay¬ 
ed vegetable matter to be obtained from low 
grounds, mixed with wood ashes, at the rate 
ot five bushels of fresh ashes or twice that 
quantity of leached ashes to a wagon load. 
This furnishes not only the requisite vege¬ 
table matter, but also those mineral manures 
which are essential to the production of fine 
fruit This compost he would modify as 
follows, to adapt it to the different varieties 
of fruit trees: 
For Apple Trees. —To every cart load 
of muck and lime mixture, after it hits lain 
a fortnight, add two bushels of air slacked 
lime. 
Pear Trees. —To every cart load of the 
muck and ashes mixture, add a bushel of 
ground or dissolved bones, and a bushel of 
leached ashes. 
Plum Trees. —To every cart load of the 
muck and ashes mixture, add half a bushel 
of lime, half a bushel of ashes, and a peck 
of salt. 
Grape Vines.— To every cart load of 
the muck and ashes mixture, add a bushel 
oi gypsum or plaster. — Maine Farmer. 
Among the natural causes which affect 
the vegetation of countries, the influences 
of temperature is that which is the most 
obvious to the senses. 
time 
LIST OF PATENT CLAIMS 
ISSUED FROM THE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 
For the week ending February 26, 1851. 
To John Pepper, of Portsmouth, N. H. (assign¬ 
or to Charles Warren & H. G. Sanford, of Bos¬ 
ton, Mass.,) for improvements ih Knitting Ma¬ 
chines. Ante-dated Aug. 25, 1850. 
To Moses Pond, of Boston, Mass., for improve¬ 
ment in cooking ranges. 
To Marvin Smith of New liaven. Conn., for 
improvement in the bellows for musical instru¬ 
ments. 
To J. B. Wilson, of Townsend Inlet, N. J., and 
Stacy Wilson, of Kensington, Pa., for improve¬ 
ment in applying friction rollers to hub and axles. 
To J. D. Boers & Isaac Winslow, of Philadel¬ 
phia, Pa., for improvement in planing machines. 
To T. C. Avery, of New York, N. Y.. for im¬ 
provement in electro-magnetic engines. 
To Joseph Banks, of New York, N. Y., for im¬ 
proved connection of the beams and columns of 
iron buildings. 
To Edward Clapp, (assignor to Edward Clapp 
A Geo. Alden,) of Dedham, Mass., for improve¬ 
ment in sad irons. 
To T. F. Engelbrecht, of New York, N. Y., for 
improved double-acting spring hinge. 
To Francis Hoguet, of Philadelphia, Pa., for 
improvement in extension tables. 
To Wm. Sours, of Mount Jackson, Va., for 
improvement in cooking stoves. 
To Abner Lane, of Killingsworth, Conn., for 
improvement in machinery for turning irregular 
forms. 
To II. W. Sabin & Geo. Drew, of Canandai¬ 
gua, N. Y., for improvement in spring hinges. 
To J. Sloan, of New York, N. Y., for machine 
for arranging and feeding screw blanks. 
RE-ISSUES. 
To Horace Boardmanof Plattsburgh, N. Y., for 
improved arrangement of steam boiler and furnace 
thereof. Originally patented Aug. 14, 1849. 
DESIGNS. 
To S. II. Sailor (assignor to Warwick, Lei- 
brandt &c Co.,) of Philadelphia, Pa., for design for 
cooking stoves. 
TO MAKE GOOD MORTAR. 
Sour together a quantity of lime and 
clean sharp sand, for two or three weeks 
before being used; work this well and turn 
it aside, and as the proportion of lime to the 
sand will always depend on the quality of 
the former, all that is necessary, is to take 
care, (in souring) if the lime is of a rich 
quality, to put one-third less lime into the 
heap than it is intended to be built with; 
and il' the lime is of pure quality, say only 
one-fourth less. 
When the lime which has been previous¬ 
ly soured, as before directed, is to be used 
in the building, or otherwise, it is to be again 
worked carefully over, and one-fourth of 
quick-lime added in proportions, taking care 
never to have more in preparation than can 
be used in a short time; and thisquick-lim© 
should be most completely beaten and in¬ 
corporated with the soured lime, and it will 
be found to have effect of causing the old 
lime to set and bind in the most complete 
manner. It will become perfectly solid 
without the least evaporation to occasion 
cracks, which can only ensue in consequence 
of evaporation: and this can only happen 
from the want of proper union between the 
two bodies. But by mixing and beating 
the quick-lime with the soured mortar, im¬ 
mediately before it is applied to use, the 
component parts are brought so near to each 
other, that it is impossible either crack or 
flaw can take place. 
In short, beating has the effect of closing 
the interstices of the sand, and a small quan¬ 
tity of lime paste is effectual in fitting and 
holding the grains together, so as to form a 
plastic mass, by uniting the grains of sard 
which otherwise would not fit each other. 
This system will apply to the lime mortar 
for all descriptions of work, whether for 
building, plastering in the inside or outside 
of houses, water cisterns, ground vaults, 
roug h castings, &c .—Scientific American. 
A GREAT MICROSCOPE. 
A German named Hasert, residing in 
Cincinnati, has manufactured a microscope 
for the World’s Fair, which has a magnify¬ 
ing power of G000! The Cincinnati Times 
says of its powers: 
The dust, which by contact with the wings 
of a butterfly adheres to the fingers, was 
shown to be a number of feathers; on these 
little feathers are observed longitudinal and 
transverse lines, but this has been, so far, the 
utmost that has been seen. This new mi¬ 
croscope however shows that between each 
pair of longitudinal lines there are five to 
six rows of scales, like those of a’ fish, and 
appear to have the same form in all the 
feathers, differing only in size. A dust par¬ 
ticle, taken from back of the body of a 
sphinx, which is the largest of these feathers 
known, measuring one-fifteenth of an inch 
in length, and one two-hundredths of an inch 
in breadth, had 104 longitudinal lines; be¬ 
tween each pair of lines, six rows of scales 
were visible, making the number of these 
little scales, laterally, 624—the number of 
scales longitudinally, downwards would be 
2228 —therefore the entire number of these 
scales on this little feather amount to one 
million four hundred thousand, which gives 
the number of fourteen thousand millions 
to one square inch. 
A very minute particle of dust from the 
wing of a jimea, measuring one five-hund- 
reth of an inch in length, and one-thous¬ 
andth of an inch in width, the number of 
scales is found to be 84,000, which would 
give the enormous sum of 42,000,000,000 
to one square inch. We observed also, 
large sizes of the cat and the common house 
flea, the eyes of a fly, and the wing of a 
small bug—the latter presenting the most 
brilliant colors and beautiful shawl pattern 
we ever beheld, with a magnificent border 
elaborately ornamented. 
IRON PAVEMENT. 
Ir®n is daily coming into more general 
use for almost every purpose. A letter 
from Paris, of a late date, says: 
A sew pavement, to upset the Macadam 
and other inventions of the kind, has been 
proposed by Mr. Tobard, who intends paving, 
in his way, the streets and boulevards of 
Paris. This gentleman has proved, by fig¬ 
ures, that melting iron is only worth 11 
francs in Paris, h i francs in Belgium, and 4^ 
francs by 100 kilogrammes in England, 
whilst the stone costs 25 francs in London, 
15 francs in Paris, and 3 and 10 francs in 
Belgium. This new mode of pavenent will 
be grooved, in order not to become slippery, 
and it is said that the electricity occasioned 
by the rolling of the carriages will prevent 
rust. Here is a new field open to industry. 
Artificial Coffee.—A tradesman of 
France has discovered the art of giving to 
a composition, of his own manufacture, the 
color and even the flavor of roasted coffee. 
A machine divides this material into berry¬ 
shaped morsels, so like the natural product 
as to be undistinguishable to the eye of the 
expertest judge of Mocha 
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 
Our townsman, Dr Albert W. Hender¬ 
son, of 186 Main st., who has already gained 
a wide reputation by his many scientific 
inventions, has lately drought to perfection 
a novel mode of planting and gilding met¬ 
als, which, in durability and simplicity of 
application, far surpasses any method hither¬ 
to in use. The invention is one which bids 
fair to prove not only useful to the commu¬ 
nity, but remunerative to the originator. 
We have glanced over the table of prices 
required by the Doctor for the patent right 
in whole states and single counties, and we 
have no doubt that many a little fortune 
will be realized by the purchasers. The 
business is attended with trifling expense, 
and the process, which is perfectly simple, 
can be understood by any person after an 
hour’s instruction. But a few moments 
are required to gild or plate any metal, and 
any thickness of coating can be applied at 
will. It imparts to the baser so genuine 
an appearance of gold and silver, that the 
mostpractical eye might readily be deceived. 
We witnessed a cent dipped into the solution 
for a few seconds come out as bright as a 
new dollar, and a half dime in as short a time, 
take the tempting appearance of a pure gold 
piece. Watch cases can be gilded, and 
spoons, and forks plated in a style hitherto 
unequalled, and the luxuries of silver forks 
and gold watches may be enjoyed by those 
who have hitherto possessed them only in 
their dreams. The gilding will stand the 
test of aqua forth, and will hold its color 
to the last. It can also be made of any 
shade. We have no doubt this invention 
will entirely supercede all modes of gilding 
and plating at present in use, being less ex¬ 
pensive, more genuine in appearance, .and 
more durable than any other method. 
Dr. Henderson has also on hand several 
other scientific inventions which he has 
brought, or is bringing into perfection, and 
a visit to his repository is attended with as 
much instruction as amusement— Buffalo 
Republican. 
VALUE OF OLD ROPE. 
Among the numerous worn out and of¬ 
ten considered worthless materials, which 
the ingenuity of man has discovered means 
of remanufacturing, and rendering of equal 
value with the original substance, are old 
tarred ropes, which have long been in use 
at coal pits. Our readers will be surprised 
when we inform them that out of this dirty 
and apparently unbleachable substance, is 
produced a tissue paper of the most beauti¬ 
ful fabric, evenness of surface and delicacy 
of color, a ream of which, with wrappers 
and strings, weigh two and a half pounds. 
It is principally used in the potteries for 
transferring the various patterns to the 
earthenware, and is found superior to any 
other substance yet known for that purpose. 
It is so tenacious that a sheet of it twisted 
by the hand in the form of a rope, will 
support upward of one cwt Truly we live 
in an age of invention !— Liverpool Stan¬ 
dard. 
When the union with England and Ire¬ 
land was first in agitation, many citizens of 
Dublin, who were inimical to the measure, 
resolved to “burn” every “ article imported 
from England except coals!” 
44 jWVT. hb< 
