MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND EAMILY JOURNAL 
267 
VERBENAS. 
Eds. Rural: —I will trouble you again 
on the subject of Verbenas, as I have had 
another season’s opportunity of seeing a 
large collection in full bloom, (48 varieties,) 
on the grounds of Messrs. Thorp & Co. 
The varieties spoken of before still re¬ 
tain their merits, and I see that your 
Brockport correspondent adds to his list 
this season Reiue do Jour, St. Marguerite, 
Rosy Morn, (fee. 
Iphegine is worthy a place in any col¬ 
lection. It is a light and dark purple, sha¬ 
ded with red eye, and very pretty indeed. 
Boule de Feu —An intense, brilliant scar¬ 
let flower, not so large as “ Defiance,” but 
more brilliant and intense;—have each now 
before me as I write. 
Ariadne —Beautiful, creamy buff, pencil¬ 
ed with cherry; good trusser and bloomer. 
Heroine —Lilac blue, dark purple cen¬ 
tre; habit and shape of Defiance;—very 
fine. 
Morphe, is a dark bluish purple, with a 
light eye. 
Royal Purple —Dark, rich purple; best 
purple out, I think. 
Adele — Rosy lilac, with light purple 
centre. 
Cameleon — A great favorite; white, 
light and deep pink in the same truss. 
Fanny —Splendid dark blue—dark eye- 
Lady of the Lake — Large rosy crimson. 
Madam de Gourney —Large truss—sha¬ 
ded pink; very pretty indeed. 
Phaeton —Brilliant scarlet, dark eye. 
Feast's ivliite —Very fine; like it much. 
1 have given the above descriptions from 
notes made with the plants in bloom before' 
me. They embrace a portion of the latest 
new Verbenas not yet described in your 
excellent paper, and many of them are 
very fine. 
Permit me while on the subject of Ver¬ 
benas to notice three out of five new seed¬ 
ling Verbenas raised here this season, two 
of which I think are entirely different in 
character and color from any we have.— 
They are all free bloomers and fine trussers. 
No. 1.—A pure white; large flower, like 
St. Marguerite; truss large, and a free 
bloomer. 
No. 2.—A splendid white, similar to No. 
], but after the truss is fully expanded 
changes to a beautiful light pink, and be¬ 
comes darker daily until they begin to fade 
and fall off 
No. 3. Is a most pleasing beautiful pink, 
differing in color from any Verbena I have 
ever seen. A peculiarity about these seed¬ 
lings is the great length of time they re¬ 
main in flower and retain their perfection. 
I presume they will be exhibited at the 
State Fair, if the old plants are in bloom. 
A. A. Fahnestock. 
Syracuse Nurseries, Aug. 8,1851. 
ROSES, AND OTHER THINGS. 
The following not very common Roses, 
are confidently recommended for general 
cultivation: 
Aureti — Dark, small-petaled and fine.— 
Plant robust and a profuse bloomer. Ceri- 
cetle— Bright, cherry red, fine leaved and 
beautiful. Triumph of Abbeville — Petals 
small, as the others, very compact and 
handsome. Caradori Allan — Prairie, 
finely cupped, semi-double, and of pleasing 
color; a choice pillar rose. Felicite Per- 
petuelle —Proves hardy; endured the last 
winter without protection, uninjured. It 
was covered with clusters of small, compact 
perfectly double and exquisitely beautiful 
blooms. Flowers late. It is a gem. Geaut 
des Batailles — A Remortant; proves a very- 
fine, dark variety; one of the most distinct 
and desirable of its class. Baron Prevost 
—Another of the same class, is large and 
good. 
Spirea Prunifolia —Is perfectly hardy', 
and comes up fully to its published charac¬ 
ter, and is entirely satisfactory. 
Spirea Lanceolata —Nothing can be 
more delicate and beautiful. These two 
spireas, both so delicate and beautiful, are 
wholly unlike. 
Cadestegia Pubescens —Promises to be a 
humbug. The flower is pale, of no particu¬ 
lar color, and loose and ill formed. It may, 
however, be too early to determine defi¬ 
nitely its merits. It is a great bloomer. 
Brockport, N. Y., Aug. 7, tail. H. P. N. 
The apple crop will not be large this year. 
LIQUID MANURE FOR FRUIT TREES. 
It is a fact satisfactorily estab¬ 
lished with me that there is nothing- 
connected with a farm in the line 
of-fertilizers, that appears to pro¬ 
duce a greater effect on fruit trees 
than liquid manure. Thousands of 
gallons of this ima'uable fluid are 
wasted on farms annually, which, if 
applied to the trunks and roots of 
trees, would Benefit them ten times 
more than it would, cost to make 
an application of the. liquid. No 
one need apprehend any danger in 
applying it, for it bites not, nor does 
it cause any serious derangement 
in the olfactory region. Where 
trees have been injured by drought, 
and have been set out heedlessly, it 
produces a most striking effect, cau¬ 
sing a circulation of the sap at once 
astonishing. It is unquestionably 
preferable to solid manures, for its 
effect is almost immediate. It pen¬ 
etrates the pores of the earth and 
comes in contact with the roots and 
fibres as soon as an application is 
made; whereas, in applying coarse 
manure, such is not the case, it requiring 
several showers to wash the strength of 
it out 
The manner in which I have applied it 
is to dig a cavity around the body of the 
tree, and then fill up with the liquor. In 
a few moments, it will be absorbed ready 
for replacing the dirt thus preventing 
evaporation. The introduction of a pailful 
around the trunk of a tree, at an interval 
of a month during the growing season, is 
sufficient to produce the most astonishing 
results. An extraordinary growth imme¬ 
diately commences and shoots are forced 
out in a few weeks, truly astounding both 
in length and size. I have tried soap suds 
and am convinced that they do not contain 
all the invigorating and enriching powers 
common to liquid manure. It must be 
acknowledged, however, that soap suds are 
efficient, causing a rapid growth when ju¬ 
diciously applied, but not equal in my opin- i 
ion to the liquid. 
Now, without being considered wayward 
in advancing ideas, I would suggest that 
those who have the fluid on hand, and 
are not backward in coming in contact 
with dirt, would try the liquid and see if the 
effects are not most satisfactory. 
W. Tappen. 
Bitldwinsville, N. Y., August, 1851. 
THE VALUE OF TREES. 
THE LOCOMOTIVE. 
nY ROBT. MACFARLANE OF TrtE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. 
Beside their intrinsic value, how deso¬ 
late is a home on a farm or in the city, 
without fruit or ornamental trees. To the 
generality of people you might as w r ell re¬ 
commend a person without mind, as offer to 
sell a homestead without trees and shrub¬ 
bery. One thing should be observed in 
planting, to select good varieties of fruit 
trees, as it is a disgrace to any one to plant 
and grow others. Be mindful of these 
thinn-s and a reward w-ill follow. 
D 
We are reminded of this subject by a 
sale of land just made in this vicinity— 
one particular advantage and inducement 
to the purchaser being the assortment of 
choice trees already grown to his hands. 
J. H. W. 
THE USE OF FRUIT. 
Instead of standing in any fear of a gen- j 
erous consumption of ripe fruits, we regard i 
them as positively conducive to health.— j 
The very maladies commonly assumed to j 
have their origin in the free use of apples, j 
peaches, cherries, melons and wild berries, 
have been quite as prevalent, if not equal¬ 
ly destructive, in seasons of scarcity. There 
are so many errroneous notions entertained 
of the bad effects of fruit, that it is quite 
time a counteracting impression should be 
promulgated, having its foundation in com¬ 
mon sense, and based on the common ob¬ 
servation of the intelligent. We have no 
patience in reading the endless rules to be 
observed in this particular department of 
physical comfoit. No one, we imagine, ev¬ 
er lived longer or freer from the paroxysms 
of disease, by discarding the delicious fruits 
of the land in which he finds a home.— 
On the ct n .rary, they are nec( ssary to the 
preservation of health, and are therefore 
caused to make their appearance at the very 
time when the -condition of the body, oper¬ 
ated upon by deteriorating causes not al¬ 
ways understood, requires their grateful, 
renovating influences .—Boston Med. and 
Surg. Journal. 
Weeds exhaust the strength of ground, 
and if suffered to grow, may be called gar¬ 
den sins. 
The locomotive is the most perfect of machines. 
It is true, that it is not so multiplex in its parts as 
the marine engine; not so massive in its propor¬ 
tions; nor, like it does it embrace the scien¬ 
tific principles of condensation and vacuum in its 
operations; but still, for all this, it has some nobler 
qualities. It approaches nearer to the spiritual and 
physical combination of the human machine, than 
any other. In it, we behold what the steam-en¬ 
gine is when “unchained to the rock, and unfet¬ 
tered to the soil.” 
In this enlightened age, when “many run to 
and fro, and knowledge is increased,” every intel¬ 
ligent man should possess a general knowledge, at 
least, of its powers, office, nature, and construc¬ 
tion. We will endeavor to present an outline of 
its principal features. The accompanying engrav¬ 
ing is a side elevation of an American wood-burn¬ 
ing locomotive, the kind which is in general use 
in our country. The locomotive may be said to 
two high pressure engines, with a boiler mounted 
on a carriage, the driving wheels of which are 
yoked, by crank-pins, to the connecting rods of the 
pistons in the cylinders, which receive a recipro¬ 
cating motion by the steam being let in and out 
alternately by valves at both onds of the cylinders 
under the covers, and thus communicating a ro¬ 
tary motion to the wheels, impelling itself and its 
huge train forward on the railroad with a velocity 
surpassing that of the eagle in her aerial flight.— 
Both sides of the locomotive are nearly alike. The 
side represented in the engraving exhibits all the 
parts on the other side; nothing is left out, as this 
side shows the shifting levers, which are not upon 
the other. A description of one side will answer 
for both. The locomotive consists of three very 
distinctive parts, viz:—the boiler, the cylinders and 
their njuncts, and the wheels. The boiler may be 
said to be the most important part of a locomotive; 
for the useful effect of the machine depends on the 
quantity of steam which the boiler is capable of 
generating in a given time; and the production of 
steam depends upon the amount of caloric or heat, 
which the water in the boiler absorbs to raise it to 
that point of temperature at which it assumes the 
vapory form, and expands to more than 1,700 times 
its original bulk. The utility of the boiler depends 
upon the amount of the heating surface; and the 
greatest amount of heating surface embraced in 
the smallest amount of space, is the ^rand desid¬ 
eratum. To obtain this, all locomotive boilers are 
built with a great number of lap-welded iron, or 
brass tubes, extending through the body of the 
boiler, from the fire-box into the chimney. Their 
ends are properly secured in plates; the heat from 
the fire rushes through them, and as they are sur¬ 
rounded with water, they present a great amount 
ol healing surface in a small space. In a large 
boiler, like the one in the engraving, the tubes are 
each one inch and three quarters in diameter inside; 
there are 136 in the boiler, and are 15 feet long.— 
The fire-box is surrounded with water in the side 
chambers, and a little above the furnace-door, in¬ 
side, there is plate, firmly supported by stays, 
which is called a“crown plate.” The water-line 
in the boiler is a little above this plate, and the 
large dome behind, on which is placed the whistle, 
is just above the crown-plate of the fire-box, and 
answers the purpose of a steam reservoir. The 
waist of the boiler is cylindrical, the beat form for 
strength, and the shell, or outside, is formed of 
plates of the best boiler iron, well riveted together. 
There are two safety valves; the one in the en¬ 
closed chamber, on the middle of the boiler, is 
out of the reach of being tampered with, and the 
other is on the back large dome, under the com¬ 
mand of the engineer. There is a small door in 
front of the chimney, for access to clean and repair 
the tubes. The chimney has a spark-arrester in it. 
This is a peculiarity of wood-burning locomotives; 
none are employed on coal-burning engines. It 
is very uncomfortable to travel by railroad some¬ 
times, on account of the sparks—no arrester being 
perfect in its construction. It is not long since the 
writer of this extinguished a fellow passenger on 
the Hudson River Railroad. A coal-burning loco¬ 
motive recently invented by Mr. Dimpfel of Phil¬ 
adelphia, promises to supplant the wood-burning 
engine. No one can be aware of what the com¬ 
forts of railway traveling are, who has not jour¬ 
neyed in cars propelled by coak, or coal burning 
locomotives. A pipe inside of the shell of the 
boiler leads from the large back dome into the 
secondary dome behind the smoke-pipe. From 
this dome it is let out, by a valve, into a pipe lead¬ 
ing into the valve-chest of the cylinder. This 
second dome, and its peculiar throttle valve inside, 
prevents what is termed priming. This priming 
(the vomiting of the bleaching-keers) is a violent 
agitation of the water in the boiler, by which some 
of it passes over into the cylinders, injuring their 
useful effect. Safety valves are placed on the 
cylinders, to deliver then# from this spray, and en¬ 
gineers are often seen trying their cylinders before 
they start. 
The steam employed is about 100 pounds work¬ 
ing pressure on the square inch. One of Salter’s 
spring balances is used on every boiler, to indicate 
the power of the steam. There is a pressure of 
7 tons and 200 pounds weight on every square 
foot of the boiler shell. We therefore see what a 
groat power is bound within a steam-boiler, and 
the reason why its effects are so disastrous, in cases 
of explosions. 
By opening the throttle valve by one of the lever 
handles, the engineer lets the steam from the boiler 
into the valve steam-chest, and then by operating 
another handle, he lets the steam into the cylinder, 
under one end of the piston, and the piston moves 
in one direction, operating, by its connecting rod, 
the driving wheel, on the main axle of which is an 
eccentric inside of the wheel, which is connected 
by a rod and rocking shaft with the slide of the 
valve, which valve is moved, and as the piston at¬ 
tains near to the end of its stroke in one direction, 
it sliutsofi’the steam from the passage it first went 
in at, and lets the stream in by tire other passage, 
under the other end of the piston, while, at the 
same time, communication is opened by another 
passage of the valve, which lets (exhausts) the 
steam out from before the piston, and then the pis¬ 
ton moves back again; and thus, by letting the 
steam exhaust from one end, and push against the 
other alternately, a reciprocating motion is given 
to the piston rods of each cylinder, which by the 
crank-pins on the driving wheels, give them a ro¬ 
tary progressive motion. There are two slides for 
every cylinder, so that the engineer can let on the 
steam to the piston, either to run forwards or back¬ 
wards. The valve rods are worked by two eccen¬ 
trics on the main shaft for each cylinder. The 
exhausted steam from the cylinders is let out by a 
pipe into the chimney. This creates a great 
draught, and it is upon the efficacy of this draught 
that the whole efficiency of the engine depends.— 
The ash-pan opens forward at the bottom of the 
fire-box, opposite to the engineer, and as the en¬ 
gine runs forward, and the steam rushes up the 
chimney, and the air rushes between the grate-bar 
up through til3 fire, causing a rapid combustion of 
the fuel. The long pipe noticed at the side, is to 
convey water from the tender behind, to supply 
the boiler. Two pumps, one on each side, force 
the requisite supply of water, at every stroke, into 
the boiler. There are try-cocks in the hack of the 
boiler, for the engineer to open frequently, to see 
that the water is at the proper water-line in the 
boilers. The engineer can cut off his steam at 
1 will, regulate the exhaust of steam into the chim- 
i ney, and cut it oft' and let it into the cylinder in 
| any direction, by the handles shown, which are 
fixed on the right side of his engine, 
i The accompanying engraving represents an en- 
: gine of 162 horse power, and is capable of drawing 
i 225 tons at the rate of about 30 miles per hour.— 
, If we imagine '.wo giants of men in strength, but 
j not in stature, each of 81 horse power, and seated 
on each side of the boiler, grasping the cranks on 
the main driving wheels, which are six feet in di¬ 
ameter, and then if they push their arms back¬ 
wards and forwards, so as to make the wheels spin 
round 3,334 times in one hour, they would be able 
to move 675 tons in that period, a distance of 12 
miles. There is certain velocity, however, past 
which neither the human arm can go, nor the 
animal horse run. In this respect, the iron-horse 
has a great advantage; no exact limitation has yet 
been set to his real speed, at least as a point of 
comparison between the animal and the iron. The 
axles of the wheels are hung in boxes attached to 
springs, a gr^at number of which are now made 
of India rubber, to prevent severe concussions 
from inequalites of the rails. Every locomotive 
should have its separate parts put together as well 
and carefully as those of a watch. 
One of the grandest sights in the world is a lo¬ 
comotive with its huge train dashing along in full 
flight. To stand at night by the side of a railroad 
when a large train is rushing along at the rate of 
30 miles per hour, affords a sight both sublime and 
terrific. No wonder the simple backwo<4<man 
declared that the first locomotive he ever saw wls 
“ pandemonium in harness.” It is extremely ex- 
hilerating to witness the iron steed saddled and 
bridled, issuing with a scream from his dusky sta¬ 
ble to run his race. What are all the feats of the 
turf in comparison with his? Fashion, Bostona, 
or Vol.igeur, would make hut sorry competitors 
with him for a single half hour. And what are all 
the feats of jockeyism, in comparison with the 
skill, the intrepidity, and resources of that man 
with the swarthy brow’, who stands on the plat¬ 
form before the fire-box, with his hand upon the 
handle, to rein in his iron steed at will. 
The first locomotive built was a small one, from 
the specification of James Watt, patented in 1767. 
The builder was the ingenious Mr. Murdock, the 
first introducer of gas-light. This locomotive was 
made in 1784, in Redruth, Wales, and as there 
was no railroad to run it on, it was often driven on 
the highway. It is related, that as Mr. Murdock 
was experimenting one dark night on the road, it 
ran away; and with its fire under it, who should it 
come across and in chase of, hut the venerable 
clergyman of the village, who, with a shout, start¬ 
ed off at the top of his speed, believing himself to 
be pursued by the Evil One in propria persona. 
After this, the locomotive slumbered a great num¬ 
ber of years, although railroads for horses had been 
extensively introduced into the mining districts of 
England. The first real successful issue of the 
locomotive, was the performance of the “Rocket,” 
at the opening of the Manchester and Liverpool 
Railroad, in 1829. This engine was built hv the 
famous engineer, Robert Stephenson, and was the 
result of a great many experiments. It had a tu¬ 
bular boiler, and used the exhaust steam to create 
a draught. Without these, the locomotive would 
not have been successful. Col. John Stevens, of 
Hoboken, invented the tubular boiler in 1805. He 
was a very ingenious gentleman, and advocated 
the construction of a railroad through the interior 
part of this State, long before there was a single 
canal or railroad in America. 
Note. —A horse can draw five tons on a good railroad 
at the rate of four miles an heur. A locomotive drawing 
100 tons at the rate of 30 miles per hour does as much as 
150 horses. But as compared with common roads, on 
which a horse cannot draw more than one ton at the rate 
of two miles per hour, a locomotive drawing only 50 tons, 
at the rate of 30 miles per hour, does as much work as 750 
horses, and this it can do easily on a good railroad. 
LIST OF PATENT CLAIMS 
ISSUED FROM THE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 
For the week ending Aag. 5, 1851. 
To Win. Graham, of Carlisle, Pa., for improve¬ 
ment in tight joint for tuyers. 
To Luther Brown, of Canandaigua, N. Y., for 
improvement in brick machines. 
To A. B. Childs, of Rochester, N. Y., for im¬ 
provement in grain winnowers and harvesters. 
To James Dane, Dariu3 Healy & Gary Cum- 
ings, of Derby, Vt., (assignors to Isaac & Francis 
Dane,) for improvement in brick machines. Ante¬ 
dated June 17, 1851. 
To Moore Holden, of Lawrenceburg, Ind., for 
improvement in dressing millstones. 
To A. H. Judd, of Marinetown 111., for improv¬ 
ed water-level Indicator for steam boilers. 
To James Root, of Cincinnati, Ohio, for im¬ 
provement in shutters for shop fronts. 
To Charles Wetterstedt, of Marseilles, France, 
(assignor to Charles Keenan, of New York, N. 
Y.,) forimprovemem in metallic alloy paints. Pat¬ 
ented in England, Nov. 3, 1846. 
To J. C. Treat, of East Hartford, Ct., for im¬ 
provement in hot-air furnaces. 
To G. II. Thatcher, of Albany, N. Y., for im¬ 
provement in quadrant hinged grates. 
To G. J. Wardweell, of Hanover, Me., for im¬ 
provement in shuttle motions of looms. 
To G. W. Yerby, of Washington, D. C., for 
improvement in machines for taking ayes and 
noes. 
To John Akrill, of Williamshurgh, N. Y., for 
improvement in working clay for pottery and oth¬ 
er ware. 
To John Johnson, of Troy, N. Y., (assignor to 
Elias Johnson,) for improvement in looms for wea¬ 
ving pile fabrius. 
To Wm. H. Akins &. J. D. Felthousen, of 
Ithaca, N. Y., for improvement in sewing ma¬ 
chines. 
To M. C. Bryant, of Lowell, Mass., for im¬ 
provement in looms for weaving cut pile fabrics. 
To Isaac Gregg, of Pittsburg, Pa., for improve¬ 
ment in brick machines. 
To G. P.-Gordon, of New York, N. Y.,for im¬ 
provement in printing presses. 
To O. H. Bush, of Fall River, Mass., for im¬ 
proved spring bolt- 
