MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER, 
287 
Drtjmrti an b darken. 
OSAGE ORANGE HEDGES, 
Eds. Rural •—Having como to tho deter¬ 
mination last spring to plant some kind of 
a hedge around my Vineyard—something 
that would be likely to prove a little more 
formidable as a barrier against tho assaults 
of not only quadrupeds but of bi-peds also, 
than an ordinary board fenco,—I looked up 
all tho information I could conveniently, in 
regard to the relative advantages of tho 
various kinds of hedge plants usually recom¬ 
mended. I had long boon satisfied that the 
Osage Orange would prove to be the very 
best hedge plant wo could use in this lati¬ 
tude, if it would stand our severe winters.— 
On this point I was not fully satisfied, as I 
had never seen this plant of more than one 
year’s growth. 
While engaged In making inquiries on tho 
subject, I happend to recollect that David 
Thomas informed me when at my house in 
tho summer of 1846, that ho had then re¬ 
cently planted a hedge of the Osage Orange; 
and thinking that somo seven years experi¬ 
ence with this plant would be likely to ena¬ 
ble him to speak with a good degree of con¬ 
fidence in respect to it, I addressed him a 
letter asking for information and advice on 
tho subject of bodges in general, and Osage 
Orange in particular. As his answer con¬ 
tains many valuable suggestions in regard 
to distance of planting, pruning, training 
&c., I take tho responsibility of copying it 
entire, helieveing ho wiil excuse mo for so 
doing: 
Greatfield, 3d mo., 26, 1853. 
Mr Dr. Friend : —Thy favor of tho 23d 
came last evening. It is true that I planted 
out many of tho Osage Orange, but wished 
to stretch them round an exposod quarter, 
and set them 5 feet apart. It was my in¬ 
tention at that time, to have cut thorn close 
to tho ground, after they wero well estab¬ 
lished (say tho following spring,) and when 
the now shoots which would rise up wore 
strong enough to bear bending down, I 
meant that ono on each should bo fixed or 
layered in tho lino of tho hedge. If tho 
layer had extended 2 feet on each side, 1 
foot would havo been left between every 
two plants, which the twigs round such bent 
stems would have filled so that no intruder 
could enter. A multitude of other cares, 
however, caused mo to neglect thorn, and 
even at tho distanco of 5 feet they might 
have been made very formidable. 
Tho Osage Orange is a thrifty shrub with 
us, although in its nativo wilds it is a well 
grown tree. Many Southorn plants bocomo 
dwarfed when taken into higher latitudes; 
and this circumstance is favorblo in the 
present case, because they bear crowding 
better; still I could not recommend setting 
them nearer togothor than 3 feet. This 
would require each plant to spread 2 feet 
on the lino, or 1 foot on each sido, but then 
to insure success, tho training must not be 
omitted. Garden shears, which may cost 
12 or 14 shillings, (I havo such.) will bo 
necossary, as tho thorns aro so formidable 
that I always havo bloody hands when I 
draw my knife on them. 
If I remember right, Cobbet recommend¬ 
ed his garden fenco to bo 7 feet high and 3 
feet broad at tho baso. This bight may not 
bo too great, as it would provont little pil¬ 
ferers from looking over; but a narrower 
baso would do just as well, so far as intru¬ 
ders are concerned, for none would try tho 
passage a second time. Ono thing however 
must not be forgotten ; the face of the hedge 
must not bo overshadowed. « 
In regard to its hardiness—tho strongest 
upright shoots which continuo to grow too 
late in tho season, aro liablo to bo winter- 
killod; but all tho twigs on tho latoral branch¬ 
es aro free from such injury. Now, a hodgo, 
after it has attained tho proper bight, ought 
to bo sheared, porhups twice; and if tho 
last time bo at tho Autumnal equinox, the 
wood would havo time to harden and ma¬ 
ture. If I wero not so far advanced in years, 
and had no prospect of selling my farm, I 
should encircle my Fruit garden with an 
Osage Orange hedge, in preference to any 
other hedge that I have seen. 
In selecting plants, I should bo governod 
in some moasuro by their sizo, and might 
prefer IS inches or 2 feet to smaller ones ; 
still I think something might depend on tho 
length of time they would remain unplant¬ 
ed. As they do not start early in tho spring, 
thoy might bo taken up later than many 
other shrubs. In regard tho those matters, 
howovor, I havo no experience to guido me. 
Since writing the forogoing, I havo ex¬ 
amined tho Prairie Fanner, to soo if I 
could find anything to throw light on the 
subject. Tho Horticultural Editor, my old 
friond Dr. Kennicott, says in reference to 
pruning tho Osago Orango:—“ We have 
cut down to tho ground plant 5 yoars old, 
and 4 or 5 strong shoots was tho result.”— 
Again it is said—“ Mr. Shaw mentions 
several perfect fences which ho examined.— 
He says tho hedge can bo constructed at 25 
cents a rod. Tho olemonts do not injure it; 
insects never trouble it; cattle will not 
browso it.” Ho winds up with saying—“It 
only remains to bo decided whether the 
annual clipping of the maturo fenco will be 
too inconvenient or expensive for common 
use. For ono I am satisfied that it will not. 
I should bo glad to train all tho hedges in 
Illinois for the next hundred years at tho 
rate of five dollars a mile, annually.” The 
Tho Editor rather objects to tho contract as 
being too long and too large ! 
Very truly, David Thomas. 
Upon receiving this letter, I decided at 
onco to plant tho Osage Orange; and ac¬ 
cordingly procured two year old plants and 
set them 3 feet apart. I cut them down to 
within 6 inches of tho ground when I plant¬ 
ed them, and have allowed but two shoots to 
grow this season. Thoy havo made a very 
fine growth, although I did not plant them 
till the last of May. Many of tho shoots 
are over 3 feet long and very stocky, and 
completely covered with very “formidable ” 
thorns. 1 shall trim them and train them 
as advisod by Friend Thomas, and havo no 
doubt but that, by so doing, I shall have a 
fenco in 3 or 4 years that will amount to 
something. In the fall I shall drive short 
stakes into tho ground half way between the 
plants—cut in the shoots to 18 inches each 
—bend them down horizontally, and tie 
them to tho stakes. That next season, the 
lateral branches springing from these base 
shoots will grow upright, and close enough 
together to form a good fenco, I havo no 
doubt. 
I planted about 100 rods last spring. I 
prepared the ground for planting 25 rods, 
by digging a ditch 18 inches deep and fil¬ 
ling it again, with tho surface soil placed 
at tho bottom, and mixing some well rotted 
manure with tho subsoil which was left at 
tho surface. About 75 rods I trenched as 
well as I could with the plow, and I can see 
no essential difference in tho thriftiness of 
tho plants, for they aro all doing very well. 
Of course I keep them all free from weeds 
and grass. This is indispensable. Soon af¬ 
ter planting I placed about a pint of beech 
ashes around each plant, and I am satisfied 
it has done them much good. Strong 2 
year old plants can bo procured at any of 
tho Nurseries in Rochester at $10 per 1,000. 
When I could procure good plants at this 
price, I should not think of raising the 
plants from seed, unless I desired to plant 
a very large quantity and was in no hurry 
for my fenco. I understand the seed can 
bo obtained at somo of tho seed stores at 
about one dollar a quart. I am much bet¬ 
ter pleased with my hedge thus far than I 
anticipated, and would confidently advise 
your West Bloomfield subscriber, “ E. G.,” 
to plant tho Osago Orange. 
E. A. McKay. 
Naples, N. Y., August, 1853. 
PRESERVATION OF GRAPES. 
We find tho following translation of an 
article in a German paper, in the Agricul- 
tor, which contains an account of the pre¬ 
servation of grapes in Russia:—A traveler 
who lived at St. Petersburg during the win¬ 
ter season states that ho ate there tho fresh¬ 
est and most beautiful grapes ho had ever 
seen. To preserve them they should be cut 
before being entirely ripe. Do not handle 
the berries; reject all damaged ones, then 
lay the grapes in a large stone jar holding 
about thirty gallons. The mouth should bo 
narrow so that tho grapes will not touch 
each other. Fill tho spaces between them 
with millet. Cover closely with a stone 
cover well fitted and cemented. Over this 
paste a thick paper, and let it bo hermeti¬ 
cally sealed so as entirely to exclude tho 
air. In this air-tight jar tho grapes ripen 
fully, and acquire a flavor seldom attained 
by any other method, and are preserved for 
two years in tho best condition. 
Raisins. —Everybody is fond of raisins, es¬ 
pecially if thoy aro of tho finest quality, but 
every body, we suspect, does not know they 
aro successfully prepared in this State, 
and we believe also in other parts of this 
country. Tho Horticulturist says : 
“ We havo just received a box of nice rai¬ 
sins prepared from tho Isabella grape, by 
Mr. E. A. McKay,' of Naples, Ontario Co, 
who has one of the most complete little 
vineyards in Western N. Y. Wo havo pass¬ 
ed thoso raisins around among our friends, 
and they havo invariably pronounced them 
excellent, somo preferring them to tho im¬ 
ported article. Mr. McKay informs us that 
thoy keep well, thoy certainly appear as 
though they would. Why may not this be¬ 
come an important branch of fruit culture ? 
A very largo amount of money is annually 
sent abroad for raisins. Tho matter de¬ 
mands attention.” 
A gentleman in New Haven, says tho 
Union, has caught in his garden, since the 
10th day of Juno, with twenty-four wido- 
mouth bottles partly filled with molasses 
and vinegar, three bushels of bugs.Jlies, and 
millers, tyc. Tho bottles wero hung upon 
his garden fence. During the first soven 
days, tho amount of flies, &c. caught, was 
forty-two solid quarts. 
INSTANTANEOUS BLOSSOMING. 
On Saturday afternoon a few ladies and 
gentleman assembled, on the invitation of 
Mens. Herbert, at Onslow House, Bromp- 
ton, for a privato view of an experiment in 
the instantaneous blossoming of flowers — 
The flowors selected for a trial were a roso 
and a geranium, both of which were entire¬ 
ly destitute of blossoms. Somo buds wese 
discernible a distance of about two yards 
on the roso treo. As soon as tho company 
had takon their seats in tho room where 
the experiment took place, the flowers were 
both covored with circular glass and somo 
liquids, apparently chemical substances, 
were applied at the side to the interior.— 
In two or three minutes after, tho glass 
bowls became dim with vapor; and within 
a quarter of an hour tho geranium was un¬ 
covered and several full-sized blossoms of 
the ordinary appearanco and scent were cut 
from it. and distributed among: tho compa¬ 
ny. Tho experiment with tho rose treo 
failed, in consequenco, as was stated, of the 
soil having been prepared too late. Vari¬ 
ous conjectures were formed as to the mode 
in which tho effect was produced, but the 
prevalent opinion attributed it mainly to 
the application of artificial heat, however 
generated, to the root of the plant, combin¬ 
ed with a careful preparation of the soil.— 
No explanation was offered by the exhibitor, 
nor were the company allowed to inspect 
minutely.— Liverpool paper. 
TO SHAVE WITHOUT SOAP. 
Eds. Rural :—There has existed in the 
mind of man since the days of Noah, a lur¬ 
king suspicion that cold water had power to 
effect somo of the mightiost revolutions.— 
This suspicion has from time to time sprung 
to the surface,—and. as in tho case of Press- 
nitz and others in the Old, and Shew with 
thoso of like faith in tho New World, has 
produced somo practical results, which, if 
theso champions of the cleansing element are 
to be believed, are of such importance that 
no one is excusable, unless, like a young 
duck, he at once takes to the water. With¬ 
out pretending to decido upon a matter of 
such consequenco, 1 wish in this communi¬ 
cation to suggest a usoof cold water whr&b, 
whether known to others or not, was until 
rocently unknown to myself. 
And here let mo say to the lady readers 
of the Rural, that thoy need not tremble, 
thinking that they aro to bo inflicted with a 
plunge, sitz or douch bath, or with the wot 
sheet, bandage, pack or anything of tho sort. 
No, gentle dames and misses, tho prescrip¬ 
tion in this instance, whilst it is for your 
comfort, and will result wo doubt not in 
your happiness, has no personal application 
to yourselves. Your sex, this time happily 
escapes—unless perchance it be such oc¬ 
casional ogre specimens of womanhood as 
friend Barnum can pick up for exhibition. 
But to return. We hereby, in all sinceri¬ 
ty and good faith, recommend cold water as 
a substitute for soap in shaving. It ought 
to bo understood by all men—and by all 
womon, too, who lovo to see a well shorn 
countenance—that tho great object in using 
any substance upon the board prior to the 
application of the razor, is to soften tho hair. 
This object can bo fully attained by tho use 
of pure cold water alone. The plan I pur¬ 
sue is to apply cold water to tho beard 
with tho hand, rub briskly for a few min¬ 
utes, let the water remain upon tho face 
while sharpning the razor, and generally tho 
beard will bo sufficiently softened to cut 
readily when I am prepared to commence 
tho operation. Try this and seo if it does 
not answer as well, if not bettor, than the 
old plan. It will at all events “ deliver you” 
from tho poisonous compounds too often 
applied to your face as tho “ host shaving 
soap.” 
Having received the above from a friend, 
I have no patent; neither do I expect a pen¬ 
sion or life annuity for making it public.— 
“ Freely you have received, freely give.” 
Hanover, Ill., August, 1853. A. B. 
To Preserve Eggs. —Place a half dozen 
at a time into boiling water, or as many as 
you can lift out at once with a skimmer, and 
leave them in the water from five to six 
seconds, and they will keep fresh for any 
length of time. This process coagulates a 
thin film of tho white next tho shell, and 
renders it impervious to the air, which is tho 
causo of tho putrefactive stage,— tho shell 
being porous, and by laying a short time in 
ono position, tho yolk displaces the white 
and comes in contact with it, and spoils. 
To Pickle Onions. —When gathering 
your onions in the fall, save all the small 
ones for pickling. Peel them carefully, and 
soak them in strong brine three weeks.— 
This takes out the strong taste and smell. 
Then tako them out of tho brine and soak 
them twenty-four hours in weak vinegar.— 
When taken out from this, insert a clove in 
the top of each onion, and lay them care¬ 
fully in a stone jar, and cover with cold vin¬ 
egar. They will be fit for uso in a few 
days.— Germantown Telegraph. 
Never use ley to clean tin; it will spoil it 
soon. Mako it clean with suds, and rub with 
whiting, and it will look well, and last long. 
ctjmmc %xt$ f h. 
LIST OF PATENT CLAIMS 
ISSUED FROM THE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 
For the week ending Aug. 16, 1853. 
G. W. Baynes, Thomas Hinty and Minter Jack- 
son, of Glenville, Ya., for improvement in bed¬ 
stead fastenings. 
Wm. Beach, of Philadelphia, Pa., for improve¬ 
ment in meat tenderers. 
John Binder, of Chelsea, Mass., for improve¬ 
ment in hinges for fokliug bedsteads. 
P. F. Charpie, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, for im¬ 
provement in gun locks. 
Thomas Crossley, of Roxbury, Mass., for im¬ 
provement in printed carpets. 
B. F. Delano, of Chelsea, Mass., for improve¬ 
ment in rudder brace. 
M. B. Dyott, of Philadelphia, Pa., for improve¬ 
ment in facing buildings. 
A. W. Graheart, of Beallsville, Ohio, for im¬ 
provement in machines for preparing spoke tim¬ 
ber. 
A. H. McKinley, of Iligginsport, Ohio, for im¬ 
provement in socket for auger handles and braces. 
Jacob Mumma, of Mount Joy*, Pa., for im¬ 
provement iu draught apparatus of seed planters. 
E. K. Root, of Hartford, Ct., for improvement 
in drop hammers. 
Wm. Van Anden, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., for 
improvement in triphammers. 
J. P. Schenkl, (assignor to J. P. Schenkl A. 
S. Saroni,) of Boston, Mass., for improvement in 
breech-loading fire-arms. 
W. H. Babbit, of Waynesburgh, Pa., for im¬ 
provement in hill-side plows. 
A. G. Coes, of Worcester, Mass., for improve¬ 
ment iu screw wrench. 
Wm. <fc S. G. Coleman, of Providence, R. I., for 
improvement in ship blocks. 
A. C. Gallahue, of Alleghany City, Pa., for im¬ 
provement in machinery for pegging boots and 
shoes. Ante-dated Feb. 18, 1853. 
Gibson North, of Philadelphia, Pa., for improve¬ 
ment in oven doors of cookicg stoves and ranges. 
A. R. Tewksbury, of Boston, Mass., for im¬ 
provement in boat or scow. 
Henry Stanton, U. S. A., for improvement in 
discharging breech-loading fire-arms. 
DESIGN. 
J. W. Van Cleve, (assignor to James Greer & 
Co.,) of Dayton, O., design for a cooking stove. 
NEW BRICK MAKING MACHINE. 
The progress of civilization, population, 
wealth, and increased prices of the produc¬ 
tions of the forest, warrant the presump¬ 
tion that the leading and prominent article 
for building is henceforth to be Bricks, the 
immense demand and consumption of which 
has set in motion tho inventive genius of 
which this country is so prolific, to simplify 
and reduce the labor and expense of pro¬ 
ducing that article. Tho introduction of 
the process of mixing with the clay a por¬ 
tion of pulverized anthracite coal, has al¬ 
ready reduced the cost of burning more than 
one-half, and the brick machino lately in¬ 
troduced, greatly expedites and roduces the 
expense of moulding. 
There is an important difficulty still to be 
met and overcome before tho operation is 
perfect. The difficulty of drying, baking, 
and securing against rains previous to 
setting in tho kiln, renders the process 
an entire failure. Sometimes for weeks, in 
wet spring months, not a brick can bo made, 
and builders and laborers lose their time 
and aro seriously incommoded. 
Out of this difficulty arose the attempt to 
press dry clay into form, ready for the kiln, 
when they como out of tho mould. Sever¬ 
al ingenious attempts have failed, owing to 
their want of tenacity ; though of beautiful 
form and a perfect outside to look at, the 
cohesion of particles was not sufficiently ad¬ 
hesive to warrant their handling safely, 
much less to lay a good wall. It is said that 
with a peculiar unotious clay at Boston, this 
process has succeeded in producing a very 
fair article. 
Col. Drummond, of this city, is now about 
finishing a machino for this purpose, in 
which after the clay and coal are ground in 
a dry state, and its regular combination se¬ 
cured by bolting, at tho instant before com¬ 
pression a sufficient jot of water is thrown 
in on all sides with great force, and the ad¬ 
hesion of tho particles secured. The brick 
is then formed and carried on a chain ele¬ 
vator to a furnace kiln, from which they aro 
returned burned brick in about two hours, 
at tho rato of from 30,000 to 40,000 per day. 
If it succeeds as tho inventor anticipates, 
it is the machino for brick making. * 
ABOUT THAT CHEAP PAINT. 
Eds. Rural: —Your correspondent, S., 
requests a more “definite article” in rela¬ 
tion to “Cheap Paint,” and adds—“Ido 
not understand how to proportion white 
lead ground in oil with tho hydraulic lime, 
in bulk.” I statod in the article to which 
ho refers, that the proportions should be, in 
bulk, ono part lead ground in oil, to two 
parts water lime. That is plain. Is it not, 
S.? Ho also inquires, “how much surface 
would a barrel of lime suffice for r”— and 
“ how much load would be required for the 
same ?” If ho has a barrel of lime, let him 
got half a barrel of lead, and ho has the 
proportions in bulk, two to one ; and when 
prepared as directed in my first article, ho 
will havo a sufficient quantity to paint four 
buildings 40 by 50, two stories high. 
August, 1853. HKMUKTTA. 
PEGGING BOOTS AND SHOES BY MACHINERY- 
We have now before us a pair of shoes 
which were pegged by.a machine; they aro 
the first and only pair wo have seen that 
were not pegged by a son of St. Crispin 
with his awl and hammer. The work is 
well dono, and as good as any hand work 
we ever saw. The machine which accom¬ 
plished this feat was invented by Seth D. 
Tripp, patented on tho 12th of fast April, 
and assigned to Edward L. Norfolk, of Sa¬ 
lem, Mass., tho sole proprietor. We have 
learned that this machine will peg a No. 7 
boot or shoo in half a minute, or°30 pairs 
an hour, if the shoes could be put in and 
taken out in tho same time they are pegged. 
It can be altorod to suit a different sized 
shoe or boot in two minutes, and it will peg 
any shape. 
As tho price of boots and shoes has great¬ 
ly advanced within the past two months, and 
owing to the vast number of pegged boots 
and shoes made in our country, all by hand, 
the importance of a machino to accomplish 
the samo object, is apparent to overy body. 
In a single town of Mass., (Lynn) no less 
than 10,485 persons are emploped in the 155 
shoe factories there. Tho yearly valuo of 
women s and children’s boots, shoes and 
gaiters made there, is $3,421,300. This is 
not all pegged work, nor have we tho statis¬ 
tics ot the amount ot pegged boots and shoes 
manufactured annually, (when will the cen¬ 
sus bo printed—oh how slow Uncle Sam is 
about such things !) but somo idea can bo 
formed by our readers from the foregoing 
statistics, of the magnitude of the feet cloth^ 
ing manufacture of our country. All at¬ 
tempts made by our countrymen to estab¬ 
lish tho pegged boot trade in Britain have 
signally tailed. Although a great oxpense 
was incurred to try to establish it, we have 
been informed that, Uncle John and Cousin 
Sandy still cling to hob , nails, tackets, and 
stitched work in preference to pegs and 
cheaper brogans.— Sci. Am. 
THE AUTOMATON CHURN. 
A Mr. Crane, ot Illinois, has got up an 
apparatus for churning by machinery re¬ 
sembling clockwork. The machine is mov¬ 
ed by a*woight. and pendulum, which oper¬ 
ates the dashers of two churns with a regu¬ 
lar and sufficient motion. When it runs 
down; it is to bo again wound up, and will 
then start forth and go on to the next stop¬ 
ping place. It will not ’only churn, but 
pound clothes, pump water, and other iike 
operations, if there aro any. Its motion 
may be slower or faster, but it is calculated 
with one winding to do one churning. The 
machine is all very simple and not liablo to 
get out of repair, and will last a long time. 
Therte aro three sizes of the power, costing 
respectively, $15. $20 and $25. 
The Prairie Farmer recommends it very 
highly, and says “ Wo do not soo why it 
will not wash clothes, if it will churn ; per¬ 
haps it wiil be made to get tea and spank tho 
children. If so, housekeeping is likely to 
be ‘ made easy.” 
NEW SPOKE MACHINE. 
A Locomotive Village. —The Illinois 
Journal says that, a new plan of accommo¬ 
dating laborers on railroad improvements 
is practiced on the Chicago and Mississippi 
Railroad. The entiro working force on this 
road is ono hundred persons, who livo iu 
cars fitted up for the purpose of boarding 
tho men, and aro pushed along as the rails 
aro laid—thus securing the advantage of al¬ 
ways having tho mon near the work. This 
locomotive boarding house or villago com¬ 
prises fifteen largo covered cars, with all 
the necessary conveniences for cooking, 
eating and sleeping. They carry cows, 
which graze alongside, and arc put in their 
stalls when tho locomotive village changes 
ground. 
Anson Judson, Jr., of Unadilla, N. Y., has 
taken measures to secure a patent for useful 
improvements in machinery for cutting 
spokes for carriage wheels, and for articles 
of a similar nature. The naturo of tho im¬ 
provements consist in cutting the stuff into 
the proper form for spokes by planing it 
longitudinally with a double set of revolving 
cutters which receive motion and cut with 
tho grain of the wood. This machine is a 
spoke planer, as the stuff does not revolve. 
The cutters are so formed that as tho stuff 
is fed in side guides, to direct the cutter 
stocks, that at one part the cutters by their 
form will plane nearly flat, and then as tho 
work proceeds the rounding edges of the 
cutters are brought into action. Tho sido 
guides to direct the cutters to act upon the 
stuff to be planed are of such a form that 
while the cutters revolve they are mado to 
cut the several portions of tho stuff' to the 
required form. When ono sido of a spoko 
is finished, it is turned and tho other sido is 
submitted to tho samo action.— Scientific 
American. 
Sawing Machine. —W. D. Carr, Senr., 
of Corning, N. Y., have invented an ar¬ 
rangement of the cross-cut saw, by which it 
may be operated by a singlo man. Tho 
saw-frame or carriage is placed upon hori¬ 
zontal ways, which rest upon the block or 
log to be cut. The saw is fed to its work 
by means of weighted rods at each extremity, 
passing loosely through the carriago. A 
reciprocating motion is given by a crank 
and rod. Measures havo been takon to 
secure a patent.— Ibid. 
