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FEB. 9. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORIvER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND EMILY NEWSPAPER. 
47 
0rch;trti aitii feuUtit. 
HOUSE PLANTS IN WINTER. 
We have neglected the flowers ! Our Horti¬ 
cultural columns, of late, have been almost 
entirely devoted to fruit,—a good—a glorious 
subject,—but still the beautiful flowers must not 
be forgotten. Though late, yet “better late .•) 
than never” to speak on the management of '/ 
house plants. These, in winter, form such a 
contrast to the cheerless scenes without, as to 
become “ a joy exceedingly.” A few of 
the fair sisterhood — by the brightness 
of their beaming faces—will give to a 
corner of the sitting room a grace and 
glory, 
“ Like sunshine in a shady place,” 
to which one pan turn in the stormiest 
day for summer thoughts and fancies. 
Many, very many, of the fair readers of 
the Rural, think thus, and their rooms 
lack not this cheap and comely adorn¬ 
ment. A state of health and vigor, 
which at this season is somewhat diffi¬ 
cult to attain and preserve, much in¬ 
creases the beauty of house plants, and 
a few hints on this subject, will be wel¬ 
come to the many who love them. 
Even green-house plants do not grow 
much in winter. Hence they do not 
need that warmth and moisture which 
is indispensable in the full progress of 
vegetation. It is generally a period of 
rest with them, and they should be kept 
cool and rather dry. A temperature of 
about 50° is better than that of 70° or 
80°— between which points a living room is 
usually kept. But the “season of rest” may be 
made to vary by early or late potting, and oth¬ 
er peculiarities of management, so as to bring 
some plants into full bloom in the middle of 
winter. Such, of course, are especially prized 
then, and it is worth some pains to have a beau¬ 
tiful flower in February. In this case, they 
need more water and warmth than otherwise, 
yet not as much as in summer. It does not 
evaporate as rapidly, and while the soil is mod¬ 
erately moist, no water need be applied. Thor¬ 
ough draining is as necessary as in summer, 
and no plant should be potted without provision 
being made for the escape of all superfluous 
water. Filling one-fifth of the pot with broken 
charcoal, will furnish a sub-soil of the proper 
porosity. When it is desirable to keep plants 
growing, some fertilizing element, 6uch as a 
weak solution of guano, should be applied occa¬ 
sionally, instead of pure water. 
Freedom from dust is of importance to the 
health as well as the appearance of plants, and 
frequent washing is the only means of securing 
this desirable end. This may be effected most 
conveniently by syringing with tepid water— 
first placing the pot containing the plant on its 
side, that the soil may not be watered too freely. 
Those who have no syringe, may use a watering- 
pot, or any means by which the plants can be 
thoroughly sprinkled, which answers nearly as 
well. Many fine plants make but a sorry ap¬ 
pearance as ornaments of a room, from the dusty 
slate in which they are allowed to remain,— 
seemingly as though a coating of lint and dirt 
was needed as a protection. 
Plants should have plenty of light at any 
season. They cannot flourish without it, and 
the flowers are destitute of half the brightness 
and fragrance which they would possess, had 
they their full share of sunshine. They grow 
up, too, spindling and tender, and besides being 
less beautiful, are far easier affected by any and 
every cause which has an injurious tendency. 
SUPPORTING DWARF TREES. 
« I have a young bearing orchard of dwarf 
pears—the trees have given me much trouble 
this year by bending over under the load of 
fruit with the force of the wind, apparently for 
want of strong roots. What is the proper rem¬ 
edy ?” w. 
This is a difficulty not unfrequently met with 
in the cultivation of the dwarf pear. They will 
often stand erect in ordinary seasons, but unu¬ 
sual rains soften the ground, and strong winds 
sometimes give them an inclination towards the 
ground. The stem, by swaying to and fro, 
forms a large hole in the soil, which increases 
the difficulty. Various remedies have been 
proposed. Some have dug them up and set 
them deeper, but we cannot recommend this 
course—as deep planting, except in very deep 
and highly manured soils, is apt to retard 
growth; and besides, it does not always pre¬ 
vent the hole occasioned by the swaying of the 
stem. If the tree is small, a thick piece of 
stout turf placed firmly around the stem will 
answer the purpose. In other cases, staking 
may be resorted to. But in trees of much size, 
we should prefer placing a leather strap or a 
straw band around the stem about two-thirds of 
the way to the top, securing a wire to this, and 
the other end of the wire to a small peg driven 
obliquely into the ground, with the top inclin¬ 
ing/ran the tree. This wire forms a strong 
brace. If the wind prevails in one direction 
only, a single wire towards it may be enough; 
in other cases two or three wires may be useful. 
— Cultivator. 
Anthracite Ashes. —It is now generally well 
known that anthracite, or hard coal ashes—long 
deemed as worthless to vegetation, and as an 
actual injury to the soil—are endued with pro¬ 
perties which render them valuable when ap¬ 
plied as manure. Persons resid ing in the vicin¬ 
ity of cities and sea-port towns, would do well 
to bear this fact in mind, and to collect as large 
quantities as practicable for the benefit of their 
crops. We have plenty of evidence of their ex¬ 
cellent effect on gardens.— N. E. Farmer. 
LATEST SWEET CHERRY: 
THE “MERVE1LLE DE SEPTEMBER.” 
The engraving above, represents the “ Mer- 
vcille De September” Cherry, a French variety 
but little propagated in this country. It is de¬ 
scribed in Barry’s Fruit Garden, as a “new 
French Cherry, remarkable only for its late¬ 
ness,” ripening here the first of September.— 
The fruit is medium size, dark purplish red, 
when fully ripe, resembling in size and color, 
the Early Purple Guignc. The flesh is father 
firm, sweet and pleasant, when fully ripe. The 
tree is an erect, rapid grower, like the heart va¬ 
rieties, and a good bearer. The fruit improves 
as the tree grows older. It is the latest sweet 
cherry known, and hence worthy of a place in 
large collections. 
THE APPLE ORCHARD. 
DURATION OP VARIETIES. 
In selecting trees for an orchard, there are 
many other considerations to be taken into the 
account besides the quality of the fruit and the 
time of ripening. We want trees which will 
attain a great size and live a hundred years, 
which is about the natural life-time of an apple 
tree. We see many orchards the trees of which 
are always stubby-topped, dwarfish affairs.— 
Let us look into these things and endeavor to 
understand why one tree grows large enough to 
bear seventy-five bushels of apples, while an¬ 
other attains only half that size, and bears only 
in proportion. There is no effect without a 
cause, and surely such discrepancies must ad¬ 
mit of explanation. Let us try to find some 
fixed principles lying at the root of the matter. 
For the last thirty or forty years, two oppo¬ 
site theories have prevailed in relation to the 
longevity of fruit trees—the one may be called 
the “ Theory of unlimited duration.” It claims 
that every variety of fruit, by grafting, budding 
and good management, may be propagated for¬ 
ever. The other is called the “ Theory of lim¬ 
ited duration,” and holds that each variety of 
fruit tree is a distinct individual and must, with 
all the trees taken from it by grafting, budding, 
suckers, layers, or any other means, ultimately 
die and become extinct. 
In support of the first, or theory of unlimited 
duration, it is urged that many varieties now in 
vigorous bearing, were known fifteen hundred 
or more years ago, and that those old varieties, 
which are now declining on the sea board, 
flourish well in the interior or “ out West.” 
The opponents to this theory demur to these 
circumstances as conclusive or positive proof, 
urging that no reliance can be placed on mere 
names, even now ; and much less five hundred 
or more years ago. Until a comparatively short 
time ago, orchards were mostly made up of un¬ 
grafted fruit trees raised from seeds ; and when 
a good apple existed, its seeds were carefully 
preserved and planted, and we know the same 
variety is thus often produced. And every 
choice variety, whether it was thus produced or 
happened to spring up, was sure to be called by 
the name of the original, just as many seed¬ 
lings are now called pippins. So that all things 
considered, it is more than probable that these 
ancient varieties have been rejuvenated by seeds 
some dozens of times. And as for our declin¬ 
ing varieties along the sea board flourishing in 
the interior, it, as yet, only shows how much a 
new and congenial soil, climate, and other local 
circumstances and stimulants, may revive them. 
It is already rumored that some of our declin¬ 
ing varieties show signs of decay, even there. 
Let us now take a cursory review of the op¬ 
posite theory, viz., “ the theory of limited dura¬ 
tion.” This is commonly called Knight’s The¬ 
ory, from Mr. Knight, the President of the Lon¬ 
don Horticultural Society, who first brought it 
nto notice. The same theory, however, was 
publicly taught by I)r. Mitchell in his lectures 
in New York some thirty years before. 
Mr. Knight found that several varieties of 
fine fruit had become extinct in England, and 
that other old choice varieties were declining. 
He determined to apply his knowledge of veg¬ 
etable economy for the renewal of these old de¬ 
clining varieties. He did so. But notwith¬ 
standing all his thorough, well digested and 
scientific appliances in every possible shape 
and manner, they declined, died, and became 
extinct. Hence, after a full examination of the 
subject in all its bearings, he arrived at the fol¬ 
lowing conclusions : 
1st. Every vegetable, except perhaps some of 
the lowest orders, is a distinct individual, de¬ 
rived from a seed, the result always of sexual 
intercourse or some process analagous thereto. 
2d. Every variety has a birth, an infancy, a 
youth, a maturity, an old age, a decline and a 
death, in coinmon with all living things. 
3d. Every individual propagated by grafting, 
budding, layers, slips or suckers, is but an inte¬ 
gral part of the original individual tree, all pos¬ 
sessing one identical texture and appearance of 
wood, bark, leaf, shape of growth, flavor and 
fruit, one vital principle governing and ruling 
the operations of all. 
4th. The vital ruling principle of all being 
identical, they must all be of one age, all being 
just as old as the original individual. 
5th. As a natural consequence, when the 
original tree dies fairly of old age, every tree 
taken from it must soon feel a tendency to de¬ 
cline. 
6 th. Individual vegetable life may be defi¬ 
nitely prolonged by whatever tends to add new 
vigor to its constitution, as grafting or budding 
on young, healthy seedling stocks, removing to 
a more congenial soil or climate, or by nursing 
carefully and supplying it with nutritious food. 
7th. Notwithstanding all these appliances, 
individual life must decline and cease, and the 
variety under its control must perish and be¬ 
come ultimately extinct— sic transit gloria mundi 
—“ so passeth away the glory of the world.” 
Having laid the two theories fairly before our 
readers, they must judge for themselves. I 
could wish the theory of unlimited duration 
were true. I could then make a thorough effort 
to resuscitate our good old varieties, many of 
which have no superiors—scarcely equals. But 
after 45 years experience, observation and study 
I am compelled to believe in the limited dura¬ 
tion of the varieties of fruit trees, and that a 
renewal by seeds is necessary to their existence. 
More hereafter. Jas. Fountain, M. D. 
Westchester Co., N. Y. 
The Vine at Hampton Court, near London. 
This vine is the largest in Europe, its branches 
extending over a space of 2,300 square feet. It 
was planted from a slip in the year 1768, and 
generally bjM^rs upwards of 2,000 bunches of 
grapes of the’black Hamburg kind. The orig¬ 
inal vine from which this cutting was taken still 
flourishes at the seat caR'id Valentine’s, in Es¬ 
sex, where it was planted in 1758. In 1835, the 
parent grape vine bore 400 bunches of grapes, 
and the girt of its stem was 24 inches. 
Jpfjraitit g/rte, 3ft. 
Our mullein flourishes in English gardens 
under the cognomen of American velvet plant, 
and the wild heath of her moors is our green¬ 
house nursling. 
fmmiii ftfliujiinj. 
Potato Yeast. —Pare, boil and mash smooth 
twelve potatoes , stir into these one large cup of 
sugar and one quart of boiling water; when 
cool add one quart of cold water, and a half 
pint or less of yeast; keep it in a warm place 
of twelve hours, when it will be ready for use. 
Shake it carefully before using ; always reserve 
a small quantity of old yeast for raising the 
new. Bread or cakes made with this yeast 
never need saleratus, and will rise very quickly. 
I trust housekeepers generally will try this, and 
dispense with the unwholesome article, salera¬ 
tus.— 0. Farmer. 
The above recipe, published in your last vol¬ 
ume, I can recommend to all housekeepers as 
the best, most convenient and saving that I ever 
tried. I think it keeps better than any other 
kind I have ever had.—E. H. S., West Sparta. 
LIST OF PATENTS, 
iHSiicd from the United Stated Patent Office for the 
week ending January 22, 1856. 
Benj. F. Avery, Louisville, for machine for bending plow 
andles, Ac. 
J. A. Ayres, Hartford, method for opening and clos¬ 
ing farm gates. 
Thos. Crane, Foit Atkinson, for improvement in flouring 
mills. 
Wm. W. Tlubbell, Philadelphia, for improvement in ec¬ 
centric explosive shells. 
John M. Jones, Palmyra, assignor to Newton Foster of 
same place, for improvement in cotton seed planters. 
David H. Kennedy, Reading, for improvement in the ar¬ 
rangement of tan vats. 
Jos. W. Killam, East Wilton, N. H., for machine for 
dressing sticks to polygonal forms. 
Emmons Manleo, Marion, N. Y., for improved riveting 
machines. 
Jos. S. Manning, Philadelphia, for improvements in mow¬ 
ing machines. 
Wm. H. Medcalf, Baltimore, for method of ventilating 
railroad cars. 
Jean Pierre Molliere, Lyons, Frauce, for improvement in 
machines for hammering leather for the soles and heels of 
boots and shoes. Patented in France, July 22,1855. 
John J. Osborn, New Orleans, La., for improvement in 
grate bars. 
Francis Peabody, Salem, for improved method of regu¬ 
lating velocity of wind wheels. 
Freeman Plummer, of Manchester, Ind., for improvement 
in seed planters. 
James P. Ross, Louisburg, Pa., for improvement in means 
for operating the steam valves in blower engines. 
Charles Schmidt, of Union, Mo., for improved method of 
boxing carriage wheels. 
Horace Smith, Norwich, and Daniel B. Wesson, of New 
Haven, assignors to “The Volcanic Repeating Arms Com¬ 
pany,” of New Haven, Conn., for improved primes for car¬ 
tridges for fire-arms. 
John H. Manny, Rockford, for improvement in grain and 
grass harvesters. 
John H. Manny, Rockford, for improvement in harvester 
cutter bars. 
RE-1SSCES. 
Benj. Hardinge, New York, for improvement in appara¬ 
tus for dissolving silica. Patented May 8, 1S55. 
Allen B. Wilson, Pittsfield, for improvement in sewing 
machines. Patented November 12, 1850. 
DESIGNS. 
Garrettson Smith, Henry Brown, Jos. A. Read, of Phila¬ 
delphia, assignors to James G. Abbott and Archilus Law¬ 
rence of same place, for design for cooking stoves. Ante- 
dated Dec. 31,1855. 
Garrettson Smith, Henry Brown, and Jos. A. Read, of 
Philadelphia, assignors to A. E. Warfield, of same place, for 
design for portable furnaces. Ante-dated Dec. 31, 1855. 
Garrettson Smith, Henry Brown and Jos. A. Reed, of 
Philadelphia, assignsrs to A. E, Warfield, of same place, for 
design for portable range. Ante-dated Dec. 31,1855. 
BINDING THE RURAL. 
dear friends, many of whom have passed to the 
spirit land, from which no traveler returns.— 
They have become holy reminiscences—sacred 
volumes. Yours, as ever, 
Monroe Co., N. Y. B. Manly. 
GREAT MASS OF COPPER. 
On Saturday last we went under ground to 
look at the great mass in the Minnesota Mine, to 
which we have before alluded. They are now 
at work on the north-east corner of the copper, 
which they succeeded in throwing out by a 
heavy sand blast. Some forty men are con¬ 
stantly at work by night and day in cutting it 
up and getting away the pieces. It is fastened 
very firmly to the foot wall by strings and little 
cross veins of copper, and this makes it quite 
difficult to detach from the rock, but otherwise 
its occurrence is very favorable for getting out 
economically. It is found to be very much 
seamed, so that well placed sand blasts of ten or 
twelve kegs of powder will tear off and throw 
up lumps of forty to sixty tons’ weight. 
From 20 to 28 men are constantly at work 
cutting it up, and the ring of hammer and steel 
in the level reminds the visitor of a nail factory. 
They cut it into pieces of about 5,000 pounds 
weight each, as near as they can estimate,—that 
size being the best for safety of machinery and 
convenience of handling. We measured some 
of the cuts. One of them was twenty-nine 
inches thick of clean bright copper,—though 
they generally can manage to find a place where 
it does not require more than eighteen inches 
of cutting.— Lake Superior Miner. 
Wrecking Howitzer.— The Nantucket In¬ 
quirer of a recent date, states that a trial was 
had of the howitzer, for throwing a line over a 
wrecked vessel, under the direction of Thomas 
Macy, Esq., which proved it to be an invaluable 
instrument in the purpose of saving human life. 
The howitzer consists of a small mortar mounted 
on wheels, and throws a ball about seven pounds 
in weight, to which is attached, by means of a 
staple, a small line about the size of a common 
clothes line. The object is to shoot - the ball in 
such a manner that the line will fall over the 
vessel, by means of which a larger line may be 
drawn from the shore. At one discharge the 
ball was thrown a distance of 73 fathoms, which 
was pronounced by competent judges to be a 
sufficient distance to reach any vessel which may 
he cast upon our shores. Great credit is due to 
the Massachusetts Humane Society for their 
praiseworthy efforts in behalf of the unfortunate 
mariner. 
To Make Cheap Gingerbread.— Take a quart 
of flour, rub into it three spoonsful of yeast 
powder, or two of cream of tartar, and one of 
saleratus; then take one teacup of molasses, 
half a teacup of sugar, two-thirds of a teacup of 
butter, a teacup of milk (sour, the best,) three 
teaspoonsful of ginger, and one egg, and beat 
these all together for half an hour ; then mix in 
the flour, beating it all the while till the spoon 
can stand in it, or as thick as you can beat it 
with a spoon. Bake it in a buttered cake pan. 
—Family Circle. 
Lemon Cake.— Take 1 tea cup of butter, and 
3 of powdered loaf sugar, rub them to a cream, 
stir into them the yolks of 5 eggs well beaten ; 
dissolve a teaspoonful of saleratus in a tea cup 
of milk, add the juice and grated peel of one 
lemon, or essence of lemon, and the whites of 
the 5 eggs, and sift in as light as possible 4 tea 
cups of flour. Bake, in two long tins, about half 
an hour. Much improved by iceing, and is a 
very nice cake.—S. F., Fulton, N. Y. 
A Hint. —As to cooking the potato, the secret 
is in a word. Like a beef-steak—to quote 
words used on a more solemn occasion : 
“ If it were (lone, when ’tia done, then ’twere well 
It were done quickly." 
Procrastination in cooking is the thief of all 
goodness in the potato.— Springfield Rep. 
Mr. Moore There is no folio or quarto pa¬ 
per, but what is worth binding and saving, and 
especially the Rural, containing so many im¬ 
portant facts on farming and domestic economy, 
together with notices of inventions and improve¬ 
ments in the arts and sciences aud a synopsis 
of the doings and undoings of man and his 
agents of power. 
What a treat a file of well conducted papers 
would now be, 30 or 40 years old, to look back 
upon the forgotten topics and convulsions of 
the world—what a satisfaction to have a book of 
your own saving for relerence, or to transmit to 
your posterity. Old things become new after a 
lapse of a few years, and one generation is not 
so much wiser than its antecedents, as they ar¬ 
rogate to themselves—yea, verily, there is noth¬ 
ing new under the sun, every new organ of 
power is only a new combination of long known 
principles. 
A well conducted paper now-a-days, is a 
miniature encyclopedia, — an epitome of the 
times—a universal library of knowledge, history 
and entertaining facts, which can never become 
obsolete or grow old,—facts and principles are 
imperishable; therefore save and secure your 
papers. 
But how shall it be done ? Probably three- 
fourths of your 20 or 30,000 subscribers are so 
situated as to location, that it is inconvenient 
and laborious to get to a book-binder, to say 
nothing of the expense. I have, for more than 
30 years, been in the habit of giving our valua¬ 
ble papers a cheap binding in the following 
manner, which any one can do who has sufficient 
ingenuity to make a button to a back door : 
Take a board a foot wide and two feet long, 
at one edge erect two light posts at a distance 
apart greater than the length of the paper, and 
5 or 6 inches in height; on the top ot the posts 
secure’a cross piece. At about 3 inches from 
the ends of the paper and in the middle, pass 
three cords of the size of a fish line from the 
board to the cross piece,—bring up the paper 
and with the scissors or knife cut three notches 
corresponding with the strings, large enough for 
them snugly to lay in,—then with a needle and 
No. 40 sewing cotton thread, pass it around the 
cord and between the folds, and so on with the 
next till the whole is secured. Press down 
close and rub the back with the handle of a 
knife until it is even, fill it full of paste and lay 
on a strip of cotton cloth, of the width of the 
back, and when dry cut the strings, leaving about 
an inch to each to attach to the cover, and to act 
as a hinge in opening and shutting. 
The cover may he of pasteboard or leather, 
or 5 or 6 thicknesses of brown or waste paper 
pasted together and pressed. The strings should 
pass through the edge of the cover, and the ends 
he pasted down, and the whole covered with 
plain or glazed cotton cloth. 
It is a homely but secure and cheap operation, 
and can be executed at one penny’s expense and 
the labor of one evening. Sam. Patch said 
“ some things could be done as well as others,” 
a notorious truism if we would only set ourselves 
about it. 
I have served my family and friendly letters 
of a numerous household scattered over the 
world, in the same manner for a number of 
years past, and now have several volumes con¬ 
taining the spirit views and feelings of near aud 
Good for Horses. —S. H. Mix, of Schoharie, 
has invented a useful “ crane,” by which horses 
are saved from injury on slippery pavements. 
The New York Times thus describes it: “ We 
noticed a curious arrangement on one of the • 
Forty-second street stages, and which effectual¬ 
ly saved its horses from falling. It was a stout 
iron crane fastened to the fore part of the om¬ 
nibus body, under the step-board, and passing 
over and between the horses, terminating about 
as far forward as the saddle. From the end of 
this, straps were attached to the hames and 
belly-bands. The result was that when the 
horse fell, he could not fall down, but being 
suspended, gathered up his feet again, and went 
on as if nothing had happened. The whole ap¬ 
paratus would weigh less than fifty pounds, and 
the driver told us it cost just $12. It is the 
device of Mr. S. H. Mix.” 
Simple Mode of Cutting Stone. —Among the 
French machinery will be found a very ingen¬ 
ious and simple mode of cutting stone, exhibit¬ 
ed by a man named Chevaliere. He causes a 
wire to run at a high velocity over the surface 
which he wishes to bisect, and by dropping on 
it a mixture of sand and water, the operation is 
rapidly completed. The hardest granite yields 
so quickly to this process, that the inventor can 
with one horse-power separate it at the rate of 
a square foot per hour, the wire running at the 
rate of forty feet per second. Using the ordi¬ 
nary saw, the same amount of work would re¬ 
quire three horse-power, and would expend 
fifteen francs’ worth of material, instead of one 
franc, which is all the wire costs.— London Min¬ 
ing Journal. 
Large Suspension Bridge. —A new suspen¬ 
sion bridge is to be built across the Mononga- 
hela, from the Point to Jones’ Ferry, at Pitts¬ 
burg. The bridge is thirteen hundred and fif¬ 
ty feet long, and consists of two suspensions 
supported by piers at each end, and one in the 
river. The first suspension is 900 feet long— 
the second 450 feet. The bridge at its culmi¬ 
nating point is 112 feet from the water, as re¬ 
quired by the Supreme Court in the Wheeling 
bridge case. The estimated cost of the bridge 
is $400,000. 
Light House.— A revolving light for coast 
towers has been on exhibition recently in New 
York which promises to supersede all the old 
lights. It is supplied by gas instead of oil; 
revolves in such a manner as to indicate, by its 
flashes, the number of the tower, and conse¬ 
quently its position ; and its shadow may be 
seen, it is said, to the distance of twenty or 
more miles. If not too complicated for general 
use, it must prove a valuable improvement, as 
well as an ingenious invention in the matter of 
light houses. 
Improved Plane Iron. —Mr. H. Harris, of N. 
Y., has invented an improved plane iron. In. 
this improvement the cutting iron is placed 
inside of a thin piece of metallic case, open at 
both ends. This case, with its cutter, is wedged 
into the plane in the common manner. The 
cutter is moved up and down within the case 
by means of a set screw. The thickness of the 
shaving is adjusted with the utmost facility, all 
that is required being simply to turn the screw. 
.'JiLHi/'K’li'l.r' 
