MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND EMILY NEWSPAPER, 
19 
€\i (Dri'Ijiirit nnb €nrbni. 
SPECIAL MANURES FOE APPLE TEEES. 
From an analysis of the apple carefully 
made by Dr. Salisbury, af Albany, we learn 
the constituents,organic and inorganic, which 
go to form this fruit, and which the treo re 
quires to be present in the soil in order that 
it may bo productive. Of the inorganic mat¬ 
ter, Potash, Soda, Phosphoric and Sul¬ 
phuric acid, Lime and Cholorineare the most 
important. These are required for the 
growth of the fruit, in addition to the ele¬ 
ments nescessary to the health and vigor of 
the tree—to produce its annual crop of leaves, 
and increase of wood, bark &c. Prof. Mares, 
from a review of these facts, proposes in 
the Journal of Agriculture, special composts 
for fruit trees. He says: 
“ To get a good crop every year instead 
of every other year most old orchards re¬ 
quire amendments. Let us see what they are 
First, as every 1000 lbs. of apples will contain 
170 lbs. of organic matter, we must supply 
it, and that, too, in a proper state: it must 
not bo fermentable liko stable manure, but 
well decomposed, and cool, like woods earth, 
decomposed muck, river deposits, or chip 
manure, or well rotted spent tan, and to 
secure its perfect decomposition may we not 
compost with it the very materials which j 
are contained as inorganic constituents of 
the wood, bark, leaves and fruit of the trees. 
Wo require lime, soda, and chlorine to 
form the fruit, and probably a still larger 
amount of these same ingredients for form¬ 
ing leaves, bark and woocl; a sufficient quan¬ 
tity of all theso may be had by slaking six 
bushels of quick lime with two bushels of 
common salt, dissolved in water, which will 
cause the mixture to change into chlorido 
of lime, and carbonate of soda, being just 
what we require; and after this mixture is 
one month old, and has been turned a few 
times, we may add it to a cord of the before 
named muck and our compost, and it is part 
ly prepared. What elso will tho compost 
require? Among other constituents, Plios 
phoric and Sulphuric acids;—these we may 
get by dissolving bones, or bone-dust, or 
native phosphate of lime, in sulphuric acid, 
and pouring the fluid on the compost;—the 
only constituent now necessary to bo added 
is Potash, and this can be most cheaply sup¬ 
plied by wood ashes, and our compost is 
complete; for the Iron, Magnesia and Silica, 
lire sufficiently plentiful in all soils, and the 
first two may be dispensed with altogether. 
When these are added to tho compost a 
small quantity of stable or barn-yard manure 
may be added to it, or placed under it, to 
assist tho thorough action by its heat, and 
with two turnings it is ready for use. 
Now tho cost of this compost is not half 
so great as an ordinary dressing of barn-yard 
manure, and for an apple orchard is worth 
a dozen dressings of tho ordinary kinds.— 
Open the ground fairly by plowing and the 
orchard is ready at the surface. Next look 
to the trees ; are they properly trimmed!— 
Is the bark clean and free from fungi? If 
not, get your rules for trimming from Down¬ 
ing's Fruit Trees of America, and wet tho 
surface of the trees with a solution made of 
one lb. of Bleacher’s No. 1 soda to ono gal¬ 
lon of water; put it on with a boat-mop ora 
whitewash brush, and it will decompose all 
mosses and dead bark, and the growth of 
the tree will throw off all the loose and dead 
bark, leaving a clean surface:—neither a 
tree nor a man can bo healthy with a dirty 
skin. 
Whon your orchard is thus prepared let 
the soil convert the amendments into apples, 
and do not raiso heavy crops among the 
trees and at the same time hope to get full 
crops of apples ■—above all, beware of buck¬ 
wheat, unless you intend to plow it under; 
if so, go ahead,—anything to induce frequent 
plowing in orchards so as to advantage by 
atmospheric influence. 
ftlrrjjiiuir Sifts |iinir 
IIAED Y7ATEE, 
ITALIAN DAMASK PLUM. 
Tins plum comes into season when fruit 
of this kind is not very plenty, and is a good 
bearer; henco it is a valuable variety for 
market, and as such worthy tho attention 
of cultivators. 
It is described as follows: — “Branches 
smooth. Fruit middlo sized, nearly round f 
a little flattened at the base, and having a 
well marked suture extending from the stalk 
to tho apex. Stalk half an inch long, slen¬ 
der, inserted in a small round cavity. Skin 
violet, becoming brown when fully ripe.— 
Flesh yellowish-green, firm, and separates 
clean from tho stone. Juice very sweet and 
high flavoured. Stone oval, rather thick. 
End of August.” 
FEUITS OF OBSERVATION. 
The most important improvements which 
have boon made in tho practice of agricul¬ 
ture and horticulture have resulted from tho 
study of tho natural sciences and tho habit 
of minuto, original observation of the little 
objects and incidents in nature, mot with at 
every step in these occupations. Those who 
read books of natural history and botany, 
and also closely observo with their own eyes 
overy thing in tho fields, orchards and gar 
dens, have gleaned and still may gather 
many useful hints from Nature’s own volume. 
Of the discoveries thus mado in horticul¬ 
ture particularly, wo copy tho following in¬ 
stances related by Prof. Fennell, in tho 
Journal of the Highland Ag. Society of Scot¬ 
land: 
In tho cultivation of plants, it has been 
found best to proceed on such scientific 
principles as a correct knowledge of their 
Domriitic (Btononu]. 
Smoked Sausage. —Having prepared the 
meat in the usual manner, press it into 
strong cloth rolls, hang them up in an airy 
place, and lot them freeze. Toward spring 
when thoy thaw, put them in the smoke 
room and give them a light smoking. Let 
them lay thero if you choose till midsum¬ 
mer or autumn, and when cooked in the 
usual way you will find them delicious. So 
says a friend who greatly prefers this meth¬ 
od to others. x. e. w. 
BUCKWHEAT CAKES. 
GEEEN-H0USE3 IN WINTER. 
Very few persons appear to know the 
value of the sponge in a green-houso. I 
mean for the purpose of washing tho leaves 
of all those plants with leaves broad enough 
to admit of it. I took the hint some five 
years ago from a neighbor, tho most suc¬ 
cessful plant grower I ever had tho good 
fortune to know. His plants were always 
so especially fresh and healthy, that I was 
for a long time puzzled to understand his 
secret, and ho always declared he had no 
secret. But early ono morning I caught 
him with a pail of clean water, slightly warm, 
by his side, sponging off tho leaves of all his 
choice plants. I said to myself, “I have it.” 
I did more; I went homo and practiced it. 
My plants soon showed by their new aspect, 
that I was not wrong in believing it the real 
secret of my neighbor’s success. They be¬ 
gan to look brighter, healthier, and to grow 
and bloom better than my utmost care had 
ever been able to make them do before._ 
And now, strangers always ask the same 
question when thoy seo my plants, that I 
used to ask my neighbor. My answer is 
“use the sponge.” The poros of tho loaf 
get filled with fino dust—and tho plant 
chokes. Syringing does not wholly remove 
it; the sponge does.— Jin Amateur, in the 
Horticulturist. 
A Splendid Climber.— Tho Boston Tran- 
script states that Messrs. Ilovey & Co., have 
now in bloom, in their greenhouso at Cam¬ 
bridge, a plant of the Bignonia Venusta, 
(or trumpet flower,) which has upwards of 
.R)0 heads ot flowers, each head containing 
28 or more separate blooms, which will give 
15,000 flowers grown upon a single plant.— 
The color is a pale orange, and vorv beau¬ 
tiful. 1 ho plant, and its flowers, attract 
ho admiration of all visitors. 
rotation of crops, by which tho produce of 
our land has been quadrupled, and tho ac¬ 
climation of plants by hybridization or en¬ 
grafting, by which means tho fruits and 
flowers of more southern regions aro recon¬ 
ciled to our climate, are only two out of 
many examples which might bo adduced of 
the benefits conferred by botany upon agri¬ 
cultlU'O. 
While science dictates such valuablo im¬ 
provements as these, tho mere observation 
of trifling facts often suggests useful ideas. 
It is said that the occasional natural union 
of the boughs of distinct trees demonstrated 
the practicability of grafting, and that the 
observation of tho circumstance of a vine 
shooting more vigorously after a goat had 
browsed on it, suggested the valuable art of 
pruning fruit trees. 
In the sixty-third volume of the Philoso¬ 
phical Transactions, we find it related that 
M. Mustel, having observed that some of the 
flower buds of an apple tree had been gnaw¬ 
ed off by a snail, in such a manner that all 
the petals and stamens had disappeared, 
being eaten up closo to the calyx, which 
together with the basis of tho pistillum and 
tho embryo, were left uninjured, concluded 
that those imperfect flower buds would bear 
nothing, but was soon convinced of his mis¬ 
take. Nearly all of them bore fruit; tho 
apples were perfectly formed, and six or 
seven pretty large ones wore seen upon each 
bunch. On the other hand, tho snail had 
spared some other bunches which it could 
not so easily got at; but, out often or twelve 
flowers in each of these bunches, not above 
ono or two exhibited any signs of fruit._ 
This suggested to M. Mustel tho idea that, 
when the flowers of trees are full blown, the 
prevention of the natural fall of the petals 
and stamens gives a greater assurance of tho 
fructification—a fact which he several times 
proved; for having cut off with the scissors 
the petals of apple, pear, plum, and cherry 
blossoms, close to the calyx, ho found that 
almost every one of them bore fruit, whilst l al) ove. 
several of the uncut flowers bore none._ 
Thus did a snail teach him how to render 
a treo more fruitful. 
Ono of the Emperors of China, having no¬ 
ticed that a particular stalk in his garden pro¬ 
duced better rice than the rest, cultivated 
it for several years; and, then, having fully 
satisfied himself and his subjects of its su¬ 
periority, he distributed its grains among 
them for their general benefit. A Sussex 
farmer, having remarked that some goose¬ 
berry bushes, growing under an elder tree, 
were exempt from the attacks of caterpil¬ 
lars, was induced to try the efficacy of a do- 
coction of elder leaves in destroying tho 
grubs that infested his turnip crops; and ho 
and other farmers who tried the experiment 
found it successful. 
It is singular that half tho world do not 
know how to make buckwheat cakes ! Even 
here in our own enlightened State, wo are. 
in many sections of the country, in the 
“ dark ages” on this important subject. It 
really gives us pain to see tho good dames 
baking them the size of a dinner plate, and 
a half inch thick, piling them up upon eacl 
other long before breakfast is ready; am. 
thero they lie, steaming -and sweating, and 
cooling till the pigs will hardly relish them. 
This steamed, fodder is what some people call 
buckwheat cakes ! Now, the real buckwheat 
cakes are made thus: Take warm water and 
thicken it with flour, to which add a table¬ 
spoonful of molasses, to make them brown 
well. Brewer’s yeast is best, but it can not 
be obtained oxcopt in large towns. In the 
morning add a little soda. If the batter is 
of tho right consistence, and the cakes baked 
quickly and eaten direct from tho griddle, 
they will be quite different from the tough, 
heavy things too often stacked up before 
tho lire. 
To Ice a Cake.— Dredge that side of the 
cake which rested upon the tin while baking, 
with sifted flour, in order to remove what¬ 
ever grease may bo there; then wipe off tho 
flour carefully, put a quantity of icing in tho 
centre, and with a broad-bladed knife spread 
it equally over the top and over the other 
sides of the cakes, dipping your knife occa¬ 
sionally in cold water as you proceed; then 
put the cake in a warm oven, that the icing- 
may harden, but not allowing it to remain 
in the oven long enough to discolor tho 
jciiig. _ If you wish to ornament this icing, 
trail icing upon it, in whatever forms you 
choose, through a tin or paper tube; or 
adorn it with sugar plums, or other confec¬ 
tionary, boforo you harden it in the oven. 
English Fritters.— Put a pound of sift¬ 
ed flour into a bowl with a good half pint 
of water; mix it until it becomes smooth, 
then stir in two ounces of melted butter, and 
the whites of three eggs, beaten to a very 
still troth. Into this batter dip six russet 
apples pared, cored, and cut in slices a quar¬ 
ter ot an inch thick; when tho slices aro 
well covered with the batter, drop them into 
hot lard and fry them, and serve them as 
Apple Fritters.— Beat six eggs until quite 
light, then stir in one teaspoonful of salt, 
one tablespoonful of fino white sugar, the 
grated rind and juice of half a lemon, one 
pint of milk, half a pound of apples chopped 
finely, and half a pound of sifted flour; stir 
all well together and mix it into a batter, 
and fry and serve as above. This batter 
may also bo tried on a griddle as pancakes. 
“A good time Coming.”— Mr. Editor :— 
During tho last five years there has boon 
inoro than 8,000 (if not 10,000,) Vergalieu 
Pear trees sot out, for family and market 
purposes, within ton miles of Palmrya. 
R. O. P. 
A Water-Proof Mixture for Leather. 
—Take ono pint of tanner’s oil; half lb. of 
tallow; a lump of good rosin, tho sizo of a 
| common shell-bark; burgundy pitch, size of 
a hens egg; lamp-black, threo cents' worth 
—mix together, and melt gradually over a 
slow firo. When to bo applied, tho mixture 
should bo mado about milk warm, and put 
on with a clean sponge. The above cement, 
applied to shoes and boots, will effectually 
prevent their soaking water, and render the 
leather pliant, and tho feet of tho wearer 
warm and dry. Every farmer who regards 
comfort as a desideratum, should supply 
himself with this article, and apply it to his 
boots and shoos .—Germantown 'Felegraph. 
What waters an; purr—From whence natural hard 
water is produced—The cause—The philosophy of 
cleansing—Its effects—Error in the use of lime 
Its benefits and virtues. 
Non:: of the waters produced by natur 
aro entirely puro and soft—artificially dis 
tilled water alone is so, and often tlion, with 
out care and some chemical knowledge of 
tho process, it is not free from impurities. 
Tho waters from primitive formations 
particularly from mountainous districts, ai 
almost pure, and springs and wells on sandy 
plains are nearly so—owing to the rocks and 
soils being wholly composed of silicious and 
other constituents, insoluble in water, 
streams and springs in secondary, or lime 
stone countries, contain moro or less mate 
rials constituting what are called hard wa 
ter,—and often the waters from sudden 
showers, which have been produced byovar 
oration from extensive regions of like form 
ation, are sensibly affected. 
A11 waters known as hard, result from some 
of tho acids or their salts being hold in solu 
tion. The most common aro the carbonic 
acid and the carbonates, and sulphurous and 
chloric acids and their combinations. All 
tho waters containing carbonic acid gas, and 
sulphureted hydrogen, (the material tha 
makes the sulphur springs of the country, 
uncombined with the earths, are rendered 
soft by simple boiling, as the gases are ox 
panded by heat and thrown off, and no de¬ 
posit i s loft—but when united with lime 
alumina (clay) or the metals boiling de¬ 
posits a portion by releasing the solvent, in 
tho form of a hard stony concretion. 
11' 0 process used by washing women, to 
cleanse the hard water by adding lye, ashes, 
or potash, is a strictly correct chemical pro¬ 
cess. Acids and alkalies aro antagonistical 
principles; one destroys or neutralizes the 
other, and renders both inert and harmless 
The sulphuretted waters are more difficult 
to cleanse, or purify, than any other class, 
except the muriates (acid of common salt, 
now called chlorates,) as they adhere to their 
combinations with greater tenacity. 
Tho effects produced on hard water in 
washing, where soap is used, is very simple 
when investigated. Soap is a compound of 
an alkali and animial fat, or vegetable oils 
and resms, and when added to water con¬ 
taining any acid, or acidulated substance, tho 
aciiL, by its chemical affinities seizes and 
neutralizes the alkali of the soap, disengaging 
the fatty substance in the same shape it was 
originally, and in the worst possible shape 
for cleansing the person or clothing. 
1 here is a vulgar error prevailing among 
the people generally, that it is dangerous to 
add lime to wells and cisterns, on account of 
its rendering the water hard. Thero is no 
greater fa! lacy among our traditionary beliefs 
Lime is strictly an alkaline substance, and 
as such, is a neutralizer of all the acids that 
water contains, and may be freely used when 
in a quick or unslaked state,—old and air- 
slaked, it is hurtful, as it has become a sub¬ 
carbonate. Ono ounce of fresh quick lime, 
dissolved in water, will soften two barrels of 
ordinary hard water, and render fit for wash¬ 
ing purposes. It is also advantageously 
used to sweeten cistern water when it be¬ 
comes stagnant, and of bad odor, and tho 
cheapest and most ready deodorizer of all 
unpleasant, unhealthy effluvio. 
A NOVEL STEAMER. 
A CORRESPONDENT of tho Boston Atlas, at 
Washington, says: 
‘ There is a drawing in the Navy Depart¬ 
ment., of a new steamboat, which is about to 
be built in Now York, for tho Hudson river, 
and which is to make the trip from Now 
York to Albany in five hours. 8ho is intend¬ 
ed to compete with tho Now York and Al¬ 
bany Railroad. By the kindness of Com. 
Ski n per. we obtained her proportions, which 
are as follows:—Length of keel, 500 feet; 
length of deck, 350 feet. Sho looks liko a 
sword fish. There is 75 foot of keel at each 
end, extending out from tho deck, which 
shows itself above water, and which is sharp 
and pointed like the sword of a sword-fish. 
Both ends of the boat are aliko, and her en¬ 
gines are to work both ways. She is not in¬ 
tended to turn round, but to work liko a 
ferry boat. She is to be called the George 
Washington, and to have accommodations 
for three thousand passengers. Sho will 
make the passage of 150 miles in five hours. 
She has been designed and modeled by Mr. 
Davidson, of New York. 
1 here is a knitting machine in operation 
in Philadelphia, which knits throe hundred 
and eighty stitches at each turn of a small 
crank, which crank may bo easily turned by 
hand from one hundred to ono hundred and 
fifty revolutions per minuto, making from 
forty to sixty thousand stitches per minute, 
or at tho rate of about threo millions per 
hour. 
AN ARUFICIAL WHALE. 
Some men employ themselves in contriv¬ 
ing flying machines, by which they hope to 
fly through the air and travel with the birds, 
competing with thorn in speod. Others con¬ 
tent themselves with inventing locomotives 
and other powerful contrivances by which 
thoy almost annihilate spaco, and travel with 
gloat despatch and little labor to themselves. 
Another class have employed themselves in 
making diving machines, by means of which 
they can go down to tho depths of tho sea 
m search of lost treasures, or perform useful 
labors far beneath the surface of tho water. 
An invention of this class has recently 
been perfected by Mens. Alexandre, a gen¬ 
tleman in franco, and as it promises to bo 
a use!ul invention, several gentlemen of 
New York have taken hold of it and are 
budding some of them, and they have ono 
now nearly completed. We abridge tho fol¬ 
lowing description of it from the Now York 
>Sun, that our readers may know whore to 
find an under water packet, should they 
wish to take a voyage far down among the 
coral caves ot old Neptune’s dominions. It 
will be seen by this account that the inven¬ 
tor has followed out both mechanical and 
chemical principles in tho construction of 
this artificial leviathan. 
It consists, says the Sun, of a large iron 
shell in tho shape of an elongated ellipse, 
somewhat resembling an ogg, except that 
botli ends are of the same size and form._ 
Tins is made of boiler-iron plates, united 
together in the most perfect manner, and 
rendered perfectly air and water tight. The 
after part is occupied as a cabin, and is 
l>y means of a number of “ bull’s- 
(.) es. Hie cabin is capable of accommo¬ 
dating eight or ten persons with ease. Tho 
forward compartment is used as an air and 
water chamber. Tho length of tho whole 
machine is thirty foot, and tho diameter is 
ten feet. 
It operates on the principle of a diving 
bell, but there arc air pipes extending to 
the surfaco to supply fresh air to tho occu¬ 
pants of the cabin. The air is supplied 
taus : In the forward compartment is a cyl- 
ndrical, iron, air tight vessel, and into this 
a large quantity of air is pumped and con¬ 
densed, previously to starting on a diving 
expedition, and this supplies tho air needed 
lor respiration of those in tho cabin. In 
the cabin are also arranged half a dozen air 
umps of superior construction, and they 
have duplicate connections to use in caso of 
getting out ot order. By these tho air cis¬ 
tern is filled. Tho space in tho front com¬ 
partment not occupied by air is allloted for 
-witei. When all is ready and you wish to 
lescend to the bottom of the river a faucet 
is turned which admits the water into tho 
forward compartment, and the whale sinks. 
When it is desired to riso to the surface, 
the pumps are put in operation, the water 
is expelled into the river again, and the whale 
isos. Tho operation of descending and as- 
ending is performed very quick. To guard 
against accidents to this apparatus there ; s 
mother mode of rising. Stone ballast is 
placed on shelves on the outside of the boat 
mil by means of a lever inside these can be 
ltod oil and the vossel is thus causod to 
iso. 
To obviate the impurity of tho air, when 
breathed over several times in the cabin, the 
"blowing chemical mode is adopted.’ A 
ump is placed hero which forces the viti¬ 
ated air through a solution of caustic pot¬ 
ash, kept so by means of quick-lime. The 
impure air by passing through this prepa¬ 
ration, parts with its carbonic acid, which 
unites with potash, and tho liberated oxygen 
"eturns to the carbon to be again respired. 
In order to enable the men to work on 
io bottom, air is admitted into tho cabin 
At Fond du Lac and Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 
tho peoplo aro supplied with puro water 
from Artesian wells, sunk to tho depth of 
150 feet. The water rises to tho top of the 
earth and runs off in unfailing spring-like 
streams. 
om the reservoirs until it is sufficiently 
mdensed to prevent water from rushing 
up—a couple ot strong iron doors which are 
on tho bottom, and made water tight aro 
tlion opened, and the men can work without 
inconvenience. 
. Thus the vessel is prepared for sinking or 
ising, which it does readily. For tho pur¬ 
pose of propelling it, a screw propeller is 
attached to tho stern, which is turned by 
md in the cabin. Thero is a rudder, also, 
attached and operated in the saino way, so 
that it can be propelled and steerod in any 
direction. J 
The company constructing this at Secor 
& Underhill’s, intend building nine of them. 
hey cost about $9,000. apiece, and it is 
thought they will be of great service in all 
the work and operations necessary to bo 
dono under water, and much more conven¬ 
ient than diving bells, because thoy are more 
easily managed, and can be navigated from 
place to place beneath tho surface of tho 
sea.— Me. Farmer. 
Improved Hold-back for Sleds.— Mr. 
Ferry Dickson, of Blooming Valley, Craw- 
lord Co., Pa., has invented and taken meas¬ 
ures to secure a patent for a good improve¬ 
ment in sleds, which consists in attaching 
hold-back dogs rigidly to the roller, and 
connecting the tongue to the dogs, or to tho 
roller by hinge joints, in such a manner 
that the stoppage or backing of the team 
will turn tho roller back and drive tho dogs 
into tho ice or snow, while drawing tho sled 
will raise them. The claim is for tho com¬ 
bination; the stopping or slacking of tho 
draft, when thero is headway on tho sled, 
causes tho roller to turn over backwards’ 
and force tho hold-back teeth into the ice 
or ground, forming a toothed drag or hold¬ 
back of great service in going down deolivi- 
tios. —Scientific American. 
The organ was invented about 951, tho 
first being erectod in the Winchester Ca¬ 
thedral ; it was thus described by a monk, in 
Latin verse: 
“ Twelve pair of bellows ranged in stately row 
And joined above, and fourteen more below; 
These the full force of seventy men require; 
Who ceaseless toil, and plenteously perspire; 
Each aiding each, till all the wind be prest 
In the close confines of the incumbent chest 
On which four irundred pipe* in order rise. 
To bellow forth the blast that cheat supplies." 
