MOOKii’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
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FECIT RAISING IN ILLINOIS. 
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TnR following extract from a letter written 
last November by a young friend who has 
turned his attention aLd energies to farming 
and fiuit growing with a good degiee of en¬ 
thusiasm, and has located himEelf tor this pur¬ 
pose in Bureau Co., 111., near the line of the 
Chicago and Bock Island Eailrc ad, may prove 
interests g to ihe readers of the Rural. He 
is a young man of limited means but eneiget- 
ic, and will one of these days realize a hand 
some income for his industry. There can be 
no doubt but fruit raisii g, judiciously pur 
sued, will prove highly remunerating, and 
however much it may be pushed forward, ihe 
present generation need have no fears of mak 
ing good fruit a drug in the market. For t 
young and energetic man, no better invest¬ 
ment could be made, in our opinion, than to 
select an appropriate location, and pursue the 
business of fruit culture. But loour extract. 
“ I am not a little inlcrestid in fruiis and 
fruit culture ; in fact, my wife soys that trees 
are with me ‘a hobby.’ I hope she may 
never find me on a worse one. 1 have recent 
ly purchased for ihe commencement of an or¬ 
chard, &c., some COO apple trees, 1.1 CO pear 
trees, of which 400 are dwarfs—some COO 
Catawba and Isabella grapevines, with other 
fruits, vines, &c. My larm, which is new, I 
shall rent to a good tenant on the premises, 
and heteafter apply my care and attention 
exclusively to fruit and fruit trees. The bal¬ 
ance of my fiuit trees I intend to propagate 
myself. To this end, I last spring planted a 
quantity of suds of the apple, pear and peach, 
and now have several thousand seedlings in 
prime condition, a part of which I have bud¬ 
ded. Many of my app’e seedlings are three 
feet high, and pears some two feet. The peach 
seedlings, however, have exceeded anything I 
have before seen iu luxuriant growth. They 
will average in even, unvarying rows from 
four to five feet in height. A gentleman from 
Rochester, N. Y., was looking at them in 
September, and could hardly be convinced 
that they w’ere from pits planted the last 
spring, until assured of the fact by my neigh¬ 
bors. 
“ I have grounds for specimen trees to con¬ 
tain only one of a variety, in which now are 
some sixty apples and pears, aDd another sea 
son I intend to increase the number to 200. 
Fruit culture at the West is yet in its infan¬ 
cy, aud only by careful and patient testing 
shall we be able to select the best varieties for 
our climate and soil. Though a goodly num 
ber are experimenting, and have already made 
public some of the results of their labors, 
still too rnauy trials cannot be made, as even 
a slight variation in the elements of the soil, 
and a difference of a few miles in location, 
effect great changes in many of our choice 
fruits. For example, at Princeton, our shire- 
town, the Fall Pippin is reported as unworthy 
of cultivation by the President of the North 
American Pomological Association, a reliable 
nurserymen who has tried it for years. Last 
fall I plucked and ate specimeus from trees 
grown here, only 14 miles distant, and finer, 
fairer specimeus of fruit I never saw. The 
same is true of other sorts. 
“ Protection to our fruit trees is necessary 
iu the winter, at least it is desirable. Nature 
not having provided it for us, we are compell¬ 
ed to supply the deficiency as far as possible. 
For this purpose I hare planted a belt, of two 
and three rods in width, of forest and locust 
trees ou the North and West sides of my 
premises. Planting the seeds are sufficient, 
for our fertile soil gives them such a vigorous 
grow Ui that soon they will take precedence 
and afford that barrier to our sweeping winds 
which wo so much need, and which will insure 
us annual crops. Evergreens should be well 
interspersed to more effectually break the 
force of winter winds.” 
Many a young man with scarcely any 
means but a few acres of laud, may become a 
skillful fruit grower, if he have energy and 
perseverance coupled with patience ; and that 
too without going to the nurserjmen for his 
trees. Seed.ings are easily raised, and now, 
when scions and buds of favorite varieties are 
so readily obtained, one can raise his own 
trees at scarcely any cost beyond the necessa¬ 
ry care, and then have trees that he knows 
can be relied ou. It takes a little longer wait¬ 
ing for this process, but in the end, for many 
at least, it is a very feasible one. But we 
may resume this subject more at length at 
some future time. t. e. w. 
MANAGEMENT OP (’LAY GARDENS. 
Eds. Rural: —As an illustration of the 
capability of clayey soils to retain sufficient 
moisture for growing crops during extreme 
drouths, 1 will ifaie a lew fuels relative to ih 
growth of vegetables in my gaiden eh.iiigili 
unprecedented drouth of last reason. But as 
J am about to tell a rather large story, a de¬ 
scription of the soil and the particulars may 
be necessary. The small plat of about half 
an acre where my garden now is, was original¬ 
ly mostly a hard, dry, clayey knoll, and in 
order to make it sufficiently level for garden 
purposes, some six feet of the earth from the 
highest part, had to be removed. As no sur¬ 
face soil was saved, nearly the whole sur ace, 
when leveled, was an unbroken ma-s of hard 
clay intermixed with gravel ; in fact a hard 
pan that could neither be broken by the plow 
or spade unless when very wet. 
After an unsuccessful effort, continued thro’ 
one season, to break and pulverize the surface 
and form a soil, this land, “already too dry to 
produce any thing,” was drained thoroughly 
to the depth of three feet. It was then ma¬ 
nured and trenched two spades, or two feet 
deep. This was five years ago, and it has been 
trenched once since. 
The manure used from time to time has been 
principally gathered from about the house and 
out-buildings, and of that character that is 
generally neglected cr wasted. This, together 
with a little manure from ihe barn yard, some 
muck washings from ditches, ro8d dust., salt, 
lime, ashes, &c., has converted this obstinate 
earth into a good heavy gaiden soil. So much 
for the introduction,—mow forthe story. 
Last spring, alter planting the necessary 
vegetables for the family, there was a space 
left containing nearly three rods and a half of 
ground, which was planted the 25ih of May 
to mangel wurtzel and sugar beet, mainly to 
the latter. Few weeds troubled ihe plants 
but the soil was often, during ihe dry weather 
dug over deep, with a pronged hce. The crop 
was harvested November 4th, and produced 
fifty-one bushels of nice, clean roots, weighing 
fifty four pounds to the bushel. 
I would further remark, that the whole gar 
den was prepared and treated as above stated 
and a large share of it is set with fruit trees 
gooseberries, currants, grapes, raspberries 
strawberries, asparagus, &c., and during the 
dry weather of 1853 and 1854, with few tri¬ 
fling exceptions, no vegetable, tree or shrub 
suffered in the least from the effects of drouth 
Troy, Mich., 1855. Lints Conk. 
“ PRUNING WHEN ]HE LEAVES ARE ON.” 
The only pruning wre hold to be sound, 
safe aud commendable, at this season, is that 
of the finger and thumb ,—in other words, 
pinching. It is quite inconsistent with good 
management to rear a crop of good shoots at 
two or three inches growth before they attain 
to woodliness. This economizes the force of 
the tree, aud turns it into a channel where it 
will promote instead of frustrating the ends 
we are aiming at. For instance, if we plant 
a young tree, and have trimmed it with a 
view to a certain form, and, contrary to our 
expectations, a shoot breaks out at an unex¬ 
pected point, and assumes a vigorous habit, 
and robs all other parts, it would be evident¬ 
ly unwise to tolerate this intruder until it ar¬ 
rives at full growth, and then cut it away._ 
Too many trees are thus managed, by' the 
neglect of summer pruning or pinchir g. * We 
admit, however, that there are cases in which 
the summer pruning, or entire lopping off or 
cutting of considerable size, may be judicious 
and sale. For instance, in the case of neg¬ 
lected orchard trees, in a luxuriant state, with 
deuse heads, in which the fruit is deprived of 
air and light. In such cases, branches may 
be thinned out and cut; the surface heals 
even more rapidly and smoothly than at any 
other time. But it is unsafe to produce any 
very sensible diminution of foliage, as it ar¬ 
rests the growth of the iree. 
All pruning in the growing season tends to 
arrest growth. Nurserymen know that a 
slight pruning of stocks before budding will 
so arrest growth as to make the bark adhere 
firmly ; when, before the pruning, it lifted 
freely. It is only ou this principle that most 
all pruning to promote fruitfulness, must be 
done at a point of greater or less activity of 
growth. Late spring pruning is often resort¬ 
ed to as a means of subduing a superabundant 
vigor, and it has the same effect as root prun¬ 
ing to a certain extent.— Horticulturist. 
THE PISTACHIO NUT. 
The Fruit Trees in this vicinity, the 
peach alone excepted, have blossomed pro¬ 
fusely, and promise an abundant production. 
The prospects are cheering for a lair, if not a 
large jield of apples, pears, cherries, plums, 
&c., in mo t sections of Western and Central 
New York. We have not yet seen a peach 
blossom, though we have heatd of a few in 
protected situa'ions. The Irees are not how¬ 
ever, us was feared, materially injured. The 
fruit prosjrect is good iu the West; also in 
New England. 
Tins tree, iu favorable situations, attains a 
height of fifteen or twenty feet, and often, when 
a mere shrub, produces fruit in five or six 
years after planting. The trunk is clothed 
with a grayish bark, and the branches are 
spreading, but not very numerous. The fruit 
is oval, about the size of au olive, Is furrowed, 
of a redd sh color, aud contains an oily kernel, 
mild and agreeable to the taste. It is a native 
of Syria. Barbary, Persia and Arabia, and 
was brought from Syria to Italy by the Em¬ 
peror Vitettius, in the second ee. turv, and af¬ 
terward found its way into the south of France. 
It was also introduced into Britain in 1770. 
From its greater degree of resistance to ihe 
cold than either the olive or almond, it is well 
adapted to the climate of many parts of the 
United States, and, doubtless, could be culti¬ 
vated with profit. A8 an ornamental slnub 
or low tree, this species is highly deserving of 
cultivation iu the middle and southern sections 
of the Union. A quantity of the seeds of this 
tree have been imported from Europe, aud dis¬ 
tributed in the States.— Exchange. 
NEW FACT IN GRAFTING. 
Tub better process generally for working 
cbeiries and plums, is to bud or inoculate at, 
ihe proper season ; hut it often bap)ei.s that 
it is desirable to work trees too old, or the sea¬ 
son so dry that the bark will not slip and ihe 
bud tug process can not be performed, in which 
case glutting sometimes becomes important. 
The grafting of the cheny is quite an un¬ 
certain operation, and never succeeds well, ex¬ 
cept w hen per formed early iu the spring, and 
the scions, which are difficult to keep, are fresh 
and in good order, the bark is so liable to dis¬ 
color, and the wood to shrivel, which is abso 
lutely fatal to its vitality. The same troub'e 
applies to the plum in a less degree. Indi¬ 
viduals, not nurserymen, are apt to neglect 
cutting their scions in proper time, and are 
only sensible of the oversight when they ob¬ 
serve the objects they wish to alter at the 
opening of spring, when it is too late. 
The process to which I allude, is the means 
whereny a scion of any kind may be cut from 
the tree after the buds are lully expanded, but 
not opened, and grafted the same minute, and 
which almost invariably succeeds if properly 
executed. In this process I prefer the termi¬ 
nal point of a limb for the scion, or any part 
may be used by cutting the wood close to the 
upper bud and dipping it twice, with two or 
three minutes’ interval, into a vial containing 
a small quanti'y of collodion, or artficial cuti- 
cle, which can be procured of any apothecary. 
It instantly lorms an air-tight coating, both 
flexible and elastic, and protects it from dry¬ 
ing and loosing its vitality. 
There is no time of year after the new buds 
are sufficiently formed, and the stock in a grow¬ 
ing state, but what grafiing by this process 
may be perlornied, in which case have but one 
bud on the scion, and dip the whole wood, ex¬ 
cept the wedge, in the collodion to proiect it 
trom the drying sun and the heat of summer. 
It sometimes happens that one has a smgle 
choice exotic, difficult to procure, that it is im¬ 
portant not to fail in grafting, and ibis method 
almost infallibly insures success. —L. B. Lang 
worthy. 
[Some time ago we published an account of 
an experiment in the use of collodion in prop¬ 
agating roses, and some other plums, from cut¬ 
tings. We have not before heard of its being 
employed in grafting. The experiment is well 
worthy ol attention —Ed. Horticulturist. 
ffjpit fa. 
LIST OF PATENTS 
Issued from the United States Patent Office fer the week 
ending Hay 15 
1856. 
FINE PUFF PASTE. 
To every other pound of the best fresh but¬ 
ter, allow a pouud or a quart of the best flour. 
Sift the flour in a deep pan, and then sift on 
a plate some additional flour to use for sprink¬ 
ling and rolling. 
Wash the butter through two cold waters ; 
squeezing out all the salt, and whatever milk 
may remain in it; and then make it up with 
your hands into a round lump, and put it in 
ice until you are ready to use it. 
Then divide the butter into four equal parts. 
Cut up one of the quarters into a pan of flour 
and divide the remaining three quarters into 
six pieces, cutting each quarter in half. Mix 
with a knife the flour aud butter that is in 
the pan adding by degrees a very little cold 
water till you have made it into a lump of 
stiff dough. Then sprinkle some flour on the 
paste board, and flouring your rolling pin, 
roll out your paste into a large thin sheet.— 
Then with a knife put all over it at equal dis¬ 
tances, one of the six pieces of butter divided 
into small bita 
Fold up the sheet of paste, and roll it out 
again, and another of the portions of butter. 
Repeat this process until the butter is all in. 
Then fold it once more, lay it on a plate, 
and set it to cool till you are ready to use it. * 
Then divide it into as many pieces as you 
want sheets of paste; roll out each sheet, and 
put them in buttered pans or plates. In usino- 
the rolling pin, observe always to roll from 
you. Bake the paste in a moderate oven, but 
rather quick than slow. No air must be ad¬ 
mitted to it while baking. 
The edges of the paste should always be 
notched before it goes into the oven. For 
this purpose use a sharp pen knife, dipping it 
frequently iu flour, as it becomes sticky.— 
The notches should be regular and even. If 
you do them imperfectly at first, they cannot 
be mended by sticking on additional bits of 
paste or dough, as when they are baked each 
patch will be doubly conspicuous. There are 
various ways of notching; one of the neatest 
is to fold over one corner of each notch ; or 
you may arrange the notches to stand up and 
lie down, alternately, all around the edge.— 
They should be made small and regular. You 
can form the edge in leaves, with tin cutters 
made for the purpose. 
I. the above directions for puff paste arc 
carefully followed, and if it is not spoiled in 
baking, it will rise to a great thickness and 
appear in flakes or leaves according to the 
number of times you have put it iu the butter. 
It should be eaten the day it is baked. 
Somerville, Mass., improvement in 
John W Adams. New York, improvement in metallic 
circular plate aprings. 
David S. Barber Almond Thompson and Te Algeroy 
Thompson,-Fitts held, Vt.. impiovemei.t in sleighs. 
Job R. Bari y. Philadelphia, impioved ventilating and 
cooling apparatus. 6 
Francis Bowman 
rosin stills. 
Honry E. Canfield, New York, improvement in double 
acting spring hinges. 
Handel S. C'baplin, Glover, Vt., improvement in win¬ 
dow sash fixtures. 
Cbas. T. Hester. New York, improvement in connect¬ 
ing ciamps for the plates of galvanic batteries. 
John Chilcptt and James Soungeour, Brooklyn im- 
piovement in sewing machines. 
Jacob A. Conover, New York, machine for splitting 
wood. y 6 
Henry W. Dickinson, Hartford, Conn., improvement 
in cording guide for sewing machines. 
George Dixon, Lafayette, Jnd., velocitrat lubricator. 
Kzra Fahrney, Mount Morris, 111., improved hominy 
machine. 
lurnbe Ci3 ^ ar *’ *-^ an< U ers vi le, Pa., guagefor slitting 
Lorton Holliday, P.ogersville, N. Y., mitre and bevel¬ 
ing machine. 
W. II. Howard, Philadelphia, improvement in conden¬ 
sers for fibrous materials. 
tooJ hos - ^ na PPi Philadelphia, adjustable tenoning 
David Matthew, Fhiladelphia, improvement in spark 
arresters. 
Burches Miles, Hartford, improvement in curtain fix¬ 
tures. 
A. H. Morrei, Marlin, Texas, improvement in cotton 
seed planters. 
tbenezer W. Nichols, Worcester, mode of securing 
brace hits in their sockets. 
Alexander H. Niles, Georgetown, N. Y., improvement 
in carriages. 
Francis Peabody, Salem, Mass., method for regulating 
win 'mills. 
Jno. M. Perkins, New York, improved mode of attach¬ 
ing hubs to axles. 
Geo. W. Phipps, Philadelphia, improvement in win¬ 
dow shutters. 
Jno. K. Boot, Hartford, improved slide lathes. 
S. J. Russel, ("hicago hot air furnace. 
James H. Stim.-on, Baltimore, improvement in butter 
coc’ers. 
Jno. FT., James M., and H. Q. Thompson, Holderness, 
N. H.. improved machine for polishing the soles of boots 
and shoes. 
Wm. McK. Thornton, TottsviBe. improvement in ma¬ 
chine for creasing the edges of leather straps. 
Jeremiah O. Tilton. Sanbornton Bridge. N. H., im¬ 
provement in temples for looms 
Leonard Tilton, New York, device for adjusting plan¬ 
ing machinery. 
Beuj. B. Webster, Boston, mpr overrent in spring cur 
tain rol'ers. 
David Weiner, Milwaukee, improved composition for 
filling in fire-proof safes. 
Robert Wicks, New York, improved furnace grate- 
bar. 
Robert.!. Marcher. Bloomington Grove, N. Y.. asstg 
nee of J. S. Barber, Boston, Mass., machine for cutting 
irregular forms. 
Henry Terry, Plymouth, Conn., assignee of John M. 
Heck, of same place, improvement in dressing sewin^ 
thread. 
Samuel Huffman and C. D. May, assignees of Samuel 
Huffman, Charle.-ton, Ill., improved mode of indicating 
the number of yea and nay balls, in machine for taking 
votes in legislative bodies. 
Jno. Taggart and Julius S. Shailer, Roxbury, assignees 
of John Taggart, aforesaid, fluid metre, 
Benjamins. Nicholson, admin.-ti ator. of John F. Nich 
olsou, deceased, late of Davidsonville, Md., improvement 
in grain harvesters. 
Arad W T oodworth 3d, of Boston, improvement in ma¬ 
chinery for spinning. 
M. G. Hubbard, New York, improvement in springs 
for carriages. 
_ Rk-bsue.— Feier Cooper, New York, assignee of Cyrus 
G. Howard, Boston, Mass., the assignee of Dexter H. 
Chamberlain, Boston, aforesaid, improvements in ma- 
■ hinery for reducing metal bars. Patented January 15 
df'gne of safety re ay be attained by llie men 
throwing tbemselves fiat, on tbe gn urd, inas¬ 
much as the pieces of a shell, which buists on 
the earth, fly upward Iroui the point where 
they eucounier the maximum of resistance.— 
Ol course, if a bomb bursts over a man on 
the ground, or if a shell explodes in the air iu 
Iront of a man, there is no great safety gain¬ 
ed by his ihrowing himself dowD, bejond the 
consequent reduction of the amount of verti¬ 
cal exposure. This little digression is all 
apropos of the conduct of our allies, -which I 
have just mentioned, and is made in order to 
explain ihe ratioiia/e of their proceedings. It 
is rather an unpleasant reflection, whenever 
one is discussing the range of a mhsi'e, and 
is, perhaps, in the act of exclaiming, “There’s 
a splendid shot 1” that it may have carried 
misery and sorrow into some happy house¬ 
hold. The smoke clears away—the men get 
up—they gather round one who moves no'— 
or who is racked with mortal agony-they bear 
him away—a mere black speck and a few 
shovelsful of mud mark for a little time tbe 
resting place of the poor soldier, whose wi'e, 
or mother, or children, or sisters, are left des¬ 
titute ol all solace save memory and the sym¬ 
pathy of their country. One such little s] eck 
1 watched to day, and saw quietly deposited on 
tbe ground inside the trench. Who will let 
the inmates of that desolate cottage in Picar¬ 
dy, or Gascony, or Anjou, know of their be¬ 
reavement? However, there goes another 
shell, aud it does nothing but knock up a cloud 
of snow aud dust 
1853. 
Design—C lark Mills 
an statues. 
Washington, design for equestri- 
THE WAYS OE A BOMBSHELL. 
A Ragout of Cold Veal.— Cut. boiled or 
roasted veal iu nice slices; flour aud fry them 
in butter, till a light brown ; then take them 
up, aud turn a little hot water into the but¬ 
ter they were fried in ; mix a little flour and 
w r ater together, aud stir it into the gravy ; 
season with salt aud peppier ; then put in the 
meat, aud stew till very hot. Stew au onion 
with it, if you like. 
\ egktable Seasoners.— Parsley, eelerv, 
thyme, sage, onions, garlic, aud other season- 
ers, should not be put into soups or stews tiil 
the soup is nearly done ; chop fine and put iu 
5 minutes before the soup is taken from the tire. 
A Farmers Pudding.—3 lbs. yellow corn 
meal, 1 lb. beef suet, 1% pints of molasses, 1 
lb dried currants or whortleberries. Boil the 
pudding four hours. 
A correspondent of the London Times, 
writing from the Crimea, speaks as follows of 
the course and effect of the bombshell: 
A column of white smoke rushing up into 
the air, exj ands in concentric rings—then fol¬ 
lows tbe hc-avy, dull report, like the beat of 
some giant drum, and then comes the shrill 
scream of the shell as it describes its fatal 
curve, and descends with prodigious velocity, 
increasing rapidly every instant till it explodes 
with the peculiar noise of “ a blast” just as it 
reaches the ground. At least, it ought to do 
so—but to-day 1 watched the shells one after 
another, and only two out of three buret 
properly, though the range and flight was 
beautifully accurate. The Russian fuses are 
bad, but their artillery men are not to be ex¬ 
celled when their practice is undisturbed. It 
was interesting—just as the man of pleasure 
in Lucretius liked to see the sea rage when he 
was not on boatd ship—to look at the shell 
dropping, and to see our active little allies 
scampering away to their cover, and adjusting 
themselves to the closest possible connection 
with mother earth till the hurtlirg masses had 
gone by them. 
Any man with moderate confidence and ex¬ 
perience may despise round shot at lono- 
ranges, if he only sees the guns from which 
they ccrne discharged. Well, we wont say 
despise exactly, but at all events •• evade.”— 
But a shell is a diabolical invention, which no 
one can regard, as it approaches, without a 
certain degree of misgiving that a triangular 
piece of jagged iron may be whizzing through 
his internal economy at the shortest possible 
notice afterward. If it is sent from a gun. it 
fizzes and roars through the air, and sends its 
fragments before it—the coDe of dispersion 
(which is the neat phrase used by the learned 
militant to imply the direction of the bits of 
shell, or its contents when it is filled with bul¬ 
lets, etc..) being in the direction the shell has 
taken from the gun, aud the fragments being 
propelled with a portk* #f the velocity of 
the shell at the moment of explosion. If it 
be discharged from a mortar, it whistles gent¬ 
ly and delicately, giviuga squeak and a'"roar 
now and then, as it rises to its greatest eleva¬ 
tion, and then rushing downward with a shrill¬ 
er whistle toward the point aimed at. If it 
explodes ou arriving at that point, its frag¬ 
ments are projected all around, radiallv, aifd 
are propelled merely by the force of the burst¬ 
ing charge. A man behind a bomb, or at the 
side of it, is just as likely to be hit as a 
man before it, wheu it bursts in that wav • 
whereas, the pieces of a shell b om a gun in 
nearly every instance fly forwaid, so that a 
person behind it, or outside the limits of the 
cone of dispersion, is safe. 
Uiil^s the shell or bomb bursts in front, of 
a body of men, in the air, a vtry considerable 
boon island bribge. 
The bridge over the Mississippi, just above 
the town, b its fair to be a grand aud useful 
achievement, as the following condensed view 
ol it will show. 4 he main channel ts ou tbe 
west side of Rock Island, and ihe length of 
the bridge on this side is 1,582 feet. The 
bridge ia to be built accotding to Howes pa¬ 
tent truss, and each span will be 250 feet — 
The draw par oh which ihe draw bridge is to 
revolve will be 4(1 leet in diameter at ihe bot¬ 
tom and 37 at the top, and when the draw is 
turned it will leave a space of 120 feet on 
each side for ihe passage of boats, and tbeav- 
erage height above low water will be 30 <eet. 
There are to be five massive stone piers beside 
the draw ; they are to be obloug, measuring 
57 by 16 to 18 feet at the base aDd 24 by 7 
to 10 leet at the top, and each will be pro¬ 
tected by a u ice-breaker made of timber and 
stone. The two abutments contain 6,000 cu¬ 
bic jards of masonry. 
In order to raise the grade on the island to 
the height necessary for the bridges. 12,500 
cubic jards of earth have been carted at the 
cost ol $40,000. On the Illinois side of Rock 
Island there will be three spans cf 150 leet 
each resting on two heavy abutments and two 
piers. These spans will be according to 
Howe’s patent. 
The entire length of the two bridges and 
intervening embankment on the island is 5,- 
832 feet, a fraction over a mile, aud the whole 
estimated cost is $260,000, whieh probably 
will not cover the expense. The two bridges 
and embankment make nearly a semi-circle, 
or at least a large segment of a circle. I am 
told that the drafter of the plans is the resi¬ 
dent engineer of the bridge, B. B. Brajton, 
Esq., aud he certainly has in hand one of the 
greatest works of the day.— Cor. N. Y. Trib. 
BASSWOOD PAPER. 
The Albany Evening Journal of Monday 
week was printed upon paper manufactured 
entirely from bassweed. The Journal says : 
L he paper we use to-day was made upon 
the Fout denier machine of the Messrs. Orr, 
of Troy, whose establishment is as period as 
any in the country, and to whom Mr. Bearde- 
lee is under gieat (bl'gations for the facilities 
which they have afforded him during his pte- 
liminary experiments. 
Mr. Beardslee has been equally successful 
in his experiments with whitewood, spruce 
and buckeye. From each he produces a 
clean, flexible and beautiful paper. He has 
also worked up the pulp from pine, cedar and 
hemlock trees, and it possesses all the goed 
qualities of that secured from other woods. 
He has also produced from these several 
woods, various shades of unbleached wrap¬ 
ping paper, of the very strongest texture. 
Rideed, we can imagine no end attained with 
cotton and linen rags, in the manufacture of 
paper,r'which cannot be reached by wood 
whether it be in the production of wrapping 
paper, news and book printing paper, or bank 
note paper. The results which Mr! Beards¬ 
lee has already reached justifies the most san¬ 
guine expectations. 
Mr. Beardslee has closed his experiments. 
He has reached results which jusiify him in 
immediately entering upon the manufacture 
of the article for market. That he will be 
suceesslul, we cannot doubt. We are sure 
that our readers—and more particularly those 
who are acquainted with the manufacture of 
paper—will be astonished at the results thus 
produced from basswood. It must be recog¬ 
nized as the most important discovery of tbe 
age- 
Imitation of Mahogany.— An old recipe 
gives the French process lor makirg any wood 
of a close grain to resemble mahogany. Let 
the surface be planed smooth, and then'rubbed 
with a soluiion of nitrous acid. Then apply 
with a sott brush the following mixture : One 
ounce of dtagon’s blood, dissolved in about a 
pint of spirits of wine, with the addition of a 
third of an ounce of carbonate of soda.mixed 
and filtered. W hen the polish diminishes in 
brilliancy, it may be restored by the use of a 
little cold-drawn linsred oil. Dragon’s Blood 
as most, of our readers know, k a resin ol> 
taired by incision in m certain tropical plants, 
and is sold at druggists, to ihe vaniisbers and 
marble cleaners. 'Ihe method is extensively 
adopted in France, and might he well adopted 
in the United States, for the interior decora¬ 
tion of our dwellings. 
