MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND.FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
327 < 
m EXPERIENCE IN BUDDING 
Having a limited plat of ground appro¬ 
priated to the cultivation of fruit and flow¬ 
ers, and occupied by a few cherry, pear, and 
other trees, 1 was desirous of increasing the 
variety of products without enlarging to any 
great extent the number of trees—the latter 
being an important consideration, inasmuch as 
nearly all the ground was already occupied. 
The plan of course suggested itself of bud¬ 
ding some of the larger branches with differ¬ 
ent varieties. But how was it to be done ?— 
I had never inserted a bud and had very great 
doubt of succeeding in such an undertaking. 
There was no particular harm in tryiDg, at 
all events, for if the buds failed to take, the 
scar made upon the limb would soon grow 
over, and the original production remain un¬ 
changed ; so I made the attempt. My first 
essay was upon a quince sucker, which had 
shot out from the stock on which was grow¬ 
ing a dwarf pear. This bui was set in July, 
just previous to the long rain which so injured 
our wheat. It looked fresh and vigorous for 
a few days, but the water got between the 
bud and the stock, and very speedily settled 
the question of my first attempt. When the 
rain was over, I re-bodded the same shaot; 
and then pegged down the limbs which grew 
above the bud and covered them with earth, 
in order to obtain some extra quince stocks 
from the layers. As a consequence of this 
bending process, the flow of sap into the 
branches was retarded, and the new bud, re¬ 
ceiving an impetus from the accumulated 
juices, swelled and burst immediately into a 
vigorous growth, and has now made, the first 
season of its insertion, six inches of wood. 
Nearly the same time with the above I 
budded a dozen rose stocks with various choice 
varieties, such as the Giant of Battles, George 
the Fourth, Lorraine, Herman Kegel, &c.— 
About one-half of these buds have taken, 
and some of them have started upon a vigor¬ 
ous growth the present season. One George 
the Fourth has a shoot eight inches long, and 
another, a moss rose, has grown five inches. 
I inserted upon the limbs of a couple of bear¬ 
ing trees ten buds ot the Gov. Wood cherry, 
six of which have succeeded; and on some 
dwarf pear trees, about a dozen of different 
varieties, three fourths of which will live.— 
Probably more of them would have taken, 
but I removed the ligatures too soon, fearing 
they might choke the buds, and the conse¬ 
quence was, the surrcundirg bark shrunk 
away from the new bud and let it dry up. 
My method was the ordinary one, and very 
simple ; cut the bark in the shape of a cross, 
thus t, with a sharp knife, then raise the sides, 
carefully slipping in the bud from the top, and 
bind it around with a ligament of some plia¬ 
ble material. I used candle wicking; nur¬ 
serymen use basswood bark. The buds in¬ 
serted were taken from shoots of the present 
season’s growth, and were cut about one-fourth 
of an inch above the bud, an inch below, and 
about one-third the depth of the shoot from 
which they were taken. Half an inch of the 
leaf stem was left on the bud, and the wood 
was not peeled out in any instance. 
From my experience this season, I am con¬ 
vinced that aDy one can successfully, and, by 
taking a few minutes’ time, change worth¬ 
less varieties of trees into the choicest kinds 
grown. Women can do it as successfully as 
men ; and if the latter neglect to attend to so 
simple a matter, let them take the work into 
their hands. It has been a source of much 
pleasure to me to mark the progress of the 
bud in attaching itself to its new support, ai d 
clinging to it as naturally as if growing upon 
its parent limb. w. e. 
A MEMBER OE THE TASTING COMMITTEE. 
Eds. Rural : — Is it the custom and general 
practice of Fruit Committees at our Horti¬ 
cultural and Agricultural exhibitions to lay 
claim to, eat and carry off the finer specimens 
of the Apple, Pear, Plum, Peach and Grapes. 
If so, is it not decidedly wrong, and should not 
this nngentlemanly practice be discontinued ? 
I recently attended a County Ag. Pair in one 
of your adjoining counties, when one of the 
committee on pears, plums, peaches and grapes, 
seemed to think it his first and main duty was 
to fill his capacious stomach with all the finer 
varieties of the above-named fruits that were 
in an eatable condition. A wag standing by 
and observing how rapidly the fruit disap¬ 
peared, remarked that the gentleman had evi¬ 
dently fasted for the last eight-and-forty hours 
to fit himself for the occasion, and the more 
fully to prepare himself for his supposed duty. 
But, whether he had or had not fasted for the 
occasion, he certainly made a clean sweep of 
the board. One of thi exhibitors very politely 
remonstrated against the course of this vora¬ 
cious committee-man. The answer from this 
very polite gentleman was that the fruits were 
hie, and he should do with them as he pleased, 
and would not be dictated to by any body ; and 
further remarked “ how do you suppose I can 
THE MYSORE HEXAOEXTRE. 
LIST OE PATENTS. 
Mined frwtn the United States Patent Off'ae. for &ac two 
vxehs ending Sept. 25, 1855. 
Daniel Bedford, New York, apparatus or discharging 
reservoirs, Ac. 
C. G. Betel AH J. Brenner, Nazareth, Pa., improve¬ 
ment in mach’nes for sawing stone. 
Frederick Beerstecher, Philadelphia, improvement in 
fire-arms. 
James Fmerson, Worcester,improvement ia pressure 
stODpers for chain cables. 
Ezra Gould, Newark, improved method of regulating 
length of stroke in mortlciig machines. 
Joshua F.. Hall, Cleveland improvement in coffee rots. 
Thos. N. Luptin Winchester, Va., improvement in 
rakes to reaping machines. 
Henry J Behrens, N. Y.. improvement in wrench. 
Wm. Mt. Storm, New York, improved method in ac¬ 
tuating gas engines. 
Richard Montgomery, New Vork, improvement in 
corrugated beams. 0 
Jacob Nelson, Cincinnati, improved awnings for horse 
and dray. • 
John S. Robbins, San Francisco, improvement in ships’ 
rudders. 
H. and Richard 3. Echevenell, Athens, Ga., improved 
machine for cutting ornamental mouldings. 
Robert B. Tolies, Cnnastota, improvement in optical 
instruments. 
Alonzo Webster, Montpelier, improved hold-back for 
carriages. 
Charles Weston T. F. Weston, and John W. Weston, 
Salem, improvement in lesther-splittii g machines. 
A. Wyckoff and E. R. Morrison, Elmira, improved 
boring machine. 
Wm. White, Portsmouth, Ya., improvement in bed¬ 
steads. 
Peter L. Weimer, Reading, improvement in trip-ham¬ 
mers. 
Samuel I,. Weed, Stoneham, Mass., machine for mak¬ 
ing printers’ types. 
D. S. Wagoner, Penn Yan, improvement in flouring- 
mills. 
John Taggert, Roxbury, assignor to himself end Theo¬ 
dore Parker. Boston, improvement in artificial legs. 
JohD B. Holmes, New York, assignor to John R. Pratt 
and John B. Holmes, same place, improvement in ships’ 
wiadlast.es. 
RE ISSUE. 
Samuel P. & Wm. F. Dodge, Newburg, for improve¬ 
ment in pumps. Patented June 7, 1853. 
The Mysore Hexacentre ( Hexacentris 
Mysorensis.) —This charmirg stone climber 
from India is well worthy the attention of am¬ 
ateur or professional growers of new and rare 
plants. It was shown first in England, in 
May, 1852, before the London Horticultural 
Society, and was pronounced the most attract¬ 
ive among all the new and fine plants exhib¬ 
ited. This is saying a great deal, certainly. 
We copy the accompanying fine illustration 
and following description from Paxton’s Flow¬ 
er Garden: 
“ Among all the fine plants exhibited in the 
garden of the Horticultural Society last May, 
none excited such universal interest as that 
now represented. It formed a small umbrella¬ 
like creeper trained over trellis in the manner 
represented in the above vignette, the whole 
circumference of which was leaded with pen¬ 
dulous racemes of most beautiful large yellow 
and crimson flowers. The plant was sent to 
Messrs. Yeitch, of Exeter, from the Mysore 
country, which it inhabits, as its name indi¬ 
cates. No doubt it is the test hot-houEe 
climber that has been introduced for many j 
years. 
tell their quality without eating them ?”— 
After filling his mammoth corporeal sack to 
its utmost capacity, he out with his big pocket 
handkerchief and filled it with Black Ham- 
burghs (grown in a hot house,) and the finest 
Isabella Grapes I ever saw, raised by a noted 
grape grower at the head of one of our beau¬ 
tiful lakes. 
And then he walked awcy > 
Prepared to eat anotheLday ! 
But, as bad luck would have it, he only left 
to unload, and in a few minutes was back to 
his post again, inquiring for the gentleman 
that owned the box of fine Isabellas. On be¬ 
ing informed that he was not there, he remarked 
he was very sorry,— (I think the owner has 
since regretted he was not there,)— proceeded 
to fill his pockets and hands, and finally left. 
Some one remarked here that he looked like 
the Silver Lake monster — largest in the mid¬ 
dle J' It was said he had liberty to take the 
Hamburghs, but as to the Isabellas he had the 
same right to take them that a midnight thief 
ha3 to rob the hen roost. 
Was it not lucky for the ladies who exhib¬ 
ited the best butter and cheese, that he was 
not on the Dairy Committee ? for with the 
same propriety he could have filled his hand¬ 
kerchief with their products. Or, had he been 
on Vegetables, how could he have told which 
were the best potatoes, cabbages, turnips or 
onions, without lavirg in a winter’s supply ? 
Had he been on Grains, he would probably 
have taken a few bushels of each var ety to 
mill, in order to test the quality of each in 
bread and cake. In short, had he been select¬ 
ed as a committee-man cn Swine, he would 
have been placed in his appropriate sphere! 
A competent committee-man knows well 
the difference between a Northern Spy and a 
Black Gillaflower Apple, a Jefferson and a 
llorse Plum, an Isabella and a Fox Grape, a 
Bartlett and a Princes Sugar Top Pear, with¬ 
out tasting. If he docs not know the different 
fruits he should say so, like an truest man, 
and refuse to act,—and never attempt to judge 
of the various fruits without knowledge enough 
to distinguish a Seckel from a Tyson pear, or 
to identify the Summer Bonchretien with the 
Summer Bonchretien exhibited by the same 
man, but on another plate. Much care should 
be taken to select judges who are well qualified 
for each department, and then general satisfac¬ 
tion will be given. A Life Member. 
West Bloomfield, N. \ ., Oct., 1855. 
We understand that, the plant was sent 
home by Francis Hah by, Esq., of the H. E. I. 
0. Civil Service. Our drawing having been 
taken from an inferior specimen, by no means 
represents all the character and beauty of the 
speci-is. One drawing, received from Mr. 
Maliby since this figuie was made, represents 
the bunches of flowers and budB from fifteen no 
eighteen inches long, and another with the 
upper or first flowers dropped, aid a large 
cluster suspended at the end of a flower-sta k 
,of about the same length. It is added that, 
bifore the plant is out of bloom, the pendu¬ 
lous flower-stalks are from two to two and a 
half feet long. 
Whatever may be thought of the so called 
species, which Professor Ness von Eseabeck 
has separated from the original Hexacentris 
coccinea, Dr. Wallich’s Thunbergia coccinea, 
nobody will question the entire novelty of the 
plant before us, whose small not leafy bracts, 
large corollas and sheggynot smooth anthers, 
indicate a totally different organization. 
The genus Hexacentris, which signifies Bix 
spurs, is named in allusion to two of its sta¬ 
mens, having one spur each proceeding from 
the base of the anthers, while the other two 
have each two spu’s.”— Horticulturist. 
An Irish Dahi.ia.— Capt. Samuel G. Ad¬ 
ams, of the 3d police station, is cultivating a 
plant which he calls an “ Irish dahlia,” and 
which is one of the rarest horticultural curi¬ 
osities of the day. The stalk is already eight 
feet in height, and upon the top is a tuft of 
green leaves, some twelve inches in circum¬ 
ference. There is as yet very little of fra¬ 
grance ; but upon pressing the leaves between 
the fingers, a gentle odcr iesues, which is un¬ 
like that of any plant we ever saw, but yet 
not unpleasant. The plant will be in fill 
bloom in the course of ten days. The seed 
was imported from Waterford, Ireland.— Bos¬ 
ton Courier. 
Fried Apples. —A dish of fried applet is 
quickly prepared for the table, which is oten 
a consideration of no small importance— 
Wash them—cut them in two, take outthe 
stem, core and calyx, and unpeeled put into a 
tin pan with butter, or the gravy of baked 
pork, with seme water, in proportion to the 
quantity to be fried, cover them with a (id, 
set them on the stove, stir them occasiontlly 
until they become soit—and be careful not 
to burn them. Romanites, which are of¬ 
ten almost worthless, baked or raw, “ dilip- 
pear with good gusto when fried.” We jay 
truthfully pronounce despicable Penics, vfaen 
fried good; but the Porters, Bellflowers, fall- 
man sweets, and a long list which we might 
name, when fried, are really a luxury, sour 
apples do not fry well; they fry to pieceatoo 
Egg Pone.— Take three fresh eggs to one 
quart of meal, and mix with milk, atdladd 
one table spoonfull of butter; mix all Well 
together, and make up of a consistence sjme- 
whet thicker than the cakes, or so thick [hat 
it will not pour eut; bake in a tin pan s»t in 
a Dutch oven, not too hot at first, but ly a 
gradual augmentation of heat till done. The 
object of tkis is to secure the baking of the 
bottom first, which will ensure the risiig of 
the cake, cause it to become beautifully blown 
on the top, and when placed cn the tablj and 
cut, to resemble “ pound cake.” 
Stewed Pears. — Pare, halve, or quarter 
any laige winter pears; throw them inif cold 
water as you pare them, to prevent then from 
turning black ; put them into a stewpef, and 
sprinkle as much sug r as will make) them 
pretty sweet; add lemon peel, a clove of two ; 
just cover them with water. Cover theja,and 
stew three or feur boars.— Am. Cook mok. 
GOVERNMENT FIRE-ARMS. 
There is at Springfield, Mass., a very large 
and important establishment, carried on by 
the U. S. Government, for the manufacture of 
fire arms. A large proportion of all that are 
made for the public service, come from there. 
The Springfield Republican, in describing a 
variety of improvements that are now taking 
place in the workshops and ether buildings 
connected with the establishment, says that a 
new model has been fixed upon for United 
States muskets, and that in future all the Gov¬ 
ernment fire arms will be made agreeable to the 
improved pattern. 
The improvement consists in substituting 
rifle muske*3, for those cf the ordinary con¬ 
struction. The Ordnance Department insti¬ 
lled, some time since, an extended series of 
experiments at Springfield, under the direc¬ 
tion of Lieut. James G. Benton, assisted by 
the gunsmiths and machinists of the works; 
the results demonstrated important advanta¬ 
ges in favor of the rifle barrel. 
The great superiority of the new model or 
rifle musket, lies in its unerring accuracy, the 
far greater distance it will send its ball, its 
more severe execution, and the lighter charge 
of powder required. The following is a de¬ 
scription of it, as compared with the former 
musket: 
A change from the smooth bore to*the rifle ; 
the length of the barrel i3 reduced from 42 to 
40 inches ; the exterior reduced, and the cali¬ 
ber from 0'60 to 0-58 of an inch. The bar¬ 
rel to have three decreasing grooves, with a 
front and rear sight brazed on, graduated 
from one to one thousand yards. The bayo¬ 
net, ramrod, mountings, and stock are much 
improved from the old model, and the weight 
of the new arm completed is about 9 3-4 
pounds, which is one-quarter of a pound 
lighter than the old model. The lock is 
changed to a front action swivel lock with the 
Maynard attachment, which will contain 60 
primers. The lock will also answer for the 
common service cap if necessary. The ball 
is an elongated, hollow, pointed ball weighing 
497 grains, which is about 60 grains heavier 
than the present round ball. The new model 
rifle requires bat 60 grains of powder, which 
is 50 grains less than the present service 
charge of the smooth bore musket, 110 grains. 
Besides the musket, thus described, models of 
a fine rifle pistol, with 10 and 12 inch rifled 
barrels, of the same caliber as the rifle musket, 
0;58 of au inch, have been prepared, with a 
false butt, which, by means of a hook and 
spring, can be instantly attached to the pistol, 
thereby making it a rifle carbine, which will 
fire with accuracy 500 yards. When detach¬ 
ed from the pistol, the butt is suspended by 
means of a belt and swivel ring. This will 
be a very important improvement for the cav¬ 
alry service. The pistol lock also embraces 
the Maynard primer .—Scientifc American. 
PAPER FROM WOOD. 
A correspondent of the Newark Daily Ad¬ 
vertiser, writing from Pittsfield in this State, 
says—Within a circle of fifteen miles from 
this point there are twice the number of pa¬ 
per mills than within the same compass of 
any spot in the country ; and speaking of this 
reminds me of a visit a few days since to Lit¬ 
tle Falls, N. Y., where the patentee of paper 
made from wood is erecting a large and ex¬ 
pensive mill for its manufacture; the paper 
that has been produced with the disadvamsge 
of poor machinery for its manufacture is 
pronounced of superior quality. 
The wood manufactured by this process, it 
is said, is capable of producing all grades of 
paper, ai d what is of the meet importance, 
the stock costs nothing. In this way an inch 
and a quarter plank is bought’and introduced 
in its rough state into a planing machine, 
from which it comes out a three eighth clear- 
planed board, worth more in the market than 
the plank. The shavings are the stock from 
which paper is made. Anything that will 
cheapen and increase the production of paper 
will tend to the advancement of intell'gsnce, 
and is a matter in which we all hold an in¬ 
terest. _ 
ARTIFICIAL FORMATION OF MINERALS. 
To penetrate the hidden processes of Na- J 
ture, whereby the gems and beautiful crystal- 
ized minerals we so frequently meet with 
embedded in the recks are produced, has been 
been the aim of many distinguished modern 
philosophers. But partial success has attend¬ 
ed their endeavors, and to my thinking, for 
one very good reason, viz.: that when a crys¬ 
talline mineral is not of igneous origin, but 
dependent upon aqueous, atmospheric, or mo¬ 
lecular action or change, that time is an essen¬ 
tial element in its production ; a period com¬ 
pared with which, the life of man is of a verity 
but “ a span lorg.” 
By igneous action, various minerals have 
been synthetically obtained in the hearths of 
iron furnaces, of porcelain furnaces, and in the 
flame of the oxy-hydrogen blow-pipe ; the 
usual condition being, as m the experiments of 
Edelmann, that the components of the mine¬ 
rals should be held in solution, or at any rate 
in suspension, by some solvent capable of vol¬ 
atilization at intense heats—qualifications ex¬ 
pressly possessed by borax and boracic acid,— 
By such means, felspar, ruby, spire!le, and 
many aluminous minerals have been obtained 
in a crystalline form. Some few may be ob¬ 
tained from their aqueous solutions, as various 
earthly or metallic carbonates, and others 
again by weak electrical action. This last 
natural force is that M Becquerel has availed 
himself of, with much success, in his investi¬ 
gations on this subject. His experiments 
were commenced in 1845, and his results have 
just been published, from which it appears that 
be has succeeded in obtainirg crystallized hy¬ 
drated oxide of zinc, and also crystallized pro¬ 
toxide of lead, by suffering galena (intermixed 
with blende ?) to aet on strong and mixed so¬ 
lutions of common salt and sulphate of copper. 
By this reaction he has obtained, after the 
expiration of six or seven years, chloride of 
sodium in cubes, cubic octahedrons, and octa¬ 
hedrons ; chloride of lead in cubic and also in 
acicular crystals ; sulphate of lead in cunei¬ 
form octahedrons exactly resembling the An- 
glesea mineral; chloro-sulphate of lead in 
acicular crystals ; oxychloride of lead in very 
minute crystals, and amorphous eulphuret of 
copper ; all of which substances coated the 
lump of galena, giving it the appearance of a 
specimen from a natural mineral vein. By 
weak voltaic arrangement this physicist ob¬ 
tained the carbonate of lime and of lead in a 
crystalline form. These experiments seem to 
show that when one substance is slowly oxi¬ 
dized in solutions of others upon which the 
oxide formed will react, various insoluble and 
soluble crystalline bodies result from this ac¬ 
tion ; and also, that when several complicated 
double decompositions are induced of a very 
slow and feeble nature, the result may be the 
formation of many different insoluble crystal¬ 
line compounds, precisely similar to those we 
meet with in many minerals.— Inventor. 
FELTING CHINDERS OF ENGINES. 
The cylinders of all steam engines should 
be well felted in order to prevent the conden¬ 
sation of steam by surface exposure to the at¬ 
mosphere. When it is considered that steam 
at the atmosphere is 212° at 20 lbs. 228° at 
3Q lbs. 251° at 40 lbs. 269° at 50 lb# 283° 
and at 64 lbs. 300° in temperature, while that 
of the atmosphere may be set down at 52°, 
we can easily perceive that the condensing of 
steam in unfelted cylinders—the iron of which 
is such a good conductor—must be far greater 
than most persons who employ steam engines 
appear to think of. The felting of steam 
boilers has been found to effect a great saving 
in fuel, and why not the felting of cylinders 
and valve boxes. It h onr opinion that the 
cylinder and boiler of any engine well covered 
with good felting will economise one-third of 
the fuel, as compared with one of a like ca¬ 
pacity having its boiler and engine exposed to 
the atmosphere. W e notice that many of the 
large cylinders and steam pipes on our steam¬ 
boats and in our factories do not show a patch 
of felt; they are left freely exposed to the air 
as if inviting a redaction of the steam to wa¬ 
ter before it had accomplished its work. This 
does not say much for the wisdom of the en¬ 
gineers or the proprietors.— Sci. Am. 
DECARBONIZING STEEL PLATES. 
Engraving on steel plates is an invention 
of comparative modern date, for which the 
world is indebted to the eminent American in¬ 
ventor, Jacob Perkins. It is impossible to 
engrave on the common hard steel plates, 
hence they have to be decarbonized or soften¬ 
ed before the graver can act upon them—the 
method of doing this wa3 discovered by Per¬ 
kins. These plates are decarbonized by being 
placed in a vertical position in a thick cast 
iron box, and surrounded on all sides by a 
stratum of iron filings half an inch thick.— 
The box is placed in a furnace and kept at a 
red heat for three or four hours, then cooled 
very slowly by stopping up all the air passages 
and covering the box with cinders to the depth 
of six inches. There plates are hardened again 
by placing them in the box with charcoal 
made from leather parings placed between 
them instead of the iron filings, and kept at a 
bright red heat for three ho:rs, when they are 
taken out, and immediately plunged in a ver¬ 
tical position into cold water. All kinds of 
steel can be decarbonized in the same manner. 
—Sitentifc American. 
Music by Steam. —A Mr. Stoddard, of 
Worcester, Mass., has constructed an instru¬ 
ment lor making music by steam. It consists 
of a series of whistles like those used on loco¬ 
motives, being made of different sizes, so as to 
produce the desired tone corresponding with 
, each note. This completes the macMne, with 
the exception of a cylinder similar to those 
used in a common hand-organ or music-box, 
i ; containing cogs, which, when properly ar- 
! ranged, will, if turned by hand, or otherwise, 
■ operate upon the valves in Bach a manner as 
, I to play any tune desired, by simply changing 
j the position of the ccgs, which are arranged 
I so as to be moveable. 
