AN AGRICULTURAL A? 0 FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
AUGUST 8 
PBESH PRESERVED FRUITS 
Messrs. Editors: —The importance of a con¬ 
tinuous snpply of fresh fruits throughout the year 
is beginning to be appreciated, and wherever it 
has been enjoyed to any extent it has created a 
desire for an increased supply for future use.— 
Numerous experiments have been tried and many 
different plans recommended, as being nest calcu¬ 
lated to preserve them in a perfect state, and I 
have examined with care many of the cans, jars 
and fixtures which are nowin use for this purpose, 
aod have tried thoroughly several of them, aurl 
feel fully decided that nothing which I have yet 
seen will at all compare for convenience, cheap¬ 
ness or utility with well formed glass bottles. And 
now for the why and the wherefore. 
First, tin cans should not be used for any fruit 
containing acid, because t he acid will corrode the 
tin, thus forming a poison, as well as ooloring the 
fruit; aod this acid is contained in a greater or 
less degree in all fruits. The objections to the 
self sealing jars, which seem to possess many ad¬ 
vantages, are the following:—In filling the jars 
with fruit aod putting on the cover, which fits 
loosely over the top of the jar, connecting with 
the wax. there will necessarily be a small quantity 
of air inclosed, although the jar be filled entirely 
fall; and after standing a lnug time, and possibly 
alter only ashort t'mf. onopenipg, it is common to 
find a mildew or mould over the entire surface of 
the fruit in the jar. Thi9 must be carefully re¬ 
moved to the depth that the fruit has become 
tainted by it, and it can readily be perceived that 
the surface being large there will he much more 
waste than there weald he were the same quantity 
of frnit contained in a bottle of proper form, 
where the surface of the fruit would not be larger 
wo inches in o fa meter. 
We stated in a late number that according to 
the law of electrical affinities, wltm two oxydiza- 
b!e metals are connected together and exposed to 
a moist atmosphere of water, the negative is pro¬ 
tected at the expense of the positive Thus iron, 
which is very liable to oxydize. is prevented from 
rusting when connected with zinc, because the 
latter metal is more oxydizable; it is positive, the 
iron negative. On the other hand, when iron is 
connected with copper or lead, it insts more rap¬ 
idly: it is the positive metal when thus related.— 
Iron may be used as the positive metal, as well as 
zinc, for a galvanic agent, and we understand It is 
so used in what is termed “ the Maynooth battery,” 
but it is inferior to zinc for such a purpose. Sir 
Humphrey Davy was the discoverer of this law, 
and he entertained great hopes of its being so ap¬ 
plied aa to protect the sheathing of ships perma¬ 
nently. Iron lightDing rods have been protected 
ftoin rusting by connecting them at the loot with 
pieces of zinc placed in the moist earth. The 
wrought iron holts, &e., of waterwheels have been 
prevented from rusting by being connected with 
strips of zinc, which were easily renewed from 
time to time. This application of the law of elec¬ 
trical affinities is very useful for protecting the 
iron of various machines or articles that may he 
exposed to water or a moist atmosphere. 
Iron appears to undergo no change in dry air, 
and is incapable of decomposing pure water at 
ord inary temperatures. In the ordinary rusting of 
iron a hydrated sesquioxyd is formed. Iron rust 
always contains ammonia. In solutions of the al¬ 
kalies, and in lime water, iron remains bright; 
these appear to protect it from rusting. Ail acid 
salts, on the other hand, rust it rapidly. These 
facts should not be overlooked by those who em¬ 
ploy steam boilers; they should use pare soft 
water, and no other kind, for generating steam.— 
Scientific American. 
SECLUSION AND COMFORT, 
As a people we seem to live, move and have 
our being, not for our owu comfort, but for the 
pleasure nf others. In our dress, we too often 
sacrifice ease and utility to looks. We build our 
houses, not for the accommodation of those whose 
days and nights are to be spent within their walls, 
not to secure the comforts and pleasures of home 
to our household goods, but for ostentatious dis¬ 
play—for the admiration of those whose good or 
ill opinion is of but little moment. Our ornamen¬ 
tal grounds and gardens are exposed to the rude 
gaze of every passer by, and no cozy retreat is 
found where the owner or bis family or friends 
can spend an hour secure from intiusion. Sur¬ 
rounded by a low picket fence, with no belt of 
trees, no screen of shrubs, the American garden 
or lawn is usually as much exposed as the street. 
There is no seclusion, no privacy, no home-com¬ 
fort. To such an extent ia thia folly carried, that 
almost all desire to secure, if possible, a corner 
lot, where every part of the house and grounds 
may be more fully exposed to public view. 
The English practice is the very opposite of 
this. There the fonduess for seclusion and priva¬ 
cy is carried to an extreme. The Englishman be¬ 
lieves fully in the maxim that "every man’s house 
is his castle,” and he surrounds his garden with a 
high wall or hedge, or an impenetrable belt of 
trees and shrubbery, so that the curious eyes of 
no “ outside barbarian” can penetrate the sacred 
enclosure, and the sanctity of the paradise within 
remains inviolate. To such au extent is this idea 
of 8eclasion carried, that the traveler may ride for 
miles without getting scarcely a peep over the tall 
hedges that border the road. 
We would not recommend this extreme seclu¬ 
sion; but there is very little danger of our run¬ 
ning into this error for, at least, centuries to come; 
our fonducBS of display will prevent this. Yet, 
we would urge a much greater degree of privacy 
than ia common in thia country, and consider it 
absolutely necessary to the full enjoyment of a 
rural home, whether the house and grounds are 
large or snialL Every garden shonld be so screen¬ 
ed that the owner and his family and I'riendB may 
examine or cultivate the plants and flowers, or re¬ 
pose under the shade of the trees or in the arbors 
entirely unseen by the passer by. To secure this, 
high fencing may be necessary in some cases, but 
the best and most appropriate screen is secured 
by a belt of low growing trees and the larger 
shrubs, both deciduous and evergreen. 
than a circle abort; 
There are also self-sealing glass jars, the top or 
surface of which i6 smaller than the earthen jars, 
and to these there is this objection, that in form¬ 
ing the groove to contain the wax there is also 
loimed on the inner surface of ihe jar a concave 
groove, which cannot be filled with fruit; neither 
can the air be excluded from it, but must be left 
to operate on the fruit. And it is a fact well un¬ 
derstood that the greatest success ia preserving 
the fruit depends mainly on the most perfect ex 
elusion of air from it. 
Glass possesses this one advantage over earth- 
ern, that the condition of the fruit may be seen at 
any time, and the disadvantage that colored trims 
in gla33 and exposed to light will fade. And last¬ 
ly .is to economy, (saying nothing of tin, which I 
shall assume will not be used to any considerable 
extent, and ought not to be at all,) to c giass bottles 
are a saving o( more than one-half, which is not a 
small item to be considered in putting up a liberal 
supply for the year. The bottles should be of 
such a shape as to admit readily (through a funnel 
made for thr purpose) any frnit woich it is desired 
to preserve, and the neck of the boule should be 
of such length that when the fruit contracts by 
cooling it will not sink below the neck, and there¬ 
by enlarge the surface of the fruit in the bottle.— 
We bare recently used fruit put up in 1855 in as 
good condition as if put up a week ago, and if it 
will keep well two years, why may it not be kept 
much longer?—T. G. Yeomans, Walworth, X. Y., 
August, 1857. 
Remarks.— We do cot think the acid of the 
fruit will “ corrode the tin ” sufficient to he in the 
least injurious. Indeed, the principal effect must 
be produced on the solder. We should prefer tin 
to earthern jars, as we are a little afraid of the 
“ glazing.” 
PRESERVING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. 
The London Engineer, in an article on the re¬ 
cent improvements which have been made in the 
manufacture of iron, says that the truth is now 
rapidly gaining gTound that, wherever mechanical 
strength ia desired, an alloy is preferred to a pure 
metal. One of the greatest obstructions to the 
mechanical value of iron, Is its tendency to crys¬ 
tallize. Whether the article be a monster gnn or 
a ship's cable, the result is the same.. The tenden¬ 
cy of iron thus to crystallize may. unquestionably, 
be prevented by tie admixture of other metals.— 
In almost every direction, nature has placed cer¬ 
tain metallic masses, to which the name "meteor¬ 
ic iron” has been given, on the supposition that 
these masses have fallen from the atmosphere.— 
The composition of meteoric iron, wherever found, 
is chiefly of iron and nickel, the latter varying 
from two to ten per cent, with small quantities of 
cobalt, and, it is said, chromium. Science has 
made artificial meteoric iron, and it has been test¬ 
ed. Its qualities have proved identical with those 
of the native compound. In addition, it is more 
ductile, and has more tenacity than pnre iron, and 
is not so liable to rust or oxydize, 
Varieties of thia class of Raspberry are rapid¬ 
ly accumulating; but a few years ago the “Ohio 
Everbearing” was the only sort known; now there 
are enumerated in nurserymens’ collections some 
half a dozen or more. 
We are not yet in possession of sufficient expe¬ 
rience to say whether any of them are adapted to 
extensive cultivation for market purposes, but we 
have no hesitation whatever in directing the at¬ 
tention of amateur and experimental cultivators 
to them aa a means of prolonging greatly the 
season of one of the most healthy and delicious 
of all our small fruits. Wo have heard it remark¬ 
ed that inasmuch aa every season brings with it 
its peculi ir fruits, it is hardly worth while to pro¬ 
duce any fruit out of its natural season. There ia 
some force in this we admit, yet we cannot see why 
it is not an ucairnble to produce fine raspberries 
in the month of September, as it is to ripen grapes 
in winter or early spring. Indeed there can be no 
question bat that the advancement of Horticulture 
will produce in time not merely fruits of superior 
character,but skillful and ingenious hybridization 
and other scientific processes, will originate varie¬ 
ties of many of our garden fruits that will ripen out 
of what ia now called the natural Beason, and 
greatly increase the value of otberB and the en¬ 
joyment to be derived from them. 
To us it appears as if this were a field for the 
most interesting experiment, and from this point 
of view we regard these Ever-bearing Raspberries 
as an important acquisition. We hope cultivators 
will not be backward in testing their value aud let 
ns know the result. 
L The "Ohio Ever bearing ” Is simply an ever- 
bearing or autumnal-hearing variety of our native 
black sort, known as the Black Cap, a roundish 
flat berry, quite black, covered with a whitish 
tdooin or down. It is now in full hearing, and it 
often, not always, bears a full crop in September 
aud beginning of October. To onr taste it is not 
to be compared to the delicious Autwerps and 
others of that family, but many express a prefer¬ 
ence for its sprightly, peculiar aroma. It lias one 
great advantage—it is hardy, standing well where 
others are killed. 
2. The (.’ahwwsaisamorerecentdi3eovery,pick- 
to speak with much confidence. It is a berry of 
medium size, purplish red, good flavor, tender, 
and we notice fruit in all stages of growth now 
upon the canes. 
3. The " Large Fruited Monthly of Rivers ' 1 was im¬ 
ported from England to this country several years | 
ago. This is a red, roundish fruit, somewhat of the 
character of the Fastolff, but not so large, it bears 
an abundant crop in July, and if the weather be 
favorable, another in the fall on the canes of the 
current season. This crop, however, ia not relia¬ 
ble, as it depends much ‘on the weather and the 
treatment Where a fall crop is desired, only the 
strongest canes should be left, and these should 
be well treated by good culture of the soil, and if 
need be, supplied with water. This remark will 
apply, indeed, to ail this class. 
4. The Merveitle de Four Seasons is another red 
variety, from France, of good size and great ex¬ 
cellence; it bears well in July, aud if the canes for 
fall bearing are well managed, a good crop in 
September. Last season, in the latter part of Sep¬ 
tember and beginning of October, we saw it load¬ 
ed with superb fruit in a situation where it received 
no particular care. We place this at the head of 
this class without any scruple, and believe it well 
worthy of cultivation. 
5. Belle de Font may .—This is another French 
variety of the very largest 9ize, dark crimson color, 
and remarkably firm —well suited in this respect 
to carry to marker. The flavor is sweet, and 
sprightly, quite peculiar to this sort. The canes, 
too, are so distinct as not to be confounded with 
any other; very stout, with short, dark spines, 
foliage dark green, heavy and much crimpled.— 
They are also produced in great abundance. It 
does not bear as well as the preceding, many of 
the blossoms being abortive, but the fruits that 
do mature fill out well and make a superb show. 
There is a white ever-bearing sort on the lists, 
but we have not seen enough of it to give an 
opinion of its merits or make any description of it 
This will be forthcoming in due season. 
We shall take particular notice of this class of 
Raspberries in the autumn, and report upon their 
fruitfulness. 
country taverns. 
now often is the weary traveler made home-sick 
and heart-sick, by the first sight even, of the "tav¬ 
ern” that must aflord him shelter, and shonld give 
him comfort, for a few hours or days. Standing 
on the corner, without a tree to aflord either shade 
or shelter, exposed to the burning buu and clouds 
of dust, with close, ill-vendialed bed-rooms, there 
is as little sleep by night as comfort by day. Then, 
tb: noise, the company, how little calculated to 
promote the comfort of travelers, for which such 
houses are ostensibly designed. Is such a state of 
tilings necessary, or creditable ; is the evil univer¬ 
sal ? In the English Channel, about six miles from 
the main land, and opposite Portsmouth and 
Southampton, is the Isle of Wight, a beautiful is¬ 
land about fifteen miles long, and, we tliiuk, some 
seveu broad, although the hilly character of the 
ground, may have made the distance across seem 
longer than it really wus, as we made a pedestrian 
excursion on the island many years since. This 
beantifal spot wa3 visited by Downino in 1851, 
aud lie thus describes the delightful ruslic inDs 
that greet the weary traveler at almost every lurii 
of the road:—"Then the hotels are absolutely ro- 
mantio in their rural beauty, Desigued like the 
prettiest cottages, or rather iu a qtmiut ami ram¬ 
bling style, half cottage and hall villa, the roof 
covered with thatch, and the wall with ivy, jessa¬ 
mines, and perpetual roses;, and set down in the 
midst of a charming lawn, and surrounded by 
shrubbery, you feel the same reluctance to take 
the room which the chambermaid, with the fresh¬ 
est of roses in her cheeks, and the cleanest of caps 
upon her head—shows you, aa you would in hiring 
the apartments of Borne tasteful friend in reduced 
circumstances. When you vise from yonr dinner, 
(admirably served,) always in a private parlor, the 
casement windows open upon a velvety lawn, 
bright with masses of scarlet geraniums, verbenas, 
and tea roses, set in the tnrf, and you give your¬ 
self up to the profound conviction that for snug¬ 
ness, and cosiness, and perfection at a rural Inn, 
the world can contain nothing better than may be 
found in the Isle of Wight.” 
May we not, in time, arrive at something like 
this. Why should not the “traveler’s home” be 
one of taste and comfort ? We might enlarge on 
this subject, but our object is to give a few hints 
only on the evils to be remedied that will be read 
aud remembered by alL 
Will you inform me through the Rural the ' 
“modus operand * 11 of putting up green peas and | 
heansin air-tigntcanst'orwimernse; alsopeaches, 
tomatoes, Ac.? I have been trying my skill with 
peaa. (shelled) bm did not succeed. I parboiled 
them first, and then put them iu the csds. then 
boiled three hours, then closed the cans and hoiled 
one hour longer. Sometime after I opened a can 
and found I had boiled them entirely too much.— 
In what way can "Evergreen Sweet Corn” be pre¬ 
served in its green state for winter nse? a plan 
which a gardener might apply for preserving large 
quantities.—A. B., Anna, III. 
Remarks. —The great secret of success in pre¬ 
serving fruit and vegetables in cans is the expul¬ 
sion and exclusion of the air. This is partially 
accomplished by placing a can or jar filled with 
su h fruit or vegetables as it is intended to pre¬ 
serve in a kettle of hot water, nearly to the top of 
the can, and allowing it to remain until thoroughly 
heated through. The fruit and any liquid that 
may be in the can becomes expanded by the beat, 
and the air rarified. In this condition it is sealed 
up air tight, and put away. On cooling, the fruit 
and air become condensed, leaving a partial va¬ 
cuum, generally sufficient to secure it from decay. 
Several different cans and jars have been invented 
for this purpose, and can now be procured in al¬ 
most any town, but none better than the one of 
which we give an engraving, manufactured by 
J. E. Cheney & Co., of this city. 
Possessing such 
qualities, meteoric iron is certain to become an 
important branch of industry. A mixture of 
ninety-eight parts of iron and two of nickel, has 
all the peculiarities of best meteoric iron. A few 
years ago an ore of sulphuret of nickel, devoid of 
arsenic, was found iu Inverary, in Scotland, and 
by its means meteoric iron has been made of the 
best quality. 
It is said that the greatest comb manufactory 
in the world, is in Aberdeen, Scotland. There are 
thirty-six furnaces for preparing horns and tor¬ 
toise shell for the combs, and no less than one 
hundred and twenty iron screw presses are con¬ 
tinually going iu stamping them. Steam power is 
employed to cut the combs. The coarse combs 
ave stamped or cut ont — two being cut iu one 
piece at a time. The fine dressing combs, and all 
small tooth combs are cut by fine circular saws, 
some so fine as to cut forty teeth in the space of 
one inch, and they revolve five thousand times in 
one minute. There are some two thousand varie¬ 
ties of combs made, and the aggregate number 
produced, of all these different, sorts of combs, is 
about 9,000,000 annually; a quantity that, if laid 
together lengthways, would extend about seven 
hundred miles. The annual comsmnption ot hoofs 
amounts to 4.000,000; the consumption of tortoise 
shell and buffalo horn, although not so large, is 
correspondingly valuable. A hoof undergoes 
eleven distinct operations before it becomes a 
finished comb. 
The Horticulturist. —Can a first class Horti¬ 
cultural Journal be sustained in thia country is a 
question l should like to have answered. It Beems 
to mo to be folly to talk of horticultural Improve¬ 
ment aud the progress of taste throughout the 
country, and to make a great parade about Ponio- 
logical Associations, if we cannot sustain oue re¬ 
spectable Horticultural Journal The Horticul¬ 
turist has lost, as it deserves to do, the confidence 
of all intelligent pomologista. It is not even the 
shadow of its former self. It 1ms lost the refiued 
taste of Downino, and tho plain practical sense 
and experience of Barky, and it has gained noth¬ 
ing worth the having. Whst ouu make up for the 
loss of those life-like portraits of fruits and flowers 
which it contained when published in Rochester, 
and the substitution of the miserable caricatures 
which now disfigure its pages ? s. 
Remarks. —We have so much to do to make the 
Rural come up to our standard of what such a 
Journal should be, that we have neither time uor 
disposition to note the short-comings of others,— 
It is a pleasure for us to know that onr owu labors 
In the department of Horticulture have given uni¬ 
versal satisfaction. Wo shall not only continue, 
but increase our efforts to spread Horticultural 
knowledge, and have no fear that wo shall labor 
in vain. There is, however, some truth In the 
statements of our correspondent. 
Eds. Rural: —In 1856 we tried this plant but 
once, and were not very favorably impressed. In ' 
this case the plant was in flower and too old, hut 
seeing counter statements as to its merits and its 
near resemblance to the genuine Asparagus we 
were determined "not to give it up so.” This 
summer we have succeeded in making a dish from 
it, in every way so like Asparagus that persons 
eating it without the knowledge of ita true name 
and character, pronounced it Asparagus unhesit¬ 
atingly, of fine quality. 
A succession may be had from spring to fall by 
planting a small patch every week through the 
growing seasou. 1‘lauted In opeu ground early in 
spring, it will be ready for cutting about tne time 
the veritable Asparagus is done with. It is as easily 
cultivated as auy garden annual, wiil grow iu any 
soil that will produce Lettuce. A rich sandy loan’ 
is probably best adapted,—plant in drilla one foot 
apart, and one seed to every inch in the drill, by 
this method the stalks will be from 12 to 3-4 of an 
inch in diameter, and about 12 inches high when 
it is fit for cutting. The plants should be drawn 
clean from tbe drill and fresh seed sown of Aspa- 
r3gnB, Radish, or Turnips. 
To prepare it for the table tbe leaves are all to 
be stripped and the base of the plant out oft’, as far 
as it appears woody, the balance, i, e., the tipper 
part, which is very lender and brittle, is then cut in 
inch pieces or less, and boiled 10 or 15 minutes in 
sale rat us water, then put in fresh water and stew 
up in the same manner. Two or three plants left 
to mature Its seed, will afford an abundant supply. 
West Maeedon, N. Y, 1867. I. W. B.* 
Remarks.—IV e havn t much faith in any veget¬ 
able that it is necessary to boil in ta/eralus water. 
Artificial Tofaz. —M. Danbree is the author of 
some'interesting researches on the artificial for¬ 
mation ot topaz. Pare alumina, it appears, pre¬ 
viously calcined by a bright red heat, is submitted 
to the action of a eurreut of fluoride of silicon. 
After two exposures of this kind the alumina in¬ 
creased in weight seventy per cent The product 
contained fluorine, and, what was more, this fluor¬ 
ine is in such a state of combination as not to be 
acted upon by boiling concentrated sulphuric acid. 
By thia characteristic alone tbe substance pro¬ 
duced offers a great resemblance to topaz, the four 
constituent elements of which it also contains.— 
Its specific gravity, which is 3 47. is tbe saute as 
that of natural topaz. 
Of course the exclusion of air is only par¬ 
tial, and when some plan is devised to make it 
more perfect, fruit will be preserved with more 
certainty of success. We have often saved fruit 
in this way, though we have sometimes failed 
without living able to account for the cause of the 
failure. This is the true way of preserving fruit, 
it retains its flavor better than when preserved 
with BUgar. 
The plan recommended, we believe for saving 
the Evergreen Corn , is merely to hang it up in a 
dry, airy room. It is very apt, however, to mildew. 
Remarks.— The distinction is one made by 
Florists and relates merely to the coloring of the 
flower. The Carnation is divided into three classes, 
and the Picotee is ono of these, as follows:— 
Flakes, are of only two colors, with wide stripes 
running from the center of the flower to tho outer 
edge of the petal. Bnarres have at leaBt three 
colors, in irregular stripes uud blotches. Picotees 
are finely spotted or linod, with scarlet, purple, Ac, 
generally on a whito ground. The outer edge of 
the petals usually have a dark stripe. Florists have 
made a great many arbitrary rules aa to what should 
bo considered a good flower, which it will not, per¬ 
haps, be profitable for us to heed at present The 
Carnation is a queen among the flowerp, and 
shonld receive more homage from the lovers of 
nature's beauties. 
Cooking Ruubarb.-A nurseryurar. botanist ible b are geveral 3access ful experiments 
told me, not long since, that the skm of the Rbo- 7 ... „ m * 
barb, or pie-plant, contained the poison of the have been made, and others are p 
plaut, (Oxalic acid.) and should nUays be re- larger scale. 
moved. I see one ot your correspondents says not --- 
peel it in herrccipe for cooking. In cooking aspar- „ , natent ten cylinder printing machine 
agos I should suggest the leaving the pork down . ° "~ w *. . . J and 20 060 vardg 0 f 
cellar, aud substituting a bit of butter.—R. E. K., is made up ot 1-4,< 30 p -> . J . , 
Keesevilte, X. Y., 1857. tape and blankets are used. The presses weigh 
Remarks.—I t would be difficult to find oxalic twenty tuns, three quarters and fourteen pounds, 
acid in the Rhubarb, or any other plant, we think, aud cost $30,000. 
Planting Strawberries. —Those who inteud 
to make Strawberry beds this fall should do so as 
soon as practicable. Planters would do well to 
read the Nurserymens Advertisements iu this num¬ 
ber of the Rural, aa among other fine things, the 
new varieties of Strawberries which we figured 
and described (July 18th) are offered for sale. 
Chinese Wistaria. —Where can roots of the 
Chinese Wistaria be procured, and at wbat price? 
—E. C. P., LieneVa, X. Y., 1857. 
Remarks.—A t almost any nursery, where orna¬ 
mental treoB and shrubs are kept, for fifty cents. 
