ruTui 
FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
BRITISH AND AMERICAN PATENT OFFICES, 
A CHANCE FOB FAMJW 
Wk had no idea of the cribbed, cabined, and 
confined nature of our own little neat, in compari¬ 
son with the vast aviary in which we have been 
accustomed to be fleeced by our Trans-Atlantic 
friends, before we had the plans drawn out on the 
same scale, or ve think we should have hesitated 
to make 3nch an ex post of our deficiencies; but 
the plans being prepared and promised to our 
readers, we feel bound to bring them to the light, 
let the consequences be damaging as they may.— 
We had read of the sizes of the various rooms of 
the American office, as stated in the published de¬ 
scription of it, and we bad seen the plan; and, 
further, we knew well the ina and outs of our own 
Patent Office, bat never, until the plans were placed 
side by side, did the comparison appear so ridicu¬ 
lous. We do not say that Borne of the closets of 
the American office are as large as our patent li¬ 
brary, but really the space occupied me entire 
building ia so vastly greater than our own little 
jewel in Chancery lane, that we aTe at a loss to 
know what use can possibly be made of it. It is 
true that the plan of the American office, as we 
have given it, ia not yet completed—one portion 
having to be built, and other portions being occu¬ 
pied by different departments of state; yet for all 
this, the building was designed for the Patent Of¬ 
fice alone, and to the purposes of this office alone 
will it very shortly be devoted, so that we may 
justly conclude, from the size of the entire build¬ 
ing, what views the Americans entertain of the 
importance of the patent business of their country. 
In one of our departments the space is so con¬ 
fined that we have recommended the attendants to 
wear spring shoes, so that they would, after a lit¬ 
tle practice, be able to jaiap over each other’s 
heads; there being no room to pass between the 
shelves and the backs of the chairs of those sit¬ 
ting at the central table. With respect to the 
store department - , there is only sufficient room in 
the corrugated iron ont-house to contain a few 
copies of each of the printed specifications, which 
space will be wholly inadequate when the specifi¬ 
cations of the patents granted under the old law 
are all printed. As to a museum of models, it 
does not exist, except in one of the boilers at Ken¬ 
sington; and aa recent, events give signs of an ex¬ 
plosion in that qnarter, no safety-valve having as 
yet been discovered—it is not impossible that the 
models may again have to be placed in their re¬ 
spective cases, and consigned to the cellars from 
which they were taken. Now, this is all too bad f 
especially when we consider that the patent fund, 
notwithstanding the excessive fees of the law of¬ 
ficers, has accumulated to the extent of about £100,- 
' 000. Patentees will never, as was at one time sug- 
' gested, have any part of this land returned to 
them, and why, we want to know, would it not be 
as well employed in building a respectable office 
a 9 in remaining in the T reasury < 
[ The businees done in our Patent Office is not 
leas important than that of the United States of- 
[’ fice; then what makes the difference in the views 
emertamea as to tne amount ot space required for 
' the proper transaction of that business? Tne real 
fact, we suspect, is that no difference of opinion 
exists as to the space required, bat there are some 
® undefined uses to which it is supposed the accu- 
* j mulrted fond may be hereafter applied, and which 
We beg to suggest that 
Somebody, in Dundee, Yates county, who forgot 
to sign his name to the letter, writes us that he 
has discovered " a perfect remedy against the rava¬ 
ges of the apple-tree borer.” Tois remedy “costs 
but 20 or 25 cents to each tree, while it doubles 
tho amount to the growth and productiveness of 
the orchard. Cue application will last twenty 
years, and not a borer will touch or injure a tree.” 
This discovery it is proposed to make known to 
the world on one simple condition, and that is 
that the small sum of $10,000 shall be deposited 
by Horticultural Societies or individuals, in some 
Rochester bnnkjvhie.b the discoverer ia to have if 
the remedy, tuzCr twta^eara trial, proves effectual, 
and if not, i/is to be retai ned to the depositors. 
Now, twrJbt t.hrqe objections, to this plan, sug¬ 
gest lhems8v$B.‘* In the first place, the times are 
rather out Af joint} singk dollars, to say nothing 
of thmsand&Qp scarce, and we fear it 
would be difficuMfrraise the money. Then, as 
the banks are suspending and falling, all over the 
country, perhaps it would be hardly safe to trust 
this sum with them. The better way, we think, 
would he for the discovered to send us on the rem¬ 
edy, at once, and we will lay It before the several 
huudred thousand readers of the Rural, without 
obargiDg him a cent. If It proves all that he 
recommends it, he wlU not, to be sure, get ten 
thousand dollars, but ho will get a great name, 
and will he ranked among the great men, and 
great henefactors of the age. Hosts of men have 
spent fortunes and lost their lives in the pursuit 
of fame. It would seem to lie within the very 
grasp of oar correspondent. He has only to 
stretch out his haud aucl become great. No con¬ 
sideration of dollars and cents, particularly so 
small a sum as ten thousand dollars, should be 
permitted to palsy his arm or dash the crown from 
his brow. 
GBAPES AND PEARS, 
Eds. Rural:— 1 this day send you a box con¬ 
taining specimens of the following grapes, viz.:— 
Concord, Clinton, Diana, Isabella and Catawba, all 
of which, I believe, to be genuine. Catawba rots 
badly this year, but few of them ripe. What think 
you of the Diana? Of all native gTapes now be¬ 
fore the public, this, in my humble opinion, is the 
It has fruited here for the last, four 
W» give a fine engraving of the Whitt Doyenne The fruit was almost entirely destroyed by crack- 
Pear. This is one of the oldest, and best pears, ing and mildew. The soil is gravelly and well 
and is more generally cultivated In Western New 
York than any other variety. The premium, 
offered at the recent exhibition of the Genesee 
Valley Horticultural Society for the best dish of 
pears, was awarded to this fine popular Bort. Our 
market is well supplied with this fruit, and we 
think we should not exceed the truth in stating 
that aa many bushels of this sort are grown and 
sold in Western New York aa of all other sorts 
combined. On the seaboard it sometimes cracks, 
and for this reason in the Eastern States, and near 
New York it was for many years considered ai most 
worthless, but latterly the Boston and other Eastern 
growers have produced it in the greatest perfec¬ 
tion. We have beard complaints of its cracking 
in some localities in Western New York. This 
subject wa3 brought before the American Pomolo- 
gieal Society at its last meeting, and the following 
opinions were expressed by the members: 
Mr. Fie ii>, of New York city, had ascertained 
that the fruit wa3 not so liable to crack on the 
quince as on the pear. Mr. Hodge, of Buffalo, 
formerly thought it first rate, bat of late years it is 
so much specked and Bpotted as to be almost 
worthless. Thought it required a very strong 
Boil Mr. Hoag stated that at Lockport, N. Y., it 
was as fine aa need be on a light soil, or on any 
soiL Mr. Reid, of New Jersey, thought the crack¬ 
ing was a local disease, not dependent on soil.— 
Mr. Warren, of Genesee Co., said be had seen it 
cracked on the pear worse than on the quince. It 
succeeds finely in Goneaee Co., in this State. Mr. 
Carot, of Massachusetts, thought we should have 
to abandon Us culture on the pear roof, but on the 
quince It la a3 good as ever. J. J. Thomas stated 
that Mr. Yeomans, of Wayne Co., had planted an 
orchard of 2,300 Yirgalieu trees on quince root. 
most desirable, 
years. I find it quite hardy, a good grower, very 
productive, clusters closely and ripens before the 
Isabella. It is not infested with the insect that 
perforates the berries and feed on the seeds. In¬ 
deed it is extremely rare that one finds a defective 
berry. In quality it is not surpassed by any other 
grape. But little noise has ever been made about 
it, which will perhaps account for its beiug bo sel¬ 
dom seen. In the same package you will please 
I find the following pearB grown on pear stocks, as 
I they are known here:—Onondaga, Napoleon, Bezi 
de la Motte and Forelle. These pears are produc¬ 
tive, and always grow fair, but in quality they are 
genet cily insipid or inferior. Please inform ns if 
we have them genuine.—W. T., Germantown, Col 
Co., A. F. 
Remarks. —The fruit received with the above, 
we exhibited at the Show of the Genesee Valley 
j Horticultural Society. The grapes were well ri¬ 
pened, very much better than we have been able 
I to ripen them at Rochester this season. The pears 
were correctly named except the Napoleon. The 
variety so named bore no more resemblance to the 
Napoleon than to the Bartlett. We could not 
name it, nor could any of eur Pomologists. 
•Iu the Rural of Sept. 
The Whitt Doye.ne is often called the Vergalieu, I 
and before the putdicauua of Downing, s work on 
iraits, it was generally known by that name, though 
sometimes called Vergaloo and Bergaloo. The 
common names in England are the White Bverre. 
and yvhiu Bitit" PeaJr' *- the London Hoi-tinnL 
taral Society, and the most intelligent nurserymen 
have adopted the White Doyenne. 
The fruit is very variable, both in size and form, 
dependin'; upon the vigor o f 'he tree. On young 
trees and on quince stocks it is usually quite large, 
while on old trees or pear stocks it is only medium 
or small. General form obovate, — sometimes 
roundish, aud. sometimes considerably pyriform. 
Surface— pale jeliow, becoming deeper and bright¬ 
er when ripened in the dark; has frequently a 
blush or dash of bright red on the sunny side.— 
Stalk—about half an inch long, variable, rather 
stout,&lightly sunk. Go yx—small,shallow. Flesh 
— white, fine-grained, melting, buttery, rich and 
delicious. The tree is an erect, hardsome grower. 
! Shoots—yellowish brown, moderately vigorous. 
During the present year we have given engrav¬ 
ings of the three most popular pears—the Louise 
Bonne de Jersey, the Bartlett and the White Doy¬ 
enne. Of the two firit there can be but one opinion, 
—they succeed well everywhere; and where the 
latter does not crack, it is not surpassed in any 
valuable quality by the others. 
season, ana in size and flavor has now rescued ana 
will remain in perfection. 
The old mulching must be dng in every spring 
every weed must be carefully exterminated, and I 
raked away and new mulching applied to at least 
six inches in depth. We are told that there are 
fine plants which have grown on the same spot in 
New Rochelle for over 20 years, and under this 
treatment show no diminution of vigor. We all 
know that it iB not immediately upon any fruit, as¬ 
suming its ripened color that its maturity is con¬ 
sidered complete. This beny often hangs upon 
its stalk a lull week after turning black, before 
attaining its full ripeness and flavor. Perfect ma¬ 
turity is known by tie fruit being soft and tender, 
and dropping when the bush ia slightly shaken; 
but for ordinary use it is not necessary to wait for 
this. When thoroughly black and separating 
easily to the touch, they are in good order for 
gathering for market, or for use as we eat straw¬ 
berries with sugar and cream. 
The roots penetrate wherever the nature of the 
soil will permit, and run wherever nutriment is to 
be found; and we have known plants in their first 
year, (aud by no means large plants at that,) have 
a network of roots extending over a circle of fifteen 
feet in circumference. Hence the importance of 
having the earth thoroughly loosened and properly 
enriched by which a proper quantity of aliment 
will be furnished to the plant, and the berries 
receive as large an amount of nutriment as they 
can appropriate. 
To the readers of the Rural in towns and cities, 
we would say, that while eastern and southern ex¬ 
posures in gardens are highly valued for early 
vines, fruits and vegetables; portions on the two 
opposite sides so shaded by the fences or by 
huilcings as to be always damp, cold, mossy, over¬ 
grown with chickweed, or suffered to “ go to grass” 
generally; yet, train the plauts upon such fences 
or buildings, and these are situations which, if 
properly enriched andr aubsoiled, the blackberry 
particu'ar'y affects; andhere untouched by drouth, 
uuscorchcd by the summer sun, unwitherad by 
any blighting winds, the fruit can come to its full 
perfection. C. P. Bissell. 
Rochester, N. Y., Oct., 1857. 
time has not yet revealed, 
this expected revelation, when it is made, should 
be nothing more than that the whole fund, if ne¬ 
cessary, should be expended in building a new 
Patent Office, containing ample space for every 
department, including a museum for models; and 
we venture to hope, further, that the revelation 
will Bhow that a situation near Chancery lane is in 
every respect the best for such a building.— Lon¬ 
don Engineer , 
The Norway Spruce. 
5th, I find the folllowing sentence in an article en¬ 
titled “A Rural Home:”—“How speedily would 
we surround the exposed orchards and gardens of 
our friends on the prairies with a belt of maguifl- 
cent Norways,” <fcc. Having made a “ claim” in 
Kansas on the prairies, I wish to inquire what the 
“Norway” Is? where and how obtained? And 
also the best way of c nveying cuttings from the 
States to the Territories. We have the crab apple 
and wild plum there, aud I have been informed 
that we can graft upon them. Auy remarks upon 
the above will bo received with pleasure by — R., 
Milton, Rock Co., 117s., Sept., 1857. 
Remarks.— YonDg plants of the Norway Spruce 
can be obtained at the nnrBOries very cheap, and if 
well packed could be taken safely to Kansas. The 
Norway Spruce is a beautiful, hardy evergreen, 
and a rapid grower. As It is of pyramtdal form it 
affords a fine protcetion without being itself much 
affected by tho wind. By planting the fruit or 
pits of the wild plum, you can raise youDg stocks 
that will answer well for budding or grafting. For 
the purpose of raising ail orchard iu Kansas, we 
would take young trees from the east, of from one 
to two yeavs old. 
All the metals are capable of assuming, under 
favorable circumstances, the crystalline form.— 
Many of them—particularly gold, silver, copper 
and bismuth—occur crystallized in nature, and are 
found either as cubes or octahedrons, or in some 
ot the derivative forms; antimony is, however, an 
exception to this rale, and affords rhomboidal crys¬ 
tals. 
In order to crystallize a metal artificially, it is 
sometimes sufficient to melt a few ounces in a 
crucible, and, having permitted it to eool on the 
surface, to pierce the cruBt formed and allow the 
interior to flow out. By this means very beautiful 
crystals of bismuth may be obtained; but iu the 
case of some of the less fusible metals larger 
masses and slower cooling are necessary to pro¬ 
duce this effect, and consequently these are never 
found in a crystalline state unless considerable 
weights have been fused, and allowed gradually to 
cool, as sometimes occurs in the furnaces in which 
their metallurgy treatment is effected. 
It also frequently happens that one metal may 
be precipitated in a crystalline form by placing a 
strip of another metal in the solution of its salts. 
In this way silver is deposited hy mercury; and a 
piece of zinc placed in a solution of acetate of lead 
precipitated the latter in feathery crystals. Gold 
is occasionally deposited in this form from its 
ethereal solutions, and a stick of phosphorus pro¬ 
duces the same effect. Nearly all the metals yield 
crystals when deposited from their solutions by 
electric currents of feeble intensity, and it is 
doubtless to this action that we are indebted for 
the many beautiful specimens of the native metals 
which enrich the cabinets of mineralogists.— 
Scientific American. 
erect growth, without corresponding strength of 
stem, is a very serious objection—since the plants 
are almost certain to be prostrated, or more or 
leas broken, or torn up by the roots during our 
spring aud autumn storms. 
The New Rochelle Blackberry (Rubus soberer- 
tus) baa sometimes been called the Lawton in 
compliment tu the genPeman who exhibited it be¬ 
fore the Farmer’s Club in New York in 1851. It 
is, however, a variety which baa been cultivated on 
the banks of the Hudson for more than twtnty 
years past; but its origin and the time of irs intro¬ 
duction are not positively known. The stem is 
erect aud subanghlar, aud it seems to be identical 
with the English Rubus suberectus, and to be a 
totally distinct variety from either the Rubus vil- 
losus or the common American variety, or the 
Rubus Hispitius, often called the low bush, or the 
Rubus Canadensis or dewberry, while it has mauy 
of the characteristics of all these varieties. We 
infer that some of the settlers in Westchester 
county must have originally imported the plants 
fjom Great Britain; or that it is a seedling from 
the English plant. They are enormously produc¬ 
tive-single plants on ray owu grounds having 
borne over 400 berries, although severely pruned. 
Stories are told of 1,000 and 1,400 berries on sing> 
plauts, but I have not. yet seen 9aoh marvels. Al¬ 
though they grow fully aa high as the “Dorches¬ 
ter,” their habit is more I’roopitig, and they do not 
suffer as much from storms. Heavy snows occa¬ 
sionally break the more upright ones. 
The habit of the blackberry plant is well known 
to be that of all the Rubus or bramble family.— 
Like the raspberry (Rubus Idaeus) they grow up 
in one summer, bear fruit the next, aud then die 
to the ground: a succession having in the mean¬ 
while sprung up. The pruning usually consists in 
the obvious operation of cutting away all the dead 
wood, that which has borne fruit, aud in the short¬ 
ening in that which is alive, thinnitig the canes so 
2, 3 or 4, according to the strength of 
It has long been felt that between the close of 
the raspberry season and the commencement of 
the peach crop, there was s vacancy in cultivated 
fruit which it was most desirable to fill. Fruit 
growers have endeavored to fill this vacancy by 
introducing varieties of ever-bearing (or double¬ 
bearing) strawberries and raspberries; but it is 
only within a few years that they have awakened 
to the value of the blackberry to supply the deside¬ 
ratum. 
The blackberry plant has, in some few portions 
of onr country, long been quietly cultivated with 
signal success; but we have mostly relied on the 
chance productions of the fence corners and forest 
windfalls for onr supplies of this most valuable 
fruit. Reasoning from the effects of cultivation 
upon all other varieties of production, our Agri¬ 
cultural Societies argued that no reason existed 
why care and attention should not increase the 
size, quality and flavor of this fruit as much *8 
they have enhanced that of the strawberry. Pre¬ 
miums have consequently been offered and much 
effort made, which have succeeded ia bringing 
into notice several varieties of this valuable fruit, 
tho chief of which are the Dorchester or High 
Bush, and tho New Rochelle, sometimes called 
Lawton. Varieties like Newman's Thornless, the 
Holcomb Blackberry and several others, may re¬ 
ceive attention at some future time. 
The Dorchester (Rubus villosus) is a very fine 
and free grower, aud is said by many 7 to bear 
freely. It is said also to withstand the severest 
winters of New England without injury. The Lar¬ 
ries are long but not of great diameter, the seed 
vessels small and the whole berry compact and 
firm, with a flavor fully equal to that of any other 
variety; while by some It ia claimed to be decid¬ 
edly superior. The trials which have been made 
by some gentlemen in this part of the country, 
cultivation careful and continued since 1852, have as to leave 
resulted about as follows:—The plants attain a the plants and the fertility of the soil. Aa tho 
great height, and are, beyond question, hardy; finest and best fruit is in all esses the product ot 
Michigan State Horticultural Society.— 
A State Horticultural Society was organized at 
Jackson, Mich., on the 8th of September. H. G. 
Wells, of Kalamazoo, w as elected President, R. 
F. Johnston, of Detroit, Secretary, and P. B. 
Loomis, of Jackson, Treasurer. The following 
gentlemen were appointed a Committee on Fruits: 
H. G. Wells, Kalamazoo; T. T. Lyon, Plymouth; 
Daniel Cook, JackBon; Wm. Davis, Detroit; 
Prince Bennett, Yp»ilanli; Wm. Adair and R. 
F. Johnston, Detroit. Any person may become 
a member by the payment of one dollar, and all 
members are privileged to submit their fruits to 
the fruit committee for names or classification. 
Genesee Talley Horticultural Show.— The 
Genesee Valley Horticultural Society held its fall 
exhibition on the 1st, 2d and 3d inst. This was 
one of the Quest shows ever made by this or any 
other Society. Some six tables fifty feet long 
were covered with flowers, principally roses and 
dahlias, and a greater number with fruit, consisting 
mostly ot apples, pears and plums. There was 
also a fine show of foreign grapes, pot plants, veg¬ 
etables, &c. We have not space for a more exten¬ 
ded notice, and will only say that it was an exhi¬ 
bition of beauty not easily forgotten. 
Mr. J. R. Baird, of Vincennes, Ind., has sent to 
the Scientific American a specimen of his daugh¬ 
ter's worku-omiiaahip—one of the most skillful and 
Ingenious pieces of lady's work it h8s seen. It 
consists in four stockings, knitted at one operation, 
on only four needles. The stockings are one in¬ 
side the other, and each distinct and separate. It 
is now on exhibition at the Crystal Palace. 
A New Early Grape.— H. Parks, of Victor, N. 
Y , presented us with a tew clusters of an early 
purple grape, much resembling the Clinton in ap¬ 
pearance, but of finer flavor, and very tender pulp. 
Mr. Parks says they have been grown in Victor 
for the last twenty years, and are generally called 
I Purple Cluster. 
Gas from Peat — The first experiment on this 
continent of lighting a city with gas made from 
peat, was tried in Portland, Ale*, a short time since 
The light was clear and brilliant, and few of the 
citizens were aware that coal was not used as 
usual. 
Acknowledgements. —We are indebted to W. 
Brockshank, of Hudson, N. Y., for fine clusters of 
the Rebecca grape; and to Chas. Downing, New¬ 
burgh, N. Y., for beautiful specimens of the Del¬ 
aware. 
