MOORE’S RURAL NEW-WORKER! \N AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
house will be beBt able to propagate. Tbe roots 
should be placed in a moist, warm place in the 
green-house, or in a frame, upon fermenting ma¬ 
nure. The glass of the frame should be protected 
from froBt in very severe weather, but as much 
light as possible should be given after they have 
begun to grow. When the buds- have started and 
the shoots are about one and a half inches long, 
they should be taken off by cutting close to a 
joint, and placed in a moderate bottom heat, where 
they will soon root, and should then be potted off 
into thumb pots. The best soil (or tbe pots is 
equal parts of good clean loam and leaf mold, 
adding a little sand. This operation can be per¬ 
formed a second and third time as the parent 
plants will continue to throw hP an abundance of 
shoots. When as many plants are obtained as 
needed, or as many as the roots will give in season, 
they may be divided and potted off. As soon as 
the young plants become established they should 
About the last week in 
MECHANICAL INVENTION 
Mechanical Invention ia necessarily antecedent 
to every form of successful industry. It precedes 
agriculture in its moat primitive development and 
modern field husbandry Is practicable only through 
the aid of machinery. 
Seed sown by such help In one or two days, 
which could not be sown by hand labor in twenty 
dayB, and crops harvested in a week by the same 
aid, that could not be gathered in a month, if at 
all,! y manual labor, make a difference in the pro¬ 
ducts of a farm equivalent to th*. fruits of a whole 
season. It roust also precede all successful com¬ 
merce, as it is by mac .dnerj alone that a surplus 
is obtained which affords to comm rce opportuni¬ 
ty ior employment. The influence of mechanical 
invention upon social life ia inappreciably great; 
and,-as an agent of civilization, all other pursuits 
fade before it Who can measure tbe i r uortance 
of recent agricultnralimprovements—o: railroads 
—of the telegraph, the daguerreotype and photo¬ 
graph—of the cotton gin that creates the cotton 
crop? The sewing machine will work as grea a 
change in the family as railways have in commu- 
ti$6 and States. We have seen at this exhibition 
a perfect watch, unsurpassed in beauty of work¬ 
manship and for service, that ia made by machine¬ 
ry, and nuder one roof, where the roughly awed gea 
materials fashioned injo the perfect watch in the 
hourB intervening between morning and evening 
—an achievem&at never before attempted in any 
part of the world. And I understand that ma¬ 
chinery is in progress of conaUnotion that will 
seonre the manufacture of perfect time-keepers, 
at a cost of three dollars, as are now imported at 
a cost of three hundred.— N. P. Banks. 
The present autumn has been very wet, from the 
commencement, and it was with difficulty the crops 
were secured. A farmer who has lived in the 
neighborhood of Rochester for more than twenty 
ye trs, informed ns that, during that time he had 
nov- r experienced such an unpleasant fall for out¬ 
door work. Oar nurserymen, by extra exertions, 
were enabled to fill all their orders in good sea¬ 
son, and the fall work is pretty ranch over. The 
weather has been very hud for planting on low 
grounds, m< another severe lesson on the necessi¬ 
ty of thorn a gn riralnage has been taught. Those 
who have planted trees should remember that they 
are not safe nulll properly staked, so that they 
cannot be swayed by the wind. Then each newly 
planted tree should have a good mulching of ma¬ 
nure to protect the roots goaewkat from severe 
frost. Precaution shonld also be taken to prevent 
water standing about the roots. All trees and shrubs 
that are tender Bhonld, in addition to the mulch¬ 
ing aod staking, have a protection of straw or 
evergreen branches, covering both T runk and 
limbs. A box or barrel placed over small t rees or 
Bhrnbs makes an excellent protection. Many 
things that are perfectly hardy when they become 
established will easily kill the first season after 
planting. A little labor in the autumn will often 
prevent groat loss and dls -ppointment. Weeds, 
and rubbish of every kind that will furnish a har¬ 
bor for mire, should lie destroyed. We have pub¬ 
lished ia the Rural the present year several 
methods of preventing injury to trees from mice, 
such as winding old tin around the trunk, usiog 
two pieces of drain tile, Ac. Some of these plans 
Bhonld be tried. No ordinary expense or labor is 
too much to save a good tree. 
The covering of strawberry and asparagus beds, 
as well as those of the tulip, hyacinth and other 
bulbs, we have before advised, and only Tefer to it 
now, for fear it may have been forgotten among 
tbe press of other matters considered more im¬ 
portant. It would be well, also, to lay down the 
canes of raspberries, and cover them with a little 
earth. 
As long as the ground remains opeo, all grading, 
the making of walk*, Ac., may continued, and 
where the soil is dry, spading, manuring, Ac., may 
be conducted with advantage, as it Is a season of 
leisure, and can bo done better and cheaper than | 
at any other time. Many persons seem to lose all 
their taste for gardening as soon as tbe fruit and 
vegetables are gathered, and the flowers are cut 
off by tbe frost. This, Instead of being a time of 
rest, is just tbe season to commence vigorous op¬ 
erations to prepare for the coming spring. Our 
spring-time is very short, generally unpleasant for 
out-door work, and brines enough work of its own. 
Everything that can be should be done in thefalL 
A little attention should be given to winter fruit 
in the cellar or fruit room. An examination oc¬ 
casionally will prevent much loss. The decay of 
have air to harden them, 
May, if tbe weather is favorable they may be put 
out in the borders where they are intended to 
flower. 
The ground for tbe Dahlia I like to trench in 
the fab to the depth of eighteen inches, so that the 
frost will mellow it, and as soon as it is dry 
enough to ~ork m rii? spring it. should have a good 
dressing of well decomposed manure. Leaf-mold 
and vegetable matter of any kind may be employ¬ 
ed to advantage, which should be forked in to the 
depth of 12 or 15 inches. The proper distance lor 
planting is 4 feet each o^sy, J .nd as soon >•« planted 
a neat stake should he provided for each plant, 
and two or three shovels of s'-ort manure placed 
around !■ very one. Cut all the shoots away butibe 
strongest upright one. and a little thinning out of 
the main stem may be necessary, if they make a 
strong growth. If these rales are attended to our 
The coal formation of onr country everywhere 
contains an abundance of iron ore; the ores are 
chiefly carbonate and hydrous per-oxide of iron, 
the latter resulting chiefly fTom the decomposition 
of the carbonate, which is argillaceous, calcarious 
or sillcious in its composition, decomposing 
readily on access of atmospheric air and moisture. 
These ores are wrought in Pennsylvania and 
Ohio to a far greater extent than elsewhere in the 
United States. In Tennessee, Alabama, Western 
Virginia, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri, iron ores 
al.o abound in Ihe coal measures. In Tennessee 
iron is manufactured to considerable extent; and 
in Missouri ’his branch of industry is rapidly in¬ 
creasing. Notwithstanding the great area of coal 
measures in Illinois, there exist at the present time 
but very few furnaces for the manufacture of iron 
ia that. S-ate. And although great progress has 
been made in our iron manufactures during tbe 
past eight years, it is insignificant when compared 
with the future of this branch of onr industry. 
Besides the iron ores accompanying the coal 
measures in their wide extent, this formation in 
many localities reaches to the proximity of iron 
ores in other geological formations, so that the 
supply of ore will always keep pace with the de¬ 
mand and with the supply of food. Everywhere 
throughout the coal measures of our country, beds 
£.0 cii»y of f-t Alayn a* (or the nroAaetion 
of fire bricks, common bricks, gas retorts, and fur¬ 
naces of every description, abound. Many of tbe 
sand stones accompanying the coal, also possess 
every requisite for furnace hearths. 
_ broad and three inches deep. Form—round, 
The very best apple we have ever tasted is the slightly flattened on the ends. Stalk — about an 
Melon, of which we give a very good likeness. It inch long, rather slender, and inserted in a pretty 
is sometimes called the Watermelon, and Norton's deep, regular cavity, covered with russet. Calyx— 
Melon. It has been very truly described as being closed, large, in a large, deep basin, Skin—smooth 
juicy as a peach, with an agreeable and peculiar generally, but. often rendered rough to the touch 
perfume, which suggested its name. We know of hy a tracing of rnaset, pale whitiBh yellow in the 
no apple so tender and delicious. Ic originated shade, nearly covered with light red, and frequent- 
with the northern Spy, in the orchard of Mr. Cha- ly with bright vermiUion stripes. Flesh — white, 
pin, of East Bloomfield, Ontario County, N. Y.,and and remarkably tender, with abundance of juice, 
fer many years its culture was confined to a few very mild sub-acid, with a sort of melon flavor, 
orchards in the vicinity of the place of its origin. Season—November to March, in Western New 
It was first brought to the notice of Pomologista, York. Tree—erect when young, spreading as it 
by Reuben Nokton, of East Bloomfield, and first grows older, bat still compact and regular,— 
described in the Agricultural and Horticultural Shoots — sender, olive-colored, with numerous 
Journals about twelve years since. Although the russet specks. Leaves—large, folded, serrate, 
trait Is so fine It is not very generally cultivated, smooth and Bhiningabove and woolly underneath, 
as the tree being a delicate grower is somewhat It grows well on the Paradise stock, and makes a 
difficult of propagation, and the stock of tree3 has handsome, prolific bush, for small gardens. Every 
consequently been very limited. Then as it grows orchard and garden should contain a few trees. 
DOWNING’S FRUIT BOOK REVISED 
of any plan proposed." These questions we en¬ 
deavored to answer as L iftfly »cd plainly as possi¬ 
ble, giving the circnmstauees under which straw¬ 
berries would be likely to pay, as well as blackber¬ 
ries, the number of plants required for an acre, 
cost, Ac. We also suggested the trial of pearn 
quinces, and the Isabella grape, giving the prices 
of trees, number required to the acre, and sach 
other information as we thought would be valuable 
to tbe inquirer, as well sb others; and we have 
before us a letter from a gentleman In Missouri! 
thanking ns for the information contained in the 
few brief notes, while asking some questions as to 
how he shall best carry out our suggestions in his 
own State. 
One, however, it seems, was not satisfied, as may 
be seen from the article written by C. P. FjsasLL, 
and published iD the laBt Ritual. He there gives 
it as his opinion that blackberries might be plant¬ 
ed nearer together in the rows than the distance 
we had named, although we had stated that plant¬ 
ers disagreed as to the best distance. We stated 
Eds. Rural:— 1 desire soinformation con¬ 
cerning Dahlias. I had but one sprout last spring, 
which was, by the way, a good bloomer, having 
over one hundred and fifty flowers. I took it up 
last week and find the roots corresponding with 
the Btock, several large ones weighing from one to 
two pounds, and measuring from four inches to 
twenty. Now I desire lo save all that will grow; 
and 1st—How fhnll I keep them? 2d—How shall 
I divide from stock and from each other? 3d—To 
tell those that will grow and bloom from those that 
will not. In answering the above you will greatly 
oblige—A Reader. Monongahela City, Pennsylva¬ 
nia, nov.. 1357. 
Remarks. —As boob as the roots are taken up in 
the fall, expose them for a few days to the sun and 
air until they become dry Then prepare a suffi¬ 
cient quantity of clean sand by thoroughly drying 
it in the sur, or by a stove; place a layer of the 
sand in tbe bottom of a clean barrel and on this 
place a layer of roots: then another layer of sand. 
Keep adding alternate layers of sand and roots 
until fall, and then place the barrel in a cool, dry 
place in the cellar, where they will remain in per¬ 
fect order until spring. To propagate plants, take 
a heavy, sharp knife, and separate the roots by 
j cuttiug clean through the collar of the plant, or 
point of union between the stem and root. The 
eyes or buds of the future plsn^ will be found clus¬ 
tered around the collar. Preserve one bud to 
each root and plant in the border, and if more than 
one shoot presents itself when the plants com¬ 
mence growing it must be rubbed off or cut away. 
All the strong roots will flower if well grown, and 
the season la favorable. While on this subject we 
give the following article from a “Young Florist" 
| in Geneva, although rather late in the season. 
There is a prejudice against gas-light as being 
the most injurious form of artificial illumination. 
As against the proper and well regulated use of 
gas, this prejudice is entirely groundless, but there 
can be little doubt that from its abuse and bad 
management it is really doing more mischief than 
any other kind of light; its very excellencies are 
turned to bad account; its extreme cheapness, 
compared with other sources of illumination, nat¬ 
urally leads to it use in excessive quantities; 
floods of light are poured forth, so that persons 
may read and sew for hours together in the re¬ 
motest corners of the room. Tne air is heated by 
the excessive combustion, and poisoned by large 
quantities of carbonic acid, which there are no 
means of removing. The eye is unprotected from 
the glare by screen or shade; extraneous light is 
freely admitted, which obscures the impression, 
and strains the nerve of visioD, and. in proportion 
as the sensibility of the eye is impaired, sponger 
light is used, which gives temporary relief, bus 
Tiik Two Sides ov the Qubstion. —There are 
very few questions either in science or ethics on 
which all men aro unanimously agreed. Indeed, 
the best iuformed individuals frequently differ on 
the most important points of practice—Horticul¬ 
tural mutters are not excepted. We would not 
have Mr. C. P. BlSSSi.L imagine that because it 
suits him, or even the editor of the Rural Nkw- 
Yobkrji, to believe the much disputed theory of 
the sexes in strawberries, and the necessity of a cer¬ 
tain intermixture of what they choose to call stand- 
nates with jiistillates, that the truth of that theory 
is at all firmly established; on the contrary, I can 
assure Mr. Bisskll that it iaonc of the most doubt¬ 
ful and doubted assumptions that Horticulturists 
have had under consideration. The late A. J. 
Downing never believed it; It has no credence 
among the ablest of the English horticulturists, 
and many of the ablest horticultural writers of 
our day in this country still reject it I should be 
sorry to set myself up as an authority in opposi¬ 
tion to Mr. Q. P. Bi88EI.l, but I doubt, if I did, 
whether I could not show as good claims aa he 
could for the soundness of my opinion on horticul¬ 
tural questions; and I now distinctly state that I 
disbelieve this theory and have always disbelieved 
it It ia now only fifteen years si nee I commenced 
practice in the garden, and my observations have 
not been limited in that time. Mr. B. may know 
more about Blackberries than l do, especially 
about the New Rochelle, but I cannot see what its 
price per thousand Iirb to do with the question or 
the sexes of Strawberries, or the subject of the 
distance apart at which Blackberries Bhonld be 
planted. I could mention parties who have offer¬ 
ed this same Blaokherry at $loO per thousand 
plants, with ft root to each top, and not split in two- 
I like a legitimate, open expression of opinion, 
bat 1 like to see advertisements confined to their 
proper place in a popular journal or newspuper. 
R, R. Scott. 
per thousand. This waa all well enough, though j 
not very important; but in addition to this he j 
complains that we did not caution against plant¬ 
ing pistillate strawberries by themselves, and re¬ 
iterates the well known and generally believed 
doctrine, in this country, of the sexes in strawber¬ 
ries, and the necessity of an intermixture, to secure 
a crop. Ilad our correspondent asked informa¬ 
tion on this point, or even the best method of cul¬ 
tivating the Btrawberry, the subject would have 
been iu order. This, however, waa not the case, 
and we always endeavor to auswer questions plain- | 
ly and clearly, and never mix them up with other i 
matters not directly connected with the subject 
The article of Mr. Bisskll, as will bo seen by 
the above communication, has aroused the ire of 
R. R. Scott, who it seenra does not believe in the 
“sexes in strawberries and be pitches into Mr. B. 
in right good earnest, and gives ns a spare knock 
or two. He complains of the only pertinent facts 
in Mr. Bisski.l’s article, the price of blackberry 
plantB and the distance they should be planted, 
and says they can be bought for $100 per thousand. 
This, if true, is the only valuable part of Mr, 
Scott’s article—the only part that gives any in¬ 
formation. He also insinuates that Mr. Bissbi.l’8 
article was intended for an advertisement, from 
tbe fact that he stated the price at which plants 
could be procured; but we think hta own is ob¬ 
noxious to the same charge, as he not only states 
the price, but bints pretty strongly that; inferior 
plants are sold by some parties. A thousand such 
articles as these would not make our readers much 
wiser, and we doubt whether our Tompkins county 
friend or any one else has gained one new idea 
from them. 
chilled ^t into a mould, 
is allowed to cool slowly it fr yery ^ to crya . 
talliz's an t e crys a a al so arrange themselves 
tout the article wine g mana f ac t UTei i will be like¬ 
ly to break cbhc ft w v ien t0 bear any great 
pressure, ± J remedy for this is“ chilling," which 
is done bv 3Q jj fln jy C00 ij D g the outer edge of the 
piece p 3r j. on w hich the strain will come, 
^’.a letting the rest cool gradually. Ifj however, 
the casting is large, this chilling, by the sudden 
contraction of such a mass, often cracks the piece 
and renders it u etess. Many proposals have been 
made to obviate this difficulty, but none are thor¬ 
oughly successful. It tB possible to make such 
castings as railroad car wheels and axle boxes 
THE DAHLIA AND 1T3 CULTURE. 
Eds. Rural: —A few remarks may not be unin¬ 
teresting to some of your readers, on the culture 
of the Dahlia, the king of border plants, and the 
glory of the flower garden. My observations may 
not be of any great value to practical men, but I 
have no doubt they will prove so to many of your 
readers. The Dahlia ia becoming more popular 
aa it deserves to be, but its beauties are not fully 
developed under common treatment The first 
point is to select good varieties, and it is a well 
known fact among practical florists that the best 
varieties of any hybrid plants are the first to de¬ 
generate under improper treatment. I would ad¬ 
vise all that have Dahlias out in the ground to cut 
their tops to within six inches of tbe surface, 
securing their names to a stalk, and then covering 
the root with eight or ten inches of short manure, 
or leaf mold. This secures them against injury 
from all slight frosts, and allows the roots to ripen, 
so that they will keep much better through tbr 
winter, and be stronger in the spring. The roots 
should be taken up carefully and turned to*j down¬ 
wards nnfil dry; then they may bo stored away in 
any dry place, where they will not be subject to 
either frost or heat. It will be necessary to ex¬ 
amine them occasionally to see that no mold makes 
its appearance, and it any is discovered remove 
them to a dryer place until It is subdued. 
propagated largely from this vine and sold the 
nlants under the name of “ Childs' Seeding,'' or 
^ ...At* 
Childs' Superb." 
Mr. Downing has availed himself of the notes I 
and suggestions of fruit growers throughout th e 
country. Among the names to whom ackr ow! . 
edgeittcnt is made, ia the Preface, we s: e of 
Lons E- Bbrckmans. the emineut Po . 
mologist, now residing in New Doctor 
Bbincklk, ot Philadelphia; Bah 1 ’ t 0 f Rochester: 
Buciianan, of Ohio; Kkn n of Illinois, aod 
others, from almost every S'’, aie j n the Uuton. So 
ihnt. while the work is mainly the production of 
Mr. Dowsing, it has Vkewise the valuable charac¬ 
teristic of being ♦'jg joint result of tbe experience 
and observation <>f many minds. In its sphere, it 
is an ency j >pedia of the highest authority. A 
writer ii* the Country Gentleman, whom we iHke to 
be Mr. Thomas, author ot the fruit Guitarist , says, 
maunanimously, of this edition: — "These addi¬ 
tions tender it now the most complete and valua¬ 
ble coutribmion to American Pomology that has 
ever appeared." 
We need hardly add that the well known caution 
and accurate judgment of the Editor are apparent 
throughout the volume; nor can we 'ail to admire 
the modesty which conceals the labor and care 
bestowed on this work, or the disinterestedness of 
that labor, the avails of the copyright, we under¬ 
stand, being devoted to the relict of the original 
author. o- 
Clinton, N. Y., 1867. 
Rochester, N. Y., 1857, 
Remarks.—W e are pleased to receive and pub¬ 
lish communications imparting useful nformation, 
or correcting any error that we may inadvertently 
fall into, but we dislike everything like carpiDg 
hypcrcritieiHin, and how far the above communi¬ 
cation and the one to which It is intended aa a 
reply partakes of this character, wo leave onr 
readers to judge. A gentleman in Tompkins 
oounty wished our advice as to the best way of 
"improving an acre or two of good soil, lying in 
easy access by railroad to a good market, so as 
to gain the largest returns from it in the shortest 
time. Had thought of the Lawton Blackberry and 
Strawberry as promising much in this direction. 
Wanted, also, tbe expense, as near as practicable, 
Sub-Mabink Telegraph,— The telegraphic cable 
from Europe to Africa has beeu successfully laid, 
and despatches have been sent from France to Al¬ 
geria. The cable reaches from Cagliari in the 
south part of Sardinia to Cape Bona, the most 
northern point of Africa. It runs through Sar¬ 
dinia and Corsica to France. Preparations are 
now making tol y aline ot cable between Cagliari 
and Malta, three hundred and fifty-eight miles. An 
arrangement has been entered into to extend the 
line from Corfu to Alexandria. There will very 
soon be a direct telegraphic communication from 
Suez to London. 
