were the only machine*, the Buckeye and 
others declining to stand trial. 
The first test was an acre each, cut on 
time. The Eureka cut its acre with a five 
feet six inch bar in forty minutes; the 
Walter A, Wood, with a five feet bar, in 
forty minutes; the W. Anson Wood’s Eagle, 
with a four feet three inch bar, in fifty-one 
minutes. In the slow test—that is, walking 
across the field as slow as possible and keep 
cutting, the Walter A. Wood machine went 
across the field in three minutes; the Eagle 
in two and one-half minutes, and the Eureka 
iu four minutes, the machines all doing good 
work. 
Our reporter could not obtain the result of 
the dynamometer test, the Committee re¬ 
fusing to give their figures before making 
their report. We have withheld our notice 
of the trial for the purpose of obtaining the 
report, so as to complete the record thereof; 
but after dancing attendance upon tho Sec¬ 
retary of the American Institute until we 
are tired of it, we have concluded to publish 
what is herewith given and make an end of 
it. Col. Ctrims is not generally a hold-back 
man, but there is some hitch in this business 
that needs explanation, if we are ever to 
have a good opinion of Committees sent out 
by the American Institute to make test 
trials of this sort. 
Al ter the trial of mowers, considerable in¬ 
terest was taken in the exhibition of Wis- 
ner’s Self-Operating hay rake, which carried 
oil' both the gold and silver medals at the 
late trial at Chester, Pa, 
The judges and visitors in attendance were 
handsomely entertained by Mr. Avrault, 
after the trial was over, and congratulatory 
speeches were made by all parties. 
dust or other good material keeps the ice bet 
ter than if packed close against solid wood. 
Mr. Henry T. Harris of Kentvcky, who 
furnished this plan and description to the 
Rural New-Yorker fu 1871, says This 
is the cheapest, house you can build, and it 
keeps ice perfectly in Kentucky. I have 
made one this way, trees shauing it on the 
South. Fifteen wagon loads of ice fill it. It 
did not cost $45, and keeps ice better than 
any house I ever saw. A circular shed made 
all around such a house, with the eaves com¬ 
ing to within four feet of the ground, would 
answer for wood and coal receptacles, and 
to store implements, &c., besides excluding 
the sun from the walls of the ice house ; the 
house Bhould be whitewashed outside every 
summer.” 
Our correspondent asks l'or an ice house 
combining an apartment for milk, meat, &c. 
This may be secured—and we have so seen 
it—by making such a house ns above deser.b- 
ed, say 12x18 feet ; filling 13x12feet with ice, 
thus leaving a room fixl2 feet (or as much 
larger as one chooses tu build) for the storing 
of milk, meat, &c, A partition to the oaves 
is necessary, which should be composed of 
boards with a space filled with saw-dust or 
other material, as dewr.bed in the case of 
the outer walls. A house built in this man¬ 
ner, if carefully and well filled, will keep ice 
until November, provided the family does 
not use it up. 
THE CLOVER HULLER TRIAL 
PLAN OF ICE HOUSE 
Would you please furnish, through the 
Rural, a plan, perspective and detail, for an 
ice house above ground, combining apart¬ 
ments for meat, milk, See., with capacity of 
four or five tons, and approximate cost ?— 
Chas. G. Heim. 
We have no such plan on hand, all hough 
we have published many plans of ice houses. 
If any of our readers have such a house as 
our correspondent describes, and will furnish 
doubt of the final result. They believe that 
Bi d dsell was not the original inventor, and 
think that they proved it. William Howe 
of Charlestown, W. Vn., made a combined 
machine for threshing ami cleaning clover 
seed as much au ten years before Bihdsell 
did. 
He made and sold som ■ of them, and used 
others himself, to the number of at least 10 
or 15, and they have continued in use up to 
within a year or two past, and thoy did the 
work better than Birosell’s did, which he 
got patented, and upon which he obtained 
the decree of the Court. 
There were others made some eight or ten 
years before Biud.seLL by Henry IIizer of 
Wooster, Ohio, and used there for some 
time. Each of these machines had two cyl¬ 
inders—one for threshing the seed from the 
hay, and the other for hulling the seed from 
the Chaff, and also had a fanning apparatus 
for cleaning the seed, both covering all of 
the principles claimed 113- Bihdsell. And 
there was yet another machine, made by S. 
M. Feezler, living near Seneca Falls, in this 
State. This machine was made early in the 
year 1850, and planned and devised long be¬ 
fore that. Birdsell claims to have got his 
up in 1855, and so testified in a ease wherein 
he had been prosecuted for Infringement in 
ISijij. He also testified in the McDonald 
case, and had witnesses who confirmed his 
testimony. But neither Bihdsell nor any 
witnesses of his had any writing or account 
of the first building of Ids machine, and only 
fixed the lime from memory, and all will 
agree that it is easy to be mistaken as to 
dates when there is no memorandum of it, 
especially when such a length of time has 
elapsed, nearly 18 years. The defendant had 
evidence to prove that the first machine 
Birdsicli, made was in the latter part of 
1855 or fore part of 1857, one year later than 
Bjkdsell claimed. It seems that the Court 
gave Bihdsell the benefit of the doubt 
which perhaps existed iu regard to the time 
of his first making his machine. The Feez- 
ler machine was conceded to be conclusive 
against his (Birdsell’S) invention, if mude 
first. Evidence has been discovered since 
the close of the McDonald case that will fix 
the t.me of his first building his machine in 
accordance with the defendant’s testimony. 
I, therefore, conclude that others whom 
he claims are liable and thinks will be will¬ 
ing to settle with hi in on his own terms will 
still hesitate to settle by paying him any¬ 
thing for his pretended patent right. 
0. Westinghouse. 
Schenectady, N- V., JulyJJ’L 
It is proper to say that the article referred 
to by Mr. WESTINGHOUSE was not prepared 
nor suggested by “an interested party.” It 
was prepared from t he decision of Judge 
Swayne, published ; and the tone given to 
the article was based upon facts known to 
one of the editors of this paper, familiar 
with the advent of Birdsell’s machines in 
the Western clover fields and the regard 
with which they were hold by farmers. Of 
the facts stated by Mr. Westinghouse as to 
prior inventions, we know nothing. We have 
not read the testimony in the case, and based 
our remarks iu our issue of July 25 entirely 
upou the decision of the Court and the per¬ 
sonal knowledge referred to. 
Fin. 1 .—Front Elevation. 
it, we will print it. Meantime, we give ele¬ 
vation and sectional view of one built above 
ground. Fig. 1 shows the front elevation— 
the north gable end. The boards are put on 
vertically with slats on both the gable ends, 
leaving cracks between the slats in both 
gables, so that the air can circulate freely 
and afford ample vent lation. Tho buildintr 
is made by placing six inch posts in the 
ground a foot deep at each corner, and nail¬ 
ing on cross scantling at the top, bottom and 
middle, onto which nail the boarding. The 
roof projects two feet and is covered with 
shingles. A door is made in the north end, 
( is shown in the engraving) 3xfi feet, and one 
on tho same end in the gable, 1)^x4 feet, 
from which latter door the ice is taken in 
summer by means of a cheap ladder. The 
cracks in the boarding are covered with three- 
inch slats. This house is 12 feet, square and 
BOOK-SHIENCE 
Prof. Huxley in popular Science Monthly 
says I do not know what therequiremei ts 
of your examiners may be, but I sincerely 
trust they are not satisfied with a mere book- 
knowledge of these matters. For my own 
part, I would not raise a finger, if I could 
thereby introduce mere book-work In science 
into every art curriculum in the country. 
Let those who want to study books devote 
themselves to literature, in which wo have 
t he perfection of books, both as to substance 
and as to form. If I may paraphrase Hob¬ 
bes’ well-known aphorism. 1 would say that 
“ books are the money of literature, but only 
the counters of science,” science (in the sense, 
in which I now use the term) being the 
knowledge of fact, of which every verbal 
description is but an incomplete and symbolic 
expression. And be assured that no teaching 
of science is worth any thing, as a mental 
discipline, which is not based upon direct 
perception of the facts, uud practical exer¬ 
cise of tho observing and logical faculties 
upon them. 
Even in such a simple matter as the mere 
comprehension of form, ask the most prac¬ 
tised and widely-informed anatomist what is 
the difference between liis knowledge of a 
Structure which be has read about, and his 
knowledge of the same structure when he 
has seen it for himself, and he will un¬ 
doubtedly tell you that the two things are 
not comparable—the difference is infinite. 
Thus I am very strongly inclined to agree 
with some learned school-masters who say, 
that, in their experience, the teaching of 
science is all waste time. As they teach it, 
I have no doubt it is. But, to teach it other¬ 
wise, requires an amount of personal labor 
and a development of means and appliances, 
which must strike horror and dismay into a 
man accustomed to mero book-woik, and 
who has been in the habit of teaching a class 
of fifty without much strain upon hh ener¬ 
gies. And this is one of the real difficulties 
in the way of the introduction of physical 
science into the ordinary university course, 
to which 1 have alluded. It is a difficulty 
which will not be overcome, until years of 
patient study have organized scientific teach¬ 
ing as well as, or l hope better than, classical 
teaching has been organized hitherto. 
THE CROTON AND WALTER GRAPE 
In the Rural New-Yorker of June 20 is 
an extract from a statement in the Country 
Gentleman by A. M. Underhill, claiming 
the Croton to be exempt from mildew at. 
Vine Valley, and inviting those interested to 
visit that, place and see for themselves. I 
will say that two years since l called at Vine 
Valley about the time of first coloring of 
fruit., with a particular reference to satisfy¬ 
ing myself as to llie real character and hab¬ 
its. of tho Croton. In coinpuuy with Messrs. 
Hixon and YopnGlovk, we went over tho 
Croton vineyard named, and also a Walter 
vineyard that we had heard was a great 
success. Wo found part of the Crotons 
making a good growt h, while a portion were 
not looking very well, but partly for want 
of sufficient culture. Un examination we 
found considerable mildew on the clusters, 
nearly as much as on Allen’s Hybrid in an 
adjoining field. The vineyard was cm high, 
dry ground, and the season and surroundings 
were not such ns would tie expected to in¬ 
duce mildew. The Walters were not what 
we called very promising ; nor have 1 yet, in 
all that 1 have seen ot it, become satisfied 
that it was worth planting in any locality, 
even for umateur cultivation. It often 
makes a strong growth in the fore part of 
the season, hut, almost invariably tails to 
mature its wood or to carry its foliage 
through the season in a healthy condition. 
For a good, hardy, productive, reliable 
white grape, we shall have to look to the 
Martha, which, where best known, is yearly 
growing into favor. T. G. Hubbard. ' 
Fredouia, N. Y., June .29. 
VINEYARD NOTES, 
naise an “infallible remedy” against the 
Phylloxera , which, after two years’ trial, he 
recommends “with confidence” to vine 
growers. It consists in inoculating the vine 
with the pure essence of Eucalyptus ,/lobu- 
htfi, which has lately attracted so much at- 
ten'ion in medical circles. A broad incision 
is made through the bark at the neck of the 
vine, in which a few drops of * he essence are 
deposited by mean*, of a small camel-hair 
brush, i’he result is, that in about three 
days tho PkyUoxe a entirely disappears, 
while the vine is not in the least injured by 
the operation. The Incision mty oe made 
through any other part of the "bark with 
equal success, but the result is more speedily 
attained the nearer it is made to tho roots. 
Labviux'.i Vineyard. — J. L. Labiaux, 
Ridgeway, X C-., writes the State Agricul¬ 
tural Journal under date of July 1 “ My 
imported vices in their glory ; no symptom 
of Phylloxera , or any other malady. 1 have 
some grapes, notwithstanding the unusual 
and severe frost; of April, and that 1 only 
planted from cuttings last year ! My-grait- 
mgs of the VUi* via if era, or French species, 
upon Concord and C'dtdOU, a perfect, success; 
so tint, according to Planchon and Riley. 
the French gr ipe vine can thrive east of the 
Rocky Mountains, it not by itself, by means 
of grafting the same upon American stock 
resisting the Phylloxera, such as Concord, 
Clinton, &e. 1 cannot affirm yet if the >Seup- 
pernong can be successfully grafted with the 
Vitis vlnifera.” 
SCIENTIFIC AND USEFUL NOTES, 
TRIAL OF MOWING MACHINES, 
Indelible Ink .—The cheapest material for 
marking linen is coal-tar diluted with benzine 
to the proper consistency. Another inex¬ 
pensive prescription ri to place iron filings or 
old nails in strong vinegar ; let them stand 
many days, and filter the liquid. Another 
way is to take equal quantities of vermillion 
and copperas, and rub them up with some 
oil varnish. The first and last prepar tions 
have to be used with a fine brush ; the second 
with a common pen. 
Liquid India- Ink .—Dissolve the powdered 
ink in hot water, and when deep black add 
one-tenth its volume of glycerine, and shake 
well together, 
A trial of mowers, under the auspices of 
the American Institute, on the farm of 
George Ayp.avlt, near Poughkeepsie, oc¬ 
curred a few days since, under the direction 
of C'ol, F. D. Curtis, with John Stanton 
Gould and JdfciAH H. Macey as associate 
judges. Mr. S. M. Baldwin was tho direc¬ 
tor of the dynamometer test. The trial was 
made on a level field of clover and timothy, 
that would cut about one and one-half tons 
of grass per acre. The machines Competing 
were the Eureka, W. Anson Wood’s Eagle, 
and Walter A. Wood’s machine. These 
Fig. 2.— Sectional View or Walls. 
vertically (us shown in Fig. 2) on the inner 
side at the top and bottom of the posts and 
place two studs vertically, as shown in Fig. 
2, at A.A„ nail on boards horizontally and 
fill in with saw-dust as they are nailed on ; 
the dotted spaces are saw-dust walls. If 
made in this way one need not place the ice 
SO far from the inner wall as before ; but it 
is fax- safer and better to pack it out a few 
inches—say four or five—as the pliant saw- 
