1843 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
319 
Washing Machine. 
bar C, against the grooved side of the trough beyond. 
Fig. 1,Js the whole machine; Fig. 2, the handle and 
bar C, detached, showing the notched end of the bar, 
for regulating the space for the clothes. This handle 
and bar are made of cast iron. The perforated board 
with its suspending frame are easily lifted out, when 
necessary. 
The box or trough must be made very strong, for the 
pressure exerted against its side is enormous. At the 
first motion of the handle, it is only five or six times as 
great as the strength of the person working it; but as 
it approaches a horizontal position, the perforated bed 
moves slovaer and slower, the motion of the handle 
continuing uniform, and hence the “purchase” con¬ 
stantly increases as the handle becomes more horizon¬ 
tal. This will be better understood by observing the 
circular dotted line in figure 2, which marks the course 
of the pivot D. 
Another great advantage of this machine is, that 
one’s weight is thrown upon the handle, and it hence 
possesses all the advantages of the application of strength 
which exist in rowing a boat. 
I have sometimes heard ill-bred men sneer at the at¬ 
tempt to save the labor of women. Such men should 
be invariably compelled to cook their own dinners and 
wash their own shirts. 11 But what’s the reason women 
can’t do so much work as they did forty years ago ?” 
say you. “They do more work now than they did then,” 
say I, 11 for women had not then become, to use the 
words of Dr. Alcott, such 1 slaves to the everlating din 
of pots and kettles’ as they now have.” You are fond 
of good cooking and their hands must provide it, and in 
many other cases the increasing wants of the day are 
loading them with heavy burdens. Therefore you must 
provide them all the labor-saving facilities you can, if 
you expect to be set down as gentlemen. Besides, a 
good washing-machine may give you a comfortable 
clean shirt where you now from necessity wear a dirty 
one. B. X. _ 
Potato Disease and Erysipelas. 
I vrish to call attention to the fact, that with the 
growing diseased condition of the potato rot, from 
year to year, there is a corresponding growth of a dis¬ 
ease in our country, which bears a striking similitude, 
(as far as the comparison can be brought to bear,) to 
that which in potatoes is commonly called the rot. 
This disease is frequently called Erysipelas , by our 
country physicians, because in many cases it has symp¬ 
toms which appear to favor that complaint—but in the 
majority of cases there is a virulence of attack and de¬ 
cay of that part of the system in which it makes its 
first appearance, that marks it as a new and malignant 
disease. 
I believe I may safely say that potatoes constitute 
one-third of the food consumed in the country, and 
among the laboring people they are usually eaten three 
times a day throughout the year. 
Now if in fact the principle of the decay called the 
rot, possesses the potato at the time the blight makes 
its appearance among the tops; awaiting only the pre¬ 
sence of a certain degree of heat and moisture to finish 
its work, does it not follow that if they are eaten in 
this condition as a common article of food, the poison 
or secret principle of decay will pervade the system 
and may produce the disease before mentioned ? 
I have been tempted to make this communication 
with the view of drawing attention to the matter—and 
am in hopes that the suggestions I have made will ei¬ 
ther prove fallacious or serviceable. Isaac S. Beers. 
North Salem, Westchester Co., N. Y., Aug. 28, 1848. 
Cattle on the Highways. 
It was with no common feeling of pleasure that I 
perused an article in your Cultivator of this month, by 
Mr. Bacon, of Elmwood, on the subject of preventing 
animals from running at large in the highway. 
Hundreds of times have I been so annoyed by this 
nuisance that I have often contemplated addressing you 
an article on the subject. Mr. Allen and Mr. Bacon 
have anticipated me. I can only hope their sugges¬ 
tions may be carried out in every state in the Union. 
How truly does Mr. Bacon depict the evil of highway 
pasturing. Has not many a farmer felt it, particularly 
those who keep all their stock on their own farms. 
I could give you a list of grievances that I have en¬ 
dured from the evil in question, laughable for one to 
read, it might be, but it hath tried my patience won¬ 
derfully, ere now. 
I never think of leaving a gate open five minutes at 
a time; for if I did, I should be pretty sure of finding 
sundry animals of the swine order husking my corn or 
digging my potatoes. Instead of beautiful green grass 
growing along our highways, those interesting animals 
plow the sides of the road one year, and the next we 
reap a famous crop of smart weed Things are a little 
better here than they used to be, but we want much 
reformation yet. 
Soon after coming to this neighborhood, I thought 
seriously of leaving it, for, not having a disposition to 
quarrel, I did not know but that I should be literally 
driven off my farm after a while. One of my neigh¬ 
bors had several cows who got possession of the spot 
before my front gate, for a barn yard at night; and 
though quite profitable, it was by no means agreeable, 
as I had to go every day with the wheelbarrow to 
“ remove the deposites.” The hogs of one basked un¬ 
der the shade of our trees, and the geese of another 
bathed themselves in our brooks and running streams; 
the latter fairly got possession, for a time, of one field. 
But enough of this. I do not wish to state my own 
grievances, but to beg of you, if you have any love for 
improvement and refinement among the farmers, to 
raise your voice against the occupation of the highways 
by animals. 
Show me a country where every farmer keeps his 
animals on his own premises, and you will show me a 
thrifty set of men. Let me ride or walk through a 
country where my oath is impeded bygrunters, sissers, 
looers, and neighelf, and I will venture to call its in¬ 
habitants a slovenly set; and will henceforth report 
them to the Cultivator for correction. 
I have been a subscriber to your valuable paper for 
five years, and hope to be so for twice five longer. I 
cannot refrain from saying again, do attend to this 
matter. H. C. W. Putnam Valley . N. YAugust. 
