114 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
ing spikes of wrought iron, chiefly for the purposes of being used in con¬ 
structing ships and railroads ; but their value, compared with other spikes, 
seems to be but very sparingly known. These spikes to any competent 
judge, will show themselves to be far superior to any spikes ever manu¬ 
factured for the above purposes, for the following reasons. The iron be¬ 
ing selected by Mr. B. himself, and in large quantities of the first quality, 
no other being used, its uniform excellence must infinitely surpass that of 
common spikes, which are made of such small lot9 of iron as come to hand 
promiscuously; the body of these spikes being of exactly even and uniform 
size, and without hammer strokes, when once entered they have no ten¬ 
dency to split the wood, and, having a square chisel shaped edge, they 
cut their passage instead of forcing it. 
But Mr. B. is emphatically an experimentalist, and he wished to test 
the comparitive value of his spikes by some precise data. He wished to 
ascertain first with what degree of safety his spikes might be driven into 
wood without splitting; second, what was the tenacity of the iron; and 
third, what power it would require to draw them out. 
To test the first point, he took a piece of seasoned white oak joist, 3 by 
6 inches, and sawing off 3 inches, produced, of course, a piece 3 inches 
square and 6 inches long, but with the grain running crosswise. In one 
end of this block, he entered, without boring, the point of a spike 5 inches 
long, with the edge of its point across the grain, and drove in the whole 
length without splitting the block. 
To ascertain the second and third points, he drove another and similar 
spike into a similar block, leaving its head a little distance out, and secur¬ 
ing the block in a firm situation, and griping the head by a strong instru¬ 
ment, similar to a pair of wire tongs, he suspended to the tongs 100 56- 
pound weights, equal to 5600 pounds, and these neither breaking the 
spike nor drawing it out, he took a sledge and struck forcibly upon the ap¬ 
paratus attached to the head of the spike, when it drew out and left the 
spike and the wood unbroken. 
These experiments were made at the store of Messrs. I. & J. Town¬ 
send, in this city, in presence of the President and Directors of the Albany 
and Schenectady Railroad Company, and if they do not remove all doubts 
as to the superiority of these spikes for ships and railroads, I know not 
what would. S. B. 
Albany, June 15, 1835. 
THE USE OF FRUIT. 
As various kinds of fruits are beginning to make their appearance, and 
as no inconsiderable amount of disease is usually imputed to their agency 
at this particular season, it may not be inappropriate for physicians to insti¬ 
tute some inquiries in relation to their supposed deleterious effects on the 
health of people of different ages and conditions. 
We are familiarly acquainted with the prejudices existing against the 
free use of our domestic fruits, but very much question whether they have 
ever operated so unfavorably as is generally believed. It would be quite 
as philosophical to discard bread stuffs, the various leguminous productions 
of the garden, and the meats offered in the market, as to interdict the rich 
fruits which nature has scattered around us. If a careful register were 
made of all the deaths arising from excess in eating these two species of 
food, it is quite probable as many would be found attributable to one cause 
as the other. Eating and drinking have become altogether too artificial; 
people consult their books oftener to discover how, when, and what soli 
of a meal should be taken, than to ascertain the state of their finances. 
Life is thus reduced to an unnatural scale, and the capacity of the stomach 
measured, as a tide-waiter would guage the dimensions of a hogshead, 
instead of following the simple indications of hunger, which makes no 
dangerous mistakes, under ordinary circumstances, in well regulated so¬ 
ciety. There is a vast difference between gorging beyond the ability of 
'the stomach to relieve itself, and satisfying the cravings of appetite. Were 
an individual never guilty of any excesses, he would be exempt from the 
penalty invariably imposed on the breach of any law of the animal eco¬ 
nomy. 
Instead, therefore, of standing in any fear of a generous consumption 
of ripe fruits, we regard them as positively conducive to health. The 
very maladies commonly assumed to have their origin in a free use of ap¬ 
ples, peaches, cherries, melons, and wild berries, have been quite as pre¬ 
valent, and equally destructive, in seasons of scarcity. All naturalists 
will testify to the importance of the fruit seasons to the lower animals, 
particularly to birds. When there is a failure, or an insufficient supply, 
the feathered tribes are less musical, less numerous, and commence their 
migrations much earlier, than when amply supplied with the delicate nu¬ 
trition designed for them at certain periods of the revolving year. 
In the scheme of creative wisdom, the indications are clearly manifest¬ 
ed that man is omnivorious; and it was not until muzzled by the opinions 
of one, perplexed by the ridiculous hypothesis of another, touching the 
subject of his food, of which he is himself better qualified to judge than 
the most learned physician in chiistendom, that he relinquished the facul¬ 
ty of discrimination implanted in his nature, to become the foot ball of 
those who raise themselves into a short lived notoriety by giving to un¬ 
founded theories the character only belonging to well established facts. 
There are so many erroneous notions entertained of the bSd effects of 
fruit, that it is quite time a counteracting impression should be promulgat¬ 
ed, having its foundation in common sense, and based on the common ob¬ 
servations of the intelligent. We have no patience in reading the end¬ 
less rules to be observed in this particular department of physical comfort. 
No one, we imagine, ever lived longer or freer from the paroxysm of dis¬ 
ease, by discarding the delicious fruits of the lands in which he finds a 
home. On the contrary they are necessary to the preservation of health, 
and are therefore caused to make their appearance at the very time when 
the condition of the body, operated upon by deteriorating causes not al¬ 
ways understood, requires their grateful, renoyating influence .—-Boston 
Medical and Surgical Journal. 
TO CORRECT MUSTINESS IN GRAIN. 
Corn which is housed without being thorougly dried, or which is stored 
in a damp place, acquires a musty smell and taste, which render it unfit 
for the customary uses; but as this alteration affects only the outer cover¬ 
ing, and not the substance of the kernel, it may be easily removed by 
throwing upon the grain double its weight of boiling water, carefully stir¬ 
ring the mass till the water becomes cold. The spoiled kernels, which 
swim upon the top, must then be removed, the water poured off, and the 
grain spread to dry. M. Peschier preferred employing for this purpose 
boiling water rendered slightly alkaline, and afterwards washing the grain 
in pure water. 
When corn has been heated, or injured in a perceptible manner, the 
vegeto-animal portion is almost always changed; in this case the farina is 
not susceptable of a good fermentation, and the bread made from it is un¬ 
wholesome: such grain is fit only lor the manufacture of starch.— Chap- 
tal. __ 
COMPARATIVE VALUE OF MANURES. 
Report of Competitors for Premium of £20 for the most satisfactory 
experiment in the application of different sorts of manure. 
Aimsfiei.d Mains, Dec. 5, 183-1. 
Dear Sir—Agreeably to the written intimation which I made to you 
some time ago, I now beg to state, that in order to ascertain the relative 
value of Street Dung, Rape Dust mixed with Braised Bones, and Farm¬ 
yard Dung, I selected twelve ridges in the middle of a field for the expe¬ 
riment, alloting four of these ridges to each portion. A furrow' tile drain 
separated the lots to which I applied the respective manures, in the fol¬ 
lowing proportions per Scotch acre: 
1st. 20 cart loads of street dung, at 5s. 6d...£5 10 0 
2d. J ton of rape dust, at 110s.. £2 15 
3 qrs. bruised bones, at 19s. ... 2 17 
- 5 12 0 
3d. 16 cart loads of farm-yard dung, at 7s,.. ... 5 12 0 
The whole turnips brairded beautifully, and from the first, till the time 
of lifting, it was impossible to decide which would be the weightiest crop. 
I therefore determined, on the last week of November, to take up alter¬ 
nate rows. The tops were taken off, and the result was found to be as 
follows:. 
ciot. lbs. 
1st. Half a Scotch acre manured with street dung, produced of 
common globe turnip,... 301 92 
2d. Do. with rape and bone dust,... 304 99 
3d. Do. farm-yard dung,... 312 30 
I hope the above will be sufficiently explanatory of the experiments, so 
far as tried. I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
JOHN BRODIE. 
Linkfield, Nov. 15, 1834. 
Sir—I hereby send you the weight of four acres of Sw edish turnips, 
grown on the farm of Linkfield, crop 1S34, after being topt and rooted, 
the ground manured as follows: 
1st. One acre with very fine home-made dung, 12 double cart loads, 
say 7s. 6’d. per cart,........... £4 10 
Weight of turnips, 27 ton, 14 cwt. 
2d. One acre with Dunbar street dung, 12 double carts, not count¬ 
ing carriage, 7s. 6d.... 4 10 
Weight of turnips, 23 tons, 14 cwt. 
3d. One acre with bone dust, without carriage. 4 10 
Weight of turnips, 26 tons, 7 cwt. 
4th. One acre with rape dust, without carriage,. 4 10 
Weight of turnips, 25 tons, 11 cwt. 
Your laying the above before the Agricultural Society, will much oblige 
yours truly. JAMES ALLAN. 
From the Genesee Farmer. 
PROPER TIME FOR CUTTING TIMBER. 
Mr. Tucker —I observe in your paper of the 22d August last, that 
you are calling the altention of your patrons to the durability of posts, &c. 
During the last tw enty years I have been engaged more or less in the 
preservation of timber, and from my experience am able to say with con¬ 
fidence, the old opinion of the English writers to the contrary notwith¬ 
standing, that the best time to cut timber to ensure its durability, is when 
