400 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 15 . 
food than the ordinary sorts, yet the long period it occu¬ 
pies the ground (eleven months), proved latal to its 
general introduction. It is, therefore, now seldom met 
with. 
No kind of grain requires so little preparation of the 
soil, and so little manure to be applied, as the Rye crop, 
and at the same time it must be admitted, that no kind 
of corn yields so small a return in money-value. 
It is generally sown after a crop of Wheat when 
grown for feeding purposes, yet it is not important as 
to the previous crop. The sooner it is sown alter 
harvest, the better, particularly if required for feeding 
purposes; the quantity of seed required for an acre to 
produce feed, is from three to four bushels ; if the crop 
is intended for seed and sale, from two to three bushels 
will prove sufficient; and when intended for the latter 
purpose, the time of sowing may be delayed with 
advantage for about three weeks. 
In preparing the land for this crop, no more ploughing 
than is necessary to render the land clean will be re¬ 
quired; yet the land should be lighter and more pul¬ 
verised than is necessary in cultivating for Wheat; in 
fact, it should be more like cultivating for Barley ; it is, 
however, not practicable, in ordinary seasons, to obtain 
a highly-pulverised surface in the autumnal period of 
the year. 
The tillage described as necessary is best attained by 
the scarifier, harrow, and roller—more than one plough¬ 
ing not being generally required. 
The crop does best when the seed is drilled, if in¬ 
tended to produce grain for sale, as it may be boed at 
the proper period, and the land kept clean; at the same 
time, the sample will be more free from the seeds of the 
weeds, which will enhance the value of the grain, the 
extra value depending, in a great measure, upon its 
fitness for seeding purposes. 
It is, however, better to sow broadcast wlieu the crop 
is required for early feeding or cutting, as it can thus be 
more equally distributed over the laud, and it is ren¬ 
dered thicker whilst young, and in the feeding leaf, than 
it can be when drilled. 
If manure is required, two cwt. of Peruvian Guauo 
per acre is a suitable application, and should be 
harrowed in with the seed, if the crop is intended for 
spring feeding; but in case it is left to produce grain, 
the same quantity of manure should be applied as a top¬ 
dressing, and harrowed in during the months of Feb- 
l ruary or March. 
In the selection of Rye for seed, it is particularly 
desirable that it should be clean, and free from the 
seeds of weeds; for whether the crop is intended for seed 
; or feeding, it is alike injured by the presence of weeds- 
A rather dry and warm climate is most suitable for 
this crop ; it is, therefore, not much grown in cold, 
j backward, and exposed situations; because, if cultivated 
I for the grain, it would produce less value than the Oat 
' crop, and if grown for feeding purposes, it would come 
too late, as the chief value of the crop depends upon its 
^ adaptation for early feeding. Joseph Blundell. 
PHILLIPS’ FIRE ANNIHILATOR 
To farmers and others whose dwellings are far from a town, 
this invention, if effectual, is of more value than to those 
even who reside nearer to the aid afforded by a fire-engine. 
To all, however, it is most important, because the most | 
powerful fire-engine has little influence over a conflagration 
established, as it usually is, before that engine can be 
brought into operation, whereas, the “Fire Annihilator ” , 
being always at hand can be employed the instant the fire is , 
discovered. This is no imaginary case, for we have it upon 
the authority of a near relative of Mr. Masterman, the well 
known banker, that a short time since a fire broke out in one 
of the Yorkshire Woollen Mills, threatening destruction to 
a large mass of property of very combustible nature, and the 
mill was three miles from the nearest fire-engine. The 
proprietors had two fire annihilators on the premises, and 
one of them being brought into operation, the fire was i 
speedily extinguished, and thus a large amount of property 
saved. 
Then, again, we read the following report of some recent : 
expei'iments tried at Gravesend :— 
“ With a view of affording the fullest opportunity to the 
public of witnessing the merits of Phillips’s Fire Annihi¬ 
lator, or vapour engine, in suppressing fire, the directors of 
the company gave a ‘demonstration’ last night, in the 
Terrace Gardens, which attracted one of the largest gather¬ 
ings ever seen, perhaps, in the neighbourhood of the town. 
The pier and grounds were literally crowded, while the river 
in front was studded with craft of all descriptions, loaded 
with people. The police took possession of the approaches 
to the grounds, and, under the direction of Mr. Superin¬ 
tendent White, of the town force, did much service in pre¬ 
venting accidents. In order that the real value of the in¬ 
vention to a ship on fire might be correctly appreciated by 
those who have the supervision of emigrant ships on the 
part of government, and whose duty it is to see that every 
precaution is taken against the possibility of conflagration, 
T. W. C. Murdoch, Esq., the Chairman of her Majesty’s 
Emigration Commissioners ; Sir Frederick Rogers, another j 
of the commission; Mr. Walcot, the secretary; Captain 
Lean, II.N., the inspecting officer for the port of London ; 
and Dr. Sparks, the medical officer of the board, attended to 
witness the trials. A number of eminent shipowners were 
also attracted to view the result of the experiments. 
Amongst them we noticed Mr. Dnucan Dunbar, Mr. An¬ 
thony Ridley, the deputy chairman of the Local Marine 
Board, London; Captains Drew and Hall, of the same 
body ; Mr. John Chapman, and Mr. John Smith, Capt. 
Gilmore, Capt. Temperley, Mr. Moxon, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. 
Wheeler, Capt. Rowland, the harbour master of the port 
of London, M. Glaislier, of the Royal Observatory, Green¬ 
wich, — Barnard, Esq., agent for the Crown Colonies, the 
Mayor of Gravesend, and most of the corporation and lead¬ 
ing inhabitants of the place; the company altogether form¬ 
ing a jury of no trilling importance to determine the 
efficacy and worth of the annihilator. 
“ The demonstration commenced shortly before nine, in a ; 
way that must have satisfied the most doubtful as to the ex¬ 
traordinary influence of the vapour emitted by the machines. | 
Along the promenade of the gardens, facing the Thames, . 
was laid a tank, fifty feet long by five feet wide. This con- I 
tained 250 gallons of tar, over the surface of which was dis- 
tributed a quantity of shavings, which, being well saturated 
in the inflammable liquid, rendered their ignition most J 
fierce and rapid. Being lighted, the flames quickly ex- ! 
tended along the whole length of fifty feet of the tank, pre- ! 
seuting a body of fire rarely seen at any of the conflagra¬ 
tions which occur in the metropolis. While the multitude 
were wondering as to the way this mass of flame was to be 
extinguished, two men, each hearing a machine, appeared at 
the windward end of the blazing tank, and having directed 
the vapour upon the flames, they followed them up the 
extent of the tank, and, within half a minute from the time 
of the annihilator being first employed, the entire body of 
fire, as if by magic, was extinguished, not a spark being ob¬ 
servable. Tremendous cheers from all parts of the gardens 
followed the close of this successful and highly-interesting 
experiment. It was then suggested to have an ‘ amateur ’ 
trial by the police, so as to show how the machine might be 
