Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1844-06-08
Report 81 the Patent w.

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Annual Report 81 the Patent 6f.
.ssrSasaa nee. ~ pssar
| One Of the most interesting 81 the many vo.
ments at Washington, Is that Of the COMMISSIONS
OF Patents, Mr., Ellsworth. IL generally con-
tains summary ofthc curious Inventions Of the
year, accompNnied by variety Of suggestions
aud remarks, calculated Tor the benefit uf iii
PERSONS interested in agricultural and mechanical
improvements S : vvfs 44k -
In the number for the present year, we ave
some three hundred and thirty pages Of this kind
Of matter, some Of i highly instructive, and
most OF It quite readable. We gather few facts
from this locumeHt Aa@ NstA j8d a@a
There Were granted in lSl3, no less than Eve
hundred and thrty-pn new patents, and four
Hundred and fortssiS expired during the same
time The whole number Of patents issued BY
the United States up to commencement of the
year 1871, was thirteen thousand Ave hundred
and twenty~thrce. The receipts Of the Paten,
Office during slS4S, were 50, Sl6i the expendi-
lures Ssl,Iot the sum returned to persons ma.
King application, whose claims 70 ,atents were
denssd, So,o26. sb S \. ssas4 ssfi
The Ke.orter estimates the present population
lofthc United States at 9,ls3 ts3; increase since
1910, ALA, 1870 souls a'is gtsN5 rass
Me. Ellsworth furnishes CLEAR and full ac-
count of the discoveries Of Professor Morse in
Electro Magnetism, the construction Of the tel
egrarh being explained by diagrams, j. Is esti-
mattel that the electric fluid viii travel at The
rate 2SS 900 miles, equal to nearly twelvo times
the circumference OF the globe, in one second!
/ The report dwells upon the probable effect OF
this rapid transmission cf intelligence. a
He refers to another improvement, which he
thinks very important one--namely, the con-
stroction OF cheap cottages Of anburnt brick
| Unburnt bricks have been found undecayed and
sound in arches in Egypt which have even stood
the lapse OF 1000 years. The cottage erected
by himself at Washington, in view oil the Capt.
toll, and which is now two stories in height,
stands well, appears as handsome as the best
houses built of burnt brick, is warm in winter
and cold in summer. The experiment has been
successfully tried in Canada. ~ aa .8sss,
| II seems that by exhaasting the air from wood,
and then infasing saiphate Of iron into the pores,
the wood can be hardened 50 that the iron wheel
Of railroad cars makes no Impression after .
years use. #&s a@a q
| Mr.. Ellsworth makes mention of hardy kind
of rice which aou-ishes on the edge Of the SHOWS
OF the Himalaya mountains, and states that he
has ordered some of the seed, which he hopes to
receive before long fer distribution. The opin-
ion is now entertained both in Europe and in this
country that upland rice may be raised wherever
Indian corn viii ripen. 49, fF
A very interesting account IS given Of an exs
traordinary grain called the muiticole rye raised
in the west of France, the prolific qualities Of
which almost exceed belief. A few bushels Of
it, imported by MIR. Ellsworth, have been dis
! tribused.
BY a valuable machine recently invented, with
ten yoke of oxen and FIVE hands, ditch of suit
| able depth for draining lands, (ll inches deep
and Is inches wide at the ton) Ten miles may
be eXcavated in one day, at an expense by con-
tract, of not more than three cents per rod. A
larger machine, with greater number Of oxen,
win excayate a ditch three fcetdeep. The great
imr o,tauce of such an instrument on the psairies
of the West will at once be seen and acknowl-
edged.
ACCOUNTS are given Of masrr new and yalable
plants, and improved varieties Of grains grasses,
&C., which possesses no ordinary interest for
the farmer. Twelve thousand packages Of seeds
were distributed from the Patent Office during
the last year, sxsf ss
We have, for instance; description of pro-
cess, hitherto secret, by which butter may be
kept for years, fresh and sweet, in any climate,
Which we subjoin:
alt has been discovered that most kinds Of
vood contain considerable quantities of pyro-
ligneous acid, which decomposes salt IN butter
kept in such tubs. The linden, or bass wood, is
the only one which, it appears by careful expe-
riment is free from it: Others it is stated, may be
freed from it, and thus rendered suitable, by boil
ing three or four hours, well pressed under wa
ter. Much importance has always been attach
ed to the preparing of butter, so that it will keep
on board of ships at seq and in warm climates.
A simple process is now practiced, which Il said
to be effectual for this purpose; which is, to have
good butter well churned, and worked and pack
ed hard and tight in Kegs Of seasoned white oak;
the head is then put in, leaving small hole into
which brine is poured to fiji the vacant space;
and of so much Importance is it deemed, to pres
vent any bad taste, that the plugs for the whole
must not be made Of cedar or pine, but of cypress
or bass wood, as otherwise itlwould be injured.
After which, these kegs are placed in hosshead
well filled with brine Of full solution, that will
bear an egg, which is then headed up tight and
close. The importance Of this subject may be
estimated from the fact that, as ii appears, the
standing contracts for butter, in our navy, that
will keep at sea, are at twenty-six cents per
pound, and for cheese twenty cents per pound
It is now put up at good dairies in Orange coun-
ty, and keeps perfectly
There are many other curious matters in this
report, TO which me may hereafter refer.