The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1846-11-05
American Agricultural Association.

This society met last evening at IN o'clock at the
room OF the Historical Society in the University building
about thirteen present. The Hon. LUTHER BRADIsH
in the chair.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and an.
proved after which communications handed in by
the Secretary from Adam Ferguson, Esq, of Montreal
with geological survey of Canada
The Secretary also handed in part Of
Of the American Agricultural Society," beautiful spe
cimen OF Typography.
the subject OF capillary that saline
PARTICLES were exhaled from the EARTH which he deemed
were OF most nutritious quality in producing veg citation
Col. CLARK next briefly addressed the meeting on the
diseases and decay and preservation OF timber He
that the forest trees which in one another may
be made to contribute to tho convenences man. were
exceedingly numerous but comparatively small por
ton of them possessed adurability when dressed into
America classed follows oak, pine chestnut,
cedar, cyprus, and locust There less than 40
species of oak The white oak quereus alba was the
most valuable and grows to the height of 1870 feet. and
it often exceeded fifteen feet girth The chestnut tree
8Cas,anea .4me'TcanG) had properties equally valuable
The live oak quereus uipens stood next in Importance
The quereus prros quereus natora quereus
were other species of oak but the woody bres wanted
strength and elasticity One of the most dseas
es to which trees were subject the sodi6caton Of
the pores next to the ph Another disease was prema
commixture pershable and sound timber Unsound tim
Der may arise from sheer neglect part the workman
mS against M the with
soluble portions permanently unite their putrifacve
tendency Trees if elled in autumn, and before Febru
airy the bark adheres firmly to the aburnum and fuel of
this description preferable to that which was cut at
time when the sap was in circulation. He had also d.
reced his attention the ship worm fenedo uanas He
would recommend blue vitrol and common alum to be
used in preserving timbers He said that many expert
msnts had yet to be made before we arrive at know
ledge cheapest and best preparation for the
walton of timber The essential desderaa are-the ex
puson Of the sap from TIMBER the conversion of its so
practicable, of the sap vessels The sats most econo
mical and at present usually applied contain an excess
be added before remarked for to its coarulatne
property exerted Gaseous or abuminous portions Of
suphae coss are to be taIen nos T ss
innate, are, therefore, preferable to any other
with which experiments have hitherto been made
Soaps from the metallic earthly and alkaline salts have
not so far as my knowledge extends, been tried. am
now experimenting on some of them, and believe they
may be as useful for the preservation Of timber any
other substance whatever and they certainly be sp
piled at much less expense than any other with which
am acquainted But with these we must become fur.
Their acquainted before determine their real value
IL the process Of Bouchere be adopted, and timber
which has been previously charged with sulphate of
iron be subjected to his water tight sack apparatus filed
with an aqueous solution Of quickme in such manner
as to Goerce its passage through its sap vessels,
protoxide of iron formed at once in them and per.
haps at cheaper rate than any other that can
upon the best practical modes for coloring timber but
! have already much exceeded the limits which |
hal prescribed for the discussion Of this and the other
subjects proposed shall therefore he compelled to
omit its consideration for future occasion.
With this knowledge in respect to making proper
lection and preservation of timber before him the ship
and wharf bull the carpenter and farmer have it in
their power to render their building and fencing mate
rails very durable almost impershable that too il
the importance of the be properly regarded at
very inconsdersble expense. This subject is par
tcuarly worthy the attention of government
both in respect to the treatment Of timber designed for
the construction OF ships and piers and also for pre-
servaton Of vessels Of when laid up in ordinary
In time of peace it will be generally conceded that
national marine composed Of small war vessels answers
equally we'll numerically the larger classes of ships
for the naval service, while they maintained at
much less relative expense If this be correct and the
policy of retaining the smaller vessels in commission or
portion OF them during the continuance of peace while
the larger ones to be laid up he adopted Their the
question arises as to which will be the economical
measure Tor the government TO pursue Either suffer
our uncommssioned ships to decay at wharves and
when wanted worthy, to repair partially rebuild
them or at comparatively small expense, preserve
mem against decay 30 that at any time they may with
small outlay on short notice he for any
public emergency The answer cannot be mistaken,
and the process is cheap, simple and certain.
u consists in the first place of divesting such vessels
OF th.r entire rigging and spsrs, closing them water
tight on all sides filling them with saturated solution,
either Of common sat,copperasor such other ansceptc
substance may be preferred, and sinking them in
fresh water, or in docks containing any solution similar
to that with which they had been previously charged
even with below their main decks to suit the exigen
cies demanded by the occasion but copperas will be
decidedly better than the others mentioned, for the
sons before stated.
After throwing out some suggestions in relation to
the construction Of piers and improvements in timber
for shipping, he concluded.
Mr. w. A. SEELv offered some interesting remarks on
the subject Of the animal black Of France
After a few desutory remarks from one or two man,
bers, the meeting separated.