Many of the states, by their public acts, have shown their very decided opinion of the immense importance of the culture of silk, as a great and commanding national object; yet still this grand object lingers... The chairman of our Congress committee on Agriculture, 1832, speaking of the manufacture of silk, remarks, "On an experiment untried in this country, and requiring considerable capital, a reliance on individual enterprize would be at least problematical; and it is not to be expected that the several states will ever be found to act in concert, so as to attain the result which a national operation is calculated to procure." If the manufacture of silk should ever be undertaken upon an extensive scale in the United States, Congress must give us a National School, to teach the whole process of silk work, but more particularly the important art of filature. The eight millions of dollars sent annually out of the country for silks, in its various forms, can be saved, and it is as well to begin now as wait another century. Lansingburgh, Jan. 1, 1833. A. W. ERICSSON'S STEAM ENGINE AND WATERMILL.-Perhaps the most interesting problem in mechanical science is how to simplify the steam engine, so that its bulk and weight, which are at present somewhat enormous, may be reduced within more convenient limits without any corresponding loss of power. Owing to a variety of causes, all well ascertained by long practice, a reciprocating engine cannot be made to work to advantage at more than a moderate rate of speed; it becomes therefore necessary to expose the piston to a great force, (for that force multiplied by the speed constitutes the power,) and, as a necessary consequence, all the parts that have to communicate this great force, as well as the frame work that carries those various moving parts, must be made strong, in proportion. Hence it follows as a general rule, that the bulk and weight of any engine of a given power, worked by steam of given force, must depend on the speed of the piston, that is, the speed of that surface which the steam is made to propel. This truth forms the basis of the construction of the very remarkable engine which we have now to bring under the notice of our readers. In the patent which Mr. Ericsson has taken out for this invention, he designates it as "an improved engine for communicating power for mechanical purposes;" and this generality was, perhaps, necessary, since, though it promises to be of most importance in con. nection with steam, it may be worked by any other gaseous or fluid power, as air, water, &c. The specification describes it more particularly as consisting of a "circular chamber, in which a cone is made to revolve on a shaft or axis by means of leaves or wings, alternately exposed to the pressure of steam; these wings or leaves being made to work through slits or openings of a circular plane, which revolves obliquely to, and is thereby kept in contact with, the side of the cone. But when the reader has read this description of the engine, we are afraid he will not be much the wiser for it; indeed, we never before met with an engine of which it was so difficult to convey, in words, a clear and distinct notion, and which was at the same time so little complex in its construction. We shall, therefore, be obliged to depend more than usual on the assistance of our engraver, to make the following description plain to our readers. Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section of the engine, the circular chamber being supposed to be cut through the centre line. AA is a circular chamber made in two parts, joined at a a, and fixed to a frame B B; this frame also supports the axis or main shaft C, to which is fixed the cone D. EE are two wings or leaves fixed to the cone; and e is a metallic segment, fitted into a groove made in the curved edge of the leaf, and pressed towards the chamber by springs, in order to prevent the escape of steam. Fis a circular plane, revolving on a shaft or pivot G, and supported by the main shaft (as shown in fig. 4.) The oblique position of this circular plane, it will be seen, is so adjusted that its surface shall be parallel to, and in contact with, the side of the cone. His a metallic ring fitted into a groove round the cone, and divided into segments, which are pressed towards the chamber by springs, to answer the purpose of packing. I is a me. tallic ring for the same purpose, fitted round the circular plane. K is a cylindrical brass for the pivot G to work against e, regulated by a key k. L is a conical brass guide, kept in its place by a set-screw 1. M is a screw-pin for giving oil to the pivot. N N are conical brasses for the main-shaft to work in, and kept in their places by setscrews n n. o o are screw-bolts for securing the engine frame. P is a pinion or small wheel, for the purpose of communicating the power of the engine to machinery which may require a different speed. V is one of the slits or openings, in the obliquely revolving circular plane, through which the leaves work; this slit is of equal length with the leaf, and widening outwards from the surface of the plane, to accommodate the change of the angular position of the leaf, which takes place during each revolution. v v are metallic rods, kept tight against the leaf by springs, to prevent the escape of W W W are thin flat arms for supporting the circular plane. steam. Fig. 2 represents the plan or top view of the engine, showing the exterior of the cir, cular chamber, the frame work, main shaft pinion, &c. (It may be as well here to state that similar letters are used to denote simi. lar parts in all the figures.) Q is the pipe through which the steam enters the engine, and R the pipe through which it escapes. Fig. 3 is an end view or cross section of the engine, taken through the dotted line marked in fig. 2. The steam passes from the pipe Q into the circular chamber through an opening S, cut through its side; this opening is of a triangular shape, and made as wide at the top as the circular plane is there distant from the base of the cone, and Ericsson's Steam Engine and Water Mill. gradually tapering off downwards. T is the opening through which the steam escapes, and in every respect similar in construction. The dotted line U shows where the cone and the circular plane come in contact. ee are the metallic segments already described. Fig. 4 is a detached view of the cone in the circular plane, representing a section through their centres. It will only be necessary to observe that d is a collar on the main shaft, by which the cone is fixed thereto; that c is a socket-ball, working in the socket f of the circular plane; and that the dotted lines E E show the precise shape of the leaves or wings fixed to the cone. Having thus described the nature and construction of Mr. Ericsson's engine, we shall now proceed to explain the manner in which it is set to work. Steam being admitted in to the pipe Q, (see fig. 3,) it passes through the opening S into the circular chamber, and being there prevented from passing the line U, where the cone and plane come in contact, it presses against the upper leaf, which, together with the cone, then revolves in the direction of the dotted arrow. Now, as soon as the said leaf gets below the top of the opening T, the steam that has been acting escapes through that opening into the pipe R, and thence into the atmosphere or into a condenser. The opposite leaf then operates in a similar manner, and so on as long as steam is admitted. Many as have been the engines contrived for the production of rotary motion, we recollect none in which that result has been obtained by such a perfect harmony of operation among the different parts. Not only the general action of this engine, but the action of every part of it, is rotary. The consequence is that it is wholly free from those serious drawbacks which make the attainment of a very quick motion, by means of a reciprocating engine, a matter of so much practical difficulty. A vast increase of power is obtained, while the bulk and weight of the materials employed for the purpose are reduced beyond all former example. We shall endeavor to make this clearer by a few calculations.. The engine represented by the drawings (made to 2 inch scale) presents to the action of the steam 12 square inches within the leaf, and is in a vertical position; but that being the maximum of surface exposed, a mean must be taken, which by the assist ance of fluxions will be found to be ten square inches within a fraction. 45 By referring to the scale, it will be seen that the globular chamber of this engine is 13 inches in diameter. An engine of three times the size, that is, with a chamber of 39 inches in diameter, would, therefore, expose 90 square inches to the action of the steam; and the average distance performed by the leaf would be 4.37 feet for each revolution, and if the engine made 180 revolutions in the minute, 1,323 feet would be the distance passed in that time. If, now, steam of 45 lbs. pressure to the square inch were used, 4,050 lbs. would be the constant force in operation, which multiplied by 1,323 shows that 5,358,150 pounds would be raised one foot high per minute; and this sum divided by the established number, 33,000, gives for the general result 162 horses' power. Now, if we deduct one quarter for friction, &c., which, considering the harmonious action of the engine, is amply sufficient, the available power will be 120 horses! That so great a power should be produced by a globular vessel of only three feet three inches diameter, is a result so extraordinary that the attention is naturally and anxiously drawn towards. any probabilities by which it may be defeated. The probability of the ac. tion becoming affected by leakages first presses itself on our consideration. On this head it may suffice to observe, that as none f the packings require any other play than to be moved gradually against their respec tive surfaces as they wear away, all that is required to insure tightness will be good workmanship. The next contingency which suggests itself is the ordinary one, of liability to derangement. On this score, however, there is but little to be feared, for the engine is of so few parts, and the mutual action and reaction of these parts is so simple and natu ral, that unless wantonly injured or obstruct. ed, it can scarcely go wrong. We appre hend that the only real danger to be guarded against is the heat which may be generated by the rubbing parts, when the engine is put to its speed; between the bearings and gud. geons in particular, as they will have to with. stand a great force. Experience can on this point be the only guide to a correct conclusion; but we incline to think, that as no in convenience is found in cotton mills by giv. ing shafts of a large size, and communicating great power, a velocity of 180 revolutions per minute, any deduction to be made on this account from the utility of the engine will be but trifling. As to the packing rings, the pressure on them will be but slight; indeed, their centrifugal force will be nearly sufficient to give them always an outward bias; the danger of their heating must, therefore, be extremely small. It may not be amiss to observe, that the principle of the engine is such that the steam may be admitted from either side with equal effect. The motion can, therefore, be reversed, by merely reversing the inlets and outlets of the steam by means of a common slide valve or four-way cock-a feature of this engine, which, to say nothing of its speed, must render it particularly applicable to all locomotive purposes. The branch of steam service, however, in which this engine is likely to be adopted with greatest benefit, is the marine. In steam vessels, lightness, compactness, simplicity, are all properties of the utmost importance; and doubly so, when they can be obtained, as in this instance, without any sacrifice whatever of power. When water is employed to work this engine, the operation will be precisely the same as in the case of steam; with this exception, that the packing rings may be dispensed with. The exception, however, is of a nature which shows that, as a hydraulic engi e, it will work even better than as a steam gine: of this, however, more hereafter. At present, we trust, we have said enough to satisfy our readers that the great space which we have devoted to this latest wonder of the mechanical world has been not unworthily occupied.-[London Mec. Mag.] the graft into the stock n, instead of its own root o. I recommend this method for graft. ing whenever the stock and the graft are of the same size, or very nearly so.[Loudon's Magazine.] NEW METHOD OF GRAFTING BY APPROACH. -Cut off the stock in the form of a wedge, as in fig. 1, and cut the graft upwards, half WOODWORTH'S PATENT PLANING MACHINE. way through, for a sufficient length, as in -A machine patented under this title is now fig. 2; then place the graft upon the stock, in operation at the Furnace of Messrs. Stick. as in fig. 3, and bind it on with bass and ney & Yerrington, in this village. It is de. clay as usual, taking off a circle of bark be signed for planing, tongueing, and grooving, tween the graft and the root, as in fig. 3, floor-plank, ceiling, &c. It performs them, which will cause the sap to flow through labor in a workmanlike manner, and, what is unquestionably of much importance, brings the plank to an equal thickness and width. It will finish 18 feet of plank per minute, thus accomplishing an amount of labor equal to 35 men, during ordinary working hours, at an expense of about one-sixth the usual rate. It is far from being complicated in its construction, and is consequently not liable to get out of repair. Three knives are placed upon a cylinder, which revolves about 2,300 times per minute, by which the planing is effected, and tongueing and grooving by a process somewhat similar. Should the location of the machine make it necessary to [From the Journal of Health.] SACCHARINE ALIMENT.-Dr. Prout considers the principal alimentary substances as reduceable to three great classes: the Saccharine, the Oily, and the Albuminous. The first of these, with certain exceptions, includes the substances in which, according to Gay-Lussac and Thenard, the oxygen and hydrogen are in the same proportion as they are in water. They are prin |