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various articles were there shown as made of a similar plant which are 

 well worthy of attentiou. Woven fabrics of snowy whiteness and silken 

 ,ifloss, brownish-yellow fishing nettings, hunting jioucbes, shoes, «S:c., 

 from Southern Siberia, were strikingly beautiful. They were all made 

 from fibers of Apocynum venetiim and Apocynum Sibiricum, the use of 

 which, for such ^lurposes, is quite common in Southern Siberia, along 

 the Caspian Sea, the Steppes of Southern Russia, &c. The plant grows 

 to the height of from two to eight feet, is easily stripped of its bark 

 after roasting, is readily separated into its fibers, and, by bleaching, 

 becomes of a beautifully white and clear luster. 



Cattle injured et eating green flax. — Recent observations in 

 Prussia have shown that the eating of green flax by cattle ma.y be , 

 seriously injurious. A well-kept cow suddenly became ill, with high 

 fever and violent diarrhoea, accompanied by trembling of the muscles, 

 anxious look, drying up of the milk, and a lowering of the tempera- 

 ture at the extremities. On inquiry into the cause of this sudden at- 

 tack, it was found that the animal had eaten a great quantity of the 

 weediugs from a flax field. Strict diet, without any medicine, improved 

 her condition during the day, but the next morning, epileptic convul- 

 sions ensuing, her owner had her killed, when, on examination, solid 

 masses of the flax were found within the stomach. 



Feeding potatoes to horses. — In Germany, where potatoes are so 

 much cheaper than grain, the experiment has been repeatedly tried of 

 feeding horses upon them, at least in part, and this, as we understand, 

 has proved quite successful. In one instance five four-horse teams were 

 kept hard at work and in good condition on a daily ration, for the 

 tvventy horses, of 1^ cwt. of hay, 8 bushels of potatoes, 50 pounds of 

 meal, and a liberal allowance of chopped straw. The potatoes were 

 steamed, mashed, and mixed with the meal while hot, and then covered 

 up and allowed to remain for a time, during which they undergo a 

 slight fermentation and evolve a quantity of carbonic acid. The 

 chopped straw was worked in just before feeding. This triaLwas contin- 

 ued for more than four months, and found to agree with the horses, 

 while at the same time it proved satisfactory in jioint of economy. As 

 this food must be sweet and clean, great care is necessary to prevent 

 the vessels in which it is kept from becoming sour. 



Value of Ra^iie fiber. — The practical difficulties attendant upon 

 the manipulation of the Ramie fiber seem to be disappearing, as we find 

 that this substance is now quoted in the Liverpool market at $2G4, in 

 gold, per ton. This will doubtless be good news to such of our readers 

 as have either actually entered upon the cultivation of the plant or have 

 it in contemplation, as at this price it is said to be considerably more 

 l)rofitable than cotton. Its advantages, as claimed, lie in its ready and 

 vigorous growth, continued from year to year, and, once planted, it re- 

 quires no renewal or attention for a long time. It is said not to be 

 destroyed by worms, not to suffer from peculiarities of climate, soil, in- 

 sect enemies, &c., and to require but little labor to establish a planta- 

 tion ; where it grows rapidly and yields largely, and commanding a ready 

 market at a high price, there now seems nothing needed to stinuilate its 

 cultivation to a great extent. The portion of our country where this 

 plant can be raised to advantage is perhaps limited ; but within its nat- 

 ural area it is thought that it can be produced with greater profit than 

 almost any other species of fibrous plant. The drawback to this flatter- 

 ing picture lies in the difficulty of separating the fiber from the bark, 

 and the bark from the stalk j but this the editor of the New York Ship- 



