HO THE FARMER AT HOME. 



concise account of the process for making it, according to the informa- 

 tion communicated by an ingenious German gentleman. The sound- 

 est and most solid cabbages are selected for the use, and cut very 

 small, commonly with an instrument made for this purpose ; not 

 unlike the plane which is used in this country for slicing cucumbers. 

 A knife is used when the preparation is made with greater nicety. 

 The cabbage thus minced is put into a barrel in layers, hand high, 

 and over each is strewed a handful of salt and carraway seeds ; in 

 this manner it is rammed down with a rammer, stratum upon stra- 

 tum, till the barrel be full ; when a cover is put over it, and pressed 

 down with a heavy weight. After standing some time in this state, 

 it begins to ferment ; and it is not till the fermentation has entirely 

 subsided, that the head is fitted to it, and the barrel is finally shut up 

 and preserved for use. There is not a drop of vinegar employed 

 in this preparation. The Germans write this preparation in the 

 following manner : Sauer kraut, or saurer kohl, that is, in their 

 language, sour herb, or sour cabbage. 



CRUSTACEOUS ANIMALS. The crustaceous animals have 

 been sometimes included in the class of insects, to which they have 

 indeed many strong points of resemblance. They deserve, however, a 

 separate consideration, both on account of their size and importance, 

 and of some anatomical differences of structure. They have articu- 

 lated limbs, antennae, and jaws, similarly formed to those of insects. 

 But they breathe by means of gills, and have a regular, double circu- 

 lation : in which particular they differ from insects. Among the 

 most familiar examples of this class are the lobster, crawfish, and 

 what is usually called the horse-shoe. They are covered by a 

 pretty thick, firm shell, which envelopes them completely. As this 

 shell is incapable of growth, it is occasionally changed, to make room 

 for the constant increase in size of the animal. It is thrown off, and 

 their bodies remain for a time entirely naked, and exposed in a soft 

 and defenceless state. In this case, the animal generally retires to 

 some place of concealment and security, and remains till the shell is 

 restored by the deposition of calcareous matter on the external mem- 

 brane of the skin, which becomes hard and firm, and finally takes the 

 place of the old shell. 



CUCKOO. A bird of a grayish color, and less than a pigeon. 

 They are plenty in England, and some other parts of Europe. Before 

 winter sets in this bird disappears ; in the spring its voice is heard, 

 earlier or later, as the spring happens to be more or less forward 

 The cheerful voice of this bird teaches the farmer with great exact- 

 ness, the proper time of sowing. All other signs may fail, but the 

 voice of the cuckoo is an unerring rule ; for heaven has taught it to 

 point out the season. The cuckoo makes herself no nest ; she con- 

 trives to deposit an egg with the eggs of the hedge sparrow, which 

 hatches it together with her own ; and the young cuckoo, almost as 



