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THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



niannfacture of Itlnple Sufar. 



There is no tree whose shape and whose foliage 

 are more beautiful, and whose presence indicates a 

 more generous, fertile and permanent soil, than the 

 Rock Maple : in various cabinet work its timber 

 vice with black walnut and mahogany for durabili- 

 ty and beauty ; and as an article of fuel, its wood 

 equals the solid hickory- In passing through the 

 Franconia and White Mountain Notclies two years 

 ago, we were surprised to see the Rock Maple 

 spontaneously springing up in a rapid growth on 

 the sides of tlie road and in other places recently 

 cleared where cliffs of rock occupied a large por- 

 tion of tlie face of the soil. Tile maple is a tree 

 natural to our forests ; and wherever there has been 

 opportunity for a second growth, this tree attains to 

 a considerable size much sooner than might be im- 

 agined. In the course of ten or fifteen years the 

 maple becomes of a size to produce sugar. The 

 trees which have come \ip since the first clearing 

 produce sap that v'elds much more sweet than the 

 original forest maples. 



Few farmers in tlie habit of making maple sugar 

 will be taught by any instruction of ours. The 

 work begins usually about the first of March. The 

 tree will yield the liquid long before vegetation ap- 

 pears from the bud : frequently the most copious 

 flow is before the snow disappears from the ground. 

 The cl»ar day following a night of freezing is the 

 best time for running sap. 



Some persons have a camp in their maple or- 

 chards where large cauldrons are set in which to 

 boil down the sap to the consistency of a thick 

 syrup : others take the liquid to their houses and 

 there boil down and sugar off. 



The process begins by the preparation of spouts 

 and troughs or tubs for the trees : the spouts or 

 tubes ar,^ made of elder or sumac or pine, sharpen- 

 ed to fit an auger hole of about three fourths of an 

 inch in diameter. The hole is bored a little up- 

 ward, at the distance horizontally of five or si.\ 

 inches apart, and about twenty inches from the 

 ground on the south or sunny side of the tree. The 

 trough, cut from white maple, pine, ash or bass- 

 wood, is set directly under tlie spouts, the points of 

 which are so constructed as completely to fill the 

 hale in the tree, and prevent the loss of the sap .at 

 the edffes, having n small gimlet or pith hole in the 

 centre, through which the imtire juice discharged 

 from the tree runs, and is all saved in tlie vessels 

 below. The distiuce bored into the tree is only 

 about one half an inch to give the best run of sap. 

 The method of boring is far better for the preser- 

 vation of the tree than boxing, or cutting a hole 

 with an axe, from the lowor edge of which the 

 juice is directed by a spout to the trough or tub 

 prepared to receive it. The tub should be of ash or 

 other wood that will communicate no vicious taste 

 to the liquid or sugar. 



The sap is gathered daily from the trees and put 

 in larger tubs for the purpose of boiling down. This 

 is done by the process of a steady hot fire. The 

 surface of the boiling kettle is from time to time 

 cleansed by a skimmer. The liquid is prevented 

 from boiling over by the suspension of a small 

 piece of fat pork at the proper point. Fresh addi- 

 tions of sap are made as the volume boils away. 

 When down to a syrup, the liquor is set away m 

 some earthen or metal vessel till it becomes cool 

 and settled. Again the purest part is drawn oft' or 

 poured into a kettle until the vessel is two thirds 

 full. By a brisk and continual fire the syrup is fur- 

 ther reduced in volume to a degree of consistence 

 best taui'ht by a little experience, when it is either 

 put into moulds to become hard as it is cooled or 

 stirred until it shall be grained into sugar. The 

 right point of time to take it away from the fire 

 may be ascertained by cooling and graining a small 

 quantity. The sediment is strained oft' and boiled 

 down to make molasses. 



A cold and dry winter is followed with a greater 

 yield of sugar from the maple than a season very 

 moist and variable. Trees gro%ving in wet places 

 will yield more sap, but much less sugar from the 

 same quantity, than trees on more elevated and 

 drier orround. The red and white maple will yield 

 sap, but it has much less of the saccharine quality 

 than the rock or sugar maple. 



There are several towns in the northern sections 

 of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont that pro- 

 duce more than suflicient sugar for the consump- 

 tion of tlieir inhabitants. A lot of good sugar trees 

 will average four pounds to the tree in a favorable 

 season. iVlany farmers have orchards that will yield 

 five hundred to a thousand pounds of sugar in a 

 year. As this is made at a season interfering very 

 little with the other business of the farm, the sugar 

 that the farmer makes is as so much clear gain. 



There is on almost every hill farm some place 

 favorable for the growl". J' s Kny'.L Drchard— some 



rocky spot yielding little grass and impervious to 

 the plough. Such spots may be favorably chosen 

 for the growth of a maple orchard ; and whether 

 the increase be used for manufacturing sugar and 

 molasses, or for timber or fuel, the proprietor of the 

 land will find a profit better than money at interest 

 in the growth of this beautiful tree, which will 

 spontaneously propagate itself in many positions. 



The CDlture of silk. 



There has been a large meeting in Philadelphia, 

 of persons friendly to the culture of Silk. The 

 resolutions confidently express the belief that silk 

 may be produced in all the United States, not only 

 for domestic purposes but as an article of commer- 

 cial export; that the soil and climate of Pennsylva- 

 nia are better adapted to raising silk than those of 

 Italy and France, and that no project has been 

 started of late years, "so well calculated to melio- 

 rate the condition of the industrious poor." 



An Iitdustrions Woman. 



Mrs. Gross of Readfield, during the last four 

 months, has woven 343 yards of plain cloth, spun 

 180 skeins of yarn, besides weaving 8 Holland 

 shawls 3-4 and six 10-4, and has taken care of a 

 family of four small children. The average price 

 of weaving the cloth was 11 cents per yard ; 8 of 

 the shawls .'Jl 00 each, and six of thorn $1 50; to- 

 tal $54 73 for weaving. Mrs. G. supports her fam- 

 ily, and clotlies them neatly and comfortably, by 

 her own unaided industry, having been left a wid- 

 ow a year or two since. 



In the year 1837, from August 20 to Dec. 4, she 

 wove 465 yards, spun 5*21 skeins, did sewing to the 

 amount of 10 76, besides making winter clothing 

 for her family. 



What a contrast is here between this industrious 

 woman, who works much too hard, and thousands 

 of others who not only never earned so much in 

 their whole lives as would find them in bread for a 

 week, but who more«ver require the aid of others 

 to dress themselves while their blood stagnates for 

 want of muscular exercise .-' 



Mrs. Goss took the premium for Highland shawls 

 at the Winthrop Fair. — Kennebec (Me.) Journal. 



Rr.nts.-Ona of the front rooms in the new building 

 of the United States Bank, in Wall street, has been 

 rented for a term of years at $4,000 per annum, 

 and there is another tenant ready to taffe it at the 

 same price if the first should be inclined to with- 

 draw. The suit of rooms together constituting 

 the office, measure in the whole, something like 

 sixteen feet by five and thirty. At the same rate, 

 what is the rent of a fisli cart or a potato wagon in 

 the better position right in front .■' There is a gre.at 

 rush for stores and offices in the most central po- 

 sitions and advances of twenty -five to a hundred 

 per cent, are paid on the prices of last year. In 

 some instances more has been obtained than in any 

 previous year. Rents in Wall street around the 

 Exchange are much higher than ever before, if we 

 except the momentary rush caused by the great 

 fire. — Xcw York Journal of Commerce. 



FIRESIDE AMUSEMEPfTS. 

 THE FUTURE LIFE. 



BY W.M. CLLLEN BRVANT. 



How shall I know thee in the sphere which keeps 



The disembodied spirits of the dead, 

 When all of thee that time could wither, sleeps — 



And perishes among the dust we tread.' 



For I shall feel the sting of ceaseless pain 

 If there I meet thy gentle presence not, 



Nor hear the voice I love, nor read again 

 In thy serenest eyes the tender thought. 



Will not thy own meek heart demand me there .'' 

 That heart whose fondest throbs to me were given? 

 My name on earth was ever in thy prayer, 



Shall it be banished from thy tongue in Heaven? 



In meadows fanned by heaven's life-breathing wind 

 In the resplendence of tliat glorious sphere, 



And larger movements of the unfettered mind, 

 Wilt thou forget the love that joined us here ? 



The love that lived through all the stormy past. 

 And meekly with my harsher nature bore. 



And deeper grew, and tenderer, to the last. 

 Shall it expire with life, and be no more ? 



A happier lot than mine, and larger light 



Await thee there, for thou hast bowed thy will 



In cheerful homage to the rule of right, 

 And lovest all, and rcnderest good for ill. 



For me the sordid cares in which I dwell. 



Shrink and consume the heart, as Iieat the scroll; 



And wrath has left its scar — that fire of hell 

 Has left its frightful scar upon my soul. 



Yet, though thou wear'st the glory of the sky. 

 Wilt thou not keep the same beloved name. 



The same fair thoughtful brow, and gentle eye, 

 Lovelier in heaven's sweet climate, yet the same? 



Shalt thou not teach me in that calmer home, 

 The wisdom that I learned so ill in this — 



The wisdom that is love — till I become 

 Thy fit companion in that land of bliss ? 



Hint to Farmers. — It is said that spirits of Tur- 

 pentine is a deadly enemy to all the insect tribes, 

 and consequently will destroy the bug or worm 

 which is found to prey on wheat or other grain. 

 With a watering pot, finely perforated in the spout, 

 a person may sprinkle a field of ten acres, without 

 using more than two or three gallons. The ex- 

 periment on a small scale may easily be tried. 



Mercantile Journal. 



There leas imported into Boston, during the year 

 1838, the following gallons of spirits and wine : — 

 Rum, 133,994 gallons ; brandy, 100,548 gallons ; 

 gin, 157,9()4 gallons; whiskey, 4:21 gallons ; cordi- 

 al, 54 gallons ; wine, of ditl'erent kinds, 396,198 

 gallons. The importations during the year 1837, 

 were:— Rum, 10U,8;29 gallons: brandy, 73,802 gal- 

 lons : gin, 118,427 gallons ; whiskey, 404 gallons ; 

 wine, of different kinds, 408,391 gallons. 



Boston Post. 



The Royal Libraries and the other public reposi- 

 tories in Paris, according to the latest reports, con- 

 tain 1,823,500 volumes, 189,000 manuscripts, 100,- 

 000 coins and medals, and 1,600,000 engravings 

 and prints. 



Silk Bounty in I'ermont. — The Legislature of Vt. 

 have passed an act, oft'ering 25 cents for every 

 pound of cocoons hereafter raised in the State ; 25 

 cents for every pound of raw silk reeled from co- 

 coons ; and the same sum for every pound of sew- 

 ing silk manufactured therein. — Bridgeport Farm- 

 er. 



From the .New York .\merjcan. 

 Mammoth Steam-Ship. 



A friend has sent us the dimensions of an Iron 

 Steam-Ship, now building in England, to run from 

 Falmouth to Calcutta, which voyage, it is expected, 

 will be performed in thirty days ! 



"The Queen of the East," which is the name of 

 the vessel, is to measure 2,617 tons — her engines 

 are to be of 600 horse power, with cylinders of 84 

 inches di.ameter, and 9 feet stroke. Her drafl of 

 water, at the greatest immersion, 15 feet. 

 Dimensions. 



Extreme length, 310 feet. 



Length of main deck, 382 do. 



" between perpendiculars, 270 do. 



" of principal cabin, 123 do. 



Width of beam, 45 do. 



Depth of hold, 30 do. 



There will be 16 private rooms for passengers, 

 and 400 berths. 



There is now running an iron steambo.^t between 

 London and Antwerp, The Rainbow. She has per- 

 formed the distance between Blackwall, her point 

 of departure, and the quay at Antwerp, in 16 hours 

 and .50 minutes. Her engines are of 180 horse 

 power, ,50 inches cylinder, and 4 1-2 feet stroke. 



Her dimensions are as follows : 



Tonnage, .580 



Length of deck, 198 feet. 



" between perpendiculars, 190 do. 



Breadth of beam, 25 do. 



Depth of hold, 12 do. 



Russia, with a population of 50,000,000, has a 

 standinir army of 1.000,0011; ,\ustria with 30,000,- 

 000 has an ariny of 400,000 ; France with 32,000,- 

 000 has 3:50,000 ; China has a staniling army of 

 1,200,000; and Great Britain willi 24,000,000 in- 

 habitants has a standing army of 109,000 : Prussia, 

 with a population smaller than either, maintains a 

 strong military force of 250,000, with a iaudwhcr 

 or reserve of 350,000. 



The United States of North America has astand- 

 ing force of less than ten thonsand men : this last 

 comparatively small number is more than has been 

 always useful. Our army, as authorized by law, is 

 12,.539 officers and men :" its entire force at present 

 is only 8,653, leaving an expense for ofticers equal 

 to the full numb»r. 



