Km 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 10 



The clover fielti in course, to be cultivated in to- 

 bacco, should be broke up deep, late in the iail, 

 and during ihe dry and frozen weather, all the 

 slock should be fed on it. By pursuing such a 

 system as tiiis, I fl-el confident, you have no land 

 that cannot he reclaimed so as to produce more to- 

 bacco at the end of one rotation, than it did in its 

 ori<rinal state. 



Q. IS. — What kind of plough is most used in 

 Loudoun '? 



^. — The most approved plough, is otie made 

 in this village, by a Mr. McKinzie. It has an 

 arched or crooked beam, to prevent its choaking in 

 clover or foul land. The mould-board is much 

 upon the principle of the Jefferson mould-board, 

 &s are the Peacock, Chenovveth and Freeborn pa- 

 tent ploughs. We have several very good 

 plough makers in this county, all of whom use 

 cast-iron mould-boards, made irom their own pat- 

 terns. The Freeborn plough of New York, is 

 highly recommend'^d, and will suit your land. It 

 can be had in any of the seaport towns. 



Q. 19. — What kind of harrows used ? 



j^. — There has been but little improvement on 

 the harrow. The square harrow is the most com- 

 mon. Each farmer has two or more harrows, 

 light or heavy, to suit the ground or purposes for 

 which they are used. 



I have endeavored, in a hasty manner, to an- 

 swer your inquiries on thesul)ject of Loudoun hus- 

 bandry. Should I not have been sufficiently ex- 

 plicit, or should you, or the society, of which you 

 are so zealous a member, wish further information, 

 it will give me great pleasure to impart any know- 

 ledge I may have gained from my own experi- 

 ence, or the experience of my neighbors. 

 I am, with sentiments of 



Great respect, yours, 



William Noland. 



George TV. Jeffrexjs, esq. 



THE PERSIMMON TREE. — Dwspliyros Firgi- 

 niana. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



I am somewhat surprised, that the persimmon 

 tree of Virginia has not attracted more general 

 attention. It is certainly one of the most valuable 

 trees we have, being a great annual bearer of quick 

 and vigorous growth, producing fruit from the seed 

 in four years, attaining great age, very hardy, and 

 Bubject to no disaster. This tree, according to the 

 Linnsean system, belongs to Polygamia Dioecia. 

 persimmon trees are in pairs, each bearing flowers, 

 male and female. The fruit is not found in per- 

 fection beyond the 40th degree of north latitude: 

 hence, we find southern persimmons in great de- 

 mand, when ofl'eied lor sale in northern markets. 



I will now give a synopsis of this tree, as far as 

 it has come under ray observation. First, the 



Bark. — The bark of the persimmon tree, makes 

 a permanent and lasting dye, with salme and me- 

 tallic mordants ; with alum, a beautiful yellow is 

 obtained. The extract of the bark, rubbed down 

 with olive oil, stands highly recommended <n 

 chronic inflammation of the eyes. When pound- 

 red, and given in doses of a tea-spoonful or more, 

 it cuts short the period of intermitting fever. It 

 is also used in ulcerous sore throat. 



The Ltavea arid flowers.— The tender leaves, 



soon after they bud, if carefully gathered and 

 dried in the shade, make an agreeable lea, not in- 

 ferior in flavor to the coarser teas of China. The 

 flowers also, when dried, make a pleasant aro- 

 matic tea. 



The Ripe Fruit. — There is a great variety of 

 this fruit, as great, perhaps, as we find among the 

 apple. The best persimmons ripen soft and 

 svv-eet, having a clear, thin, transparent skin, with- 

 out any rough taste. This should he attended to 

 by the cultivator, as it is highlv important to have 

 select fruit. A good ripe persimmon is a delicate 

 nutritious morsel ; most animals liitten upon them, 

 the chicken, duck, turkey, goose, doer, bog, sheep 

 and cow, all eat them greedily. The fruit, well 

 mashed, and strained through a coarse wire .«eive, 

 makes delightl'ul bread, pies a. id puddings. Wheu , 

 kneaded with v.'heat-bran, and vvell baked in an 

 oven, the bread may be put away for winter use 

 in making beer, and used when wanted. 



The (bllowing I consider a good receipt for mak- 

 ing persimmon beer: 



Sweet ripe persimmons, 



mashed and strained, - 1 bush, or 8 galls. 

 Wheat bran, - - |- bushel. 



Mix them well together, and bake in loaves of 

 a convenient size; break them in a clean barrel, 

 and add 12 gallons water, and two or three ounces 

 hops ; keep the barrel in a warm room. As soon 

 as fermentation subsides, bottle off the beer, hav- 

 ing good long corks, and place th:em in alow tem- 

 perature, and it will keep and improve lor twelve 

 months. 



This beer, when properly made in a warm 

 room, and boitied as above, is an ex(]uisitely de- 

 lightful beverage, containing no alcohol, and is, to 

 the connoisseur of temperate taste, superior to the 

 fermented juice of the vine. The persimmon 

 contains much sugar, and I have no doubt, when 

 a fair experiment is made, that it will be found to 

 yield more sugar, in a given bulk, than the beet or 

 pumpkin. Ripe persimmons may be kept through 

 the winter in pots, having layers of dry sand, or 

 strained and bottled. 



The Persimmon Seed. — I have no hesitation in 

 saying, that the seed of the persimmon is the best 

 substitute for coflise, yet discovered. They should 

 be parched in an iron vessel, until they become 

 perfectly brittle, and ground in the usual way. A 

 small cup full, boiled in one quart of water, makes 

 strong coffee ; those who like it weaker, may add 

 more water. The persimmon coffee exerts a 

 friendly influence on the whole system, particular- 

 ly the head; respiration becomes free and easy, 

 and pleasurable sensation is produced. The only 

 disagreeable effects arising from its use, is a ten- 

 dency to constipation of the bowels, if used in 

 large quantities. 



The Wood. — The wood of this tree is very va- 

 luable ; it burns freely, with a steady, uniform 

 heat : the only objection to it, is, that it consumes 

 away, without leaving live coals. The ashea 

 contain nearly as much potash as the oak. The 

 wood of the persimmon is close, hard and white, 

 inclining to yellow, having a fine grain, and re- 

 ceives a beautiful, shining polish. It is useful 

 when manufactured into plane stocks, gun stocks, 

 bed-posts, plough beams, mantel-pieces, handles 

 for instruments, map-rollers, picture-frames, canes, 

 fifes, flutes, flageolets, combs, &c. &c. 



