238 



FARMERS' REGISTER—COAL TAR, &c. 



his success in the pursuit. He has been, from 

 youth to old age, always a practical farmer, de- 

 pendent altogether on such Jabors tor his support 

 and income — yet remarkable ibr his freedom from 

 the prejudices which fetter the judgement and ob- 

 struct the improvenieat of most of tho?? who are 

 called practical farmers. He is said to hdve been 

 throughout his life an experimenter — but a judi- 

 cious one — always making changes in his practice, 

 but seldom changmg Ifir ihe worse. He com- 

 menced life poor, and is now rich— and his wealth 

 confers on him the only distinction which it ought 

 ever to wive to any man, and the one which any 

 •may well be proud of — that it has been acquired 

 ■ altogether by his own labor, skill and intelligence, 

 and that its acquisition has been no less a benefit 

 to his country, than to himself. 



A GLEANKR.- 



July 2Gih, 1834. 



EFFECTS OF DARKNESS ^ :< PRODUCING DE- 

 FORMITIES. 



There is at . present in Paris an artist of the 

 Louvre, an eminent historical painter, of the name 

 of Ducornet, who paints with his feet. He Avas 

 born without arms, of poorparents, at Lille. There 

 are also about the French metropolis a number of 

 beggars, twelve or thirteen of tliem at least, all 

 deformed in various ways, and all born at Lille, in 

 certain dark cavenis under the fortifications. The 

 effect of these places, from tlieir want of light pro- 

 ducing malformed birtlis, is so notorious, that the 

 magistrates of Lille have issued strict orders to 

 prohibit the poor from takmg up their abode in 

 them. It is added by the v.^riter, that he had a 

 conversation with Mr. Edwards on the subject, 

 and that gentleman was greatly struck with "tlie 

 confnniation which the above circumstances afford 

 to his views, stated in his work, Siir V influence dzs 

 agens physiques sur la vie. Mr. Edwards's expe- 

 riments of detaining tad,noles in darkness, and thus 

 causing them to grow into gigantic and monstrous 

 tadpoles, instead of being transformed into fi-ogs, 

 are well known. — London Medical Gazette, Sep- 

 tember, 1832. 



likcAvise a taste resembling tar, and may contain 

 sulphuric acid. 



I presume it affords encouragement to editors as 

 well as other professional gentlemen, to hear of 

 the high stpprobalion of their patrons in the various 

 quarters to which their labors are extended. It 

 affords me great pleasure fo inform you tliat in a 

 visit recently to the Eastern Shore of Mmy land, 

 I was pleased to find that the high estimation in 

 which your Regi.-'er is held universally in this 

 section of the counir}' is fhlly equalled there. One 

 gentleman particularly who has fully adopted 

 your viewc, in practice at least, to the most as- 

 tonishing improvement of his farm, declared that 

 he would not have taken i^'lOO for the first No. of 

 the Register, in connection with your work upon 

 calcareous manures. Your labors are exerting an 

 influence in every part of the country bordering 

 upon the Atlantic. Numbers who have never 

 heard of your name, are nevertheless every year 

 reaping a rich reward from your labors, 



I was requested by Mr. * * * * * ^;i 

 stranger v/hom I accidentally fell in with on board 

 a steam boat) to .'equest you to send hi"m the Far- 

 mers' Register, at CentreWlle, Queen Ann's .coun- 

 ty, Maryland. The finest field of corn that I saw 

 in Maryland, was on that gentleman's farm, 

 v/liich i was informed but a few years ago was 

 one of the poorest in the neighborhood, but Avhich 

 has been brought to its jjresent state of fertility by 

 the use of marl, sea ore, &c. 



C. B. F . 



COAL TAR. INFLUENCE OF THE FARMERS' 



REGISTER. 



To tlic Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



Jiijig and Queen, I'Sth July, 1834. 



Ill consequence of the recommendation of a 

 writer in the Register, I lately bought a hogshead 

 containing 120 gallons of gas tar, which cost me 

 ten dollars on board the steam boat at Baltimore. 

 Before using it I was advised by the manufactu- 

 rer to simmer it moderately over a slow fire for a 

 few minutes, to drive ofi' some volatile substance 

 which it contained, by which it would be rendered 

 better for painting. Just as I was about to com- 

 mence applying it, a iew days ago, I received a 

 message from a friend to dissuade me from its use; 

 saying that he liad been informed it answered 

 very well for preserving timber in water, but that 

 it would ruin the roofs of houses, &c. This infor- 

 mation induced me to suspend my operations with 

 it, except on a granary, until I could hear more 

 ahf)utit. Can you give me any information on the 

 subject? It has a very pungent acid taste, and 



EXTRAORDINARY CALF. 



A bnll calf five -weeks and three days old, bred 

 and fiid by C. H. Bolton, Esq. of Campden, was 

 lately slaughtered by Mr. John Booker, of that 

 place; it weighed 135 lbs., and was considered to 

 be by far the fattest and heaviest calf of its age 

 ever killed there. Its live weight on the 4ih of 

 March, was 218 lbs.; ditto on the 2oth January, 

 100 lbs.; increase in 38 davs 118 lbs. This calf 

 in common with the rest of JNlr. Bolton's stock, the 

 offspring of a cross between the Durham and 

 Devon breeds, which cross Mr. Bolton adopted 

 some years back by using a bull from the stock of 

 the Rev. Henry Berry, with Devon cows; the re- 

 sult of this cross has proved most satisfactory, both 

 as to their grazing and milking qualities. This 

 calf", up to the day lie was killed, was never able 

 to fake all his dam's milk, who gives daily up- 

 wards of 16 quarts of milk of a very superior 

 quality. The calf sold for £4. — British Farm- 

 er''s Magazine. 



BIBLIOBIANIA. 



From Waldie's Journal of Belles Lettrcs. 



The Duke of Devonshire purchased some time 

 since a splendid cop}'- of a book, entitled " Briefe 

 and true report of Virginia; discovered by Sir Rich- 

 ard Grenville, knight, in the^-ear 1585, made in 

 English by Thomas Hariot, servant to Sir Wal- 

 ter Raleigh." It was printed in 1590, and cost 

 the princely purchaser two thousand dollars. It is 

 the only perfect copy which Mr. Grenville, from 

 whom it was brought, had ever heard of It is 

 possible some of the old family mansions in Vii-- 

 ginia, where there are many bibliogra|jhical curi- 

 osities, may possess a copy. If so, it would be well 

 ' to turn it to account. 



