1826.] 



Nt'AV ENGLAND FAR!\M?:R. 



221 



grp:il, and afforded very nourishing t'oud for 

 shoep, ior which animals, the plant is rec;iilarl)' 

 sown in Europe. The roots survive the winter, 

 and vpfifelatmsf In the I'ollowiiig spring fDrnish 

 fp.'d or excellent pasture. Some of the oil iva^ 

 expressed t'r(pm the seed, at a flaxseed mill, and 

 gave at the rate ot "one },'allon to the liushel. — 

 It was shown to a regular English \Vool-slapler 

 settled in I'liiladelphia, who offered to contract 

 for several thousand gallons annually at one 

 dollar per gallon, (or the purjiosc of oiling wool 

 prepared for making clolh. He remarked that 

 one cause of the inl'erionly of American cloth, 

 was the want of rape oil to grease the wool. — 

 It is prelerred lo olive oil. Mr. .John I'arkin, 

 of Newport, Delaware, cultivates rape, and^n 

 account of tlie mode to he pursued, with respect 

 to it, is given liy Mi. Willian I'ark ii> the Ameri- 

 can Farmer, vol. 2. p. 3i)5. — Kape oilers a new 

 object of protilalile attention to the .i\merir,an 

 farmer, — lurnishmg superior |>a3iure for cattle 

 and sheep even in the winter; — useful and a- 

 bundant oil Irnm the seeds : — rich tood for cat- 

 tle in the cake after the expressing of the oil, 

 and heing an excellent preparative crop for 

 wheat. The powdereil cake is extensively us- 

 ed in England as a manure for drilled lurnifs, 

 and the sum slated hy Mr. BInomlield of Norfolk, 

 when on a visit lo the U. Slates a few years 

 since, to he annually laid out hy him for that 

 object, would, if mentioned, excite wonder in 

 som», and dislielief in others who "priile them- 

 selves on never having been out of their native 

 slate," and who, proh.ilily, do'^pising all knowl- 

 edge of agriciillnro contained in books, cannot 

 have an idea of the extent ofalSrilisIi farm, the 

 capital invested in it, or of ils garden-like cul- 

 ture. — Eroii) the rape seed oil, too, and polaHji, 

 ihe Savon i'^crd or g^'eeii soap is made, «i»Wf,h 

 lor scouring wool, is preferred in the manufac- 

 tories of France to nil other soaps. 



3. Dr. Mease gave an account of a new and 

 extensive source ofconsumplion of merino wool, 

 in its use for the bodies of hals, the manufacture 

 of which is extensively carried on at Flamillon 

 \ iUaga, on Ihe west side of Ihe Schuylkill, by 

 machinery moved by steam engines of five horse 

 power. The invent'T is Mr Isaac Sandford. — 

 The wool employed is of ils natural leuglh, and 

 the hats, when plated willi line fur, are as lijhl 

 and neat, but more durable than rorams. The 

 prices also, of the bodies, and of llie hats when 

 finished, arc much reduced. A quality of wool 

 is staled by .Mr Sandford to be much wanted 

 for hals, viz. that of lambs sliorn about llie end 

 of August. This practice is partially followed 

 in the United Stales, and two of Ihe few practi- 

 cal farmers who favour the public with llie result 

 of their experience, have spoken ilecisively in 

 favour of the practice, as regards Ihe thickcninir 

 of the succeeding fleece, in preveiiling Ihe loss 

 of wool in the fullowing year, and in promoting 

 the growth of the animal. One of these farm- 

 ers writes after 17 years'" experience. Both re- 

 fer to Ihe common sheep of Ihe country ; with 

 respect to merinos, it is known that the fleeces 

 of the lambs of one of the breeds abound with 



the last (ires?ingf, and obtains ahumtant fall and wirjlcr 

 pasture from it, after the corn is husked. Tlie injury 

 done to llie plants in the removal of the corn, is soon 

 recovered fiom. The extreme succulence of the plant 

 requires a cautious use of if, until afti r frost, when no 

 danger of hoviojf cattle or sheep is to be feared, from 

 turning; cither of them upon it. 



hairs, which until them for making clolb, but 

 does not ])revent their use in foiming ibe bodies 

 of h.its. The seconil fleeces from lambs which 

 had been shorn in .\ugusl of their lirsi vear will 

 be free from hairs, and sell for more than if llie 

 lirsI fleece had been [lermilled (o arow. The 

 ivool of the tirsl shearing will consequently be a 

 clear gain, and al Ihe same t mi- the inanufac- 

 lurer would be sujiplied wilh Ihe article in an 

 improved state. 



Tiu fulloivinjr jirciniiiins zaerc proposed: 



1. I'ifly dollars, or a gold medal of equal val- 

 ue, for the greatest quanlily of sewingsilk made 

 from cocoons of silk worms which have been 

 bred in Pennsylvania, and led on the while oi 

 llalian mulberry tree. 



2. Tweiily live dollars for Ihe best treatise 

 on the culture of the Italian mulberry tree, and 

 on the breeding and management of silkworms, 

 Ihe result of practice in the United Stales. 



3. A silver cup, value *^oO, for the best speci- 

 men of wool adapted lo the manufacture of su- 

 perfine broad cloth, reference being had to the 

 form, proper lies and characlerislicsof the sheep, 

 lilting it for the produclion of high flavored 

 multon, wilh light offal. 



4. A silver cup, value jJOO, for the best speci- 

 men of long or Combing wuol, reference being 

 had to the form, [iroperties and characteristics 

 ot the animal, aiVording most flesh and lallow 

 wilh least oflal. 



A silver cup, value ^20, for the be^t potatoes 

 produced Irom the seeds of Ihe apple, reference 

 lo be had lo Ihe product and (pialily of the root. 



The publishing commitlee reported that the 

 fiflh volume of the Society's Memoirs would 

 probably be presented at Ihe next meeting. 



TEST FOR OXALIC ACID. 

 Among the numerous tests Ihal have lately 

 been submitled lo the public through various 

 channels fer delecting ibis poison, which has so 

 i'requenlly been taken by mistake, and as often 

 most shamefully given (or F.[isoin salts, perhaps 

 the ea'-iesi, and one equal if not more certain, 

 to those whose lingers are not enlirely callous 

 to Iho (liireienl degrees of sensations produced 

 by Ileal and cobi, has been overlooked. Epsom 

 salts convey a cold, watery oblufse sensation 

 lo the linger or skin of any other part of (he 

 body. Oxalic acid, on the coiiirary, communi- 

 cates a kind of gritty and pointed feeling, resemb- 

 ling coarse dry sand, wiihonl any very percep- 

 tible degree of either heat or cold. 



TO prkskuve mioat in snow. 



Meal that is killed in December, or .lanuary, 

 may be kept in perfection if buried in snow un- 

 til spring. This is an excellent method of [ire- 

 serving t'resh and good the carcases of lurkies 

 and other fowls. 



Set any open cask in a cold place, put snow 

 and pieces of meat alternately : Let not (he 

 pieces touch each other, nor the sides of the 

 cask. The meat will neither freeze, grow dry, 

 nor be discoloured ; but be as good in all respects 

 at the last ofMarch as when it was liist put in. 

 The surfaces of Ihe pieces should be a little 

 frozen, before they are put into the snotv, that 

 the juice of the tneal may not dissolve the snow. 

 The cask should be placed in the coldest part 

 of the liouse, or in an out house. 



'IMIi: FLECTKlCAr, Ef:L. 



This celebr.ilecl F^el abounds mostly in the 

 lower provinces of Venezuela and Caracas, It 

 possesses the singular faculty of stunning ils prey 

 by an electric discharge. The old road near 

 Urulica has been actually abandoned, on account 

 of Ihe danger experienced in crossing a ford 

 where the mules were, from the eflect of con- 

 cealed shocks, often paralyzeil and drowned. — 

 Even the angler sometimes receives a shock, 

 conveyed along his welled rod and fishing-line, 

 (four feel long ) Tiio sensation is liighly pain- 

 ful, and leaves a numbness in llie parts allecled. 

 It resembles the eflccls of a blow on Ihe head. 

 The Indians dread them so that I was obliged 

 to go myself to assist in taking them. 



I was conveyed to a pool of muddy, stagnaut 

 water, and soon witnessed a novel spectacle. — 

 Abuut ihirly horses and mules were immedi- 

 ately collected from the adjacent savannalis, 

 where llioy run lialf wild, and are only valued 

 at seven shillings a lioad when the owner hap- 

 pens lo he known. These, the iiidi.ins hem iu 

 on all sides, and drive into the marsh ; Ihen 

 pressing the ci]';;o of the water, or climbing 

 along tlie extended branches of a tree, armed 

 with long bamboos or harpoons, they with loud 

 cries, push the animal forward lo prevent their 

 retreat, 'fho gymnoti, roused from their slum- 

 bers by llii»t noise and lumiill, mount near the 

 surface and swim, like so many livid water ser- 

 pents, bri»lily puisne the inlrnders, and gliding 

 miller their bellies, discharge through them the 

 most violent and repealed shocks. The horses 

 convulsed and lerrilied, their mane erect, and 

 llieir eye» starting wilh pain and anguish, make 

 unavailingslrngules lo escape. In less than live 

 minutes, (jvp of them sunk under tlie water and 

 w.f>ri> (Wt-'iiied, V'ictory seemed (o declare ibr 

 Ibe electric eels; but their activity noiv began 

 to relax. Faligued by such expense of nervous 

 energy, iliey shot their cleclric discharges wilh 

 less frequency and eflect. The surviving horses 

 gradually recovered from the shock and be- 

 came more composej and vigoious. In a quar- 

 ter of an hour the eels retired from the coolest, 

 and in such a s(a(e of langour and complete ex- 

 haustion, that Ihey were easily dragged en 

 shore by means of liarpoons fastened lo cords. 



This is called in allusion lo catching fish by 

 an infusion of narcotic planis, poisoning wilh 

 horses. — lluinholdl's JWn-ralivc. 



CUllE FOR A COUGH. 



A correspondent says, lake a lump of alum 

 of Ihe bigness of a hen's egg, put it into a ipiai t 

 of gooil nndasses, and simmer Ihe same over 

 (he lire in an eailhen vessel till the alum is 

 dead, and when cool lake a spoonful as often as 

 you feel the cough coming on, and in a short 

 time you will get relief. 



There were, in England, at the beginning of 

 last month, 85 or 90 Mechanics' Institutes, or 

 similar establishments, connected with libraries. 



A canal sausage. — A tew weeks since, Mr A- 

 braham F. Miller, the head butcher of Walnut 

 township, made a sausage tor Abraham Miller, 

 Esq. living on the Canal Line in Walnut town- 

 ship, which measured 19 yards in lengtb, out of 

 one entire gut, without a single Ivvist or hole in 

 it, except al the ends, and weighed 35 ponndsj 

 Beat this, yc Fairfield butchers ! — Oliio Ea^le. 



