308 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[April 21 



From the United Stales Gasetle. 



THE VINE. 



A writer in the Beaver Argus, who, from his 



signature, we presume to be a public spirited 



gentleman in this city, to whom our readers are 



occasionally indebted for a column upon the im 



the wine will draw the taste out and keep it. — 

 The vessels are to be set, bung hole uppermost, 

 with the bung out, in a place neither too hot 

 nor too cold, though cold is less injurious than 

 heat. The liquor will ferment, and the vessel 

 is to be kept tilled with liquor up to the bung 

 as the mother works out— when it is done work 



portant subject of internal improvement, has un- , ing, the liquor is to be drawn off at the spiggot, 



dertaken to advise the inhabitants of the coun 

 ties of Alleghany and Butler as to the duty 

 which they owe themselves and the communi- 

 ty, in giving more heed to the wild grape ot 

 our countrj'. 



It is known that most of the uncleared lands 

 of this and the neighboring states are abundant- 

 ly productive of the Vine, the fruit of which at- 

 tracts but little attention, because it is not en- 

 deared to the appetite by the sweat of toil in 

 its culture, nor by the amount of money m its 

 con 



without disturbing the cask, into another clean 

 cask. It is then wine; but it will hardly keep 

 long without some brandy, say about a tifth, 

 added to it. It is now in a condition to be car- 

 ried to the still-house, where It is to be poured 

 into the stills, and stilled over exactly as the 

 low wines for whiskey, or for apple or peach 

 brandy, are treated. If the still smells of whis- 

 key or any other liquors, it must be washed, 

 and some wine boiled through it to taKe the 

 taste out. Thus grape brandy costs no more 



purchase. We conl'ess ourselves ignorant of trouble than apple or peach brandy, and will 

 the flavor of nny liquor which might be produc- sell for nearly three times as much." 

 ed from our native grape, although we know It appears to be reasonable that the native 

 that as a iVuil particular kinds of them are de- i grape of our country might be made more pro- 

 licious. Bui the writer to whom we rol'er, de-jductive hy cultivation than it is in the forests, 

 dares that l)ranily, of a qunlity equal if not su-jand if it should prove that a pleasant beverage 

 penor to the common liquor imported under I might be made from its joice, it is prol)able that 

 that name, may he procured from the native j it would be found a profitable means of employ- 

 grape of our forests, with no more trouble than | ing the laliour and time of our farmers. 

 is necessary to make cider, with the addition of i A considerable attention has been given to 



passing the fermented liquor through a still 

 "The March Grape," says the writer, " The 

 Fall Grape and many kinds of the Kox Grape, 

 will answer perfectly well for brandy, and no 

 doubt some of them, especially the Fail Grape, 

 will make good wine." It appears to be his 

 opinion that the native grape should be culti- 

 vated in preference to those of the south of Eu- 

 rope, probably on account of a diminution of 

 risk from our unlriendiv climate — he therefore 



the vine in the neighborhood of our city, within 

 a few years; and we venture to say that notliiiig 

 is brought into the market that meets with a 

 more rapid sale, or that nets a higher profit 

 than the garden grape, and it is probable that 

 almost any quantity might be offered for sale 

 without materially diminishing the demand, or 

 reducing the price. Attention should be given 

 to these things — our farmers, in the vicinity ot 

 the city, complain of " the times;" they have 



recommends that farmers should give attention not perhaps turned their land to its best account 

 to the vine, transplanting slips, and giving them] — certain it is they do not turn u// their land to 



means of support and growth ; the manner of 

 " setting cut'' the cuts or ceps is the same as 

 that usually practised with the garden grape in 

 this city and its vicinity. 



From the vines thus transplanted a moderate 

 quantity of grapes way be expected the third 

 year, but the fourth \vill produce a fair crop. 



We subjoin the directions of the writer with 



profit, and perhaps they will find that the old 

 story of corn and potatoes might be somewhat 

 emliellished by the pleasant episode of half an 

 acre of grape vines. 



Few states of the Union are better adapted to 

 the purposes of grazing than Connecticut, and 

 we are glad lo see Ih.it the opulent farmers in 



reeard to" fathering the grapes and preparing ) the vicinity of Hartford are delermmed to turn 

 Ihem for wine— they are simple, and we believe to the best account, the gilts of nature and the 

 such as are u-uallv followed by those who cul- results of their own industry. An onterprizing 

 iivate the vine and use its fruit in this country. ! individual of East Windsor, in that state, has re- 

 " When the or^pes are thoroughly ripe. lhe!cently purchased from John Hare 1 owel,L'<q. of 

 bunches are to be picked while the dew is of!'; 1 Philadelphia, the imported short-horned Dur- 

 and in picking theni, the cobwebs and dead or J ham Bull, Wije Comet, for $bOO.—Ibid. 



rotten grapes are to be taken off as much as the 

 lime \vill allow; for the more perfect the 

 grapes, the better will be the wine; but the 

 irasli must be swept off and burnt, else all the 

 vermin will come back the next summer. The 

 grapes are then to be carried, as little bruised 

 us possible, to the house, where they are to be 

 •pin into laige vats or tubs, and thoroughly masli- 

 d with H wooden beetle or slamper--takiiig 



FAT CATTLE. 



We are informed by a person who has long 

 been engaged in the business of buying and sel- 

 ling cattle, that the number of oxen annually 

 fattened for market, in the winter, in the old 

 county of Hampshire, is about thirty-five hundred. 

 .About one third of these are fed in Deerlield 



and Hatfield, and a large number in Conway. — 

 are to have a layer on the bottom of the tub I Our informant believes that as many oxen are 

 thick enough lo prevent the beetle from break j stallled in Conway, a hill town, as in any town 

 [ns the seeds, else the wine will be bitter.— I in the valley, excepting Deerheld and Hatheld. 

 lake the raatli or pomace, as it may be called ! Stallleeding forms an important branch of bus- 

 uid put It into a cider press, and press it exact- ban.lry in Whatr ly, Amherst, Hadley, North- 

 Iv as pomace for cider. The liquor is to run 

 liilo hogshfuds or barrels, though the larger the 

 ^vessel liie belter. The vessels are to be tlior 



ampton. South Hadley, Granby, Springfield, 

 West Springtield, Wesilield, and some other 

 towns ; some hundreds of oxen and many other 



oiighly clean, even from taste of the wood, a 'animals uve annuully fattened at the grain dis- 



tilleries in South Hadley, Granby, Springfield 

 and Westtield. The sum brought into the old 

 county by the sale of 3500 fat cattle is not less 

 than j^n5,000 per annum. 



Stallfeeding is a slow way of gaining. wealth. 

 We venture to say that the feeders in this part 

 of the country, for some years past, have not 

 obtained more than 3b or 40 cents per bushel 

 for the corn consumed by their cattle, and 7 or 

 8 dollars per ton for their best hay. We do not 

 inter from this that these men manage their af- 

 fairs unwisely. They make large quantities of 

 manure — their lands are fertilized and iheip 

 value enhanced ; and luxuriant crops are raised 

 with ease. It will be found, we believe, in the 

 long run, that they get greater profits from 

 their farms than those farmers who sell their 

 hay and grain. The following remarks of Sir 

 Humphry Davy appear to us as applicable to a 

 farm as to an extensive country. " The expor- 

 tation of grain from a country, unless some ar- 

 ticles capable of becoming manure are introduc- 

 ed in compensation, must ultimately tend to ex- 

 haust the soil. Some of the spots now desert 

 Sands in northern .4t'rica and Asia Minor, were 

 anciently fertile. Sicily was the granaiy of 

 Italy ; and the q_uantily of corn [grain] carried 

 off I'rom it by the Romans is probaldy the chief 

 cause of its present sterility." — Hamp. Gazette. 



From the Biillimore American. 



ANTHRACITE COAL. 



Professor Silliman, who, to adopt Curran's 

 expression, " appears to wing his eagle fliglU 

 ag.iinst the blaze of science, with an rye tli.it 

 never tires," has given us in his last Journal aii 

 account of sundry experiments which he has 

 made on the anthracite coal of Ponn.syh anja. — 

 He has discovered by chemical anal\>i5, that 

 the Lehigh coal nearly rivals the Liverpool in 

 the emission of gas — -the Schuylkill gas burned 

 with a yellow flame, the Lehigh with a paler 

 yellow, and the Wilkesbarre was tinged with 

 blue, purple a\id red. The coal east of the Al- 

 leghany burns wiih abundant flame, and affords 

 a beautiful variety of carburetted hydrogen gaf. 

 suitable for a lecture room. The burning of 

 this coal in a stove ot furnace, situated brtween 

 Professor Silliman"s firnily parlour and his oifice, 

 in a small entry, warnjj both aparlroents, two 

 chambers above, and ths connecting passages 

 both above and below. The fuel is added once 

 in 3, 4, 5 or >3 hours, according to the weather 

 — the heal is mild and agreeable. The Profes- 

 sor remarks that an atmosphere uniformly and 

 comfortably warm, prevents people from taking 

 colds, which urise from atmospheres unequally 

 warmed. The most economical application of 

 coal is with >;hect iron stoves. The principal 

 advantages of the anthracite as a fuel for houses 

 are thus enumerated : 



1. It is, in most of our cities and maritime re- 

 gions, chciipcr tka7i any other fuel: this is believ- 

 ed to be true even at this time ; and when the 

 facilities of mining and transportation are in- 

 creased, the expense must be much diminished. 



2. It is the safest fire kno-wn: in furnaces or 

 close stoves, properly place<l and secured, it is 

 entirely witliout danger, and may be lef't in full 



[action, through the night. In grates, there is 

 very little danger, and none if they are prudent- 

 I ly managed. 



