18 



(Jl)c Jarmcr's itIorttl)l|) bigttor. 



Moses Tnber of Vassalboii/, and Geo. Willinni- 

 8on ofPittslon, all curet'iil uml expeiieiiced wool- 

 growers ill Kennebec, for lliu purpose of ob- 

 taining some of the stuck cif Ihe lainoiia Puiilar 

 buck, "Fortune," wliicli is oivihkI by Mr. Jevvett, 

 ami which is represented to be a full blood Paulur 

 Merino, weifihing 1-10 lbs., and shearing, at his 

 third fleece, Ikirteen and a (/luirlcr pounds. There 

 is no mistake about them iji point of form and 

 good qualities of the fleece, and there cannot be 

 Q doubt that the flocks of these farmers who have 

 thus been at the tr(i(d)le and expense to obtain so 

 good a train of blood for (grossing with theiii, 

 will ere long receive a decided improvement in 

 health, form and staple. 'I'hey have a lew bucks 

 and ewes to dispose of, and we think those who 

 wish to avoid breeding in and in too much, would 

 do well to obtain soirVe of them. The Vermont- 

 ers, or many of them, have pursued the business 

 of wool-growing much more systematically than 

 it has has been done (with a 1i;w exceptions) in 

 Maine. The consequence is, belter flocks. We 

 go too much by impidse. Looking fov present 

 profit, rather than permanent profit, the sheep in- 

 terest rises and falls like fancy stocks in the mar- 

 kets. On this principle there can be nothing like 

 improvement, or even a desire of improvement 

 ntnong our flock masters. 



To-day wool is brisk, and prospects are bright 

 for the future, and all hands rush for an increase 

 oftheirflocks. Anythingand everything is bought 

 and turned in helter-skelter, to improve or de- 

 generate, as the case may be. 



To-morrow there is a flurry in the political 

 world — wool falls, and away go the flocks. Full 

 as much anxiety is maiufested to get rid of them 

 as there was to obtain them. How is it i)ossible 

 for a sheep to iinprove? Were it not for a very 

 few and considerate flock masters in our State, 

 the sheep of Maine would all go hack again to 

 the old Mouflon or Argali stock, such as it was 

 before they were domesticated. We hope there 

 will be more common sense manifested by our 

 farmers in future, and that a more uuilbrm and 

 consistent course will he pursued in regard to 

 rearing and improving our shnep. — Me. Fanner. 



BoHes"-Whip Handles—Ivory Black"IIoofS" 

 Prussian Blue"Offal, &c. 



This is a motley heading, but is exactly adai)t- 

 ed to what we have to s.iy. A few days since we 

 took a randile up Deer creek. We were not 

 walking for pleasure, although the atmosphere 



that encompassed us was fras:rant with that 



we will tell by and by. We hope the word will 

 not be driven from the F.iiglish vocabulary by 

 this too free use of it. The creek shore, above 

 Ninth street, is measurably lined, and In one in- 

 stance, we believe, covered by slaughter-houses 

 — some devoted to disposing of hogs, ond others 

 of cattle, — Tanneries, iione-mill, Grease trying 

 establishments, and similar oilorili^rous voca- 

 tions ; and in the winter season the stream should 

 be known as Bloody run, fir such it literally is, 

 its color being nearly scarlet. A lii-cwery adds 

 its mite, as well as a sleaiii Lard anil Tallow 

 maimfactory, to the general aggregate of which 

 the creek is the depository. 



But however uinlesirahle is the briid; of this 

 murmuring stream, (we should think it would cry 

 aloud,) the vale through whicdi it runs is never- 

 theless a fountain of wealth, .^moiig the estab- 

 lishments there is one which is a comtnon re- 

 ceiver of neatly all the offal of the city slaughter 

 houses. From it is turucd out an immense 

 ainomit of greasi! and iiili'iiiu' lai'd. A large pro- 

 portion of the daily market heel-li'gs and shanks 

 are pur<dias('d by the proprietor, ami after the 

 marrow and grease are extra('l(;il, the bones are 

 sold for the various purposes of button-making, 

 whip-handle finishing, the manufacture of China- 

 ware, or porcelain, and also ivory black. Of the 

 latter, largo quantities are used in the manufac- 

 ture of shoe-blacking; and a mill in this noted 

 vale is expressly appropriated to the grinding of 

 bone, pith of horns, &c. for the manufiictnre of 

 black. 



Of the small bono used for black and porce- 

 lain, this bouse ships to fojcign ports, mostly 

 Europe, about lOO.COO lbs. [ler year; and of the 

 largo bone, which are luincip.dly used for the 

 ferrules imd butts of whip sio(d;s, anil the manu- 

 facture of buttons, about l.'!(),(l()0 pieces. These 

 quantities lue exclusive of the amount consumed 

 here, which is very considerable, particularly of 



the former kind. A few years ago, nothing of 

 the kind was done here, and, as I'ar as bone uas 

 concerned, was enlirely ii waste. The jirices 

 here are — for the small .§!(! per ton. .\ large 

 contract closes with 1844, liir export to Europe, 

 at that rate, p.ickages included; and for the lat- 

 ter, SIO per 1000 pieces. The price last year 

 was §8. _ ^ ■ 



Soap Grease is the gre.at staple of this Vesu- 

 vius, very large quantities of which are shipped 

 to t!ie Eastern cities. .840,000 worth was men- 

 tioned to lis as the value of what is at this time 

 on sale in New York alone. The prices here 

 now are — 4c for No. 1, and 3Ac lor Ko.U. 



One of the other articles made to a great ex- 

 lent is Neats' I'^iot Oil, fi-om the nether leirs and 

 hoof This sells by wholesale at 02 to 75c per 

 gallon. 



Another is PausaLfC Skins, with which not oidy 

 our own market is supplied, but shipments are 

 constantly making to the South and East. They 

 sell here at :JIO per keg — size, llie common Lard 

 keg. 



Hog's Bristles are another thing jirepared by 

 this and other houses, or house in the city, and 

 of this article large shipments are also made, I 

 both of the combed and tied, used by Saddlers, 

 Shoemakers, &c., and of the curled. The for- 

 mer kind sells at 30 to 35c per lb. The curled 

 are used for the same purposes to which curled 

 hair is applied — Maitras.ses, cushioned Chairs, 

 Sofas, &c. Who ever thought of reposing on a 

 pig's back ? 



One other thing we learned in this, oiu' eve- 

 ning ramble, was, that we have with ns a maim- 

 factory of Prussian Blue. The stock from which 

 it is made is Cattle's Hoofs and Plucks, ami the 

 blood of hogs and cattle. The hoofs command 

 $16 tier ton. The maiiiificturer is a German. 

 It is but a year or eighteen inonlh.s since he com- 

 menced operations, and cannot be said to be fiiir- 

 ly under way, but has sufficiently tested the ex- 

 periment to clearly demonstrate the practicabili- 

 ty of siiccessliilly competing with the foreign 

 article, both as to quality and price, and expects 

 in a few years to be able to consume a very large 

 proportion of the blood to he obtained here. 



We were also told of an instance of a foreign 

 demanil for blood — it is not the first instance in 

 which the same country has sought to draw our 

 blood from us, lint in both instances has filled. 

 The failure in tin.' latter case was in consequence 

 of the want of the skill to prepare it. For the 

 reasons of the liitilily of previous efforts we re- 

 fer the reader to the history of our country. But 

 to return to our subject. The facts wo have 

 stated are a few instances of the economies with 

 which science is capalile of making us acquaint- 

 ed, and of the value of the skill by which they 

 can be effected. Shall we cultivate the arts and 

 sciences, and encourage skill and enterprise in our 

 comitry ? — Cincinnati. (Ohio) Chron. 



other parts of G.-rmany, and has enabled our 

 hoiisew ives to adorn their tables with green vege- 

 tables in the midst of winter, and with dishes at 

 all times which otherwise could be obtained only 

 at particular seasons. This method of preserv- 

 ing food will become of the greatest importance 

 ill provisioning foilresses, since tiie loss incurred 

 ill selling ofl^ old stores, and replacing them by 

 new, es|iecially with res|)ect to meat, ham, &.C., 

 Ts liir more considerable than the value of the tin 

 canisters, which, moreover, may be repeatedly 

 employed after being carefully cleansed. — Leihiir's 

 Letters on Chemistry. 



Piesei vatioii of I'ood. 



Whilst, in firmer times, during long voyages, 

 mariners were conliiii d to salt and smoked meats, 

 which, in the long run, always proved injurious 

 to health, and thousands of human beings lo.^t 

 their lives fiir the want of fresh aliments, which 

 were even more essential in siidiiiess, these dan- 

 gers and discomforts become more and more rare 

 at the present day. This is certainly one of the 

 most important contributions to the practical 

 benefit of miinkind ever made by science; and 

 for this we aie indebted to (Jiiy Liissac. At 

 Li'ilh, In the neighborhood of Edinburgh, at 

 Alierdci'ii, at Bordeaux, Marseilles, and in many 

 parts of Germany, establishmenls of enormous 

 magnitude exist, in which soup, vegetables, ani- 

 mal substances, and vialirls of every description, 

 are prepared and si.'iit to the greatest distances. 

 The prepared aliments are enclosed in cimistors 

 of tilled iron plate, the covers are soldered air- 

 tight, and the canisters exposed to the tempera- 

 ture of boiling w.iler. When this degree of heat 

 has penetrated to the centre of the conliMits, 

 whiidi it requires about three or four hours to 

 aecomplish, the aliments have acquired a stabili- 

 ty which one may almost .say is eternal. When 

 the canister is opened alter the lapse of several 

 years, the contents appear as if they were only 

 recently enclosed. The color, taste, and snieil 

 of the meat are completcdy unaltered. This val- 

 uable method of preparing food has been adopt- 

 ed by inany persons in my neighborhood and 



Mnck. 



'■■ .Manure is tlic niriner's mine of weallli." 

 There are but few words in our fiirmiiig vo- 

 cabulary which have a greater variety of signifi- 

 cations, than that which we have placed at the 

 head of this article. By some it is applied ex- 

 clusively to dead vegetable matters — such as 

 leaves and ligneous substances in almost every 

 state of decomposition; while by others it is ap- 

 plied to various kinds oC peat, without reference 

 to its dilTerent degrees of solidity and firmness; 

 while by a third class the term is made to include 

 every description of siihstance taken li'om swamps 

 and low places, — such as mud, mineral deposits 

 fioiii ciiciinijacent hills, and the almost endless 

 varieties of viscid and tenacious clay.=, which, 

 receiving their distinctive characteristics from the 

 presence of mineral detritia, and the coloring 

 substiinces of metallic organisms, are highly 

 beneficial in their immediate action, and coiisti- 

 tutioiiiil operation on the soil. The value of 

 muck as a fertilizing agent, is always in the pre- 

 cise ratio of the quantity of vegetable matter 

 contained in it ; all foreign matters included in 

 the mass, serving only to increase the bull; with- 

 out adduig any per centage whatever to tiie tiiic- 

 titying and vitalizing energies of the mass as a 

 stimulant of vegetable life. In oriler th.it we 

 may be able rationally to discriminate in this 

 matter, the application of chemical tests is indis- 

 pensable. For instance, if we chance upon a 

 deposite of muck in which there is to all ap- 

 pearance nincli fibrous substance, with little of a 

 mineral nature, or perhaps none, we conclude at 

 once that it is an article of value; but chemistry, 

 frequently in such instances, demonstrates the 

 presence of other principles no less injurious, 

 indeed, and which may ultimately, as actual pre- 

 disposing causes of sterility and unproductive- 

 ness, be even more injurious, and of more fital 

 conseipience both to the crop and soil. We have 

 often heard the nnnark advanced by liirmers, that 

 the muck applied to their lands was no apparent 

 benefit, unless previously saturated with the 

 water fioin the mannre heap. Aiqilied directly, 

 in its native and mqa'epared state, its value as a 

 manure is necessarily greatly abridged, and it is 

 indeed only by assistance of clii-mi.^iry that it can 

 be made capable of producing on vegetation, 

 immediately heiiulicial results. In all muck there 

 is present more or less of carbonic acid : — this 

 must be neutralized by exposure to atmospheric 

 ae'cnt.-i, or bv the wonderful action of mineral or 

 vegetabli! alkalies, ashes or lime. Piibmitted to 

 ihe action of the latter agents, it is immediately 

 rendered fit for use; its value however still de- 

 pending in a great measure upon the quantity of 

 vegetable matter contained in it, and its capacity of 

 exciting in the soil that exquisite play of chemi- 

 cal aflinities or attractions upon which, more than 

 upon aiiv other circnmstance, depends thedevel- 

 opement and healthy maturation of the various 

 orders of vegetable life.— .We. Cult. 



Who and what I have seen. — I have seen a 

 liirmer's wife take the last '20 bushels of wheat 

 from the granary to purchase a new dress, wlieii 

 her husband at the same time had an execution 

 standing against him. 



1 have seen (iirmers that could go twenty miles 

 to a political meeting, but iroiiW not go five to an 

 agricullmal one. 



1 have seen fiirmers that bad but little except 

 f^' iloe: fence," but I coiiW 7tol see that they Imd 

 better crops than those that had good rail or board 

 fence. 



I have seen fiirmers that binned their straw, 

 when threshing their grain in the fall, and go beg- 

 ging the same article hetbie spring, to keep their 

 stock alive. 



1 have seen a firmer that travelled one hiin- 



