12 



%c^mncvViHoutl)lij bisttar. 



en .-iM (I tVriKi (iJUO luhs a f.:H jiars .sinrc, to as 

 lijiiiiv Iriimlrcil." 



I sliall mil tidiililo villi uiili imy Ciiillifr |irii(il 

 of iii> reiimrks upon "ili,; ll'tslern 'plaid, liiii .'^li.ill 

 Vniceed lo give >oii soino cvhIlmici! ot ilie v.ihit; 

 of rhe Bear f.'ia>s plain of tlie Soiitli, anil ils 

 mode of eiillivatioii ami prepaialimi iiiio Hemp. 



"" Pliilailelpliia. Ocl.20, itiie. 

 "Sir: Viiiir favoi- iiT ilie VMi is riTi-ived >\illi 

 samples of Hemp. 'Diero is no ili.iilit this Hemp 

 i.s of ilie same .^pei-jes o( Alaiiilla anil Si.sal.— 



I'liere I.s no more ilesiiahle anii-le to iliis coiinlry 

 than this species of Hemp ; anil llie ronsiiinplioM 

 isiii;; as it will, is ailmiral>l> calenlaied fijr 

 and all iiileiior pmposes." 



" .Vtw York, JVov. 7, 184G. 

 _ '-Sir: We rertaiiily tliink that there is tioqiies- 

 tioM hill that this ariii-li; will (avoralily compare 

 with 8isal, ami rnnimand a price nearry ei|iial, 

 •ind very pos:>ilily may lie preferred (ioni its liner 

 texture. Tlie preat and incieasin;,' ilernand of tarsal 

 anil Manill;), lioili which ariieles this sample so 



i!r,^nc''e,'rn;"',''''';i"'' ^-li'>iil'l consider as every | though the various Uinds of Hetnpare not exte..- 

 inCiicement to the extended pnninclion of it 



mere 

 cana 



sliiiiil.l lie crmvned vvilh snecess, 1 shall feel am- 

 ply rewarilid in the knowledge that ] have lie- 

 siinved upon my country a great and lasting ben- 

 efit. 



I am, sir, vf>ry fesju'clfully,' 



Vour ohedieni servant, 



DAVID MYICKLE. 



Tlie editor ot tlie Visitor has seen at the room 

 of the Commissioner of Patents at Washington, 

 samples of the Heaigrass Heirij) alluded lo in the 

 liji-egoing communication of Mr. Myerle : it re- 

 sembles much that superior kind of Hemp known 

 in the lighter color and grea'er strength of cable 

 ropes sometimes seen on otir steamboats and in 

 use as the best article of cordage for pulley ropes 

 (Tnd oilier purposes. Tlie appearance of the new 

 American aiiicle corresponds willi tliat from .Ma- 

 nilla and Sisal: it is said to be even .superior in 

 diiraliility, strength and fineness of texture. Al- 



tbis liu.sineKS profitable, provideil he can be en- 

 sured against the depredations of wonhles.s dogs 

 strolling about among bis Hocks. Why is it thTit 

 the operatives in our liicloriessiioiihl want too«n 

 one or two of these worthless -curs" to siroll 

 about.' 1(, Mr. Kditor.jon can answer this rfiies- 

 lion, yon will do the public a favor. We have 

 now III our mind's eye a case of this kind in our 

 own neighborhood. Some two years ago a near 

 neighbor of mine had Iwenty-two sheep^killed iii 

 one aliernoon by two won bless dogs. The sheep 

 lay at some distance from his house, on the inter- 

 vale lands of the Nangatuck. They were salea- 

 ble, as they were fit (or the butcher. B 

 tnriietl out in this case, 

 ortiiers of the 



wlierever it can he raised to adv.iniaL'e." 



The Bear grass is an evertrreen, and can be 

 propagated from the roots by cutting them as you 

 would sweet potatoes. It delights most in a free 

 and sai;dy soil. Six mouths growth will give the 

 leaves a good length for Hemp, lis preparation 

 for market is as simple and expeiliiions as its 

 production is abnndant. After boiling the leaves 

 and iHiIiing ihem up in bimdles of a convenient 

 size li)r the purpose, they must be passi^l through 

 a pressure similar to an ordinary wooden sngiir 

 null, dipiiing them in water at each passage until 

 the surp.iis matter has been removed, leaving the 

 fibres perli-ctly cleansed and unimpaired''and 

 ready (or use. 



Gov. Call of Florida, who has marie some ex- 

 periments oil ihis plant, states it isa (air estimate 

 • that the Bear grass, afler it is well rooted and in 

 good growth, will produce three full crops for 

 every twenty-fonr monibs; il;at it will lerpiire 

 planiiiig but once in an ordinary lili-time. and 

 with liiit lilllociiltivaiion will conii'une to produce 

 its aliuiidant crops ol' live or six tons per acre. 

 And wiib ten bands and n p.-iir of muli's may be 

 ])repared five or six tons of Hemp per day. 



GOV. call's i.ettkr. 



" Tidhhnssie, Drc. 10, 1846. 

 _ " Denr Sir: I have had the pleasure of receiv- 

 ing several obliging letters from you, and owe 

 you many apologies for iiiv neglect in not having 

 sooner replied to Ihem. this 1 assure you was 

 iioi owing lo their want of interest or to my iu- 

 difl'ereiice fiir the subjeci to which tliev relaie. 1 

 shall ciiiisR Ihem lo be piihlislied, and doubt not 

 from the valuable inli)rmatioii lliey coiilain they 

 will be hi;;lily iuteresliiig lo the public. 



'■ Vom- ow n judicious rein.arks, and the extracts 

 coniaiued in your last foiir letters, written bv 

 gentlemen of praciical knowleil^'e and experi- 

 ence, have conlirmed me in the 'belief 1 beliire 

 enlertaiued of the value of Hemp produced from 

 the Bear grass of ibis State. 



" Tliey will cause oiliers, 1 hope, to feel nn 

 equal conlideiice and induce many lo engage in j 

 the culiivaiiou of ibis plant. The results of my 

 first experiment U:i\ nn' lo beli.-ve Ihis an article 

 of great value, and It will be gralil'yiug to me and 

 to every American lo see ihis nali've produciion 

 o( our own country lake the place of the foieign 

 uiticle now so extensivelv used for national pnr- 

 Jioses. 



"At the prices you have mcniioiied this must 

 become the golden plant ofiheSomli. It will 

 promote llie weallli and prosperiiv of all ; but 

 lo the poor and laboring classes it" will be far 

 more beneficial than any oiber product of our 

 Slate. 



"1 tender you my sincere thanks for the gener- 

 ous and paliioiic offer yon have made lo visit 

 Florida for ihe laudable purpose ol" aiding in the 

 iniroibiciion o( ibis new staple c;ilculateirio con- 

 Iribnie so eminently to the advantage of our 

 w bole country." 



You will perceivi; by the above extracts the 

 value of ihis plant lo the mauidaclnriii!.' iiiK rest 

 ol our conulry and to the planters of ihe Sonlli. I 

 have spared no labor to press idjs iioporiaui sub- 

 ject upon llie cousidcraiion and allention of the 

 planting interest of the South. If my efforts 



sively firodnced in tlie Northern States, yet the 

 many mamifiictiiring and coiiimerciul uses to 

 which Hemp is adapted, ask of lis eiicourage- 

 nient for its more extended production. 



For Ihe Fnrmer's Montnly Visiior. 

 Sheep Husbandry and Turnip Culture. 



Ho-N. Isaac Hill:— Much has been said and 

 written of late, ami probably will coulinue lo be, 

 upon the profits and loss of sheep husbandry.— 

 Bui this branch of the Fanner's business ninst 

 sntier by the conlinnal finclualious of markets 

 fi>r the raw material and maiinficlined article, is 

 a fact which every wool grower has learnt by sad 

 experience, ih(! few years past. Vet forlbisfluc- 

 liiatioii in prices, probably there can be no rem- 

 edy (or the producer. One reason we think 

 thai has iliscouraged the growth of fine wool in 

 the Eastern Slates is, that the buyers or iinnn- 

 faclnrers ill purchasing have not made diff'er- 

 eiice in price enough, between fine wools, and 

 ihal of ;i coarser or medium ipiality. And thus 

 the farmers who formerly had fine flocks of sheep 

 have sufFeied ihom lo depreciate in (pialily (ioin 

 the above cause. However, we are inclined to 

 think that the only course w hicli wool growers 

 can adopt is, to grow the finest wool possilile. — 

 What we think they waul is lo retain and in- 

 crease the fineness of the fibre and increase the 

 weight of the fiecce, and at Ihe s.ame lime save 

 the fleece i'yrr from gum or yolk, and other im- 

 purities. Our mamiliiciurcrs at the present lime 

 are making fine cloths, and we believe they are 

 willing lo pav the difl^Mence tor fine wool, "even 

 ihal of a meilium ipialily. Aslosoil and climate, 

 we are o|' those who believe that New Fngland 

 is betier adapted lo the :;rowili of fine wool than 

 any other region in tins country. So far as our 

 know ledge of wool grow iiig goes, we are satis- 

 fied that in order to grow tine wool snccessfiiHv, 

 sleep must have access, or '■ live " npmi high 

 immulaiu lands. These hilly, mountain p.asturcs, 

 .seem to lis particularly adapted lo the growth of 

 fine wool. In lact we" believe that New lOngland 

 will always be able to compete willi ibe prairies 

 of llie West ill the glowing of ihis staple pro- 

 duciion, as it yel remains lo be seen wheilier llii' 

 jiraiiie yrasses can produce as fine wool as our 

 fine, billy, rii'li pasiures can do. Theri^ are two 

 breeds of fine wooled sheen, wliici 



r. lint It 

 111 most others, the 

 logs were as worthless as the 

 dogs themselves, and of course the owner had 

 to pocket his own loss. Toe Sliepard's dog, if it 

 can be obtained, is a valii.ible animal to ihe'iarm- 

 er and shepard. Bui ibe bnndreds of wonbless 

 "curs," prowling around our nianiilactnriiig villa- 

 ges renders it next to impossible to keep slieeii 

 III the vicinity. 



'i'uinip cnltiire, as connected with sheep hus- 

 bandry, to our mind might be made snccessfiil. 

 Ill (act, raising roots has l)eeome almost a ne- 

 cessary consequence in the keeping of large 

 flocks of sheep and slock of cattle llirout'li our 

 long winters. We ai-e not aware that the prac- 

 tice of leedingoff turnips from the soil bv sheep, 

 as in F,ngland, has been iiiiicb if any. p'lacliced' 

 in Ibis connly. That the practice if" carried out 

 in Ihis couniry would be successful, we have not 

 a doubt. By feeilingoff' the Inrnips with sheep, 

 in hurdle or near the fences the manure is scat- 

 tered so fine and evenly over the sui (iice that it 

 leaves the soil in fine condilion for succeediii"' 

 crops. This system, of course, if adopted in this 

 country, iiinsi be done in the fall, as our cold 

 winters would not admit of its practice as in the 

 mild winters of England. Another thing in re- 

 gard 10 sheep management which is of great im- 

 portance ; and that is, the sheltering of the 

 animals fioni onr cold storms of winter. Sheep 

 in a coll! (by snow storm, if thev can gel under 

 llie lee of some high bill or nioii"nlaiii will pass a 

 night in tolerable comtiirt and seciirilv. But 

 even then, we lliiiik ibey would preti.ra "ood 

 shelter, if it could he had. But what kills sheep 

 in omclimaie is onr cold, norlfi-east rain storms, 

 during Ihe winter months, cspeciallv if ihey he' 

 ol the pure Saxony breed. As soon as" llie 

 weather grows cold ihe wool (i'eezes stifi" togeth- 

 er, and It will lake some davs to :;ei dry, and if 

 they are lean in flesh and weak, death olit'n brings 

 up the rear. Open sheds, closed up at the north, 

 e.ist and west sides and left open jit the south 

 well liiiered and kept dry, are the best lor sheep! 

 That sheep like a good shelter from the cold 

 storms of winter is evident (iom the fict that 

 they alwa\s seek one when it can be ohtaiiied.— 

 I know that many persons say, thai siieep can 

 live just as well llnoiigh the winter niibont shel- 

 ter, as Willi. But we say let sncli Farmers build 

 good sheds, and see if iheir animals . 

 shelter (rom cold Morins. 



•» Yours iriily, L. DDUAND. 



Derby, Cl., IJec |(i, It^JiJ. 



not seek 



leep, winch more parlic- 

 iilarly idaim the alliMition of wool growers; and 

 these are the Alerinos and 

 iiilentinii here lo draw 

 these two breeds ol sli 



wool growers ; am 



xony. li is not onr 



my comparisons between 



ep, as we leave that qnes- 



lion for wool growers lo seille among llieinselves. 



to say to the breeders of eillier o( 



All we haVi 



these sheep is, grow as fine n quality of wool as 

 you can, and at the same lime incre;ise llieqiian- 

 lily on the sbei'p's hack, and then deliver the same 

 in good, clean condilion to the iiiaiinliictmer, .and 

 we believe ihal he will be able lo pay yon a re- 

 mnneraling price. This kind of .-beep "husband- 

 ry, to be successful, lo our mind, should be car- 

 ried on away from our large villiii^es and cilies, 

 on the hiL'li lands. Down in the valleys, and 

 near our large markets and mannliicluring'towns, 

 million sheep may be raised lo gooil ;iilvania:;e 



(in- Ibe biilchcr. For lion shee|i, iKe loii^. 



wool v.irielies ju-e preferred, such as ibe Soiilh 

 Down and Cotswolds, and the fiiriiicr may make 



IN ARTIKICIAL LEGS. 



of a most ingenious invention 

 p.iteni were granted to Benja- 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Ingenious Invention. 



Reported for the '■Fanner unit Mechmiie:' by Z. C. 

 Jlobbiii.i. Merltiuiiciil £iipinfer and .Moniey for 

 procuring Patents, ll'aslilngton, I). C. ' ' 



IMl'KOVF.MK.NT 



This is the till 

 fiir whieb letters 



mill F. ralmer, ol iMeiedilb, N H., Nov. 4^ lt'4(i. 

 Mr. I'almei's . Artificial l.egcannol be spoken of 

 in terms of too hi;;!, praise. Ii has received llio 

 miipialitieil admii alioii of genllcmen of the med- 

 piofessMin, and of every skiltiil mncbiiiist 

 ned ii, (iirtlie .-impliciiy of ii.<con- 

 llie perferlion of its "movcmenls. 

 1 lie iiiveinor having bad the niislortiine lo lose 

 one of bis legs, (.■impniated above the knee,) made 

 use of v.irioiis ailificial siibsiiliiies therefor: and 

 fiuiling bow imperfect lhe\ wimc — ibe joints 

 chiiiisy in llieir articnlalion — inclined lo creak 

 and gel rickelA — presiMiliug an imnalnral and un- 

 seemly coiiloiir, as lliey were operaled, willi g.ips 

 and rough edges lor ibe ileslrnclioii of ibe c[c>lli- 

 iiig encasing them, he resolved on lr\iin,' lo in- 

 vent somclliing belter an«l more perlm. His 



ic.d 



w ho has exalnil 



siiuciioii. 



