THE <JENESKE FARMSa. 



2rL 



YELLOW DOCK (SameK crispusX. 



This species brelotigs to an exl'cnaiv^; 'family of 

 plants, fiirailiirly knofTK as son-el, or dock, inhabiting 

 Earqjje, tte terej^rate piirte of Africa, aad tJhs 

 United States. Several plaEt^of this g«nus haveaeid 

 leaves, «wing t« the prescacG, mainly, of osaiic acid. 

 Those, as a gonerid J^'le, •which have the most ^f 

 this acid, are di^tiEgTiished by the comisoii u&xm of 

 sorrel, somR bt w-liich ave higlzly esteeiaed iu many 

 places £S culinary vegetables. They are 'coormg, and 

 so.'^Mwhat diuretic, and are not censidered iigurioas, 

 tmless too h-eiilj and froquently oalsen. A small por- 



1 ill the treattttcot of itch. The powdei-ed roi-t Uua 

 been PseamHjeede'i. as a deatriGj^e, ia amis of 6|K)Bgf 

 gujKs. EoccutJy, it has been eraployed quite esAea- 

 siveSy iasyro^ and patent Uisdiciuesu" — Dr. Sfilis- 

 bury. 



Ag 'aaoek, thercfoiie, aa tMs plaat is bow detested 

 by the af!;riculturist, it may yet be kirnsd to \m od- 

 vaQtage, and Riay become a favorit/s and profitabk 

 plant among hks. cultivated croj.\3. It ha.s oiway? 

 beai knowa to possess njediciuai qualities, a;id a few- 

 years siflce has been exteasivelj ased in .sai-saiTaiviis, 

 syrups, <Jc;c. Fcrsosfi axe employctl to procure t&a 

 roots, and three ceats a pound is paid for them in ibs- 



tion of oiaiic acid is likewise found in many of those , g^-^eu st3,te. Whec dried, twefve cents a pound is 

 known by the cot£>.moa uatee of <iodc; but m these ,| allowed by some of oiir (Jraggists. 



it is principally in the petioieG sjai. stalks, instead of 

 the leaves. Tannic acid is fouad in ihe, roots aad 

 seeds of many of the species, and it. is to this acid 

 that they owe tlierr astringency. 



The Yellow Dock (Rumex cfisjfnts) is considered 

 by most authorities oa a nati>re of Europe, having 

 been introduoed into the TJEited Statics. Gsiffits, 

 however, ia his medical 'festany, says it is a eative of 

 tkls CGUotry. It is ■very commoia, inkabiting not 

 only waste plases, bxd often to the giieat annoyance 

 of the faemer, t^kiiiig possessbn of, and literaLiy over- 

 CTinniug, his ricihest fields. Wbea it has ooee t'hor- 

 oaghly obtained a foothold, it is not aagy to pradi- 

 cate it It ic very tetiaeioffis of life, zsid will oftem 

 take root aEd grow after having beea exposed for 

 several days to the hot rays of the sun, should any 

 iOf the -siaaU fibrea of the root liap.pea to be covejred 

 with the soil. 



Pescription. — ^The etalks .rise frora two to throe 

 ■feet, and sometimes, in \erj rich soil, to thi-ee and a 

 iealf feet in heigkt — wavy, smooth at base, but 5>e- 

 comiug sti'aightsned as you ascead. The flowej's are 

 numerous, in a large panicle of auxiliary racemes, 

 made up of lislf wheels, spirally arranged. The 

 leaves are lanceolate, acute, and slightly wavad, .par- 

 ticularly along tieir margias^-radical ones large, 

 h&ving very loag petioles. The leaves have a eligbtly 

 pungect, bitter, astringent taste, with aa Gdo;iv when 

 braieed, of sorrel. They also contain a small amount 

 of ozalie aad taanie acid. The seeds are stringent, 

 like the root, b.ut less bitter, containing considerable 

 tanaie aeid. Root per^nial, fjisiforni, yellow, having 

 from three to five rows of ro-stlets extending its whole 

 lecgth, sUghdy spiral ia their couirse, covered with a 

 loose epidermis, easily saparated, and having but lit- 

 tie taste. 



In this vicinity., (Poisglikaipsie,) this plant flowers 

 in June, and the seed ripieas the last of July and the 

 fiist of Aagaet. 



"Uses ako MEDiCAiL PaoPEETiEg.— The leaves are 

 sometimes ^ised for greens. They are somewhat laxa- 

 tire;, avd form an excellent diet in scorbutic com- 

 plaints. Ti\e roots contaio a yello\y d^f, and are 

 said 10 be sometimes used in coloring. The dye, on 

 exposure to the atmosphere for some time, changes 

 to a 'ividdi&h yellow color. 



"Tldough this species is not officinal, yet it has en 



i;. Our attention was first directed to tliis sulDJcct oa 

 being applied to for the privilege of taking the dock 

 from our fieids. This we ver^ readily consented to, 

 rgoieif?g in the fact af bavin"; them taJiCD fj-om our 

 fields without any troubie m' .eji-pense. 



The proper tune to puU them is wliea in flower, 

 and iraaifidiaiely aftej- a rsia, while the soil is moist,, 

 as tkey can then be raised with greater ease. The 

 roots should be washed, if from a tcnaceous soiJ, or 

 the earUi .shakea oS, if from a sandy ^oil. 



This discovery we conceive of a^me imporlance to 

 the former, as it will enable hioi to clear his f elds of 

 a pestiverons planJ^ and, if he chooses, make it pro 

 filabla 



Now, if some of onr chemists would discover eonoe 

 useful piurpose for which the Canada thistle, the daisy, 

 and the .sca|3-dragon, (sometimes called toad-fiax,) 

 might be appropriated to advactage, they would be 

 haiJed as benefactors of the aga 



Sprmgside, JV. Y. C. N. Bemekt. 



EOW MUCE CORjN, OH HAY, IS KE^UISED TO PBil>- 

 BUCE ONE POUMD OF JSE&It 



Messks. Editors: — What guide have we to forns: 

 an estimate, or an opinion, as to h&m much meal may 

 be produced by feeding certaiti kinds of food to ani- 

 mals? This question is one of much interest, afid 

 worthy of more attention than has been givio ).i. 

 With the present high price ot meats, it is a n atter 

 of rouch interest to know how much meat m; y be 

 produced by feeding a bujshel of corn, or a toa ot 

 hay; and it either, or both of these be fed, what 

 quantity, and what proportion of the one to the 

 other, ought to be given to produce the Vest re- 

 sults. From the best information which the writer 

 has been able to gather, it it assumed that, as a com- 

 mon measure of food for animals, Indian corn should 

 be the standard, and that it possesses double the 

 value of hay by weight — that, in nutritive value, one 

 pound of com meal is equal to two pouads of gocd 

 bay— and that, with good £tock in fiir ccr(('Jtio n, 

 ei!.;hc poundeof corn, or itu equivalent iu otbu' food,' 

 will produce one pound of heei', and that ooe-fourtk 

 less will province one pound of pork, wheu H e ani- 

 mals are fed under cover. It is obvioag x'^^t t'ne 



quantity of food required by -an animal daily, depends 

 joyed at ditferent limes considerable reputation as a on its weight, in u great measure; and it is t* und 

 medicine. Its medical proijerties are those of an as- j that one and a half p<3r cent, of the live \i eight of 

 tringent and mild tonic. In this respect, it has some the aaimal, in corn, or its equivak':it amount an other 

 resemblance to rhub&cb. It is supposed to possess ) food, is necessary as food for wagi;iug horais, w oikia"- 



an alterative properl}^ and has been employed in de^ 

 cootion and ointment in scorbutic disorders and ca- 



taoeoiis eruptions, aad has attracted some attention J for an animal being fed witk eorswaeai; and a bid- 



oxeH, animals being fattened, or cows girajg milk. A 

 certain portion of hay, or other ladder. U uecesaaxy 



