Vol. VII.— No. 1. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



NETTLES. 



Every body knows that the leaves of stinging 

 nettles are thick set with sharp prickles that pen- 

 etrate the skin when touched, and occasion jiain, 

 heat, and swelUng, which symptoms were imagin- , 

 ed formerly to ensue from the prickles being left 

 in tlie wounds they made. ' But the microscope 

 discovers something much more wonderful in this 

 common vegetable, and shows that its prickles are 

 formed and act in the same manner as the stings 

 of living animals. Every one of them is found to 

 be a rigid hollow body, terminating in the most 

 acute point possible, with an opening near its end. 

 At the bottom of this cavity lies a minute vessel 

 ,or bag, containing a limpid liquor, which, upon , 

 the least touching of the prickle, is squirted thro' ; 

 the little outlet, and, if it enters the skin, produces 

 the mischief bef ire mentioned by the pungency of 

 its sails. Hence it comes to pass, that when tlie 

 leaves of nettles are considerably dried by the 

 heat of the sun, they sting but very little ; 

 as such as are green and juicy produce 

 pain and inflammation. 



where- 

 violent 



A3IERICAN VINE. 



The expedition to the Rocky Mountains found 

 on the borders of the Arkansas, near the eastern 

 side of the great desert, hundreds of acres of the 

 same kind of vine (vitis vinifera) which produces 

 the wines of Europe. These vines were growing 

 in a wild state and were surrounded with hillocks 

 of sand, rising to vi^ithin 12 or 18 inches of the 

 end of the branches. They were loaded with the 

 njost delicious grapes, and the clusters were so 

 closely arranged as to conceal every part of tlie 

 stem. Those hillocks of sand are produced by 

 the agency of the vines, arresting the sand as it is 

 borne along by the wind. 



ENGLISH COTTAGES. 



Travellers speak of the neatness, convenience 

 and beauty of the cottages of the English farmers 

 peeping out from among the green trees, and fes- 

 tooned with the woodbine and honeysuckle. The 

 pride of the husbandman beyond the waters, ex- 

 hibits itself in gathering around his habitation 

 those ornaments, which are at once useful and el- 

 egant, attended with but shght expense and af- 

 fording large revenues. Fruit trees and flowers, 

 liedges and walks are described as blended to- 

 gether in scenes on which the eye rests with 

 pleasure. The ostentation of the farmer of New 

 England usually contents itself with rearing 



CANCER. 



Mr. Thomas Tyrcll, of Missouri advertises that 

 a cancer upon his nose, which has been treated 

 wilhout success by Dr. Smith, of New Haven, and 

 the ablest surgeons in the western country, has 

 been cured in the following manner. It was re- 

 commended '"to use a strong potash, made of the 

 lye of the ashes of Red Oak bark, boiled down to 

 the consistence of molasses, to cover the cancer 

 with it, and in about an b.our afterwards cover this 

 with a piaster of tar, which must be removed after 

 a few days, and if any pntuberances remain in 

 the wound, apply more potash to them, and the 

 plaster again, until they all disappear; after which 

 heal the wound with any common salve." Cau- 

 tery and the knife had previously been used in 

 vain. This treatment cflected a speedy and per- 

 fect cure. 



, NEW ENGLAND FARBIER. 

 BOSTON, FRIDAY, JULY 25, 1828. 



OLIVE GATHERING IN PORTUGAL. 



Towards the month of November, the olive ar- 

 rives to that degree of ripeness 'which renders 



them tit for the annurj operations. Like our wal- ^^^ ^ 



nuts, they are beaten from lie boughs by means of i,u|c"exterior^ whose construction exhausts his"re- j the niiddlc'of September, deposits i'ts eggs in the 



PRESERVE SHEEP FROM THE GAD-FLY. 



Tiiere exists, in some ])arts of the country, a 

 species of fly, which naturalists call cestrus oris, of" 

 the same genus with thit which deposits eggs in 

 the hair of horses, and causes botts. This fly at- 

 tacks sheep, from about the nsiddle of August to 



long rods, wlnle large cloths spread around the 

 trunk, receive as many as fall within the sjiace 

 they occupy. The rest are gatliered from the 

 ground by wonen and children ; and so great is 

 the produce, that the entire population of an olive 

 district find anjple employment, in this work alone, 

 for several weeks, although assisted by large groups 

 who flo< k from a distance of nearly tv.'o hundred 

 miles, to share the labor, and return with a little 

 store of money thus earned, for their winter sub- 

 sistence. Nothing can exceed the sprightliness of 

 these olive gleaning parties ; from sunrise to the 

 liour of vesjiers no sound is heard than that of 

 sinning and merry converse, while every counte- 

 nance reflects the gladness of the season, and the 

 general happiness of the simple hearted peasantry. 

 When the mills are set in motion, the farmer can 

 securely reckon on a su])ply of ready money 

 wherewith to cultivate his lands ; the pork-feeder 

 and poulterer find the bruised kernel of the olive a 

 plentiful and nutritious article for fattening their 

 numerous pigs and turkeys ; while the poor labor- 

 er, in addition to his present wages, anticipates to 

 pay, and stores of preserved oUves which, vv ith a 

 little bread, will long furnish the daily meal for , The sugar when 

 himself and his household, almost free of cost. — 

 An imperfect idea may be formed, even from this 

 shght sketch, of the cheering effect produced when 

 the national tree yields its accustomed tribute to 



sources, and leaves neither disposition or resources 

 to complete the interior, so that the husbandman 

 often lives in a great shell, of which one portion 

 oidy is rendered habitable. The ornaments which 

 with a little attention and care might form ])i!lars | stance 

 and wreaths of verdure, richer than those which 

 the chissel of the sculjitor has ever worked on 

 temple or palace, are neglected, and the slovenly 

 garden seems to call out shame on the listlessness 

 whi(di neglects its beauties. — A^afional Egis. 



WALNUTS — an excellent Family Medicine. 



nostrils of the animals, and causes those worms, 

 M hich so frequently destroys them. Tiie Mecha- 

 nic's Gazette recommends as a preventive, "cov- 

 ering the nostnls of sheep with a list of gauzy sub- 

 through which the animal cafi breathe, 

 and keeping it in its i^lace by some adhesive sub- 

 stance." Wc doubt, however, the practicability 

 of "keeping it in its idace." Another preventive 

 which iJieep owners tell us is effectual, is to keep 

 the noses of the sheep constantly smirched with 

 tar, from about the middle of August to tlie latter 

 end of September. If the sheep swallow some of 



' s- 



Every body eats walnuts ; every body knows how ■ jbe tar so much the better, as it prevents or cur 

 to make a pickle of walnuts ; few, however, know i t],g y„t, and confirms their health, 

 the medicinal virtue of walnuts. Now the fact is, j If the fly has performed its uiiscliicvous func- 

 walnuts when prepared, secundem ariem, are an ! ,jon ^nd tlie seeds of the disorder are already sown. 



excellent opening medicine and laxative, and this 

 is the way to prepare them ; get the green wal- 

 nuts fit for picklhig, put them in a stone jar, filled 

 up with moist sugar, in the proportion of about 

 half a pound of sugar to the score of walnuts ; 

 place the jar in a saucepan of boiling water for a- 

 bout three lio\n-s, taking care the water does not 

 get in, and kee|) it simmering during the operation, 

 issolved, should cover the wal- 



j you may make use of the 'following : Take half 

 ■ a pound of good Scotch snuff, pour two quarts of 

 boiUng vaster on it, stir it and let it stand till cold, 

 inject about a tabic spoonfid of this liquid and se- 

 diment up ea.-'h nostril of the sheep wish a.syringc. 

 This must be repeated three or four times at pro- 

 per intervals, from the middle of O.'-tober to tJie 

 first of January ; the grubs are then small and are 

 easier destroyed than afler"i"ards, and have not 



nuts, if it does not, add mire. Cover it close, and injured tlte sheep as they will, if deferred until 

 in six months it will be fit for use ; the older it latter. Half an ounce of .ossallaetida, pounded in 



a little water, and added to tiic snufl^, v/ijl niake it 



the cjiildren of the soil, and imagination will not 

 fail to picture, in a like degree, the deep gloom, 

 despondency, and the disappointment that pervade 

 all these classes when that supply is withheld, whetli- 

 er by the innnediate visitation of Providence, in 

 smiting the earth with a blight, or the remorseless 

 cruelty of man. in wantonly afflicting Viis fellows. 



The crop of wheat and rye in Pennsylvania this 

 season, is calculated to be double that of ordinary 

 years. A great portion of the poorer sort of land 

 is said to have produced nearly thrice the usual 

 quantity. The rye straw, an article of considera- 

 tion in the eyes of the farmer, has surpassed ex- 

 pectation as much as the grain. — Bos. Statesman. 



gets the better it is. One walnut is a dose for a 

 child six jears of age, as a purgative ; and it has 

 this great advantage over drugs, that whilst it is 

 an excellent medicine, it is at the same time very 

 pleasant to the palate, and will be esteemed by the 

 young folks a great treat. 



To take spots ovt of silk, linen, or woollen. — Take 

 spirits of turpentine twelve drops, and the same 

 quantity of spirits of wine — grind these v.ith an 

 ounce of pipe-maker's clay, and rid) the spots 

 therev/ith. You are to wet the composition when 

 you do either siUc, linen, or woclien with it ; let it 

 remain till dry, then rub it off, and the spots will 

 disappear. True spirits of salts diluted with wa- 

 ter, will remove iron moulds from linen — and sal 

 ammoniac, with lime, will take out the stains of 

 wine. — American Farmer. 



more eftectual. The owner of the sheep need not 

 be alarmed when the operation is performed, to 

 see the sheep very drunk ar.d apparently in the 

 agonies of death, as they will in a few n)im;tes re- 

 cover. I never knew anj' bad effects to follow. 

 Dry snufF may be blown up the nose with a quill, 

 and have a good effect ; but it is a tedious ditty 

 job. I liave tried vinegar and blue die with bin 

 little or no success. 



Instead of Scotch snuff, a decoction of tobacco 

 will answer tlie purpose. A gentleman who owns 

 a large flock of sheep, informs us that he had used 

 it with perfect success. Spirits of turpentitie are 

 injected into the nostrils of sheep, as a remedy for 

 worins ; but that substance appears to possess one 

 material disadvantage, which should preclude its 



