Vol.VlI.— No.24. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



187 



the year. Of the bark-louse at least two are pro- 

 duced in one season. It is probable that the fe- 

 males of the last brood are fecundated in autumn, 

 survive the winter, and thus provide for a succes- 

 sion of the species. 



The writer of the article on Bees, in the North 

 American Review, was too indiscriminate in de- 

 nouncing all insects except the favorite elaborators 

 of wax and honey. The single genus Cocoes 

 affords an ample refutation to the charge of uni- 

 versal noxiousness and inutility. Various tints 

 of red are furnished by tlieni from the splendid 

 Carmine of the coclienille, to the duller hues of 

 the scarlet in grain and the Polish coccus. The 

 resin called lac is produced by a species of this 

 genus, and has become essential in the composition 

 of varnishes, japanned ware, and sealing-wax, and 

 by a chemical process a beautiful pigment is ob- 

 tained from it. The wax of China, called Pe-la 

 is procured from certain trees, which are stocked, 

 in that country, with Cocci for facilitating its 

 production. 



No species of Saperda, inhabiting the apple- 

 tree, is known to us except the common one striped 

 with white and brown, and which proceeds from 

 the well-known iorer. If there is another appro- 

 priated to this tree, we should like to see a de- 

 scription of it, and should be highly gratified to 

 receive specimens. 



With respect, your friend and servant, 



T. W. HARRIS. 



Milton, December 24, 1828. 



FOB THE NEW ENGLAND FARMIB. 



VILLAGE ANECDOTE. 



Mb Editor — It is encouraging to reflect, that 

 however misled men may be, at times, by passions 

 and prejudices, yet virtuous deeds and generous 

 feelings, directed by a love of justice and peace, 

 have something so amiable in themselves, that 

 they will meet, not only with undisguised and 

 general approbation, but they willcreato in society 

 a predisposition to the same valuable end, offer- 

 ing thereby a strong assurance, that the human 

 mind was intended by the Almighty Founder, as 

 their native and prosperous soil. Nor is the mag- 

 nitude of the object which brings those feelings 

 into action, of much consideration ; it is altogeth- 

 er the moral principle which gave them birth 



There is in them an irresistible charm to bring 

 forth seeds of life, which otherwise might remain 



' dormant and barren. It seems to be a duty, 

 therefore, and it is a verj- pleasant one, to record 

 those occurrences. In the present instance, the 

 natural repository is assuredly the New England 

 Farmer, now of general circulation among that 

 order of citizens, within whose ancient and noble 

 avocation is to be found, the safeguard to the best 

 interests of our country. After this short pream- 

 ble, I will ask your leave to introduce the follow- 

 ing anecdote. 



Some time since, it was in October, the weath- 

 er being favorabla for clearing land, A. H. deter- 

 mined to burn away the brush in one of his pas- 



I tures ; the fire ran faster than expected, and ex- 

 tended into the wood lot of his neighbor, N. H., 

 where it did considerable damage, before it could 

 be subdued. N. H. was absent on a journey, at 

 the time, and on his return met with A. H., who 

 expressed his regret at the accident which had 

 taken place, and his readiness to satisfy him for 

 the loss. Let us refer the case, said A. H., and 



the damages to be assessed, to two men we can 

 trust, and let those men be you and I. 



Your proposal, Mr A. H., is very fair ; but in 

 such cases two men have been known, at times, 

 not to agree, therefore, I would [iropose to you, to 

 leave it to one alone, and let that man be your 

 good self You w'dl take the case into considera- 

 tion, and when we meet again, you will inform 

 me to what amount you have fixed the loss. — 

 The next time they met,A.H. informed N. H.,that 

 he had walked over his wood lot, and, that from 

 the best opinion he could form of the injury it had 

 received, he had estimated the loss at sixty-five 

 dollars. N. H. [)rofessed himself perfectly satisfied 

 with the liberal damages, which A.H. had brought 

 in ; but, neighbor, said he, it is a hard case, and, 

 therefore, I will propose to you, that we should 

 divide the loss ; you pay me one half, and I will 

 bear the rest. 



When an anecdote is clothed with that charac- 

 ter of pleasantness, which seems to render its 

 truth somewhat questionable, it is often styled a 

 good story. In the Italian language the same idea 

 is prettily exi>ressed by *e non i vero, i ben trovato, 

 which translated, if it is not true, it is at least well 

 imagined. But in the present instance there is no 

 fiction. The parties alluded to, are Amos Har- 

 Ri.vGTON, and Nathan Hagar, of the Rev. Mr 

 Field's jiarish. Happy the town where hard 

 cases, and all cases, are generally settled under the 

 mild influence of such feelings ! Happy the State 

 wliere such spirit should prevail ! Justice, equity, 

 and peace ! It would have a tendency to short- 

 en tnd simplify the work of legislation, and to re- 

 lieve of part of their labors the ministers of the 

 law ; it would hasten the promised and happy 

 period, wlieu the moral Rose is to bloom in the 

 wilderness. J. M. G. 



ffeston, 29th Dec. 1828. 



From Ihe American Farmer. 



GRAPES. 



Retreat, near Dublin, Mtv. 30, 1828. 

 Isabella Grape. — Much paper and ink have 

 been wasted about the origin and value of the 

 Isabella gra[)e. I formerly understood, that Col. 

 Hawkins obtained it from the garden of Mount 

 Vernoi;, as a grape Fountainbleau ; but, recently, 

 the gentleman who succeeded Mr Hawkins as 

 agent to the Creek Indians, informed me that 

 the scions were received fi-om Mr Fraser, a gen- 

 tlemaa on botanical researches, who called it a 

 French grape. Monsieur Roma had the same 

 vine in his garden in Savannah, and said it was a 

 French muscadel. It may he of much value to 

 the north, where the climate suits it ; but is worth- 

 less in the south, by reason of its ill habits. Half, 

 or more, of the grapes, rot every, year be the sen- 

 son what it may ; and only three or four ripe ber- 

 ries can bo obtained from a bunch at one time, 

 and nearly a month is requireil to ripen all the 

 berries on a branch ; hence it is no wine grajie in 

 our climate. Wlien ripe berries can be obtained 

 insufficient quantity, it yields wine of nice flavor, 

 provided the grapes are not too ripe, and the vin- 

 tage reinain only four or five hours in the vat ; but 

 let the grapes become mellow on the vines, and 

 then let the vintage remain twenty tour hours in 

 the vat, and the wine is ruined — dull, heavy, flat, 

 and a strong taste of the seeds.* 



Alexander's or Schutlkill Grape. — This 



*Thes8 remarks, it will be observed, do not apply to llie 

 Isabella grapes, in our climate.— Ed. N. E. F. 



grape is a native, and makes excellent wine under 

 the following conditions: collect the grape so 

 soon as the berries are of full color and in the 

 plenitude of their juice ; if they remain on the 

 vines to become mellowed, the product will be 

 a dead, flat and ill flavored wine. When the 

 grapes are mashed, or crushed in the vat, let them 

 remain only one hour and a half, when the must 

 will have obtained a sufficiency of color ; press, 

 and the product will be a crimson rose color, with 

 flavor of the first class ; but let the vintage re- 

 main ten or more hours in the vat, the longer the 

 worse, and the wine will be austere and taste 

 strongly of the see('s. The juice of this grape 

 may be called weak, sp. gr. 1.056 — raise the 

 7HMS< with brown sugartosp.gr. 1.124, and the 

 wine will be strong enough. 



Catawba. — This wine is said to be a native, 

 and yields a superior dessert wine ; and as Mr 

 Adlum justly remarked, its vinous product suits all 

 palates. Whether the flavor of this wine may be 

 injured by the grajjcs mellowing on the vine is not 

 known to me ; but that it may be materially in- 

 jured by too long residence in the vat, before 

 pressing, is very certain. Five or six hours in dry 

 warm weather is long enough. In cool, or wet 

 weather, the continuance of the vintage in the vat 

 maybe of longer duration. 



Bland Grape. — This is said to be of doubtful 

 nativity. It makes good wine if we will have pa- 

 tience to wait for its maturity three or four years ; 

 it has a superabundant proportion of gum in th« 

 juice, part of which seems to be insoluble, and 

 the lees formed by the vernal and autumnal fer- 

 nientations ilo not subside and the wine become 

 clear, without new additions of fining. No other 

 wine that I bave made requires refining. The 

 vine and fruit are subject to mildew and rust. 



Warren Vine. — This vine seems to be of 

 foreign origin, and is of the superior class of wine 

 grapes. It is subject to rot considetably with me; 

 its vinous product was adjudged by a gourmet to 

 resemble the delicious wine of Cyprus. 



Round Violet Madeira Grape This vine 



came from Madeira to Savannah, many years 

 ago. The vine is not distinguishable from the 

 Warren, but the fruit is of a lighter color, and the 

 vinous product of a different flavor, and it is not 

 subject to rot. It is a superior wine grape. The 

 gourmet was probably correct about the flavor of 

 the Warren wine, because all the wine grapes 

 planted in Madeira, were transplanted from the 

 island of Cyprus, in 1420, by Prince Henry of 

 Portugal, Duke of Visco, together with the sugar 

 canes of Sicily, for the use of the colonists. 



Yours, respectfidly, 

 J. S. Skinner, Esq. THOiMAS McCALL. 



Jf'holesome Advice, from Johnson''s Letters. — Be- 

 gin life v.ith the least show and the least expense 

 jiossililc ; you may at pleasure increase both, but 

 you cannot easily diminish them. Do not think 

 your estate your own, while any man can call 

 upon you for money and you cannot pay ; there- 

 fore begin with timorous parsimony. Let it be 

 your first care not to be in any man's debt. Re- 

 solve not to be poor ; whatever you have, spend less. 

 Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness, it 

 certainly destroys libertj', and it makes some vir- 

 tues impracticuhic, and others extremely ditficult. 



There are no less than 2,533 varieties of the 

 Rose, of which 18 belong to the Moss Rose, 20 

 to the Dog Rose, and 1,215 to the Provence Rose. 



