378 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



June 19, 182<l. 



sac 



in the pleasure ground, to see what effect the dif- 

 ferent proportions would have on its growth. In 

 the first yard I strewed one cubic inch over it ; in 

 the second two ; in the third (hree ; and in tlie 

 fourth, four cubic inches. In the first and second 

 yards the salt had no iierceptible effect ; in the 

 third yard it rather retarded the growth for a 

 sliort time ; but the effect the quanthy had upon 

 the fourth yard was very plain indeed, turning it 

 quite yellow in about ten days after it was put 

 on. It was not sufficiently powerful to kill either 

 the moss or grass, which continued iu that sickly 

 state till autiunn ; and at this moment I cannot 

 perceive the slightest difference in tlie appearance 

 of all the four yards. 



" I liave used it successfully, jnit on in a large 

 quantity, in destroying weeds on approach roads : 

 but it must be done annually, to have the effect of 

 keeping such constantly clean. I would not re- 

 commend its being laid on garden walks for that 

 purpose, as I lately witnessed the box edgings of 

 a garden completely destroyed by it. In paved 

 courts, or stable yards, it might be used success- 

 fully in destroying the grass, weeds, &c. ; and be- 

 ing now so cheap an article, it would be a consid- 

 erable saving compared with hand weeding. In 

 short I have a higher opinion of its destructive 

 qualities than its vivifying properties, at least as 

 far as I have seen it applied." 



J. Kenrick, Esq. of Newton, Mass., in a com- 

 munication, published in the N. E. Farmer, vol. 

 iv. p. 138, states " I dissolved a bushel of rock 

 salt in water, and with a water pot applied it on a 

 part of my nurserj', where the rows were four 

 feet apart, and the ground much inclined to weeds, 

 at the rate of 16 bushels to the acre. I also made 

 an experiment in another pait of the nursery, 

 where the soil was different, and a soft loam, by 

 sowing tv.'o bushels of coarse-fino salt, at the same 

 rate of sixteen bushels to the acre. Again 1 made 

 another trial, by sowing a single quart on a 

 square staked out, upon a knoll I had just sowed 

 with hay seed, and Indian corn for fodder, and 

 roiled down, and in the same proportion to the 

 acre. I know not what appearances may be in 

 future ; and can only say, no sort of eflV'Ct has 

 been visible as yet." 



A writer for Loudon's Magazine, vol. v. p. 444, 

 in an article dated Philadelphia, May 1828, says 

 " Common salt has been tried here on asparagus, 

 but the effects found quite otherwise than very 

 beneficial." 



It would be easy to multiply testimony for as 

 well as against the use of this article as manure ; 

 but we believe the majority of modern authori- 

 ties are against its use. 



Manuring land is ])roviding/oof/ for the vegeta- 

 bles which you intend shall grow ,om the land ma- 

 nured. You can no more feed your plants vvitli 

 salt than you could your sheep, and horses. Salt 

 is a condiment, like pepper, and spice, not an arti- 

 cle oCfood, like coHs; beef, and boiled potatoes. Salt 

 is not an article in great demand by a growing 

 vegetable, because but little of it can enter into 

 the composition of such vegetables. Vegetables 

 are composed, principally of carbon, (coaly maltir) 

 and carbon is the chief constituent of barn yard, 

 and other mamires which are most essential to 

 the growth of plants. 



Bidiimore and Ohio Rail Road A very rapid 



progress is making in this work. The amount of 

 excavation and embankment, already executed, is 

 stated to be very considerable. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PRESERVING SMOKED MEATS, &c. 



Mr Editor — A reply to the following query a 

 few weeks ago, when I was putting away my 

 smoked meat for the summer, might have been 

 useful to me ; and indeed it may yet be useful to 

 me and others. 



What is tho best possible mode of preserving 

 hams and other smoked meat from flies ? 



Yours, &c., SAM'L TYLER. 



Mlleborough, May 21, 1828. 



Remarks by the Editor. — We will mention sev- 

 eral methods, which have, we believe, been suc- 

 cessfully put in practice for the purposes stated by 

 our correspondent. 



The Hon. Thomas Gould, formerly President 

 of the Berkshire Agricultural Society, in a com- 

 nmnication pubhshed in the New England Farm- 

 er, vol. i. p. 275, observed, " Much experience 

 has enabled me to offer you a prescription for pre 

 serving smoked meat from the ravages of all small 

 animals, and pure and sound for any length of 

 time, and in any climate. It is the use of Char- 

 coal. My mode of putting down any kinds of 

 smoked meats is this : Take a tierce, or box, and 

 cover the bottom with charcoal, reduced to small 

 pieces, but not to dust ; cover the legs or pieces 

 of meat with stout brown paper, sewed round so 

 as to exclude all dust, lay them down in the coal 

 in compact order, then cover the layer with coal, 

 and so on till your business is done, and cover the 

 top with a good thickness of coal. 



The use of charcoal properly prepared in boxes, 

 is of great benefit in preserving fresh provisions, 

 butter, and fruits in warm weather, also in recov- 

 ering meats of any kind, when partially damaged 



by covering the same a few hours in the coal 



Let those whose situation requires it, make the 

 ex|)eriment on any article of food subject to de- 

 cay, and they will more than realize their expect- 

 ations." 



A Mr John Potter, whose communication may 

 be found N. E. Farmer, vol. ii. p. 5, observes " I 

 have for more than twenty years jiast ke])t meat 

 hanging up in my smoke house, through the sum- 

 mer season, and no fly, worm, or bug has injur- 

 ed it. 



" To i)revent such injury I take clear strong 

 ley made of wood ashes. I commonly boil it to 

 make it stronger than it generally runs off, then I 

 take my bacon and smoked beef, lia\ing two or 

 three gallons of the ley in a large iron kettle. I 

 take each piece of meat and dip it into the ley, so 

 that it is completely wetted with it, then I 

 let it dry — then I hang the meat in its former 

 place. By this process I have invariably found 

 that T kept the meat free from bugs and worms, 

 and no taste of ley is ever perceived, not even on 

 the outside." 



A writer for the American Farmer, (see N. E. 

 Farmer, vol. ii. p. 365,) says, " Last year not hav- 

 ing a sufliciency of salt, I packed my hams and 

 shoulders in dry oats, examined them once in the 

 summer, and found they kept as well as when 

 packed in salt. I have not seen a single .skipper 

 on bacon thus treated. It is a cheap and very 

 practicable method, no expense attending it, the 

 oats are not injured. It is very little trouble to 

 unjiack them, and it may be best to examine them 

 two or three times in the summer — it changes 

 their position. Vv^hen two pieces touch each oth- 



er they may get mouldy, but being very particular 

 to see mine well separated by the oats, not one 

 would have been injiucd if they had remained till 

 fall without being drawn." 



Another mode which is practised by many, 

 who supply Boston market, is to sew canvas, cot- 

 ton, or some other cloth tightly about the ham ; 

 then give the cloth two or three coatings of lime 

 white wash, which thoroughly protects the inclos- 

 ed article. 



MOWING. 



They who have not been in their youth accus- 

 tomed to do this work, are seldom found to be 

 able to do it with ease or expedition. But when 

 the art is once learnt, it will not be lost. 



As this is one of the most laborious parts of the 

 husbandman's calling, and the more fatiguing as 

 it must be performed in the hottest season of the 

 year, every precaution ought to be used which 

 tends to lighten the labor. To this it will con- 

 duce not a little, for the mower to rise very early, 

 and be at his work before the rising of the sun. — 

 He may easily perform half the usual day's work 

 before nine in the morning. His work will not 

 only be made easier by the coolness of the morn- 

 ing air, but also by the dew on the grass, which 

 is cut the more easily for being wet. By this 

 means he may lie still and rest himself during all 

 tho hottest of the day, while others who begun 

 late are sweating themselves excessively ; and 

 hurting their health probably, by taking down 

 large draughts of cold drink to slake their raging 

 thirst. The other half of his work may be per- 

 formed after three or four o'clock ; and at night 

 he will find himself free from fatigue. 



If the mower would husband his strength to 

 advantage, he should take care to have his scythe, 

 and all the apparatus for mowing, in the best or- 

 der. His scythe ought to be adapted to the sur- 

 face on which he mows. If the surface be level 

 and free from obstacles, the scythe may be long 

 and almost straight ; and he will perform his work 

 with less labor, and greater expedition. But if the 

 surface be uneven, cradleij', or chequered with 

 stones, or stumps of trees, his scythe must be 

 short and crooked. Otherwise he will be obliged 

 to leave much of the gra.ss uncut, or use more la- 

 bor in cutting it. A long and straight scythe will 

 only cut off the tops of the grass in hollows. 



A mower should not have a snead that is too 

 slender, for this will keep the scythe in a continu- 

 al tremor, and do much to hinder its cutting. He 

 must see that it keeps perfectly fast on the snead ; 

 for the least degree of looseness will oblige him 

 to use the more violence at every stroke. Many 

 worry themselves needlessly by not attending to 

 this circumstance. 



Mowing with a company ought to be avoided 

 by those who are not very strong, or who are lit- 

 tle used to the business, or who have not their 

 tools in the best order. Young lads, who are am- 

 bitions to be thought good mowers, often find 

 themselves much hurt by mowing in company. 



Mowers .should not follow too closely after each 

 other: for this has been the occasion of fatal 

 wounds. And when the dangerous tool is carried 

 from place to place, it should be boimd up with a 

 rope of grass, or otherwise equally secured. 



" Mr de Lisle introduced in England, the mow- 

 ing of wheat. The method is this : the scythe he 

 uses is at least six inches shorter in the blade than 

 the common scythe ; and instead of a cradle, has 

 two twigs of osier put serni-circularwise into holes 



