vol.. XTV. NO. 3«. 



Ax\D HORTICULTURAL REGISTER, 



•283 



method of stnyiiifr the pln^iio, and of rendei-in;4' this 

 clement of desolation and dospnir a source of ivcalth 

 and population. He formed and execntoi! the [)ro- 

 ject of coverino; these movinj^ hills with forests of 

 pine (le Pin marHimeJ the roots of 'vhich, by con- 

 glomeratin? to{;ether these lifrht particles, and 

 forming; them into heaps of solid enrlh, niifjht fix 

 them permanently in their place, and arrest their 

 further progress. 



Fifteen thousand hectares are now covered with 

 the pine: those plantations which date from the 

 time when Bren)ontier began his operations, now 

 present to the eye, in place of the desolate sand 

 hills, majnifjcent forests, wavinij majestic above 

 the restless ocean. 



The Dimes e.vtend sixty Icayiies, liein^' in breadth 

 from three quarters of a league to three leagues : 

 the hills are intersected by vallies, called in tlie 

 country Ledes. 



The trees are raised from seeds, cast on the spot 

 on which they are intended to grow — they are not 

 transplanted: when the seed is sown, the moving 

 of the light sand is prevented by covering the 

 ground with brambles or young pine branches, fif- 

 teen hundred faggots of these being necessary to 

 cover one hectare : the seeds are sown thick, and 

 when the young plants are of seven or ei^ht years, 

 the first thinning is made. If there were any means 

 of cheap transport, these thinnings, sold at Bordeaux, 

 would be e.Ntremely profitable. After this thinning, 

 the remaining plants grow with increased vigor, 

 and in ten years reach the height of filteen to twen- 

 ty feet; at the end of twentyfive years they pro- 

 duce turpentine. A hectare of pines produces this 

 article to the value of from 25 to GO francs, (that is 

 from £1 to £2 Ss. sterling,) according to the age of 

 the plants, — -a pretty cojisiderable profit from what 

 was once an unprofitable, and worse than unprofita- 

 ble desert. 



* # » # # 



The infinite teeming earth seems, even now, but 

 to be beginning to open her riches ; man is yet 

 only guessing at the powers of the mighty mother — 

 only gathering the first scanty fruits of the wealth 

 lying hidden in her bosom, as the reward of sci- 

 ence, exertion, enlightened benevolence and peace." 



AGRICULTURAL READING. 



It may easily be shown tliat there is no single 

 occupation or business in life, where extensive 

 knowledge is more necessary than it is to a full 

 understanding and proper practice of agriculture. 

 There is none so intimately blended with all the 

 important branches of the natural sciences iis this ; 

 none to which geology, chemistry, botany and ento- 

 mology, are such important contributors and invalu- 

 able auxiliaries. The earth, the air, are full of in- 

 struction to the farmer ; the pebble, leaf, insect ; 

 the composition and decomposition of matter and 

 its causes, are all before him, all constantly goinu 

 on around him, all inviting attention as part of the 

 processes he must produce if he is a successful cul- 

 tivator of the soil. He must read: and if he feels 

 the value of knowledge himself, he will be propor- 

 tionably anxious that those around him, his neio-h- 

 boring farmers, his friends, should read also. A 

 community of knowledge constitutes one of the 

 strongest ties thatcan bind society to^'ether ; what- 

 ever may be the topic, it is a bond of feeling and 

 interest not easily broken or destroyed. An intel- 

 ligent practical man may change the whole course 

 of agriculture 111 a neighborhood, and give an im- 



pulse to its prosperity, which may endure long after 

 the cause is forgotten. We have seen a man go 

 into a neighborhood of farmers, respectable men, 

 but who did not read, and felt the old fashion con- 

 tempt and aversion for those who did. 'I'his man 

 was a reader of agricultural papers, and when an 

 improvement was pointed out that his good judg- 

 ment showed was adapted to his means, his farm, 

 or his circumstances, he adopted it at once. He 

 improved his farm by draining his lands, and nearly 

 doubling the ordinary crops, by skilful cropping 

 and rotation. Ho improved his stock by purchas- 

 ing at great cost, superior animals to breed fmm. 

 His neighbors at first called him a "book farmer," 

 and sneered at his management. They soon found 

 the laugh was on the wrong side, and began lo in- 

 quire the causes. If he could get a neighbor to 

 read, his periodicals were always at their service; 

 and if he met a brother farmer, some proposition 

 was made or some inquiry started which he was 

 sure wolUI lead to useful results. Soon they found 

 agricultural papers necessary, and became subscri- 

 bers themselves; an agricultural paper has become 

 as indispensable as a political one, and its arrival 

 is always looked for with interest and pleasure. 

 The prominent farmers of that neighborhood are 

 now readers — several difl^erent publications are re- 

 ceived ; and when they meet, the comparative mer- 

 its of the different modes of husbandry are freely 

 and intelligently discussed. We would wish to 

 see such examples as this more frequently imitnted. 

 When thfy become common, it will be a proud day 

 for American agriculture. In such instances, we 

 trace the true secret of improvement, for although 

 the looker-on may at first sneer at the reader, he is 

 sure eventually to imitate first the improvements 

 he makes, and lastly his course of reading. We 

 ask it then as a favor, of every friend to agricultu- 

 ral improvement, to bring a knowledge of farming 

 periodicals lo the notice of his neighbors — let 

 them be induced to become subscribers — to read, 

 to reflect on the means of improving their cultiva- 

 tion — and a point will be gained, which will afford 

 a rational hope of rapidly increasing and permanent 

 prosperity. — Albany Cult. 



Examine your Implements It is well in this 



mouth to make a careful examination of your farm- 

 ing implements ; ascertain what are wanting, what 

 new repairs, what new ones are to be introduced, 

 &c., that all may be ready when required for use. 

 It is not good policy when the seed is sown, to find 

 you must wait until a harrow can be constructed 

 or your neighbor has done using his, before you 

 can cover it ; or when you are ready to plant or 

 mow, to find that you have hoes without handles 

 and broken snaiths to your scythes. All are more 

 or less dependent, but the practice of borrowing 

 agricultural implements should be discountenanced 

 as much as possible, since they are all so cheap 

 that where they are wanted frequently, the old ad- 

 age, that it is better to borrow than to buy, is fully 

 reversed. — lb. 



Slander is a leprosy that cleaves to all mankind. 

 Where you can find one who would willingly ar- 

 rest the progress of an evil report, there are five 

 hundred who would more willingly spread it — Anon. 



Ho who exchanges his own good opinion for that 

 of another, makes a miserable bargain. 



The strongest armor is worn inside the bosom. 



Steel Ohk. — Important Discovery. — In the town 

 of Diiane, Franl;iiu co., New York, is a vein o? 

 magnetic oxide, di.stinguislicd from the other mine- 

 rals of that region by it capacity of yielding, direct- 

 ly fnmi the process of smelting, a substance pos- 

 sessing all the physical and chemical properties of 

 manufactureil steel. From the analysis it appears 

 that the properties of the substance resulting from 

 the smelting of this mineral are inherent, and not 

 the result of any new or peculiar process of assay. 

 However little the world may be prepared to give 

 credence to the existence of such a mineral in the 

 state of an oxide, the fact is now too well establish- 

 ed to admit of skeptici.'in), and no one who will ox. 

 amine the edge tools and cutleiy of all kinds that 

 have, during the past season, been cast from this 

 mineral and sent out into most of the cities for sam- 

 ples, can do so great violence to his own senses, as 

 to doubt any longer the existence of a natiiriil steel, 

 from which, by the simple mode of moulding and 

 casting, razor blades, penknives, shears, plane irons, 

 gouges, axes of all sizes uiid descriptions, and ev- 

 ery variety of tools of the machinist and carpenter's 

 shop, are at once produced, having all the proper- 

 ties and best qualities of the purest steel. 



We have actually seen some samples of articles 

 cast out of this newly discovered ore which have 

 been brought to this city, and are intended, we be- 

 lieve, to be presented to the "National Inslitutioi:.'' 

 — JVutional Intel. 



Churning Milk in .Mexico. — We find the follow- 

 ing in the Albany Cultivator : it may be true. 



"Many patents have been granted for various 

 kinds of churns in our Yankee land, which probably 

 in most cases originated from those who were ac- 

 customed to the "good old way," but it strikes me 

 that the Mexican churn beats all your Yankee in- 

 ventions for ease, pleasure and saving of time. The 

 method, as communicated to me by Joseph Green- 

 ham, a merchant of Vera Cruz, is: to enclose two 

 tin cans in a green cow-hide, the size of them to 

 correspond to the quantity of milk: the hide will 

 shrink on drying and adhere tight to the cans, and 

 being placed one on each side of a trotting horse, 

 it has the appearance of saddle-bags. When filled 

 nearly full with milk, the Mexican has only to 

 mount the steed and ride into town from Medilin" 

 to Vera Cruz, the distance eight miles • the motion 

 of the horse effects the separation of the bu lerfrom 

 the milk, and the rider has only to pocket the cash 

 for his buttermilk and butter, and at his leisure 

 wend his way home. 



Yours, S. W. Jewett. 



IVeyhridge, Vt., Jan. 184L 



[The milk of Col. Jaques' celebrated Cream Pot 

 cows has been converted into butter during its con- 

 veyance from his farm in Charlestown to this city.] 



To destroy Rats and Mice The following hag 



been recommended for this purpose, and is worth 

 the trial : 



Take equal quantities of powdered oatmeal and 

 unslacked lime; mix them by stirring, without 

 adding any liquid, and put a small quantity in a 

 place infested by rats or mice; they will swallow 

 this preparation, become thirsty, and the water 

 which they will drink will slack the lime and de- 

 stroy them. 



Despise no one ; for every one knows something 

 which thou knowest not. 



