tso 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Aug. 1846 



moon and sun in regard to the earth, is the cause of 

 these changes. 



Now, it is evidently necessary to settle the first 

 question before we trouble ourselves with the sec- 

 ond; for if it should so happen that the first state- 

 ment should prove to bo destitute of foundation, the 

 second lalls to the ground. 



The question of fact here before us is one most 

 easily settled. In many meteorological observations 

 throughout Europe, a register of weather in all re- 

 spects has been kept for a long period of time. Thus 

 the height of the barometer, the condition of the 

 thermometer, the hydrometer, and the rain-guage : 

 the form and character of the clouds, the times of 

 the falling of rain, hail, and snow, and, in short, ev- 

 ery particular respecting the weather has been duly 

 registered from day to day, and often from hour 

 to hour. 



The period of the lunar phases, it is needless to 

 eay, has also been registered ; and it is, therefore, 

 possible to compare one set of changes with the 

 other. 



This, in fine, has been done. We can imagine, 

 placed in two parallel columns, in juxtaposition, the 

 series of epochs of the new and full moons and the 

 quarters, and the corresponding conditions of the 

 weather at these times, for fifty or one hundred 

 years back, so that we may be enabled to examine, 

 as a mere matter of fact, the conditions of ihe wea- 

 ther for one thousand or twelve hundred full and new 

 moons and quarters. The result of such an exam- 

 ination has been, that no correspondence whatever 

 has been found to exist between the two phenomena. 

 Thus, let us suppose that one hundred and twenty- 

 five full moons be taken at random from the table ; 

 if the conditron of the weather at these several 

 epochs be examined, it will be found, probably, that 

 in sixty-three cases there was not a change ; so that 

 under such circumstances, the odd moon in this divi- 

 sion of one hundred and twenty-five would favor the 

 popular opinion : but if another random collection 

 of one hundred and twenty-five full moons be taken, 

 and similarly examined, it will probably be found 

 that sixty-three are not attended by changes of wea- 

 ther, while sixty-two are. With its characteristic 

 caprice, the rnoon on this occasion opposes the pop 

 ular opinion. In short, a full examination of the 

 tahle shows, that the condition of the weather, as to 

 change or in any other respect, has, as a matter of 

 • fact, no correspondence whatever with the lunar 

 phases. 



Such, then, being the case, it would be idle to at- 

 tempt to seek for a physical cause of an effect which 

 is destitute of truth .*' 



IMPROVED BUCKLE. 



One of the most \'^luable improvements which we 

 have met for some time, is the " Compound Lever 

 Buckle," invented by Henry Lawrence, of Chenan- 

 go Co. N. Y. The article is intended chiefly for the 

 use of the trace or tug in harnesses, and is equally ap- 

 plicable to the heaviest or lightest draft. Its pecul- 

 iar advantages are, that it dispenses with the use of 

 the tongue, thus obviating the necessity of cutting 

 holes in the trace, and giving to it greater strength 

 and durability. Every one has noticed that a trace 

 breaks first where the tongue of the buckle goes 

 through; this is owing to the whole strain of the 

 draft coming on but a small portion of the trace, and 

 to the leather becoming rotten and weakened by the 

 holes' letting in wet. With this buckle, the trace 



can be taken up or altered to any required position, 

 and is instantly fastened with the utmost exactness, 

 to a hair's breadth. It is an article of great simplic- 

 ity, neatness and durability, and we have no doubt 

 is destined to come into general use. The patentee 

 has left one of the buckles at this office, where it 

 may be seen by those interested in such improve- 

 ments, — Albany Cultivator, 



CULTURE OF THE TEASEL. 



There are two species of the teasel; one called 

 the sylvestris, from its inhabiting woody places; the 

 other fuUanvm, referring to the class of men by 

 whom it is used, viz: the fullers. Now most per- 

 sons scarcely distinguish them apart; they regard 

 both as one, and this is not very remarkable, as they 

 look ver}' much alike: but an inspection of the hooka 

 of the scales or chaff of the flower heads will set 

 one right; the latter has hooks bent outwards, while 

 in the sylvestris they are straight. It is by the bent 

 and exceedingly fine points of these flower scales 

 or chaff that are fitted for the office in which they 

 are employed, viz: that of raising a nap upon wool- 

 en cloths; and so important are they, that not a 

 piece of broadcloth can be made without them. No 

 machine or process has yet been devised which can 

 perform this work, though many attempts have 

 been made to supply their place. The teasel forms 

 a natural family of plants by themselves. Their 

 leaves are either opposite or stand in circles (whorls) 

 around the stem. Their flowers are situated at the 

 end of the stem, and are collected in an elongated 

 oval head. Some persons probably consider them 

 as a kind of thistle; but their heads are really differ- 

 ent, though the family stands next to the great 

 family of plants known in botanical treatises as the 

 compositfe — a family in which the thistle tribe is 

 found. The teasel is a biennial plant, or requires 

 two years to come to perfection. It is hardy, be- 

 longs to the temperate climate, and bears frost well. 

 It is not difficult for thorough-going farmers to cul- 

 tivate it. It may be cultivated on almost any kind 

 of soil, provided it is not too rich; the best teasel 

 is, however, raised upon a rather stiff clayey loam. 

 The ground is to be broken up early in the spring; 

 the seed is sown in drills three feet apart, and may 

 be put into the ground any time from the first of A- 

 pril to the first of June, It is bettei", however, to 

 sow as soon as the field is sufficiently dry, as the 

 young plant is not injured by frost, should it occur, 

 and an opportunity given for a wider extension of its 

 roots, 'J'he seed, when sown early in April, will 

 require first hoeing by the middle of May, or when 

 the leaf is about two inches long. Without enter- 

 ing upon an exact detail of what is to be done, it 

 will be sufficient to state that the plant will require 

 much treatment as maize or Indian corn; or that du- 

 ring the whole period it will require to be kept free 

 from weeds. Attention so as to secure the growth 

 of the plant it; not so difficult as curing the teasel 

 and putting it in a condition for market. This part 

 of the business I will now speak of. 



It may be considered as ready for picking when it 

 has just past flowering; or when the petal (flower 

 leaf) is ready to drop. Here is an important fact to 

 be noticed; the crop must be attended to and gath- 

 ered at once; for at this stage only are the heads 

 and awns of the floral leaves sufficiently elastic and 

 tough to be adapted to the fuller's use. 



If, then, a careless farmer attempts to raise the 

 teasel, he will, ten to one, lose his crop, or let it 



