NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BV GEO. C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the Agricultural Warehouse.)— T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL. XII. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 6, 1833. 



NO. 17. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



For tit' New Englajwl Farmer. 

 POTATO BLOSSOMS. 



Ma. Fessendem — Sir, In the 5th vol. page 373 

 of the N. E. Farmer, you uotice the statement of 

 a writer in the Farmer's Magazine, a British pub- 

 lication, who among several other fine things, as- 

 serts "that in the drills where the flowers (mean- 

 ing the potato hlossoms) were gathered as soon as 

 they appeared the crop was doubled, to what it was 

 where the apples were allowed to come to maturi- 

 ty." You published this statement in 1827. I 

 believe it had been previously published by Mr. 

 Knight, that plucking off the potato blossoms 

 would greatly increase the crop. 



The present season I tried the experiment ; and 

 I will now give you the result. 



I planted twelve rows of the Chenango potatoes 

 all in drills of exactly sixty five feet in length. 

 Without any preference I drove a stake at the 

 head of one of the rows, and from that row I care- 

 Fully cropped the blossoms from day to day as they 

 appeared. Last week 1 dug them, and from the 

 row from which I plucked every blossom, I gath- 

 ered 330 large, handsome Chenangoes fit for 

 steamer — also 146 small ones fit only for my cow. 

 One adjoining row from which no blossoms were 

 taken produced 354, equally large and fit for the 

 steamer, together with 129 small ones. The other 

 adjoining row, from which no blossoms had been 

 taken, produced 366 equally large and fine, to- 

 gether with only 92 small ones. So that my lai !, 

 with exactly the same cultivation I have no doubt 

 produced at least 8 per cent, more potatoes, reck- 

 oning large and small, by leaving nature to herself 

 I pray you, sir, to recommend the same expert 

 ment to be tried by others, the next vear, witl 

 different sorts of potatoes. Inquirer. 



Charlcstown, Oct. 25th. 



From the New York Farmer. 

 SALTPETRE. 



It is with no small degree of surprise that 1 

 observe in your paper a communication from Prof 

 Rafinesque, in which the use of Saltpetre, for the 

 purpose of preserving meat, is condemned in th« 

 strongest terms. A communication from such i 

 source will be received by a great mass of th< 

 community as fact, without inquiring whether i 

 be so or not; and as the article in question is mos 

 palpably erroneous, I feel it to be due to the pub 

 lie that its errors should be exposed. In the firs 

 place it is stated that " the part of saltpetre absorb 

 ed by the meat is nitric acid or aquafortis, a deadli 

 poison," than which nothing can be more errone- 

 ous. If Prof. K. can decompose nitrate of potasa 

 (saltpetre or nitre) by means of animal muscle, be 

 has gone one step further in chemistry than aiy 

 other person. On the same principle may we say 

 that common salt is decomposed, and that the pa't 

 which enters the meat is muriatic acid, as power- 

 ful a poison nearly as aquafortis. Mr. Rafinesqte 

 states that he " never could understand why tlis 

 substance was added to common salt in cur jig 

 meat, except that it is said to make it look betw." 

 As this is not the object of the nitre, I will brfefly 

 state its use. By the addition of a small quaitity 

 of it, the meat is prevented from absorbing a far 



greater amount of common salt, while at the same 

 time, it is equally as liable to " keep," and in con- 

 sequence of this diminished quantity of salt, the 

 meat is rendered more tender, and retains its ori- 

 ginal sweetness to a far greater degree than it 

 otherwise would. I would not, however, recom- 

 mend a large quantity of saltpetre, as it would 

 thus prove injurious instead of beneficial. About 

 four ounces to every 100 lbs. of meat will be amply 

 sufficient. At the same time a small quantity of 

 refined sugar will materially add to its sweetness. 



The very respectable source of the communica- 

 tion referred to above has induced me to be some- 

 what more lengthy in my remarks than I other- 

 wise would have been, but I trust that the impor- 

 tance of the subject will be a suflicieiit apology. 



Medicus. 



Ft om GoodseWs Genesee Farmer. 

 DOCTOR ANDERSON'S MODE OP KEEPING 

 MILK AND BUTTER. 



The pernicious method of keeping milk in lead- 

 en vessels, and salting butter in stone jars, begins 

 to gain ground in this country, as well as else- 

 where, from an idea of cleanliness. The fact is, 

 it is just the reverse of cleanliness ; for, in the 

 hands of a careful person, nothing can be more 

 cleanly than wooden dishes : but, under the man- 

 agement of a slattern, they discover the secret 

 when stone dishes do not. In return, these latter 

 communicate to the butter and the milk which has 

 been kept in them a poisonous quality, which in- 

 evitably proves destructive to the human constitu- 

 tion. To the prevalence of this practice I have 

 no doubt (says the Doctor,) we must attribute the 

 frequencies of palsies, which begin to prevail so 

 much in this kingdom ; for the well known effect 

 of the poison of lead is debility, palsy, — leath ! 



From GoodseWs Farmer. 

 TO MAKE SALT BUTTER FRESH. 



Put four pounds of salt butter into a churn 

 with four quarts of new milk, and a small portion 

 of arnotto. Churn them together, and in about an 

 hour take out the butter, and treat it exactly as 

 fresh butter, by washing it in water and adding 

 the customary quantity of salt. This is a singular 

 experiment. The butter gains about three ounces 

 in each pound, and is in every respect equal to 

 fresh butter. It would be greatly improved by the 

 addition of two or three ounces of fine sugar, in 

 powder. A common earthen churn answers the 

 same purpose as a wooden one, and may be pur- 

 chased at any pot shop. 



From the American Farmer. 

 THE MOON. 

 It has been a question with us whether a peri- 

 odical would not be as usefully employed in dissi- 

 pating error as in disseminating information. As 

 it respects the influence of the moon on the weath- 

 er, on crops, &c, we have no doubt that the gen- 

 eral belief in it has done as much harm to the ag- 

 ricultural interest, as any other evil with which 

 farmers and planters have to contend. How of- 

 ten do farmers omit a favorable season to plant a 

 crop of potatoes, &c, because it is not 'the right 

 time of the moon.' Many people will not kill 



hogs or beef, unless at a particular time of the 

 moon. And when the 'right time of the moon' 

 does come, it is at least an equal chance, that the 

 state of the weather will not admit of these oper- 

 ations, or some other more necessary business must 

 be performed, and of course they must be put off' 

 until the moon comes round again to the proper 

 'time.' Almost every body can tell what weather 

 we are to have for the next four weeks, by looking 

 at the new moon, and lay out their work accor- 

 dingly. If the horns of the new moon are per- 

 pendicular, they say we are to have a wet moon, 

 and at haying and harvest time, many a good crop 

 is saved by the prompt advantage taken of every 

 clear day ; because, say they, we shall have few 

 such days this moon. This, to be sure, is a very 

 useful error; hut its opposite more than balances 

 the account. When the new moon shows her 

 horns in a horizontal position, somewhat like a 

 section of a bowl slightly inclined upon its side, 

 then they say we shall have a dry moon, and the 

 hay and crops are neglected, because 'we shall 

 have plenty of dry weather this moon.' Now 

 there is no 'old saw' more useful to farmers, than 

 the good old adage — 'make hay while the sun 

 shines;' which means, do whatever you have to 

 do, and can do, to-day, and let the moon mind 

 her own business, as yon may be sure she is in- 

 clined to, if you will only let her alone — she cares 

 no more for your potatoes and pork, and exercises 

 no more influence over your operations, 'than the 

 man in the moon.' 



SAUERKRAUT, OR SALTED CABBAGE. 



It is only 10 or 15 years since this article was 

 introduced on board British ships of war, as an 

 article possessed of valuable anti-scorbutic proper- 

 ties. Experience proving it to be valuable for the 

 above mentioned qualities, it is still retained in 

 their supplies. It has long been in use on board 

 of German and Dutch national vessels, as well as 

 merchant ships, the crews of which even during 

 the longest voyages, remain perfectly free from 

 scorbutic complaints. From time immemorial it 

 has formed a favorite standing dish to the robust 

 inhabitants of the north of Europe during their 

 long and rigorous winters. It is recommended by 

 cheapness, savor, salubrity, and simplicity of pre- 

 paration. Cabbage should be taken that has sus- 

 tained two or three white frosts previous to its 

 being gathered. Sound compact heads should be 

 chosen ; the green and imperfect leaves should be 

 carefully removed, each head divided, and the 

 stalk cut out, then sliced fine with an instrument 

 made for the purpose ; a suitable tub, barrel shaped, 

 should be prepared. After cutting, it should be 

 salted with the proportion of a pint of fine salt to 

 the bushel of cabbage, well intermingled, which 

 may then be gradually packed in the tub pressing 

 it continually with an appropriate wooden rammer. 

 It should then be covered with a circular board 

 two inches less in diameter than the tub, and a 

 weight of 20 or 30 lbs. placed on it. In two 

 weeks it will undergo the acetous fermentation, 

 when it will be fit for use. Attention should be 

 paid to it every week to skim the froth from the 

 brine, to wash the board, stone, and sides of the 

 tub. When Sauerkraut is taken out of the tub to 



