VOL. XII. NO. 35. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



197 



POPULAR. EliROUS IN MEDICINE. 



BY AN EDINBURGH PHYSICIAN. 



A very common practice in eating such fruit as 

 cherries is to swallow the stones, with the vague 

 notion that these promote digestion. No error 

 Can he more fatally absurd. Many cases have oc- 

 curred where such practices have been the cause 

 of death, and that of a most excruciating nature. 

 One instance is on record of a lady who died in 

 great agony after years of suffering, and the cause 

 was found to be several large halls- found in the 

 intestines, accumulated around clusters of cherry- 

 stones. The husks of gooseberries are often swal- 

 lowed with the idea that they prevent any bad ef- 

 fects from the fruit. On the contrary, they are 

 the most indigestible substance that can be swal- 

 lowed, and pass the stomach without any change, 

 although they cause excessive irritation, and not 

 unfrequontly inflammation in the bowels. 

 ' Many people put great faith in the wholesome- 

 ness of eating only of one dish at dinner. They 

 suppose that the mixture of substances prevents 

 easy digestion. — They would not eat fish and flesh, 

 fowl and beef, animal food and vegetables. This 

 seems a plausible notion, but daily practice shows 

 its litter absurdity. What dinner sits easier on 

 the stomach than a slice of roast or boiled mutton, 

 and carrots or turnips; and the indispensable po- 

 tato ? What man ever felt the worse of a cut of 

 cod or turbot followed by a beef-steak, or a slice 

 of roast beef and pudding? In short, a variety of 

 wholesome food does not seem incompatible at 

 meals, if one do not eat too much — here the error 

 lies. 



It is a common practice with bathers, after hav- 

 ing walked on a hot day to the seaside, to sit on 

 the cold damp rocks till they cool before going 

 into the water. This is quite erroneous. Never 

 go into, the water if over-fatigued, and after pro- 

 fuse and long-continued perspiration ; but always 

 prefer plunging in while warm, strong and vigor- 

 ous, and even with the first drops of perspiration 

 on your brow. There is no fear of sudden transi- 

 tions from heat to cold being fatal. Many nations 

 run from the hot bath, and plunge naked into the 

 snow. What is to be' feared is sudden cold after 

 exhaustion of the body, and while the animal 

 powers are not sufficient to produce a reaction or 

 recovery of the animal heat. 



There is a favorite fancy of rendering infants 

 and farther advanced children hardy and strong, 

 by plunging them into cold water. This will cer- 

 tainly not prevent strong infants from growing 

 stronger, but it will and often does kill three chil- 

 dren out of every five. Infants always thrive best 

 with moderate warmth and a milk-warm bath.-^- 

 The same rule applies to the clothing of infants 

 and children. No child should have so slight 

 clothing as to make it feel the effects of cold — 

 warm materials, loose and wide made clothing, and 

 exorcise, are all indispensable for the health of 

 little ones. But, above all things, their head should 

 be kept cool, and generally uncovered. 



Many people so laud early rising as would lead 

 one to suppose that sleep was one of those lazy, 

 sluggish, and bad practices, that the sooner the 

 custom was abolished the better. Sleep is as ne- 

 cessary to man as food, and as some do with one 

 third of the food that others absolutely require, so 

 live hours' sleep is amply sufficient for one, while 

 another requires seven or eight hours. Some men 

 cannot by any possibility sleep more than four or 

 five fours in the twenty-four ; and, therefore, true 



to the inherent selfishness of human nature, they 

 abuse all who sleep longer. No man should be 

 taunted for sleeping eight hours if he can. 



Many people do not eat salt with their food, and 

 the fair sex have a notion that this substance 

 darkens the complexion. Salt seems essential for 

 the health of every human being, more especially 

 in moist climates such as ours. Without salt, the 

 body becomes infected with intestinal worms. — 

 The case of a lady is mentioned in a medical jour- 

 nal, who had a natural antipathy to salt, and never 

 used it with her food ; the consequence was, she 

 became dreadfully infected with these animals. A 

 punishment once existed in Holland, by which 

 criminals were denied the use of salt ; the same 

 consequence followed with these wretched beings. 

 We rather think a prejudice exists with some of 

 giving little or no salt to children. No practice 

 can be more cruel or absurd. 



AIR HOLES. 



" Imperial Caesar, dead, and turned to clay, 

 May stop a hole, to keep the wind away." 



It is not uncommon to hear windows rattling 

 in their frames, when two wedges iu each, cut 

 with a pen-knife, will do the service that the 

 rhymes anticipate from great Caesar's body. It 

 makes no difference to comfort and very little to 

 good taste, whether a room has one orifice ns large 

 as may be made by the passage of a twenty-four 

 pound ball, or fifty unsoldered chinks, that admit 

 an equal current of cold air. A good fire may 

 warm a tight room ; but the outward air cannot be 

 warmed by flames less than those of Moscow. 



" List, list, O list" — list your doors, and caulk 

 your floors and windows, all ye who complain of 

 winter, because it is cold, or fuel, because it is 

 dear. Carry a taper around your walls, and 

 wherever its flame is waned by a breath of wind, 

 put in a little cotton. It will be good both for 

 you and the poor cotton planter. Let not the 

 wind whistle through your key holes ; it is dismal 

 music — and for our nerves it has too many shakes. 

 — Boston Couriir. 



From the Geriesee Farmer. 

 GRAND ISLAND. 



The reader who has been so often pleased 'and 

 instructed by our highly valued correspondent, 

 Ulmus, (Lewis F. Allen, Esq.) may remember that, 

 in reply to a call to write under his own proper 

 signature, from Dan Bradley, Esq. which he de- 

 clined on the ground that be was not a practical 

 farmer, he said, that he " hoped one day to have a 

 fine farm, well stocked with good hoists, oxen, 

 and sheep, and a good yard of poultry." We are 

 happy to learn from the following notice in the 

 Buffalo Journal, that he is in a fair way to have 

 his wishes gratified ; and wc hope that we shall 

 continue to receh'e the productions of his gifted 

 pen, and the results of his experience as a practi- 

 cal farmer: 



Grand Island. — This large and fertile island, 

 in the Niagara River, containing nearly 18,000 

 acres, has, we understand, been nearly all pur- 

 chased by our fellow-citizen, L. F. Allen, Esq. in 

 connexion with the Hon. Stephen White, and some 

 other wealthy capitalists of Boston. We learn 

 that it is their intention to cut up for exportation 

 the extensive forests of White Oak Ship Timber 

 that abound upon it; and for that purpose they 

 have already in employ about 100 men anil teams, 

 eating houses, a store, workshops, Sic. A large 



steam saw mill, with an engine of SO horse power, 

 and calculated to drive fourteen setts of saws, and 

 a pair of mill-stones is about to be erected, which 

 is intended to go into operation early in the spring. 

 The engine was manufactured at the extensive 

 establishment of Gibson, Grayson &. Co. of Black 

 Koek. The village which they are building up is 

 on the eastern shore, nearly opposite Tonawanta ; 

 and the easy access from it to the Erie Canal, and 

 the facilities of approach from Buffalo, by water 

 at the distance of 8 miles, give it facilities enjoyed 

 by hut few places, in our neighborhood, and must 

 soon render it an important acquisition to the busi- 

 ness of our thriving city. 



This valuable property has lain dormant and 

 almost forgotten, since the renowned Jewish city 

 of Ararat was founded by Judge. Noah, on the 

 very site of which the present proprietors are 

 erecting their establishment. Aside from the tim- 

 ber on the island, the soil is said to he of the first 

 quality for agriculture : and as it is the intention 

 of the proprietors to clear the land and improve it, 

 as the timber is cut away, it will shortly add its 

 teeming fields and abundant harvest to our view. 



Yet this is but another result, derived from the 

 formation of the grand artery through our great 

 state, and diffusing wealth and happiness to mil- 

 lions. But for the Erie canal, our magnificent 

 forests would be considered a worthless load upon 

 the earth that bore them ; but now they are valua- 

 ble objects of export to the Atlantic states, and 

 annually add a vast increase to the wealth of the 

 western country. Most heartily do we welcome 

 the approaches of our Boston brethren, into this 

 region, and hope that an enterprise so valuable to 

 ourselves, may be most advantageous to them. 



GRAPES. 



The West Chester, Penn. Register says that a 

 vine is growing in the garden of Mr. Darlington of 

 West Town, which bore grapes the present year, 

 of which one measured 3i inches in circumfer- 

 ence, and weighed 122 grains (about 47 grapes to 

 the pound.) He has another vine that was trans- 

 planted in the spring of 1827, from which were 

 gathered 3057 branches, many of which were 

 from 9 to 11 inches long, with a branch from the 

 upper part of tbe bunch, nearly half as large as 

 the main hunch. The last mentioned is a native 

 or chicken grape. 



ON SALTING PORK. 



As the season for salting pork has arrived, we 

 would reccommend it to those who wish a fine ar- 

 ticle next summer, to salt theirs without any bone 

 in it. This requires hut little extra labor, which 

 is abundantly compensated for in the superior qual- 

 ity of the article. The boms may all he taken out 

 with but little flesh upon them and that when 

 cooked fresh makes some of our best dishes. Who 

 is there that is not fond of a fine spare rib when 

 roasted ? and yet that very part, when salted, 

 would be but indifferent. The action of salt upon 

 the benes has a tendency to give to pork, when salt, 

 ed with them a different flavor from that in whiih 

 diey were all extracted. Be very careful not to 

 put pieces in the barrel that have blood upon them. 

 Use plenty of salt; that which remains undissolved 

 will do for another year. Saltpetre is rather inju- 

 rious to pork than otherwise, and should never Le 

 used by those that wish it in the greatest perfec- 

 tion. — Genetee Farmer, 



