vol. vii. no. as. 



AND HOKTICl'LTt UAL JOURNAL. 



221 



CDKN SHUCK MATTRESS. 



Greene County, Alabama, Dec. 19f/i, 1833. 



Mr.. II. — [ observe in thu Fanner of the 8ili 

 Nov. a request thill the " l>»-st mode of irinkin^ 

 Corn Shuck Mattresses" shall he contributed. I 

 do not know ihiit I ran give you the " best" mode, 

 lint I can give you one which answers an excellelii 

 purpose. 



Tli.i only art consists in the preparation of tin 

 shucks, the inatlresa being then made in the usual 

 way hy stitching the tick or cnveriiig in squares nj 

 12 or 14 inches, The shucks are prepared hj 

 harklimr. The harldc is made by driving iron 

 spikes, (20.1. nails) matte sharp at one end, through 

 a small piece of plank, 12 inches long and live in- 

 dies hroad. Three rows of holes, to accommo- 

 date the nails, are formed so that in drawing the 

 shuck; across them they may split the shucks in 

 dirl' rent parts, and no two nails follow each other. 

 Thus, 



When these hides are thus made, drive in the nails 

 till they project two inches above the hoard. Let 

 the board lie fastened securely to a block or bench, 

 and yon have the only instrument necessary to 

 prepare the materials. To use it requires but little 

 skill, which will he acquired by a few trials. The 

 shucks must be freed from the hard and solid pari 

 of the stalk end, to which their folds are attached. 

 Take as much as the hand can well grasp, anil 

 for-' it upon t lie hackle by pressing at each end, 

 so as to make the nails penetrate through it ; then 

 draw the shucks forcibly across it. Repeat this 

 operation, changing ends, till the shucks are splii 

 into fibres. When thus prepared they are u^n\ 

 precisely as hair is used ill mattress-making, being 

 equally distributed in every part of the tick hy a 

 loug awl, ami then stitched as above directed. 

 This is the most approved method in use among 

 us. It is cheap, simple and expeditious. 



I have used mattresses made of shucks cut 

 across in short pieces. Tbese are not so good. 

 They soon become closely compressed, and hard, 

 and uncomfortable, losing all their elasticity. When 

 made as above recommended, their elasticity con- 

 tinues fur years. I much prefer corn shucks, for 

 this reason, to the long moss, an article in very 

 general use among us. 



Shuck mattresses have one disagreeable quality; 

 they are very noisy when you move the least on 

 them. To prevent this rustling muse, F have found 

 a thin layer of refuse cotton on either side of llie 

 shucks effectual. A mattress thus made is much 

 cheaper, and in no wise inferior in comfort to wool 

 or hair mattresses. A Subscriber. 



From the Northampton Courier. 

 BLACK TONGUE. 



A c rrf.spondent has sent us the following 

 article in. relation to tins disease. 



" I noticed in your last an account of a disease 

 in horses called the " black tongue." In some 

 places in litis vicinity, not only horses, but cattle, 

 sheep, &c. .-ire attacked with this disease. — It is a 

 duly that all innkeepers owe the public, to use 

 caution about exposing the horses of their custom- 

 ers. Stalls ougbt to he appropriated for horses 

 that are affected. All grain and hay left ill llieiri 

 should he thrown away and the mangers thorough- 



ly cleansed. All mangel's under the sheds of pub- 

 lic bouses should lie frequently washed. As it is 

 easier, to prevent ifa-ilt to til re mot diseases, attcn- 

 tiou should lie paid t<> the health of horses. Their 

 bowels should be kept open by giving them a mash 

 of bran, with a small handful of salts occasionally. 

 As many of your leaders are better able to en- 

 lighten Hie public ou this subjei t than myself, I 

 shall close wiih an account of a disease among the 

 horses in Worcester Co. Maryland, in 182G, which 

 resembles the disease that prevails at the present 



lime. The account is IV a correspondent to tin 



American Farmer, as follows: — "Their tongues 

 are so dreadfully lacerated, that the power to man- 

 age their food is entirely lost. The appetite is 

 good, the respiration natural, the head Oee from 

 disease; and indeed,, with the exception of costive- 

 ness, there is no symptom of disease, independent- 

 ly of the tongue. Of this member the whole pap- 

 illary surface on the outer half, has sloughed to 

 llie depth of more than one eighth of an inch 

 within three days from the beginning of the attack. 

 If in your power to give me counsel in this mat- 

 ter, I shall be particularly obliged." The follow- 

 ing receipt for the cure of. this disease was. obtain- 

 ed by tin; editor of die American Farmer, from 

 Mr. TumlillSOll, one of the stage proprietors in 

 Baltimore. It was published in his paper in Nov. 

 1826, and is said to cure in 99 cases in 100. "On 

 the commencement of the disease, bleed moderate- 

 ly. If the blood, after cooling, appears to have 

 much hulf on it, repeat [he bleeding — give a pint 

 of castor oil — if it does not operate in 16 hours, 

 give two thuds of a pint. Nitre may be given ai 

 the rate of 2 oz. a day ; or sails two or three limes 

 a week, J lb. at a time — these may be given iii a 

 thin mash or rather slop of bran, it being the best 

 food for the animal while diseased." 



"Take half a pint of honey, one table spoonful 

 of borax and one quart of strong sage tea,, mix 

 them Well together, then take a stick and lie a suit 

 rag on the end of it ; dip it in the mixture and 

 wash the tongue, gums and mouth well ; tbe more 

 frequently the better, at least every two hours — 

 sweet milk in the tea will do no harm." This dis- 

 ease has appeared in some yards of fat cattle in 

 this vicinity. Will some of your correspondents 

 give us some account of the disease in your next. 



From the Franklin Mercury. 

 BLACK TONGUE. 



We are told by a person well acquainted with 

 these matters, that ibis disorder first appeared in 

 this country in 1820, and that the following reme- 

 dy then used and published in all the papers was 

 found an infallible one — never, in his own experi- 

 ence, having failed to effect a cure. Take 1 oz. 

 saltpetre, 1 oz. borax, 1 oz. alum, J oz. copperas. 

 Pulverize them together, put the mixture into a 

 pint of honey, and simmer the whole over a gentle 

 lire till the ingredients are entirely mingled, Adil 

 a quart of strong sage tea. — Take an elastic sink 

 2A feet long, with a linen rag fastened on the end, 

 dip it in the mixture and swab the mouth of the 

 sick horse once an hour for twelve hours. After- 

 wards apply linseed or sweet oil two or three 

 times in the same way. Then give some mild 

 physic. 



The remedy will prove equally beneficial for 

 sheep, cattle, &c. ; and judging from the analogy 

 of the past, it will be soon m e led for the latter 

 description of stock. The course followed by the 



lisorder in 1820, was from the horses to tile cut- 

 de. 



A physician has called my attention to the fart 

 that chloride of lime (m be found in all apothecary 

 -hops,) has been successfully used to purify stables, 



mil to remove glanders, farcy, gangrene, tumors, 

 &c. in horses. It is prepared for this purpose hy 



nixing a bottle of the chloride with a pail of water,. 

 washing the walls, mangers, &e. with it by means 



if a brush, anil then washing over with pure wa- 

 ter. After a thorough washing, the stable may he 

 occasionally sprinkled. In cases of tumors, glan- 

 ders, &c. it should he applied externally by the aid 

 of lint, and in France it is said to have effected 

 many cures. 



Since writing the above, we have been informed 

 by the gentleman who recommended the chloride, 

 diat he has tried it with entire success on his own 

 horse which was affected with the distemper. 



IMPORTANT TO MILKMEN. 



By a variety of experiments it has been ascer- 

 tained, that milk placed in vessels made of zinc in- 

 crease the quantity of cream beyond what can he- 

 obtained in vessels of the ordinary kind. The quan- 

 tity of butter obtained is computed at one third 

 more. — GoodsdVs Gen. Farmer. 



VALUE OP THE ERIE CANAL. 



The convention of delegates from some of the 

 southern counties of New York, which lately as- 

 sembled in the city of New York, state in their re- 

 port that the Erie canal has " added a million of 

 population and one hundred millions of value to 

 the state ! !" 



CINCINNATI. 



The greatest Hog Market in the world. The Cin- 

 cinnati Daily Advertiser says, that for the hist 

 dirce or four weeks there were not less than 50,OCO 

 hogs killed in that city, and the editor is convinced 

 that Cincinnati is " decidedly tbe first pork mar- 

 ket in the world." Quite probable ; but whether it 

 be or not, we will he among the last to dispute the 

 supremacy, or detract a single bristle from the 

 chaplct of glory. 



feTEAM ENGINES. 



From a list furnished to the editor of the Pitts- 

 burg Daily Advertiser, it appears that there are 

 now in operation in that city and its immediate vi- 

 cinity, no fewer than eighty-nine steam engines, 

 employing 2,1 11 persons, and consuming in each 

 month, 154,250 bushels of coal. — .V. Y. Commer- 

 cial Advertiser. 



NEW GRIST MILL. 



We have recently seen in operation a new grist 

 mill for bruising or grinding corn and grain, in- 

 vented by Mr. Adna L. Norcross of this town. The 

 machine which we saw in operation was of a size 

 easily to be moved from place to place. It grinds 

 very rapidly and may he set to grind coarse or fine 

 to suit the convenience of those who use it. We 

 cannot say, as has been said of some machines fi-r 

 similar purposes, that " it not only makes grain 

 better, but more of it," yet we can salely say that 

 we believe this mill to he a very valuable machine 

 which every man who feeds his cattle or horses on 

 corn or grain, would find greatly for his interctt 

 to have appended to his bam or stable. — Hailowcli 

 Me. paper. 



