Vol. X.— No.l. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



THE PLOUGH. 



This itistrumnnt has held the first place among 

 the implenieiits of agiicultuie in all age-o. Noah 

 ciiltivatoil the vine and Mia<le wine inunediately 

 Hfter the flood, hut it is siipposed that grain was 

 first cultivated on the banks of the Nile, in Egypt. 

 The invention of the |)longh must have been 

 nearly coeval with the raising of grain. 'The 

 first plough,' says Jahn, in his Biblical Archaeolo- 

 gy, ' was nothing more than a stout limb of a tree 

 from which projected another shortened and 

 |)ointed limb. The further end of the longer 

 branch was fastened to the yoke and a handle 

 was added by which the plough might be guided.' 

 Mr Loudon says the plough originally use<l was 

 of the pick kind, and he gives a figure of one on 

 an ancient medal dug up at Syracuse, which re- 

 sembles a pick-axe. The letter A (alpha) is sup- 

 posed to have its shape from the jilough in the 

 most ancient form of the Greek A, one branch 

 (the beam) is twice as long as the other 'the share.) 

 Another ancient plough figured by Mr. Loudon 

 is in the fi)rm of a sharp-toed boot ; the holder 

 (a female) has one hand on the top of the boot, 

 and a beam is inserted a little above the instep. 

 The instrument now useil for plonghijig by the 

 nations of the East, is similar to those of the an- 

 cients. 



Mr Loudon remarks, that the state of ag- 

 riculture and other arts, and of machinery, in 

 the eastern countries, was not materially differ- 

 ent in the times of Moses, 3400 years ago, from 

 what it is in the same countries at the |)resent 

 day. In Persia, the lower part of the plough is 

 a long wedge-shaped thing, and the beam and 

 handle are inserted to the top of this block ; in 

 some districts the driver stands on the wedge or 

 shares. In Hindostan the i>loughs are of the 

 thick shape and are but little better than pointed^ 

 sticks. The figures of some of them resemble 

 the brush scythe of the American farmer, the 

 blade being used for a share and the handje for 

 a beam: — they are guided by a piece of wood 

 attached to the beam near the share. The Hin- 

 doo ploughs merely scratch the earih, and to ac- 

 complish, tl^c work of pulverization, the plough- 

 man repeats the operation from five to fifteen 

 times. The Chinese ploughs are simple and some 

 of them are drawn by women. 



The cnch-nt Greek plough, described by Hesiod, 

 consisted of three parts — a long block sharpened 

 at the point ; a draught-pole attarhed obliquely 

 to the upper part of the block, and extending to 

 the yoke, and plough tail to direct the implement, 

 fastened in like manner and extending back. A 

 jdougli of a similar construction is now used ini 

 Sicily. The plough of the modern Greeks has 

 a crooked share shaped like the claw of an an- 

 chor ; it is only a continuation of the sloping han. 

 die, which is large and strong. The most an- 

 cient plough used by the Romans was of ihej 

 simplest form. In the days of Virgil, this im- 

 plement had become more complicated and efti-j 

 cient. They had ploughs with and withontj 

 mould-boards ; with and without coulters ; withl 

 and without wheels ; with broad and narrow 

 pointed shares. The beam was fastened to the 

 yoke, like our cart-pole. The Romans did not 

 plough their lands in beds or ridges, as we do, 

 but the cattle always return in the same furrow. 

 The plough commonly used had no mould-hoard, 

 and this may be remarked of the ploughs of most 

 ancient, and some modern nations. — Hamp. Gaz. 



From Lorain's UusbauJry. 

 SMUT, OR FWNGOS ON EARS OF INDIAN CORN. 



If this plant be wounded by injudicious cultiva- 

 tion, or in any other way, the sap commonly ex- 

 udes from the wound, and it very often happens 

 that a fungus is formed in and grows out of the 

 part afTccted, and becomes very large. 



The size of the wound increases with the growth 

 of the fungus, and the stalk is corroded as far as 

 the fungus becomes attached to it. I have often 

 removed them, both before and after thry had be- 

 come very large. In some instances this has 

 prevented the injury that is too commonly done by 

 them. But, in general they quickly grow out 

 again, and eventually injure or destroy the fruitful- 

 ness of the plant. However, I have never known 

 extensive injury done by the fungus to a crop of 

 maize ; and but little of it would a|)pear, if the 

 plants Were not wounded by an inconsiderate cul- 

 tivation. 



MANURE. 



Farmers might make a valuable addition to 

 their farm yard manure, by digging a hole at a 

 convenient distance from their kitchen, about 

 three or four feet deep, and sufficiently wide to 

 form a common receptacle for the various matters 

 originating in, and about the house, extending a 

 paved gutter from the kitchen to it, to conduct 

 soap suds and other useless slops into it. When 

 it becomes offensive, the offending matter shouhl 

 be covered with earth. That which was thrown 

 up in digging the hole may be applied so long as 

 it lasts. Care should be taken to prevent the 

 water from without from rimning into it. The 

 receptacle may be hid from sight, by planting an 

 evergreen hedge around it, leaving an opening 

 at the back for putting in and taking out the 

 contents. ' 



From the Boston Gazette. 

 COCKROACHES. 



An alarm has been sounded in various news- 

 papers frotn different parts of the coimtry, summon- 

 ing the liege citizens of New England to unite 

 their efforts for the suppression of Cockroaches. 

 The locust plague of Egypt, it is supposed, would 

 not be more terrible than the unchecked inroads of 

 these creatures, which are said to be more numer- 

 ous during the present season, than at any previous 

 point of time. We are happy to be able to an- 

 nounce the discovery of a method of destroying 

 these intruders, at once simple and effective. It 

 is as follows: — Procure from the apothecary or 

 herb woman, a moderate quantity of that odorife- 

 rous vegetable calleil Poke Root,and boil it in water 

 until the juices are extracted, and mingle the 

 liquid with good West India molasses, or if the 

 spirit of patriotism be extravagant, with molasses 

 from New Orleans; spread the liquid in large 

 platters or soup plate.s,in the kitchen, pantry closet, 

 or wash house, or whatever apartment may have 

 been the subject of invasion, and the enemy will 

 be foun<l slain in heaps, lying by huntlreds and 

 fifties, before the following morning. 



A gentleman to whom we are indebted for this 

 information, states that he slaughtered 575 cock- 

 roaches in a single night, by means of the Poie 

 Root and Molasses, and that the root which had 

 been boiled being thrown into a closet, thickly 

 infested by the enemy, the place was quitted en- 

 tirely in a few day.*, great numbers being left dead 

 upon the field. 



EffMs of Inertia. — The following practical and fa- 

 miliar illustrations of the general law of inertia are 

 from the excellent treatise on Mechanics, by Doctor 

 Lardner and Captain Haler, recently re-publishod. 



'If a carriage, a horse, or a boat, moving with 

 speed, be suddenly retarded or stopped, by any cause 

 which does not at the same time affect passengers, 

 riders, or any loose bodies which are carried, they 

 will be precipitated in the direction of the motion ;— 

 because, by reason of their inertia they persevere in 

 the motion which they shared in comraon with that 

 which transported them, and are not deprived of 

 motion from the same cause. 



If a passenger leap from a carriage in rapid mo- 

 tion, he will fall in the direction in which the carriage 

 is moving at the moment his feet meet the ground ; 

 because his body, on quitting the vehicle, retains by 

 its inertia, the motion which it had i;i common with 

 it. When he reaches the ground, this motion is de- 

 stroyed by the resistance of the ground to his feet, 

 but is retained in the upper and heavier part of the 

 body, so that the same effect is produced as if the 

 feet had been tripped. 



When a carriage is once put in motion with a de- 

 terminate speed on a level road, the only force ne- 

 cessary to sustain the motion is that which is sufii- 

 cicnt to overcome the friction of the road ; but at 

 starting, a greater expenditure of force is necessary 

 inasmuch as not only the friction is to be overcome, 

 but the force which the vehicle is intended to move 

 must be communicated to if. Hence we see that 

 horses make a much greater exertion at starting than 

 subsequently, when the carriage is in motion ; and 

 we may also infer the inexpediency of attempting to 

 start at full speed, especially with heavy carriages. 



Coursing owes all its interest to the instinctive 

 consciousness of the nature of inertia which seems 

 to govern the motions of the hare. The greyhound 

 is a comparatively heavy body moving at the same or 

 greater speed of pursuit. The hare doubles, that is, 

 suddenly changes the direction of her course, and 

 turns back at an oblique angle with the direction in 

 whicli slie had been running. The gieyhound, una- 

 ble to resist the tendency of itc body to persevere in 

 the rapid mutioi: it had acquired, is urged forward 

 many yards before it is able to check its speed, and 

 return to the pursuit. Meanwhile the hare is gaining 

 ground in the other direction, so that the animals are 

 at a very considerable distance asunder wlien the 

 pursuit is recommenced. In this way a hare, though 

 much less fleet than a greyhound, will often escape 

 it. 



In racing, the horses shoot far beyond the winning 

 post before their course can bo arrested. 



The Magnolia. — A covered wagon richly load- 

 ed with branches of the Magnolia Glauca, or Beaver 

 tree, as it is sometimes called, made its appearance 

 in State street, Sid inst. The driver took a 

 stand opposite an Insurance Ofiice, and in a few 

 minutes was surrounded with purchasers who bought 

 liberally at the moderate price of 0^ cents for each 

 flower. They were brought from Gloucester, Cape 

 Ann, at a sheltered swampin which place they grow 

 abundantly. Speculations of this nature are very 

 rare, and wo are happy to learn that the enterpris- 

 ing man who brought them to the city was well paid 

 for his labor. 



The Magnolia Glauca is the only species of this 

 superb genus that has ever been found in our cli- 

 mate. It attains (says Bigelow) the height of a doz- 

 en feet, but is sometimes killed down to the roots in 

 severe winters. The bark is highly aromatic, and. 

 possesses meilicinal qualities. The flowers shed a 

 strong but fragrant perfume. — BoslonTranscript. 



To prestrre Cucumber plants from bugs and flies. — 

 Break offthe stalks of onions which have been set 

 out in the spring and stick ici\-jn five or sVx of them 

 in each hill of cucumbers and the bug will immedi- 

 ately leave them. It would be well after a few days 

 to renew them, but one application has frequently 

 been found to be effectual. The common chives 

 or sivcs, will have the same effect with the ouioa.. 



