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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



seemed polished, and of a color more closely resem- 

 bling the new growth at the ends of branches than 

 usual ; the trees were in excellent health, and we 

 were informed that they bore superior crops to those 

 not so treated. Within the last few days we have 

 applied the soda wash to our trees, and, for the pur- 

 pose of ascertaining if so strong a solution Mould in- 

 jure the tender parts of plants, have sprinkled it over 

 the leaves of many tender shrubs ; but as yet the)' are 

 uninjured, while the inert parts of vegetables are 

 readily decomposed by it. — Working Farmer, 



STARCH FROM INDIAN CORN. 



Many of our readers arc not aware of the extent of 

 this new branch of manufacture, which we hope soon 

 to see take the place of whiskey distilleries in the 

 consumption of our great American staple, Indian 

 com. There is now in operation, at Oswego, New 

 York, a manufactory that consumes 2,000 bushels of 

 corn a week, which makes 40,000 lbs. of the whitest 

 and most beautiful starch for all domestic purposes, 

 ■whether for the laundry or pantry. The building is 

 130 by 190 feet, five stories high, (to which an addi- 

 tion is about being erected,) and contains 200 cisterns 

 for precipitating the starch, eleven furnaces with dry- 

 ing rooms, and employs aljout 70 men, and manufac- 

 tures upwards of $120,000 M-orth of starch annually. 

 There are two other similar establishments in the 

 United States, and yet the demand is constantly 

 increasing. 



It is found that this kind of starch is superior to 

 any other for culinary purposes, because it is alwavs 

 made from clean, sweet corn, the gluten of which is 

 separated by a peculiar process of grinding and wash- 

 ing, the corn being first steeped in a chemical liquor, 

 then reduced to pulp, sifted, and filtrated, and passed 

 into huge cisterns, whence it Hows through long,' 

 narrow troughs, draining off the water through coarse 

 cotton cloths. In twelve hours, the starch becomes 

 like wet clay, capable of being handled and dried, a 

 process that requires much care and a powerful heat. 

 The residue of the corn is used for feeding hogs and 

 other domestic animals. 



This is a new use of Indian corn, but one, we hope, 

 that will prove profitable to the manufacturer, and 

 induce a very large consumption of this grain, and 

 thereby increase the price to the grower. We should 

 like to have some statistics of the other corn starch 

 manufactories in the country for the pui'pose of 

 noticing them as being intimately connected with 

 the interest of the agricultural community, and the 

 object of our journal. — American AgricuUurist. 



THE TOMATO. 



This plant or vegetable, sometimes called Love 

 Apple, or Jerusalem Apple, which belongs to the 

 same genus with the potato, was first found in South 

 America. The use of this fruit as food is said to have 

 been derived from the Spaniards. It has been long 

 used also by the French and Italians. The date of 

 its introduction to this country is unknown. It is 

 said that the tomato has been used in some parts of 

 Illinois for more than fifty years. Its introduction 

 on our tables, as a culinary vegetable, is of recent 

 date. Thirty years ago, it was hardly known, but as 

 an ornament to the flower garden, and for pickling. 

 It is now cultivated in all parts of the country, and 

 found either in a cooked or raw state on most tables. 

 In warm climates it is said that they arc more used 

 than in northern, and have a more agreeable taste. 

 It is now used, in various parts of the country, in 



soups and sauces, to which it imparts an agreeable 

 acid flavor ; and is also stewed and dressed in various 

 ways, very much admu-ed, and many people consider 

 it a great luxury. We often hear it said that a relish 

 for this vegetable is an acquired one ; scarcely any 

 person at first liking it. It has, indeed, M-ithin a few 

 years, come into very general use, and is considered 

 a particularly healthy article. A learned medical 

 professor in the west pronounces the tomato a very 

 wholesome food in various ways, and advises the 

 daily use of it. He says that it is very salutary in 

 dyspepsia and indigestion, and is a good antidote to 

 bilious disorders, to which persons are liable in going 

 from a northern to a warmer climate. lie rccomraend!s 

 the use of it also in diarrhoea, and thinks it preferable 

 to calomel. The tomato is a tender, herbaceous plant, 

 of rank growth, but weak, fetid, and glutinous. The 

 leaves resemble those of the potato, but the flowers 

 are yellow, and arranged in large divided branches. 

 The fruit is of a light yellow, and a bright red color, 

 pendulous, and formed like the large squash-shaped 

 pepper. There are smaller varieties, one pear- 

 shaped variety, and also red and yellow. These are 

 eaten and relished by many from the hand. The red 

 are best for cooking ; the yellow for slicing like 

 cucumbers, seasoned with peppei-, salt, and vinegar, 

 and eaten raw. The seed should be sown in tho 

 early part of March, in a slight hotbed, and tho 

 plants set out in tho open ground in May. In pri- 

 vate grounds, it will be necessary to plant them near 

 a fence, or to provide trellises for them to be trained 

 to, in the same manner as for nasturtions ; they wiU, 

 however, do very well if planted out four feet distant 

 from each other every way. But a nice way to keep 

 the plant erect, and the fruit from the ground, is to 

 drive down four stakes, so as to make a square, sow 

 two feet each way, around the stakes. These will 

 keep the vines from falling, and expose the fruit 

 nicely to the sun for ripening. They will bear till 

 frost. — Journal of Agriculture. 



WOODEN BOOKS. 



Mr. Vattemare proposes specimens of our forest 

 trees in the form of books. In a collection of the 

 kind in Warsenstein, near Cassel, the back of each 

 volume is formed of the bark of the tree, the sides 

 are constructed of polished pieces of the same stock, 

 and when put together, a box is formed, inside of 

 which is stored the fruit, the seed, and leaves, with 

 the moss that grows upon the trunk, and the insects 

 which feed upon the tree. Every volume corresponds 

 in size, and the collection altogether, as may well be 

 imagined, has an excellent effect. — American Artisan. 



To DESTROY R.VTS. — Profcsscd rat-catchers in Eng- 

 land use the following compound, and so affected 

 are rats by this perfume that they can be taken by 

 hand with impunity. 



Powdered assafoetida, one quarter grain ; oil of 

 aniseseed, one drachm ; essential oil of lavender, one 

 scruple ; essential oil of rhodium, three drachms. 

 Mix this compound, and spread it on the bait in the 

 tra^). 



Covering for Gr.vvel Walks.— Decomposed sand- 

 stone is an excellent covering for walks, in order to 

 bind any loose material of which they may be 

 formed. Soon after its application, the surface be- 

 comes perfectly smooth, and almost as firm as a 

 flag. The walks may be swept during wet weather, 

 nearly as well as when it is dry. — Gardeners' Chron. 



