Vol. XI.-No. 1. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



3 



The gi-ovving conviction of the futility of the 

 iliiarantiiie restrictions, is to be ascriljed to the 

 belief, that the state of the atmosphere is con- 

 nected with the ])henomenon, and tliat, as "the 

 wind bloweth wlicre it listeth," all attempts to ar- 

 rest its apiiToachcs must be useless. If we could 

 determine what it is that communicates the dele- 

 terious property to the atmosphere, we should 

 iiave couic towards a remedy for the disease, al 



" An interesting experiment was tried here last 

 week, on the state of the atmosphere. A kite was 

 sent up, having attached to it a piece of butcher's 

 meat, a fresh haddock, and a small loaf of bread. 

 The kite rose to a considerable height, and re- 

 mained at that elevation for an hour and a quar- 

 ter. When brought to the ground, it was found 

 that the fish and the piece of meat were both in a 

 uutrid state, but particularly the fish ; and the loaf 



though we could not stay its irresistible and invis- Af bread, when examined through a microscope 

 ibie progress. If the atmosphere possesses thp/was discovered to be pervaded wuh legions of an-^ 

 malignant influence ascribed to it, it may arise 



from its abounding more than usually with anitnal 

 culfB, which, although they may evade detection 

 by the naked eye, may exist in suflicieut quantities 

 ro render that portion impregnated with them del 

 cterious or poisonous. That the atmosphere is 

 peopled with myriads of insects too small for de^ 

 lectiou by the naked eye, or even a good micro 

 scope, we have not the slightest doubt ; aud the 

 greater or less number of these creatures which 

 are thus mixed up with the air we breathe, may 

 constitute the difterence between a h«dthy and an 

 unv/holesome state of the atmosphere. 



From recent experiments made by same scien- 

 tific persons in London, there is reason to believe 

 that the animalculfe, called infusoria, with which 

 water abounds, assume the winged state, althougl 

 unseen, aud exist in vast quantities in the atmos- 

 phere. 



A letter which appeared some weeks since in 

 the Scotsman, is so applicable to our present pur- 

 pose, that we shall here transcribe a portion of it: 



" On my way from Haddington, the day after 

 tlie cholera appeared there, I observed the atmos- 

 phere, for miles, clouded with a small white ani- 

 mal, in color like a drop of water. I can observe 

 them here at present, with the naked eye, but not 

 in such numbers. Place yourself opposite the 

 window, and keep your eye fixed steadily on the 

 same point for a udnute, you will notice something 

 like water in the air, and then the animalcuhe will 

 become distinct, whirling and careering round in 

 all directions." 



The following passage from the Englishman's 

 Magazine, is also worth transcribing in connexion 

 with the subject: 



"During the summer of 1830, the Tartars, who 

 frequent Moscow, predicted the approach of a pes- 

 tilent malady, which the inhabitants would not 

 credit. Suddenly, how/Cver, the atmosphere was 

 filled with dense masses of small green flics, which 

 in Asia are the forerunners of pestilence, and are 

 called plague flies. The streets swarmed with 

 these insects, and as soon as the inhabitants quit- 

 ted their houses they were covered from head to 

 foot." * 



Recent French journals state, that " A very ex- 

 traordinary phenomenon has been observed at the 

 Valenciennes, in France, in the grounds of two 

 bleachers, which are more than six hundred yards 

 from each other — the linen laid out to whiten 

 has become as red as if it had been dried with blood. 

 The water with which the linen was dressed lias 

 been analyzed, and found not to contain the least 

 acid. When the cholera became extinct, this col- 

 oring ceased. A chemist of the town attributes 

 it to certain acid exhalations, from whence he sup- 

 poses the cholera proceeded." 



The following paragraph appeared a month or 

 two since, in a paper published in one of the towns 

 in the north, where the cholera was prevalent : 



imalculffi. I must have read of experiments of 

 this nature, but the results have escaped my recol- 

 lection. It may be worth while to re])eat the ex- 

 periment in other places to which the cholera may 

 unfortunately extend itself." • 



It is some consolation to know, that in general, 

 wherever the cholera has made its appearance here 

 or elsewhere, the average mortality has not been 

 perceptibly increased ; and that the disorder, par- 

 taking of the nature of Aaron's rod, has been foimd 

 to supersede or extirpate other maladies. Dr Han- 

 cox, in his judicious pamphlet on this subject, says : 



" It (the cholera) puts to flight for the time oth- 

 er mortal distempers, or at least absorbs other fa- 

 tal diseases in itself, and it so far seems to arrest 

 the mortality from other causes. 



" During the year in which the town of Alet 

 was visited by the pestilence, (says the same wri- 

 tei',) the mortality was not greater than was usual 

 in other years from different kinds of diseases, be 

 ing about three hundred, or equal to the number 

 of births; and it was remarkable, that all other 

 acute diseases vanished during the plague, and that 

 all the acute diseases partook of its character." 



Sir Matthew Tierney stated at Brighton, on the 

 authority of Prince Lieveu, the Russian Ambassa- 

 dor, that " the cholera, during its ravages at Pe- 

 tersburgh and Moscow, did not increase the mor- 

 tality beyond the average of former deaths." In- 

 deed, the Ambassador is said to have asserted, that 

 " by the oflicial returns, the number of deaths, ta- 

 ken as a whole, during the prevalence of the epi- 

 demic at Moscow, was absolutely less than in or- 

 dinary times." 



From the Ameiican Farmer. 



OLD WHEAT. 



We expect, in the course of the present year, 

 to be able to lay before our readers one of the 

 most interesting facts on the subject of wheat, that 

 has ever been published. At the present time we 

 can only say, generally, that there is now growing 

 in France a patch of wheat, the seed of which was 

 upwards of two thoxismnl years old. It was ob- 

 tained, we believe, directly from one who was an 

 inhabitant of Egypt somewhere about the year 418 

 before Christ, by some gentlemen in France ! In 

 other words, it was taken from a mummy. At 

 this time, we only know that the wheat was in ev- 

 ery i)articular the same as that of the present time, 

 and that it was planted and was growing finely at 

 the last accounts we had of it. We have made 

 arrangements to obtain all the particulars in rela- 

 tion to it, and shall immediately lay them before 

 our readers. 



This is a most interesting circimistance, and 

 adds one of the most important items to the his- 

 tory of agriculture, ever before recorded. It 

 proves conclusively, that wheat is not a factitious 

 vegetable, as has been so often and so authorita- 

 tively asserted ; and further, that it was not orig- 



inally an inferior grain and improved by cultiva- 

 tion to its present quality. 15ut, on the contrary, 

 that it has been for at least two thousand two hun- 

 dred and fifty years, exactly the same as it is now. 

 We could say a great deal on this interesting sub- 

 ject, but forbear until we have the detailed state- 

 ment from Europe. It completely annihilates, for 

 instance, one of the principal grounds of the the- 

 ory of the degeneracy of wheat to cheat ; which 

 is, that wheat was cheat originally, but by cultiva- 

 tion has been made wheat, and hence it is said, it 

 is liable to return to cheat again. 



From the Journal of Coiomercc. 



ANTIDOTE AGAINST VEGETABLE 

 POISONS. 



As this is the season when those who are ex- 

 jiosed to the various poisonous vegetables of our 

 country, are liable to lie affected by them, I think, 

 by giving the following antidote an insertion in 

 your paper, requesting its circulation by country 

 editors, that you would be the means of alleviating 

 much suffering, should the remedy be resorted to 

 in season. 



As soon as the poison manifests itself, and be- 

 fore blistering takes place, procure the roots of 

 Bell-ivort, (the Uvularia perfoliata of Botanists,) 

 clean and bruise them in a mortar to a pulp, and 

 rub the affected parts with it. Two or three ap- 

 plications will entirely cure, if taken before the 

 blistering. If this is not resorted to before the 

 skin is blistered, the antidote should be bottnd on 

 the ]iart affected, and kept moist until the heat 

 subsides. It is well to drink often of a decoction 

 of the leaves of the same, or, which is better, a 

 deooction of burdock and American sarsaparilla 

 roots. The Bell-wort is very common in this 

 country and well known to all botanists. I have 

 never known it to fail of efliecting a perfect cure. 

 AARON GILBERT. 



JVeiv Lebanon, June 18, 1832. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



USE OF PLASTER ON CORN. 



Mr N. Goodsell — Through the medium of 

 the Genesee Farmer, I wish to communicate a fact 

 to the farming community, from which some may 

 perhaps profit ; it came under my observation last 

 sunmier, and is simply this: I planted with In- 

 dian corn a field which contained about five acres. 

 This seed was all wet with soft soap and rolled in 

 plaster, except a few rows through the middle of 

 the field, which was planted dry. Both kinds 

 were treated alike, and occupied the same kind of 

 soil (sandy loam,) and the whole field had a gen- 

 tle declination to the sun. The difference between 

 the two kinds was very great. That «hich was 

 prepared with soap and plaster was a fair crop ; 

 that which was planted dry did not yield at the 

 rate of three bushels to the acre, stalks in propor- 

 tion. I am convinced plaster will liave no ene- 

 mies, if any one will give it a fair trial. 



W. P. W. 



To ascertain the Pulse of a Horse. — The Turf 

 Register gives the following directions for feeling 

 a horse's pulse, which is by applying " the palm 

 of the hand, pressing it hard, just behind the el- 

 bow of the left fore leg ! " The " ill effects of 

 rest," and the " good effects of work," are said t» 

 be exemplified in the instance of the horse. 



