Vol. XI.-No. 2. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



11 



so as to make it produce colors equal in beauty to 

 those obtained directly from the bark itself. ]f 

 the evaporation be carried on rapidly, and the heat 

 be too great, the color is tarnished, probably, as 

 Dr Bancroft conjectures, from the absorption of 

 oxygen, the color thus undergoing a sort of semi- 

 combustion. On the other hand, if the evapora- 

 tion be conducted too slowly, the coloring inalter 

 suffers another change, and soon spoils by keep- 

 ing. The decoction of quercitron is of a yellow- 

 ish brown color, which is darkened by alkalies, 

 and brightened by acids. A solution of alum be- 

 ing added to it, separates a small portion of the 

 coloring matter, which subsides in the form of a 

 deep yellow precipitate. The solutions of tin 

 I>roduce a more copious precipitate, and of abeau- 

 tifid, lively, yellow color. Sulphate of iron caus- 

 es a copious olive precipitate ; sulphate of copper, 

 a yellow of an olive cast. To dye wool, it is suf- 

 ficient to boil the quercitron with an equal 

 weight of alum; in dipping the stuii' the deej)est 

 sliatle is given first, and afterwards the straw col- 

 or : to enliven the tint the stuff may be passed, in 

 coming out of the dye through water whitened 

 with a small portion of chalk; but a brighter col- 

 or is obtained by means of a solution of tin. 

 Quercitron ma)' be substituted for woad, in im- 

 parting all the shades of yellow to silk. It is 

 highly valuable as an article of conmierce, which 

 has often been sold at $40 or $50 a ton. Large 

 quantities are aimually exported into Europe frojn 

 the ports of the Middle States. 



A valued correspondent has favored us with the 

 following letter lately received by liTm from an 

 eminent agriculturist in Maine. 



Dear Sir — I have the pleasure to send you 

 two extracts from a late English publication, rt- 

 garding some objects, which may be introduced" 

 into our gardens, not only by means of the offi- 

 cers of our agricultural societies, but of various 

 individuals here, who have avocations in Eng- 

 land. If those who make tivo plants grow where 

 only one grew before render service to the pub- 

 lic, those who introduce valuable new plants may 

 also claim some merit ; and it is with this view 

 that the inclosed extracts are forwarded, that you 

 may procure an insertion for them in the New 

 England Farmer, of which the circulation is de- 

 servedly so extensive. 



I am, dear sir, yours with respect. 



tember, 162G ; and the individual fruits referred to, 

 were the produce of the society's garden that 

 season. 



VEGETABLE MARROW. 



Vegetable Marrow, (cucurbita succada) is a very 

 important gourd ; and though it lias been but late- 

 ly introduced into this country, (England) it is al- 

 ready cultivated to a considerable extent. It is 

 straw colored, of an oval or elongated shape; and 

 when full grown, attains the length of about nine 

 inches. When very young, it eats well fried in 

 butter; when half grown, it may be cooked in a 

 variety of ways, and is peculiarly soft and rich, 

 having an oily and almost an animal flavor. When 

 fully matured, it may be made into pies, for which 

 purpose it is much superior to any of the other 

 gourds. But it is in the intermediate or half 

 grown state only, that it deserves its conuiion ap- 

 pellation of vegetable marrow. The vegetable 

 marrow gourd is a native of Persia, but if the soil 

 on which it is placed be rich and warm enough, 

 it thrives very well with us in England, in the 

 open air. 



" I have been able, (says Mr Sabine,) to obtain 

 but very imperfect accounts of the origin of this 

 goiu'd. It was certainly new in this country with- 

 in a few years, and I think the most probable ac- 

 count, (of the many that I have heard) of its in- 

 troduction, is, that the first seeds were brought 

 here in one of our East India ships, and came 

 probably from Persia ; where, as I am told, it is 

 known, and called deader. Its cultivation is easy." 



If any other kind of gourd grow in the neigh- 

 borhood, no reliance can be placed on the good- 

 ness of the seed of the vegetable marrow. 



and studied the diseases to which each portion of 

 his beautiful and complicated fabric is liable, to 

 hear those grave observations on ails and food, 

 which have originated in ignorance, and which 

 have been propagated from generation to gener- 

 ation, without truth and without judgment. 



Acid drinks and acid fruits, the present and the 

 ensuing months, are the real sanatives of health, 

 and no prejudice should prevent their use. These 

 should not be denied to children, when their ap- 

 ])etite craves and their nature require that, which 

 nature ordained for their consumption. Eat or be 

 eaten is one of the first laws of animal life ; eat 

 those things which were designed for food, but bo 

 temperate ; and health will be promoted, strength 

 will be accumulated, and a long and comfortable 

 life may reasonably be anticipated. 



Pulmonary consumption, that insidious disease, 

 which is continually sweeping from existence the 

 fairest flowers of earth, those interesting objects of 

 our care, those solaces of man in weal and wo — 

 women — and often in the very morning of their 

 days, when jouth and beauty heighten all their 

 innate charms, has often had an origin in some 

 false management in diet. Women of delicate 

 constitutions should habituate themselves to a va- 

 riety of edibles ; they should try to live on almost 

 every thing which has a place in cookery and suits 

 their stomach, and its tone, however delicate, will 

 soon acquire new and vigorous powers. Pain in 

 the side, the invariable concomitant of some irreg- 

 ularities in the primfe vise will oftener yield to a 

 generous and nutritious mode of living, than to 

 boluses and powders. To be well, eat well, and 

 almost anything which relishes the best ; but still 

 remember temperance. 



From tlic Library of Entertaining KnowleiJge. 



VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



Melons. — The melons of Persia have long borne 

 a high character. " Persia," says Make Brun, 

 (writing after Chardin, Olivier, and Langles) "is 

 consoled for the occasional failure of her grain 

 crops, by the fineness of her fruits. There are 

 twenty sorts of melons: the finest are in ICho- 

 rassan. In Persia, this fruit is extremely succu- 

 lent, and contributes greatly to health : they are 

 sometimes so large, that three or four are a full 

 load for a man." 



It was not till lately that the seeds of melons 

 were received in England direct from that coun- 

 try- In 1834, Mr Willock, (the Ambassador to 

 the court of Persia,) sent a parcel of seed : and 

 another parcel in the spring of 1826. An account 

 of ten varieties of these melons, by Mr Lindley, 

 was read before the Horticultural Society, in Sep- 



From the Boston Medical Intelligencer. 



As fruits become plenty, children become vic- 

 tims of diseases of the bowels ; but not so fre- 

 quently in consequence of using it too liberally, 

 as from being permitted to indulge their appetites 

 with it when in a crude state ; ripe fruit seldom 

 injures any body ; it was made for man, and a 

 kind Providence has bestowed it ,upon us at that 

 peculiar season, when, in fact, it is not only ne- 

 cessary, but when it is in its greatest perfection ; 

 and those who use it freely, if only ripened well, 

 will generally enjoy the best health. Eastern na- 

 tions have no such erroneous notions about fruit, 

 as have crept into the pericraniiims of our moth- 

 ers and nurses ; nor is there any evidence of its 

 injurious eflects on tbe health of individuals of any 

 grade, in the West Indies, where the inhabitants 

 could not subsist without it. 



Apples, pears, peaches, melons, &c, should be 

 served up on the table, every day, while they are 

 good, and whenever, in our climate they are no 

 longer suitable, and wwuld prove detrimental to 

 health, by interrupting the ordinary functions of 

 the system, nature invariably admonishes us of 

 the danger, not only by lessening the abundance, 

 but also by the diseases which are resulting from 

 a continued use of them at improper times. Peo- 

 ple are governed in this enlightened age, by art 

 "and abitrary customs, rather than by that sage 

 philosophy which results from reason and experi- 

 ence. It is ridiculous as well as provoking, in the 

 estimation of those physicians who have a com- 

 prehensive view of the structure, habits, and con- 

 stitution of original beings, and who have exam- 

 ined the machinery of man with a microscopic eye, 



It is said to be a fact, that in Paisley in a single 

 day, the Cholera was conquered and driven, out of 

 the place. Every house was white washed, every 

 gutter was cleansed, every spoonful of filth was 

 removed in every vault, sink, or out house of ev- 

 ery description. The disinfecting agents were 

 freely used, and the fire engines completed the 

 process by thoroughly washing every square inch 

 of smface in the town. The destroyer passed by, 

 for it could find no place to light upon. Burning 

 tar and firing cannon are also said to be effica- 

 cious. There are few places in the Union appar- 

 ently more neat than Portland is at present — but 

 is there not a great deal of dirt out of sight ? 

 Many vaults untouched — many sinks unlocked at ? 

 Life is the reward of attention and cleanliness. 

 Death is the penalty. What stronger or sterner 

 inducements can we have! — Portland Advertiser. 



Preparation for cleaning Plate. — Take four 

 balls of the finest whiting, crumble it to a fine 

 powder, the finer the better ; two pennyworth 

 each of spirits of wine and camphor, spirits of 

 hartshorn and spirits of turpentine, half an ounce 

 of quicksilver, and a pennyworth of rose pink ; 

 put the (luicksilver into a i)bial, with about half 

 the turpentine, and shake it till the quicksilver be 

 killed, then mix all the ingredients together, and 

 the whole is fit for use. (The quicksilver and a 

 little turpentine should be first beat up with a 

 skewer or fork, in a large cup, till it becomes 

 thick as a salve.) After it is thus made, it should 

 be suflered to grow dry, a little of it being wetted 

 with water when used. The mixture is to be rub- 

 bed on the plate with sol't leather, which becomes, 

 better for use. 



