Yol. XI.-No. 11. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



83 



and 18J2, a great number of lives were lost from, 

 tlie spiirretl rye being used as food, and liquor dis- 

 tilled from the rye. The great mortality was 

 chiefly confined to New York and Vermont. Up- 1 

 wards of twenty thousand victims fell a sacrifice 

 to the ravages produced by that dreadful poison. 

 Meeting after meeting of the faculty took place, 

 to endeavor to discover the cause ; and after the , 

 most mature deliberation it was discovered by one 

 party, tliat it was a poisonous miasma floating in 

 the air, confined to certain prescribed limits and 

 aftecting certain persons, more particularly those 

 that were in the habit of drinking gin : the best 

 apology for their ignorance of the true cause, the 

 ergot or spurred rye. What made their report 

 the more ridiculous was, that there was at that 

 time a fine, clear, black, hard frost, and the health- 

 iest weather that could be imagined. Blany of 

 the members were sceptical and could not be- 

 lieve the report : they thought that owing to the 

 fine weather It was impossible for the contagion 

 to exist in the air: others were of the same opin- 

 ion with tlie doctors. One of the noncontagionists 

 wrote and requested me to go to Albany, where 

 the disorder was then raging, and wished me to 

 endeavor to discover the cause of the afflicting ca- 

 lamity. On my journey from New York to Al- 

 bany, where the legislature of the slate was sit- 

 ting, I stopt at a place called Kinderhook, and 

 being cold, contrary to my usual practice, I drank 

 a glass of gin. I had not drank it many minutes 

 before it affected me as if I had taken something 

 boiling hot into my stomach. Although I imme- 

 diately took an emetic, which produced the most 

 active effects, the poison had taken so firm a hold 

 of my constitution that my throat and rectum 

 were extremely painful. I had a cold persfura- 

 tion towards the inoriung, with a pain in my bones 

 and head, whereas I was in perfect health before I 

 drank the gin. I accused the tavern-keeper of 

 putting poison in the gin ; a gentleman of the 

 town who heard me and had observed that the ha 

 bitual gin drinkers in the place had died, seconded 

 me in my charge. The landlord declared he 

 was innocent, and referred us to the distillery 

 Upon our applying, the distiller was much alarm- 

 ed at our charge of his putting poison in the gin ; 

 and added, it would be his ruin if the report got 

 abroad, in consequence of the great mortality. 

 He took a voluntary oath that he put nothing but 

 the pure grain into his gin, and invited us to see 

 the grain in the still house loft. We found it on 

 inspection badly cleaned, and probably one tenth 

 of it spurred rye, or rye vitiated by being infested 

 with the clavus or ergot. I was quite astonished 

 when I saw it, particularly as it was so well des- 

 cribed by Dr Darwin, as being a pestilential 

 scourge in various parts of Europe, producing 

 what is called by Dr Mason Good, in his history 

 of medicine, mildew mortification: in America it 

 was vulgarly called the dry rot. On dissection I 

 have observed that the windpipe and rectum were 

 80 completely parched by the action of the air 

 stimulating or attracting the effects of the poison 

 to the parts, that when pressed they would give 

 way and appear like black snuff. [ lost no time 

 in repairing to Albany. On my arrival, the in- 

 habitants were in mourning, on account of the 

 loss of their relatives and friends, some of whom 

 had risen in health in the morning, had eaten a 

 hearty breakfast, and at noon were in eternity ! 

 Such were the rapid effects of that inflammation, 

 which was ascribed by the doctors of New York 



to tlie air of Albany being charged with the damps 

 of death. The members of the assembly of the 

 state had at the time under their consideration, a 

 resolution to enable them to remove the state leg- 

 islature from Albany ; it was expected that the 

 resolution would be carried the same night, to 

 the gieat and irreparable injury of the inhabitants. 

 To the friend who was waiting for me at the ho- 

 tel, I communicated the glad tidings of having 

 discovered the cause of the disorder. He imme- 

 diately ran to the assembly room and obtained the 

 members' consent to adjoiu'n the question until 

 the following morning. The tavern where I was, 

 was soon crowded by the members and citizens, 

 all anxious to know the cause. It was no sooner 

 communicated with a detail of my own sufferings, 

 than the members searched the book shops and 

 libraries, and found to their great satisfaction, that 

 the ergot was capable of conmiitting ravages 

 upon mankind that I had represented to them. 

 One of the sceptical of the faculty, on being re- 

 quested to analyze the article, and report on the 

 subject, took a few of his acquaintances some dis- 

 tance into the country to dine at his father's farm, 

 where an opportunity offered to prove whether 

 the ergot was injurious or not, for a large quanti- 

 ty of it that had been separated from the rye was 

 given to the pigs : and from its fatal effects (as it 

 caused their death the next day) the father became 

 a convert to the opinion. A number of rats, cats, 

 and dogs, also fell a sacrifice to its effects before 

 the sceptical were convinced. — Whitlaiv on the 

 causes of Inflammation, Sfc. 



so much overlaid with British goods. Some of 

 the German merino manufacturers bought largely 

 of combing wool. 



At New York last week, the supply of fleece 

 continued limited, but appeared equal to the de- 

 mand at the advanced prices; maimfacturers pur- 

 chasing for present supply only. Holders san- 

 guine that the market would be sustained for this 

 and also for pulled lambs wool. Fine and mid- 

 dling imported Saxony scarce, and all coarse for- 

 eign wools much depressed under the influence 

 of the new Tariff. 



WOOL. 



At the Lewes Fair, 26th July, Mr Blackman 

 s'atcd that at Thetford and other fairs a very con- 

 siderable fall had taken place in the price of wool 

 — in clothing wool as much as 20 per cent. Many 

 causes operated to create this depression, amongst 

 others the existence of the cholera morbus in the 

 country. He would certainly advise the growers 

 to withhold their wool until the cloud which 

 hung over thetn had passed away. Mr Blackman 

 had about 150 fleeces, which he offered to Mr 

 Legge at Is Id per lb. Mr Legge said the wool 

 trade was in an extremely depressed state ; 14,559 

 packs had been exported to America, and for want 

 of a demand for it in that country, it had been re- 

 shipped, and poured into the London market. 

 This wool had been purchased at Is 5d and Is 

 7§d per lb. and after all the expenses incurred in 

 a journey of 10,000 miles, had been sold for Is Id. 

 Mr Legge considered from lid to ]s a fair price — 

 the wool he purchased last year he had still by 

 him. The immense quantity of foreign wool free 

 of duty must have a ruinous effect upon the home 

 market. The Americans, he feared, would hurt 

 tlie British wool grower, as he had seen some 

 samples, the growth of that country, which were 

 exceedingly good. Mr J. Ellman, Juu. said the 

 principal cause of the depression in the price of 

 wool, was the depressed state of agriculture, which 

 obliged the growers to sell at a price offered, let 

 that price be what it might. He did not intend 

 to make a price of his wool, as he should certain- 

 ly not ask more than lid or Is per lb. A few 

 sales were effected at Is per lb. on the average. 



At the Frankfort Fair, 16th July, wool, if poor 

 quality, was low ; middle and fine wools main- 

 tained former prices. German wool cloth sold 

 well ; so did Silesian and Saxony cotton goods, 

 but only at a very small profit, as the market was 



Trout and Pickerel. — A correspondent of the 

 New York Courier & Enquirer at Littleton, N. H. 

 says : Trout are getting scarce, and something 

 nuist be done to replenish the stock in some of the 

 unvisited and uninhabited waters. Some five 

 years ago there was a beautiful pond near this 

 village (Littleton, N. H.) abounding in the finest 

 Trout you ever saw. But the wiseacres wanted 

 pickerel — pickerel fishing is so fine ! So what do 

 they do, but send off to another region, buy up 

 three or four dozen healty pike — bring them here 

 — throw them into this pond, and leave them to 

 multiply ! The consequence is, that no trout are to 

 be found there noic, and only now and then a stout 

 pickerel. So nmch for ignorance of natural his- 

 tory in those who desired to be the benefactors of 

 posterity. Their pickerel have probably spread in 

 pursuit of prey. Hence the growing scarcity of 

 our mountain trout. 



Frost. — The early frosts which have occurred 

 in this vicinity within a few days, have seriously 

 affected the crops of corn. Owing to the uncom- 

 mon lateness of the spring, very little of the corn 

 had arrived at maturity, when the frost, particu- 

 larly that of Thursday night, must liave blighted 

 thousands of bushels. We heard one farmer re- 

 mark that a field of forty acres in this town, in 

 his opinion would not now yield ten bushels of 

 sound corn. In some parts of the town, ice form- 

 ed of the thickness of window glass. — Springfeld 

 Republican. 



Frost. — The corn in some towns in this county 

 and in other parts of the state was greatly injured 

 by the frost on Thursday night last. The destruc- 

 tion is far from being general ; the corn in our 

 meadows and in many other places escaped. It 

 is evident, however, that the crop of ripe corn the 

 present season will be very deficient. — Hamp. Gaz. 



Sting of the Bee. — It may not be generally 

 known that common whiting proves an effectual 

 remedy against the effects of the sting of a bee or 

 wasp. The whiting is to be moistened with cold 

 water, and immediately applied. It may be wash- 

 ed off in a few minutes, when neither pain nor 

 swelling will ensue. 



Beef. — A farmer in Ashfield recently sold for 

 the city market, 14 grass fed cows at $22 each, 

 and 24 younger creatures at 15 dollars each. 

 These prices seem to be rather lower than those of 

 some past years. The cholera may have atTected 

 the price of beef as well as of many other ai tides 

 sent to the city markets. — Hamp. Gaz. 



Every section of the Boston and Lowell Railroad 

 says the Lowell Telegraph,) is in rapid progress 

 towards completion. 



