290 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MAftCM 27, 1833. 



6. That deep trenching will renaer wet land dry, 

 and dry land moist, for any useful purpose. 



7. That the size of the wood in forests is main- 

 ly in proportion to the depth of the soil on which 

 it grows. . 



8. " That roots and branches are relative and 

 correlative." I have often remarked this to be 



true. The roots are numerous or few,— spreading 



or descending, according to the number and direc- 

 tion of the branches— a tall straight tree, with up- 

 ri<'ht branches, sending down roots deep and but 

 sMitly oblique; while those of a spreading top and 

 horizontal branches, have roots likewise spreading 

 near the surface. So generally is this the case in 

 nurseries, that the form and direction of the roots 

 may be determined, almost with certainty by the 

 appearance of the top. "■ 



From the American Fitr7ner. 

 PRESERVED YEAST. 



Evert good housewife will thank us for the 

 following method of making yeast— at least, after 

 she has tried it ; for it is one of the most con- 

 venient articles used in family economy. \V e give 

 the method as it is practised in the Editor's famdy, 

 and assure our good housewives that it is superior 

 to any other yeast, in every particular, and has the 

 great advantage over all other kinds, of keeping 

 perfectly good for months and years. 



Take a good handful of fresh hops and boil 

 them in one quart of water till they settle to the 

 bottom of the kettle; strain the liquor after cool- 

 ing, upon a pint of good wheat flour in a stone 

 jar,' and stir it well, breaking all the lumps, and 

 making a thin batter. When the hand can be 

 borne in it without pain, put in half a pint of com- 

 mon baker's yeast, or any other yeast that is fresh 

 and good, except brewers' yeast, which will not 

 do, cover the jar and set it away to rise. In eight 

 or ten hours this will rise and become such as is 

 used by the city bakers. It should be allowed to 

 rise as "high in the jar as it will go, (for this purpose 

 the jar should at first be only half full.) and begin 

 to fall ; then take good corn meal and stir into it 

 till it becomes quite stift'. This dough must now 

 be rolled out on a table into a cake a quarter of an 

 inch thick, cut into pieces two or three inches 

 square, and placed on boards in a dry airy room, 

 and turned over once a day till the cakes become 

 thoroughly dried, when they must he put away in 

 a perfectly dry place — in a common linen bag is 

 tlie best. When wanted for use, one of the cakes 

 is f.i be taken for each loaf of moderate size in- 

 tended to he made, put into a bowl or other ves- 

 sel, and a gill of warm water for each cake is to be 

 poured on to it ; as soon as it dissolves, which 

 will be in half an hour or so, stir it up, and put 

 it into the flour in the usual way of using yeast. 

 Now let us tell them how to make good wheat 



bread: Always measure your water and salt, that 



is a rule not to be omitted with impunity. A 

 pint of water will make a moderate sized loaf. 

 Say you want to make four loaves. In cold 

 weather take a quart of water as warm as you can 

 bear your hand in, and make a stiff batter over 

 night, say at bed-time, put in the yeast, and let it 

 stand to rise in till morning, when it will have 

 risen and began to sink in the middle, if not, keep 

 it warm till it does. This is called "setting 

 sponge." In the morning, take another quart ot 

 warm water, put into it a small handful of fine 

 salt, pour it into the "spunge," and make the 

 dough, working it well till it becomes perfectly 



tine and silky. Let the dough rise till it becomes 

 quite light. Now begin to heat your oven ; mould 

 the dough into loaves immediately, and let them 

 stand till your oven is hot, when you will put 

 them in and bake them one hour. In warm 

 weather the water should be milk warm for the 

 " spunge," and the " chill" merely taken off for 

 the dough. Bread made in this way will be as 

 light as any baker's bread, and yet preserve all 

 the sweetness of home made bread. 



To makefint rusk, take some of the dough made 

 as above for bread, after you have made your loaves; 

 put in some butter and sugar, with such spices as 

 you prefer; work it well, set it aside to rise ; when 

 "very light mould the rusk, put them in pans, set 

 them aside to rise again, and when light bake them. 

 No better rusk than those were ever made by the 

 bakers. Milk is not good for any kind of bread 

 or rusk, for the little butter that is in it is more 

 easily supplied by working butter itself into the 

 dough, and then "you have not the cheesy matter, 

 which injures bread. A small lump of butter or 

 sweet lard worked into the dough is a greater im- 

 prover of bread. 



To make apple dumplings, take seme of the well 

 ,aised dough prepared for bread, work in some 

 butter or lard, and put in the apples in the usual 

 way. Dumplings made thus are as wholesome as 

 bread, being very light, and free from clamminess, 

 and of course easily digested ; they are much bet- 

 ter than when made in the common way, but 

 rolled very thin, is far better and more wholesome 

 than the common kind. 



From the Geiietee Farmer. 

 BEES. 



Mv attention has been drawn to this subject by 

 perusing an instructing little work, entitled 

 " An Essay on the practicability of cultivating 

 the Honey Bee, by Jerome V. C. Smith, M. U.— 

 Published by J. Leavitt, New York." Price 37 

 cents. I will venture to say that every person 

 buying this little book, will find three shillings 

 worth of amusement, and thrice the amount of 

 profit, if he chooses to avail himself of it, in read- 

 ing in it. 



It is altogether unpretending, and gives but the 

 author's exjierience, together with a few observa- 

 tion of others in the management of bees. Accord- 

 ing to his views, the whole ])rocess of keeping is 

 so simple — their operations so delightful to a lov- 

 er of animated nature, and withal so profitable, 

 that almost any one, after reading this little work, 

 if he have no bees, will forthwith incontinently 

 go to the nearest bee keeper, buy a hive, and com- 

 mence apiarian at once. 



Among the various methods of lodging them, 

 he prefers a dark garret either in the house or out- 

 building, with holes enough to let them pass freely 

 to and from their labor. The reasons given are 

 lliese: — By inhabiting a high, airy situation they 

 are out of reach of the iunumerahle noxious ver- 

 min that continually infest hives near the ground, 

 among which, the bee moth is the most annoying 

 and mischievous. The air is also pure and sweet, 

 and the bees are less disturbed while prosecuting 

 their labors. 



The trouble and risk of swarming is obviated, 

 as bees never swarm so long as they have room 

 enough to work in ; and if a swarm be put in a 

 dark garret, when the hive is full, they attach 

 1 themselves to the roof near by, build their combs. 



and stow them with honey. The honey can be 

 taken off in the fall, leaving sufiicient to winter the 

 bees. 



The increased quantity of honey made by the 

 concentrated labor of so populous a community, 

 the attention of all being directed to a common ob- 

 ject, instead of guarding their hives from plunder, 

 repairing damage of the weather, insects, &c. and 

 the abundance of time saved to the owners by 

 hiving, swarming, and other hule attentions con- 

 tinually required. 



In this way also they can be as easily kept in the 

 town as in the country. They require only a 

 small garret partitioned off, witli a door to get in 

 at, which should be kept locked to avoid distur- 

 bance, and only entered when honey is wanted, 

 or to inspect them. On this subject, I consider 

 his reasons conclusive enough to justify any one 

 who has conveniencies to give it a trial. I have 

 done so, and will give you the results of my labors 

 hereafter. 



From the Uenesee Farmer. 

 PRUNING. 

 I HAVE had some experience in trimming fruit 

 trees ; but it is not improbable tliat I may yet profi- 

 tably learn new methods in this business. In cut- 

 tin"' off limbs of an inch or more in diameter, I 

 have more commonly had paint or some composi- 

 tion applied to the stumps, and I think with de- 

 cided advantage. Paint is not so durable as tar 

 boiled with brick dust, or as the indurated tar and 

 grease from the hubs or axles of a wagon ; hut we 

 ha\ e used it more frequently because it was more 

 conveniently obtained. As large stumps must re- 

 main exposed for several years before they can be 

 covered by tlie new wood, they should not be for- 

 gotten, but new coatings after the lapse of two or 

 three seasons, should be successively applied. 



The importance of this operation, increases with 

 the size of the limb removed ; and also with its 

 position on the tree. I know not how we can pre- 

 vent the trunk of an apple-tree from becoming 

 hollow, when a large branch is cut off at the fork, 

 unless we apply an artificial covering to that part. 

 I am aware that trees properly trimmed when 

 young, will not require such excision : but I am 

 also convinced that among the neglected trees of 

 common orchards, such cases frequently occur. 



I have examined several apple-trees from which 

 large limbs had been taken. The painted or 

 covered stumps are uniformly sound, while such 

 as have been neglected, are more or less decayed, 

 according to situation ; and may hereafter accom- 

 modate the wren, or the blue-bird, with a hole for 

 his nest. 



In regard to the season for trimming I am 

 rather partial to the winter, or indeed to any time 

 when the sap does not flow. The stump being 

 comparatively dry, especially if we defer the coat- 

 ing for a few days, I have believed it in a better 

 condition to receive the paint, than when the buds 

 are just opening into leaf. The argument that the 

 new wood immediately begins to cover up the 

 wound, I think possesses but little weight. 



SAGACITY OP BEES. 



The instinctive sagacity of the Honey Bee every 

 Farmer has had occasion to notice. A curious 

 instance of contrivance of means and success of 

 ultimate ends, between two swarms was seen in 

 this town last fall. A farmer, while crossing an 

 open lot near the centre of the town, noticed a 

 continued line of Bees passing through the air. 



