VOL. XI. NO. 37. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



291 



from one farm-house to another, lie followed the 

 advancing line and came to its termination, where 

 he found a Hive which had been assailed by two 

 foreign swarms, the one he had followed and 

 another diverging off in nearly nn opposite direc- 

 tion. By some instinctive understanding between 

 the two swarms, they had united their strengtl] 

 and simultaneously attacked the Hive ; the struggle 

 was then over and the dead and dying Bees 

 belonging to it lay scattered around the Hive. The 

 I{oney had been taken out by the conquerors, who 

 were then carrying it to their own Hives, something 

 like fifty pounds having been removed in less than 

 twenty-four hours. It was plain to discover, upon 

 inspection, that a coalition had been formed be- 

 tween the two swarms, to attack and destroy the 

 other, and afterwards to appropriate the Honey to 

 their own use. All this teas done, but how the 

 understanding was effected or the stipulations 

 drawn up, we leave for the Naturalist and curious 

 to decipher. — J^orthampton Courier. 



A LETTER is published from the Secretary of 

 the Maryland Horticultural Society, giving a de- 

 scription of a Wititer Cantelope Melon, which was 

 received from Malaga. It was plucked in Sep- 

 tember, and when cut at the meeting of the So- 

 ciety, on the 9th of February, was still sound, 

 delicious, and ofa fine nutmeg flavor. It was about 

 nine inches long, and fifteen in circumference ; 

 the flesh firm, white, and nearly two inches thick 

 between the rind and internal cavity ; the rind not 

 niuth thicker than an orange peel ; externally, the 

 color was green. The seeds were preserved. 

 Winter melons would certainly be a great luxury. 

 Boston Transcript. 



From the New York Farmer. 

 BARBf YARD AKD HOG PEN. 



Sir: — My father, whose farm I inherited and 

 took possession of two years ago, had his hogs 

 stye detached from his barn-yard. Immediately 

 on entering upon the farm, I removed my pen by 

 enclosing a portion of the barn-yard. I keep my 

 stye well littered with straw, leaves, weeds, soil 

 from the woods, and meadow earth obtained from 

 ditching by carting, together with that put into the 

 yard from two to ten loads per week. I some- 

 times put a few handfuls of rye in different places 

 in the yard and let in hogs. Feeding them thus 

 for a few days, they completely stir up and com- 

 mute the contents of the yard. I am confident that 

 I make four times the quantity of manure that my 

 father did, and with no increase in number of 

 stock — and ofa better quality too, comparatively 

 none of its strength being washed away by the 

 rains, aad evaporated by the sun. My farm con- 

 sists of near seventy acres, principally in tillage. 

 I am confident that I shall, in the course of time, 

 get it all in a high state of cultivation, without lay- 

 ing out any money in the purchase of manure. 



L. T. 



From the New England Artisan. 

 FRUIT TREES. 



A WRITER in the Bucks County Intelligen- 

 cer, wiio appears to be a practical Farmer, has 

 commenced some essays on fruit trees in which he 

 adduces arguments to the purse, to show that far- 

 mers ought to extirpate every tree bearing an in- 

 ferior kind of fruit, and supply its place with that 

 of the best quality. He says, " they had better 

 pay one dollar for each thrifty young tree of a su- 



perior quality of fruit, than to cultivate in their stead 

 trees of an inferior quality, which were obtained 

 gratis, and a dollar given with each for a gratuity." 

 Of this there is no doubt. — He says further: — 



It is recommended that no one farmer have 

 more than from three to five acres of Apple Or- 

 chard of one planting, as it has been found from 

 experiment that more cannot be managed to the 

 best advantage without neglecting the farming op- 

 erations. — It is known that five acres of Apple Or- 

 chard, situated within 25 miles of the Philadelphia 

 market, of the best grafted fruit, properly selected 

 in good bearing order, and in an ordinary season, 

 will yield as much profit, clear of all expenses, as 

 100 acres of arable land" of the same quality. 



ITEMS OF ECONOMY, ARTS. &.C. 



Charcoal — its purifying properties. Chloride of 

 lime has obtained so high a reputation, and de- 

 servedly too, for its disinfecting and purifying 

 properties, that it has superseded in domestic use, 

 every other article of a like character. There is, 

 however, an odor about it that is far from being 

 agreeable to one of our senses. A highly respec- 

 table gentleman of this city informs us that he 

 made an experiment the other day in his vault, to 

 try the effect of the dust of charcoal. It succeed- 

 ed beyond his anticipation, and entirely disinfected 

 the vault of noxious exhalations, without leaving 

 any of the unpleasant odor that characterizes the 

 chloride of lime. The experiment is well worth 

 trying by all persons who wish a sweet atmosphere 

 about their establishments. — Long Island Star. 



JVeu! Plan of Sticking Peas. — Procure a number 

 of slim poles about 5 feet long, and drive them 

 into the ground at the distance of three or four 

 yards. Pass a small line along the poles, taking a 

 turn round each, within three inches of the ground ; 

 raise the next turn three inches, and so on in suc- 

 cession, till you have attained the common height 

 to which the peas rise. The tendrils of the pease 

 seize and twist round these lines, and they are sup- 

 ported in a more attractive and profitable manner 

 than they are by the common stakes. When 

 spread regularly along the lines, they have a fine 

 circulation of air, more advantage from sunshine, 

 and pods can be pulled at all times without injur- 

 ing the straw, [vines or haulm.] This mode is so 

 cheap, simple, and possesses so many advantages 

 that it is likely to be soon generally adopted. 

 — Scotsman (Edinburgh.) 



Slocking Knitting Machine. We have been very 

 much pleased with a little machine for knitting 

 stockings, shown to us a day or two ago by Mr. 

 John McMuUan, of Birmingham, Huntingdon co. 

 Pa. It occupies about a cubic foot, and is 

 operated u])on by turning a crank, which requires 

 no more power or skdl than a common hand organ, 

 except when necessary to widen or narrow the 

 stocking a stitch is dropped or added by hand. The 

 machine docs the work of six expert knitters, and 

 is very simple. It is superior to the stocking loom, 

 as that requires an apprenticeship to learn to work 

 it, and is not calculated for families. The present 

 machine can be worked by any intelligent little 

 girl, after a few minutes instruction, and is not 

 costly — fifteen dollars, including the patent right. 

 The machine we saw is best calculated for knitting 

 wool, but we believe it can be readily adapted to 

 cotton, silk, or linen, at pleasure. There are none 

 of the machines for sale, the proprietor only wish- 



ing to sell patent rights, except in Pennsylvania. 

 Any further information may be obtained from 

 Mr. McMullen, whose address is given above. — 

 Pcnn. paper. 



FATTENING HOGS. 



Boil potatoes and sweet apples mixed with a 

 little rye or oat-ineal. For this purpose every far- 

 mer ought to have a kettle set in an arch, into 

 which pumpkins, squashes, sweet apples, peas, 

 corn in the ear, and other vegetables may be 

 thrown to be boiled with meal. It is a fact well 

 ascertained, that a bushel of corn or otiier grain 

 ground will fatten a hog, nearly or quite as much 

 as two bushels given to him hard, in the ear or 

 kernel. In the latter case it is imperfectly masti- 

 cated, and of course not well digested. Boiling the 

 meal makes it still better, and affords the advantage 

 of adding other things to the mess, which improve 

 its flavor, and to the amount of nutrition. It is to 

 the economy of the hog-pen, what soups are in the 

 kitchen. — Kenn. Journal. 



APPIiE POMACE. 



A SUBSCRIBER wishes to know what he shall do 

 with his apple pomace, of which he has a large 

 pile. This substance is much liked by cattle and 

 sheep, and hogs are likewise fond of it, and will 

 manufacture it into good manure. For cattle, 

 what they cannot eat while green may be dried, 

 and given to them during winter. It consists of 

 vegetable fibre, deprived of its juices by pressure, 

 and hence does not decay so rapidly as it would, 

 had the juices not been pressed out. 



There may be however another trouble in re- 

 gard to pomace, which renders it sometimes in- 

 jurious to crops. A portion of malic or acetic 

 acid may remain in it, which on coming in contact 

 with the plant, or being taken into its vessels ren- 

 ders it sickly. In order to neutralize this, as well 

 as to hasten the decomposition, quick lime thrown 

 upon, and intimately mixed with it, is an excellent 

 thing. 



Pomace therefore may be rendered valuable as 

 a manure, either by feeding it out to cattle and let- 

 ting them pass it through their stomachs ; by put- 

 ting it into the compost heap and decomposing it 

 by the help of lime; or by giving it to the hogs 

 with other materials, and letting it be mixed and 

 tossed about by the gentry of the stye ; or by dry- 

 ing it sufficiently, burning it and scattering the 

 ashes upon the soil. — Maine Farmer. 



Fine Stock. The Frederick (Maryland) Herald 

 speaks in exalted terms of a cow and calf of the 

 Durham short-horned breed, raised by John Hare 

 Powell, Esq., of Philadelphia, and now the prop- 

 erty of the Hon. Henry Clat, to whose highly 

 cultivated and beautiful seat at Ashland, Kentucky, 

 they were to be conveyed. They are said to have 

 been purchased for five hundred and fifty dollars 

 — to be admirably formed — and to weigh nearly 

 three thousand pounds. Sixteen pounds of butter 

 in a week are made from the cream of the cow. 



Dr. Rush was, perhaps, one of the most unttr- 

 ing students that ever lived. The young physi- 

 cians were conversing in his presence once, and 

 one of them said " When I finished my studies — ," 

 "When you finished your studies!" said the doc- 

 tor, abruptly, " why you must be a happy man to 

 have finished so young. I do not expect to finish 

 mine while 1 Kve." 



