vol.. XI. SfO. 38. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



301 



cultivated society, to improve his condition ; im- 

 mediately, jirospectively, aud permanently, to ob- 

 tain the means of procuring for liimself, and for 

 those placed by Providence under his care, the 

 necessaries, comforts, enjoyments and some of the 

 luxuries of life; of furnishing the young, whether 

 children or dependants, with such scieutific, litera- 

 ry and moral culture, as will best prepare them to 

 do willingly, and to do well, what the duties of their 

 situation require — to fill the ditfcrent stations in 

 well ordered society for which they are destined ; 

 whether to move in the middle ranks, or tread the 

 loftier heights of literature and science. How is 

 this great object to be attained, and what are the 

 means of eflecting it ? What are the habits, qual 

 ities and characteristics of mind, that will enable 

 the farmer to pursue his occupation with the great- 

 est success, and secure to him the greatest annual 

 profit with the least expense of capital and labor? 

 For it is the mind, that must direct the hand; even 

 the diligent hand will not make rich without the 

 enlightened head to guide it, and the words of the 

 wise man must be taken in this particular with 

 some qualification. 



Among these habits, qualities and characteris- 

 tics may justly be placed care, attention, skill and 

 system. Care and attention are habits of mind 

 closely connected, and form one complex charac- 

 teristic, from the exercise of which are derived 

 the qualities of a higher and more intellectual 

 order — skill and system. 



[To be continued.] 



IMPROVEMENT OIV THE POTATO. 



A miEND has favored us with the following ex- 

 tract from an English paper. We hope that oiu- 

 Horticultural Society will take measures to intro- 

 duce and ascertain the value of this new product. 



" The Oxalis Crenata has been introduced into 

 this country from South America, and is likely to 

 be extensively cultivated, as decidedly preferable 

 to the common potato. A root was brought over, 

 in 1830, by Mr. David Douglas, and planted by 

 Mr. Lambert ; aud a few small tubers were ex- 

 hibited to the Linnoean Society. One of these was 

 planted by Mrs. Hirst, in the garden of Great 

 Ropers's Hall, near Brentwood, and has succeeded 

 remarkably well. It was first put into a small pot 

 in the end of April, and in the month of May the 

 pot was placed in the flower-garden and broken, 

 and the parts removed. This precaution appears 

 to have been unnecessary, for it has stood the frost 

 remarkably well, ajul on the 5th of this month, 

 when it was dug up, the leaves were green. The 

 root planted was about half an ounce in weight, 

 and the roots produced were about ninety in num 

 her, in a space not exceeding nine inches in diam- 

 eter and six inches deep. The aggregate weight 

 was upwards of four pounds. A few of the roots 

 were boiled, aud, when eaten, were found to re- 

 semble the potato, but unanimously admitted by 

 all the party to have a more agreeable flavor. 

 Such a result is very promising, and when we con- 

 sider that the common potato ^SoZanum Tuberosum) 

 was, for a hundred years confined to gardens, and 

 that roots were for a long time not larger than 

 beans, and were watery, we may reasonably ex- 

 pect that cultivation may do much to enlarge the 

 size of the roots of the Oxalis, and perhaps im- 

 prove the flavor beyond what it is at present. It 

 has a fine yellow flower, and is ornamental in the 

 gardeir 

 Mirror. 



EARL.Y CABBAGES. 



The plan I recommend to my fellow men to 

 raise cabbages is the one I learnt a few years since 

 from a valuable friend, who is the best gardener in 

 our vicinity. Let each man take as large a piece 

 of ground as is suflicient for a cabbage bed for his 

 family, have it situated to the south side of some 

 fence, wall or building ; dig ofl'all the top of the 

 ground to the depth of about 8 or 10 inches, and 

 fill up the place with coarse manure to within two 

 inches of the top of the ground, then put about 

 four inches of good rich soil on the top, make it 

 smooth, and sow the seed in rows north and south, 

 about five inches apart ; keep the ground light aud 

 and they will come, on very fast. In about a week 

 the manure underneath begins to ferment, and 

 steams up in such a manner as to drive the plants 

 forward the next to a hot bed of any plan I have 

 seen. The reason why this plan is better than the 

 common mode of sowuig late, is this; in the first 

 place, cabbages sown about the first or middle of 

 May, and sometimes later, by the time the earth 

 and the air have become warm, a herd of iusects 

 appear, so that when the cabbages first break 

 through the ground, they are attacked by a swarm 

 of little insects not larger than a cabbage seed, 

 which destroy many totally, aud poison the others 

 so much that they grow very slow through the 

 season, and in the fall arc not so large as they 

 otherwise would be, while by my plan of sowing 

 early, the plants come forward so rapidly that they 

 are uj) and so large that they are out of the reach 

 of insects entirely, and will grow much faster than 

 those planted later and be larger in the fall. A 

 piece of ground five feet long and four wide will 

 l)roduce some thousands of plants. — Ellsworth 

 Courier. 



Radishes. Most of our garden grouuds are too 

 rich for the radish ; and but few gardens are found 

 that do not contain more or lass of the wire worm. 

 Hence wo are induced to make experiments until 

 we have raised them at least semi-transparent and 

 as brittle as glass. Our method is, merely to mix 

 two parts of sand with one part of connnon gar- 

 den earth, and add a small quantity of stable ma- 

 nure. Or earth of a clayey nature is preferable to 

 the garden earth. Since adopting the above 

 method we have not failed in a single instance of 

 raising an abundance of smooth, clear, and fine 

 flavored radishes. — Hing. Gazette. 



TIMELrY CAUTION CHOL.ERA. 



The following article from the Philadelphia 

 Intelligencer, contains important admonitions, to 

 which we would call the attention ofthe citizens 

 of Portland. Notwithstanding we have never yet 

 been visited with this disease, still precautionary 

 measures should not be neglected. 



From the recorded history of Cholera in every 

 country in which it has ajipeared, we have suf- 

 ficient reason to believe that it will appear in our 

 city upon the return of warm weather. It has also 

 been ascertained that the second invasion of this 

 disease is generally more malignant and fatal than 

 the first. From these historic facts, it behooves 

 us to adopt all those precautionary measures which 

 are founded upon reason and experience, aud which 

 have a tendency to prevent the spread of an epi- 

 demic disease. Our citizens should examine their 

 houses, yards, cellars, &c., and have removed, as 

 The time of flowering ii August." I speedily as circumstances will admit, every kind 



of filth and matter which corrupts the air, or which Ipositoru. 



will, under the operation of heat, undergo decom- 

 position. 



Upon the opening of the spring, a general 

 cleansing of houses, cellars, &c., should be com- 

 menced, and the whole undergo a diorough white 

 washing. 



Our citizens should observe the strictest tem- 

 perance, and every thing which weakens the 

 system, debilitates the digestive organs, or increases 

 the irritability of the body, should he sedulously 

 avoided. — Portland paper. 



ITEMS OF ECONOMY, ARTS. &c. 



Broken Wind. A broken winded horse had 

 been kept in a field where there was not any water 

 exce))t in the bottom of an old lime-kiln, and had 

 recovered his wind. The owner ordered a stable 

 shovel full of quick lime to be renewed every five 

 or six days, and the water to be poured ofl", and 

 a bucket of it given every day to a broken winded 

 coach horse aged eight years, which had almost 

 a constant cough. The horse was supplied with 

 water thus prepared for about five weeks, and kept 

 in the stable. He is now perfectly recovered in his 

 wind, and free from a cough. — Farmer^s Reporter. 



Potato Paste. Mash boiled potatoes very fine, 

 and while they are warm add a sufficient quantity 

 of Butter and make them boil together ; then be- 

 fore the paste gets cold flour the board to prevent 

 it from sticking, and roll it to the thickness want- 

 ed lb. 



Improvement in candles. I steep the common 

 wick in lime-water, in which I have dissolved a 

 considerable quantity of nitre or salt-petrc. By this 

 means I secure a purer flame and a superior light; 

 a more perfect combustion is insured ; snuffing is 

 rendered nearly as superfluous as in wax candles, 

 and the candles thus treated do not " run." The 

 wicks must be thoroughly dry before the tallow is 

 put to them. — lb. 3. BIurrat, F. L. S. 



Method for Cleansing Gilt Frames. Gilt frames 

 which are exposed to the dust of the room in 

 which they are hung, generally collect it on the 

 mouldings. Gilders on wood to cleanse these 

 frames employ very weak soap suds, but if tills 

 is not used with the greatest care, and by ex- 

 perienced hands, the frame soon loses all its 

 freshness. On this account we give the follow- 

 ing method which is used by a distinguished 

 workman, who has communicated it to us. Take 

 three ounces of white of eggs, one ounce of Jew- 

 ellers wash, beat them together, and clean the 

 frames with a soft brush dipped in the mixture. 

 The gilding becomes immediately bright. This 

 operation may be repeated several times succes- 

 sively on the same gilding, which could hardly 

 be accomplished by the old method. When the 

 frame has been cleaned, it must have a new coat 

 ofthe varnish which is used by gilders of wood. 

 — Jour, des Connais Usuelles. 



Bread. Indian meal improves, in the estima- 

 tion of almost every one, the flavor of bread. I 

 first boil my meal, instead of simply pouring boil- 

 ing water on it when mixed with flour. Owing 

 to the consolidation of water by boiling, the quan- 

 tity is greatly increased. The water or moisture 

 is not as easily driven off or evaporated in the 

 baking. Thus made there is a saving of meal, 

 and a greater retention of moisture. — Ontario JK«- 



C. F. 



