NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY GEO. C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET^ (at the Agricultuk.hi, Warehouse.)— T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL. XI. 



BOSTOiV, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 12, 1833. 



NO. 48. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CATERPIIiLiARS. 



Mr. Fessendex, — In your valuable paper, No. 

 44, of the present volume, page 348, is an article 

 on caterpillars from the Genesee Farmer, where- 

 in the writer observes, he with a swab of tow on 

 the end of a pole applies brine to them, and says 

 " it is certain death to all the brine touches." 



Happy to introduce all improvements, and be- 

 lieving this to be one, I had a pail half filled with 

 water and saturated with coarse Liverpool salt. 

 Salt remaining in the bucket undissolved. In this 

 solution one of the Pickering brushes was im- 

 mersed before each insertion into the nest, »nd 

 twisting it oft' its lodgment, when the caterpillars 

 removed from the tree were dipt into the water, 

 removed by hand from the brush and crushed u;i- 

 der foot, which operation was repeated till about 

 half past 2 o'clock, when the caterpillars leaving 

 their nests it was discontinued, and the brushes 

 and buckets brought home, and put on a joiners 

 bench in the sun, no regard being paid to tlie 

 caterpillars shaken into the brine, taking it br 

 granted they were all dead as soon as immersa^. 

 The same evening, near sun down, supposing 

 the caterpillars had retii'ed to their nests, I gave 

 directions to have some other trees cleared oi' 

 them, and to use the brine for the purpose of de- 

 stroying those not removed from the tree by the 

 brush, should any such have escaped. But, on 

 taking the bucket, to our astonishment found 

 many of the caterpillars had not only crept to the 

 ontside of the bucket, but to the extremes of the 

 joiner's bench on which it stood. We of course 

 abandoned that system ; and having a bucket full 

 of a saturated solution of copperas in which corn 

 had been soaked for planting, we tried it with no 

 better success. 



Thus far, I know of no better method for their 

 destruction than to use Col. Pickering's conical 

 spiral brush secured on to stiff cane poles, being 

 light for use 8, 15 and 22 feet long, so as to reach 

 most distances where caterpillars may be lodged 

 on trees, beyond the reach of the hand, which is 

 the best instrument; insert them into the nests 

 which, with a thrust, are removed from the trees, 

 then crush them under foot. 



This should be done when they are at home in 

 their nests, otherwise those remaining form a new 

 colony. They are sometimes to be found at home 

 early in the morning and late at night if the dew 

 falls, but most usually from noon to three o'clock 

 in a hot day. 



Tar for Seed Corn. In the same number, page 

 346, Mr. John Wilson recommends that corn 

 should be immersed in tar before planting to pre- 

 vent the depredations of birds. I would beg the 

 favor of that gentleman's stating his process of 

 using the tar, which is generally thick enough, I 

 should think, to prevent the germs passing through 

 it ; if he thins it with any oleaginous substance, 

 and how he drains it from the corn before mixing 

 with the gypsum or wood ashes. 



I have steeped corn one, two and three days 

 in a saturated solution of copperas before planting. 



which does not prevent the depredations of crows, 

 blackbirds or squirrels ; though I believe it ben- 

 eficial to the seed, and may prevent the grub from 

 injuring it. Perhaps the crows, &c. do not so 

 willingly commit their subsequent as their first 

 depredations. 



Swine. I notice the experience of my brother 

 sailor, the whaler of New Bedford, in regard to 

 the littering of sows, No. 43, page 338 — 9 of the 

 present volume, and fully corroborate his testimony 

 by similar experience. A sow is more true to her 

 time than any other domestic animal. About the 

 expiration of her time of gestation, I have her 

 occasionally looked to, and on the first appearance 

 of her farrowing supply her with a number of 

 pieces of fat salt pork in slices of from two to 

 four ounces weight each till satisfied, sometimes 

 devouring one, two or even three pounds; but 

 most generally a pound will be suflicient. I then 

 have a quart of Indian meal scalded and mixed with 

 about two gallons of water turned into her trough 

 lilood warm. If there is not time the meal may be 

 mixed without scalding ; but if scalded it is bet- 

 ter suspended in the water, and is more inviting to 

 the animal. All the other precaution I take is to 

 feed her more sparingly so as not to have the 

 stomach overloaded at the time of farrowing. I 

 have never had a sow destroy her offspring. 



When hogs begin to lose their appetite a hand- 

 ful of salt in their food does good. A quart or 

 two of charcoal may be thrown iiMo their pen also, 

 which, if the stomach is acid and wants correcting, 

 they will devour greedily and it has the desired 

 eflect. 



Horn Distemper in Cattle. In last week's paper. 

 No. 4-5, page 353, you quote from the N. Y. Far- 

 mer, a recipe for the use of the horn distemper. 

 It is judiciously written, and the writer says he 

 seldom finds any other treatment necessary. 



One of my neighbors informs me that every 

 case of horn ail can be radically cured by taking a 

 common sized hen's egg, perforating a small hole 

 in each end, blowing out the white, enlarging the 

 hole at one end and inserting and mixing with the 

 yolk a composition of black pepper one-third, and 

 refined salt petre two-thirds, both well pulverized 

 and intimately blended, till the shell is full and put 

 it down the animal's throat so that it may be 

 swallowed. He says the case must be a neglected 

 and severe one that requires the second dose to 

 make a perfect cure. 



Before he knew this, his animals were subjected 

 to having their horns bored, sawed off and other- 

 wise ill treated, and sometimes died subsequent to 

 these operations, of the same disease. 



1 find good currying and carding every morn- 

 ing, with dry lodgings at night, an admirable med- 

 icine for keeping my neat cattle in health, and 

 wish this custom was more generally pursued, in 

 the winter particularly, — in Essex North. 



Insects destroyed by hot water. Water nearly or 

 quite to the boiling point has been tried by Mr. 

 Beattie, as stated in The London Magazine, to 

 destroy the scaly insect. The water was applied 

 with a painter's soft brush, and was destructive to 

 these and other insects, and not injurious to the 

 tree. 



For the IVeir England Farmer. 

 IRON HOUSES. 



Mr. Editor, — I noticed in your N. E. Farmer, 

 of the 22d inst., the useful project of Professor 

 Rafinesque, of Philadelphia. I fear that the 

 learned Professor has published too much of his 

 secret, as he is entitled to a nmnificent reward, 

 for I have no doubt of the practicability of his 

 project. 



Peradventure an iron rolling mill may be the 

 principal agent. Such a mill capable of affording 

 thick sheet iron, of any given dimensions, would 

 easily and cheaply exhibit the material of an incom- 

 bustible building: these iron plates might be set 

 in grooves, or riveted, or connected together by 

 screws. The floors might rest on cast iron pillars, 

 and the chambers might rest on cast iron rafters. 

 The addition of windows and paint would form a 

 beautiful and durable building. 



Whether this is the substance of Professor 

 Rafinesque's idea or not, yet if he can accomplish 

 his proposed improvement, an imperishable mon- 

 ument will keep alive his name. Moreover all 

 mankind will be under obligation to him ; for all 

 mankind will be benefited by a cheap and incom- 

 bustible residence. I passed the Professor's ad- 

 vertisement of his discovery to one of the most 

 ingenious artisans in this vicinity. After a few 

 moments consideration, he pronounced it perfect- 

 ly practical. He was also of opinion the material 

 must be rolled iron, otherwise the building could 

 not be erected cheaper than wood. 



The project of Mr. Rafinesque is well adapted 

 to houses of two stories — and houses in general 

 for families of five or six residents. One great 

 advantage is, that these houses may be easily put 

 up and taken down and removed in a few hours. 

 When these iron rolling mills are in operation, a 

 man, having prepared his cellar, will have only to 

 order a house of such dimensions as experience 

 has proved most convenient, and his house will be 

 sent him by land or water. If it arrives in the 

 morning before night it may be erected, and he 

 may take tea in the parlor and lodge in the cham- 

 ber. A whole western village might be erected 

 in less than a week. 



The imagination can scarcely overtake the facte 

 resulting from this happy project. Romance 

 aside, the palaces of the Arabian Nights are in a 

 fair way of being realized. 



I repeat it, Mr. Rafinesque has made a most 

 useful discovery, of certain practicability, which 

 will lead to an entire revolution in architecture ; 

 and whether I have guessed right or not, the whole 

 merit, and the whole reward, are justly due to the 

 learned Professor. A Constant Reader 



By the Editor. Other ingenious men besides 

 our correspondent have supposed that Iron Houses 

 would soon be numbered among the improvements 

 of this enterprising era. Loudon's Encyclopedia 

 of Architecture observes that " The new process 

 for smelting iron by raw coal and hot air blast is 

 producing a great change in the iron trade ; and 

 it is anticipated by good judges that no long period 

 will elapse, before cast iron of the quality known 

 as No. 1, will be manufactured at the cost of about 

 40 or 45s. the ton. When this takes place, gener- 

 ally, it must inevitably produce an effect which 



