394 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JtJNE 36, 1933. 



process of vegetation may be therefore materially 

 different from that wliich exists in New England, 

 where the soil is principally loam with the mix- 

 ture of gravel. It is, however, said, that in Penn- 

 sylvania their crops fail, where they arc unable to 

 dress their lands with lime, or gypsum. It is also 

 said, that the lands along the Mohawk river, which 

 have heretofore yielded wheat with great certainty, 

 as well as luxuriance, are gradually becoming less 

 and less fitted for this kind of culture." 



I have been informed that at Newbury they 

 have lately adopted a new kind of husbandry, by 

 means of which the crops of wheat are no less 

 sure and prosperous than they were formerly. 

 AVhat this mode is, I have not, however, been 

 able to learn. 



In my own belief, animal manure produces this 

 noxious effect long after it has ceased to enrich 

 the soil. Although its influence has in this case 

 become small, yet so far as it extends, it is mis- 

 chievous ; and may at the dangerous period above 

 mentioned, accelerate a growth at least sufficiently 

 rapid otherwise, so as to produce the evil in 

 question. Thus, I consider grounds, long de- 

 voted to pasturage, as being injurious to the cul- 

 ture of wheat, as really, though in a less degree, 

 as tliose which are manured from the stable in 

 form. 



grass looked fresh and thrifty, and could soon be 

 distinguished from the rest of the field. When 

 cut, it was not oidy of a better quality, but nearly 

 a third more iu amount, than the produce of any 

 other acre in the whole field. I tried the same 

 experiment on the remainder, with the addition 

 of a liberal and judicious application of manure, 

 and the result was the same as with the acre. 

 The boy solved the mystery, by saying that an 

 acid and an alkali, when mingled together, jirodu- 

 ced a fermentation in which both were neutralized, 

 and which was favorable to the decomposition of 

 such animal and vegetable substances as were not 

 readily reduced by the common course of nature. 

 The case was a simple one — but it struck me 

 as rather singular that my boy could studi/ agri- 

 culture in college, to better advantage than I had 

 ore the farm. I thereupon concluded that farming 

 could profitably be made a study, and that chem- 

 istry and philosophy are two of its first and most 

 essential branches. 



bleeding. In the middle of the night the la<ly sent 

 for Mr Chinnock, in cosequence of the wax failing ; 

 and after she had endured horribfe suffering, he 

 and Mr. Brodie were obliged to apply the act\ial 

 cautery, (a sound, heated to a white heat, and in- 

 troduced into the socket) twenty-eight times, be- 

 fore they succeeded in arresting the hemorrhage. 



Lancet. 



For Ih.- Aev England Farmer. 

 GLAZED POTS FOR PtiANTS. 

 Mr. Editor, — I wish to inquire though your 

 valuable paper, the effect of glazed pots on plants 

 generally : having heard objections raised by some 

 to their use, I would like to know the reasons of 

 such objections, together with such observations as 

 some of your readers may be able to give and oth- 

 ers interested in reading. A Subscriber. 



From llif Farm.-rs .loinnal. 

 SOUR SOII.-AGRICtIL.TXJRAl, SCIENCE. 



Mr. Editor : — I will mention an incident, by 

 ■way of exhibiting the importance, to the farmer, 

 of an acquaintance with the general principles of 

 philosophy and chemistry. I am a farmer of the 

 old school, and have more land than learning, and 

 more faith in economy than skill in invention. I 

 have a large piece of meadow, level and hand- 

 some, which might be supposed capable of jirodu- 

 cing three tons to the acre, and yet is so cold and 

 sour, as we call it, that I hardly got one ton. I 

 have manured it in the most lavish manner; but 

 to very little purpose. It was too wet to produce 

 any other crop, even potatoes ; consequently there 

 would be little use in breaking it up, and seeding 

 down anew. So I concluded to look upon my 

 meadow as [ would upon a cow with two teats, 

 and be contented with my ton to the acre. 

 My eldest boy is what they call a scholar, so I 

 sent him to college. The second year he came 

 home in the spring, and heard me speak of my 

 sour meadow. He examined it, and asked why I 

 did not spread upon it a quantity of lime or plas- 

 ter, " and thus by a chemical process, expel the 

 acidity ?" " Go to College with your jargon !" 

 said I : but the boy talked, till I, for the first time 

 in my life, resolved to try an experiment. And I 

 tried in this way : As soon as the grass began to 

 start, I set apart about an acre of the poorest for 

 the " chemical process." Spreading thinly upon 

 it a quantity of plaster of paris, I waited to mark 

 the result. The benefits derived from the process 

 were soon too obvious not to be discovered. The 



From the New York Farmer. 

 MATURITY OF GRAIN OBf OLD AND NEW 

 LANDS. By Agrlcola. 



I WAS much amused on perusing in your .Janu- 

 ary number of the Farmer, the communication 

 taken from the American Farmer respecting the 

 difference in the maturity of grain on old and 

 new land. 



I believe it will be found that the richer the 

 land the longer all crops will be in coining to 

 maturity. On poor, sandy soils, vegetation is 

 rapid and short ; on new lands, the soil, bein 

 charged with vegetable food, will of course be 

 richer, whereas old land exhausted of vegetable 

 food by cultivation, is consequently poorer; and I 

 conceive it makes little difference wliether land be 

 elevated one hundred or a thousand feet above the 

 level of the sea. If it be rich, the crops will bt 

 longer in coming to maturity. 



We observe this almost daily in our fields ; 

 spots enriched by ashes or other manures are frt- 

 quently green and growing, while the grain al- 

 joining them is perfectly ripe. 



If these considerations be taken into view, I 

 think it will not be hard to explain the difficultiis 

 which seem to have puzzled the farmers in Ohio 



THE TEETH. 



At a recent meeting of the Westminster Medi 

 cal Society, Mr. Delafons, the well known dentist 

 in reply to a member, said that the various 'ano 

 dyne cements,' 'mineral succedanea,' .ind 'destruc 

 tion of the nerve,' so extensively advertised wen 

 all trash. "I saw" said Mr. Delafons "a per 

 the other day, in whom the interval between tnt 

 teeth had actually been plugged up with 'aiiodyn 

 cement,' under the impression that the space was 

 a dental decay which required stopping. Holes iii 

 the teeth, in fact, are repeatedly stuffed, in total ig 

 norance of the disease. As to the nerve, many per 

 sons certainly imagine that, by destroying it, all 



Front the Soutlojrn Agrieutturist, 

 REELING SILK. 

 With respect to the subject of silk, I have but 

 little to say, when contrasting my knowledge of 

 the business with those who are more ex[)erienced 

 iu the practical pursuit of it. But inasmuch a» 

 may i>ertain to the general good of the community, 

 permit me to " cast in my mite." I amused my- 

 self last spring with about 2000 silk worms: as- 

 usual with me, I fed them upon the leaves of the 

 conunon black mulberry of the country. They 

 grew to their geueral size, in excellent health and 

 vigor. As they matured they commenced spin- 

 ning, and considering their situation they did well. 

 The cocoons which they made were not generally 

 as large as I had the year previous, which I think 

 was occasioned by their being too much distiubed, 

 owing to their situation. The silk which they 

 produced is of excellent quality, exhibiting a very 

 bright and lively fibre. There is, however, a 

 manifest difference in the fineness and softness of 

 die silk. Some of the cocoons are more coarse 

 and harsh than the others ; this difference attract- 

 ed my attention, and by inspection I discovered 

 that the lightest colored cocoons were the finest 

 and softest silk. I have some large fair cocoons 

 tliat are but a shade less than white ; they uni- 

 formly are the finest and softest silk. This differ- 

 ence I cannot well account for, for they were pro- 

 duced by the same family of worms, were fed to- 

 gether on the same food, at the same time, and 

 subject to the same vicissitudes. I can only ad- 

 mit that this diffi'ience in excellence is produced 

 by worms of excellent constitutions ; further, I 

 submit to be corrected by my superiors on the 

 subject. 



When the cocoons were matured, I gathered 

 them, and selected such as I intended for propa- 

 gation ; the rest were indiscriminately prepared for 

 reeling : this I did in a very ready, simple, and 

 easy manner, by which the silk is much improved. 

 In order to destroy the vitality of the chrysalides, 

 I procured a tin box with a top cover which shut 

 very close ; as I filled the box with cocoons, I 

 sprinkled them with good spirits of wine, then 

 closed the box tight, and set it in the sun. Ths 

 heat soon evaporated the spirits, which when dis- 

 sipated pervaded the whole cavity of the box, satu- 

 rated the cocoons, and instantly suffocated the 

 chrysalides. Thus the vital functions of the in- 

 sect were destroyed without languishing. This 

 process may be performed every three hours with 

 the same box, while there is a warm sun. The 

 spirits act upon the animal gummy matter of which 

 the silk consists, dissolve it and set the fibro 

 improve the silk by leaving it bright, soft, 



pain will be ended; and sure enough it is, that jYct 



you do destroy all sensation in the tooth i^^'^\{-\rd\\^e\y'^lli"causT\7io^'^^^^ 

 but then the devitallised bone will still give . ,1,^ cocoon to the reel with the greatest freedom, 

 f,!!!!;,'" '.'''^.**''\',"'^ manner that a common siilmter I i-i,us the process of reeling is performed with a 



facility unusually pleasing and profitable ; for by 



would irritate the surrounding parts." Mr. Chi 

 nock mentioned a case, in which a noted adver- 

 tising dentist took out a tooth from a lady, and 

 having produced great hemorrhage, removed two 

 more teeth one after another, to stop it, and finally 

 filled the hole made with melted wax, to arrest the 



this process a much greater quantity of reeling 

 silk may be obtained from the same cocoon than 

 is usually the case with the water bath, and by 

 baking, which are both tedious and injurious to 

 the silk, and of course unprofitable. I have bad 



