VOIi. XI. NO. 50. 



JOURNAL. 



397 



ITEMS OF KCOSOMY, USEFUL ARTS, ^iSfo. 



Asparagus. A writer for the Genesee Farmer 

 .tays in sutistance that the hist spring he iise.l all 

 ;kinds of pickle from a watering pot to water liis 

 asparagus as freely as he would water in case of a 

 drought. " It does not injure it in the least ; not 

 even the ten tliousand young plants from last year's 

 self sown seed. It also operates as a kindly opiate 

 on chickweed, that interminahle l)est to all shaded 

 grounds, causing it to forget to rise with the snn — 

 and in fact most other weeds follow suit, merely 

 out of complacency we presume, as misery loves 

 company." 



Conductors of Lightning. " Conductors,'^ ac- 

 cording to the Penny Magazine, " unless perfectly 

 insulated are calculated to produce the disaster 

 they are intended to prevent. The best mode of 

 insulating them is for them to pass through glass 

 rings, and in no part to be in contact with any 

 thing but glass. The lightning conductors placed 

 on the Royal Exchange at Paris are a perfect 

 model in this respect." 



Age of Sheep. The age of sheep may bo known 

 by examining their front teeth. They are eight in 

 number, and appear during the first year, all of a 

 small size. In the second year, the two middle 

 ones fiill out, and their place is supplied by two 

 new teeth, which are easily distinguished by being 

 of a larger size. In the third year two other small 

 teeth, one from each side, drop out and are re- 

 placed by two large ones ; so that there are now 

 four large teeth in the middle, and two pointed 

 ones ou each side. In the fourth year the large 

 teeth are six in number, and only two small ones 

 remain, one at each end of the range. Ifl the 

 fifth year the remaining small teeth are lost, and 

 the whole front teeth are large. In the sixth year 

 the whole begin to be broken ; and in the sevenl\j, 

 sometimes sooner, some fall out or are broken 



Recipe for destroying Jlnts. Take wheate 

 bread in thin slices, (say half an ounce in weight),! 

 dry it slowly, but well, and pound it in a mortar ; 

 three quarters of an ounce of fine loaf sugar, pow- 

 der it also ; then add half an ounce of the oxide 

 of arsenic, commonly called levigated mercury ; 

 triturate the whole in a mortar, then put it into a 

 clean glass bottle ; (of course it is a strong poison) 

 Tery small portions of this may be applied on bits 

 of glass, or the flat side of an oyster-shell, as the 

 smell of an oyster-shell is also an excellent decoy 

 to ants. Small bell-glasses, such as are used for 

 striking cuttings, or small flower-pots, may be 

 placed over it to prevent moisture from rendering 

 it pasty, as well as to hinder any domestic animals 

 from taking it. This poison is equally as fatal to 

 vegctal)lc as to animal life ; for if it be laid on the 

 soil round the stem of an orange or other plant, it 

 will corrode the bark and alburnum to the destruc- 

 tion of the plant — Horticultural Register. 



Cabbage Tree of Lapland. M. Garnier, of Aux- 

 onne, has received from the direction of the nur- 

 sery of Lyons, twenty seeds of this cabbage, which 

 is said to be entirely diflerent from the chou cava- 

 lier, the ruta baga, or the common cabbage of Lap- 

 land. M. Garnier says, that it thrives better and 

 puts forth more shoots the more bitter the cold is ; 

 that its leaves are rather more than a foot long. 

 In the second year it attains the height of four or 

 five feet, that its top branches out, its flowers are 

 yellow and streaked. The fruit is about four 

 inches long ; and it produces three times as much 

 seed asotheroleaginous plants. — Jour. detBruxelles. 



A mode of destroying the red Spider on Plants. 

 A writer for the Gardener's Magazine says, " I 

 have heard and read of many receipts for the de- 

 struction of the red spider, but I never found a 

 more powerful remedy than clear water. I havo 

 under my care a few stove plants, which are in 

 general in a very healthy state. 1 syringe them 

 every morning with clear water on both sides 

 of the leaf, and the plants are not in the least af- 

 fected with this destructive insect." 



Of planting Fruit Trees on poor Soils and in 

 exposed Situations, Mr. Robert Iliver, in Loudon's 

 Magazine observes, as follows : 



"All the authors that I have read, who have written 

 on orchards, have recommended deep soils on shel- 

 tered places ; but much experience has convinced 

 me that bleak and barren sites, in many instances, 

 will be found equally good, if not better. Some 

 of the most old, healthy, and fruitful apple trees I 

 ever saw grew in an exposed quarry; where, when 

 they first planted the trees, it is difficult to conceive 

 how they could cover the roots. I have also re- 

 sided many years in the vicinity of an exceedingly 

 fruitful orchard, situated on a sterile sandy bank 

 facing the north-east, the soil of which was bo 

 shallow and poor that common vegetables could 

 scarcely live upon it ; yet the crops of fruit were 

 uniformly fine. 1 could mention various others, 

 but this may suflice to show that much good may 

 result from planting such places. Many of the 

 isolated cottages of the poor stand upon the sides 

 of glens, where considerable portions of ground 

 lie by them covered with nothing but weeds and 

 brambles, which might be advantageously employ- 

 ed as fruit gardens. There arc many steep sur- 

 faces, old quarries, and rocky places, no matter 

 how bleakly exposed, that cannot be otherwise 

 cultivated, which would, I am confident, make 

 eligible situations for orchards. Trees so circum- 

 stanced come into bearing much earlier, live long, 

 and seldom moss or canker. They cannot possi- 

 bly generate too much sap ; whilst robust trees in 

 rich deep soils are like overfed human beings, 

 whose impure blood covers their skin with scabs 

 and ulcers. It has been proverbially said of old 

 trees, when they grow weak, they bear themselves 

 to death ; and that they will bring fruit, in defi- 

 ance of the weather, when strong healthy trees in 

 the same seasons will be quite barren. This arises, 

 in my opinion, from better ripened wood, and, 

 consequently, better farina and parts of fructifica- 

 tion ; and not, as frequently supposed, from the 

 actual debility of the tree. 



I have long been satisfied that the blossoms and 

 young fruit of apple and pear trees sufier more 

 from the larva of the Phalajnte than from wet or 

 frosty weather. These trees, in well sheltered 

 places, are generally found much infested by cater- 

 pillars ; whilst, in bleak and exposed orchards, 

 they are comparatively free from them. Apple 

 trees are often greatly injured by the nut bushes 

 and thorn hedges that are planted to shelter them, 

 because thev entice Phala^na'." 



From the AortJurn Farmer. 

 BEE HUNTIKG. 

 I WAS very much amused a few evenings since, 

 by one of your su'.iscribers, ahold, enterprising 

 young man, who had employed some of his leis- 

 ure hours in exploring the forests in search of thosu 

 patterns of industry, the honey bees. 



The result of his skill and labor induces me to 



communicate the facts to you, as they may not be 

 wholly devoid of interest to some of your readers. 

 About the first of October last, he started on an 

 expedition for the piu"pose of procuring honey ; 

 furnished with a box and a vial of honey, 

 which he, from time to time, replenished, as fast 

 as it was consutned by those bees which he caught 

 by the way and imprisoned. 



After having plentifully partook of this allur- 

 ing bait, the bees are liberated, when they 

 immediately rise above your head, and after 

 wheeling round in circles a few times, as if to note 

 particularly surrounding objects, they dart off" in 

 a bee line" for their hidden retreat. The direct 

 course which the bee jiursucs points out the pre- 

 cise path to be followed, which is done for some 

 distance, when if there exist any doubt in the mind 

 of the hunter as to his being on the trail, another 

 bee is suffered to escape, who imitating the exam- 

 ple of his predecessor, perhaps changes the hun- 

 ter's course materially. Once, after having caught 

 a bee and fed it, he remained stationary a few mo- 

 ments, when to his surprise, the bee returned, ac- 

 companied by a companion to whom he had com- 

 municated the sweet intelligence of his discovery. 

 On another occasion, he carried with him a straw 

 hive, in which was deposited a piece of comb, 

 upon which was poured diluted honey, and one 

 or more bees placed within, who having filled 

 themselves were " off in a tangent" to make a de- 

 posit, and procure a reinfoi'cement sufficiently 

 large to enable them to bring ofl" at once this ac- 

 cumulation of sweets ; which they did, to the 

 amount of nearly one half their colony. By follow- 

 ing this line of communication, which was con- 

 stantly kept up, he was led without much difficulty 

 to the common store-house, which was situated in 

 the trunk of a large oak, about thirty feet from 

 the ground. The tree was felled preparatory to 

 commencing the conflict. And, counting the cost, 

 he prepared himself " to meet him that was com- 

 ing against him with twenty thousand," by fasten- 

 ing a piece of millinet over his face ; he then with 

 a stick, detached portions of the comb until he 

 had secured the whole. 



In the meanwhile, his antagonists were far from 

 being idle ; and at every vulnerable point they 

 plied their weapons of defence with such vig- 

 or and resolution that his firmness began sensibly 

 to abate ; but, upon reflecting a moment, he resolv- 

 ed that Yankee courage and perseverance should 

 accomplish the object. This was thoroughly ef- 

 fected, and the reward of his toil and sufferings 

 was seventy pounds of honey in the comb. 



I am inclined to think there are vast ([uantities 

 of honey made and consumed annually in our for- 

 ests, which would afford a handsome revenue to 

 those who should enter with spirit into the busi- 

 ness. It would not only give them a profit, but al- 

 so teach them a habit of close observation, from 

 whieh would arise much permanent good to them- 

 selves, and be made a means of much good to 

 others. 



If this hasty and imperfect production is worth 

 your notice, you may give it a place in your col- 

 umns. I regret very much that I have not time 

 to spare, so that 1 might labor more for the gener- 

 al good. I hope to be more at liberty soon, when 

 you shall be remembered. 



Treating at Elections. AVe learn, from a S. Car- 

 olina paper, that public opinion there will no longer 

 tolerat» the practice of treating at elections. 



