NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



I.) 



Premiums, being the same for the double and 



single teams, are as follows : 



1st plough j^ir. 2d plough glO 3d plough <^fi 



J'loiiffbninn 8 Ploughman 5 rioughman 3 



Driver 4 Driver 3 Driver 2 



i'l-i si« Si' 



In eacii case, if there he no driver, both sums 

 to be awarded to the ploughman. The persons 

 disposed to contend for these prizes, must give 

 notice in writing to (lunuAM Parsons of Brighton 

 (if by letter, post-paid). The competitors will 

 also be considered as agreeing to follow sncli 

 rules and regulations as may be adopted by the 

 Committee on the subject. 



The ploughs to be ready to start at 9 o'clock 

 A. M. 



The result of the last Ploughing Matches at 

 Brighton, and the satisfaction expressed by so 

 mauy of their agricultural brethren, will induce 

 the Society to continue these premiums annual- 

 ly, in connexion with the Cattle Show, as an 

 efficacious means of exciting emulation and im- 

 provement in the use and construction of that 

 most important instrument of Agriculture — the 

 Plough. 



By orcter of the Committee of Arrangements, 



GORHAM PARSONS. 



September 2B, 1821. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE KKW ENGLAND FARIKER. 



GATHERING INDIAN CORN. 



Sir, — The opinions of agriculturists are some- 1 

 what various relative to the utility of ihe jirac- ! 

 lice of cutting up and stacking corn while green, i 

 While some who practise the method give une- 

 fjiiivocal tesliinony of its utility, and recommend 

 the practice of it to others, — there are many,! 

 and perhaps most others, who never made the, 

 experiment, and wlio appear to be api)rehensive • 

 that the consequence of so doing will be a cer- ' 

 tain diminution of the crop, — that the corn will' 

 necessarily become shrivelled and comparative- j 

 )y light. Might it not be ascertained by actual 

 experiment, whether it has this eflect or not ? 



1 have, the present month, cut up and secured , 

 much the greatest part of my corn I Ids way. A 

 part of mv beat piece, however, 1 have left, 

 standing in the field to ripen in the good old-jsay. 

 Jly present intention is, at harvesting, to keep 

 separate from the rest, that part which I have 

 not cut up, that 1 may he able, after having 

 f.helled and weighed a bushel or two of each, 

 satisfactorily to ascertain whether I shall have 

 been a gainer or loser by the experiment. 



The objectof thiscommunication is to ref|nest 

 that some one or more of your correspondents, 

 to whom it may be practicable, would make 

 iiccurate experiments tending to solve the ques- 

 tion, whether corn is or is not reducetl in its 

 tveight or value, by being cut to the ground 

 vtn^ stacked vihile gieen. Should any one be 

 disposed to complv with this request, and to 

 communicate the result through Ihe medium of 

 the New England Farmer, it might be well, 

 particularly to notice the time of cutting up, 

 the forwardness of the corn when cut up, its 

 weight when dried and shelled, and anything 

 else which shall tend to throw light uiioii the 

 subject. Yours, truly, 



Franklk, Sept. 27, 1324. p*******ri. 



BOILING POTATOES. 



In the New F.iiiilaml FarmeT, vol. ii. pag^e 591^ we 

 piiblislud " directioiis for hoiling; pnlatop?,'" taken from 

 the Iruh Fanner's Journal, which was very rationally 

 S'ipposed to be good anthorily on a fil.ji'ct of this kind. 

 Some of our friends, however, tried »!iat mode of cook- 

 ins; potatoes, and found that the process rendered the 

 potatoes as heavy (in prr portion to (heir weight) as lud- 

 lels, and as watery (more or less) as Seed-cucumbers. 

 We arc very sorry to mislead our readers in a matter of 

 so much consequence as boiling potatoes, — a topick 

 which would not suffer by a comparison with most of 

 those relating- to domestic economy, which have been 

 si ably discussed by the celebrated fount Rumford. — 

 We will however make all the amends in our power, 

 by giving another receipt, which we are very confident, 

 (though we may mistake) will not disappoint the ex- 

 pectations of those who will take the trouble to try it. 



From Ihe Farmer^s Magazine {Scotland.) 



Observations on the best and 7nosl economical 

 Method of Boiling Potatoes. 



In your supplement, a receipt is given for 

 boiling potatoes, which I have formerly seen ; 

 and it was then said to be recommended by 

 Count RvMFORD. Admitting it to have been 

 recommended by that celebrated economist, I 

 must affirm, that the receipt is calculated not 

 only to boil, but, at the same lime, to spoil po- 

 tatoes, cooked in the mode therein recommend- 

 ed, when they are in the smallest degree of an 

 infcriour quality : particularly in putting in 

 cold water from time to time, to lessen the 

 heat of the water in the pot, and boiling them 

 with their skins on. 



The fact is, that to render potatoes mealv, 

 they must be boiled in the most expeditious 

 manner possible : and for accomplishing this, I 

 give you the receipt followed by my own good 

 wife at home. Potatoes of last year's growth 

 are generally of an indifferent quality ; but any 

 attentive housewife who tries both methods, 

 can then judge which deserves the [ireference. 



1st. Pick out the quantity to be used as near- 

 ly of an equal size as possible, let them be well 

 washed, and Ihe skins scraped ofl", as is done 

 (vith carrots, taking out the eyes, and any earth 

 ihat remains about them, with (he point of a 

 knife ; when the potatoes are large, they m.ty be 

 cut into two, three, or four pieces ; throw one 

 by one, as they are done, into clean water, and 

 rinse them well about, before they arc put in- 

 to the goldet. 



2d. Put the scraped potatoes into a goblet 

 that has a tight, well fitted cover, with as much 

 clean water as will barely cover them ; throw 

 in a little salt ; fit on the cover as closely as 

 possible, for keeping in the steam, and increas- 

 ing the heat, and place the goblet on the hottest 

 part of a hot fire, in order that it may boil as 

 raoidly as possible. Whenever the potatoes are 

 enough boiled, thev must be taken off Ihe lire, 

 otherwise they will immediately begin to ab- 

 sorb the water (to the detriment of their mealy 

 quality;) which being poured olT, the goblet is 

 azain jjut upon the fire, with the cover off, to 

 dry up the moisture ; they are then taken out 

 with a spoon, and put upon a disli for serving 

 up to table. 



Potatoes, boiled in this manner, will be found I 

 perfectly clean, more mealy than when dressed 

 with the skins on ; besides, when they come to; 



table in this last mentioned state, it is certainly 



a very disagreeaMe operation, taking ofl' Ihe 

 skins, by soiling the fingers, ilirlying Ihe table 

 cloth, confuting the plales, and t;diiug up Ihe 

 time and allention ol' the ealer«, when they 

 ought to be better employed. The mode here, 

 recommended, is also nioio economical ; for if 

 part of the (jolatoes should fall down into meal, 

 it is found perfectly clean, and lit for being 

 made into a pudding; but when the skins are 

 left on, the mealy part being attaclied to them, 

 is entirely lost, or only fit to be given to swine 

 of poultry. 



While Veils injuriovs. — White veils, now so 

 much worn, have a tendency to increase sun- 

 burns and freckles, by their increasing the inten- 

 sity of the sun's light. They are also very in- 

 jurious to the eyes, and will in a short time 

 spoil the freshness and dim ihe lustre of the most 

 brilliant eyes. Green is the only color which 

 should be worn as a veil. 



PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. 



The following interesting facts are selected from 

 Professor Silliman's American Journal of Arts and 

 Sciences. 



Opium is now made in considerable quantities in 

 England, and is preferred by physicians and surgeons 

 to the best that can be obtained irem Turkey and the 

 East Indies. The capsule is scarified, and collected 

 as soon as it appears, and not left until it grows hard. 

 It is collected in a phial with a little tunnel fixed in 

 the mouth. 



10,844 teas of pure copper were produced by the 

 copper-mines of Great Britain and Ireland in the year 

 ending June 30lh 1!!'J2. 



The astringent matter in corks has been found in 

 some cases to absorb the particles of iron, in chaly- 

 beate water. It is recommended therefore that the 

 corks be first steeped in the water. 



Linen, muslin, paper, wood, straw, Szc. may be 

 rendered uninflammable by being dipped in a solution 

 of phosphate of ammonia or acidulous phosphate of 

 lime. Clothes, valuable documents, panuels, roofs, 

 awnings, &c. exposed to fire, may thus be rendered 

 less liable to destruction. 



An electrical shock may be received from a cat, bjr 

 placing the left hand under the animals throat, slight- 

 ly pressing the bones of the shoulder, and then gently 

 passing the right hand down the back. 



The line of a silk worm measured 404 yards and 

 weighed wiien dry only 3 grains. A pound wcild 

 reach 533 miles ; and 47 pounds would go round the 

 world. 



Fish may he preserved dry and fresh with sugar 

 alone, by applying it inside to the muscular part, and 

 hanging Ihe fish up 2 or 3 days, till it has penetrated. 

 A t.able spoon full of brown sugar will be sufficient for 

 a salmon of 5 or 6 pounds, and will communicate no 

 taste to it. 



When glass is drawn out to the finest thread, it 

 still retains the character of the original mass, whe- 

 ther it be twisted, angular or tubular and mercury 

 will sliU find its passage through the latter at any 

 degree of attenuation. 



Fine sand has been observed 3C0 miles from Ihe 

 coast of .\frica, after having been carried that dis- 

 tance by the wind. 



Count Romanzoff has sent out travellers from the 

 eastern coast of .\sia, to cross the ice to America. 



The Chevalier de Marthus has writttn to Professor 

 Silliman, that he wishes to open a correspondence 

 with ionie scientific gentltman in A^if-rica to obtain 

 botanical specimens from this country, in exchange 

 for African and European plants and seeds. He 

 travelled in Brazil in the years 111 17 and 1020 in com- 

 pany with Ur. de Spix, and the first volume c^ their 

 journal has been lately published. 



