NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



165 



ber^, and the pro?pcct of an ciilargenipnt as 

 well as a continuance of their useful labours: 

 and I conclude my communicalion by a ronen- 

 ed assurance of tnv g'ood feeling and liisli I'c- 

 gard. "SAMUEL L. MITCHILL. 



Extract from some observations on the Domestic 

 Wines of the U. S.bij the lute Dr Rush. 

 « It is to be lamented that the grape is not 

 yet suflicienlly cultivated in our country, to af- 

 ford wine for our citizens; but many excellent 

 sutistitules mav be made for if, IVom the native 

 fruits of all the states. If two barrels of cider, 

 fresh from the press, are boiled into one, and 

 afterwards fermented, and kept for two or throe 

 years in a diy cellar, it affords a liquor, which, 

 according to the quality of the apple from 

 which the cider is made, has the taste of Mala- 

 ga or Rhenish wine. It affords, when mixed 

 with water, a most agreeable drink in summer. 

 1 have taken tie liberty of calling it Pomona 

 Wink. There is another method of making a 

 pleasant wine from the apple, by adding four 

 and twenty gallons of new cider to three gal- 

 lons of syrup made from the expressed juice of 

 sweet apples. When thoroughly fermented, 

 and ke[it for a few years, it becomes tit for use. 

 The blackberry of our fields, and the raspber- 

 ry and currant of our gardens, aflord likewise 

 an agreeable and wholesome wine, when press- 

 ed, and mixed with certain proportions of su- 

 gar and water, and a little spirit, to counteract 

 the disposition to an excessive fermentation. — 

 It is no objection to these cheap and home 

 made wines, that tliey are unfit for use till they 

 are two or three years old. The foreign wines 

 in common use in our country, require not only 

 a much longer time to bring them to perl'ec- 

 tion, but to prevent their being disagreeable 

 €veu to the taste." 



From tke Boston Medical Lilclligcnccr. 



DECEMBER. 



This, as well as November, is a merry month 

 withal, and better befitting a poet, perhaps, to 

 sing its praises, than ourselves. Here, in New 

 England, the first day almost of the month is a 

 day of Thanksgiving and Praise to the Great 

 .Author of good, for the abundance of the sea- 

 son in every thing which promotes comfort and 

 happiness. Family connections usually assem- 

 ble on this day, and whilst they fare sumptuous- 

 ly on roast turkeys and plum puddings, they 

 carry joy in their faces and gratitude in their 

 hearts — a joy which the sympathy of those to 

 whom we are most closely attached lends great- 

 ly to enhance — a gratitude which the solemni- 

 ties of the day and the fruitfulness of the sea- 

 eon, unite to impress deeply on the mind. But 

 the ofTeringG of jiraise for the blessings of the 

 season are scarcely ended, when the recurrence 

 of the anniversary of the landing of our Pil- 

 grim Fathers at Plymouth, calls forth even 

 stronger emotions — it calls us to reflect on their 

 characters, and thus affords us a moral lesson, 

 —it calls to our minds the motives which led to 

 their pilgrimage, and thus teaches us to appre- 

 ciate the blessings of liberty — it places in our 

 view the result of their hardships, and thus ex-, 

 cites our admiration, and awakens feelings of 

 gratitude for that tranquility and freedom which 

 have made our lives so peaceful and happy, and 

 ■our country so great and powerful. But with 



December come not only tributes of gratitude 

 for the bounties of the sea«on and (he Idrssings 

 of our lives, but also for the prospect of never 

 ending felicity ; for ihe merry peals of the 

 Christmas Udls invite us to rcilcctions, which 

 though solemn and impressive, excite sn the 

 heart a thrill ofexlacy that is evinced, in every 

 christian country, by rejoicings and festivities; 

 thus is the month of which we treat full of 

 events calculated to call forth our finest feelings 

 and most agreeable reflections — both lo excite, 

 to enliven, and lo improve iis. 



Our readers have been already apprised of 

 the influence exerted by the afl'ections of the 

 mind on the strength and vigour of the body ; 

 and might thence suppose that the excitement 

 produced by the celebration in the same month 

 of the nativity of our saviour and the landing of 

 the Pilgrims, (ti'o events which are decidedly 

 the most important that have occurred since 

 the creation, would be an eifeclual barrier to 

 the inroads of disease. They must recollect, 

 however, that too great joy leads almost invari- 

 ably to excesses and imprudent indulgences, and 

 tlvat the associations connected with the return 

 of. these anniversaries, are frequently such as 

 lo open anew the wounds of hearts that have 

 been lacerated, and to excite recollections 

 which frequently overpower the enfeebled 

 f^rame of (he aged or the invalid. 



We have uniformly remarked that Decem- 

 ber has a long list of deaths, and often jiroves 

 fatal to a large proportion of those w ho are ad- 

 vanced in years. Diseases are also parlicnlar- 

 ly prevalent among children, who are apt to 

 overload their stomachs with cake, pies, and 

 plum puddings, three most dire ofleuders in 

 these days, producing not only diarrhoeas and 

 pneumonic fevers in Utile children, but dyspep- 

 sia, gout, apoplexy, and all Ihe diseases of re- 

 pletion in great ones. All complaints which re- 

 sult from loo rich, too stimulating, or too abun- 

 dant a diet, are more numerous at this season 

 than at any other, and this catalogue of mala- 

 dies would be much shortened if the distinction 

 were, on these days, to drink better wines than 

 usual, rather than to empty more bottles. 



Visceral obstructions are frequent at the ap- 

 proach of winter, and should be counteracted 

 by a cooling regimen ; ripe fruits, and acidulat- 

 ed liquids may be used with freedom, but a dry 

 diet should be carefully avoided. ^ — Colds at Ihis 

 season usually terminate in hing fevers, and ty- 

 phus commences its inroads ; the clothing, 

 therefore, should be warm, and every kind of 

 exposure most strictly guarded against ; for in 

 spite of all its festivities, December is a dan- 

 gerous month — its coldness, though generally 

 agreeable, is frequently damp and penetrating ; 

 and its dinners, routs, and hilarily — those arch 

 enemies of blue devils and potent sliorteners of 

 ihe human visage — often lead lo worse diseases 

 than they can cure, to more melancholy thoughts 

 than they can dissipate. 



F/om the Conntclicui Couranl. 



rYROLfG.NEOUS ACID. 



As this substance has in some degree excited 

 iho public attention, and as it appears to he 

 one of those things which may add to the 

 comforts and conveniences of life, the writer 

 having had some acquaintance with the subject, 

 is induced to offer the following observation? 



This ;icid has been been usually produced liy 

 the distillaliun of wood in iron retorts. When 

 thus produced it has a strong pungent taste, and 

 in colour resembling French brandy. In this 

 state it contains tar in Ihe proi)ortion of about 

 one-eighth part, and also, besides the tar, it 

 contains another suuslance extremely bitier. 

 These impurities, by a cerlain jirocess, may be 

 entirely removed, and Ihe aciil, unless it be 

 stained with some extranenoua substance, will 

 be colourless almost as water, and not unplea- 

 sant to the tasle. In this state it is suitable to 

 be applied lo meat. After being thus jiuriCed, 

 it consists of acetic acid, or vinegar, combined 

 with a peculiar essential oil. It is to be regret- 

 ted that this article has been offered to the pub- 

 lic in its impure state, that is, combined with the 

 tar, &c. When used in this state, it necessarily 

 communicates to the meat something of its 

 strong unpleasant taste. I made experiments 

 the last year with ihc purified acid which were 

 entirely satisfactory. It is cerlain that hams, 

 Sic. cuied in this way may be rendered equal it 

 not superiour in flavour to those smoked in the 

 ordinary way; saving entirely the sooty outside, 

 and saving also some expense and trouble. The 

 fiict that smoke is composed in part of Pyrolig- 

 neous Acid, shows why it is so offensive to the 

 eyes. This substance is highly antiseptic. In 

 June last, I look a piece of fresh veal weigh- 

 •ing about six pounds, and simply brushed it 

 over with purified acid. It remained hung np 

 in an out house all summer without any signs of 

 putrefaction. 



Goshen, Litchfeld Co. Dec. 1824. 



From a London Paper. 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



It is remarkable that this country does not 

 produce one useful vegetable which it can call 

 its own ; we have imported every thing of the 

 kind, from the luxurious Pine, down to the hum- 

 ble Potatoe. The following list of the earth's 

 productions, with the countries from which they 

 originally came, may perhaps be new and in- 

 teresting to such of our readers as have not 

 considered the subject : — Rye and Wheat were 

 first imported from Tartary and Siberia, where 

 they are yet indigenous ; Barley and Oats, un- 

 known ; but certainly not in Britain, because 

 we are obliged to cultivate them ; Asparagus 

 was first imported from Asia; Cresses from 

 Crete; Cauliflowers from Cyprus ; Chervil from 

 Italy; Cabbage and Lettuce from Holland ; Fen- 

 nel from the Canary Islands ; Garlick from the 

 East ; Gourds from Astrachan ; Horse-radish 

 from China ; Kidney-beans from the East In- 

 dies ; Lentil from France ; Potatoe from Brazil ; 

 Kice from Ethiopia ; Shalot from Sibera ; To- 

 bacco from America ; Sugar was originally 

 brought from India, by the introduction of the 

 plant Saccharui/i officiarum. — " Arabia," says 

 Pliny, " produces Saccaron, but the best is in 

 India. It is a honey collected from the reeds; 

 a sort of white gum, brittle between the teeth ; 

 the largest pieces do not exceed the size of a 

 hazel nut, and are only used in medicine." Su- 

 gar was first made from these reeds in Egypt; 

 from thence the plant was carried into Sicily, 

 which, in the 121h century, supplied many parts 

 of Europe wilh that commodity, and from 

 thence, at a period unknown, it was probably 

 brought into Spain by the Moors. From Spaie 



