1825.] 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



169 



time on the same animal ; for, from observa- 

 tions ive have maJe, wc are satisfied that wool 

 is grown more rapidly immediately alter the 

 sheep are shorn than at any other time. Length 

 of slaple in wool ilopenils primarily on the breed, 

 but may be more affected liy culture than many 

 other qualities of the fleece. The soundness of 

 the staple may be easily judj^ed of by pulling 

 both ends of it with the lingers with considera- 

 ble force. In weak or unsouml wool the staple 

 easily breaks in one or more parts, and on obser- 

 ving it, it will be seen that the tibres are much 

 thinner in the part which breaks. This is oc- 

 casioned either by a deficient supply ot food, by 

 disease, or by inclement seasons, which cause a 

 stoppage in the growth of the fleece. This goes 

 on to a greater or less degree. In some instan- 

 ces the stoppage has been so entire that the up- 

 per part of the staple is nearly separated from 

 the lower, and is only connected with it by a few 

 tilaments ; in such cases, the stoppage has con- 

 tinued for a considerable time, and the bottom 

 part of the stnple may be considered as a new 

 fleece protrud.ng the old one from the skin. 



Connected with the soundness of the wool, 

 there is another property required : this is, that 

 the staple be free and open, or that the fibres 

 shall not be matted or felted together, an effect 

 which takes place frequently when the wool is 

 unsound. It is in fact, a natural felting of the 

 woo! on the back of the animal, when by any 

 cause it has ceased to grow. Sometimes the 

 lower part of the fleece next the skin wiJI be so 

 completely matted as to form a substance nearly 

 as hard as a bat. and will hold to the skin by a 

 lew hairs only. Those are called cotted fleeces ; 

 all approach to this state is peculiarly injurious 

 to combing wools. The wool-buyers generally 

 throw out the cotted and unsound ileeces, when 

 thev pack the wool from the grower, and buy 

 them at a very reduced price. The softness of 

 combing wool, though of less importance than 

 in clothing wool, yel enhances its value, as it is 

 I'ound ihat such wool makes a closer and softer 

 thread, and in every process of the manufacture 

 ('p.ishes more kindly. Combing wools grown on 

 light, calcareous soils, are deficient in this res- 

 pect. A copious supply of the yolk is necessary 

 ' to the healthy condition of the fleece ; and as 

 ihis in many flocks is nearly equal to the weight 

 of the wool, the fleeces contain from G to 8 lbs. 

 more of it before (hey are washed, for in the 

 unwashed state, tliej often weigh 18 pounds in 

 many long-woolcd flocks in England. 



The wliilenejs of the fleece is of less impor- 

 s.ince in the long combing than in clothing wool, 

 , provided it be free from gray hairs. The lat- 

 i ter circumstance does not frequently occur in 

 combing-wools. There is iiowever a peculiar 

 colour communicateil by the soil, which is some- 

 times so deep as to injure the wool for particu- 

 lar uses, and what is of naore importance, there 

 is a dingy brown colour given to (he fleece by 

 impoverished keeping, or by disease, which is 

 I called a -jainter slain ; it is a sure indication that 

 Ihe wool is not in a thoroughly sound state, and 

 such fleeces are carefully thrown out by (he 

 wool-sorter, being only suited for those goods, 

 which are to be dyed dark colours. 



The fineness of heavy combing wool is of less 



-importance than the other qualities. In every 



fleece of this kind there will be a certain por- 



1 tion of short clothing-wool on the shanks, the 



belly, the throat and the buttocks. The cloth- 

 ing-wool from such fleeces is not often divided 

 into more than two or three low sorts, and the 

 combing-wool is seldom thrown into more than 

 four sorts, that is two sorts of the hog-wool, and 

 two sorts of the weather wool, of which three 

 fourths, if the fleece he good, will form the best 

 sort in each. 



There is however, n fine long combing-wool 

 which is required for bombazines and the tiner 

 kinds of wors(ed goods; this is most frequently 

 selected from (he longer parts of clothing fleec- 

 es and admits a division into four or live sorts, 

 the finest being equal in hair to that of the head 

 or super in clothing wool ; whereas the best sort 

 of the common heavy combing wool seldom ran- 

 ges higher in point of firmness than the coars- 

 est sort of clothing-wool above the breech locks ; 

 viz. the low abb and the livery. 

 [^To be conlinued.] 



NEW CLAPBOARD MACHINE. 

 Messrs: Pray & Benjamin, of Livermore, 

 (Me.) says the Gardiner Chronicle, have now 

 in successful operation an improved, rotary, sec- 

 tional-tooth, circular saw Clapboard Machine. — 

 The improvement, which is made upon East- 

 man's machine of a similar description, consists 

 chiefly in (he manner of setting the saw for the 

 (hickness of the clap-boards. The manufactur- 

 ers of this kind of luniher have considered it a 

 desideratum in their business, to have an index 

 to guide the saw in setting, that it should not be 

 liable to derangement, and thereby occasion a 

 difference of thickness in boards sawed from the 

 same log, or in parts of the same board. Messrs. 

 Pray &, Benjamin have accomplished (his object 

 by subs(i(u(ing, ins(ead of the common index, a 

 wheel, to which the log to be sawed is confined 

 by means of a dog driven through it ; the wheel, 

 turning but once in sawing out a log, is moved 

 by a screw, whose threads mesh with the cogs 

 of the wheel. Upon the same shaft with the 

 screw, is a wheel, whoso cogs, meshing with 

 cogs of a bed-piece upon which the log strikes 

 when a board is sawed through, turn the screw, 

 wheel and log. There is a known proportion 

 between these several parts of (he machine, and 

 between the diameter of the log and the distance 

 between the cogs of the bed-piece ; which bed- 

 piece is changed (o correspond to the difference 

 of diameters in Ihe logs to be sawed ; conse- 

 quently the space is known through which the 

 wheel turns, and the thickness of the clapboard 

 invariably determined. We understand these 

 ingenious and scientific mechanics have ob(ain- 

 ed a patent lor their improvement. 



SAUER-KR.\UT. 



The following directions for making it, are 

 given by Dr Willjcb. In Pennsylvania it is a 

 very fashionable dish among the Germans, and 

 when prepared with nea(ness, is highly palata- 

 ble, especially when eaten with salt pork. 



The soundest and most solid cabbages are se- 

 lected, cut very small, put into a barrel in layers, 

 about a hand high, over each of which is strew- 

 ed a handful of salt and caraway seeds : in (his 

 manner, the layers are closely rammed down, 

 one upon another, till the barrel is full, when a 

 loose cover is put over it and pressed down with 

 a heavy weight. After standing for some time, 

 the mass begins to ferment ; and as soon as it 



subsides, Ihe head is fitted into the barrel, whicji 

 is then finally closed, and its con(en(s preserved 

 for use. A('(er being once opened, (he kraut 

 must be carefully compressed with a loose cov- 

 er, and fresh salt and water every time substitu- 

 ted tor tha( which is become foul, floa(s on the 

 top, and should be removed. As this preparation 

 has been found of considerable efficacy as an an- 

 (iscorbu(ic, in long sea voyages, particularly 

 (hose round (he (vorld, performed by the late 

 Captain Cook, it deserves to be more generally 

 known in this country (Eng.) : and though its 

 flavour is far from being agreeable to those 

 who taste it for the first time, yet we are con- 

 vinced from experience, that it will soon be re- 

 lished, even by delicate ladies, whose reason is 

 superior to prejudico or custom. We could not 

 recommend a more an(isep(ic and wholesome 

 dish, especially if it be managed with care and 

 strict attention to cleanliness. 



From the Medical Intelligencer, 



APPETITE. 



Though appetite for food be the most certain 

 indication that nature requires a supply, yet 

 when irregular, it ought never to be indulged be- 

 yond a moderate extent. By slow eating, the 

 stomach suffers a very gradual distention, and 

 (he food has sufficient time to be duly prepared 

 by mastication, or chewing in the mouth ; and he 

 who observes this simple rule will feel himself 

 satisfied, only alter he has received a due pro- 

 portion of aliment; whilst he who swallows his 

 food too quickly, and before it is perfectly chew- 

 ed, will be apt lo imagine he has eaten enough 

 when the unmas(icated provisions merely press 

 on (he sides of the stomach ; the consequence is 

 (ha( hunger will soon return. 



Those who take more exercise in winter than 

 in summer, can also digest more food. But as 

 individuals, leading a sedentary life, usually suf- 

 fer in winter from a bad state of digestion, owing 

 (o a want of exercise, (hey ought in this season 

 to be more sparing of aliment. 



CHEMICAI. COMFOSITION OF FERTtLE SOILS. 



Fertile soils always consist of certain propor- 

 tions of aluminous and calcareous earths in a 

 finely divided state, and of vegetable or animal 

 ma((er. 



The quandty of calcareous earths is very va- 

 rious, and in some cases very small ; a very fer- 

 tile corn soil from East Lothian afforded eleven 

 parts in a hundred of calcareous earth, and 

 twenty-five of siliceous sand: it however afford- 

 ed some indications of a small quantity of phos- 

 phate of lime, by which its fertility might be in 

 some degree caused, as this substance is found 

 in wheat, oats and barley. It also contained 

 nine parts of animal or vegetable matter. An 

 equally productive soil from Somersetshire, on 

 the contrary, containing eight ninths of calcare- 

 ous earth to one ninth of silicious sand, held 

 above five parts in the hundred of vegetable 

 and animal matter, and had no phosphate of lime. 



In general bulbous roots require a more san- 

 dy soil than grasses, and less attractive of mois- 

 ture ; plants and trees whose roots are hard and 

 fibrous, will thrive best in a soil moderately 

 dry, which does not contain too much aninial 

 matter. 



