NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PUBI-ISHKD BY .lOHS B. RUSSEtX, ROCERP' BUU.DINGP, CONGRKSS STRl'ET, BOSTON\— THOMAS G. FKSSKXnKN, KDITOR. 



VOL. III. 



FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 



182,5. 



No. 31. 



<©r«£5Jiwl CiOmin'ajurcTtfsup. 



T. G. Fessenhkx, Esq. 



Editor of Ike A'tw F.nslnnd Farmer. 



Snlcin, Febriiarij 15, 1025.' 

 Dr\r. Sir. — Some li:no in la«t ?>I-iy 1 obsprveil n 

 dwelling on the fiilu ol'llic faco of ;i v:ili);ilile ox. 

 ;inil re<|UP^Icil severiil ppf'^ons (o examine it. 

 Tliev C'llletl it a linl.lf.js!. 1 iiltpr-.vari!.^ reqiiesleil a 

 siir^f 01) to look ;tt it, -.itijl .-iilvi^c mu \v!i;it nio(!(! 

 to ailof't for the roiiof of llic ;\nim;il. He lliowglit 

 n cr.r« could not lie efft^cled cxce[it l>v liiyio^- 

 ojien tlie part and extrncling llio tumour, which 

 1 consiJcred loo h;iz:ir(ions nn cxjicrimont. A 

 fiirripr, in this vicinity, su|i[)osefl it mig'ht pro- 

 cocci from some (iefeclive teeth ;— I allowed 

 him to e\tr:ic' tiiree, directly under the swell- 

 ino;, :i!id to insert a roivel in it; in a foiv d^ivs it 

 riisch;ir3;ed copiously, anil the anim:il seemed 

 nmcli relieved ; — 1 Haltered myself ho would 

 effect a |<orl'ecl cure. 



Some time after the rowel was taken out, the 

 swellinfj increased very rapidly, and, in Decem- 

 ber, I found it neccssarv to slaughter Iheanitnal. 

 I sent the head to Dr Pf.abodv, desiring him to 

 give me some account of the case. 



1 enclose you his answer. Should you wish 

 to publish it, or any part of it, you are at liberty 

 so to do. I am, Sir, 



Yours re?pecl fully, 



E. HEUSEY DERBY. 



Saleai, Jattuari/ 7, i'i?j. 

 E. Herrey Derby, Esq. ! 



De.\r Sir — 1 have examined the o.v's head, 

 wliich you sent me, and found a very extensive 

 disease both of bone and flesh. Before describ- 

 ing the disease, it will be necessary lor me to 

 describe the parts affected. 



There is, in each cheek bone of the ox, a 

 large irregular cavity, above tlie range of the 

 teeth, sufficiently capacious to contain half a 

 pint. The external portion of bone, covering 

 this cavity, is about two lines or two tenths ol 

 an inch in thickness. The internal bones are, 

 also, thin. This cavity, in a healthy state, is 

 empty. 



The fleshy tumour was over thi.s cavity, 

 which I, in the first place, dissected off, and 

 which was as large as a man's two hands placed 

 together. This tumour appeared to have com- 

 menced upon the exteriour bone of the cavity, 

 and was very firmly and intimately connected 

 with it. It consisted of what we call schirrnus 

 or indurated flesh, and near the bone there was, 

 perhaps, a gill of pus. The bone itself was 

 consi<lerably absorbed, that is, it had lost its 

 consistence as bone, so that i could push mv 

 dissecting knife through it. The cavity (which 

 in health is empty) was filled with a diseased 

 substance, most of which was as hard as schir- 

 rons, the remaining part was coagulated lymph 

 If the ox had not been killed, the matter or pus, 

 above mentioned, must have found its way out, 

 and, in this instance, through the gum, outside 

 of the teeth. And the disease, being so exten- 

 sive, must have been incurable. 



The cause of this disea;?, I have no doubt, J France, pro!ial)ly, a" in Italy, and is not indi- 

 orisinated in external violence. I believe I j genniis in cillicr of tiiose countries; hut is, un- 

 snggestcd this idea to von, when [saw the ok doubtedly, an .\siaiic plant, — native of China, 

 alive nt your farm. I have conversed with a and perhaps Persia. It was introduced into 

 very intelligent medical gentleman since, who i France above two centuries ago, it is said, by 

 has lived in the country, and who has been ac j Olivier de Serres, author of '* Theatre d\1gri- 

 quainled with a number ofcnsps, some of which i cui^iH'ir," published in 1600, — a wfirk charac- 

 liavo been traced to external violence. This | terized by Mailer as " a great and valuable 

 violence is inflicted by cruel teamsters. The [ work, writ:en by an experienced man, fond of 

 bone, ns stated, is thin!Jand a heavy blow, with 'simpliciiy, and not at all attached to expensive 

 (he butt end of a herivv whip staff, is suflicient I loelhod^." From the work of this estimable 

 to fracture it. An accident of this kind will be I man, (who died in 1619, at the age of four 

 followed by swelling and an infusion into the :^core, " after having had the satisfaction of 



witnessing the happy effects of the improve- 

 ments he suggested.") I will attempt to trans- 

 ate, from bis interesting old French, some 



cavity, which will destroy the texture of the 

 bone, and eventually become an open sore, and 

 be incurable. There are different degrees of 

 disease, according to the degree- of violence. — 

 In some cases the violence may not fracture the 

 bone ; in such cases there may be a temporary 

 swellinsr, which will subside — or, if the fracture 

 be slight, there may be a spontaneous cure irom 

 the efiV,-. ts of nature. In such cases the appear- 

 ance of disease will suli.sidein a few weeks, but 

 when the swelling continues, or increases, after 

 fonr or five weeks, I should think the disease 

 mav be considered incurable, and the sooner the 

 animal is killed the better. 



Now one word on the cruelly inflicted upon 

 these dumb animals. I have seen oxen pound- 

 ed not only with the butt end of a heavy whip- 

 staff, afiplied with all the strength of a frantic, 

 athletic man, or more properly, brute — but I 

 have seen them struck over the face with the 

 handle of a hay fork, nearly two inches in di- 

 ameter, or with a handspike. Such blows pro- 

 duce this disease, and, as a proof of it, it never 

 occurs in any other part of the animal. Now 

 would it not be well that a law should be enact- 

 ed and enforced, regulating the size ofwhi[)- 

 staves, and that a teamster, using or carrying a 

 whip-staff over a certain size, which should al- 

 ways be made so small as not to injuie the bones 

 of an animal, should be subject to a heavy pen- 

 alty ? It is shocking to humanity to witness llie 

 brutal cruelly inflicted upon the noble horse 

 and useful os, and it calls loudly ibr some effect- 

 ual remedy. 



If, Sir, you think the case of sufiicient magni- 

 tude for publication, it is as your disposal. 

 With due respect, 



I p,m your most obedient servant, 



NATHANIEL PEABODY. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Foster, (/?./.) Jamiary25, 1825. 

 Mr Fessendkn — Among communications to the 

 the Philadelphia Agricultural Society, (inserted 

 in the New England Farmer, of Jan. 7lh) I ob- 

 serve an important one " On the Aiivanta^ts to 

 Farmers of cuhivating the Italian Mulberry Tree.'''' 

 There can be no doulit of the easy propagation, 

 quick growth, and great utility of this tree. I 

 have a considerable hedge-row, raised from the 

 seed; and a number of cuttings, which did well 

 last summer. They call it the " Italian Mul- 

 berry Tree," and may it not, with equal pro- 

 priety, be called the French Mulberry Tree ? 

 for it has been cultivated as extensively in 



passages relating to the White Mulberry Tree.- 

 M. Poiset observes, " many advantages may be 

 derived trom this tree, and which have been 

 made known by Olivier de Serres in his Thea- 

 tre iTJIgriculturc — a precious work, and too lit- 

 tle read." We shall there see that the property 

 of the bark of the mulberry tree to yield 

 thread was known in former times, though it 

 has been published lately as a new discovery. 

 '• The proiils ofa white mulberry tree, "[mcurjer 

 i/anc] says Olivier d'Serres, " consist not solely 

 in the leaf for having silk, but also in the bark 

 for making ropes and clollis — coarse, middling, 

 fine, and thin, at pleasure ; by which advantag- 

 es il manifests itself to be a very rich plant, and 

 of gr'ater usefulness than any we are acquaint- 

 ed with." He then relates that, hating sep- 

 arai.^d the bark from the wood, (being in sap) 

 and made cords in iiniiation ol those of the bark 

 of linden or lime tree, [u/i'a] and laid them to 

 <lry on the top of his house, they were hurled 

 liy the wind into a ditch, — then drawn out of 

 the dirty water, having remained some days 

 therein, and washed clean. After wringing and 

 diying, appeared the fibre, nap, or soft hairy 

 substance, the material of cloth, like silk or 

 tine flax. The barks were then beaten with a 

 club to separate the upper part, which going off 

 in dust, left the stnff tractable and soft; which 

 [lounded, hatcheled, carded, or combed, is ren- 

 dered proper to be spun, and afterwards woven 

 :ind reduced to cloth. That is, says de Serres, the 

 first experiment or proof of the value of the 

 bark of the white mulberry free, which acci- 

 dent reduced into art, leaves no doubt of its 

 serviceableness, to the great profit of its pos- 

 sessor. But in order that this husbandry may 

 be rendered lasting, that is, taking the bark 

 of Ihe mulberry tree without injuring if, if 

 should be noted that, for the good of the silk, 

 t is necessary to prune, lop and top the trees 

 immediately after gathering the leaves foiv 

 feeding the worms. The branches proceed- 

 ing from such cutting will serve for our inven- 

 tion, because, being then in sap, (and in any 

 other state the instrument ought not to be pot 

 10 the frees) they will easily peel ; and this 

 will be making profit of a thing otherwise lost, 

 or fit for little but fuel. And because the finer 

 barks proceed from the tender summits of thei 

 trees, the coarse from the large branches al- 

 ready hardened, and a middling sort from those 

 which hold between them — when the treei are 



