I82r,.] 



NEW ENGLAND FAIiVlClI. 



331 



reviewers (for we have Jeffreys in farmiiig ::' 

 well ;is wriline^,) siinuKlsiv — tlii^ wnnilen slioed 

 I'fcliow mpnns lo lio;ix lis with his crop m-idc 

 willimit secilinj, plnnghin? or Ipiiilins;. SnlUy. 

 my m;i«ler5, •' I cry your mercy," till I tell yon 

 somelliin^ about an ash pncos:ii--\\hpn 1 nm sure 

 your woniler* will co.ise. An a?h pocnsin, i' 

 not an affair oI'miKl ami Imirn^lies, as most marsh- 

 es are, but a colli'Clion of vc»-elalilp matter, 

 (iecaying since the time of fatlier Noih, ami 

 forming llie richest vegetable mould il i* possi- 

 ble to conceive. The depth is unUnown ; a 

 pole forced down twenty feet, tinds no diminu. 

 lion of richness, and it may rea;h th.' central 

 regions of Capl. Symmes, for aii^ht we know. 

 A part of this reclaimed land was put in oats, 

 and sowed at the rate of 8 bushels to the acre, 

 luit it all fell down and made nol'.iing. A vast 

 crop o( the sapling clover and timothy grew 



and disturb people with needless apprehensions, 

 bnt, a? a lover of mankind, I can conceal nothing 

 which calls lor redress, and a well grounded 

 jirecaulion. 



It is no new thing that persons iiave been 

 struck with sudden death at burials in the vaults 

 of churches; but the misfortune which hap[>en- 

 ed at Montpellier on Aug. 17, 1711, is more 

 dismal than any other account of that kind. — 

 Three persons were stifled, one after another, 

 in one of the common vaults of our Lady's church 

 at Montpellier; the two last having gone down 

 into it lo succor the (irst ; and many others, whose 

 good will made them venture lo relieve him, 

 owe their survivance to some prcservalives 

 which ihey had taken before-hand ; yet this 

 did not prevent its being fatal to one. At i-isl 

 they were obliged to drag up the three carcases 

 with grappling irons ; their clothes had a horri 



TO IMPROVr. THF. DOWN OF GEESE. 



The n.iture of the food contributes very much 

 to the value of the down, and to the strength of 

 feathers; the pari. cular care taken ol' geese has 

 no less influence. It has been remarked, that 

 in places where these birds find a great deal of 

 water, Ihey are not so much subject to vermin, 

 and furnish feathers of a belter quality. 



TO ASCERTAIN THE PROPERTIES OF GOOSE DOWW. 



There is a sort of maturity, in regard to down 

 which may be easily discovered, as it then falls 

 of itself; if removed too soon il will not keep, 

 and is liable to be attacked by worms. Lean 

 geese furnish more than those which are fat, 

 and are also more esteemed. Farmers ought 

 never lo suffer leather-; to be pulled from geese, 

 some time after they are dead, for the purpose 

 of being sold ; they generally snaell bad, and be- 



for one year, bnt the weeds look possession the 1,]^ stench, were damn, and covered with a yel- C"'"^ mailed ; none bui those plucked from liv- 



nexl year, and destroyed the grass. Stock kept j i„jv ;,„(] o^reen matter, not unlike rust. 



conslantly on Ihis land is a great advantage to j .t ij , ■ , j u .u „ - I 



. •'. ,. , , ,1 ^'-i- rlaa;ucnol was appomted by the magis- 



it, siviu"- It irmness, am prevenUna: the fffowln , . , '■ ... v .u- i ii 



'.^7^ , ., , ', . '^ r. . " , • 1 I 1 (rates (o examme llio qualities of Ibis deadly 



o| weeds and wild plants ot various kinds. '" I „„. „„ i ■ u u r.i ■ . . i j . 'i 



,. , ' , ,. ., I vapor, which had thus instantaneously destroyed 



this case the ffreen sivard soon roots out the wiiti ,' ' ,01 1 t^u . - '„, 



., , =. ., ,. , . _ rru-i'hree persons. — He observes, 1. 1 hat, as soon 



growth, and gives the very linest pasture. The 

 dykes ate always planted with pumpkins, and 

 afford a very great crop. Grubbing is not only 

 unnecessarv, but prejudicial, lea\ ing the ground 

 in holes ; the ash trees being cut clcse to ihe 

 surface, the slumjis will rot in three or (our 

 years, and become undisiinguished from the 

 other mould; ploughing may then be done as 

 in other lands. 



Are Ihere not at least 100,000 acres of this 

 pocosin land on most of our fresh water rivers? 

 I verily believe, that if properly reclaimed, an " 



as he had caused one ofthese vaults to be open- 

 ed, it emitted a noisome fume, more or less 

 strong, according to the temperature of the air. 

 2. That this fume so quenches all burning bod- 

 ies, as not to leave any the least appearance of 

 lire. 3. That, in a minute or two, it strikes 

 dead the most lively and vigorous animals, even 

 cats. 4. That the malignity ol"ihis fume is very 

 asting; since, at its exhalation out of a bottle, 



ing geese, or which have been just killed, ought 

 to lie introduced into commerce. In Ihe lallercase 

 the geese must he plucked sooo, and in such a 

 manner that the operation may he terminated 

 before they are entirely cold; Ihe feathers are 

 then much heller. 



A ProUfick minimal.— Mr. Enos Pratt ofTaun- 

 tnn, owns a Ewe vvhich in four years has brought 

 him eleven lambs. She had two ihe first year, 

 and for the three last years, three each year. 



ils etlects were equally violent. 



I\I H. a>^sprts, that the infection, which dilates 

 itself upon opening a vault, may occasion epi- 



put in corn and grass, these lands would raise 



more product of both, than all the other lands 1 , ■ , . - ., ,■ , -, ■■ 



. ., ' .• , I ■ u ,L ,, ..„„j idemical, and even peslilen lal distempers; lor 

 in the counties to which Ihev are allacned. — 1 , ' ., , , ! ,, . , 

 ^ , , a J , n "n- r ■ S'lch putrid exba alions natura y teiu to com- 

 One trunk or floodgate will suflice for a pocosin j .' __ , ... .. . - ,, . ._ , 



of an hundred acres. The annual cleaning oul _ 



iprovement ol up! 

 these invaluable lands, when properly reclaim 

 ed, atTord a certainly of the most enormous pro- 

 ducts, not liable lo the mischiefs of drouth, as 

 they need not a drop of rain, easy of cultiva- 



lion, and lasting as time. 



Your friend, kc. 



GEO. W. P. CUSTIS. 



\Vir,D TuRKEvs — for General Lafayctlc. 

 The Editor of the American Farmer is desir- 

 whici^ had been filled with il six weeks before^ ous of procuring sume Wild Turkeys lo be sent 



Mo France and England. The first are for the 

 Nation's Guest, lis early, steadfast I'riend indeed, 

 as he was our friend in need. 



He has repeated to Mr Skinner the wish (0 

 obtain two cocks and three or four hens, for his 

 own use, at La Grange, and wishes them as black 

 as they can be had. Besides the pleasure which 

 fford any one who has it in his 

 power lo gratify the wisii of the General, any 

 reasonable expense will be paid by Mr S. for the 

 fowls, and for Irnnsportation, Sic. to Baltimore 

 — and Ihey shall be presented to him in the 

 name of the person or persons from whom they 

 are received. If it be not practicable to get 

 groivn turkeys, it may be that eggs may be 



lunicaio a putrefying motion in digestion, and 



dis- 



,■,,.,, a- J 1 f .L /• 7 sanguiticalion, which produces rieslilenlial dis- . ■' . . 



o he ditches, anords a supply oi the finest ma- , ' .' 1 ■ H ,. '. 1 he is sure it wi 



,. ,, ' , 5^ I 1 I J temiiers; and, this mil mosllv happen, when , ,., 



nure lor Ihe improvement ot uplands. Inaword, t,, ' 11,' l , 1 " i- j u i power o grain 



ANIMAL PUTREFACTION. 

 M Haguenot, professor regius of physic in 

 the university of .Montpelier, delivered at a pub- 

 lic meeting of Ihe Royal Academy of Sciences 

 of that city, on December 27, 174C, a memorial 

 which greally concerns the citizens' health, viz. 

 against burying in churchec. It was prohibited, 

 by a law of the 12 tables, to inter, or even to 

 burn a dead body within Rome. The ivisdom 

 of this law, though a pagan institution, caused il 

 lo be slriclly observed during the first twelve 

 centuries of Ihe church ; audits disuse proceeds 

 from pride and covelousness. M. Haguenot en- 

 ters ihc lists against such a pernicious abuse. — 

 The zeal of a patriot and the knowledge of a 



these exhalations have not been dispersed by 

 the wind. .\nd accordingly, il has been observ- 

 ed, that a plague has oflen been preceded by a 

 long calm. 



The hurtful effects of ihese corrupted vapours, 

 are loo frequently attested in history. .Ambrose 



Pare relates, that the Agenois, with the -'rfjacent ' j^^j^'j^j' ^j, j placed, for being hatched, under tame 

 country, was desolated by a pestilence, brought ^ j^^^i^pyg g^,]^ indeed would be desirable, lest 

 on, by exhalations from a pit, in which a great ] ^j^, ^^-pg ^j^i„ ^ot so well bear transportation by 

 many dead bodies had been thrown. Pompey s 1 ggj,^ ^^ „,-,^|,t p^i ^^ gg (.^^. domesticated as to 

 army was ravaged by a plague, occasioned by j [jp^gfi 



leaving dead horses unhuned. The putrefac-| Any communication on the subject will be 

 lion of less animals, and even of insects, has li^d ! .hanklully received, and transmitted to Gen. La 

 the like lamentable effects; nay, sometimes et- pj,,g|jg (,y j g SKINNER 



fluvia, which have been expelled by earth- j ' ' , Postmaster— Baltimore. 



quakes, or even the bare slirrinij of the earth,' ,. ,, „ ,. ,. • v j „..i, :.,„(„„ „<•„„*„ 



■ ,..,, ,■',-, P. S. For a distinguished cultivator ot natu- 



in digging, has been productive ol the same ex-\^^ ^ .^ ^.^^^^^-^ ^ Washington La- 



All nature then seems to . ,^ rem.esled the Editor of the Americaa 



tensive destruction. 



cry aloud, that interments in churches are a 



sance to society. 



M. Haguenot concludes his Essay with a reci- 

 tal of imperial conslitnlions, and decrees of coun- 

 cils, enacted against ihe same error, which his 

 humanity has induced him to expose ; and he 



consummate Physician, shine in his book ; is it ; hopes that the magistrate's concern for the peo- 

 nol then an amazement that this error should! P'e's welfare, concurring with the clergy's zeal 

 stand its ground against such forcible remonstran- In restore the primitive discipline of the church, 



Far be it from me, says he, to beat an alarm, 



will exterminate a practice so indecent, so u.n- 



SUFFERABLE, ARD ALSO SO DESTRUCTIVE, 



(ayelle reqii 

 '^"'" I Farmer lo procure, if praclicable, eilher an im- 

 pregnated female opossum — or, if that were not 

 practicable, a maie and female opossum. They 

 are required, to enable naturalists to settle a 

 very curious question in the natural history and 

 habits of that animal —which will be better un- 

 derstood if any gentleman will have the good- 

 ness to loan to the Editor, for publication in the 

 American Farmer, Dr Barton's Essay in refer- 

 ence to his subject, or to ioform bim where it 

 can be had. 



