1825.] 



NEW EiVGLAND F.Ui:«IER. 



in 



of Heaths by chronic maladies, is considciably 

 greater in the couiilrj'. More unmarried fe- 

 males die, annuall}', between llio ages of eigh- 

 teen and twenty-six, in the country, than on ihp 

 shore of the Atlantic; and llie whole numbcrol 

 deaths throughout the northern states, yearly, 

 shows most conclusively, that the morlalily ot 

 married women, in either place, by acute or 

 chronic diseases, is less than that of the unmar- 

 ried. A greater number ofyoiiniif men die in 

 cities, between the ages of nineteen and twen 

 ty-seven, than in the country. More men dio 

 in town, than women ; but, on the contrary, in 

 the country, the number of deaths amfiiigst fi-- 

 males, exceeds those of males. More unmarried 

 women die of pulraon.nry consumption, than un- 

 married men ; but in the m.irriage state, more 

 men die of pulmonary affections than womer. 

 The mortality is always greater among children, 

 between the period of birth and the second year 

 of their age, in town than in the country ; bit 

 from the age of six to eleven, fewer chiUlrei 

 are lost, in either place, than before or alter 

 those ages. — Ibid. 



From Memoirs of Philadeiphia .Agricultural Socitly. 



ON SULPHURIC ACID [Oil 0/ Filrioq FOR MA- 

 NURE; A\D THE FERTILIZING PRINCI- 

 PLE OF PLASTER OF PARIS. 



I have, on garden plants, long and freely useJ 

 Jlour of sulphur (on melon vines particularly) tT 

 destroy or expel the grubs and flies. I have 

 perceived them to thrive, but attributed their 

 vigor to their being freed from annoyances. 1 

 have also used sulphur ■ivqter, for fruit trees; to 

 ban'sh or destroy aphides. I plaster most plants; 

 and therefore have supposed, that the gypsum 

 alone had benefited them. A small infusion of 

 oil of vitriol (^sulphuric acid) in a large propor- 

 tion of wafer, promotes vegetation in, and ban- 

 jihes insects from garden plants. It would be 

 well to make some experiments with the sul- 

 phur alone ; or combined as the memoir' men- 

 tions on a variety of plants : on those of the tre- 

 Joill tribe especially. I do not see why the sul- 

 phur, in substance should not produce effects 

 similar to those of its derivative sulphuric acid. 

 But plaster is with us cheaper ; and in greater 

 plenty. RICHARD PETERS. 



In page 98 Agricultural Enquiries on Plaster 

 cf Paris, I mention — 



"If Ingenhausz's ideas of the almost magical 

 powers ol" the oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid) on 

 TPgetation be just, in any important degree, the 

 sulphuric acid may be considered either in itself 

 or as it sets other active agents at work, the 

 DiHin spring of operation in plaister. If is com- 

 monly used by chemists to separate the carbonic 

 and all other acids, from their combinations, 

 ■wherever they are found. The earth, accord- 

 ing to the theories before stated, is constant- 

 ly filled with the carbonic acid, by furnishing 

 carbon to the air if inhales. It is found in cal- 

 careous substances, with which, in great varie- 



ties, ilip earth abounds ; if exists in, or i< pro- 

 diirnd by the roots of dcc.iying or deciyod veg- 

 elalib'S, frees, and all animal or vegetable ma- 

 nuies. I therefore think it a corrollary fairly 

 to be drawn from this theory, and the actual an- 

 alijsis of the. fiyps, that if is this sulphuric or vit- 

 riolic acid which constitutes its operative princi- 

 ples. (^C. 



1 have since ascertained by a variety of prac- 

 tical tests, to my satisfaction, that this opuiion 

 was well founded, .\fter separating the vitri- 

 olic acid, the other parts of the plaster are ino- 

 perative ; and have no effect whatever on veg- 

 etation. As to my conjectures about the mode 

 of ofieration. thev yet remain mere conjectures; 

 thonofh practical effects are beyond all doubt. — 

 I believe also that " the mode in which that sub- 

 stance acts upon vegetation, has remained, and 

 will alwavsbe.n mystery.'''' Why it acts on some 

 plants, and not on others, is as mysterious and 

 inexplicable, as is its mode of acting on those 

 vvhereon it produces invariable and wonderful 

 effects. We know what will assist its operation; 

 and can supply artificially what if does not find, 

 or has exhausted, in the earth. And this is e- 

 nough for as to know ; for all practical uses. 



R. P. 



Remarks by the Editor of the A'. England Varriier. 

 Perhaps there is no person whose slatrmonfs 

 ought to have greater weight with cnllivalors 

 titan those of the writer of the above, who ably 

 presided for many years in the Philadelphia 

 Society for promoting Agriculture ; and lo whom 

 Pennsylvania is principally indebted for the 

 early introduction of gypsum, and many other 

 important imjirovements in husbandry. Still it 

 may be well to state that there are different o- 

 pinions among ecientifi.c men as respects the val- 

 ue of sulphur and sulphuric acid as manure. — 

 Dr Cooper in the last American edition of Wil- 

 lirh's Domestic Encyclopedia under the head 

 Manure sajs ''I have tried without success, di. 

 lute sulphuric acid and sulfihur." Duhamel, 

 Chancellor Livingston, and many others have 

 recommended both those substances for manure. 

 They would probably be found too expensive 

 for ordinary field cultivation, but are worth fur- 

 ther trials in horticulture. 



I'hc Whitf .'\hiih' rnj. — A-; tb.s is il;c period 

 when the white mMllirirv, so necc^siiry in rear- 

 ing silk worms, ripens, those dcsirons of en- 

 couraging the [iroductionofdomeslic silk-, would 

 do well to gather the fruit, and to preserve the 

 seeds for sowing. In two or three vears at most 

 flu; leaves may be gathered in great abundance; 

 and it is calculated, that an acre of trees in that 

 time, wonld be worth Jj300 ; in 5 years $500. 

 .After the trees are set out, and be.«r sufficient 

 leaves, nature will do all the rest. — Even. Post. 



PUNCH FOR HOT WE.ATHER. 

 Powdered loafsugar, a table spoonful — cream 

 of Tartar, a tea spoonful; put these in a half 

 pint tumbler, and till it up with cool wafer. Stir 

 a a moment and it i.s lit If.r drinking. You may 

 repeat the dose as often as you piea«e without 

 intoxicating the h( aJ, oppressing the stomach, 

 or inflaming the bowels. — Galaxy. 



t This arlicif was prfcedrd by "^ MtmoiT of M. 

 Btrnrd onllie a.^e of Plaster." i:> wtiirh the etiicacy of 

 sul['hur oa vejL'.: ion is incidi-ntally ili?covertd. Jt/. 

 i'Mur. cai.std h.'m.slvne to Ije poniultit and sifltd ; 

 and mixed it ^\'it'. .aht^s^ to render the sowing t^sy. 



■^ Trefoil is a ;,'■ n"s cf plants, nhic h incluclps nume- 

 rous species, among which a.-e red clovtr, wbitt; clover, 

 jnelilot, iic. 



SOCIETY OF ARTS. 

 At the late annual meeting ol this popular 

 Society, the Dike c>f Sussex, the President, dis- 

 tributed 115 valuable prizes, in g^old and silver 

 medals, ami money, to the successful c;indi<!atcs. 

 — One of 20 guineas was given for raising seed 

 iVom American grass used in making line plat. — 

 Another of 10 guineas and a silver medal, for 

 a safe valve for steam boilers. — The gold Ce- 

 res medal, was given to Mr. Mackay, of Picton. 

 N. S. for an instiument for uprooting trees and 

 »tumps. — And ISguineas and a large silver med- 

 al, to Mr. Savage, for '-block printing in imita- 

 tion of drawinsrs." 



EARLY APPLE.S. 

 It is with pleasure we notice the politeness 

 of He-vrv S-i;v«iour., Esq in presenting us with a 

 basket of lii« line e.irly .Apples. This gentle- 

 man is entitled to great credit for his active ex- 

 ertions in cultivating the eailieSt fruils of the 

 ."easoD. — Hartford Times. 



LARGE FIG. 

 A fig v»as left at the office of the American 

 Farmer on Mondaj, by A. H. Boyd, Esq. which 

 measured, horizontally 7J inches, and in its lar- 

 gest circumference 8J inches. It grew in open 

 ground, in the western precincts of Baltimore, 

 without any protection but rough manure about 

 the roots in winter. — American Fanner. 



IMPORTANT BIRTH. 



Lady Lightfoof,(now owned by Charles Henry 

 Hall, Esq. of New-York,) has brought safely 

 into the world a line horse colt, got by Eclipse. 

 The colt is of jet black colour nilhout a speck 

 of while, and our correspondent states, that Irom 

 close observation he thinks the colour will not 

 chai;go. Having all the fine points of sire and 

 dam, he is of course hand>omer ihan either. Ibid. 



The lamb aaJ sheep'; wool imported into Great Biit- 

 ain ill the three years 1822, lCi:3, and 1324, wa. respect- 

 ively lCl,058,0&6lhs. 19,366,725 lbs. and 22,650,000 Ihs 

 exclusive of. ahout 1,000,000 lbs. more from Ireland. 

 More than one half of the wool imported came from 

 Germany, and about one fourth from Spain. 



In Hesse Darmsdadt, Germany, in consequence of 

 the low state of Agriculture, aud the general distresses 

 of the peasantry, between 9 and 10,000 persons are 

 preparing to emigrate to the United States. — >'ine ves- 

 sels were to have sailed iu the months of April and May, 

 from Cork, Ireland, with 2000 emigrants for Quebec; 

 a large part of whom will probably, eventually finci 

 their way to the United States. 



The Harvest. — In this and the neighboring counties, 

 says a Newburg paper, our farmers are busily engaged 

 in their harvest. In no former year has so much wheat, 

 by perhaps one third, been sown, and uever have we 

 seen it so produGtive. The fall harvest of torn. &c. 

 promises to be equally plenteous with the summer. — 

 The abundance by which we are surrounded, cli:-rs 

 t!v; greatest cause of congratulation to the Giver of all 

 Good. 



The Editor of the Mount Holly, (N.J.) Mirrer says, 

 " The harvest is now almost over in this neighbour- 

 ho.^d. 'The crops of wheat and grasf have heeu very 

 abundant ; and we see the gleaning rakes at work in 

 many fields finishing our wheal harvest, wbirh, hereto- 

 fore, had scarcely began at this time in the year." 



The editor of the Genius of Liberty, printed at 

 Leeshurg, iu Virginia, says that he knows of one gen- 

 tli lunn who cuts 900 acres of wheat, and who, with 

 16 ciadlers and 32 rakers aud biDders,ba» got throujh 

 his harvesting. 



