28 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



likely to die than live, on such feed as I was about 

 to confine him to. They were put into the stall 

 the latter part of November, and fed on ruta ba- 

 ga turnips and salt hay. The heifer consumed 

 nearly one bushel per day, the steer not much 

 more than one half that quantity. At the end of 

 four months I sold the heifer to the butcher. She 

 opened well, but with not a large quantity of fat 

 on the kidney, or of rough tallow, but the side 

 was thick and well marbled, or mixed with fat 

 and lean. The meat was juicy and well flavored, 

 and much admired by all who saw or tasted it. — 

 Being fearful the turnips or salt liay might give 

 an unpleasant flavor to the meat, I gave her, for 

 four or five days previous to her being slaughtered, 

 English hay and a little Indian meal. With this 

 exception she had not a mouthful of food of any 

 kind but turnips and salt-hay. Water was of- 

 fered them occasionally, but they drank but lit- 

 tle. The steer was slaughtered shortly after ; he 

 was very decent l)ecf, but no way comparing to 

 the heifer. I was much pleased with the result 

 Some very intelligent farmers will not believe that 

 turnips possess any nutritive quality, and ridicule 

 the idea that an ounce of fat can be made from 

 them. And the opinion is equally strong against 

 the fattening of hay from our salt marshes. This 

 experiment does not show much profit, but it 

 proves a fact of importance, especially to farmers, 

 in the use of salt-liay ; and they can raise turnips 

 by their own labor, and thus fatten their cattle 

 intended for the shambles, avoiding the payment 

 of money for corn or other expensive feed. 

 Yours with respect, 



Seth Sprague. 

 Duxbury, Mass., Sept. 30, 1854. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CHEAP A]^D EXCELLENT CANDLES. 



Mr. IIolcrook : — The following receipt I copied 

 from a newspaper, some twelve months since. I 

 have tried it twice, and find it all that it is 

 cracked up to be. I have no doubt that it would 

 have been worth more tlian ,^20 to me if I had 

 known it twenty years ago. Most farmers have 

 a surplus of stale fat and dirty grease, which can 

 be made into good candles at a trifling expense. 



I kept both talloAV and lard candles 'through 

 the last summer, the lard candles standing the 

 heat best, and burning quite as well, and giving 

 as gopd a light as the tallow ones. 1 have never 

 seen it in the New England Farmer ; perhaps it 

 has been published there, notwithstanding. 



I submit the following directions for making, 

 good candles from lard : For 12 lbs. of lard, take 

 1 lb. of saltpetre and 1 lb. of alum ; mix them 

 and pulverize them; dissolve the saltpetre and 

 alum with a gill of boiling water ; pour the com- 

 pound into the lard before it is quite all melted ; 

 stirthe whole until it boils ; skim off what rises ; 

 let it sifliraer until the water is all boiled out, or 

 till it ceases to throw off steam ; pour off the lard 

 as soon as it is done, and clean the boiler while it 

 is hot. If the candles are to be run, you may 

 commence immediately ; if to be dipped, let the 

 lard cool first to a cake, and then treat it as you 

 would tallow. Respectfully yours, 



Alanson Parmelee 



Wilmington, Vt., Nov. 11, 1854. 



BRILLIANTS. 



A poet'.s etitaph. 

 Stop, mortal ! here thy brother lies, 



The poet of the poor ; 

 nis books were rivers, woods and skies, 



The meadow and the moor ; 

 His teachers were the torn heart's wail, 



The tyrant and the slave, 

 The street, the factory, tlie jail. 



The palace— and the grave ! 

 Sin met thy brother everywhere ! 



And is thy brother blamed ? 

 From passion, danger, doubt and care, 



He no exemption claimM. 

 The meanest thing, earth's feeblest worm, 



He fear'd to scorn or hate ; 

 But, honoring'Jn a peasant's form 



The equal of the great. 

 lie bless'd the steward, whose wealth makes 



The poor man's little more ; 

 Yet loath'd the haughty wretch that takes 



From plundered labor's store, 

 A hand to do, a head to plan, 



A heart to feel and dai-e — 

 Tell man's worst foes, here lies the man 



Who drew them as they are. 



Ebenezer Elliot. 



LUTHEH TUCKES, ESa. 



J. Ambrose Wright, Esq., Editor of the Prai- 

 rie Farmer, published at Chicago, and one of our 

 excellent agricultural publications, indulged him- 

 self during the past summer in some rambles, 

 and has given graphic sketches of some of the men 

 and things which he saw. We only regret that 

 his intention of visiting Boston was interrupted, 

 and we lost, what we should have gladly claimed, 

 a share of his time. 



Among other persons whom he mentions as 

 engaged in the work of agricultural progress, is 

 the gentleman whose name stands at the head of 

 this article. He says : 



" I have already mentioned that I met Luther 

 Tucker at Albany. Mr. Tucker is I believe the 

 oldest living publisher of Agricultui-al papers in 

 the United States. Certain it is, that no man in 

 this country, if anywhere else, has given to the 

 world so many issues of this kind, of sucli uniform 

 and enduring value. Ilis old Genesee Farmer, 

 published at Rochester, and of which he put 

 forth, if I recollect right, some dozen volumes, 

 was a paper of mark in its day, and has been the 

 real parent of the whole Nortliern brood of similar 

 name and purposes. NotVfithstanding the great 

 reputation of Judge Buel's Cultivator, that paper 

 rose at once in value upon Mr. Tucker's connec- 

 tion with it ; and to this day it has never had 

 any rival, which one can from month to month 

 turn over, and then put away to be bound up in 

 his Library, with so uniform satisfaction. Mr. 

 T. made his editorial beginning with a political 

 paper, having been educated a printer. From 

 this he published the Genesee Farmer ; then the 

 Albany Cultivator — still continued in connection 

 with the Country Gentleman, which latter at this 

 time is his real paper — the Cultivator being made 

 up from its pages from month to month. In ad- 

 dition to these. The Horticulturist, edited by Mr, 

 Downing, passed through seven volumes in his 

 hands. It is as a publisher, as much, if not more. 



