488 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



the tree, measuring full 7 inches in circumference, 

 and quite a number of others from 6 to 6^ inches ; 

 and six of them weighed a pound. 



The specimens I send you are not so large as 

 they are the last of the season. Hoping they will 

 reach you in good condition, so that you may test 

 their deliciousness, I remain, very respectfully yours, 



Leominster, Sept. 5. C. C. Field. 



Remarks. — The apricots were received in good 

 condition, and were as delicious as any we have ever 

 tasted. Indeed, we never saw finer grown at the 

 South. We think the variety the Peach, though 

 the Peach and Moorpark bear a strong resemblance. 

 Thank you, sir. 



WIL\T IS THE EXPENSE OF KEEPING A HORSE? 



Mr. Editor :— Cannot some of your numerous sub- 

 scribers, who have made and are continually making 

 exj^eriraents, give us the actual expense attending 

 the keeping of horses ? Probably there are more 

 persons chrectly and indirectly interested in this 

 matter, than most any other which could be men 

 tioned. 



We will say the horse is a good feeder, weighs 

 nine hundred pounds, and is required to labor every 

 day, to that extent which will not injure him ; hay 

 at twenty dollars per ton, and meal at one dollar 

 per bushel. What I would wish to know, is, what 

 would jDrobably be the expense of keeping a horse, 

 per annum, under these circumstances, including 

 shoeing ? Can the horse be kept in proper condi- 

 tion for less than one hundred and twenty dollars ? 

 In this I calculate he will consume two tons of hay, 

 about sixty-eight and a half bushels of meal, and 

 the cost of shoeing ten dollars. If there is any 

 cheaper or better way, I should be very glad to 

 have some of your correspondents inform me what 

 it is, and much oblige one who is deeply uiterested 

 in the suliject. Respectfully, n. Q. t. 



East Weymouth, Aug. 27, ISoo. 



Remarks. — Will some of our numerous readers 

 who have paid attention to tliis matter, reply to the 

 important queries propounded above ? 



WORK DONE BY MOWING MACHINES. 



On looking over the return of work done by mow- 

 ing machines, the present season, I find Manny's 

 Machine, made by Adriance & Co., of Worcester, 

 has cut loO acres in 140 hours, averaghig one and 

 a half tons to the acre, at an ex])ense of accidents 

 less than $5. If this machine will continue to op- 

 erate as well, I think it will not fail to find employ- 

 ment. 



A YELLOW LOAM SOIL. 



I should be much obliged to you for a description, 

 through your paper, of a yellow loam soil; i. e., if 

 that is a proper name for a soil. 



A Northern Subscriber. 



Canaan, Vt., 1855. 



Remarks. — Will some one cultivating such a 

 soil describe it to the inquirer ? 



Wool.— "J. B. P.," of Rutland, Vt., will please 

 accept our thanks, for liis proposition to furnish us 

 samples of wool. 



LADY'S DEPAKTMENT. 



DOMESTIC KECIPES. 



Candied Or.\nge or Lemon Peel. — Boil the 

 rind from thick skin oranges or lemons in plenty of 

 water, until they are tender, and the bitterness is 

 out ; change the water once or twice, if necessary. 

 Clarify half a pound of sugar with a half a cup of 

 water for each pound of peel ; when it is clear, put 

 in the peels, cover them, and boil them until clear, 

 and the syruj) almost a candy ; then take them out, 

 and lay them on inverted sieves to dry; boil the 

 syrup with additional sugar, then put in the peels ; 

 stir them about until the sugar candies around 

 them ; then talce them on a sieve, and set them in- 

 to a warm oven, or before a fire ; when perfectly 

 dry, pack them m a wooden box with tissue-paper 

 between. 



To MAICE Fruit-Pies. — No under crust should 

 be made to apple or any fruit-pie. It is always 

 heavy and not fit to eat. Place a narrow rim of 

 paste around the edge of the plate, and fill with 

 the fruit, either raw or stewed, and cover it. The 

 juices will be retained much better, and it will save 

 a sight of flour and butter, which is no trifling con- 

 sideration in these days, and what is of more conse- 

 quence, save dyspepsia, which costs more. After 

 cutting, they are taken out with a spoon. 



Milk in Bread. — I have more objections than 

 one to milk in bread, but the most serious is, that 

 persons of advanced age, who are in the daily use of 

 millv-made bread, will be expected to suffer from an 

 over supply of osseous or bony matter, and particu- 

 larly if their kidneys be afl"ected. Bread should al- 

 ways be made with water, and when so made, it is 

 suitable for the aged and the young, the sick and 

 the well. And as for sour millv, a microscopic view 

 would, I presume, present additional arguments 

 against its use. — Water Cure Journal. 



To Preserve Iron and Steel Knives erom 

 Rust. — Procure some melted virgin wax — the pur- 

 er the better — and rub it thoroughly over the blades 

 of the knives. After it has dried, warm the knives, 

 and having carefully removed the wax from the sur- 

 face, rub them brislily with a dry cloth, until the 

 original polish is fully restored. This will fill all 

 pores with the unctious and minute particles of the 

 wax, which will adhere firmly, and jn-event the in- 

 trusion of water or moisture which is the cause of 

 rust. They will retain their brilliancy for weeks, if 

 used. 



To Extract a Glass Stopple. — Wrap a large 

 sti'Ip of wool around the neck of the bottle, once ; 

 fasten one end of this firnil}- to some stationary ob- 

 ject, and hold the other end In the hand. "See- 

 saw" the neck of the bottle, and the friction mil so 

 heat the latter that it will expand sufficiently to al- 

 low the stopple being removed with ease. 



To Clean Paint. — Smear a i}iece of flannel with 

 common whiting, mixed to the consistency of com- 

 mon paste. In warm weather. Rub the surface to 

 l)e cleaned quite brlskl}-, and wash off with pure 

 cold water. Grease spots will In this way be almost 

 instantly removed, as well as other filth, and the 

 paint will retain its brilliancy and beauty unim- 

 paired. 



