NO. 22. 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



347 



occurs to set it up. These efiects may be, 

 and are almost entirely avoided, by the more 

 scientific plan of milking adopted in other 

 parts of the country, where instead of draw- 

 ing down or stripping the teat between the 

 thumb and fingers the dairy maid follows 

 more closely the principles which instinct has 

 taught the calf. (The calf jerks its nose in- 

 to the udder and forces down the milk.) She 

 first takes a slight hold of the teat with her 

 hand, by which she merely encircles it, then 

 lifts her hand up, so as to press the body of 

 the udder upwards by which the milk escapes 

 into the teat, or if (as is the case when some 

 hours hav^e elapsed between milking times,) 

 the teat is full, she grasps the teat close to 

 its origin with her thumb and fore finger, so 

 as to prevent the milk which is in the teat 

 from escaping upwards; then making the 

 rest of the fingers to close from above down- 

 wards in succession, forces out what milk 

 may be contained in the teat through the 

 opening of it. The hand is again pressed up 

 and closed as before, and thus by repeating 

 this action, the udder is completely emptied, 

 without that coarse tugging and tearing of 

 the teat which is so apt to produce disease. — 

 Quar. Jour. -^gri. 



From the Memoirs of the Philadelphia Society. 

 Utility of liime in preserving Fence-posts* 

 BY WM. WEBB. 



Accident in some instances, has led to the 

 discovery, that lime applied to wood, pre- 

 serves it from decay. The white-washing of 

 fences is practised, more as a substitute for 

 paint, and for appearance sake, than to pre- 

 vent decay. Even this superficial mode of 

 applying lime, is of some use in preserving 

 wood. Having full confidence in the efficacy 

 of lime, as a preservation of wood, to make 

 fence-posts less, subject to rot, I have this 

 season, for the first time, used it as follows: 

 I provided a number of narrow boards, about 

 three feet long of various breadths, and one 

 inch thick, with a hole in the end of each. 

 When the hole in the ground was ready for 

 the reception of the post, some lime was put 

 into it ; on this lime the post was placed ; 

 some of the narrow boards were then select- 

 ed, and placed close to and around the post 

 in the hole. The ground was then rammed 

 into the hole, after the usual manner ; and 

 when filled, the boards were drawn out. This 

 is done with greater facility, by putting a 

 stick into the hole in the upper end of the 

 board, by which it may be raised by a lever or 

 prise, if too fast to draw out otherwise. The 

 boards being all removed, fill the space they 

 occupied with quick lime; if but partially, it 

 is better than if totally slaked, because as it 

 slakes it will expand and make the posts 



stand very firm. If altogether slaked, it also 

 swells and makes the post quite secure. 

 From three to five posts, with hewn or uni- 

 form butts will require one bushel of lime. 

 IJoards to surround the post half an inch 

 thick (and perhaps this thickness of lime 

 may be sufficient) would not take quite half 

 that quantity. The lime is all the additional 

 expense, except the extra labor (which is 

 very trifling,) to be incurred by seiting a 

 fence, with that part of the posts in the ground 

 enveloped in lime. 



To prevent the ground from adhering to 

 the posts at the surface, and occasioning their 

 decay, this part being the one which gene- 

 rally first begins to rot, lime-mortar is ap- 

 plied, plaistering round the posts with an ele- 

 vation adjoining to the wood. Into this mor- 

 tar, gravel was pressed, to prevent the rains 

 from washing it away. This mortar may be 

 applied at any time most convenient after the 

 fence is made. 



William Webb. 



From the N. A. Review. 



Sugar Maplc—Siigar. 



Next to the pines and oaks, there seems to 

 be no tree in the country of more extensive 

 celebrity than the sugar maple. The extra- 

 ordinary neatness of its appearance, and the 

 beauty of its foliage, which in summer is of 

 the liveliest green, and in autumn assumes 

 the richest and most glowing red, are suffi- 

 cient to recommend it as a beautiful ornament 

 in our gardens and avenues. The bark is 

 remarkably smooth, and the tree is infested, 

 we believe, by no insect, nor subject to any 

 maladies. The branches are disposed with 

 much regularity, though without stiffness, and 

 so arranged, that their usual outline is an 

 elegant oval. It is to this tree we are chiefly 

 indebted for the beautiful curled and bird's 

 eye maple, employed in cabinet work, which 

 rivals, if it be not admitted to surpass in bril- 

 liancy and richness, the finest woods of tropi- 

 cal climates. But the sugar maple derives 

 its chief reputation, as well as its name, from 

 the qualities of its sap. A large portion of 

 the sugar used in many parts of the country, 

 the western districts of Vermont and New 

 York for instance, is derived from the maple. 

 Michaux remarked, nearly thirty years since, 

 that at least ten millions of pounds of this 

 sugar were then annually made in the United 

 States. This quantity is far less than might 

 be procured, from the same source, in case of 

 necessity. According to Dr. Rush, the north- 

 ern part of New York and Pennsylvania 

 alone, contained at the same period, thirty 

 millions of sugar maple trees; and if we sup- 

 pose each tree to yield, on an average, from 

 two to four pounds of sugar annually, the pro- 



