No. 11. 



To prevent Grain from Spoiling. 



353 



Bojourning is spent in rendering us the most 

 essential aid. The farmer should recollect 

 that in destroying even one of these birds, 

 he is committing a direct injury on his own 

 property, as well as injuring the community 

 at large." 



6. Ctow.—Hq devours several insects, 

 particularly the grubs that eat off the roots 

 of grass. So he does some good. But he 

 makes sad havoc with corn, both young and 

 old. We shall not mourn much if the boys 

 get crows' eggs, or even shoot the birds. 



7. Blue Jay. — -He renders considerable 

 eervice by destroying insects and caterpil- 

 lars in great numbers. He eats chesnuts 

 and acorns in their season, and some corn. 

 On the whole, he does us more good than 

 harm. An observer, who found a nest of 

 five young jays, estimated the number of 

 grubs of the chaffer consumed in one day 

 by the pair and family, at two hundred. This 

 in three months amounts to twenty thou- 

 sand. 



8. Black-cap Titmouse, or Chickadee, 

 clears our trees of insects — both grubs and 

 eggs. He is very useful in keeping down 

 the canker worm. 



9. Cedar Bird, or Moss Bird. I have al- 

 ready spoken of this bird in my communica- 

 tion on canker worms, for which as well as 

 caterpillars and beetles, he has an insatiable 

 appetite. He takes some strawberries, cur- 

 rants, cherries, and even early pears. Never- 

 theless there are but few birds as serviceable 

 as this. 



10. King Bird. — His principal food con- 

 sists of beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, and 

 canker worms. He is charged with catch- 

 ing bees. I have seen him fly among them 

 and appear to catch something; and have 

 thereupon shot him. But on examining his 

 crop, 1 have never found any bees in it. 

 think this charge against him is not substan- 

 tiated. He is the most insulting thief in a 

 mulberry tree, that I am acquainted with 

 But he is a noble spirited bird, as the hawks 

 and crows can testify. I believe we ought 

 to let him live. 



11. Pewit Flycatcher, or Phebe. He lives 

 on insects. The cows will not give bloody 

 milk, if he is killed. But we shall suffer 

 for our cruelty and ingratitude, if we harm 

 this friendly inhabitant of our cow-houses. 

 Tliough small in size he destroys an incal- 

 culable number of insects. 



12. Pewee. — There are two species, both 

 of which make insects their sole food. — Far- 

 mers^ Gazette. 



Do not keep a horse too fat, or too lean, 

 as either disqualifies him for hard labour. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet, 

 To Prevent Grain from Spoiling. 



Mr, Editor,— I notice in the papers that 

 much of the grain which has been shipped 

 to Europe during the past year, " heats" on 

 the passage. I think this might be avoided 

 by a very simple and cheap process. It is 

 well known that salt has a highly preserva- 

 tive power. It is used successfully to pre- 

 vent decomposition, even in those bodies most 

 liable to it. Salt owes this preservative power 

 to the soda it contains. Now, if we take the 

 common sal soda, which is so mucli used for 

 wasliing, and reduce it to powder, scatter it 

 through a fine seive over the grain, and then 

 mix \i intimately with it, I have but little 

 doubt that its antiseptic or preserving power 

 would be fully manifested. I have tried it 

 and other similar applications on other vege- 

 table productions with the most complete 

 success. Nor will it at all injure the grain, 

 for any of the purposes for which it may be 

 applied. The utmost that it can do, is to 

 cause corn to wear a reddish brown appear- 

 ance. But the object of preventing the 

 grain from heating, may be gained without 

 using so much as to cause this change of 

 colour. 



Soda being the principal constituent of 

 common salt, is of course not at all injurious 

 when taken into the stomach of men or ani- 

 mals — on the contrary, it is often highly bene- 

 ficial. 



Grain could be much more easily and 

 cheaply treated with this substance, than it 

 could be kiln dried, which is the usual pro- 

 cess; and many persons would prefer the 

 grain so treated to the kiln dried — as they 

 say that kiln drying takes away the peculiar 

 flavor of the grain that renders it so palate- 

 able to them. 



Understand, Mr. Editor, I do not say that 

 this process will prevent the healing, be- 

 cause I never tried it on grain, nor heard 

 that any one else had tried it, — but reason- 

 ing from analogy and science, and judging 

 from the experience I have had of its effects 

 on the vegetable productions, I am induced 

 to believe it will prevent the heating ot 

 grain. At least it would be well for some 

 of our shippers to try a few barrels in the 

 manner proposed. 



The quantity of soda should be regulated 

 by the liability of the grain to heat — the 

 more it is liable to heat, the more soda — the 

 less liable, the less soda. Having had no 

 experience in its use, I could not tell the 

 quantity it would be best to use, but should 

 judge that one ounce of soda to one bushel 

 of grain, would be amply sufficient for the 

 most unfavourable circumstances. Chemico. 



May 29th, 1847. 



