1867. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



207 



premises. The man replied that he had only stepped 

 into the back-yard. Mr. Hanson laid his hand u{> 

 on his collar, and said to him, "You have been in 

 some mischief, sir." The rogue immediately broke 

 loose and ran, dropping a number of silver forks 

 and spoons scattered on the pavement. Without 

 stopping for the silver, Mr. Hanson pursued, shout- 

 ing "stop thief," for some forty rods, when three 

 gentlemen seized the rogue, and after a severe strug- 

 gle, secured him. He was taken to the police office, 

 •where he was searched, and all the jewelry of the 

 family, rings, bracelets, watches and the like, found 

 upon him. Three other watches, some valuable 

 jewels and three hundred dollars, with a large bunch 

 of false keys, were also found about his person. It 

 is probable that he will prove to be a rogue of suf- 

 ficient note to be worth the capture. Mr. Hanson's 

 resolute conduct with a man of twice his physical 

 strength, is worthy of all commendation. 



The city affords just now, not much of agricultu- 

 ral interest. On the last day of the session, an ap- 

 propriation of sixty thousand dollars for agricultu- 

 ral purposes, to be expended under the direction 

 of the Commissioner of Patents, was inserted in the 

 miscellaneous bill and passed, so that we stand about 

 as usual in respect to Government aid to agricul- 

 ture. Last year the appropriation was fifteen thou- 

 sand dollars larger, but that amount was specially 

 applied to the importation of sugar cane cuttings 

 from the South. A resolution to print two hun- 

 dred thousand copies of the Patent Office Agricul- 

 tural Report for 1856 was also adopted. This is 

 the same number that was distributed last year, and 

 probably is the greatest amount ever printed by any 

 government, of any document for gratuitous distri- 

 bution. The cost of the volume to the government, 

 I am informed, is sixty-two cents a copy. It is 

 hoped that our best agricultural men at the Patent 

 Office may be retained in their positions. They are 

 rapidly systematizing the business of the depart- 

 ment, and yearly making manifest improvements in 

 the Reports, and are expending the money com- 

 mitted to their care as profitably as any funds that 

 are used for any purpose connected with public af- 

 fairs. In haste to leave for my home in the North, 

 I remain yours, &c., H. F. Frenxh. 



A Water-Proof Mixture for Leather. — 

 Take one pint of tanner's oil, half pound tallow, a 

 lump of good rosin, the size of a common shell- 

 bark, burgundy pitch, size of a hen's egg, lamp 

 black, three cents' worth — mix together, and melt 

 gradually over a slow fire. When to be applied, 

 the mixture should be made about milk warm, and 

 put on with a clean sponge. The leather may be 

 made a little damp, not wet. The above cement, 

 when applied to boots and shoes.will effectually pre- 

 vent their soaking water, and keep the leather pliant 

 and the feet of the wearer warm and dry. Ever\ 

 farmer who regards comfort as a desideratum, 



should supply himself with this article, and apply 

 it to his boots and shoes. — Gerviantown Telegraph, 



THICK AND THIN SOWING. 



Never in our remembrance did corn of all kinds 

 look more encouraging than at the present time; 

 and where it is isolated and not planted too thick, 

 an unusually abundant crop may be expected. Last 

 season we stated the possibility of obtaining from 

 single grains of wheat, at the extreme distance of 

 3 feet apart, upwards of 80 perfect ears, containing 

 50 kernels each, or more than 4000 fold. Our spe- 

 cimens of last year, and of the growing crop this 

 season for inspection, corroborates the assertion. 

 This gives upwards of 10 quarts per acre, from two 

 pints of seed. We are also prepared to prove that 

 isolated plants, one foot apart, at about six pints of 

 seed per acre, will, under judicious treatment, also 

 produce as great a crop ; but if planted closer than 

 this standard, it is an utter impossibility, as the 

 plants then cannot perform their natural capabili- 

 ties. Respecting the opposite extreme — thick sow- 

 ing, we now make the bold statement that every 

 grain of corn, whether wheat, barley, or oats, sown 

 in the United Kingdom, simply from its extreme 

 thickness, does not, and cannot yield one ordinary 

 ear, say 40 fold, (nay, not even half as much,) from 

 each grain ; and were it so, as a necessary conse- 

 quence, it would produce, of course, 40 times as 

 much per acre as is sown, say two bushels or 128 

 pints of wheat, and 3 bushels or 192 pints of bar- 

 ley and oats, as an average quantity of seed usually 

 sown. But such crops are never realized. Objec- 

 tions are raised, that by thin sowing, late mildewed 

 crops are sometimes the consequence ; granted — 

 but sowing early will be found to obviate this evil, 

 and insure more forward and bountiful harvests. — 

 English Agricultural Gazelle. 



Chinese Sugar-Cane. — One of the important 

 novelties of the season, has been the Sorgho, or 

 Chinese sugar-cane. This we have raised to per- 

 fection, and are now prepared, free of cost, to furnish 

 to subscribers seed raised by ourselves in the most 

 careful manner. This plant is undoubtedly destined 

 to find great favor for soiling cattle, and small 

 quantities of sugar and molasses may be made from 

 it. We doubt, however, the practicability of sugar- 

 making in the large way from the Sorgho, or any 

 other plant, so far north as New York. The time 

 of ripening is so late, that the sugar-making season 

 is too short for large operations. It must be re- 

 membered that the machinery for a sugar estate of 

 fair size, costs from $20,000 to $50,000, and that 

 too, in localities where the sugar-making season, or 

 time between the ripening of the canes and frost is 

 many times greater than here, consequently both 

 the cost of machinery and impracticability of ob- 

 taining the necessary number of workmen for so 

 short a time, renders sugar-making in this vicinity 

 of doubtful expediency. There can be no mistake, 

 however, in the value of the crop for general pur- 

 poses. The Sorgho cures readily, is less inclined 

 to ferment and acidify than other kinds of sugar- 

 cane, and when well-grown and cured, is preferrtd 

 by most animals to any other fodder — therefore it 

 should be grown largely. We shall keep a close 

 watch on the operations with this plant, and shall 

 report fully as the fiicts are developed. — Jf'orking 

 Farmer. 



