358 



Editorial Notices. 



Vol. VIII. 



In a letter from our fellow-townsman, Nathan 

 Dunn, to his friend Isaac Collins, of this city, dated 

 .'London, January 3rd, 1844," he says, in relation to 

 Ouano, that " it is exciting great attention of late in 

 this country; about sixty vessels are now gone for it 

 from Liverpool to the west coast of Africa, north of 

 the Line, and some of the adjacent islands. I was 

 called on the other day by Mr. W. Skirving, near Liv- 

 erpool, whose reputation as gardener, &c., is a suffi- 

 cient guaranty for the correctness of what he says- 

 he has been experimenting on it for the last ten years, 

 say in several hundred ways each season — upwards of 

 fifty the last, on grasses. He finds it most beneficial 

 on all kinds of grain and roots, as well as on all kinds 

 of grasses. It was first sold at £'25 per ton, but is now 

 reduced to XIO, and will no doubt, fall soon to £5 or 

 £6 per ton. It is very dry and light, and when pul- 

 verized, has the appearance of fine snuff. Two hun 

 dred pounds mixed with ashes, and evenly spread over 

 the ground, are thought sufficient for an acre. Sir R. 

 Peel, and many distinguished agriculturists, speak in 

 high terms of its benefits. Jersey requires such a 

 stimulant." 



Inquiry has been frequently made, whether the Oua- 

 no could be obtained in Philadelphia. We are not 

 aware of any being now on sale here. No direct im- 

 portation of it has been made, that we know of In 

 a recent No. of the American Farmer, it is advertised 

 for sale in Baltimore, at $5^ per 100 lbs,, a vessel hav- 

 ing arrived in that city with 400 bags. 



At page 83, in the present volume of the Cabinet, 

 attention is called by Samuel D. Irtgham, Esq., to the 

 fact of the disappearance of the St. John's Wort— per- 

 forated Hypericum— from the clover and pasture fields 

 of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, for the last two 

 years. At a late Conversation of the New York Farm- 

 ers' Club, as reported in the Farmer and Mechanic, the 

 very singular phenomenon is noticed of its general, 

 and almost total disappearance from Maine to the 

 South. Like some other plants, however, it may have 

 its periodical returns, and we may look for it as soon 

 as it is wanted. And yet, we should perhaps not con- 

 demn it altogether, but yield it credit for its good 

 qualities. Dr. Darlington says a tincture of the flow- 

 ers and leaves, is sometimes used with good effect, in 

 some complaints of the stomach and bowels. 



The delightful, though toilsome season of harvest, 

 is now at hand. The scythe is already at work, and 

 the sickle will soon be thrust into its labour. Farmers 

 will, we trust, bear in mind what many are not suffi- 

 ciently apt to remember, that an excess of sunshine 

 on grass in the making, parlicularlyclover.isdecidedly 

 injurious as to quality, and wasteful as to quantity. 

 Clover is best cured with but little stirring in the hot 

 sun. If cured pretty much in small cocks, which 

 should be put up in layers with the fork — not rolled — 

 scarcely a leaf need be lost. Properly cured in this 

 way,— and exp 'rience will soon teach the farmer how 

 to manage it— it will retain its freshness and bright- 

 ness admirably, and will come out of the mow in the 

 winter, with a delicacy of flavour which will delight 

 the cow, no less than her feeder. 



We are satisfied also, that grain is very often left 

 too long standing uncut in the field. The risk of in- 

 jury from storms is increased— it does not handle so 

 well, either in cutting, binding, loading or stacking, — 

 and shatters out more. The opinion is pretty well es- 

 tablished, that when wheat or rye is cut early — we 

 mean before the grain is entirely hard, it makes quite 

 as much, and whiter flour, than if left till the usual 

 time. Since writing the above, we happened to read 

 it to an experienced miller, who is also a good farmer: 

 he says he is well satisfied that early cut grain— that 

 which is apparently quite green— will really yield 

 more flour, and is worth several cents a bushel more 

 than that which is sufi'ered to stand till the berry is 

 thoroughly hardened. 



We noticed on the stall of our friend Engelroan of 

 Fair Hill, very fine cucumbers on the 1st instant, at a 

 shilling a piece. On the same day our Jersey friends 

 had plenty of good sized round potatoes, at six pence 

 a pound. They were the first we had seen. On the 

 4th we observed a goodly quantity of string beans ia 

 market. 



This number is forwarded with a bill to the subscri- 

 bers of the late Pennsylvania Farmer, supposing they 

 may be inclined to substitute the Cabinet for that pa- 

 per:— should this be the case, they will forwaid through 

 the Post master one years' subscription— $1 — when a 

 receipt will be forthwith returned for volume 9, com- 

 mencing in the eighth month next. 



Our indebtedness is again acknowledged to H. L. 

 Ellsworth, for a copy of the List of Patents granted in 

 the year 1843. We observe that seven were issued for 

 Bee hives, and fourteen for Ploughs. 



The proper season for trimming the grape vine is 

 in the eleventh or twelfth month, when the sap has 

 ceased flowing, or in the second or third month, previ- 

 ously to its commencing. If a choice vine however, 

 should be broken off"at a season when the sap is active, 

 and it is consequently liable to injury from bleeding 

 —or if at such season it is necessary to prune a little, 

 the Prairie Farmer says the end cut ofl^ may be sharp- 

 ened to a point and stuck in a pntatoe, and thus injury 

 will be prevented. The British American Cultivator 

 says a piece of moistened bladder folded over the cut 

 end, and bound tightly around it with wrapping thread 

 will answer the same purpose; and a friend at our 

 elbow further says, a little paint well rubbed on the 

 wound, is as good as any thing. 



We would call the attention of farmers who want 

 Agricultural Implements, Seeds, &c., to the advertise- 

 ments of our friends on the last page. Cheap and good 

 articles may be obtained at those places. 



ItF SHORT ADVERTISEMENTS, 43 

 The subject matter of which, may correspond with the 

 agricultural character of this paper, will be inserted 

 at the rate of one dollar for each insertion often lines 

 or less; and so in proportion for each additional line. 



