410 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



July 16, 1830. 



jXTSOiis, by lubiiraliii;; tli'' sloinai'li. Ii is couliiig 

 ami iiioifKiiiiig, by its iiiiiuus quality. 



Tli'i water in w hicli .^(liiiurb baii been boiled 

 niakcs as g >od tc>iicli-i>u|)i r for firu works, as is 

 jirocurt'l by ihc as^istallcc of niiiv, wliicli is an 

 evidvnt proof of its cooling quality. 



bUGAR. 



Nature seems to bavu iiii|>lniiic<l n love fur this 

 aViiucnt in all fbililrcii, a.s if it were on purposo to 

 defiiiil tlieiii from tho.se ileseuse.s, wliiob are pro- 

 duced by worms. Dr Ru.-i|i knew a gentleman in 

 Pliihidel|iliia, who early adopted this opinion, and 

 wdo, by indulging a Inr^je faindy of cliildren in tlie 

 use of sugar, lias preserved tlicin all from tlio dis- 

 eases usually occasioned by worms. 



It was formerly alleged, that the eating of sugar 

 destroys the color of, and spoils, the tectli : this 

 proves to be a mistake, for no people on earth have 

 finer teeth than tliu negroes in Jamaica. 



'In the West Indies,' says Or Moseley, ' the 

 negro children, from crude vegeiiil>le diet, are 

 much afllicted with worms. In crop liin-, when 

 the canes are ripe, lliese children are always sucking 

 them. Give a negro infant a piece of sugar-cane 

 to suck, and the inipovcrislied milk of his mother is 

 tasteless to liim. This salubrious luxury soon 

 changes bis appearance ; worms arc discharged ; 

 his enlarged belly and joints diminish ; bis emaci- 

 ated limbs increase ; and if canes were always 

 ripe, he never would be diseased. I have often 

 seen old, scabby, wasted negroes, crawl from the 

 bottom houses, apparently half ilea<l, in crop time, 

 and by sucking cancjs all <lay long, they would soon 

 become strong, fat, and sleeky. The restorative 

 power of sugar, in wasted and decayed habits, is re- 

 corded by several |diysicians in different parts of the 

 World. 1 have known many people far advanced 

 ill pulmonary consumption, recovered by tbcjiiii-e 

 of iho piigar-cane.' 



Sugar maple trees are found in such plenty in 

 most parts of North America, that it is not un- 

 common to find entire woods of iliem, covering 

 five or six acies in a spot ; but in the forest gene- 

 rally, where they are interspersed with other trees, 

 they ai'Crage from thirty to fifty per acre ; they 

 grow ill rich soil, anil often in stony ground ; and 

 it is remarked, that the sprirtgs found in the neigh- 

 borliood of the sugar maple tree are of tlie purest 

 water. 



It is a general observation in North America, 

 tliat, whenever tln^y see a tree of this sort with a 

 blackish trunk, it is a sine sign of a rich one, as 

 the blackness proceeds from the incisions made in 

 the bark by the picking of the paroquet, the wood- 

 jieekir, and other birds, in the season of the juice 

 risinir, wliicli, oo/ing out, dralibles down its sides, 

 and colors the bark, which in time becomes black. 

 The sap of these trees is much sweeter llian that 

 of others that have not been previously wounded. 

 TA^^v. 

 This herb may frequently be observed growing 

 in cniintry clmrch-yards, which induces us to think 

 •that it was formerly used as a funeral plant. Tan- 

 sy has this peculiar quality, that if any dead animal 

 Hiibsiaiicc 111! rnblicd with it, the flesh-fiy will not 

 attaiU it. Hoerhaave snys, the leaves applied to a 

 dead body, and iiilruib'd into the mouth and nostrils, 

 prcsirve it from piilrefticiion and insects; whence 

 the pl.'ini has been called .'Uhdntisia, that is, immor- 

 tn! plant. 



This herb has a tiiiter taste, and an aromatic 

 smell ; anil was formiirly esteemed of use 

 warming and strengthening the stomach, for which 



reason the young leaves oiituined a place among 

 culinary herbs, their juice being used in puddings, 

 &c. 



Hoerhaave says, ' This balsamic plant may sup- 

 ply the place of nutmegs and cinnamon. For I 

 believe Asia does not afford a plant of greater fra- 

 grance than tansy.' 



Inspection and Exportatio.noi' Bef.k and Pork. 



A corri-spondenl in Vermont wishes for informa- ' 

 tion relative to the Laws of .Maosachusctts, regu- 

 lating the inspection of Ueef and Pork. The Stat- 

 utes on these subjects are numerous and volumi- 

 nous, but we shall attempt an abstract, which will . 

 include most of the requisites of iuqiortance. j 



And act, passed March 4th, ISOO, enacts that ' 

 there shall be an inspector general of beef, ap- 

 pointed by the Governor and Council. And such, 

 inspector shall have power to ap|)oint deputy in- 

 spectors, in every seaport town in this Common- ■ 

 wealth, where beef is exported, and such other 

 places as he shall judge necessary, whose duty 

 it shall be to make a return once in si.x tTiontlis te 

 the inspector general, of the number of barrels 

 and half barrels inspected by them ; and the in- I 

 pector general, in the month of June, annually, ' 

 shall make a return to the secretary of states' offic* ; 

 of the whole number inspected. 



No beef which shall be killed after the firjt 

 lay of September [then] next, shall be packed cr | 

 repacked in barrels or half barrels, for exportatioi, i 

 unless it be of fat cattle not under three years ok : 

 all such beef shall be cut into pieces, asneary; 

 square as can be, and which in size shall not ei- ; 

 eel eight pounds weight, nor be less than four i 

 pounds weight. All beef which the inspector or 

 deputy inspector shall find, on examination, to 

 have been killeil at a proper a'^e, to be fat, and ' 

 otherwise good and merchantable, shall bo sorted 

 and divided into four different sorts, for packing! 

 or repacking, into barrels or half barrels, to be de- 

 nominated Mes.s, Cargo No 1, Cargo No 2, [and \ 

 Refuse.] Mess beef shall consist of choice pieces 

 of oxen or steers well fatted, and weighing six ' 

 hundred pounds and upwarils ; the shin, shoulder, 

 clod and neck, shall be taken from the fore qiiai- 

 ters, and the legs and leg-round from the hind 

 quarters ; and each barrel and half barrel, con- 

 taining beef of this description, shall be brandcil 

 on one of the heads with the words Mess Beef. 

 Cargo No 1, shall consist of choice pieces of ox- 

 en, steers, cows and heifers, not under four hun- 

 dred pounds weight, and to average five huiidreil 

 and twenty pounds weight, without any necks or 

 shanks. On one head ef each barrel or half bar- 

 rel, containing beef of this descliplion, shall be 

 branded Cargo No 1. Cargo No 2, shall consist 

 of fiit cattle of all descriptions not before mcnlion- 

 eil, of three years old and upwards, (bulls except- 

 ed) with not more .than half a neck and three 

 shanks, and without any hocks ; each barrel and 

 half Imrrel of which shall be branded Cargo 

 No 2. 



I'.very barrel of beef shall be salted with scven- 

 tyfive pounds of clean St Ubes, Isle of May, Lis- 

 bon or Turks Island Salt, or eighty pounds of 

 conrse Liverpool salt, or other salt of equal quality, 

 exclusive of a picklo made of fresh water as strong 

 lUf suit will make it ; and to each barrel of bee I 

 of the three first sorts, shall be added four ounces 

 of salt-petre ; and each half borrel of beef shall 

 be salted with ( no half the quantity of salt above 

 mentioned, and two ounces of saltpetre. 



Every barrel and half barrel, in which beef 

 shall be packed or repacked for exportation, shall 

 bo made of good seasoned white oak or white ash 

 staves and heading, free from any defect; each 

 barrel shall contain two hundred pounds weight of 

 beelj and each half barrel one hundred pounds 

 weight of beef; the barrels to nieosHre sixteen 

 iuclics and an half between the chimes, and to be 

 twentyeight inches long, to be covered three 

 fuurths of the length with good oak, ash or wal- 

 nut hoops, leaving one fourth in the centre ; the 

 licads made of a proper thickness, the hoops to 

 be wi.'ll set and drove together ; the half barrels to 

 contain not less than fifteen gallons, to be hooped 

 lu the same manner as the whole barrels. 



Every barrel and half barrel, in which beef is 

 packed or repacked for exportation, shall be 

 liraniled with the first letter of the christian name 

 and the surname at length of the inspector who 

 has inspected the same, with the name of the town 

 where it was inspected, in legible letters, with 

 the addition of Mass. (for Massachusetts.) And 

 every barrel and half barrel of beef, of the three 

 first sorts, shall also be branded with the name of 

 the jierson for whom the beef is packed. 



No deputy appointed by virtue of this act, shall 

 inspect or brand any cask of beef out of the town 

 or<<Bounty for which he shall be appointed, under 

 the penalty of fifty dollars ; and if any person, 

 other than the said inspector or his deputy, shall 

 presume to stamp or brand any cask of beef in 

 the manner directed by this Act, every person so 

 offending shall forfeit the sum of twenty dollars 

 for each and every cask so unlawfully branded. 



Other provisions of the act determine the In- 

 spector's fees, prescribe penalties for fraud, neglect 

 or shifting of the beef, that no beef shall be 

 cleared out unless u certificate of inspection is 

 produced, give the form of the oath to be taken 

 by inastoi's or ownefs of vessels that they have no 

 salted beef on board, which has not been inspected 

 &c, according to law, provides for the recovery of 

 fi)rfeitures, &-c. .\nd enact that nothing in this 

 act shall prevent the exportation of rounds of beef 

 in kegs or tubs provided that the name of the 

 owner and the town where he resides shall be 

 branded on one head of each keg or tub, under 

 the (lenalty of one dollar for each keg or tub not 

 branded. 



The penally for exporting beef contrary to the 

 act is, to the owner or exporter six dollars, and to 

 the master of the vessel having the same on board 

 two dolhire for every cask exported or shipped for 

 exportation. 



.\n adilitional act, dated June 19tli, 1801, au- 

 thorizes the package of beef in tierces or casks of 

 three hundred weight, under certain regulations ; 

 and enacts that two ounces of salt|Htrc be .iJ.lnl 

 to each barrel of mess beef intended for exjKirto- 

 lion in addition to the quantity [4 oz.] rcipiirtd by 

 the former act, and that not mure than two shanks 

 he put to any barrel of cargo beef, mimber t>vo. 

 It likewise extends all the provisions &:c, of the 

 act to all beef transported coastwise, from any 

 port or place in this Comnioiiwealtb to any of the 

 I'nited States, or shipped on board of any vessel 

 for any piirpu.se whatever. 



.\n act, passed March Olb, 1804, directs that 

 the beans and cheek pieces of beef may bo in- 

 spected and braiideil hearts and cheeks. 



.•\n act to regulate the inspection of pork in- 

 tended for exportation, passed, March lltli, IS02, 

 enacts that nil pork, packed, or repacked, in bar- 



