332 



The Sun Flower — The Divining Rod. 



III. 



traction of moisture, and a ready explanation 

 of the very copious production of the morning- 

 dew. It is a well establislied fact amontj 

 chemists, that the action of sulphuric acid on 

 vegetable and animal matter, will cement 

 them into sugar, as hinted before ; the sap of 

 all vegetables is probably saccharine, and it is 

 in this state only, that disorganized matter is 

 rendered most conducive to the promotion of 

 vegetation. It is also well known that de- 

 composing vegetable and animal matter, ope- 

 rated on by the atmosphere, will produce ni- 

 tric acid, which with facility changes sugar 

 into oxalic acid, and we have thus the means 

 ofdecomposing the sulphate of lime, inasmuch 

 as an oxalate of lime will be formed, and the 

 sulphuric acid set free to perform tlie benefi- 

 cial effects that have been mentioned. 



Tlie Smu Flower. 



It is said by experienced agriculturists, 

 that this plant, properly cultivated, is probably 

 the most profitable of any ever cultivated. — 

 The oil extracted from its seed.=, which are 

 more oleaginous than those of any other plant 

 known to us, combines the qualities, for eating, 

 of the olive or sweet oil ; for burning, of the 

 best sperm oil, without the smoke of the lat- 

 ter ; and for painting of flaxseed oil. The 

 young flower cups of this plant are very es- 

 culent and agreeable to the taste, when pre- 

 pared and eaten as artichokes. The stalks are 

 an excellent substitute for hemp in manufac- 

 turing pack thread. From its flowers, the 

 most luscious and highly flavored honey is 

 extracted. It is estimated that the plant will 

 yield between 80 and 100 bushels of seed to 

 the acre, which will furnish from five to se- 

 ven quarts of oil to the bushel. We think it 

 would be an object for some of our agricul- 

 turists to make the experiment. The flower 

 will flourish on ground unfit for any thing 

 else. 



To pre-vent Horses 'beiusf teased by Flics. 



Take two or tliree small handfuls of wal- 

 nut leaves, upon which, pour two or tliree 

 quarts of cold water; let it infuse one night, 

 and pour the whole next morning into a ket- 

 tle, and let it boil for a quarter of an hour; — 

 when cold it will be fit tor use. -No more is 

 required than to moisten a sponge, and before 

 the horse goes out of the stable, let those parts 

 which arc most irritable be smeared over vvitii 

 the liquor, viz. between and upon the ears, 

 the neck, the flank, &c. Not only the lady 

 or gentleman who rides out for pleasure, will 

 derive benefit from the walnut leaves thus 

 prepared, but the coacliman, the wagoner, 

 and all others who use horses during the hot 

 months. — Farmers' Receipt Boole. 



Tbc Divining Rod. 



To tlie Eililor of llie Farniors' Cabinet. 



Sir, — In almost every age there have been 

 those who have had faith in the virtues of the 

 Divining Rod tor the discovery of springs of 

 water in tlie earth, but the number of these 

 have been few indeed, at any period. 



During a residence of five years in the 

 Island of Jersey, (England,) I had continual 

 opportunities of testing the trutli of the pre- 

 tention, for there lived within half a mile of 

 my house, a person who, every one admitted, 

 possessed the power to an unlimited detf ree ; 

 but knowing that I could at any time indulge 

 in the experiment, I neglected to do so until 

 my removal from thence, when I regretted 

 that I had allowed the opportunity to pass 

 without convincing myself of the truth or 

 falsehood of a phenomenon which has inter- 

 ested the world for so many ages.* I had, 

 however, very unexpectedly, an opportunity 

 of re-visiting the Island, and then I deter- 

 mined to satisfy myself on the subject. For 

 this purpose, I visited, in company with a 

 friend,! the person above alluded to, and the 

 result is as follows : His name is Ingouville, 

 a resident on his own estate, within a short dis- 

 tance of the Town of St. Hellier's, on the 

 Trinity Road, and a highly respectable man. 

 He received us in the most friendly manner, 

 professed himself ready to accompany us, and 

 to make us acquainted with every thing re- 

 lating to, what he himself accounted, a most 

 wonderful circumstance. He began by fur- 

 nishing himself with an Elm twig, the size 

 of a small quill, cut from the tree so as to 

 form a fork, Y, and taking the double twigs, 

 one in each hand, with the single point for- 

 ward, he walked into the garden where was 

 a spring of water, not, however,/discernible 

 on the surface. On approaching the spot, he 

 desired me to grasp the twigs, which extend- 

 ed beyond his hands, and say if I found them 

 tremble as we walked forwards; in a short 

 time I felt them very sensibly affected, and 

 saw the single point of the rod tending down- 

 wards to the earth ; he then asked if I felt 

 them twisting in my hands, from an inclina- 

 tion to follow .the downward tendency of the 

 point! which I did; he bade me grasp them 

 tigliOv, with a view to prevent the single 

 point from turning; but this I could not do, 

 although he held the rod very loosely, to give 

 me every facility for so doing. After a few 

 more steps, the point of the rod turned down, 

 in a direct position, towards the earth, in spite 

 of all my endeavors to prevent it. "There," 

 said he, " is the spring," and as I liberated 



* I liavp heard tlmt. in Oirsar's rommentaries, men- 

 tion in made of the Di\ iiiin); Kod, in use for the pur. 

 pose of discovering weUs of water. 



t The Rev. Fhancis 1'errot. ^j. 



