n 



NEW ENGLAND r'ARMER. 



and temples Ihey c>ire the megrira. They arc 

 iiseil in vapor balh lor sivollen le;i;s, particular- 

 ly in the dropsVi '" which disorder the berries, 

 inner bark, and roots of this plant are used with 

 great eflcct as a diuretic and purgative. From 

 the berries a rob or thick juice is extracted, 

 which is given vvitii success in bowel complaints, 

 and in the dysentery. 



The (lowers give a fine perfume to vinegar, 

 and to wine the Havor of muscat ; apples, when 

 laid on a bed of these flowers when dried, and 

 there conDned from the air, acquire an exquis- 

 ite taste. A decoction of its berries dyes linen 

 when passed through alum water, of a green 

 brown color ; and excellent brandy can be dis- 

 tilled from them. An English farmer in the 

 county of Devonshire, in a season when the 

 whole of the vegetation in his neighborhood 

 had been destroyed by caterpillars, grasshop- 

 pers, and othei' insects, observed that the Elder 

 remained untouched in full health and vigor ; 

 this induced him to make an experiment which 

 was attended with j)erfect success. With 

 boughs oi'the Elder tied together he went over 

 his grounds, whijiping and brushing gently his 

 cabbage plants, turnips, and even wheat, which 

 drove oil' all the insects, and they never return- 

 ed. He then tried the same operation on his 

 fruit trees wi!h equal effect. Since this discov- 

 ery has been made known, some boil the bran- 

 ches and leaves of this plant in water, and then 

 sprinkle this decoction over young pbmts, 

 which is said to preserve them effectually from 

 destruction by insects. A particular account ol' 

 this experiment was communicated man}' year.s 

 ago to the Royal Society, by Christopher Gul- 

 let. 



The leaves and flowers of this plant when 

 sprinkled with molasses and laid in places infes- 

 ted by cockroaches and anis, will <lrive them 

 0(1". PRO BONO PUBLICO. 



As the season has now arrived for retting 

 Flax, 1 thought the most modern mode of water 

 or pond retting, would be acceptable to some 

 of thy readers. 



Having formed a pond or vat, of the size 

 suited to the crop raised, let the flax be placed 

 therein in bundles, with sutlicient water lo cov- 

 er the whole three or four inches. On the liax 

 lay some refuse boards, which are to be covered 

 with sods, so as to exclude the sun and air. 

 Should the weather prove warm, in four dnvs 

 , it will be found retted, which is readily ascer- 

 tained by drymg a lew stalks and trying them in 

 the usual manner. Should it not prove sufhc- 

 iently retted, it must be tried daily until it be 

 80 found, which seldom exceeds the fifth day 

 unless the water is extremely cold in which it 

 is immersed. When it is in a proper stale, re- 

 move the sods and boards and take your bundles 

 to a new mown sward and spread them, and 

 when perfectly dry, house it and it is ready for 

 breaking. In forming the j)ond or vat, care 

 must be taken to prevent the escape of the wa- 

 ter therefrom and to exclude the entrance of 

 any, at'ter ihe retting has conmiencod. 



This mode has several advantages over dew 

 retting. 1. Expedition. 2. No danger of losing 

 the crop. 3. It will yield 10 to 15 per cent. 

 more flax, and will sell for one cent per pound 

 more at market, and likewise the facilities m 

 bleaching it will be considerably increased. If 



several farmers would join in forming the pond 

 or vat, the expense to each would be found 

 trivial. 



Method for preserving Peas green for v/in(cr. — 

 Put into a kettle of hot water any quantity of 

 fresh shelled green Peas; and alter just letting 

 (hem boil up, pour tbem into a colander. When 

 the liquor has drained off, pour them into a large 

 thick cloth, cover them with anolher, make 

 them quite dry, and set them once or twice in a 

 cool oven to harden a little, after which, put 

 them into paper bags, and hang them up in the 

 kichen for use. To prepare them when wan- 

 ted, they are to be first soaked well for an hour 

 or more, and then put into warm water and 

 boiled with a little butter. 



NEW E NG L AND 1^ ARM ER7 



S.4TUKDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1823. 



RE.MAHKS 

 On the Frotliins: or Foaming of Horses at the Mouth, 



in tlie fall of the year, called " Salivation of Horses," 



" Salivary Defiuxions of Horses^" or " Slavers of 



Horses.'''' 



[Concluded from page 70.] 



Mr. Abrahnm Perlee, whose communication on the 

 subject of this article, was adverted to iu our last, gives 

 tlie following account of the plant, which he supposes 

 lo be the cause of Salivary Dejluxions i7i Horses. 

 " There are three species of Euphorbia common in our 

 fields : the maculata, caniscens, and corolata., of Lin- 

 neus. Tliere are more species of euphorbia natives, 

 and some exotic species now flourish in our country, 

 but their peculiar habitudes confine them to certain 

 districts. Of the three species above mentioned, either 

 would probably cause salivation if masticated : but the 

 peculiarities of the maciilata [spotted kind] render it 

 the only one likely to be eaten by horses. None of 

 them will be eaten if not so situated or presented, as 

 to be taken into the animal's mouth along with some 

 agreeable grass, as clover. The corolata is a large 

 plant, towering above the grasses, and therefore easily 

 avoided. The caniscens is an humble plant, attach- 

 ing itself close to the ground without elevating any of 

 its branches ; and seldom flourishing among the grass- 

 es, but generally confined to open grounds, or corn- 

 fields, road-sides, fcc. on these accounts it is seldom 

 eaten. The niaculata delighting in the well cultivated 

 clovir ground, and when closely surrounded by the 

 clover, attaining to about the same height, and sending 

 off many slender spreading branches, is very likely to 

 be taken in with the clover by the larger mouthed 

 animals. It comes forward, flowers and ripens its seeds 

 about the same time with the second crop of clover. 

 And as clover seed is generally gathered from the sec- 

 ond crop, it must be very liable to have some of the 

 euphorbia maculala gathered with it, if any of it had 

 grown among the clover ; and in this way may be ex- 

 tensively diffused through the country. 



" As but few of the grasses, except timothy, were 

 propagated by seed to any considerable extent in this 

 country before the introduction of clover, and as the 

 low flat grounds on which timothy grows, and the close 

 soil it forms about its roots are unfavorable to the eu- 

 phorbia niaculata, it is not singular, that, before the 

 cultivation of clover, it should have been confined to 

 the margin of fields and open uncultivated grounds, its 

 native place. As this plant is not furnished with any 

 of those astonishingly curious apparatus for dispersing 

 its seeds that many are, and not eaten liy any animal 

 except by accident, it has not the advantages pf any 



7i " 



means of emigrating from its native location, previojt 

 to its connexion with its friendly associate, r^orer 



" All the plants of the genus euphorbia contai: 

 extremely acrid juice ; — many of them stand at 

 head of the catalogue of vegetable poisons, many* 

 them, when rubbed on the skin will produce excdil " 

 tion ; and the least acrid, when taken into the raou: 

 act as powerful masticatories. The euphorbia nia^ 

 lata possesses its greatest acrimony when in flow 

 a little before ; and at that time the salivation has bi 

 observed to be most prevalent. Most plants when t: 

 oughly dried in the sun lose much of their virtue. Tl 

 is also the case with the euphorbia niaculata, for 

 reason hay containing it, thoroughly dried in the s* 

 will not be near so productive of salivation, as who 

 has been slowly dried in cloudy weather. Th, 

 cumstance I think worth attending to in gathering 

 containing it." 



Jlr. Perlee observed that horses and hogs were 1^. 

 only animals, which he had taken notice of that 

 subject to salivation. But the Editor of the Memf 

 »f the Philadelphia Agriculturhl Society says, 

 al members of the Society have remarked cattle, shJI" 

 and swine as well as horses, to be affected by the 

 ond crop of clover as well as other grasses." Mr. ifl 

 lee thinks that there are other plants besides the euph I 

 bia that will act as masticatories, but believes there 

 but few of them flourishing in our fields, which are 

 able to be eaten by animals feeding on grass ; and 

 serves in conclusion, " I am perfectly satisfied that 

 euphorbia niaculata will produce it ; and I have 

 ways observed it to abound in the fields where pt 

 ism was prevalent." 



Dr. William B.aldwin, of Wilmington, Uelawan 

 a letter to the author of the above extracts, publ: 

 in the Memoirs of the Philadelphia Agricultural Soi 

 ty, vol. ii, p. 336, says, "a memoir was read a 

 years ago, before the Linnean Society of Ihiladel 

 on the ptyalism of horses, in which the author 

 the Euphorbia niaculata to be the cause," but cbse| 

 that he had not seen the memoir ; and adds, ' 

 Barton intbrmtd me that he believed several ve 

 bles had a similar effect with the E. maculata in 

 ducing the slabbers ; and that he had known this 

 greeable disease to be produced by dry clover, whicl 

 supposed to be in a diseased state." 



There are a great many species of Euphorbia, 

 neus made, we believe, 150 different soits, and Wi. 

 now no less than 300. Probably they may not alli i 

 found in America, and perhaps we may have sol ki 

 kinds which are not known to the botanists of Euroj (i 

 As it is the spotted kind, however, to which the d k 

 chief in this case is attributed, we shall give such if 

 scriptions of that plant as we find in botanical woij' 

 of acknowledged authority. 



" Euphorbia MacdlatA. L. Spotted Spvrge 



" Leaves serrate, oblong, hairy ; flowers axillary, 

 tary ; branches spreading. 



" A flat plant. Stems spreading close to the groi 

 Leaves oblong, obtuse, obscurely serrulate on th 

 part, edged with hairs, and frequently with a dark 

 in the centre. Flowers very small, capsule h: 



Found in sandy soils. June, July. Annual." B{ 



low^s Florula Bostoncnsis., p. 115. 



" The leaves are oblong, toothed, spotted and h 

 the flowers stand singly in their bosoms. 



" This is an annual, native of North America; ! 

 plant which scarcely rises from the ground, but g 

 about five or six inches long. The stalk is brown ; 

 leaves are of a dusky color, with white hairs and bli 

 spots ; the flowers are yellowish." — HilW Vegeli 

 System, vol. x, p. 579. 



If our conjectures are right respecting the cai 

 of the slavers, the remedy is obvious. Extir| 

 the weed by tillage, and be careful not to in! 



