NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



291 



With it, the most iintractable, hard mouthed 

 orse, can be governed by the streng'th ot the 

 ttle linger, so that he can neither run, rear or 

 ick, nnd'-r its powerful operation. This is et- 

 fiected, by drawing his nose close to his breast, 

 inching both ears tight, and stopping bis breath 

 "or a moment. In harness it has an additional 

 ffect by drawing the blinds over the eyes.— 

 The bridle is made as cheap, and more orna- 

 ental than common bridles. The simple 

 naffle bit is used, thereby enabling the horse 

 travel without that uneasiness and fatigue 

 hich the champing of the heavy, pinching 

 urb-chain unavoidably occasions. 

 This valuable invention may be seen at the 

 ork House, in Courtland-street, or at a Sad- 

 ler's shop, near the corner of Pearl-street and 

 [aiden-lane. 



Mr. Laporte is the inventor of the new mail 

 gs, approved by the Post-Master General, and 

 Y General Bailey, Post-Master of this city. — 

 ''e entertain no doubt of the utility of both in- 

 Dtions. — A''. Y. Statesman. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



:ORCHING OFF THF HAIR OF HOGS, BETTER 



TH.\N SCALDL\G. 

 Mr. Sktnnek, — In the 4th vol. of the Ameri- 

 in Farmer, page 223, there is an account of 

 e English mode of cleaning hogs by singeing, 

 tilch states that the quality of the bacon clean- 

 in this manner, was in much higher estima- 

 n, than that prepared in the ordinary way by 

 dding. My informant was Mr. .lames Scear- 

 , a butche||fc few years since from England, 

 w a rcsidenRar " Fells Point." In the Edin- 

 •gh Review of February, 1823, in an essay 

 'iewing" Cobbett's Cottage Economy," page 

 i,there is a portion of Cobbett's works exlract- 

 which details the English (or more proper- 

 he Hampshire) mode of cleaning by singeing. 

 to my taste, no one is perfectly competent 

 ^ive Cobbett's meaning in as satisfactory wa}' 

 his singular man himself 1 will extract so 

 •ch of the " extract," as gives an account of 

 ing hogs by singeing, hoping tha Cobbett's 

 nner of relating may attract attention, and 

 (se some one to make an experiment, and 

 « us through the medium of your paper, the 

 ult of their experiments. Cobbett's words 

 , " there are two ways of going to work to 

 <e bacon ; in the one you take off the hair by 

 '.ding, this is the practice in most parts of 

 ^land, and all over America. But the Hamp- 

 miuay, and the best way is to huri) the hair off; 

 ■e is a great deal of dsfference in the conse- 

 nces. The first method slackens the skin, 

 IDS all the pores of it, makes it loose and flab- 

 by drawmg out the roots of the hair. The 

 nd tightens the skin in every part, contracts 

 Ibe sinews and the veins in the skin, makes the 

 h asolider thing, and the skin a better pro- 

 ion to the meat. The taste of the meat is 

 y different from that of a scalded hog — and 

 his chiefly, it was, that Hampshire bacon 

 !d its reputation for excellence. As the 

 • is burnt off, it must be dry, and care must 

 aken that the hog be kept on dry litter of 

 e sort, the day previous to killing. When 

 ed he is laid upon a narrow bed of straw 

 wider than his carcase, and only two or 

 '.e inches thick. He is then covered all 

 r thinly with straw, to which, according as 



on 



(he wind may be, the fire is put at one end. — 

 ;\s the straw burns it burns the hair. It re- 

 quires two or three coverings and burnings, and 

 care is taken that the skin be not in any part 

 burnt or parched. W hen the hair is all burnt 

 oft close, the hog is scraped clean, but never 

 touched with water. The upper side being fin- 

 ished, the bog is turned over, and the other 

 side is treated in like manner. This work 

 'should always be done before day light — for in 

 the day light, you cannot so nicely discover 

 whether the hair be burnt oft'. The light of 

 (he fire is weakened by that of the day. Be- 

 sides it makes the boys get up very early for 

 once at any rate — and that is something — for 

 boys always like a bonfire." 



Thus far Cobbett — for the sequel of his re- 

 marks contained in the extract, your readers are 

 referred to the work as quoted. Let me ob- 

 serve that in my communication published as 

 slated in the 4th vol. of the Farmer — that there 

 is a typographical error, which I will beg leave 

 to correct — towards the close, read '■^ .Maryland 

 /arf?/," instead of " merry landlady." 

 Yours, &c. 



RUS-IN-URBE. 



Baltimore, July lOlh, 1824. 



P'lom the Rahway Advocate. 



PEACH TREES. 

 New York, 2d mo. 8th, 1 824. 



Esteemed Friend, — Being a great lover of 

 good fruit, I have particularly regretted the loss 

 of our Peach Trees by the worm, and have tri- 

 ed every remedy I could hear of, but all to lit- 

 tle or no eflect. At length 1 concluded, could 1 

 completely shield the parts likely to be affect- 

 ed, it would answer the purpose : I cleaned a 

 number of trees and put a coat of lime mortar, 

 about half an inch thick, round the body, then 

 drew the earth up to it. These trees are now 

 perfectly healthy, and there has not been the 

 sign of a worm about them since, although it is 

 about five years past that the experiment was 

 made. I have since tried the same on a great 

 number of trees with equal success. — Thou 

 wilt communicate this to thy neighbor in such 

 way as thou mayest think proper, as I wish it 

 universally known. Thy friend 



WILLIAM SHOTWELL. 



James A. Bennet, Rahway. 



TO THE EDITOR OP THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



Incessant Incubation. — Last summer a turkey 

 cock, the property of Mr. Thomas Brand, ot 

 Pentlow, in York county, ' took to setting,' and 

 actually batched no less than 58 head of poultry ; 

 namely, early in the spring he hatched five gos- 

 lins ; then he took to a duck's nest and hatched 

 11 ducklins ; next ascended a skep which hung 

 over his bead, and driving away a hen which 

 had been setting there a week, he hatched a fine 

 brood of 13 chickens; again betaking himsell 

 to a nest wherein eggs were laid daily, and set- 

 ting closely for three weeks, he hatched one or 

 two in a day, as the eggs had been laid, 20 more : 

 and last of all, fixing himself again upon a 

 duck's nest, he hatched nine more ducks. Thus 

 ended the summer labors of this extraordinary 

 turkey cock, who is now strutting about the 

 ("arm yard among his numerous tribes, with 

 the authority which his unwearied and pa- 

 tient perseverance to bring them forth entitles 

 him to exercise. 



TO PREVENT BOTTS ]N HORSEP. 



.Mnrri.nnna, March 23, 1321. 

 DE.\RSin, — The fullowing observations if you 

 think of sufficient imi)ortance, you may give a 

 place in your paper, as 1 sec the subject inci- 

 ilentally mentioned in one ofyour papers on (he 

 bolts in horses. I knew a farmer of forty yeais 

 experience, who (old me that be never lost a 

 hozse will) botis, and be was one of (he most 

 cxfensive breeders in this county. His prac- 

 tice was always to give bis horses, parlieularly 

 while in the stable, an handful of salt once a 

 week to each horse. This practice I have fol- 

 lowed on my farm for twenty years, and 1 never 

 saw one of my horses aftlicled by bo((s, 1 am 

 also a considerable breeder. As a feed lor 

 young slock of that kind, I make great use of 

 carrots, and I see none thai look better or have 

 better growth than my own. 



Yours, respe.clfidiy, 



JAMES MORRIS. 



DIRECTION'S FOR BOILING POTATOES. 

 We copy the following from the Iri.^h Farmer's 

 Journal, a very good authority on such a subject. 

 How to boil potatoes nicely without waste. — ' 

 Seldom do we see potatoes well cooked, and 

 still seldomer do we see them cooked with- 

 out waste. By the following directions both 

 ends will be attained. Choose your potatoes of 

 equal 3iZe, and put them into a saucepan or pot 

 without a lid, with no more water than is suffi- 

 cient to cover them ; more would only spoil 

 them, as the potatoes themselves, on being boil- 

 ed, yield a considerable portion of water. By 

 being boiled in a vessel without a lid, they do 

 not crack, and all waste is prevented. After 

 the water is come nearly to boil, pour it off, 

 and replace the hot by cold water, into which 

 throw a good portion of salt. The cold water 

 sends the heat from the surface to the heart of 

 thepotatoe, and makes it mealy. Like all other 

 vegetables, they are im[)roved by being boiled 

 with salt, which ought not, therefore, to be 

 spared. The only proper test of their being 

 done enough, is trying them wilh a fork. When 

 they are boiled with a lid, cracking is usually 

 considered as the test of their being done enough; 

 but they will often crack when they are quite 

 raw in the heart. After straining ofl" the water, 

 they should be allowed to stand ten or fifteen 

 minutes on the fire to dry. 



Simple Remedy for a Cold accompanied with 

 a Sore Throat. — Take at night on going to bed 

 a Clove of Garlic, cut so fine that you can swal- 

 low it, either in honey, molasses, water, or 

 any other innocent liquid which will enable you 

 to convey it into the stomach with a reasonable 

 number of wry-faces. This will, in many ca- 

 ses, answer quite as good a purpose as to " Fee 

 the Doctor for a nauseous draught." 



To escape from, or go into a House 07i Fire. — 

 Creep or crawl with your face near the ground 

 and although the room be full of smoke to suf- 

 focation, yet near the floor the air is pure, and 

 may be breathed with safety. The best escape, 

 from upper windows, is a knotted rope ; but if a 

 leap is unavoidable, then the bed should be 

 thrown out first, or beds prepared for the pur- 

 pose. 



