NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



397 



■ imperfect. Although many do well, and re- 

 ;eive good profits, in the cultivation of their 

 "uTii^, ypt there is sufficient room for them to 

 1> liotter. Those who have given the subject 

 :io greatest attention, and reduced the science 

 1 the most regular and profitable system, still 

 oi^ defects, and learn from year to year. 



Situated as we are as to local and natural ;ul- 

 r;in!agcs, with a flourishing commercial aod 

 ■Diniitacturing village in our centre, through 

 ivhich passes the Grand Canal, the pride of our 

 country and the admiration of the world, ard 

 with a fine climate and rich soil, it behoves u-, 

 inil our real interests prompt us to be diligeat 

 and active in the worlt of improvement. Ij(t 

 .t not be said we are inactive and stationary, 

 ivhile our neighbors spiritedly and successfully 

 [Jrogress ; but rather let us say, that althoiigli 

 uany counties in different parts of the state have 

 ]oDe well, it shall be our aim to excel them all. 



?roin the .Massachusetts Agricultural Repository ior 



June, 1824. 



— 



ON LINSEKU OIL FOR F.\TTING CATTLE 



Roxbury, Mnijl, 1824. 



rO THE CORRESPONDING SECBET.IRY, 



Dear Sir, — In the spring of 1818 I purshas- 

 sd ii large tine looking cow, from the high :e- 

 sommendation of her former owner, as to her 

 rahiable milk properties ; in a few days after 

 nhe calved, and her bag was in so bad a state as 

 made it necessary very soon to dry her up, los- 

 ing the whole object for which I purchased 

 tter. Early in the fall having read, in " Varlo 

 on Husbandry," published by an English Far- 

 mer in this country about 40 years ago, a Re- 

 ceipt as follows : " the quickest feeding a beast 

 san take is linseed oil mixed with bran, if the 

 i\nimal is small, give two pecks of bran per day, 

 Divided into three feeds, in each peck half a 

 pint of oil, they eat it very greedily and it feeds 

 ;hem wonderfully fast ; they must have what hay 

 they will eat, but that will not be much. The 

 oil dilutes all the rest of the lood they eat, 

 and as to itself, it all stays in the beast, as fat, 

 five gallons and the bran in proportion will fat- 

 cen a beast sooner than five pounds sterling in 

 any otiier food." 



I felt determined to try the experiment on 

 the above mentioned cow — she refused the 

 Ifood for two days, but finding she had none 

 Other offered, she afterwards began to eat, and 

 in a short time became fond of it ; she increas- 

 ed in fatness very fast. After using the five 

 gallons recommended, I purchased two more, 

 and then for about a fortnight gave her Indian 

 meal, when she was in high order. And 1 sold 

 lier to a neighboring Butcher, (having describ- 

 ed to him the manner of feeding,) at nine dol- 

 lars the hundred pounds, being the price of the 

 Very best beef at that time, the weight paid 

 tor was seven hundred and ninety-four pounds. 

 I never saw handsomer marbled meat, and he 

 told me his customers were very much pleased 

 with it; and he has very frequently since told 

 me they have often spoken of the goodness 

 of that beef. 



Two years after I fatted a pair of oxen, one 

 of which was by the same mode, consuming 

 eight or nine gallons of oil, and afterwards 

 taaai for two or three weeks ; the other on 

 vegetables and meal, i sold them to a Butcher 

 fi'om Halifax, Nova Scotia, for that market ; 



they were estimated at 1200 lbs. each — the oil 

 fed one was thought the best, and the expense 

 of feeding was considerably less. I gave this 

 man notice of the mode of fatting both animals, 

 he said lie had no olijection to the oil, as in 

 England their cattle are fed largely on oilcukc, 

 and he should bleed this animal a few days be- 

 fore slaughtering* I heard from Halifax that 

 the meat of both was considered excellent. 

 Since then I have not fatted any beef animals, 

 but was so well satisfied, that whenever I do I 

 shall adopt the same method. 



Mr. Parsons intends this season, fatting an 

 animal by this method, when he will give 

 the result to the society. 



I am, dear Sir, 



Respectt'ully yours, 



JOHN PRINCE. 



The oil cake, and linseed, ground to a pow- 

 der, as well as the oil are much used for fatting 

 cattle in England. The enriching of the ma- 

 nure by this means is said to be a sufiicient ob- 

 ject, were there no advantage in the first cost 

 of the food. A jelly is likeivise made from the 

 linseed and mixed with barley meal or with 

 bran and cut chaff.* 



There is said to be danger of giving a yel- 

 low tinge to the fat by keeping animals a long 

 time on the oil or the cake. 



Marshall in noticing the practice in the Dis- 

 trict of Maidstone, England, of grinding the 

 seed for fodder says — " in the state of powder, 

 it has no degree of clamminess and very little 

 of tenacity; being perfectly dry, with an ap- 

 pearance like ground coffee, it might be per- 

 fectly or sufficiently mixed with the flour 

 of pulse or any grain." He recommends this 

 preparation as preferable either to the oil or 

 cake.t 



* Linseed Jelly. The principal objection to this ma- 

 terial is the trouble of preparing it. In an instance in 

 which it was uscl with success, the method of prepar- 

 ing it was this. The proportion of water to seed was 

 about seven to one. Having been steeped in part of 

 the water, eight and forty hours, previously to the boil 

 ing, the remainder was added cold ; and the whole 

 boiled gently about two hours ; keeping it in motion 

 during the operation, to prevent its burning to the boil- 

 er ; thus reducing the whole to a jelly like or rather a 

 gluey or ropey consistence ; cooled in tubs. Each bul- 

 lock being allowed about two quarts of jelly per day 

 or somewhat more than one quart of seed, in four days ; 

 that is about one sixteenth of the medium allowance of 

 oil cake. — ManhalVs Gloucestershire, &c. 



t A large part of the flax seed which comes to the 

 Boston market, is raised in New Hampshire and Maine, 

 and most of what is grown in this state is produced in 

 the southern counties. 



THE SESAMUM INDICUM ; . 

 or Bene Plant, from Africa. 



The undersigned has received an additiorial 

 supply of Bene Seed from the South, and it 

 will afford him great pleasure to furnish a few 

 of them to any person who may want them. 



There is no provident family, it is believed, 

 who knew their value, that would ever neglect 

 planting a few of the Bene Seed every season, 

 in some border of the garden, to have fresh 

 leaves always at hand in case of need. Al- 

 though this plant requires a warm climate to 

 bring its seed to maturity, it will grow well 

 enough in any part of the United States, to fur- 

 nish its mucilage during ihe season it is most 

 generally wanted. 



One leaf of this plant immersed in a tumbler 

 of spring water, changes it immediately into a 

 fine mucilage, that is perfectly clear, tastele??, 

 and inodorous, and very useful in the .stmimer 

 complaints of children, the (iv>;cniery, kc. Sick 

 children take it as they would pure ivafer, and 

 as it is perfectly innocent, they may be allowed 

 to take as much of it as they like. The leaves 

 likewise of the plant dipptj in tepid water, be- 

 fore they are applied, afTord great relief in ca- 

 ses of inflammation of the eyes. They may be 

 applied also as a dressing for burns, blister.-, &c. 

 with advantage. 



But the chief value of this plant is derivable 

 from the oil which may be expressed from the 

 Bene Seed, a bland, nutritive oil, that is equal 

 in every respect, it is said, to olive oil. 



Southern planters, it is hoped, will turn their 

 attention to this plant, and give us, ere long, 

 more full information re.specting if, than we are 

 yet possessed of. In the mean time, a regular 

 supply of the Bene Seed will be kept at this 

 institution, for distribution in small packets, to 

 be sent by letter to all who may .ipply for them. 

 No charge will be made for these seeds. No 

 letter, however, can be received, that is not 

 free, or wherever the postage is not paid. 

 JAMES SMITH, 

 Vaccine Institution, Baltimore. 



From the American Farmer. 

 A nert' and important discovery in the art of Dye- 

 ing — witli cheap materials. 

 Sir, — In the course of last antumn, I accident- 

 ly met with some yarn in a family, of humble 

 life, the color of which, attracted my attention, 

 which induced me to enquire the process of 

 dyeing ; the information I received was, to cut 

 the end off the the largest pumpkin that 

 could be obtained, the seed only taken out, the 

 yarn put in, and as much poke berry juice 

 poured on as the pumpkin will hold, whicii 

 should be set away in a warm place, the yara 

 frequently opened, and in about nine days, it 

 produces a permanent and brilliant Ulac or 

 crimson color; it is to be washed out in soap 

 suds. I am induced to make this communica- 

 tion, thinking it might be desirable to some of 

 your readers. And I have no doubt the chem- 

 ist might extract from the materials an useful 

 dye for manufacturing on a large scale. 

 With respect, I am, Sir, 



Your obedient servant, • 



Jefferson, Culpeper Co. } 

 Fa. May 8, 1824. \ 



Bad Butter. — Being a few mornings since in a 

 store where butter is taken in, we heard a wo- 

 man ask a shopkeeper what price he would 

 give for a tub of butter which she oifered. — 

 " Jfothing .'" was the answer. We had the cu- 

 riosity to look at it ; and a more disagreeable 

 (we will not say disgusting) mass we never saw 

 offered for sale as butter. It is wonderful that 

 any dairy woman should yet be ignorant or 

 careless of what relates so much to her own in- 

 terest, as the proper management of butter de- 

 signed for the market. The most usual fault is, 

 that it is no< sufficiently worked. If proper at- 

 tention was given to this part of the process, 

 the butter would command in the market one or 

 two cents more, by the pound, than it usually 

 does. — Mass. Yeoman. 



