NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



413 



jrounil, for In thnt cnse they will certninly iis- 

 end the Ireo aprnin : gnlher up the nost care- 

 fully from the edjres, so as to break it as little as 

 possible ; take it direclly into your hand, exleiiil- 

 ng your tlmmh and lingers around it, and piil it 

 iito your pail ; never flinch, the caterpillars 

 won't bite you. When you have done, empty 

 ^our pail into a river, or lar»e brook, or a fire, 

 tr bury the contents in the ground half a foot 

 leep, and tread down the earth hard and close. 

 >o that none may escaps. If any of the nest 

 irc inaccessible on tlie ends of limbs, reach the 

 Iwig with the end of a sharp saw and cut it 

 fT close to the body of the limb out of which it 

 jrows. 



Now what signify rubbing oil on the nests 

 or squibbing them with gunpowder, or trying to 

 field a smoke under their noses? It is all non- 

 iense. — You may plague the poor creatures a 

 idle, if you take any pride in it, and injure your 

 rees a little ; and that's all. 



This mode of taking the caterpillars is almost 

 s much easier and cheaper than other ways of 

 Hacking them as it is better. Two years ago 

 1 went through my orchanl in this way, and had 

 lard work of it. One year ago I did the same, 

 Jut found the labour small. The present year, 

 vhile the orchards of my neighbours where the 

 aterpillars have in ample form been insulted 

 vitii grease, and powder, and smoke, are over- 

 un ; there have appealed in mine scarcely half 

 1 dozen nests. 



A Lover of Apples a)ul Ci<lcr. 



IRON-WIRE BRIDGES AT GENEVA. 



■The two Bridges about to be described were 

 lung across the dry ditches of the fortiticalions 

 f the city of Geneva. The ditch across which 

 he first bridge is hung is 32 feet deep un.l tan 

 eet wide. It is bounded by the city wall on 

 ne side ; and by the counter guard on the 

 ther. The counter guard is about 70 feet wide, 

 he other side forms one boundary of the second 

 iitch, which is 22 feet deep and 77 feet wide ; 

 pen the country forming the other boundary of 

 he ditch. 



The gate of the city, which stands on the 

 dge of the tirst'dilch, serves as a point of support 

 o the wires of the first bridge, and also as a sta- 

 ion for the bridge-keepers. The counter-guard 

 as a stone arch, which in like manner, acts as a 

 loint of support to both bridges; and the outer 

 ate, on the country side of the second ditch, is 

 he other point of support to the wires of the 

 econd bridge. 



The wire used in the construction of both 

 hese hanging bridges is about two millimetres, 

 rench measure, or 75 thousandths of an inch 

 hick: being known in the shops by the name of 

 ■Jo. 14. It is made up into lengths, or bundles of 

 n hundred wires each every single wire having 

 leen first stretched straight by a weight of 220 

 bs. These bundles were united by iron ties lor 

 be line of suspension proceeds uninterruptedly 

 cross both ditches .Tnd the intervening counter- 

 ;uard ; it was too long for a single bundle. 

 There are three of these lines of suspension on 

 ach side of the bridges, made up in length ter- 

 oinating at each end by a ring, and connected 

 ogether by passing a strong iron bolt thro' the 

 •nii rings of the bundles placed side by side ; 

 he whole being rolled round with iron wire, 



hich gives them the appearance of cords The 



longest of these bundles are 120 feet long, the 

 others rather shorter; and the whole six main 

 lines of suspension were made fast at one ex- 

 tremity to a mass of iron firmly fi.xed to the in- 

 ner gate of the city, then earned over the llrst 

 ditch across the stone support in the counter 

 guard, from thence over the outer ditch, and 

 lastly, passing over the outer gate, they are 

 made fast to iron blocks, which arc deeply buri- 

 ed in the ground, and loaded with heavy masses 

 of stone. To these six principal. Iioes, placed 

 lengthways of the bridges and intervening 

 counter-guard, others, composed only of 12 

 wires, are made last to the traverses, or pieces 

 of wood, which form the bottom of the sides; long 

 beams of timber are mortised to these, to which 

 the railings of the bridges, and upon the travers- 

 es,are fastened the planks, that form the road way 

 of the bridge. The whole of the work is well 

 pninted over; and the materials, both wire and 

 timber, of the best quality. 



Before the bridges were begnn, a model was 

 tr.ade, 38 feet lon.g, hanging from two main lines, 

 each of which was composed of only twelve 

 wires, about the 73 thousandths part of an inch 

 thick. From these main lines hung eleven tra- 

 verses of wood, by means of four shingle wires, 

 two at each end. The traverses being planked 

 over, this model ivas found to have such strength 

 as to allow the persons, who went to see it not 

 only to march over it, but also to leap, jump, 

 fee. without the least failure or accident happen- 

 ing. 



The whole time, from the first planning of the 

 bridge to the opening of it for passengers, did not 

 exceed six months. The engineer. Col. Dulour 

 estimated the expense at 16,000 francs, about 

 j£6C6 sterling, and the actual cost came within 

 one or two hundred francs, 4 or J£y. of the p^ti- 

 mate. — Mechanic's Weekly Journal. 



NETTLES. 

 Every body knows that the leaves ofstinging 

 nettles are thick set with sharp prickles that 

 penetrate the skin when touched, and occasion 

 pain, heat, and swelling, which symptoms were 

 imagined formerly to ensue from the prickles 

 being left in the wounds they made. But the 

 microscope discovers something much more 

 wonderful in this common vegetabia, and shews 

 that its prickles are formed and act in the same 

 manner as the stings of living animals. Every 

 one of them is found to be a rigid hollow body, 

 terminating in the most acute manner possible, 

 with an opening near the end. At the bottom 

 of this cavity lies a minute vessel or bag, con- 

 taining a limpid liquor, which, upon the least 

 touching of the prickle, is squirted through the 

 little outlet, and, if it enters the skin produces 

 the mischief before mentioned by the pungen- 

 cy of its salts. Hence it comes to pass, that 

 when the leaves of nettles are considerably dri- 

 ed by the heat of the sun, they sting but very 

 little ; whereas such as are green and juicy pro- 

 duce violent pain and inflammation. — JV. Y. Mi- 



Whoever will apply an ointment made of 

 gunpowder, brimstone, and common grease, be- 

 hind the necks of their Lambs, will be sure of 

 having them preserved from all kinds of ver- 

 min. The quantity necessary to be made use 

 of is so small, that a sixpenny worth is suflBclent 

 to dress upwards of 200 Lambs. — Con. Herald. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



S.^TLRIJAY, .lULY '.M, l!Ji,'4. 



CLOSE OF -IHE SI'.COND VOLUME. 

 The second vo\ume of the New England 

 Farmer being terminated with the present num- 

 ber, it will, perhaps, be expected that the Edi- 

 tor, in due conformity to immemorial usage on 

 similar occasions, will take a retrospective 

 glance over the field of his former labours, and 

 a prospective view of that which lies before 

 him. With regard to our past performances, 

 we have no foundation for boasting; and as our 

 promises and pretensions have never been of a 

 high order, we hope we have not much to re- 

 gret for having greatly disappointed reasonable 

 expectations. Our efforts to deserve well of 

 the agricultural part of the community have 

 been unremitted, and we trust not altogether 

 unsuccessful. Nor have we, at present, any 

 reason to complain of want of patronage. O^r 

 subscription list has been, and still is constant- 

 ly, though gradually progressive, and has iijs 

 creased about one third since the commence- 

 ment of the present volume. Our correspon- 

 dents are, likewise increasing in number, and 

 in our opinion their communications, as our 

 woik advances, become more and more valuable. 

 The first mind.s in the country appear to be 

 turning th.?ir attention to its paramount interests, 

 and seem to be fully sensible that improvements 

 in agriculture, the art of all arts, and the only 

 «u-o ami [>ciuiar-.cnt basis of national, as well as 

 of individual prosperity, must lead the van of 

 all other improvements. The information, 

 which the Editor himself acquires from his cor- 

 respondents, as well as from other sources, 

 which are daily developed in the progress of 

 his publication, he flatters himself, has rendered, 

 and he doubts not, will continue to render him 

 better able to perform his task, as conductor of 

 this Journal, in a manner which will enhance its 

 utility, fand prove satisfactory to its patrons. 

 And, while life and health are continued, no 

 effort on his part shall be wanting to merit suc- 

 cess, in some degree commensurate to the im- 

 portance of the objects to which the New Eng- 

 land Farmer is devoted. 



The Editor, however, does not presume to 

 believe that he has fully met the wishes and 

 expectations of all his readers and subscribers ; 

 and while to " err is human," and the opinions 

 and taste of mankind are as diversified as their 

 faces, he cannot hope to gain the entire appro- 

 bation of every individual. He has no doubt, 

 published accounts of some processes in Hus- 

 bandry, and Rural and Domestic Economy, 

 which will not bear the test of actual and repeat- 

 ed experiment. But his intentions have ever 

 been upright, and he has been solicitous not 

 to mislead the cultivator or economist by re- 

 commending receipts or modes of proceeding, 



