370 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEK. 



Aug 



well cared for and well treated to bo profitable, 

 and when so treated, their industry, their thrift 

 and improved appearance, will "preach huraanity 

 to man." 



The longest count in the charge against the 

 !iog, is that "the mothers neglect or ill-treat their 

 offspring." In answer to this charge, I reply that 

 •'like begets like." If we treat our bogs as mon- 

 sters, not to be approached without the bestowal 

 of kicks and blows, we should not complain of 

 their being what our cruelty has nrade them. Let 

 the same course be j^ursued with swine as with 

 neat stock, let them be carded and handled, well 

 fed and kindly treated, and then if they are so un- 

 natural as to slay their young, we will let sen- 

 tence of "'guilty" be passed upon them and absto- 

 don them to their fate — death by the butcher. 



For twenty-five years avc have known but one 

 cross hog, yet have reared more or less pigs every 

 spring, and our experience is that there is no more 

 uncertainty about raising pigs (the general com- 

 plaint to the contrary notwithstanding) than in 

 rearing any other stock. 



With me, hogs are among the most profitable 

 animals on the farm, yielding a triple income — 

 the slaughtered porker, the young pigs, and last, 

 yet not least, their valuable services in the ma- 

 nure yard. m. 



Chester, N. H., June, 1854. 



IRON HOUSES. 



A friend of ours who is building a tenement, 

 complajncd, not long ago, that he found it difficult 

 to obtain such lumber as he wislied for the pur- 

 pose, adding, "I never thought there would bo 

 any trouble here in obtaining any kind of lum- 

 ber that one wanted ; what will folks do when 

 the lumber is all gone?" "Build iron houses," 

 said we. "There is iron enough in different sec- 

 tions of the State, to build houses for hundreds 

 of years." "Yes," said he, "and it will be 

 thousands of years before they will build any- 

 thing of the kind here." 



Now we do not see why, even at the present mo- 

 ment, iron houses cannot be built as cheap in 

 Maine, as in some other States. We have iron 

 enough — we have wood enough to heat the fur- 

 naces to smelt it, and lime enough to make flux 

 to facilitate its reduction from the ore to a me- 

 tallic state. All, therefore, that is wanted, is, 

 capital to start the business, enterprise enough to 

 begin it, and faith enough to carry it out to suc- 

 cess. 



We see in the N. Y. Leader, a glowing account 

 of building iron houses, by Mr. Sexton, of Brook- 

 lyn, N. Y. 



We make a few extracts from this account in 

 crderto shew our readers how much this mode of 

 building houses has advanced. 



Mr. S. constructs the frame-work of his build- 

 ing entirely of cast iron, in sections which are 

 made to interlock by very close fitting, and in- 

 genious joints secured by keys. This mode of fit- 

 ting avoids the labor of drilling and bolting 

 which has been a great inconvenience of iron 

 buildings. 



The irame work he covers on the outside with 

 plates of iron, by a similar system of interlocking 

 without any bolts or other fastenings— the joints 



being packed Avith gutta pereha, so as to exclude 

 water under liydraulie pressure. 



To finish the dovetailing of the joints, he ha^: 

 invented a machine that performs the work of 

 forty n;ien. Tlie walls are made hollow, and the 

 enclosed space is filled with a non-conducting 

 composition of beach sand, and other substances, 

 so that when finished they become perfectly fire- 

 proof. 



The roof and floor are mado of cast iron frames, 

 resembling heavy window sashes, the interstices 

 being occupied with plates of glass of. any re- 

 quired thickness. This glass, it is stated, is not 

 our common glass, but a new kind called malleable 

 glass, from its wonderful property of toughness, 

 it bending freely without breaking. 



It also asserts that this glass can be drawn out 

 into threads of any fineness, and so tough and 

 flexible that they are about commencing the man- 

 ufacture of piano and violin strings from the 

 same material. 



A string of this glass was exhibited to the wri- 

 ter, who says it was as small as the E string of a 

 violin, and could be bent around the finger like 

 catgut. 



Plates of this glass being let into the frame 

 work of the floors, the whole is then covered over 

 with a peculiar transparent cement of Mr. Sexton's 

 invention, wliich makes the floor look likeone sol- 

 id plate of glass. The cost of roofing with this 

 material, is 75 cents per square foot. The walle 

 inside can be covered with plaster, or finished with 

 iron or glass at the option of the builder. 



All the interior ornamental work, such as man- 

 tle pieces, panels, &c., may be made of this mal- 

 leable glass. 



This looks like an expensive mode of building 

 houses, but yet it is comparatively cheaper than 

 many other modes adopted. Mr. Sexton sums up 

 the advantages of his mode as follows : 



1. Its great cheapness and rapidity with whicii 

 it allows construction, it effecting a saving of one- 

 third in labor over any other mode. He could con- 

 struct an ordinary house in 40 days. 



2. The variety of style and finish that can be 

 obtained at small cost, by different combinations 

 of the same patterns. 



3. Tlie facility with which such a building can 

 be taken down and removed. 



4. Its security from damage by fire or light- 

 ning, thus saving insurance. 



5. Its durability, freedom from vermin, &c. — 

 Maine Farmer. 



Amount of Lime Carried off by Various Crops. 

 — It is calculated that the amount of lime carried 

 ofl' the soil by ten bushels of grain and the straw 

 on which it is grown is as follows : 



10 bush. Wheat and the Straw, 5.18 lbs. 



10 do. Eye do. C.47 " 



10 do. Corn do. 6.U " 



10 do. Barley do. 4.8-1 " 



10 do. Oats do. 3.87 " 



10 do. Field Peas do. 44.74 " 



2000 pounds of (lotatoes 1.03 " 



2000 pounds of turnips and tops, 6.92 " 



20U0 pounds of flax 14.85 " 



2000 pounds of red clover, 43 77 " 



2000 pounds meadow hay, 22.95 " 



2000 pounds of cabbages, 9.45 " 



^' The way to gain a good reputation , is t-o 

 endeavor to be what you desire to appear. 



