VOL. XX. HO. 8. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER, 



59 



the tilUi, adnionisli us ihatllic earth or pasture in 

 which tlie plant is to graze, should be made soft 

 and ponelnible, in proportion to the quantity of sus- 

 tenance to be found, and that the food being thus 

 made accessible at planting I'lmo, or before, to the 

 messengers which are to be sent after it, these 

 nessengers, or roots, should be left quietly to do 

 ;heir office, without being disturbed or in any man- 

 ler crossed or interrupted, after planting time ; 

 stirring only the surface lightly after that to let in 

 lir and moisture, and such aliment as they may of 

 hemselves aflord ; and by their agency, render 

 nore soluble the food which the pasture contiins, 

 lius converting it more easily and completely to 

 he sustenance of the plant ? Let every one, Mr 

 Editor, draw his own conclusions, but let liim not 

 elfishly hide his light under a bushel: that's nei- 

 ler liberal nor fair." 



EXPERIMENT IN FATTING PORK. 



A correspondent in North Andover « rites to us 

 i follows: — 



"I took three pigs, all of one litter, weighed 

 lem, and put them in separate pens. 

 One eat 5 bushels of apples, 5 of potatoes, and 

 50 pounds of meal — apples and potatoes boiled 

 id meal-scalded in. Slaughtered March 22d. 

 Weight when killed, 207 



When put up, 13Q 



Gain, 75 



Second pig was killed March 25 : fed with same 

 iterials and same quantity — all raw. 



Weight when killed, 235 



When put up, 150 



Gain, 85 



Third pig killed April 23d, eat the same quantity 

 apples and potatoes, and 450 lbs. shelled corn, 

 t boiled. 



Weight when dressed, 187 



When put up, 120 



Gain, 67 



[Mass. Plowman. 

 Thus it seems that the pig fed with raw apples, 

 atiics and meal, gained more tiian the one fed 

 cooked apples, potatoes and meal. The third 

 was killed one month later: his corn was 

 ole, and he gained less than eitiier. More ex- 

 iments are wanted before we can come to any 

 y definite conclusion. Some pigs gain more 

 n others of the same litter, when the food is the 

 ne — Ed. Plowman. 



' THE USE OF SALT FOR DESTROYING 



GRUBS. 



Mr Henry Colman — In your June number is a 

 uabli; communication relatitive to the efficacy of 

 in destroying the grub. By way of confirming 

 opinion, would it not be well to republish a 

 imunication made by Major Smith, of Albany, 

 ■n this subject, to the "Plough Boy," as long 

 as 1821 .= Vou will find it in the 2d vol. 98ih 

 e. I am induced to make this suggestion in 

 sequence of our mutual friend, H. D. Grove, re- 

 king to me that he had used the quantity per 

 -■ recommended by your correspondent, without 



liplete success, if with any success at all which 



|ording to Mr Smith is quite impossible unless 

 salt is dissolved." My experience confirms the 



truth of Mr Smith's statements — I have long since 

 calleil the attention of the cultivator to it, as one 

 of the most important coninuinications that have 

 been made to the farmers. 



Dr. Harris, in his report on the insects of Mas- 

 sachusetts, has made mention of the value of salt 

 water in removing those aphides that prey upon 

 the roots of plants — which confirms as far as it 

 goes, the statement of Mr Smith. The English pe- 

 riodicals contain numerous communications rela- 

 tive to the value of salt in destroying slugs, (snails ?) 

 and worms : — Grub worms, I presume are meant. 

 They also state that to insure success, the weather 

 and the land must be damp. Mr Field (Cultivator, 

 vol. iv. p. 183,) killed grubs by using beef brine. 



Any farmer who has a quantity of old brine and 

 a watering can, may easily prove the truth or false- 

 hood of these positions when the grubs appear ne.\t 

 year. It is very desirable that intelligent farmers 

 would on some scale or other, no matter how small, 

 settle the question experimentally — and forward 

 the result to some agricultural journal, so that 

 from the number and variety of the communications 

 something like certainty may be derived. It is to 

 be regretted that the attention of intelligent far- 

 mere ii not sufficiently concentrated upon the va- 

 rious topics of agricultural inquiry that are contin- ] 

 ually recurring. From the want of concert among 

 them, many a valuable suggestion is lost. Here is 

 a communication from a most respectable and accu- 

 rate man, that has slumbered for twenty years, 

 which would have been of incalculable value to the 

 farmers, if ten of them had during that long period, 

 stated Its truth, and published their experiments. 

 It is true that with the generality of farmers their 

 experiments are rather the result of accident than 

 design; at least this has been the case. But as 

 there is now a spirit of liberal inquiry aroused in 

 the farming mind, can it not be directed in a good 

 degree to the same channel by the agency of the 

 agricultural editor.' Will it not do for you to 

 urge your correspondents, for example, to put a 



good deal of salt — attic, as well as common in 



their communications for some time to come and 

 thus furnish abundant data for settling the value of 

 salt to the farmer, both as a manure and a vermi- 

 fuge. 



Every year the wheat districts suffer to a greater 

 or less extent from the ravages of rust, and yet it 

 is rendered more than probable that the free use of 

 salt as a manure prevents this terrible disaster. 

 At all events, the celebrated Dr. Cartwright ascer- 

 tained that if one pint of salt be dissolved in eight 

 pints of water and applied to rusted wlieat at the 

 rate of two hogsheads to the acre, the rust entirely 

 disappears in two or three days, leaving only n 

 slight discoloration of the straw. Now will not 

 the sowing of vei^ fine salt upon rusted wheat 

 when it is wet with dew or rain, answer every pur- 

 pose and save the farmer from heavy loss .- 



Yours, most truly, .T. B. NOTT. 



— [Genesee Far. 



Beautiful and True — The following well writ- 

 ten, article deserves to bo studied, remembered and 

 practiced upon by every parent and teacher. — En. 

 POWER OF THE VOICE OVER CHILDREN. 



It is usual to attempt the management of child- 

 ren either by corporal punishment, or by rewards 

 addressed to the senses, or by words alone. There 

 is one other means of government, the power and 

 importance of which are seldom regarded. I refer 



to the human voice. A blow may be inflicted on a 

 child, accompanied by words so uttered as to coun- 

 teract entirely its intended effect. Or, the parent 

 may use language in the correction of the child, 

 not objectionable in itself, yet spoken in a tone 

 which more than defeats its influence. 



We are by no means aware of the power of 

 voice in swaying the soul. The anecdote of a 

 good lady, in regard to her minister's sermons, is 

 to the point. She heard a discourse from him 

 which pleased her exceedingly. She expressed to 

 a friend the hope that he would preach it again. 

 "Perhaps," said her friend in reply, "he may print 

 it." " Ah," said she, "he could not print it in that 

 holy tone." There is a tone in the pulpit, which, 

 false as is the taste from which it proceeds, does 

 indeed work wonders. So is there a tone in our 

 intercourse with children, which may be among the 

 most efficient aids in their right education. 



Let any one endeavor to recal the image of a 

 fond mother long since at rest in heaven. Her 

 sweet smile and ever clear countenance are brought 

 vividly to recollection. So also is her voice ; and 

 blessed is that parent who is endowed with a pleas- 

 ing utterance. What is it which lulls the infant 

 to repose .' It is no array of mere words. There 

 is no charm to the untaught one in letters, sylla- 

 bles and sentences. It is the sound which strikes 

 its little ear, that soothes and composes it to sleep. 

 .\ kw notes, however unskilfully arranged, if utter- 

 ed in a soft tone, are found to possess a magic infl- 

 ence. Think we that this influence is confined to 

 the cradle.' No — it diffuses every age, and ceases 

 not while the child remains under the parental roof. 

 Is the boy growing rude in manner or boisterous 

 speech? I know of no instrument so sure to con- 

 trol these tendencies, as the gentle tones of a 

 mother. She who speaks to her son harshly, does 

 but give to his conduct the sanction of her own 

 example. She pours oil on the already raging 

 flame. In the pressure of duty, we are liable to 

 utter ourselves hastily to our children. Perhaps a 

 threat is expressed in a loud and irritating tone. 

 Instead of allaying the passions of the child, it 

 serves directly to increase thoni. Every fretful 

 expression awakens in him the same spirit which 

 produced it. So does a pleasant voice call up 

 agrcable feelings. Whatever disposition, there- 

 fore, \Ve would encourage in a child, the same we 

 should manifest in the tone with which we address 

 him. 



The mind is fashioned and furnished, in the 

 main, at school ; but the character of the affec- 

 tions is derived chiefly from home. — 1 have heard 

 of a father, who, when his children became engaged 

 in a dispute, would at once require them to unite in 

 a song. The blending of their voices in harmony 

 was soon found to subdue their angry and conten- 

 tious feelings. There is a native, spontaneous, 

 untaught music. It consists in the tones which is- 

 sue from her who is overflowing with Christian 

 love. While, then, I would advise the mother to 

 the culture of a pleasant voice, and warn her of 

 the evils of addressing her children harshly, I would 

 still more earnestly counsel her to discipline her 

 heart. Out of a kind heart come naturally, kind 

 tones. She who would train up her family in the 

 sweet spirit of Christ, can succeed best and most 

 enduring of all, by cherishing such sentiments as 

 shall seek their own unbidden expression in gentle 

 yet all powerful tones. — Hartford Courant. 



He who is contented with his lot, is rich indeed. 



