VOL. XIV. NO. 10. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL, 



317 



Catching Moles in the Neck of a Buoken 

 Bottle. — Take two common beer bottle necks, 

 set them in the bnrrow witli tlieir wide ends ont- 

 ermost, facing the hole both ways ; make tliem 

 firm witli a couple of sticks to each, crossing each 

 other over the bottle necks, close to their widest 

 ends ; exclude light and air by a piece of turf or 

 the like, and the trap is set. The mole, coming 

 to the bottle neck, finds the way plain, and scjueezes 

 himself in. She would got through, were she 

 able to hold her liiud feet on the glass to push her 

 head and fore legs through; but here she fails, 

 and is generally found sipieezcd in so hard that a 

 stick is wanted to force her out. This mode of 

 snaring was practised, if not invented, by a farmer 

 in Rauftshire, in the early part nf the 17th cen- 

 tury, and it is likidy that, though it might then 

 have been generally known there, it has since 

 been lost sight of in the adoption of less simple 

 though more portable snares. By this means the 

 jmorest cottager might ensnare this unwelcome 

 guest in his garden, whilst he might not be able 

 to spare either his pence to buy, or his time to 

 make any other traj). — Molesccntulus. 



To restore Tainted Beef. — In the last fall 

 I procured an acquaintance of mine in the country 

 to put up a barrel of fat beef for my family's use 

 during the winter. The barrel of beef was sent 

 to me agreeable to contract ; but before I had 

 used one quarter part of it I observed it tainted, 

 and so much so as to smell quite offensive. The 

 beef being very fat and fine I was loth to throw-it 

 away. I made the following experiment : I pro- 

 cured a half bushel of charcoal, and after taking 

 out the beef and throwing away the offensive 

 pickle, I repacked it in the barrel, laying the pieces 

 of charcoal between the pieces ; and making a 

 new pickle, and adding a little saltpetre, I covered 

 the beef, and in about sixty days found it as sweet 

 and good as it was when first put up. 



Cockroaches. — A gentlemen has recently dis- 

 covered that spirits of turpentine is an efti3Ctual 

 remedy against the depredations of cockroaches. 

 He recommends to put a I'.ttle of it upon the 

 shelves or sides of bookcases, bureaus, armories, 

 or furniture in which they take shelter, and these 

 troublesome insects will soon quit not only the 

 furniture, but the room. The remedy is simple, 

 and easily obtained by every person who wishes it. 

 It is not unpleasant to the smell, soon evaporates, 

 and does no injuj-y to the furniture or clothing. 



Fence Posts. — An excellent method of ren- 

 dering these durable in the ground, is published 

 in the American Eagle. It consists, 1. In peel- 

 ing the posts, and in sawing and split.ting them if 

 too largo ; 2. In sticking them up, under cover, at 

 least one entire summer ; and 3. In coating with 

 hot tar, about 3 feet of the butt ends, which are 

 to be inserted in the ground — after which they are 

 ready for use. We have no doubt the advanta- 

 ges of this mode of prejjaration will more than 

 remunerate for labor and ex|)ense. Our reasons 

 for this belief are briefly as follows: The sap of 

 all non-resinous trees, will f(!rmcnt in the presence 

 of heat and moisture, and cause the decay of the 

 wood. To prevent this natural consequence, the 

 first object should be, when a tree is felled, to ex- 

 pel the sap from the pores of the wood. This is 

 done by peeling, splitting, sawing or hewing, and 

 exjiosing the wood to the drying influence of the 

 sun, or at least of the air. The process is facilita- 

 ted too by immersing the wood in water for a time, 

 which rujuifies the sap, and favors its expulsion. 

 And when the moisture has -been expelled, the 

 next object is to keep it out, by paint, tar or char- 

 ring. In the mode recommended above, the mois- 

 ture is expelled by the pseling, sawing and sum- 

 mer drying, and its return is prevented by the 

 coating of tar. The retention of the bark upon 

 the timber is particularly prejudicial, not only in 

 preventing evaporation, but affording shelter to 

 various species of the borer, which, under its 

 cover, carry on its depredations upon the timber. 

 We have seen pine logs nearly destroyed in a 

 summer by worms, where the bark had been left 

 on, while those which had been peeled remained 

 uninjured. The best timber is obtained from trees 

 which have stood a summer, or a year, after they 

 have been girdled and peeled. — Cultivator. 



CuEMisTRY Applied to AouicnLTUKE. — It is 

 stated that the celebrated chemist Lavoisier culti- 

 vated 240 acres of land in La Vendee on chemical 

 principles, in order to set a good example to the 

 farmers. His mode of culture was attended with 

 so much success, that his crops amounted to a 

 third more than those which were produced by 

 the usual method; and in nine years his annual 

 produce was doubled. Yet the generality of our 

 ycoujanry would as soon think of studying Hebrew, 

 as the elementary principles of chemistry. — Gib- 

 bon's Adv. of Sei. 



Liquid Manure. — Li(juid manure may be here 

 [at Ghent] named, and very justly so, their sum- 

 numbonum ; asif applied when the corn is sprout- 

 ing, or just before a rain, it has an effect which no 

 other manure can have. It destroys insects, and 

 throws a surprising degree of vigor into the crops. 

 It is pumped [from the tanks under ground, into 

 which it is conducted by drains from the stables, 

 &c.] into a barrel-shaped water cart ; and, when 

 brought upon the land, the plug is taken out, and 

 the liquid, flowing over a board something in the 

 shape of a fan, as the cart proceeds, is dispersed 

 on both sides, over a space, perhaiis 4 or 5 feet. 

 The Cart has generally three wheels. — Lon. Gar. 

 Mag. • 



To make plain Gingerbread. — Mix three 

 pounds of flour with four ounces of moist sugar, 

 half an ounce of powdered ginger, and one pound 

 and a quarter of warm treacle ; melt half a pound 

 of fresh butter in it ; put it to the flour and make 

 it a paste ; then form it into nuts or cakes, or bake 

 it in one cake. 



Vital Principle of' Seeds. — A small por- 

 tion of the Royal Park of Bushy was broken up 

 some time ago, for the purpose of ornamental cul- 

 ture, when immediately several flowers sprang up, 

 of the kinds which are ordinarily cultivated in 

 gardens; this led to an investigation, and it was 

 ascertained that identical spot had been used as a 

 garden not later than the time of Oliver Cromwell, 

 more than one hundred and fifty years before. — 

 Monthly Mag. 



Tomato. — It is said that the juice of the tomato 

 vine contains a most superb innate green coloring, 

 which is said to have been used as a dye, and may 

 be made of all the various shades of green, from 

 the dark to light pale green and when mixed with 

 other colors, this green coloring is thought to have 

 a stronger basis than any other vegetable. 



Deterioration of Silk Worms. — A super- 

 stitious notion formerly prevailed to a considerable 

 extent that the eggs of the silk worm niHst be 

 changed every two or three years to prevent the 

 deterioration of the worm. This notion, like 

 many others of the same class, is at war with rea- 

 son and science. The supposition that good co- 

 coons, after a few years, are no longer fit to pro- 

 duce good seed, is ridiculously absurd. The time 

 has gone by when the idle and foolish theories of 

 Buflbn, Robertson, De Pauw and others, respect- 

 ing the tendency of nature "to be little" and de- 

 generate every thing in the new world, are received 

 aa truths. Facts also have settled the question 

 that silk worms will not degenerate, except as a 

 consequence of neglect, or the long propagation of 

 those of diminutive size. — Silk Culturist. 



Salt a Manure for Cotton. — Alexander 

 Jones, M. D., recommends, in the American Far- 

 mer, the use of salt as a manure to improve the 

 staple of cotton. He says, if sea island cotton be 

 planted for several years in succession in the inte- 

 rior of the country, it degenerates into the short 

 staple cotton. In support of the benefit from salt, 

 it is said that cotton in the vicinity of salt springs 

 and licks is of a larger staple. 



Sea Water as Manure. — Several instances 

 are recorded of the benefits of salt water. The 

 potato crop has been very considerably increased 

 by it. It should not he applied when the ground 

 is dry, lest it kill young and tender plants and 

 injure others. 



A Bakeb Potato Pudding. — Mix twelve oun- 

 ces of potatoes boiled, skimmed, and mashed, 1 

 oz. of cheese grated fine ; add as much boiling 

 water as is necessary to produce a due consistency, 

 and bake it in an earthern pan. — Yankee Farmer. 



Linseed Cough Strup. — Boil an ounce of lin- 

 seed in a quart of water, till half wasted ; then 

 add six ounces of moist sugar two ounces of sugar 

 candy, half an ounce of Spanish liquorice, and the 

 juice of a large lemon. Let the whole slowly 

 simmer together, till it becomes of a syrupy con- 

 sistence ; when cold put to it two table spoonsful! 

 of the best old rum. 



Maple Sugar — The maple sugar season is 

 upon us now, and during the sunny days and 

 freezing nights which we have towards the end 

 of March and the beginning of April, the farmer 

 and the "farmer's boys," may be seen in the ma- 

 ple lots with all their apparatus, buckets, spouts, 

 kettles, &c. for manufacturing this valuable and 

 delicious article. In time it will be found in the 

 Boston market, vieiug in richness and whiteness 

 with the best loaf sugar. — Claremont, jV. H.Eagle. 



Rail Road Experiments. — It appears by ex- 

 periments given in detail in a late No. of the Bal- 

 timore Patriot, that rail road cars, heavily loaded, 

 drawn by a steam engine, ascended an acclivity of 

 45 feet to the mile, without any apparent diminu- 

 tion of the velocity with which they moved on a 

 level. 



Horses that are confined in a stable never haye 

 the staggers. — Dr. Mason. 



