168 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Dpc. 10, 1830. 



MISCELLANIES. 



Among the representatives to the next congress 

 from Massachusetts, we observe the name of Gen- 

 eral He.nry a. S. Deabbokn ; a gentleman whose 

 exertions for the improvement of agriculture and 

 horticulture in tlie Uniteil States, liaveacquired for 

 him the respect and esteem that are due to tliose 

 lihilanthropists who labor for the public good. — 

 IVeslern Tiller. 



Grapes. — It is told us as a fact worth recording, 

 that one hundred thousand pounds of grapes, are 

 annually raised, in the neighborhood of Boston. 

 We know many grape vines in the city that hear 

 abundantly. Mr Perrin May devotes much time 

 to their cuUivation,.and his garden, this year, has 

 been very prolific in this delicious fruit. — Boston 

 Transcript. ' 



Col. Sam. Ward has setit from'Worcester, $5000 

 worth of goods and implements of husbandry, des- 

 tined to the Mexican ;)rovince of Texas. The 

 route is down the canal to Providence, thence to 

 New York, then hy sea to New Orleans , after- 

 wards up the Mississippi and Missouri to St Louis 

 and onward to the Texas. 



ffbes of Intemperance. — A child about four years 

 old, in tlie village of Rochester, on Wednesday 

 evening last, was playing with shavings on the 

 hearth of its own home, when the shavings caught 

 fire and communicated it to the clothes of the 

 child, who was so dreadfully burned, as to survive, 

 in great agony, for but a few hours. The only 

 person near was the mother but , she was so in- 

 toxicated as to be unable to help her child out of the 

 fames .' 



Fontainbleau Crapes. ^The superiority of the 

 Fontainbleau grapes is attributed to the following 

 peculiarities of practice, to which we would add 

 the spur method of pruning : — 



1st. To the judicious choice of cuttings, the 

 vignerons never making use of any but such as 

 have borne the best and finest fruits. 



2d. By planting the vines at a distance from die 

 wall, and by frequently laying the shoots until 

 they reach the wall, the vines acquire abundance 

 of roots upon the surface. Also, by the close 

 planting, from which all undue luxuriance is re- 

 strained ; by this means the branches complete 

 their growth within the boimds prescribed, and 

 ripen their wood early. 



3d. By limiting each [ilant to only one cordon, 

 with two arms, right and left, the entire extent of 

 botli not e,\ceeding eight feet. The energies of 

 the roots, confined to so small a space, nourish the 

 bearing wood more effectually and more equally, 

 and bring tbe fruit to greater perfection. 



4th. To the projecting coping, which protects 

 the vine and fruit from frosts and heavy rains, and 

 intercepts and retains the heat radiating from the 

 surface of the wall and of the soil. 



.5tb. The sloping disposition of the ground also 

 i-ontributes to their success, as it prevents any ac- 

 cutnul.ition of moisture at the roots of the vines 

 and preserves ihein sound and healthy. From the 

 French, i« Transactions of the Horticultural Society. 



Alettcrfroin Paris, published in the N.York Sen 

 tinel says, — 'Thus much is certain, let the facj 

 be attributed to what causes it may, that iu no coun. 



try at this hoin',is there more readin!; or more thinking 

 thaln in France. Since the late revolution, it would 

 sei/m that every body reads, or is read to, or receives 

 a/ second band account of the reading of others. 

 In Paris, you stumble upon a reading room at 

 eivery tenth step ; streets and gardens are as thick 

 set with cabinets de lectures as these again are 

 with readers. In the larger commercial and manu- 

 facturing cities, you find the same, while every 

 sii.all landed proprietor in the departments has his 

 pap<;r from Paris, or reads half a dozen in the cose« 

 of Irg village. On the other haml, the press is as 

 sedulous to enlighten the people as the people to 

 be eidiglitened. Notwithstanding the yet undipp- 

 ed jiaironage and mulropped police of the govern- 

 ment, iniu;meral)le are the writers who dip thtir 

 pens mfrce ink, who write for the people, under 

 the protection of ihe p,o[)ular opinion and the 

 countenance of the popular su|)port. No debt is 

 better paid than the debts to Journalists; fraudu- 

 lency in subscribers is an almo,=t unknown rascal- 

 ity ; and here, perha]is, you will find the secret 

 at once of the superior independence and the more 

 elevated and gentlemanly tone oftlie press ofF ranee. 

 So far as I can judge, it is now decidedly the first 

 and the freest in the world. 



The more popular press of Paris receives much 

 assistance from the young and independent talent 

 foimd in the popular societies, of which I have al- 

 ready spoken.' 



Dr MitcheVs Method of working Caoutchouc. — 

 Soak the gum elastic in suli)huric ether until soft 

 and nearly elastic,wliich in good ether will take from 

 ten to twentyfour hours. Then if it is a plate 

 cut it with a wet kmfe, or |)arallel knives, 

 into such sections or sheets or shapes as may be 

 desired, and suffer them to dry ; or if a hag, apply 

 a pipe or stop-cock, and inflate with the mouth, 

 if the bag shoidd expand ccpially inflate rapidly, 

 but if unequally, proceed more slowly and with 

 occasional pauses. By such means a bag may he 

 made so thin as to become transparent and light 

 enough to ascend when filled with hydrogen. By 

 graduating the extent of inflation, a sheet of 

 caoutchouc of any given thickness is produced. If 

 for blow ])ipes or other piu'iioses for which it is 

 desirable that the bags should possess contracti- 

 bility, let them be inflated to the desired size, and 

 after an hour let out the air. Ever after they will 

 suffer as great distention and again contract. If 

 permanent sheets are wanted, the inflated bags 

 are to be hung up till dry after which no sensible 

 contraction will ensue. 



Bags softened by ether may ho stretched readily 

 by the hand, over lasts, hat blocks, or other moulds, 

 so as to assume the shape desired, and may be a|)- 

 l)lied to a variety of useful purposes. In the form 

 of straps and twisted strings its elasticity offers many 

 useful applications. It is easily formed into tubes to 

 connect apparatus, &c. 



Some of the bag.^ have been extended to six feet 

 in diameter ; one of them being filled with hy- 

 drogen escaped and was found one hundred and 

 thirty miles from the place. A bag originally the 

 size of an English walnut was extended till fifteen 

 inches in diameter. 



Dr Mitchcl states that oil of sassafras softens 

 caoutchouc so that it can be applied with a brush, 

 and that upon drying by exposure to air it becomes 

 again simple elastic caoutchouc. Many applica- 

 tions of it as a varnish, in this state are suggested 

 — Franklin Journal, v. 122 



Durham Short Horns. 



For sale, several of the pine breed, descendants of thf 

 cel^^brated animals presented by Admirai. Sir 1sa.\( 

 Coffin, to the Massachusetts Society for the Proinotioi 

 of Agriculture. The pedio;iee of these animals can b: 

 o;iven as far back as Hubbach, who was calved in 1777 

 and is reputed the foundation of this much admired stock 

 Also, several Ilcil'ers bre'l liom the same, of variou 

 grades, from half up to seven eighths blooded animals 

 For parlicuLirs, inquire of E. Hersev Derby, Salem. 



.Siifrin, October, 1830, 



Bolivar Calves, Saxoni/ Bucks, and Bremen Geese< 

 For sale, 4 Bull Calves, , sired hy ihe celelirated importe( 

 improved Durham short homed bull Bolivar, whici 

 slock have produced 36 quarts of milk a day. No. 1, daDi_ 

 Grey Brown, half Coelebs and half Galloway. No. 2, dan 

 Juno, three fourths Fill Pail. No. 3, dam Ceres, her sir* 

 Ccelebs, her dam Mr Gray's imported Cow. No. 4, dan 

 Beauty, half Ccelebs and hall Galloway. The Calve- 

 are beautiful, and their dams all great mil'iers. 



Two imported Saxony Bucks, 2 YearVin'2;s, and 2 Lambs 

 3 pairs of Bremen Geese. Inquire of Benjamin ShurtI 

 leff, Jr. Chelsea, or at 52 Hanover Street, Boston. July 81 



Culture of Silk. 



For sale at the Seed Store connected with the Ne\' 

 England Farmer, .52 North Market-street— 



Essays on American Silk, and the bi'st means of ren 

 dering it a source of individual and national wealth ; wit) 

 Directions to Farmers for raising Silk V.'orms — By Johl 

 D'Homcrgue, Silk Manufacturer, and Peter S. DuPom 

 ceau — Price G2i certs. 



Also, Directions for the Rearing of Silk Worms, ani 

 the Culture of the White Mulberry Tree. Published bj 

 the Pennsylvania Society associated lor the Promotiol 

 of those objects, (.m excellent, plain, practical vvork.)-4 

 Price 2-5 cents 



k 



Catawba Grape Vines. 



THE GENUINE SORT. 



For sale at the New England Seed Store, No. 52 Nor\| 

 Market-street — - 



50 Vines of the true Catawba Grape, one year oldr 

 price 75 cts. each. This is one of the b st native, tabMj 

 or wine Grapes cultivated ; the bunches large, witi 

 shoulders, very thickly set, with large berries of a paU 

 red or lilac color, and in some situations covered with 

 beautiful bloom, giving them a blueish purple appearaned 

 They have a slight musky taste, and delicate llav<i 

 They have a thin skin, very little pulp, are perfectly hui 

 dy, and surpass most of the native grapes that have bee- 

 exhibited at the Hall of the Massachusetts Horticulturi 

 Society, the two past seasons. The pulp diminishes a 

 almost disappears when they are left on the vine t," 

 attain to perfect maturity. The vines are great bean 

 one vine in Mrs Schcll's garden, in Clarksburg, Mai 

 land, has produced eight bushels of grapes in one sei 

 — and eleven younger vines in the garden of Joshua Jol 

 son, Esq. of the same State, have produced in one seai 

 thirty bushels of fruit. A particular history and desci 

 tioii of Ibis fine grape will be found in Prince's ni 

 Treatise on the Vine, just published. There can be 

 mistake with regard to the identity of the above vines,! 

 they arc nil from the garden of Mr Seaver, who rail 

 t!ie first Catawba Grapes ever exhibited in Massachus: 

 Pear Seedlings. 



For sale at the New England Seed Store, No. 52 Na4U|Cg^ 

 Market Street— 



20,000 Pear Seedlings, in fine order for Nurserid 

 raised within, six miles of Boston — at from 5 to $101 

 thousand, according to their size, &c. They will be sd 

 ' niclcd. ;'s \v,irit<-d. Pm- transportation to any distaii 



jbii^iitu 1 \( ry 1 riiut} , ,it %6 per amiiim. j ayable ai 

 and of tlie ycnr-.l)ut tiio,s(> who pay within sixty days from 

 time of Fubscribing. are entitled to a deduction of fifty ce, 



113= INo paper will be sent to a distance without pay 

 being made in advance. 



Printed for J. B. Russell, by I. R. Butts— by whi,. 

 all descriptions of Printing can be executed to meet tbi 

 wishes of customers. Orders for printing received by J. B 

 Russell, at tlie Agricultural Warehouse, No. 62 Nortl|) 

 Market Street. '" 



ACENTS. 



! Vnr/t— G. Thorburn & Sons, 67 Liberty-slrcet. 

 . ,„!ailelphia—}). & C Lanoreth.GS Choslnul-slreet. 

 BnUimore — G. B. Smith, Office ofthe American Farmer, 

 .i'banii — Hon. Jf.sse Buel. 

 Fiiishins, N. ¥. WiM. Prince & SoNs,Prop. Lia. Bet. Ganhl 

 //.ov^ort/— Gooinvi.v & Sons. 

 Neirtiiinjporl , Ebene'/.er Stedjian, Bookseller. 

 JIuirusta, Me. Wm. Mann. 



Halifax,^. S.—V. J. HoLLASn. Esq. Recorder Office 

 Montreal, L. C— A. Bowman, Bockf^llcr. 



