\ol. IX.— No. 2c 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



197 



corners must be squared off where the ham was 

 cut out. 



Ill AiV/i'iis" « number o/swinc wliat sides you may 



:iave dressed the first day, hiy upon some flags 



r boards, piling them across cacii other, apd giv- 



ng each pitch a powdering of saltpetre, and then 



lovering it with salt ; proceed in the same manner 



with the liains, by themselves, and do not omit giv- 



ng them a little sult|)etrc, as it opens the pores of 



he flesh to receive the salt, and besides gives the 



lam a pleasant flavor, and makes it more juicy. 



iCt them lie in this state about a week, then turn 



hose on top undermost, giving them a fresh salt- 



ng: after lying two or tliree weeks longer they may 



)e hung up to dry in some chimney, or smoke 



louso ; or, if the curcr chooses, he may turn 



hem over again without giving them any salt, in 



vhicli state they may lie for a month or two witli- 



lUt catching any harm, until he has a convenience 



or drying them. Henderson practised for many 



ears the custom of carting liis flitches and hams 



hrough the country to farm houses, and used to 



ang them in their chimneys, and other parts of 



he house to dry, some seasons to the amount of 



ive hundred carcases ; this plan he soon found 



ttended witli a number of inconveniences and 



lerefore lie invented a smoking' house. 



Hendersoii's smoking house is about twelve feet 



fluare, and the walls about seven feet high ; one 



If these huts requires six joists across, one close 



i> each wall, the other four laid asunder, at pro- 



sr distances. To receive five rows of flitclies, 



ey must be laid on the top of the wall, a piece 



r wood strong enough to bear the weight of one 



itch of bacon, must be fixed across the belly end 



r the flitch, l)y two strings, as the neck end must 



ang downwards; the piece of wood must be lon- 



ftr than the flitch is wide, so that each end may 



ist upon a beam ; they may be put so near eacli 



ther as not to touch ; the width of it will hold 



entyfour flitches in a row, and there will be 



e rows, which will contain one hundred and 



Venty flitches ; as many barns may be hung at 



le same time above the flitches, contrived in the 



sst manner we can. The lower end of the 



Itches will be within two and a half or three 



(et of the floor, which must be covered five or 



inches thick with saw dust, and nmst be kin- 



lej at two different sides; it will burn, but not 



lUSe any flame to injure the bacon. The door 



U8t be kept close, and the hut must have a small 



lie in the roof, so that part of the smoke may 



icend. That lot of bacon and hams will be ready 



pack up in a hogshead to send off" in eight or 



n daj's or a little longer if required, with very 



Itle loss of weight. After the bacon is salted, it 



lay lie in the salt house as described until an order 



ireceived, then immediately hang it up to dry. 



enderson found this smoke house to be a great 



ving, not only in the expense and trouble of 



oploying men to cart and hang it up through the 



'Untry, but it did not lose near so much weight by 



is process. — Loudon^s Ency, 



GROUND OYSTER SHELL AND BONE 



MANURE. 

 The great value of ground oyster shells as a 

 anure for light sandy soils, will be apparent to 

 e mind of every agriculturist on a moment's rc- 

 iction. Containing a large portion of saline, an- 

 lal and marine vegetable matter, it immediately 

 richesthe soil, and keeps it cool and moist, while 

 ' its gradual decomposition, a permanent and rich 



manure is sup|i|ii'd. For stiff', clayey and sour 

 land, burnt shell is undoubtedly much the best ; 

 and thus in this, as in all other cases of the appli- 

 cation of manure, a proper discrimination is ne- 

 cessary to the appropriation of that which is liest 

 adapted to the dilfcrent kinds of soil. Hence the 

 great utility of a knowledge of agricultural chem- 

 istry. A very partial acquaintance with this branch 

 of chemistry, however, will enable any farmer to 

 distinguish between soils which require lime and 

 those which require ground shell. We were 

 called a few days since to examine a mill erected by 

 I\Ir Cragg, in Old Town, near the fall, for grinding 

 oyster shells, and were highly gratified with the 

 visit. Mr Cragg has at a considerable expense 

 erected a mill, and can sup|)ly any quantity of the 

 ground shell at about 6 cents a bushel. This we 

 believe will be the cheapest and best manure that 

 can be applied to landi adapted to its use. Gar- 

 deners near the city will find especial benefit from 

 its application, as it will not only prove immedi- 

 ately effectual, but enrich their soil for many years. 

 There are some vegetables that absolutely require 

 this species of manure to bring them to the state 

 of perfection of which they are capable, and in- 

 deed which is natural to them. Of this class are all 

 marine vegetables, such as asparagus, seakale, &c. 

 It is believed that if asparagus beds were once 

 well dressed with ground oyster shells, they would 

 yield much more abundantly and much finer as- 

 paragus than they do with stable manure. For 

 proof of this let any one examine the natural growth 

 of asparagus on the shell banks on the shores of 

 of the inlets along the southern sea-coast. And 

 that such manure is essential to the perfection of 

 seakale, is proved by the fact, that this excellent 

 vegetable is found in its natural state nowhere but 

 on the sea-coasts, where it can have the advantage 

 of marine manure. 



We hope ere long, to see mills erected for grind- 

 ing bones also. It is believed that they would be 

 very profitable around cities, where bones can be 

 abundantly collected ; and the cost of them would 

 be trifling — scarcely more than the expense of 

 gathering. The value of this kind of manure has 

 been sufficiently tested in England, where it is 

 used most extensively. That country pays several 

 millions of dollars annually for bones brought from 

 the continent for manure. Gentlemen who have 

 examined the mills for grinding bones in England, 

 represent them as resembling our cast iron bark 

 mills, the only difference being in their larger size 

 and stronger constructions. They generally con- 

 sist of two sets of grinders, one above the other ; 

 the one for breaking the bones into small pieces, 

 and the other for grinding them into powder. 

 This is also a very permanent manure, as the bones 

 are composed of a large portion of lime ; and on 

 account of this animal matter they are suitable for 

 all kinds of vegetables containing any considerable 

 portion of gluten, such as wheat and other grain, 

 beans, peas, and a variety of others. We hope 

 Mr Cragg will meet v/ith such encouragement in 

 grinding oyster shells, as will induce him to com- 

 mence grinding bones also. — Am. Farmer. 



JVinter Butter. — Butter is made in some parts of 

 New England through the winter in great perfec- 

 tion. The cows are fed on tlie best hay, that is, 

 hay made of English grass, well cured and sweet, 

 and provender made of the meal of Indian corn 

 and oats ground together, and are kept at night in 

 warm stables. As soon as the milk is strained, it 



should be put into pans and set in the coldest place 

 that can be found, in order that it may freeze speedi- 

 ly, the sooner the better. By the process of freezing 

 the cream is forced to the top, and may be taken 

 oft' without the least mixture of the frozen milk. 

 The cream should never be placed on, or even near 

 the fire, nor kept in a warm place, but when churned 

 should stand several feet from the kitchen fire. It 

 takes a little longer time to churn, and the butter 

 is usually of a somewhat lighter color ; but the fla- 

 vor, when the above directions are carefully ob- 

 served, is of the finest and richest description. We 

 speak from personal knowledge of the subject, hav- 

 ing been personally acquainted with the quality of 

 the winter bu tter for sixty years. — •Ubanij Argus. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1831. 



Directions for the Management of Hothouse f replaces 

 constructed ivith Double Doors and Jishpit Regis- 

 ters. Bij William Atkinson, Esq., F. H. S. ; 

 read before the London Horticultural Society. 

 After the fire is lighted the fire |)lace door should 

 be kept close, and no more air admitted by the ash 

 pit door than is necessary to make the fire bum 

 briskly, — not violently, — because that inci-eases 

 the waste of fuel, without increasing the heat. 

 At all times, the air that is nesessary for blow- 

 ing the fire must be admitted at the ash-pit door 

 or register, in order that it may get heated in pass- 

 ing through the fire to the flame. When air is 

 admitted to the fire place door, it will generally 

 rush over the fire place into the flue, without be- 

 ing heated, thus tending to cool the flue instead of 

 heating it. 



When the flue is properly heated, and the fuel 

 burned nearly to redness, scarcely any air need be 

 admitted by the ash pit door ; in most cases the 

 fire will burn with what air gets through the crev- 

 ices in the iron work. The damper also should be 

 put in as far as it can be, so as only to keep the 

 fire just alive, and prevent as much as is practica- 

 ble, heat escaping by the chimney. The object is 

 to generate heat in the fire place, just as fast and 

 no faster than it is required to be given out by 

 the flue, for maintaining the temperature of the 

 house. 



Equal quantities of coal and small cinders keep 

 up a steadier fire than either alone. Before add- 

 ing fresh fuel to the fire, push that which is un- 

 consumed towards the farther ends of the bars, 

 and apply the fresh fuel immediately behind if, so 

 as to fill up the space close to the fireplace door. 

 When fresh fuel is thrown over the surface of a 

 hot fire, it produces an immense volume of smoke 

 and flakes ; when added in front of the fire, mucli 

 of the smoke given out is consumed in passing 

 over the part ignited. When fuel is thrown to the 

 farther end of the fire, or into the throat of the 

 flue after the fire has burned low, and the flue is 

 hot, ' the heat of the brick work distils gas out of 

 the coals ; this gas gets into the flue, and when the 

 fuel over tiie fire becomes in flames, if the flame 

 be drawn into the flue, it ignites the gas that has 

 been there generated, and causes an explosion ; this 

 ought to be particularly attended to, as an explosion 

 of gas in the flue may destroy a valuable collection 

 of plants in a moment.' 



It is a common practice with gardeners and 

 others, in supplying fuel to furnaces, to draw the 

 live coals to the front of the fire place, and apply 



