356 



NEW ENGLAND PARMER, 



May 25, 1831 



From the ^oulh^rn Agnculliinal. 



ON THE USE OF CHLORIDE OF LIME, 



AS A PREVENTIVE AGAIN-T COUNTRY FEVER. 



Dear Sir — The peiind liiis arrived lor llii; per- 

 formance of a promise that I iiiide jim in Septem- 

 ber, that if I esi-apeil tlie country fever unii! the 

 middle of Noveiiiher, that 1 would make you a 

 couinmnication on the use of the chloride of liiue, 

 as conlriljutiiif,' to llie preservation of heahli,wheu 

 exposed to the mephilic air of the country during 

 the summer. Before I cuter on the explanation 

 it is necessary to premise, that I visited my planta- 

 tion (under the culture of rice) throughout the sum- 

 mer, for twenty years past, generally remaiiiing 

 two and often three nights — that for twelve succes- 

 sive years (with the exception of the two last,) I inva- 

 riably contracteil the country lever, and was sev- 

 eral times dangerously ill, and many weeks con- 

 fined to ray nhamber. My annual exposure to the 

 deleterious air of a rice plantation, with a regular 

 recurrence of fever hail made it almost a habit in 

 my system ; but I nevertheless continued to incur 

 the risk of visiting my plantation. In the month of 

 June, 1829, having reflected nmch on the establish- 

 ed purifying f|uality of the chloride of lime on an- 

 imal and vegetable putrefaction I determined to 

 test its efficacy on the miasmata of the country 

 supposing that the air of my chamber might pos- 

 sibly be corrected by it, and rendered more salu- 

 Iwious. Under this impression, J procured a small 

 jug of the chloride, and took it to my plantation 

 about the middle of July, in the summer of 1829, 

 when I commenced my experiment with it by put- 

 ting two table spoonfuLs into two saucers, (two in 

 each) one saturated with water to a state of paste 

 and the other was kept .Iry ; they remained on my 

 mantle-piece unlil I retired to bed, when they 

 were removed to my chamber and placed on each 

 side of my bedstead, (on the floor) at the dis- 

 tance of three or four feet. I never repleiushed 

 the saucers until I revisited the country, which 

 was generally in the course of eighteen or twenty 

 days throughout the summer. I experienced no 

 fever, after June, in 1829, and I can confidenlly 

 say that my visits to the country in the summer of 

 this year, have been more frequent and of longer 

 duration than heretofore, and with perfect impuni- 

 ty. 1 have regularly used the chloiide on each vis- 

 it, with tiic alteration of placing the saucers on 

 the hearth, in pr(!ference to the bedside. Wheth- 

 er my exemiition from fever in the two last years, 

 may be as(!ril>ed to the clienfical properties of the 

 chloride, or not, I am incompetent to decide ; but 

 I am disposed to think that it affords some protec- 

 tion incur dormitory during ihs hours of sleep. 

 Planters will recollect that the summer of 1829, 

 was as remarkably wet as this has !)een dry. As an 

 auxiliary to the chloride, I recommend the avoid- 

 ance of night air wliilst in the country, and an ear- 

 ly breakfast befire ex])0sure to the morning air. 

 Having acquitierl myself of my pronfise, 

 1 remain, very respectfully, 



Dear sir, your ob't serv't 



Hugh Rose. 



Charleston, JVovemher 16, 1830. 



REMARKS ON THE CURCULIO. 



1 have lieen emleavoring to collect some mate- 

 rials for a paper on this formidable insect, but these 

 are fir fr.jm being completed. It may be more 

 useful to mention the little that I do know, how. 

 ever, in this stage of the inquiry, as it may stimu- 

 late others, than to wait till 1 could speak with 

 more confidence. 



The 3d volume, of Say's E.nto.hologt, 1 have 

 not e.xamined, and know not iis contents ; but 

 I suspect that our Curcuh'o is exclusively .4men'can 

 and that we shall not find it in any European work. 

 I have doubts also whether the insect described 

 by W. Wilson, as perforating a peach stone, is the 

 same as those which prove so destructive to our 

 smooth skin stone fruit. 



Soon after the blossoms are fallen from the plum 

 trees we found our insect in (-onsiderable numbers 

 among the branches; and on jarring the tree, they 

 commonly diop, pretending to be dead. Several of 

 my friends assure me that they watched the move- 

 ments of the female ; that her niarmer of depositing 

 the e^g in the young fiuit is similar to that of the 

 Curculio nucum of Europe ; anil that while enga- 

 ged in this business she is not easily shaken from 

 the tree. They have also removed tiie nit and then 

 the fruit healed wiih a scar. These worms when 

 found in fruit nearly ripe, are much larger than 

 those described by W. Wilson. On conferring 

 with several persons who have examined our in- 

 sect in its winged state (for 1- have no specimen) 

 we thiidi its length is one fourth of an inch. The 

 color is dark brown. 



The worms found in pears, plums, and apples 

 were considered as the same species by Dr 



TiLTON. 



It is said that the worm escapes from tlic fallen 

 fruit to the ground, and there remains dming the 

 winter. 



The fruit of an old ]iear orcdiard in a pastin'e 

 near I'bilidelphia, had been much infested by 

 worms. At last the proprietor had it ploughed 

 late in Autnnmorin Winter, and scarcely a worm 

 was seen the succeeding year. This effect was 

 ascribed to the I'loughing which turned the larvae 

 up to the frost. 



As an entomologist, I am solicitous that this in- 

 sect should be figured and described, and its man- 

 ners well understood ; but as a cultivator of fruit, 

 I have no anxieiy on the subject. 1 want no 

 premium to be proposed for its destruction, because 

 I consider the ;>ioiien( to be already solved. One 

 of my friends has hai plentiful crops of plums fr 

 eighteen years in succession by keeping hogs in his 

 fruit garden ; yet trees within fifteen rods ot ihat 

 garden, have annually lo.st all their fruit by the 

 Curculio. — A'". Y. Farmer. 



SALSIFY, OR VEGETABLE OYSTER. 



Ti-agopogon pnrrifotium, L. 



This plant is a hardy biennial, which has, with- 

 in a few years past, become a favorite with our 

 gardeners. 



It is cultivated for the roots,_ which are about 

 the size of small carrots, of a dingy white color 

 with a milky juice. When cooked, they have a 

 flavor not unlike oysters, from whicli cirmnistance 

 is derived their common name. To cultivate this 

 plant the seeds should be sown in the fore part of 

 M.iy, in lieds of deep rich earth, prepared the 

 same as for parsnipr; — their general ciilliire and 

 time of use being the same, and also their mode 

 of preservation. — To save seeds, a few plants 

 should be put in the ground in the spring, when 

 they will shoot up about four feet high. The 

 flowers are of a dull purple color, which are f il- 

 lowed by seeds about an inch long, attached to 

 a feather, like the seeds of the dandelion. The 

 young stalks and leaves of this plant are sometimes 

 boiled, and make an excellent dish. 



We think this [dant will bo more generally cul- 

 tivated, as gardeners become more acquainted 



with it, as it is the best substitute for oysters tha 

 has yet been discovered, ami may be cooked in a} 

 the different ways in which they are, and in somt 

 dishes, it would be very difficult to distiiiguist 

 the two. Having cultivated them for a number o 

 years, we most earnestly reconnnend them to ou, 

 western farmers and gardeners, as a vegetable de> lio 

 serving a place in every garden, as they arc o 

 easy culture, not liable to be destroyed by insect 

 and as giving- a variety to the table through the fal 

 winter and sjiring months. — Genesee Farmer. 



The Soil best suited for Longevity in Peaches is i 

 light sandy bottom, for instance, the wood is nevei 

 so strong as in strong loam, and not so a|)t to bt a 

 infested with the worm in the roots : in such 

 as this, well cultivated every year, they will maiii> 4 

 tain their vigor for many years. 



What Iinean liy well cultivated is, the ground 

 kept continually removed by cropping it with sue! 

 crops as will tend to i.nprove its texture ; such ai 

 potatoes, turnips, peas, beans, &c, and every I'oui 

 or five years a crop of buckwheat, to be ploughe< 

 in, when in bloom ; this will be found to he jrrea 

 service to both land and trees ; as lor corn, clovei 

 timothy, orchard grass, and such like, they ough 

 never to be suffered to lie cultivated in an oiciiard 



It is iriuch belter to have 1 00 trees of good kinds 

 surh as you want them for, well ciil livated, that 

 500 or cveii 1000 neglected to take iheir cliance 

 as is often the case when ground is clieaji. 



Great care is required in preparing the ground 

 for an orchard. — ..American Farmer. 



Composition for preserving Farmer's Utensils.— 

 With three fourths of a pound of io*.iii in an irol 

 kettle, melt three gallons of train oil, and three OJ 

 four rolls of brimstone ; when they are nieltid ant 

 become thin, add as much Spanish brown i 

 other color you choose, ground up with oil in tl 

 usual way, as will give the color you desire. Th 

 lay on a thin coat with a brush, and when dry li 

 on another. This will preserve harrows, ploughs 

 carts, wagon.s, yokes, gate posts, weather board*., 

 shingles, &:c,&e, many years from the effects of tl 

 weather. It will also prevent the rain from injiiril 

 brick walls. 



Slips. — Ladies who are fond of green lious 

 plants, and have it in their power to procure slio 

 of various kinds, will find a great benefit, andj 

 most certain preventive of failure, particular 

 either in ii warm rooiii in winter, or a warm Sl^ 

 in summer, by covering their slips with bell gla 

 es, or where they cannot be procured, with tur 

 leiv, or any kind of glasses that will admit light | 

 observing to admit air, at least one hour each day, 

 and not keep the slips too wet, as it has atendel 

 cy to rot them before they strike root, or hoi 

 leaves to carry on evajioration. 15y this proce 

 hardly any single instance of a |ilant has 

 known to fail. In setting slips, it is importantll 

 clip nearly all the leaves, else there is too grea^ 

 call for sap ere it has rooted. An ounce of salt{l 

 tre, or a spoonful of chloride of lime, in a gaHq 

 of water, is a great quickener of vegetation, 

 at once shows its beneficial effects. — Gene 

 Farmer. 



Tar on Sheep. — It is but little known, but il 

 nevertheless a fact, s.iys the Portland Mirror, th 

 a little tar rubbed on the ncck.= of young lainhs Ot 

 geese, will prevent the depreilaiions of foxes iipoD 

 them, these animals having an unccnqiierable aver- 

 sion to the smell of tar. 



