PRACTICAL FARMER. 



183 



Fence Posts. — An excellent metliod 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 splitting them if 

 too hirge ; 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 preparatioii will more than, 

 remunerate for labor and expense. Our reasons 

 for this belief are briefly as follows: The sap of 

 all non-resinous trees, will ferment 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, saAving or hewing, and 

 exposing the wood to the drying influence of the 

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

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

 which liquifies the sap, and favors its expulsion, 

 And when the moisture has been expelled, tho 

 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 peeling, 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 evapoi-ation, btit affording shelter to 

 various species of the borer, which, under its 

 cover, carry on its de])rodations 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, 



Liquid Manure. — Liquid manure may be here 

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

 numbonum ; asjif applied when the corn is sprout- 

 ing, or just before a rain, it has an efl'ect which no 

 other manure can have. It destroys insects, and 

 throws a surprising degree of vigor into the crops. 

 It is ])iimped [from the tanks under groinul, 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, perhajjs 4 or 5 feet. 

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

 Mag. 



Better THArc a Gold Mine. — The Exchange 

 in New Orleans will be built of Granite, obtained 

 at the quarries in Q,uincy, near Boston. Beyond 

 all mines of silver and gold is the Quincy quarry. 



Chemistry AppLiEn to Agriculture. — 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 

 yeomanry would as soon think of studying Hebrew, 

 as the elementary principles of chemistry. — Gib- 

 bon^s Adv. of Set. 



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 <iye, 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. 



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 Syrup. — Boil an ounce of lin- 

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

 add six ounces of moi?t 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 spoonsfull 

 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 ^ith all their apparatus, buckets, spouts, 

 kettles, &c. for manufacturing this valuable and 

 delicious article. In time it will be found in the 

 Boston market, vising in richness and whiteness 

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



New York Cattle Market, April 4 — At market 

 600 Beef Cattle, 500 Sheep: demand for Beef 

 fair and prices about the same as last week, near- 

 ly all taken at 7 1-2 to 12 1-2, average $9 1-2 the 

 100 lbs. Sheep — in good demand, 300 sold at 

 3 1-2 to 5 1-2. — Jour of Com. 



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 be applied when the ground 

 is dry, lest it kill young and tender plants and 

 injure others. 



