PRACTICAL FARMER 



87 



CojiN The cold weather of the past summer 



and s[>riiig, it is known, prevented tlie growth of 

 the Indian Corn, so much as to interfere greatly 

 with the liarvest of that important grain. Aware 

 of the effects of short seasons on summer grains, 

 Mr E. J. Pierce, who has a dolighlful farm near 

 Geniiantown, procured a quantity of seed corn 

 from the northern part of New Hampshire, where 

 the summers' are about the shortest of any part of 

 our country. 'I'his corn was j)lanted on the first 

 day of June, and on the first, day of Septetnlier, 

 that is, on Thursday last, it was harvested. We 

 have now before us two ears from Mr P.'s field ; 

 they are full of large grains ; and we understand 

 that the eight acres planted by 3Ir P. with this 

 seed will produce nearly 400 bushels. Does it 

 not concern our farmers, generally, to provide 

 themselves with a quantity of such seed, in order 

 that they may be prepared against the eflFects of 

 such a summer as the past upon their corn-fields .? 

 — U. S. Gaz. 



Price of Bread Stuffs. — We would not 

 needlessly interrupt the enjoyment of those who 

 look forward to the next winter as a time of gen- 

 eral starvation. But lest their dreams should be 

 too suddenly broken, we must call their attention 

 to the facts contained in the last news from Eu- 

 rope respecting the prices of breadstufTs there. — 

 We happen to know of an operation at Liverpool 

 by which fifty thousand bushels of wheat are to 

 be imtnediately forwarded to this couiitry, Kud by 

 the prices which are published, there is little doubt 

 that much larger supplies will be soon forthcom- 

 ing ; for the long continuance of high prices, the 

 successful issue of the recent importations, and 

 the fact, well ascertained that our domestic sup- 

 plies are inadequate to our wants, will give new 

 confidence in future operations. Let us see at 

 what prices we can be supplied. 



In Paris the price of bread is about 2 cents, 

 and in London 3 cents per lb. We found a shil- 

 ling loaf m New York yesterday to weigh 2 lbs. 

 3 oz., which is near 6 cents per lb. The price of 

 wheat in Paris is 112 cents a bushel, and the price 

 of flour $5 a barrel. In London flour is $8 a 

 barrel. In the ports of the Mediterranean and of 

 the Baltic, bread stuffs are much cheaper than 

 ill either London or Paris. The price of good 

 wheat at Naples is 2s lOd sterling a bushel, or 67 

 cents. From any one of these places freight 

 might be obtained at 38 cents [)er barrel on flour, 

 and 12 1-2 cents per bushel on wheat, or about 

 lialf the rate charged on transportation of the 

 same articles from Rochester, and one fourth of 

 what is charged from Ohio. Fifty thousand 

 bushels of corn have lately been received here 

 from Ohio by one house, at a freight of 49 cents. 

 The duty on flour is one dollar a barrel, and on 



wheat 25 cents a bushel. Wheat, therefore, can 

 be imported from Naples and laid down in New 

 York at 125 to 135 cents a bushel, all charges 

 paid, arid from a hundred other places at the same 

 or a less price. Corn and rye are not burdened 

 with a duty, and may be imported to great advan- 

 tage. The countries of Europe and Asia afford 

 stores of bread stuffs almost inexhaustible, so 

 that the supplies for this country, if they should 

 run to the highest possible quantity, could only 

 affect prices in a very slight degree. Free trade 

 will supply all our wants, and the cost, with a lib- 

 eral mercantile profit, will not carry prices above 

 150 cents for wheat, 100 cents for rye and Indian 

 corn, 50 cents for oats per bushel, and $7 50 for 

 flour per barrel. So let the desponding cheer up 

 for no one who is industrious and frugal need 

 starve in 1836 or 1837. — Journal of Commerce. 



Useful Invention. — The Lonflon Literary 

 Gazette publishes an account of a pressing ma- 

 chine for Peat, which must be of vast utility to 

 Ireland and part of Scotland where this article is 

 had in great abundance. It states that the ma- 

 chine was invented by Lord Willoughby de Erea- 

 by, and it eompresses the Peat into a mass which 

 renders it equal to all the purposes for which 

 Coal is used. For a longtime attempts have been 

 made to effect this desired object, and Lord Wil- 

 loughby has, at last, overcome every obstacle, and 

 by a very simple machine can convert the Peat 

 rajjidly into a combustible fit for all the uses of 

 Coal, and, in some cases, being devoid of sulphur, 

 superior to that valuable substance. The Peat is 

 cut and pressed into a chamber, upon which a 

 powerful weight is made to descend. The mois- 

 ture, squoezed out, runs through vertical grooves, 

 and is carried off, whilst every time the incumbent 

 weight descends, knives pass through these grooves 

 and keep them clean for the next operation. At 

 the bottom of the chamber a slide is withdrawn, 

 and the solid peat is precipitated to any conve- 

 nient receptacle. Being dried for a very short 

 period, it welds iron, and is fit for all that coal 

 furnaces can do. Penknives have been manufac- 

 tured in this way, and the success of the experi- 

 ment demonstrated to be complete. Great nation- 

 al results are anticipated from the improvement: 

 the prosperity of Ireland and the amelioration of 

 the north of Scotland are its ready and obvious 

 consequences. 



The field of Waterloo is now converted into a 

 large manufactory of sugar from the beet root, 

 several Belgian capitalists having established 

 works on the spot. The soil in that neighbor- 

 hood is said to be excellent. It has been well 

 manured vvith human gore, and must produce no 

 other than the Mood beet. 



