PRACTICAL FARMER 



181 



LICE ON CATTLE. 



Mr Fkssen'des, — Dear Sir: — A Subscriber to j'oiir 

 paper wishes to know the most effectual rcnu'dy lor 

 killing lice on cattle, and has been told that Ashes, 

 Snuff, Tobacco, s;iss:ifras posts, A:c. will effect it From 

 several years experience, I know that a small quaniity 

 of unguentum (r-^ercurial ointment) rul)l<i'd in round 

 their ears and horns, will effectually eradie;ite tliera — 

 It shoi;ld be applied near their horns, that lliey may not 

 injure themselves bv licking it. and it will as elficlually 

 do the business, as if their whole bodies were batiud in 

 it. It may be purchased at any of the Apothecaries, or 

 easily manul'iettired. 7 pounds of ho^'s lard, to I pound 

 of quicksilver — or in tliat propDition — mix the quick- 

 silver with a small quantity of soft turpentine, in a mor- 

 tar until blended, then add tlie lard ; when applied to 

 stock, reduce it by adding' equal quantitie.s of lard; u 

 thimble full is enoug-h for four cattle. 



But, Sir, it is an old a lying, and somewhat true, that 

 an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; and 

 in order to throw the ounce into the right scale, I would 

 suggest to my brother fiirniers, if they keep their stock 

 well, give them plenty of good fodder; water aod card 

 them, and keej) tliem in a warm barn, in my njnnion 

 they will seldom have lousv cattle. I do not believe 

 that there is any profit in keeping a lialf-slarved stock 

 of cattle, either for the yoke or the dairy. I know of 

 some very worthy and pious men in oiher matters, that 

 are in the habit of se'ling all their English hay, an>4 

 keeping their stock on boi; meadow hay, and if it keeps 

 the breath of life in them through our long northern win- 

 ters, (as it somelimes does) it would be a difficult mat- 

 ter to separate the hide from the frame in case of acci- 

 dental death in the spring. There is no religionin that. 

 Yours, C. 



Old Colony, March 24, Un. 



Brook's Silk Spinner and Twister — We are hap- 

 py to be informed from various parts of the country, that 

 the above named apparatus is well received, highly ap- 

 preciated, and recommended by persons whose opinions 

 are decisive as regards the merits of the invention. In 

 the current volume of the New England Farmei, pages 

 35 and 154, we have given testimonials of the high es- 

 timation in which the machir.e is lield in Ohio, and in 

 Maine, and we will now show that its reception in Al- 

 bany has been no less favorable. 



Ata meetingof a State Agricultural Convention, con- 

 vened at the Capitol on the 2d of February, on motion 

 of Mr Buel of Albany, a committee was appointed, con- 



sisting of Judge Spencer, and J. B. Nwtt of Albany, and 

 A. Walsh of Rensellaer, to examine and report on the 

 Silk Spinner and Twister of Mr Brooks, exhibited in 

 wju'.ration at the Capitol. 



.Mr A. Walsh, from the committee appointed to ex- 

 amine Brooks' Silk Spinner and Twister, reported : 



That in the absence of Mr ]\olt, AJessrs Spencer and 

 Walsh have seen the machine in operation, and criti- 

 cilly ex'amined it, and that they are of opinion that it is 

 not only a most ingenious invention, but in their judg- 

 ment, cannnt fail of becoming eminently useful. It 

 seems to solve the problem which lias induced great 

 doubt, -vyhether the culture of Silk in the United States, 

 would be profitably prosecuted, from the difficulty of 

 good reeling of Silk i>(mi cocoons without very oonsid- 

 erable manual instruction. The committee are satisfied 

 that an ingenious fimale can almost immediately learn 

 to reel on Mr Brook's machines, in a perfect manner. 



As the machine has been seen by the convention, the 

 committee forbear to describe it particularly ; but they 

 recommend to the convention a donation to Mr Brooks, 

 as a small reward for the immense benefits this inven- 

 tion will confer on the silk culturists of this country. — 

 See current volume of the Cultivator, p. 22, 23. 



The following additional certificates, &c., came to 

 hand after tiie above was prepared. — 

 TO TIIE PUBLIC. 



This may certify, that last 12th month, [December,] I 

 went to Adam Brooks, in Sciluale, Mass., to learn to 

 spin Silk on his machine. I expected he ore I saw it, 

 that it was something very complicated, and that it 

 would take me a long tin^e to learn to spin. The first 

 morning I ever saw the machine, I commence spin- 

 ning, and succeeded beyond my expectation. I was 

 suijjrised that Sewing Silk could be manufactured with 

 so little trouble. 1 immediately purchased one of 

 Brooks machines, and have used it to my t-atisfaction. 

 I have, vvitli the "assistance of a boy eleven years old, 

 6pun 150 skeins of Sewing Silk in eight hours, from the 

 cocoons, ready for cleansing and coloring — in all have 

 bpiin nine pounds ready for the market. And in my 

 using the machine, I have met with no difficulty, nei- 

 ther has it got out of repair. Brook's machine in my 

 estimation is far preferable to any other now in use ; 

 and I would highly recommend it to all those engaged 

 in the business, and are about purchasing. 



Rachel W. Healy. 



North Marshfield, 3d month 20, 1837. 



I the subscriber, do certify that I have one of Ad- 

 am Brook's Silk Spinning machines in operation, and 

 ran truly say, it is equal in all respects, to what Mr 

 Brooks represents it to be. Edward Phelps. 



Marlboro', Nov. 16, 1836. 



Broolis's SlUi Spinner and Twister, deserves a furtlier 

 notice from our hands, because we think it ranks among 

 llie most useful improvements of the day, and is calcula- 

 ted greatly to facilitate our progress in the silk busi- 

 ness. Let it be remembered, that very little instruc- 

 tion is required to qualify a woman to use it; that it is 

 equally adapted to the fabrication of sewing silk, twist, 

 or to a thread for any required fabric, and that it pro- 

 dunes all these, as far as we can judge, iii-a perfect man- 

 ner. Now the question is, what will it earn, in a silk 

 family, or a silk neighborhood.'' For novv-a-days, /;ro- 

 jit is the great desidtratuiii. In this matter, we shall 

 speak on the authority of the patentee, a very unassu- 

 ming, intelligent, and, we believe, honest member of 

 the society of Friends, or Quakers. He says it is a 

 moderate day s work to spin and twist half a bushel of 

 cocoons into sewing silk, and that the fair average pro- 

 duct of these cocoons would be 175 skeins of sewino- 



