Vol. V No. 5. 



NfiW ENGLAMD FARMER. 



* 



37 



THE DAT^ AND OLIVE. 

 Some remarks made by lis on an article in the 

 obile Commercial Rejrister in our Saturday's 

 per, concerning a Date tree at Now Orleans, 

 1(1 an Olive tree at Moliilo, whicli the Mobile 

 litor supposes to bo the only ones in the United 

 ;ales, liavc procured us a note from an esteemed 

 rrespondent, who is also an eminent and experi- 

 iced naturalist. It should seem from the infor- 

 ;Uion lie communicatos, that both the New Or- 

 ;in>- and tlie Mobile folks are mistaken on these 

 inls. Our correspondent mentions that there 

 e two Date trees, at Mr Fatio's plantation in 

 1st Florida of great age, probably coeval with 



settlement of the country, lie says further, 

 at he is informed that tliere are several grow- 

 g in the vicinity of St. .\ugustinc. With res- 

 et to the Olive, it was long since introduced 

 d successfully cultivated in the United States, 

 .r^e quantities of the berries annually produced 



Cumberland Island, in the state of Georgia, 

 5 pickled and offered for sale. Many gardens 

 Charleston contain Olive trees that never fail 

 producing fruit. ^V". 1". Evening Post. 



THE GRAPE. 



The success of tlie grape in this part of the 

 lion, under proper management, is beyond all 

 ubt, — the experiment lias been made, and the 

 )of can now be exhibited. Let any one who will 

 lie tlie trouble, look into the garden of Judge 

 lith, the late residence of Gen. Brahan, within 

 If a mile of town, and ho will be gratified beyond 



highest expectation, at the richness and novel- 

 of that interesting spectacle. We have seen 

 various parts of the Union, full bearing vines, 

 ; our imagination never conceived the profusion 

 ich adorns the arbors and trellises in Judge 

 lith's garden. 



The celebrated vine at Hampton Court (England) 

 said to produce one ton of grapes annually — 



Joseph Cooper of New-Jersey, affirms that he 

 >! taken from a single vine, at one picking, 1433 



nds of grapes, and we have seen a vine in New- 

 irk, which the gentleman assured us produced 

 rre than 1000 pounds annually ; but none of 

 ise vines, considering their age and dimensions, 

 ^ equal to some of Judge Smith's, in point of 

 iductiveness. We will not venture an opinion 

 the quantity on a single vine, for fear of not 

 ng believed by those who will not take the 

 ■uble to examine for themselves, but we venture 

 affirm that an acre of such bearing vinos would 

 oduce in one season, at the least, 1500 gallons 

 wine. If such a prospect is not a sufficient en- 

 Iragementto cultivate the vine, neither interest, 

 : pride, nor a love of good things, would ever 

 iuce one to make the experiment. [Mobile Reg.]; 



GRASSHOPPERS. 



The Poultney (Vermont) paper estimates the 



antity of grasshoppers in that part of the coun- 



at 13 bushels to the acre, and states that they 



stroy grass, corn and potatoe tops, and strip the 



hards and forest trees of their foliage. " Even 



mullen is stripped to the very stallc." It i., 



Iculated that the crep ef grass in Rutland coun- 



is not more than one third of the usual quantity. 

 We learn that tlie grasshoppers continue their 

 .■ages in the hill towns in this vicinity (Chester- 

 Id, Worthington, Cummington, Plaintield, Haw- 



, &c.) with increased numbers. On some 



ms they have sw^t every thing before them ; 



and where the work of destruction has been less 

 effectual, it is calculated that they have for some 

 weeks devoured a greater quantity of lierbage 

 than the cattle, horses and sheep. A gentleman 

 informs us, that riding among the grasslioppers a 

 few days since, he dismounted and counted those 

 tliat had been crushed by his horse's feet — he 

 found in some tracks a dozen of these insects, that 

 had been destroyed by a single step of the foot ; 

 at tlie same time tlie air was filled with them on 

 every side. A farmer in Cummington informs us 

 that swarms of these insects are seen flying at 

 considerable heights in the atmosphere, and he 

 supposes from this circumstance that they are a 

 new species ; as the customary flight of grasshop- 

 pers rarely exceeds four or five yards. 



President Dwight, in his Travels in Now Eng- 

 land, describes a kind of grasshoppers similar to 

 those of the present season ; they had appeared 

 several times in the vicinity of Bennington, Vt. — 

 " Their voracity" he remarks, " extends to almost 

 every vegetable ; even to the tobacco plant and 

 the burdock. Nor are they confined to vegeta- 

 bles. They destroy in a few hours the garments 

 of labourers, hung up in the field, and devour the 

 loose particles which the saw leaves on the sur- 

 face of pine boards. At times, particularly a little 

 before their disappearance, they collect in clouds, 

 rise high in the atmosphere, and take extensive 

 flights. Some persons employed in raising the 

 steeple of the church in Williamstown, while 

 standing near the vane, saw vast swarms of them 

 far above their heads. They customarily return, 

 and perish on the very grounds which they have 

 ravaged." [Hamp. Gaz.] 



HARVEST IN MAINE. 

 It is expected, that the latter harvest, in this 

 State, will be more abundant than in any preceding 

 year, as the rains have been very plentiful, and the 

 soil, though hard, completely saturated. Although 

 our crops never fail, altogether, as is the case, 

 sometimes, in warmer climates, yet our lai^jls re- 

 quire much rain to produce a strong vegetation, 

 and when that is the case, the harvest is most 

 rich and plentiful. [Maine Inq.] 



hops and a half pint of Indian meal, in two or three 

 quarts of water about an hour, strain into a keg 

 while hot, add 1 pint of yeast, shake it well togeth- 

 er, stop tlic keg nearly air tight, and let it stand 

 'i4 hours, when it will bo fit for use. The whole 

 expense of tliis quantity will not exceed three shil- 

 linsrs. 



MILITIA. 



The last Westminster (Eng.) Review contains 

 an article upon our militia system whicli though it 

 may be severe, is in a great measure too true. It 

 attacks the system as unwieldy, expensive, inef- 

 ficacious, and unequal in its opcr.itions : as im- 

 posing nominal duties on the rich and real burdens 

 on the poor. The means provided for its support, 

 says the Review, should not ho a poll tax, but a 

 tax on property : those who liave most to lose 

 should contribute the most towards the defence of 

 the country. [Salem Gazette.] 



TO PREVENT HORSES BEING TEASED 

 BY FLIES. 



Take two or three small handfuls of walnut 

 leaves, upon which, pour two or three quarts of 

 soft cold water ; let it infuse one night, and pour 

 the whole the next morning into a kettle, and let 

 it boil for a quarter of an hour : — when cold, it 

 will be fit for use. No more is required than to 

 moisten a sponge, and before the horse goes out 

 of the stable, let those parts which are most irri- 

 table besmeared over with the liquor, viz. between 

 and upon the ears, the neck, the flank, &c. Not 

 only the lady or gentleman who rides out for 

 pleasure, will derive benefit from the walnut 

 leaves thus prep.ared, but the coachman, the wag- 

 oner, and all others who use horses during the 

 hot months. — Farmers Receipt Book. 



SCHOOLS. 



In 128 towns in Massachusetts, 347 persons are 

 returned as unable to read and write. Of these /"S 

 are in Marblehead, 50 in Adams, 39 in Mendon, 31 

 in Taunton, 20 in Montague, 19 in Plymouth, 16 in 

 Harwich, 9 in Brimfield, 8 in Truro, and a few in 

 other towns. 



The expense of school books for each pupil in 

 town schools is variously estimated by the school 

 committees, from 20 cents to $2.50. [Hamp. Gaz.] 



MAMMOTH CUCUMBER. 

 Mr Editor — I sent you last week an account 

 of a Cucumber, which is growing in a gentleman's 

 garden in this place, which was then 40 inches 

 long. It was measured accurately this morning, 

 and found to have grown, in one week, twenty -six 

 inches, which makes it just six feet long. The 

 seeds were sent by a gentleman in Ohio,to Mr Jef- 

 ferson, who presented a few to the gentleman who 

 has this large one in his garden. It is quite green, 

 and will no doubt grow much lonsrer. 



Charloilsville (Va.) Gazette. 



Good Harvest Beer. — Put 2 quarts of molasses 

 into a keg with 10 gallons of cool water. Boil 2 

 oimces of allspice, 2 ounces of ginger, 2 ounces of 



FOR PURIFYING CIDER. 



Take a hogshead, place a wooden grate in the 

 bottom, a cloth on the grate, then throw into the 

 vessel fine washed sand, about eighteen inches 

 deep ; on the top of that, ten inches of charcoal ; 

 on the top of that, si.x or eight inches of sand, over 

 which, place a cloth or blanket. Pour in the 

 cider, and when it has filtered through, if it be 

 weak, add one or two gallons of alcohol ; then put 

 it into a clean vessel, adding a little sweet oil to 

 preserve it from the atmosphere, and then bung 

 it up. — Ibid. 



RECEIPT TO KEEP CIDER SWEET. 



Rack off thirty gallons sweet cider, put in one 

 gill fine salt, and one pound of chalk. This will 

 keep it sweet for two years. — IHd. 



GINGER^ BEER. 

 This, v. hen well made, is one of the most agreea- 

 ble, as well as one of the most wholesome bever- 

 ages that can be imagined. The subjoined receipt 

 for producing it in high perfection, may be found 

 useful during the summer mouths. Take one and 

 a half ounces of ginger, well bruised, one ounce of 

 cream of tartar, and a pound of white sugar. Put 

 these ingredients into an earthen vessel, and pour 

 upon them a gallon of boiling water; when cold, 

 add a table spoonful of yeast, and let the whole 

 stand till the ne.xt morning. Then skim it, bottle 

 it, and keep it three days in a cool place before 

 you drink. Be sure you use good sound corks and 

 secure them with twine or wire. — Family Rtceipt 

 Bool. 



