270 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March It). 1887. 



is one of those plants whose virtues are the least 

 equivocal ; its aperient, [opening] antiscorbutic, 

 [good against scurvy] and resolvent [dissipating 

 tumors] qualities purify the blood, agree with 

 colds, and above all, cure dry hard coughs, and 

 the extinction of the voice. 



Dr Cullen says, " The root externally applied i 

 readily inflames the akin, [and so do the green! 

 leaves, after having been held before the fire till a j 

 little warmed and withered] and proves a rubefa- , 

 cient [makes the part to which it is applied ap- 1 

 pear red and almost blistered] that may be em- 

 ployed to advantage in palsy and rheumatism, and 

 if its application be long continued, it produces! 

 blisters." 



The German authors give many e. ■samples of ite ' 

 being an excellent renjedy, as well internally as j 

 for the e.tterior, in cases of the dropsy and rheu- 

 matism. ' 



One drachm of the root, fresh scraped down, is 

 enough for four ounces of water, to be infused in 

 a close vessel for two hours, and made into syrup, 

 with double its weight of sugar ; a tcaspoonful of 

 which swallowed leisurely, or at least repeated 

 two or three tunes, has often been found very 

 suddealy etTcctual in relieving hoarseness. 



This volatile root, when received into the stom- 

 ach, both creates appetite and assists digestion, 

 and is therefore properly employed as a condi- 

 ment with animal food. 



M. Haller, a Swiss physician, informs us, that in 

 Sweden they cultivate the Chinese horse radish 

 from which they draw abundance of oil. Horse 

 radish scraped and infused in cold milk, makes 

 one of the host and safest cosmetics. 



Horse radish possesses the same peculiar prop- 

 erty of propagating itself as the ginger ; for a 

 small piece of the root, if buried in the earth, will 

 form a new root and a perfect plant, which pro- 

 duces seed. In vain do we look into the pores of 

 this root to discover by what wonderful means na- 

 ture has endowed it with this gift ; and we may 

 justly e.vclaira with David, " Such knowledge is 

 too wonderful for me ; it is high, I cannot attain 

 unto it." 



The Domestic Encyclopedia says, " If hores 

 radish be intended for use it ought to be, dug out 

 of the ground fresh, only from October to March ; 

 or to be gathered in the spring, then dried, reduc- 

 ed to powder, and preserved in bottles closely 

 stopped for occasional use ; when it should be 

 previously moistened with spring water. When 

 steeped and digested in vinegar, during a fort- 

 night, this is said effectually to remove freckles in 

 the face." 



To choos( buitn- at Market — Put a knife into 

 the butter if salt, and smell it when drawn out ; 

 if there is any thing rancid or unpleasant, it is 

 bad. Being made at different times, the layers in 

 casks will vary greatly ; and you will not easily 

 come at the goodness but by unhooping the cask, 

 and trying it between the staves. Fresh butter 

 ought to smell like a nosegay, and be of an equal 

 colour nil through ; if sour in smellv it has not 

 been sufficiently washed : if veiny and open, it is 

 probably mi.xed with staler or an inferior sort. 



Do::itsiic Encyclopedia. 



JAPANESE CEME.-VTS, OR RTCE GLUE. 



This elegant cement according to the Domestic 

 Encyclopedia, is ni:ide by mi.\ing rice flour inti- 

 mately with cold uater, and then gently boiling it. 

 Papers pasted together by means of this cement. 



will sooner separate in their own substance then 

 at the joining, which makes it extremely useful in 

 the preparation of curious paper articles, which 

 requires layers of paper to be cemented together. 

 It is white, dries transparent, and is much prefer- 

 able to flour paste. With this composition, made 

 with a comparatively small quantity of water 

 models, busts, statues, &-c. may be formed. When 

 dry, the articles are susceptible of a high polish, 

 and are very durable The Japanese make quad- 

 rille-fish of this substance, which so nearly resem- 

 ble those made of mother of peavl, that purchasers 

 are imposed upon. 



O.V FEEDl.VG A.NI.MALS I'OR EXTR AORDl.N ART 

 PURPOSES. 



The extraordinary purposes of feeding may com- 

 piehend, promoting the growth, maturity, or obes- 

 ity of particular parts of the body ; promoting the 

 produce of milk or eggs ; or, for fitting an animal 

 for hard labor or long journeys, fasting, and oth- 

 er privations. 



Feedino; for extraordinary purposes, such as pro- 

 moting the growth of the liver in geese; the heart 

 in turkeys; producing excessively fat poultry, &c. 

 seems to us utterly unjustifiable on principles of 

 humanity, and unworthy of enlightened men. The 

 practice of pulling out the animal's eyes, nailing 

 them to the spot, and cramming or forcing the 

 food down their throats, is surely as repugnant 

 to good taste, and feeling, as the food so produced 

 must be tasteles and unwholesome. Putting out 

 the eyes of certain singing birds to improve their 

 voices ; and some practises in the rearing of game 

 cocks, and, fancy pigeons (at least the two first) 

 seem equally reprehensible. 



The fa.tcning of funis for the London maket is a 

 considersble branch of rural economy in some con 

 venient stations. "They are put up in a dark 

 place, and crammed with a paste made of barley 

 meal, mutton suet, and some treacle or coarse su- 

 gar, mixed with milk, and are found to be com- 

 pletely ripe in a fortnight. If kept longer, the 

 fever that is induced by this continued state of re- 

 pletion renders them red and unsaleable, and fre- 

 quently kills them. ( gricultural Report of Herk- 

 shire, by William Movor L. L. D. 6 do. 18I3.J — 

 But fowls brought to this state of artificial obesity 

 are never so well flavoured in the flesh, and prob- 

 ably not so salubrious,as those of the same species 

 fattened in a more natural way. The great secret 

 of having fine pullets is cleanliness and high 

 keeping with good grain. 



The process followed in different parts cf France 

 to enlarge the liver, is described at length by Son- 

 niri, (J^Toveau Dictonairc d'Hisioire JVnturelle, art. 

 Oie.) '• The object is to cause the whole vital 

 forces to be determined towards this part of the 

 animal by giving it a kind of hepatic cachexy. In 

 Alsace the individual ouys a lean goose, which he 

 shuts up in a small box, so tight that it cannot 

 turn in it. The bottom is furnished with a wide 

 grating of rods, fir the passage of the dung. In 

 the fore part there is a hole for the head, and be- 

 lovv it a small trough is kept always full of water, 

 in which some pieces of wood charcoal are loft to 

 steep. A bushel of maize[Indian corn]is sufficient 

 to feed it during a month, at the end of which time 

 the goose is sufficiently fattened. A thirtieth part 

 is soaked in water each night, and crammed down 

 its throat next day, morning and evening. The 

 rest of the time it drinks and guzzles in tlie wat- 

 er. Towards the 2'2d day they mi.\ with the maiie 



e poppy oil, and at the end of the inotitlfi^ '^fii 

 wn by a lump of fat under each wing, or<i8 '^ 



jlruk" 



in" 



111' 



•ill to 



wd 



(/•'I 



fcekf 



som 

 kno 



by the difficulty of breathing that it is time to 

 it, olheruise it will die of fat. The liver is',^ 

 found weighing one or two pounds, and beaj 

 the animal is excellent for the table, and fun 

 during its roasting, from three to five poii 

 fat, which is used for the cooking of vegetal 

 Of six geese there are commonly only fourj 

 these are the youngest) that answer the ex! 

 tion of the fatteners. They are kept in a eel 

 place with little light." 



The Roman Epicures, who prized the live] 

 geese, had already observed, that darknesaji 

 favourable to this kind of education, no doub^l jji 

 cause it prevents all distraction and directs! 

 whole power towards the digestive organs 

 want of motion and the lifficnlty of respiriti 

 may be taken into consideration ; the first bj 

 minishing the waste of the system and boA 

 retarding the circulation in the vena portarui 

 which the blood ought to become hydroge; 

 in proportion as the carbon unites itself to thi 

 i ygen which that liquid absorbs. This favour! 

 fermentation of the oily juice, which after h 

 filled the cellular system of the body enteraj 

 the biliary system and substance of the liveri 

 gives it that fatness and si/e which is so de! 

 t'ul to the palates of true gourmands. The 

 thus only becomes enlarged consecutively, ani 

 difficulty of respiration does not appear ti! 

 end, when its size prcventi the action of thi 

 aphragm 



Early Lamb. As an instance of both breei 

 and feeding for extraordinary purposes, we 

 mention the practices of those firmers who fu 

 tlie tables of the wealthy with lamb, at almostili 

 season of tlie year, by selecting certain breeds 

 sheep, such as the Dorsetshire, which Iamb ve 

 early, or by treating them in such a way al 

 cause the female to come in heat at an unnatut 

 time. In this way lamb is produced as an artic 

 of luxury, as early as November and Decembe 

 and on the contrary by keeping the ewe on a co 

 and poor hilly pasture, the lambing season is I 

 tarded, and the lamb furnished in September u 

 October. I 



Feeding to promote the produce rf milk or egg 

 That which in plants or animals is produced ft 

 particular purposes in nature, may, by certai 

 modes of treatnient.be rendered for a time, a liat 

 it in the plant or ! nimal, without reference to il 

 natural end. Thus in many cases annual plant 

 may be rendered perennial by continually pinch 

 ing off their flowers as they appear; and animal 

 which give milk or lay eggs, may be made to pro 

 duce both for a much longer time than is nutura 

 to them, by creating a demand in their constitu 

 tioDs for these articles by frequent and regula 

 milkings, and by taking away every egg as sooi 

 as produced ; and then furni.ihing the constitutioi 

 with the means of supplying this demand by ap- 

 propriate food, — by rich liquid food, in the case d 

 milking animals, — and dry, stimulating and nour 

 ishing food in case of poultry. 



Feeding to fit animals for hard labour or long 

 journiys. It seems agreed on that dry rich food 

 is the best for this purpose ; and that very much 

 depends on rubbing, cleaning and warmth, in the 

 intervals between labour and rest, in order to main- 

 tain something of the increased circulation; and, I 

 in short, to lessen the influence of the transition 

 fr6m the one to the other. The quantity of water 



