342 



NEW ENGLAND 1 ARMEll. 



May 18, 1S22. 



NEW ENGLAND FAILMER. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, MAY 1 8, ISar. 



CLEANSE YOUIl CELLARS, &C. 



Beef-biinn, porlt-lirine, suffbrod to stand too 

 long, decayed and lottinir vogctables, particularly 

 cabbages, and other similar substances, in cellars, 

 &c. are ol'ten the nnsuspoctod causes oT disease. 

 Every liouse-Uoepor, particularly at tliis time of 

 the year, will do well to carefully inspect liis 

 premises, and sre that not'iing noisome or oiTcn- 

 sive is left to pollute tlie air in and near his resi-, 

 ilence. The carcases of dead lambs, cats, &c. in- 

 stead of being sufl'ered to poison the atmosphere, 

 .•md intiodncc disease and dcatli into the family of 

 the farmer, (^houk! be covered with five or six! 

 limes their bulk of soil, and suffered to remain for 

 a few months. In this way their decomposition 

 will impiegualo the soil with matter, which though 

 nauseous and poisonous to aiimaJs, is food for j 

 vegetables. It will be well to mix tlie soil with 

 which such carcases are covered with about one 

 part of lime to five or six of earth ; and at the 

 lime of its removal also mix a little more quick 

 lime with it to prrvent the disagreeable effluvia, 

 which may arise vithout such precaution. 



MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MASUr.K. 



Not only the carcases of animals, but stable and 

 barn yard manure is rendered of little value by- 

 long exposure to the air, sun and wet weather. — 

 Indeed every moment of such exposure robs it of 

 some part of its fertilizing principles, as well as 

 contaminates the atmosphere. " He who is witli- 

 in the spheie of the scent of a dunff-hill," says 

 the celebrated Arthur Young, " smell- tji.it. which 

 his crop would ha-e eaten if ho would have per- 

 mitted it. Instead of manuring tlie land he nia- 

 nurcs llie afmosphcre ; and before his dunghill is 

 finished ho has manured another parish, perhaps 

 another county." Fresh niar.ure should be kept 

 as carofullly from the sun and rain as grass, 

 which is cut for hay. When cattle have been 

 yarded over night it will he w'oll to throw their 

 manure into heaps, and cover them witli soil pre- 

 viously prepared for tint purp'oso. 



The author of the valuable Essays, entitled 

 " Letters of Agricola," says " Earth iaa powerful 

 absorber of all the gases which arise from putre- 

 faction. Put a layer of common soil along the 

 top of a fermenting dung-hill from 12 to 18 inches 

 thicl; and allow it to remain there while the pro- 

 cess is carrj'inj on y.ilh activity, and bfterwavds 

 separate it cardfuily from the heap, fend it will 

 liave been iuvpregn;itOLl with the mo.<;t fertili-zing 

 virtues. The composts, which of late have at- 

 tracted so uuiver.-al attention, and lA'cnpied so 

 large a s^flce in nil ngricnltural publicfttinns orig 

 inated in the discovery of this absorbing power of 

 t^ earth, and in the application of it to the most 

 bWcficial purposes. A skilful agricultmist would 

 no more think of allowing a violent fermentation 

 to be going on in his dung-hill, unnfixcd with 

 earth or other matter, lo fix and secure the gas 

 eous alime.its, than the distiller woula suifer his 

 apparatus to be set at work without jifermounting 

 his still with the v.-orm to cool and o(Adtnse the 

 rarified spirits, which asuend in evaporation. In 

 both, the iiio.it precio;is matter is th<v4 which as- 

 sumes the airifonn sta^e ; ami to liehoTd it escap- 

 ing with unconcerned indifference, is a demon- 

 stration of the most profound ignorance." 



FREEIKG APAhTMEXrS FROM NOXIOUS AIR. 



Dr T. Cooper gives the following directions for 

 that purpose : " Some common spirit of salt may 

 be kept in one bottle, and some manganese in an- 

 other ; the manganese may be strewed on a plate 

 or largo saucer, and this may be placed over boil- 

 ing water, a chafing dish of coals or a small lamp; 

 the spirit of salt may bo poured on the mangan- 

 ese, when the chloiine gas will be extricated by 

 the heat. It will be prudent to go out of the room 

 and avoid the fumes, which bring on very obsti- 

 nate coughing. After a short time, the room may 

 be ventilated, end then washed and white wash- 

 ed." A great many other recipes have been 

 given for jiroducing the same effect, but iionOi 

 which we should judge to be more simple and ef- 

 fectual tlian that mentioned above. 



COIi.NS A.ND THEIR REMEDIES. 



A corn, in surgery, is a !j.-ird, dry, warty or horny 

 tumour in the skin. Corns are, in general, not 

 larger than about the size of a small pea, and are 

 produced in consequence of external pressure, es- 

 pecially in such parts aa are exposed to much fric- 

 tion, and v.'here the skin. is very near the bone. 



They are, therefore, most generally found in the 

 toes or the soles of the feet ; hut sometimes also 

 in othei parts. Wiien they are formed in the feet, 

 they generally arise from the use of too narrow or 

 high heeled shoes, and sometimes merely by v^ear- 

 ing the stockings too tight. Frequently they pro,- 

 diice no inconvenience ; but sometimes they be 

 come so painful as to render the patient entirely 

 lame. The pain is increased by wearing warm 

 stocki'iigs, tight shoes, violent motion of the body, 

 standing or walking too lortg, drinking spirituous 

 liquors, and during variable weather. They are 

 generally painful in hot weather, but rarely so in 

 cold. 



With respect to cure, the violence of the pain 

 may be immediately relieved by the patient's sit- 

 ting down, taking off hi.s narrow shoes, placing 

 his foot in a horizontal position and cooling it a 

 little. A more permanent relief m.-iy be obtained 

 by shaving off the prominent part of tlie corn with 

 a knife, as far as it can bo conveniently got at, 

 without, liowever, causing it to bleed, and by the 

 use of softening and relaxing fomentations. The 

 patient cannot be radically freed from his corns 

 unless he resolves, during the progress of the 

 cure to wear no other than wide, soft and low- 

 heeled shoes, and tp Walk and stand as little as 

 possible. If this is out of his power, and he is 

 under the necessity of frequently walking or 

 standing for a considerable time, the pressure may 

 be prevented in the following manner: Take a 

 piece of linen spread with some emollient, soften- 

 ing plasttr ; lay one piece over another, from 

 eight to twelve times together, and cut a hole in 

 the middle of them, exactly the same si?e and cir- 

 cumference .ns the corn ; then apply it in such a 

 manner that the corn will enter the hole in the 

 pla.-ter, and thus be defended against the contact 

 of the stockings and shoes. W^hensuch a p.*jtcr 

 has been worn for some weeks, the corn, if re- 

 cent, generally disappears without requiring iiny 

 other remedy. When the corn is situated in the 

 sole of the foot, we need only cut a hole into a 

 felt sole, so as to fit the corn, and introduce it 

 into the shoe. 



By the following treatment, corn.^i may be re- 

 moved with certainty, radically, and speedily if 

 we employ at the same time the perforated sole 



or plaster. Rub two or three times a day the5 

 ntile liniment upon the corn, and keep it C05«i 

 during the intervals with an emollient plaal 

 Every morning and evening let the foot be 

 for half an hour in warm water and the corn 

 rubbed with soap. Lot the external part ol 

 corn, which vsill have become perfectly whit« 

 and pulpy, be then scraped with a blunt knift 

 all the soft part is removed, and till the operi 

 begins to give pain to the patient ; upon whio] 

 must immediately desist. This treatment is til,, 

 continued till the corn is fairly extirpated: l" 

 he desist from it earlier, the corn will grow ai 

 Care must be taken not to cut the part wit] 

 knife, so as to make it give pain or bleed. 



THE PLANT LOUSE. 

 The plant louse, vinc-frotter, or puccron,] 

 very common insect, the numerous species 

 denominated from the trees and plants which' 

 infest. The males are winged, and the fe 

 without wings ; they are viviparous, prod 

 their young alive in the spring : and also ov 

 laying eggs in the autumn. As these insecti 

 rive their nourishment from the juices of the li 

 which they infest, nature has wisely ordained 

 the females should lay eggs in the autumn, tliMgh 

 they bring forth their young alive all the spjfeu 

 and summer months. This islo prevent themfjfcn 

 being starved for the want of foud in winter. Tin 

 young burst forth from their eggs in spring aswo; 

 as there are leaves to subsist upon. Their noxioi; 

 effects are well known to the gardener, 'fiei 

 sometimes migrate, and suddenly fall in showet|oi 

 spots that were until then free from their ravnjei- 

 Water dashed with force from a syringe wj! 

 prove as destructive as any thing when on tmt 

 and smaller plants may be washed with limewite- 

 with tobacco water, with elder leaves infu.seii 

 water, or with common soap suds, any of wkiti 

 will destroy the insects. The larvje of the t»il; 

 bird eat thcisands of them, some species ofl^l 

 neumon and common ants also destroy them ; sii. 

 some conjecture that it would probably prove Kr 

 viceable to scatter ants, which may always be pt 

 cured in abundance, upon infested trees. Tli^ 

 aphides sometimes settle upon the tops of bewi.- 

 covering them so thickly as to make them appeji 

 quite black ; in such cases the crops may often b 

 preserved by cutting off the lops, a practice whic 

 is likewise adopted, independently of this pestrt 

 quiring it, for the purpose of increasing the yieli 

 of beans. {Dr Skrimshire's Essays, Introd. to Nj' 

 Hist. vol. i. p. 140.) The rose-tree is, after a mil' 

 spring, greatly injured by a species of aphis fl 

 rosw ) The best mode of remedying this evil iit" 

 lop off ihe infected shoots before ilie insects orr 

 greatly multiplied, repeating the same operaUot 

 before tlie eggs are deposited. By tlie first prpr- 

 ing a very numerous increase will be prevcnlsi 

 and by the second, the following year's siij^i 

 may, in a great measure, be cut off. If it were <l»i 

 j for the numerous enemies to which the aphisi' 

 I exposed, their wonderful fecundity is such tha- 

 I the leaves, branches, and stems of every pisr' 

 I would be totally covered with them. Myriadso' 

 I insects of different classes-, of different genAs. 

 and of different species, seem to be produced ft' 

 no other purpose than to devour the aphis. On 

 every leaf inhabited by them we find caterpilliK 

 of different kinds. These feed not upon the 

 1 leaves, but upon the pucerons, w-hom thev devour 



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