178 



©!)c iarmcr's ittcmtljto Visitor. 



A&aA 



Have they the power of selection ? Do they ex- 

 ercise a choice in iliis matter ? No? none of 

 these things? How then, do they manufacture, 

 as it were, such a variety of products from so 

 few elementary substances ? They do it in 

 obedience to a law of creation. This law we 

 have in the first chapter of Genesis at the 11th 

 and 12th verses. " And God said let the earth 

 bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed after its 

 kind, and it was so. And the earth brought 

 forth grass and herb, and the fruit tree yielding 

 seed and fruit after its kind. And God saw that 

 it was good."' He so willed it from the begin- 

 ning. And the few elementary principles of 

 matter that enter into the composition of plants, 

 are, as it were, in l lie plastic hands of Deity, 

 who moulds and forms them according to cer- 

 tain fixed purposes, and these " fixed purposes," 

 ue term natural laws. And it seems to us, this 

 view of the matter unriddles, as far as we are 

 concerned in it, all mystery. 



Upon precisely the same principles, are the 

 various substances (derived from the food form- 

 ing the different parts of the animal system) ta- 

 ken up by the assimilating vessels, and appro- 

 printed to their several purposes: to the forma- 

 tion of hone, nails, muscle, fat, &c. 



Man, as a sentient being, can exercise a choice 

 about his food, but when taken into the stom- 

 ach, he has no more control over its different 

 chemical arrangements and modifications, than a 

 plant has. The laws of animal chemistry, are 

 then called into play, and makes the proper dis- 

 tribution of the varied parts, perfectly indepen- 

 dent of the mind and will of man. — Boston Cult. 



Cultivators. — In the construction and use of 

 these implements, a great improvement has been 

 made within a few years. The principal advan- 

 tage to which we allude, consists in adapting 

 them to the working of fallows. After a sod has 

 been ploughed, the cultivator is capable of pene- 

 trating the ground to a sufficient depth to eradi- 

 cate weeds, and prepare the soil for wheat; and 

 it is made of such dimensions that a much 

 greater breadth can he worked in the same time, 

 than could he done by the same team with a 

 plough. For spring crops, also, land which is 

 not too heavy, that had been broken up the pre- 

 vious fall, can be readily and cheaply brought 

 into a good condition for planting hy the use of 

 a cultivator, of the right construction. Cast- 

 iron, which has hitherto been frequently used 

 for the teeth, is found to get too dull to cut the 

 roots of weeds and stir the soil thoroughly. The 

 teeth are now made of cast-steel, of any size or 

 shape desired, and being brought to a good edge 

 at first, continue to keep so for some time. — Al- 

 bany Cultivator. 



From Rev. Mr. BileB' Address at Oxford, Maine, 1848. 



Another branch of practical farming relates to 

 the proper management of old fields. Many of 

 our farmers have large fields which have he- 

 roine so exhausted by cropping for a series of 

 veins, that they are, in common parlance, " run 

 out." But little grass is cut upon them, and that 

 of an inferior quality ; a sort of "June grass," 

 exceedingly wiry and containing but little nutri- 

 ment for stock. 



The proprietors of those fields cannot well 

 put them under a good state of cultivation by 

 manuring them from the barn and the yard, and 

 it is not convenient to pasture them. Hence a 

 large portion of them remain t'nv years with no 

 profit to the owners. Now these fields may he 

 renewed and made very productive with very 

 little expense, and without any manure from the 

 barn yard. Ii is ascertained that there is vege- 

 table on all BUch fields in the form of roots and 

 fibres, to the amount of from ten to thirteen tons 

 per acre. This vegetable matter is capable of 

 being converted into an excellent manure for the 

 growth of grasses of different kinds. I will here 

 present yon with the process by which this may 

 be accomplished, as the result of" observation 

 and personal experiment on my own land. The 

 ground should be ploughed in the mouth of July 



or August to the deptli of about eight inches — 

 the furrows to be laid fiat, like floor-hoards. It 

 should he harrowed lengthwise immediately, 

 that the seams between the furrows may be 

 made perfectly tight. In this way fermentation 

 will be promoted, which will put the land in 

 good heart for a crop of grain the next season. 

 In the spring it nay he sown to barley or oats, 

 not very thick, taking care not to break the sod 

 with the harrow. With the grain sow twenty 

 quarts of grass seed to the acre in tire proportion 

 of one-third clover and two-thirds herds grass 

 or timothy. Unless the ground is very wet, the 

 roller should complete the process. This will 

 give a smooth surface for mowing, and prevent 

 the escape of the gases contained in the soil. It 

 may be good policy to sow a bushel of plaster to 

 the acre before the grain comes up. The first 

 year you will obtain a crop of grain which will 

 amply repay you for your outlay, and which will 

 be worth twice as much as the hay would have 

 been ; and the second year you may cut a ton 

 and a half" of excellent hay to the acre. This 

 will generally hold out for four years. I have 

 tested this to my own satisfaction, and 1 have by 

 no means exaggerated the amount. It is to be 

 hoped that some of our friends may give this a 

 thorough trial another year. 



There are many other fields which are render- 

 ed nearly useless for want of draining. The soil 

 has become cold, and hut little hay, and that of 

 the poorest quality is cut upon this land. Now 

 it is generally an easy matter to redeem such 

 lands by draining. Let a ditch be cut through 

 the field to the depth of two or three feet, and as 

 wide, and the earth taken from the ditch may he 

 spread upon the field to good advantage. This 

 ditch may be filled with loose stones from the 

 surface of the field, and serve equally well for 

 all purposes of draining. The whole field will 

 become sufficiently dry in a short time, even as 

 low as the drain is laid ; the soil will become 

 warm and fertile ; a new and vigorous crop of 

 grass will spring forth, and the owner will con- 

 fess that he is more than compensated for all his 

 labor and expense. 



Evil Consequences of Smoking. 



The wide-spread habit of smoking has not yet 

 had due medical attention paid to it and its con- 

 sequences. It is only by two or three years' ob- 

 servation that Dr. haycock has become fully 

 aware of" the great changes induced in the sys- 

 tem by the abuse of tobacco, and of the varied 

 and obscure firms of disease to which especially 

 excessive smoking gave origin. He proceeded 

 to state some of them as they were met with in 

 the pharyngeal mucus membrane, the stomach, 

 the lungs, the heart, the brain, and the nervous 

 system. The tobacco consumed by habitual 

 smokers varies from half an ounce to twelve 

 ounces per week ; the usual quantity from two 

 to three ounces. Inveterate cigar smokers will 

 consume from four to five dozen per week. The 

 first morbid result is an inflammatory condition 

 of the mucus membrane, of [he lips and tongue, 

 then the tonsils and pharynx suffer, the mucus 

 membrane becoming dry and congested. If the 

 thorax be examined well, it will he found slight- 

 ly swollen, with congested veins meandering 

 over the surface, and here and there a streak of 

 mucus. The action of tobacco smoking on the 

 heart is depressing, and some individuals, who 

 feel it in this organ more than others, complain of' 

 an uneasy sensation about the left nipple, a dis- 

 tressed feeling, not amounting to faintness, but 

 allied to it. The action of the heart is observed 

 to be feeble and irregular. An uneasy feeling is 

 also experienced in or beneath the pectoral mus- 

 cles, and oftener on the right side than the left. 

 On the brain, the use of tobacco appears to di- 

 minish the rapidity of cerebral action, and check 

 the flow of ideas through the mind. It differs 

 from opium and henbane, and rather excites to 

 wakefulness, like green tea, than composes to 

 sleep; induces a dreaminess which leaves no 

 impression on the memory, leaving a great sus- 

 ceptibility, indicated by a trembling of the hands 

 and irritability of temper. Such are secondary 

 results of smoking. So are blackness of teeth 

 and gum-boils. There is also a sallow paleness 

 of the complexion, an iiresolnteness of disposi- 

 tion, a want of life and energy, and in constant 

 smokers who do not drink, a tendency to pul- 



monary phthisic. Dr. Wright of Birmingham 

 in a communication to the author, fully corrobo- 

 rates his opinions; and both agree that smoking 

 produces gastric disorders, coughs, and inflam- 

 matory affections of the larynx, and pharynx, 

 diseases of the heart and lowness of the spirits, 

 and, in short, is very injurious to the respiratory, 

 alimentary, and nervous systems. — English Lite- 

 rary Gazette. 



Gather up the Fragments. — Families who 

 kill their own beef and pork, always have various 

 odds and ends which may be worked up in such 

 a way as to form some of the most wholesome 

 and palatable dishes. 



Tripe. — Take the tripe as soon as practicable 

 after it comes from the animal, rinse it well in 

 cold water, and immediately sprinkle a thick 

 coating of air-slaked lime over the inside — roll 

 it up and let it lie till the next day. Then cut it 

 in pieces eight or ten inches square, scrape it, 

 and put in soak in salt and water, where it should 

 remain seven or eight days, or till the strong 

 smell is entirely gone, changing the salt and wa- 

 ter every day. Then boil it tender. It may be 

 soused like pigs' feet, or it may be broiled, fried 

 with sausages, or dipped in batter and fried alone. 



Souse. — Take pigs' feet, the head, &c, and af- 

 ter being well cleansed, boil them in water with 

 a little salt, till the meat drops off. Then slip 

 out the largest bones, and put the meal in a stone 

 jar, or well-seasoned wood firkin. Make a liquor 

 to cover them, as follows: Take one quart of _ 

 the liquor they were boiled in, two quarts of vin- 

 egar, spiced with cloves, allspice, pepper, and 

 cinnamon. While the meat is still warm, pour 

 the liquor, boiling hot, upon it. In a few days it 

 is fit for use, and may be either rolled in flour 

 and fried in lard or sausage fat, or warmed in a 

 little of the liquor, or eaten cold. The feet and 

 shanks of cattle, cleansed in the same manner as 

 pigs' feet, are excellent. When sufficiently boil- 

 ed, all the bones should be taken out, the meat 

 and sinews immediately chopped fine, and seas- 

 oned with salt, pepper, allspice, summer-savory 

 and saae. When wanted for use, they may be 

 warmed over in a little butter, and are nice, deli- 

 cate eating — scarce inferior to oysters, which 

 they somewhat resemble. They make equally 

 as good souse as pigs' feet. The jelly which is 

 left after they are boiled, makes excellent blanc 

 mange. 



Sausages.— -Chop six pounds of lean with two 

 pounds of fat pork, four tablespoon fu Is of" salt, 

 six do. of powdered sage, four of black pepper, 

 and two of cloves— a little rosemary may be ad- 

 ded. If not stuffed, keep the meat in a tin ves- 

 sel, tied down close; and when to be used roll 

 it into cakes, dust them with flour, and fry. — Al- 

 bany Cultivator. 



From the Albany Cultivator. 

 Characteristics of the Season 1848. 



In this latitude, any show of vegetation before 

 the second spring months, is always regarded as 

 premature; hence the adage that "all the grsss 

 which grows in March will die in April." In 

 fact it is not, usually, till the near approach of 

 May lhat the greenness of lire fields and forests 

 becomes fairly conspicuous. 



April last, exhibited nothing to excite particu- 

 lar remark, except that the month was very dry. 

 May commenced with abundant rain, which 

 suddenly clothed the trees with foliage of un- 

 usual richness. From the middle of this month 

 till the middle of June, the weather was gene- 

 rally cold and wet ; but it then became warm 

 and all crops rapidly advanced in growth. Up 

 to the latter part of July, almost all parts of the 

 country were well supplied with moisture. Af- 

 ter that period, however, many sections were 

 visited by drought. A belt of country extending 

 from I he Allegany range to the eastward, em- 

 bracing some of ihe southern counties of New 

 York, the northern part of New Jersey, and a 

 considerable portion of Connecticut, has suffered 

 severely from this cause. 



The average degree of beat for the season has 

 been less than usual — the number of hot days 

 comparatively few, and the period of warm 

 weal her extremely short. There was frost in 

 many places on the first of June, and in particu- 

 lar spots on the thirteenth, and by the first week 

 in September its effects might again be seen. 



