106 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



I'or tlic Montlily Msilor. 

 Meteorolosical. 



For iiiany years piisl 1 have seen in most Al- 

 tiiaimclvs ami some News|ia)iprs a Table lor cal- 

 ciiliitiiii; the weather Iro.n ilie time the Moun 

 iliaiite^, quarters, &i;. Dr. Horschell and Br. 

 AiUu'ij Clarke are the authors of this lahle, 1 be- 

 lieve. For some time 1 tliought it «as correct, 

 hut ill IS'io I kept an account of what the weath- 

 er really was lor eij;ht months ; iuid il agreetl 

 will) tlii; talile just aiioiit hall' the time. Moiler- 

 ate aliiliiii's coiilj ;iiies^ as \m II without a table. 



If a uersoii re„lly ui-h.^s m I.Llieve a thing, 

 how easy it is lor him to In Iunc il. 



Frequeut ahov/eri^ ami "iliaiiiiealile" may be 

 easily ch»i>ge(l for •■lainy" or "lair," (Jcc. anil vice 

 versa. If any one will keep acoireci account as 

 lonffasi (lid, I tliiiik he uill come to the same 

 conchu-ion—iiKii cover the moon changes north 

 anil south of us, the same time it does here ; yet 

 we liaie rainy weather often ; and fair and i\iy 



Nithi 



:.ii 1 



much mriuence 

 ycles or circuits 



north or souih < 



miles distant. 



ble, yet J believe the mo 



ou Ihe weather, and 1 hel: 



of tinje.when the weather comes round much 



was l)efore ; as once u week, or nineteen years 



the cycle of the moon. 



'I'liere is some trmh in the vidjiar saying:, "if 



,:vfr\ ?uiiiliy." Nnn'it is a fact if there comes 

 a suiiiii Oh ;i'ii\ il,i\ c.i' iIm' ucck, there will three 

 times iinl i>l' 1(1111 eiMiie \ei y mneii such a storm 



for tliree ui- liiiT siici- Iiii- weeks on the same 



day. t^cmday is reiiiembered better on account 



The cycle of days semi limes will pass the 7th to 

 the 8lh"as the cycle of years sometimes go over 

 nineteen to tueiitv. Many of us can recollect 

 the cold seasons of 181G and 1830, just twenty 

 years benvee?i. 



If weeciuld live a thousand vears or as long as 

 Methnselali, «e eaiild probably tell belbrc hand 

 very iii;;!! v.liai ilie weather vvouhi he, by noting 



1 have heard it (.!isei\ed ile.t ii' llie winter was 



four'times in ti\e il' llie \\\i<u r is r.ildor warm, 

 the sncceediuL'summcrwiinietlie same. In lact, 



birds in one flock. They come from the north, 

 no doubt. Very warm summer — 35 days ther- 

 mometer about 80. Appletreea blossomed May 

 24th. Grain, fruit, hay, vines, all good. No one 

 can find fault this year with mother earth except 



1841. Moderate winter. Cold spring howev- 

 er, especially to '20th May. I think it owing to 

 to the ice ofi; on, and by the hanks of Newlbund- 

 land ; and think yet we shall have a warm sum- 

 mer; hut we shall know better in the fall. 



1838. Both winter and summer were e.vlra- 

 ordinary wet and warm. 



. 18"iy was the dryest summer since 1805, and 

 tlie warmest weather was the last week in M;iv. 



J83I. From May 28th to June I'^lh thernom- 

 eter (I5da}s) from 80 to 96, warmest weather 

 that season. 



18o-?. From April loth to .Tune ] llh rainy and 

 cloudy 50 days out of 58. Cold summer and 

 winter. 



I mean to keep a record of the seasons, &,c. 

 while 1 live; and before my e.xit, hand it to some 

 young man who will continue il, and before bis 

 death give it to another, and thus have it contin- 

 ued on to— (I don't know how long.) 



May 24tb, 1841. STODDARD. 



Soiling Cattle. — By soiling is meant feeding 

 cattle in their stalls or yards, with green grass 

 cut for the jinrpo-se, instead of suffering them to 

 feed at large in the gras.s field. We find in the 

 Nashville Agriculturist a very inleresiing article 

 on this subject, extracted from an Elnglish .Ag- 

 ricultural |)aper. The writer asserts, and, we 

 think, proves, that three cows may be provided 

 with food in the Unuse all ihe year from the same 

 quantity of ground which will scarcely feed one 

 under ^f/.f/Krc for the summer; that one cow so 

 fed ill the house vvill give <is tnuch inilk as 

 three fed in the field; and that each cow fed in 

 this way will produce as much manure as three 

 fed in the ordinary way. We speak from some 

 little i-xperience of our own, when we affirm that 

 soil-li-edin;' possesses all the advantages claim- 

 eil for it, pspeeially on small farms. One hand 



ifiass enough, from a convenient field, to lied 

 twenty or twenty-five head of cattle a day. Sup- 

 pose it requires three boms daily labor, and then 

 calculate the gain. On land much requiring ma- 

 nure, the additional manure saved would more 

 than pay for this labor. Then there is the great 

 ailvantage of making a small liirm eipial to one 

 double the size, conducted on the other plan 

 the advantage o( being able to dispose of half of 

 one's large fjirm, and make as much as before, on 

 what remains. Think of it, ami deci.le howfar the 

 situation and nature of your farm may permit you 

 to adopt the soiling plan. — LouisviHc Jov.ma!. 



18:58. Warm winter. Thermometer 19 days 

 below zero— and lowest but 10 lielow. Warm 

 semincr— Tliermoineter98 days above 80— Fruit 

 jia ntv — good crops of every thing — vines good, 

 &c. ' 



18.39. Winter common. Thermometer 10 

 days 1h low z Tn-^lowest <1. Thermometer rose 

 .,'aii. '.'iili and 'J7ih, 65 deu'recs in 48 hours. 

 gmniner eoiiieion. From 20lh of May to 13th 

 July it raiiieii half the time, and was rather cold. 



liav and grain, except Indian ci 

 ' light. 



nesmiddling- 

 1840. Winter moderate. Thermometer 14 ' 

 (h'.s bt?hnv zero, lowest 16. Saw 200 snow- 



Bkst Cement for joi.ni.ng Glass. — If the 

 glass is not likely to he exposed to moisture, the 

 pieces may be joined by a solution of equal parts 

 of gum Ariibic and loaf sugar in water: r 

 these are not at hand tin; white of an egg i 

 answer nearly as well. But a strong w.-iter proof 

 ceiiieiif, that is equally transparent, may be n 

 le di_' -liiur finely powdered gum copal, in thrice 

 iN w.i dit of sulphuric ellier till it is disso'ved. 

 This > diition m.ny be applied to the edges ol the 

 broken glass, with n camel hair pencil, and the 

 pieces must be put together immediately and 

 pressed close till they adhere. 



Best Cement for joim.ng Chi.va. — Heat a 

 piece of chalk to a fid! red heat in a fire; and 

 while this is heating, lake the white of an ogg, 

 and mix and heat locrether with it, one fourth its 

 weight of iiowdeierl or scrap(;il clieese, (such a: 

 is most void of creain, or oily matter is prefera 

 ble.) or the curd that is formed . by adding vine 

 ear to skimmed milk ; take the chalk from th< 

 fire, and befbte it is cold reduce it to powder, am 

 add as much of it to the mixture as will form a 

 thick paste, and beat them anew all together, 

 and n.sc the conqmsilion inimeiliately. When 

 this is dry, it will resist, in a great measure, eith- 

 er heat or moisture. A semi-transparent cement 

 suitable for china ware, may be made by gently 



I. Great crops of | '"'iliVi; the flour of rice with water.— A^ K Me- 



rn— potatoes light i chtmic. 



\ contented mind under adverse 

 ■•• is the purcs; homage to the deity 



•iimslan 



Explauatiou of Agricultural Terms. 



Broad-Cast Husbandry— is that in which the 

 gram or seed is sown by a cast of the hand, so as 

 to be strewed equally as possible over the whole 

 ground. 



2. Drill Husbandry— is that in which the giaiu 

 or seed is sown in rows, by means of machines 



ilrived for that purpose, and the ground afler- 

 rds kept stirred and cleared of seeds by a kind 



of plough called the horse- hoe, hence sometimes 



called the horse-hoeing husbandry. 



3. Converlible Husbandry — is when the ground 

 is cultivated alternately in tillage and grass. This 

 is much practised in some parts of the country, 

 Willi wheat and clover. A field in clover soon 

 after haying, is turned up and sowed with wheat 

 and clover seed. After the wheat is taken off it 

 is once mowed, wlie;i it is again ploughed up and 

 L:nvveil as before ; thus the ground carries the 

 wheat every other year, and Ihe intermediate 

 years, cU>ver. The term applies also to a succes- 

 sion of any kind of crops in which grass is com- 

 prehended as one. 



4. Trench Ploughing — is running the plough 

 twice in the same furrow. In doing this the lop 

 soil, with all its foul weeds, is cast to the bottom 

 of the trench, ami a new soil is thrown up on 

 which the sun has never before shed its rays. 

 It is done sometimes at one operation, by a 

 plough constructed lor the purpose,cullcd a trench 

 plough. 



.5. Horizontal Ploughing — is so conducted by 

 the use of an instrument, called " ratter level," 

 as to lay the side hills in horizontal beds, about 

 six feet wide, with deep hollows or water fur- 

 rows between, for the purpose of retaining the 

 rains. 



6. Indigenous Plants — are such as are natives 

 of the country in which they are found or grown. 

 Thus, maize, the potatoe, and tobacco, are called 

 indigenous to America, having been found here, 

 imd from Ami-rica introduced into Europe. 



7. Exotic Plants — are such as are natives of 

 foreiiru countries. Such as the lemon tree, and 

 many others, when introduced into the New Eng- 

 l.ind States, an' cultivaled in hot houses. 



K Annual Plants— aie such as are of but one 



d.-n pl.auts. and all olliers growing fmiii seed sown 

 ill the spring, which are at malurily in the sum- 

 mer or autumn following, producing flowers and 

 ripe seed, and afterwards perish both in their top 

 and roots. 



9. Biennial Plants— are such as, in their roots 

 at least are of two year.s' duration. Many of 

 these plants |)crish in their top the first year, but 

 live in the root through the winter, and the se- 

 cond year shoot up stalks, flower, produce .seed, 

 and al'terwards p( risli both in the root and branch. 



10. Perennial I'laiil.s — are such as are of many 

 years' duration. Such are all (dants whether the 

 leaves and stalks perish annually or not, provided 

 the roots are many years' duration, as the horse 

 radish, bnrdoek. &V." 



11. Ilerbaecciis I'iants— are those whose herb, 

 that is, u liosi- -leui an 1 branches, are of but one 

 year's durati )ii whether the root be annual, bien- 

 nial, or perennial. 



12. Esculent Plant.s — are such as are replete 

 with nutritious matter, fonscquently proper lor 

 being eaten as food. Such are pai\«nips, car- 

 rots, cabbage, and various others of a .similar na- 

 ture. 



13. Unhelliferous Plants — are all such as )iro- 

 duce their flowers on the end of mmierous little 

 flower stocks, or rays, nearly equal in length, 

 spreading fioin a common point or centre, Ibrm- 

 iiig a level, usually convex or globose surljice, 

 somewhat like n .spread umbrella, as the parsnip, 

 carrot, &c. 



14. Leguminous Plant.s — are tho.^e of the pulse 

 kind, which, proihicing their seeds in pods, may 

 he gathered by the hand, as peas, beau.s, &ic. 



15. Cnliinfeious Plants — are all such as have 

 smooth pointed steins, and whose seeds are in- 

 closed in chafty husks or coverings. .Ml ihe graiii.s 

 and most of the grasses, as well as many other 

 plants, are of this kind. 



16. Deciduous Plants — are all such plnnt.>i 

 whether of the tree or shrub kind, as shed or 

 lose their leaves in the auuinin or winter sea- 



17. Tuiwrous Plants — arc such 



of 



