122 



GENESEE FARMER. 



May. 



Gleanings from our Foreign Exchanges. 



Looking-Glasses for Birds, — "The fol- 

 lowing plan is perfectly efficacious for scaring 

 birds from fruit and other produce," says a cor- 

 respondent of the Gardeners'' Chronicle. "One 

 of my servants having by chance broken a look- 

 ing-glass, it occurred to me that the broken 

 pieces suspended by a string, so as to turn free- 

 ly in every direction, would give the appearance 

 of something moving about, which would alarm 

 the birds. I accordingly tried the plan, and find 

 that no bird, not even the most fool-hardy of 

 them, dares come near. They had attacked my 

 peas. On suspending a few bits of the looking- 

 glass amongst them, the marauders left the place. 

 The tomtits attacked my Seckel pears, to which 

 they seem very partial. A bit of looking-glass 

 suspended in front of the tree put a stop to the 

 mischief. My grapes were then much damaged 

 before they were ripe, by thrushes and starlings ; 

 a piece of looking-glass drove these away, and 

 not a grape was touched afterwards. I have be- 

 fore tried many plans, but never found any so 

 effectual as the above." 



Note. If there is any virtue in this sugges- 

 tion, it will be of great benefit to the growers of 

 cherries, strawberries, &c. The cherry-bird is 

 one of the boldest and most annoying nuisances 

 that infest the fruit garden. It is worth trying. 



Butter. — Dr. lire remarks in one of his re- 

 cent works, and which remark may very well be 

 taken as an answer to your question, that "it is 

 computed a cow which gives eighteen hundred 

 quarts (old English) of milk per annum, eats in 

 that ti-me eight thousand pounds of hay, and pro- 

 duces one hundred and forty pounds of butter." 



" Two pounds and a quarter of hay corres- 

 ponds to one quart of good milk ; and a cow 

 which eats sixteen thousand five hundred pounds 

 of hay, will produce three hundred pounds of 

 butter per annum." 



Poisonous Property of Brine. — It is not to 

 be wondered at that your pigs should be suffering, 

 if, as you state, "a portion of brine got mixed 

 with their wash," and they partook of the same. 

 We have the authority of the late celebrated 

 veterinarian, Mr. Youatt, for stating that "the 

 brine in which pork or bacon has been pickled 

 is poisonous to pigs;" and that "several cases 

 are on record in which these animals have died 

 in consequence of a small quantity of brine hav- 

 ing been mingled with the wash, under the mis- 

 taken impression that it would answer the same 

 purpose and be equally as beneficial as is the ad- 

 mixture of a small quantity of salt." 



A Singular Agreement — Twenty-nine 

 years ago Betty VVinal, then residing at Tarlton, 

 bottled a quantity of white currants in their green 

 state, being then in the 33d year of her age. — 

 Having kept them some time in a state of pres- 



ervation, William (her husband) and she agreed^ 

 that they should be kept while they both lived, 

 and that they should be made into pies at the 

 funeral of the one who should die first. The 

 wife departed this life on the 2d of this month, 

 and was interred at St. Peter's church, Preston, 

 on the 5th, the family having removed to Daw- 

 son-street, Preston. Their mutual pledge was 

 fulfilled, and the pies made of these currants were 

 served out, after returning from church, every 

 attendant taking a slice. Though the currants 

 had been kept twenty-nine years, they were as 

 fresh as if just taken from the trees. 



Note. We have frequently preserved goose- 

 berries and currants for 10 months, as fresh as 

 when picked from the bushes. Plums may be 

 preserved in the same way, if taken before quite 

 ripe. 



Wood Ashes. — Fresh ashes contain caustic 

 alkali, which, whatever be the form of the am- 

 monia with which it may come in contact, will 

 take from it, by virtue of its greater affinity, the 

 acid which holds it fixed, and thus let it free ; 

 therefore fresh wood ashes are hignly prejudicial 

 for mixing with farm-yard manure, guano, or 

 any other body containing free ammonia. 



Note. The same reasoning applies to lime, 

 and is undoubtedly correct. Gypsum, charcoal, 

 and swamp muck, are safe and good absorbents, 

 though not as great stimulants of decomposition 

 as lime. 



Urine of Horses. — The urine of horses con- 

 sists, in every hundred parts, of 94 of water and 

 6 of urea, and the salts of soda, lime, and potash. 



Color op Soils. — Atmospheric air is com- 

 posed of nitrogen 79 parts and oxygen 21, with 

 about one part in a thousand of carbonic acid gas. 

 Water is composed of 88 parts of oxygen and 

 12 parts of hydrogen (by weight.) You will, 

 therefore, perceive from the great abundance 

 there is of oxygen in the atmosphere and in wa- 

 ter, and from the great affinity there is for this 

 gas by metals and earths with metallic bases, that 

 soils exposed to the influence of air and water 

 will vary in hue according to the quantities of 

 oxygen which becomes fixed in the soil ; a fer- 

 uginous earth may be red or yellow, or an in- 

 termediate shade, according as the iron is more 

 or less oxidised. 



Marking Shkep. — A Member of the Windsor Co. Agri- 

 cultural Soc. states that the clip of wool sold hy the late 

 Dr. Jarvis, of Claremont, one year (known always to be 

 of the first quality and in good condition otherwise.) shrunk 

 2j per cent, by clipping off the tar marks ; and that the 

 whole loss in consequence of the large amount of tar used, 

 was 3i per ce)jt. The writer recommends, as a swhsfitute 

 for tar, a paint that can be more easily removed as follows : 

 The materials for marking should he lump-black and 

 linseed oil. If the latter cannot he procured, hogs' lard 

 will do. Mix n small portion of turpentine with the lamp- 

 black before mixing with the oil. It should stand twenty- 

 four hours before using. Those who will use tar at all 

 events, for marking, should endeavor to make one smsiU 

 mark answer all purposes." 



