170 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[November, 



laigemcnt of the arena of distribution, es- 

 peciadj- in the South, where, through the 

 agency of tlie Cincinnati .Southern Kailway, 

 a new deuiand has .sought supply. The in- 

 creased deliBad for local consumption has 

 had, however, no little to do in the important 

 growtli of the business. It is not possible to 

 arrive at the actual quantity consumed in 

 this city and its immediate vicinity, but the 

 records of tlie Merchants' Exchange show, 

 after deducting from the [iroduction the ship- 

 ments from the city, wliicli for the year 

 amounted to :20U,S87 barrels, exclusive of 

 such beer as went out in bottles, which would 

 find ample compensation in the beer received 

 from manufacturers elsewhere, the sum of 

 507,433 barrels remaining for the consump- 

 tion of residents and visitors, which accord- 

 ing to the usual allowance, would swell the 

 consumption to the amazing aggregate of the 

 equivaleutof -iOi.'JTB, 200 glasses of tlie usual 

 size. In the production of malt liquors there 

 were consumed in the three cities in the past 

 year, aiiproximately,l,7-22,18() bushels of malt, 

 1,398,8'.IG pounds of hops, and 5.5,000,000 tons 

 of ice, the last named averaging, approxi- 

 mately, to $5.50 i)er ton. The figures as to 

 the consumption of malt and hops are from 

 actual returns make to the Revenue Depart- 

 ment, allowing for Covington and Newport 

 the average exhibited by the returns made 

 for Cincinnati. 



"The increase in tlie outward movement of 

 beer, embracing all kinds of malt liquors, 

 exclusive of s..ch as was transported in bot- 

 tles, has been 38,2'.U barrels, or about 23 per 

 cent., while, since the year immediately pre- 

 ceding the rebellion, the shipments have 

 grown from 22,581 barrels to 2110,887 barrels, 

 ex jibiting since the census of 18b0 the enor- 

 mous increase of 789 per cent." 



^ 



MICE AND RATS GNAWING TREES. 

 Every winter the agricultural journals con- 

 tain inquiries as to a remedy to prevent mice 

 and rabbits gnawing trees, and we have near- 

 ly annually answered thera. Our remedy, 

 which we have tried with success, has proved 

 effectual in every instance in which it has 

 been properly applied. It is to bandage the 

 trees with any old cotton or wo >len cloth, or 

 very stilf paper will do. For mice, eight or 

 ten inches high will answer ; for rabbits, not 

 less than two feet. The latter standing up- 

 right can reach up nearly two feet, and as far 

 as they can reach they will gnaw. The .same 

 cloth, if put away, will last for several years. 

 Of course the bandaging must be well done 

 and tied to the trees securely. 



In gardens, where rabbits are sure to be 

 found if there arc any in the vicinity, a good 

 protection is to feed them with cabbage stalks 

 or decayed heads of cabbage, offals'of ruta- 

 bagas, carrots, hay, &c. A "dead trap," 

 baitetl with ap|)le, will also soon clear a gar- 

 den ; but, if in a starving condition, a half 

 dozen rabbits will destroy'tifty young trees in 

 a single night. One winter they not only in- 

 jured several young pear trees for us, but 

 nipped off the tender ends of certain shrubs 

 as cleanly as if done with priming shears.— 

 Germantown Teleyraph. 



FALL TURNING-UP OF GARDEN SOIL. 

 Professed gardeners well understand the 

 fall management of these important little 

 family farms.' It is needless to tell them how 

 much the success of next year's crops depends 

 upon turning up the ground (say in Novem- 

 ber) intendtd for such crops. JBut there are 

 many others— those who have small gardens 

 — and in this class are many of our regular 

 well-to-do farmers— who only raise half crops 

 of vegetables, and these of an inferior quality, 

 and wondered how it is so. Now, we cannot 

 too often repeat the advice that if they will 

 use the garden-fork, and turn the soil iqi full 

 fork deep, allowing it to remain in lumps all 

 winter exposed to the frost, it will imt the 

 soil in excellent condition and tend greatly to 

 add to the production of next year's crops. 

 This is especially the case with ground not so 

 treated fi-equently, and we would mention 



that every other year Is best, instead of every 

 year as some gardeners do. Gardens, and 

 especially old ones, should also be limed about 

 once in live years, and salted about every 

 other spring, applying of lime at the rate of 

 about thirty bushels to the acre, and of salt 

 from eight to ten. In applying salt keep it 

 from coming in contact with box-edging and 

 all other evergreens, very small trees, &c. 

 Such a course will bring up your old gardens 

 in a surprising manner. Turnips, radishes, 

 &c., will grow as well as they ever did, and 

 all other vegetables be largely benefitted.— 

 Germantmvn Telegraph. 



A MEXICAN MARKET. 

 The market furnishes an abuudanee of eggs, 

 chickens, cheese and milk. Fish can most 

 always be had, being brought from the 

 Santiago River, tvventy miles distant. A 

 nice chicken can be bought for a real and a 

 medio (18| cents,) and a dozen of eggs for the 

 same. The cheese mostly used is called 

 jianda. and comes in the form of small cakes, 

 is white and soft, and eaten when freshly 

 made. Milk is brought into town on the 

 backs of animals, and is plenty and cheap. 

 There is a belief that it is dangerous to drink 

 it in any quantity and char ; thai, if a glass 

 of it be di-ank, and the person becomes excited 

 or angry, the chemical affiidties of the milk 

 and blood are such th.it a poison is produced 

 that creates immediate death. Flour sells 

 for 12 cents per pound. The amount used is 

 considerable, notwithstanding that tortillas, 

 or corn cakes, are a necessitv in every family. 

 The bread and cakes are afl furnished by the 

 baker. The bread is made in the form of 

 rolls, which are sold at 4 cents each. Of the 

 sweet bread, there is a great variety, and each 

 family in purchasing procures the assortment. 

 It is made into small cakes of ditterentstiape.s, 

 and sold at from 1 lo 3 cents each. 



The entire ignorance of the value and u.se 

 of stoves of course necessitates a simplicity in 

 tlie art of cooking; and the excellence of the 

 production of the cocinera is very remarkable, 

 when this is considered. There is not a stove 

 in use in Tepic. Tiie original, antique fur- 

 nace, that has been in use from the time of 

 the Spaniards is still cherished as superior to 

 any modern innovation. It is simply of 

 brick, of convenient height, with an opening 

 on top to contain charcoal, which is the only 

 fuel used, and on toj) of which the cooking 

 utensil is placed. An opening underneath 

 furnishes draft. All the cooking utensils are 

 made by the Indians from clay. They are 

 all glazed ; some ornamented with colors and 

 are cheap but frail. They are of all sizes, 

 from a spoonful up to ten gallons. They are 

 brought into the towns on tlie backs of In- 

 dians and donkeys, jiacked in crates, and are 

 offered for sale about the Plaza on Sunday. 

 Tins is an important industry, as all families 

 must use moie or less and the constant break- 

 age creating a continual demand.— ^lZ«a- 

 California. 



the inquirer. "No, sir." "Do you think, if 

 you did, that you could force out any more 

 air from a bottle by blowing than was in it 

 before ?" He couldn't say. Never had thought 

 of It. "Well," continued the gentleman 

 "you would .soon find, if you tri'ed, that it 

 was impossible, and neither can you force air 

 into this church through a register if you don't 

 open a window or some other orifice. "But," 

 the sexton demurred, "opening a window 

 would let in the cold air, wouldn't it?" 

 "You just try it," was the response. "Raise 

 some of the windows on the leeward side of 

 the church, and see what will happen." It 

 was done, and instantly the handkerchief 

 lying on the register rose half-way to the ceil- 

 ing with the force of the ascending current. 

 The sexton stared in astonishment. 



VENTILATION. 



A gentlemen, while attending church one 

 evening, found that his feet were icy cold, so 

 that he had to raise them off the floor. Call- 

 ing the attention of the sextou to the fact, 

 the latter said, with .some periilexity, "Yes, 

 we have a good many complaints of cold feet 

 from others ; but I don't understand the rea- 

 son why we can't keep the church warm— we 

 surely have fires enough." So saying, he 

 pointed to a register in "the ai.sle behind the 

 gentleman in the adjoining pew. Looking 

 around the latter could see that there was a 

 hot lire in the furnace beneath, and yet no 

 heat came up. When a handkerchief was laid 

 over the resister it scarcely stirred. The visi- 

 tor asked the sexton, "Have yon any means 

 of ventilation V" "No, sir." "Are there no 

 windows open ?" "None whatever." "How, 

 then, can you expect the air to come in here 

 if it can't get out somewhere V" There was 

 no response— the man was nonplused. "Did 

 you ever try to blow into a bottle ?" continued 



A GREAT OAK. • 



In the old Friends' burying-ground on the 

 principal street of the city of .Salem New 

 Jersey, .stands a magnificent white oak, which 

 looks as if it had a millennium of vigorous 

 life in it yet, although it must have been a 

 tree of majestic proportions when John Fen- 

 wick lauded there one line October day two 

 hundred and five years ago and founded the 

 first town on the e'ast bank of the Delaware. 

 The Salem oak is not so remarkable for the 

 size of its trunk, which is scarcely more than 

 twenty feet in circumference at six feet from 

 the ground, as it is for its amplitude of shade. 

 In one direction its branches have a spread of 

 112 feet, and in the direction at right angles 

 to its greatest diameter its branches extend 

 more than 100 feet. At about 15 feet from 

 the ground the trunk swells into a great mass, 

 and then diverges into at least twenty main 

 branches, each of which would make a large 

 tree. Taken altogether in altitude, volume 

 and expression, it is one of the grandest 

 specimens of its kind to be seen in tliis coun- 

 try. It seems quite natural that the placid 

 and substiintial old Quaker town, whose very 

 name signifies Peace, should have slowly 

 gathered about the great tree with its " tran- 

 quil aspect of venerable continuance through 

 centuries," and it was almost a necessity that 

 the reverent pride and good taste of the Salem 

 people should have ledlhem to select a like- 

 ness of the oak for the device upon the City 

 Seal. 



AMERICAN AND ITALIAN SUMAC. 



The quantity of native sumac, says The 

 Scientific American, brought into the iuarket 

 does not exceed 8,000 tons yearly, and its 

 market price is only $50 i)er ton, just half 

 the price of the Italian product. This differ- 

 ence in value is due to the fact that the Ameri- 

 can .sumac, as at present prepared, is not suit- 

 able for making the finer white leathers used 

 for gloves and fancy shoes, owing to its siving 

 a disagreeable yellow or dirty color. It has 

 recently been shown, however, that the leaves 

 of native sumac, gathered in June and July, 

 are equal to the best foreign leaves. The im- 

 jwrtance of this discovery may be seen by 

 the fact that the cultivation of the plant may 

 be carried on most profitably in this country 

 as soon as manufacturers and dealers recog- 

 nize the improvement thus obtained in the 

 domestic article, and by classifying it accord- 

 ing to its peitentage of tannic acid and its 

 relative freedom from coloring matter, ad- 

 vance the price of that which is early picked 

 and carefully treated. 



In Italy tiie sumac is planted in shoots in 

 the spring in rows, and is cultivated in the 

 same way and to about the same extent as 

 corn. It gives a crop the second year after 

 setting out, and regularly thereafter. The 

 sumac gathered in this country is taken 

 mostly from wild plants growing on waste 

 lana, but there is no reason why it should not 

 be utilized and cultivated on land not valu- 

 able for other crops. 



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Alsike clover gives smaller crops than red 

 clover, but of better quality. It is especially 

 recommended for soils liable to heaving by 

 frost, and aflbrds excellent pastiu-e for bees. 



