NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



191 



discovered in the milk, and she has fully answered 

 my expectations. Every body knows, or ought to 

 know, bittersweet. It is found in the thickets, and 

 consists of a woody vine, which runs spirally up the 

 bushes or small trees, and branches with the top of 

 the tree : it has a long, narrow leaf, and bears clusters 

 of berries : it blossoms in the spring : in summer, the 

 berries are green ; in autumn, a beautiful yellow ; and 

 in the winter, red. The root is of a golden yellow 

 color, and its taste, as its name indicates, bittersweet. 

 Lee Co., Iowa, 1S49. TORPEDO. 



P. S. Would not this disease have been likely to 

 have terminated in what is called the garget in the 

 udder had it not been attended to in season ? T. 

 — Prairie Farmer. 



Remakks by the Editor New Exgland Farmer. 



Every body does not know the " bittersweet," 

 though he ought to know it, as the writer of the 

 foregoing article observes. We knew a case of a 

 physician choosing in the fields a poisonous plant for 

 the bittersweet; and he and his friend, who chewed 

 it by way of trial, found it bitter, but not sweet. 

 Bittersweet, or woody nightshade, {^Solanum dul- 

 camara,') belongs to the same genus as black night- 

 shade, {Solanum nigra,) a poisonous plant. 



Bittersweet has lower leaves heart-shajsed ; flowers 

 purple ; berries oval, bright red at maturity ; com- 

 mon in low grounds, and beside brooks ; flowers in 

 July. 



Black nightshade has an erect stem ; leaves ovate ; 

 flowers white ; berries round, black. It grows 

 among rubbish ; is supposed to be imported from 

 Europe. If this be correct, it is probably found only 

 in some sections of the country that have been long 

 settled. 



LOCKJAW WITH CHLOROFORM. 



A correspondent of the Spirit of the Times de- 

 scribes successful treatment of lockjaw in the horse 

 with chloroform. He says, "I have had several 

 opportunities of testing this mode of treatment, and 

 in no instance has it failed, with the excejition of 

 one, when the administration of chloroform was de- 

 layed tiU. the patient was almost in the agonies of 

 death. 



" My plan of treatment in this hitherto incurable 

 disease is as follows : On the first symptoms, I give a 

 drench composed of thirty drops of Croton oil, inti- 

 mately rubbed in a mortar with thick mucilage of 

 gum arable, and gradually diluted with a pint or a 

 pint and a half of good ale. Immediately on the 

 drench being swallowed, the patient must be bled 

 profusely, put in a warm stable, and, if the weather 

 be cool, carefully covered with rugs. Now is the 

 time to use the chloroform : four ounces will be 

 sufficient for an application ; and a convenient mode 

 of applying it is, to make a temporary nose bag of 

 soft material, and as air-tight as possible : in the 

 bottom, of it place a sponge, and on this pour the 

 liquid : by introducing the horse's nose, and tying 

 the bag round and above the nostrils, he will be 

 obliged to inhale, and in a few minutes will be well 

 under its influence. Upon rising, the muscles will 

 have lost the rigidity peculiar to the disease, his 

 nervous system will have become quieted, and his 

 face have lost that anxiety of expression which 

 accompanies lockjaw. 



" The chloroform must be repeated three or four 

 times, say an hour apart ; on the horse's recovery, 

 his strength should be supported by light and nutri- 



tive food ; and, if the weather be warm, turning him 

 out in a pasture two or three hours a day will extend 

 the muscles of his neck, and bring him to the use of 

 his limbs. 



" I would suggest that hand-rubbing of the extrem- 

 ities during the applying of the chloroform will be 

 highly beneficial." 



THE POTATO ROT. 



In 1844, the potato crop was attacked with this 

 disease in the state of New York ; and having some- 

 thing of a crop planted that year, I felt a good deal of 

 solicitude to ascertain the cause and to find a remedy. 

 Most people, with whom I conversed on the subject, 

 claimed that the disease commenced at the root ; but 

 by carefid examination I was convinced that it was 

 not so, and that it first showed itself upon the most 

 tender leaves. I first observed it on the outer edge 

 of the young leaves, and gradually extending towards 

 the stem, and finally passing to the stock, and down 

 the stock to the root, before I could see the root 

 aff'ected at all. When I found the signs of the disease 

 upon my own crop, I directed that fresh ashes should 

 be sown over the field broadcast, as you would sow 

 plaster, while the dew was on, and also directed that 

 quick lime should be mixed with the ashes. My 

 hand did not attend to the matter as soon as he 

 ought, and the disease had made considerable prog- 

 ress before this remedy was applied. The man 

 then took a quantity of ashes and lime, and mixed 

 them, and sowed over about one half of the field, not 

 having sufficient to sow over the whole. The result 

 was, when we harvested the potatoes, I had about 

 half a crop on that part of the field thus sown 

 over, and on the part not sown it was a complete 

 failure. M. B. B. 



— Wisconsin Farmer, 



Remarks by the Editor New England Farmer. 



Numerous remedies are recommended for the po- 

 tato rot. The above is not new, but it seems to be a 

 new mode of application. Ashes and lime, applied 

 in the hill, arc not a sure preventive of the rot, yet 

 they are partial preventives, as we have found from 

 experience. We think the mode of application here 

 recommended will have only a partial effect in severe 

 cases. We advise its trial. 



Although there has been no complete remedy or 

 preventive of the potato rot, yet there are numerous 

 circumstances and applications that have an important 

 eff'ect, so that farmers may now do much towards 

 securing a good crop, by avoiding predisposing causes, 

 and using partial preventives. 



BIRDS. 



The following excellent remarks on the subject of 

 destroying birds originally appeared in the Boston 

 Patriot : — 



We are of opinion, that the labors of the scientific 

 ornithologist are of far more practical utility than the 

 casual observer supposes ; and that, even in the 

 business of legislation, a regard to his researches 

 might prevent many errors, which may much aff'ect 

 the public welfare. Legislation on the subject of 

 birds has been marked by some essential errors, 

 which have led to real evil. By it woodcocks, snipes, 

 larks, and robbins, are protected at a certain season 

 of the year, whilst war to the knife is declared 

 against crows, blackbirds, owls, blue jays, and hawks : 

 these last are treated as a sort of pirates, subject to a 



