252 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



trial of a tree that promises to add so much, to the 

 beauty of our lawns, and pleasure-grounds ; and, Ave 

 hope, in another season the Japan cedar, if found 

 quite hardy, will be imported, so as to be afforded at 

 a moderate price in our nurseries. — Downing's Hor- 

 ticulturist. 



^Domestic Department. 



Mothers. — O woman ! if you could only see one 

 of the miracles promised to maternal influence, with 

 what noble pride would you enter upon that career 

 which has so generously opened future ages to your 

 endeavors ! That which is not in the power of any 

 monarch or any nation to accomplish is given to your 

 will to execute. You alone can unite the scattered 

 flock, and give it one common impulse. That which 

 I have not been able to trace on this cold paper, you 

 can engrave on the hearts of a whole people. I offer 

 to you a feeble image of the truth, and you can be- 

 queath the truth itself to the whole world. When, 

 in our public walks and gardens, I see on all sides 

 the noisy crowds of children diverting themselves 

 with the sports suitable to their age, my heart trem- 

 bles with joy at the thought that they belong to 

 you. Let each devote herself to the happiness of her 

 own children, for in such individual happiness God 

 has placed the promise of general happiness. Young 

 girls, young wives, tender mothers, it lies in you, 

 much more than it lies in the laws of a legislature, 

 to confirm the future destiny of Europe, and the 

 destiny of mankind. — Aime Martin. 



Keeping Lemons Fresh. — I have been a house- 

 keeper for some years, and never, till lately, have I 

 been able to keep lemons fresh and juicy for any 

 length of time. 13ut, with all my care — now in this 

 closet, now in that — now wrapped in paper, now 

 packed in bran — now in a cool place, now in a dry 

 one — the}' would dry up, and become hard as wood. 

 Of late, however, I have preserved them perfectly 

 fresh, three months, in summer, by placing them in a 

 closely covered jar, or pot, kept in the ice-house. 

 Each lemon is wrapped in a paper, (perhaps they 

 would do as well without,) but opened and wiped 

 once in ten or twelve days, then covered again with 

 dry paper, and put back into the jar, or earthen 

 vessel, on the ice. — American Agriculturist. 



SoAPSTONE Griddles. — Understanding that cakes 

 on a soapstone griddle required no fat to keep them 

 from sticking, I brought home one a few days ago, 

 and we prepared to try the experiment. The look 

 of incredulity in the chief cook, at that moment, was 

 amusing ; but it was soon turned into one of triumph, 

 for the cakes were turned and taken off as easily as 

 they would have been from the best greased " bake- 

 iron ; " and without any fume from burning fat, as in 

 common cases. Besides, the cakes were all nicely 

 browned, and not one burned in the slightest degree. 

 It is true, soapstone may be heated red hot, but then 

 the plate is so thick, and heats so slowly, that all 

 danger of burning is easily prevented. In short, we 

 are highly pleased with the purchase, and deem it a 

 great acquisition. 



It will be important to keep these griddles very 

 clean, and for this purpose, they may be rubbed 

 occasionally with pumice-stone. — D. Thomas, in 

 Albany Cultivator. 



To strengthen Vinegar. — Suffer it to be repeat- 

 edly frozen, and separate the upper cake of ice 

 from it. 



Sogs' Department. 



Fish Breeding. — It may be a curiosity only to 

 us who have such an extent of sea-coast, and so 

 many lakes, rivers, and streams full of fish, to make 

 any inquiries in regard to the best modes, or any 

 modes, of breeding fish. The comparative ease with 

 which we are generally supplied with fish of various 

 kinds has made it unnecessary to study all the habits 

 of fish with any view of breeding them economically. 

 It is done in many parts of the world, and the facts 

 which have been elicited by those who have attended 

 to such operations are very interesting. 



The Chinese, who are so famous for economical 

 arrangements for procuring food, often adopt a prac- 

 tice like the following: It is stated by some travel- 

 lers that at certain seasons of the year, they carefully 

 collect the ova, or spawn, as some call it, of certain 

 kinds of fish, as fast as it is deposited, then procure 

 some hen's eggs, and after making a hole in each end, 

 by blowing the inside of it through, the fish ova are 

 introduced into the shell. The ends being closed, 

 the egg is placed in an oven of a certain temperature, 

 until the young fry nearly make their appearance, 

 when the shell is broken, and the contents put into 

 water wanned by the rays of the sun. "When the 

 young brood procured by this means, attain a certain 

 size, a portion of it is applied for the purpose of 

 feeding the larger species of fish, and the remainder 

 destined for the table. Such management may do 

 for China, where labor is exceedingly cheaj) and 

 provisions scarce. 



We could hardly afford the time and trouble. We 

 may, however, take the hint and supply places des- 

 titute of fish now, or of certain varieties of fish, by 

 obtaining the ova or spawn, and depositing it in 

 those waters where they are wanted. 



Fish have been transported from one location to 

 another by catching them alive, and confijiing them' 

 in water, until they are liberated in the water where 

 they are desired to propagate. Some people suppose 

 that fish that come up from the ocean periodically, 

 require a chance to go back periodicall}'. This does 

 not hold good in all cases. In some of the ponds or 

 lakes of Maine are found the common smelt, which 

 were probably first confined there, or prevented from 

 returning to the ocean from which they originally 

 came, by the construction of dams across the streams 

 or outlets. They have continued to live and flourish 

 for a long series of years, and, if any thing, are im- 

 proved in size thereby. How far this mode might 

 be carried is not known. 



There can be no doubt that the salmon might be 

 thus confined in large, deep ponds, by the same 

 means. The habits of this fish are in many respects 

 like the trout, with this exception : the salmon mi- 

 grates up the streams from the deep waters of the 

 ocean or rivers in the spring of the year, for the pur- 

 pose of spawning. The trout migrates in the fall. 

 Both, however, retire to deep water in the winter. 

 Those large salmon trout, as they are called, which 

 are caught in the lakes above us, live in deep water, 

 and pretty near the bottom, and it requires a long 

 line to catch them. 



Some friends once tried to change the residence 

 of the bass, bj' confining them in ponds that did not 

 very directly communicate with the sea. What suc- 

 cess they met with, we are not informed. If the 

 habits of fishes were better understood, we have no 

 doubt that many more species might be brought to 

 become permanent inhabitants of our lakes and 

 ponds, instead of being mere transient visitors, — 

 Maine Farmer. 



A good word for a bad one, is worth much and 

 costs little. 



