NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



211 





■ 



ceive, under the eye, and in the house of the 

 priacipal, terminates with a course in the agri- 

 cultural institute ; At the same time its forms pu- 

 pils who carry to their abodes the theoretical 

 and pi-actical knowledge which tliey hare ac- 

 quired. 



" 6. An institute of agriculture, theoretical 

 and practical."' 



The Hot>yl school was established about 16 

 years ago, by an enterprising individual of the 

 name of Felienbergh : It has acquired great ce- 

 lebrity in Europe ; has served as a model for 

 others; and has supplied them with instructors. 

 The report gives an account of other schooLs 

 which have been established under the patron- 

 age of the governments of France, Prussia, kc. 



It next refers to efforts which are making in 

 some of our sister states to establish agricultural 

 schools : the subject having been twice before 

 the Legislature of Pennsylvania : and in Virgi- 

 nia, the late President Madison is seriously en- 

 gaged to bring about the establishment of such 

 a school; and it urges on our legislature the 

 propriety of this state's taking the lead in this, 

 as she has in other great public improvements. 



The report next points out the several ad- 

 vantages which it is supposed will be derived 

 from such an establishment. 



First. To agriculture, by the increase of 

 the productions of the earth; and mentions sev- 

 eral instances to prove the almost incalculable 

 benefits which the English farmers have derived 

 from the adoption of what is called the new 

 system of husbandry — by the introduction of 

 limproved implements and m?':hinery. " An En- 

 glish writer estimates that 1,800,000 pounds 

 sterling would be annually saved in that king- 

 dom, if half of its wheat were threshed with 

 the improved threshing mills; and Mr. Burgess, 

 of Rhode Island, calculates, that in that small 

 state there must be an annual saving of 3,000 

 dollars by the general use of Wood's cast iron 

 plough. 



That with an experimental farm, great ex- 

 pense might be saved to farmers in general ; 

 and many useful improvements would probably 

 be made from time to time. 



Secondlv. To commerce and manufactures. 

 These always flourish with the multiphed pro- 

 ductions of the soil. 



Thirdly. To the morals of our citizens. 



Fourthly. To the revenues of the state. 

 The increased productions of the soil, would 

 necessarily add to the income to be derived from 

 tolls on our extensive canals. 



Fifthly. To the political institutions of the 

 eountry. 



It proposes to submit the plan and regulations 

 of the school to be determined by a board of 

 commissioners. It appears that Mr. Van Rens- 

 selaer, our present representative in Congress, 

 has engaged to give to the institution a sutlicient 

 quantity of land, to answer all its purposes. 



The report suggests the propriety of appro- 

 priating an annual sum for the support of this 

 school, and points out several sources from 

 which funds might be created for the use of the 

 institution. It exhibits a statement of 2,618,579 

 dollars, which have been appropriated by the 

 state for literary purposes ; and concludes by 

 stating, that " The above abstract is not intro- 

 duced to call in question the wisdom of the le- 

 gislatures who made these appropriations, but 

 to direct public attention to an iuiportaot fact 



which it discloses, viz. that of all these munili- 

 cent grants, amounting in the aggregate to 

 about three millions of dollars, not one dollar 

 has gone in (Zircc< aid of agriculture, the great 

 business of our state, the source of its wealth, 

 and the foundation of its greatness. Of the one 

 million two hundred and fifty-live thousand dol- 

 lars, given to colleges and academies, the culti- 

 vators of the soil have derived but very little 

 indirect benefit : for, through these seminaries 

 lies the road to the professions, — not to the 

 plough; to mental, not to bodil}' labor. Eighty- 

 three thousand one hundred dollars have been 

 appropriated exclusively to the medical depart- 

 ment. Now that we have bestowed so nuioh 

 care and expense upon the llii:hs^ your commit- 

 tee conceive it to be just and proper, that we 

 should endeavor to infuse intelligence, vigor, 

 and activity into the 6oi/y, th;it it may the better 

 sustain and strengthen the members.'' 



From the American Farmer. 



The Curing or Preservation of Aha' ; 't-itk 



thoughts on the causes oJ'Rusl. 



Elmwood, January lOtli, 13:23. 

 Dear Sir, 



We had some conversation lately about the 

 yellow rust, that is so disagreeable in bacon ; — 

 and I referred you to a paper in your Farni6r, 

 vol. 2, on that subject. To the causes there 

 assigned, I have to add another, that 1 did not 

 know of then ; and perhaps it is the most gener- 

 al, viz : the moisture and closeness ol the meat 

 house. I was led to this discovery by keeping 

 some meat, that was ready for smoking, three 

 weeks in a close house built on the ground ; 

 and before one fire was kindled, it was becom- 

 ing rusty. Salting and drying are the two meth- 

 ods of curing meat — and a proper combination 

 makes our best bacon. The addition of smoke, 

 I consider as merely a flavor, notwithstanding 

 what great chemists have said about rubbing on 

 a little pyroligneous acid to cure meat. The 

 Londoners, I am told, have no smoke houses ; 

 they simply dry their meat in kitchens. Meat 

 that is excessively salted by laying very long in 

 plenty of salt, as also such as is excluded from 

 the air,as barrelled pork, is not apt to grow rus- 

 ty, but by very long keeping. Hence it follows, 

 that our nicest meat is most in danger; and the 

 pieces we salt least are the most apt to be rusty, 

 viz: chines, joles and middlings. Hams arc 

 the least liable, because kept longer in salt, and 

 more protected by skin. There can be be no 

 doubt that meat kept so long moist, will have 

 some of the salt on the surface carried off by the 

 air, taking up the saline moisture, which is soon 

 collected again ;* whereas, when it is dried 

 quickly, the reverse happens, for the decrease 

 in the volume of the meat will condense the 

 salt, and it will crystallize on the surface. 1 

 think our small pieces would do best to be first 

 dried in a kitchen, and then smoked four or five 

 days at most. Smoke will flavor and color rap- 

 idly when the meat is dry. All meat houses 

 should be constructed so as to be dry and airy. 

 None should be in immediate contact with the 

 ground — but here lies a difliculty, yea, a double 

 difhculty : flies and rogues may enter with the 

 air. I have had a lattice door hung inside my 



strong door, which latter is shut at dark ; and as 

 soon as a fly ran shew his head, by which time 

 the meat will be cured, 1 shut all' up so close, 

 that one fly cannot see another. This I have 

 found in all places and cases, the only infallible 

 preventive against skippers. Those who con- 

 tinue the light of even four inches square, must 

 put their meat up early in March into bags, or 

 give it a disagreeable dressing with ashes, if 

 they expect to be the only feaslcrs on this gen- 

 tile delicacy. 



Perhaps an opening in the floor of a house, 

 with a grate and wireing, would be more eligi- 

 ble than a lattice door ; and if the foundation 

 was well stoned all over, and the house eleva 

 ted a few inches from the ground, it would be 

 rogue proof; but perhaps even six inches 

 might be too high ; for these gentry are very 

 much of the serpent kind, and might flatten out 

 for the moment, to secure a good distention with 

 such tempting stufl". 



Such smoke houses as are built over other 

 houses, should have a large flue from the bot- 

 tom, but the tires should never be put there, or 

 the meat will keep damp — and moreover have 

 a bitter taste — for tlie warm smoke will bi 

 condensed on the bacon by the relative coldness. 

 This I have experiencecl. 



There is much dispute with house keepers 

 whether we should smoke in damp seasons, 

 when the meat is dripping. I consider it safest 

 not to smoke ; for if you do not succeed in dry- 

 ing it, which can hardly be done so quickl}', 

 you will injure the meat much more than the 

 weather will. SILVANUS. 



* Some chemists might deny the salt being carried oflf 

 in this way, but thiy have only to look at a brick house 

 near the coast to be convinced ; there they will sec the 

 salt 100 fset or more, above the water level. 



pria'tijxg presses. 



The London Courier of December 8th says; 

 " A newly invented printing press, called the 

 British and Foreign Printing Machine, was ex- 

 hibited a few days ago to a numerous body of 

 printers and scientific men, who expressed them- 

 selves highly satislied with its extraordinary 

 powers. It appears admirably calculated for 

 the printing of books, news-papers, and, in fact, 

 for every description of work that can be done 

 by machinery. In velocity of movement it ri- 

 vals steam printing machines, and far excels 

 them in clearness of impression and goodness 

 of register. Two men and three boys were 

 enabled to print at the rate of 25 sheets in a 

 minute, every impression being remarkably clear 

 and perfect. The Patentee, we understand, is 

 Mr. T. Miller of 76 Fleet-street."' 



The \'crtical Printing Press, recently invent- 

 ed by I\Ir. Daniel Neall, of Pennsylvania, is spo- 

 ken highly of in the Philadelphia papers. 



" One person alone is required to work a 

 Press on this principle. The undivided atten- 

 tion of the operator is required to supply the 

 paper, give the pressure, and remove the print- 

 ed sheet ; while the machine, by acting and re- 

 acting powers, supplies the type with ink, 

 maintains its motion, and prepares for anew im- 

 pression, in less time than would be requsite tor 

 two hands in the common mode, to perform {lalf 

 that service." 



The whole number of the Militia of the 

 United States and Territories, agreeably to 

 the latest returns that have been made, amount 

 to 937,417, allowing live thousand for the Ar- 

 kansas. 



