NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



371 



our jears experience gives me some right to 

 peak of it praclicalhj. 



I recommend its culture on the following 

 rounds. 



First. It will grow and succeed here under 

 •rdinary culture. 



Secondly. It is very prolific, making as good 

 etiirns as the common potato. 



Thirdly. It is preferred by man, bearing 

 jsuilly a price three times as great with us as 

 he common potato. 



Fourthly. It is preferred by all animals of 

 vhatever description. Cows and pi;.'S eat it 

 ^reelil}', and even dunghill fowls will attack 

 mil consume it in a raw state. 



It will produce about 300 bushels to the acre, 

 have never failed to raise it with success. — 

 The only impediment to ils culture is the diffi- 

 ;ulty of preserving the small tul.es or roots; 

 lut as soon as it is known that there will be a 

 lemand for them, our market will be regularly 

 upplied from New Jersey, where it has been 

 ong naturalized. It can be as easily raised as 

 abbages. This 1 undertake to affirm. 



J. LOWELL. 



I would not be supposed to recommend this 

 rticie except for the culture of the southern 

 md eastern parts of the State, nor even there, 

 jxcept as a cheap luxury. 



From the same Publication. 



■ieccipt fnr destroying Caterpillars, used by the so- 

 ciety (if christians called Shakers, at Canterbury, 

 J^ew- Hampshire. 



" Take equal parts of turpentine, and train 

 lil ; apply them by means of a swab (ixed on a 

 ■ole, commence the operation in the spring, 

 we suppose on the first appearance of nests^) 

 fhen those devouring insects begin to appear. 

 nd repeat the operation once a week, till the tf-ees 

 ire in blow, and very few will escape with their 

 ives." 



Signed F. \V. the head of the Family. 



We must express our admiration of this re- 

 :eipt, not because of its novelty, for either of 

 he ingredients would be quite sufficient tc kill 

 he insects, as will common soap suds from eve- 

 ■y Monday's wash most thoroughly, without train 

 lil or spirits of turpentine ; but we admire it, as 

 I specimen of the practice and industry of these 

 jtizens. If our farmers would only follow that 

 lart of the receipt, which requires a weekly at- 

 ention, for three successive weeks, it is imma- 

 erial whether they use spirits ef turpentine or 

 loap suds, or the brush proposed by Col. Pick- 

 iriug, the evil weuld be cured at any rate. — 

 The great difficulty is the neglect to do any 

 king, till after the Caterpillars have covered 

 he trees with nests. Then the labours of the 

 iluggard commence, and one tree, (let his re- 

 :eipt be ever so perfect and powerful) will cost 

 is much time and labour as ten trees would 

 aave required three weeks tooner. If our far- 

 tners would only adopt that portion of the re- 

 :eipt, which requires a weekly attack on this 

 nemy, the evil would soon cease, and in ten 

 <ears we should scaice see a caterpillar in tlie 

 i:ountiy. By Ibis course continually pursued, 

 tve have so much r.-duced the labour, that we 

 have not one fourth part of the number we had 

 three years ago.— Editor Journal. 



From the Domestic Encyclopedia. 



Use of Sulphur, in destroyinrr Insects on Plants, 



and ils Benefits for Vegetation. 



Tie up some flour of sulfiluir in a piece of 

 muslin or fine linen, and with this the leaves of 

 young shoots of plants should be dusted, or it 

 may be thrown on them by means of a common 

 swansdown puff, or even a dredging-box. 



Fresh assurances have ropeatedlj' been re- 

 ceived of the powerful influence of sulphur 

 against the whole tribe of insects and worms 

 which infest and prey upon vegetables. Sul- 

 [)hur has also been found to promote the health 

 of plants on which it was sprinkled : and that 

 peach trees, in particular, were remarkably im- 

 proved by it. it has likewise been observed, 

 that the verdure, and other healthful appear- 

 ances, were perceptibly increased ; for the 

 (piantity of new shoots and leaves formed sub 

 sequently to the operation, and having no sul- 

 phur on their surfaces, served as a comparative 

 index, and pointed out distinctly the accumula- 

 tion of health. 



From the Nfw York .Sfntesman. 

 TUF. PHILOSOl^HER'S STONE. 



If report speaks truth, the wildest dream of 

 the Alchymist has been more than realized by 

 the achievements of science and genius of mod- 

 ern discovery ; and it the long sought for phi- 

 losopher's stone, by which baser substances 

 could be transmitted into gold, has not yet been 

 found, an in\ention of still greater importance 

 has at length crowned the efforts of American 

 chemists. It has long been known that the 

 diamond, the most precious of all substances, 

 is coaiposed of carbon in ils pure state. But 

 although the powers of chemical analysis have 

 been sufiicient by repeated experiments clear- 

 ly to establish this fact ; yet the knowledge of 

 It was of no practical importance to the world, 

 becTuse the powers of synthesis, were nol co- 

 extciisi\e with those of jwalysis ; and no mode 

 had been devised of imitating nature by uniting 

 the constituents of this precious gem. In oth- 

 er words, (lie philosopher was able to convert 

 diamonds into carbon ; but he was igiiorant of 

 the art of converting carbon into diamonds. 



If the experiments of Professor Silliman can 

 be relied on, this invaluable desideratum has 

 in part been supplied. The last number of his 

 Journal of Science contains an article on the 

 philosophical instrument called the Dcflagrator, 

 invented by Professor Hare, of Philadelphia, 

 by which it appears that charcoal, plumbago 

 and anthracite have been fused by the power 

 of that instrument, and transmuted into dia- 

 monds. The following extract contains his 

 statement of the result of his experiment: 



" On the end of the prejjared ciiarcoal and 

 occupying frequently an area of a quarter of an 

 inch or more in diameter, were found nume- 

 rous globules of perfectly melted matter en- 

 tirely spherical i:' their form, having a high 



vitreous lustre and a great degree of beauty. 



Some of them, and generally they were those 

 most remote from the focus, were of a jet black 

 like the most perfect obsidian ; others were 

 brown, yellow, and topaz coloured ; others still 

 were greyish white, like pearl stones, with the 

 franslucence and lustre of porcelain ; and oth- 

 ers still limpid like flint glass, or in some 

 cases like hyalite or precious opal, but without 

 the iridescence of the latter." 



" 1 detached some of the globules and firmly 

 bedding them in a handle of wood, tried their 

 hardness and firmness ; they bore strong pres- 

 sure without breaking, and easily scratched not 

 only flint glass but window glass, and even the 

 hard green variety which forms the aquafortis 

 bottles. The globules which had acquired Ibis 

 extraordinary hardness, were formed from plum- 

 bago, which was so soft that it was perfectly 

 free from resistance when crushed between Ihe 

 thumb and finger." 



It is said the globules obtained by these ex- 

 periments of Professor Silliman are perfectly 

 limpid, and could not be distingiiisheil from 

 portion? of diamond; that they cannot be ol 

 vitrified earthy substance contained in the plum- 

 bago ; and that they are as strictly nontonihict- 

 ors of electricity, as the diamond itself .Such 

 striking analogies would seem to leave little 

 doubt of the identity of the two substances. — 

 The artificial gems have the brilliancy and hard- 

 ness of the natural ones, and are derived from 

 materials containing the constituents of the dia- 

 mond. But lest we should be deemed too san- 

 guine, we will add Mr. Silliman's own comment 

 on the result of the experiment, and those who 

 are acquainted with bis temperament can judge 

 of the degree of confidence to which the discov- 

 ery is entitled. The Editor of the National 

 Gazette remarks, that the following sentence is 

 characteristic of this eminent chemist's modes 

 ty : " It will now probably not be deemed es- 

 Iravagant," says the Journal, " if we conclude 

 that our melted carbonaceous substances approx- 

 imate very nearly to the condition of diamoni^" 



Should this discovery be fully confirmed, it 

 will form an era in science, and figuratively a.' 

 well as literally, shed r.cTi: lustre upon our coun- 

 try. The names of Silliman and Hare will be 

 [ilaced 0,1 the same roll with that of Franklin, 

 and handed down to future ages, for the admi- 

 ration of the world. Countries have been 

 bought and sold for a single di:imond ; and wbnt 

 would be the triumphs of American genius and 

 philosophy, if we could hereafter see domestick 

 manufactories of this article established, and the 

 coal of our markets transmuted into gems, to 

 sparkle on the breast of beauty, taste, and fash- 

 ion ? 



POTATO-YEA.ST, by Kirbt. 

 The principles in this, are allied to fhe pre- 

 parations for producing Anderson's potato spirit. 

 Kirby recommends the mealy sort to be boiled 

 till thoroughly soft ; mashed till very smooth ; 

 with hot water put to the mash, hll of the con- 

 sistency of beer yeast, and not thicker. To 

 every pour 1 of potatoes add two ounces of coarse 

 sugar or molasses. When but just warm, for 

 every pound of potatoes, stir in two spoonfuls of 

 yeast, and keep it gently warm till done fer- 

 menting. He says, a pound of potatoes yield 

 near a quart of yeast, to keep three months : 

 and he directs thnt the dough lie eight hours 

 before it be put to the oven. This shews that 

 the ferment, however sure is slow. I would have 

 the potatoes to be thoroughly ripe, and well 

 sprouted ; for the reasons mentioned under the 

 head of potato spirit. 



CABBAGE PLANTS. 

 Compared cabbages transplanted, with others 

 not once invced. The unmoved grew and were 

 better than the moved. — Bordky's Husbandry. 



