92 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 12, 1825. 



STRAFFORD COPPERAS WORKS. 



Nine miles north of Norwich, Vermont, on the 

 side of a hill, are situated the Strafford Copperas 

 Works. The soil of the hill is thin, and covers 

 an immense quantity of of massive pj^ritcs. Im- 

 mediately above the pyritous rock, is found an in- 

 crnstatation of ferruginous earth, mixed «ith pet- 

 rifactions of leaves, nuts, &c. The lock is fossil 

 and undergoes the following process, in order to 

 be converted into copcras: { 



It is first broken inta smM pieces and thrown 

 into huge heaps, in v.-hich situation it is allowed j 

 to remain for some montlis ; during v.'hich time, 1 

 the sulphur with which the rock is strongly im- j 

 prcguated, is partially c.\pelied, and the pieces of! 

 rock become completely pulverised, or disintegrat- j 

 ed. The smell of sulphur is very powerful, and 

 the surrounding objects are covered with a sul- 

 phurous dust. This process of expelling the sul- ' 

 phur and pulverising the mass of pyritous rock, is 

 very similar to that of slacking lime, heat being 

 produced in the same manner. From these heaps 

 the pyrites are thrown upon leaches, and the lye 

 drawn into leaden vats. Lead is used in the con- 

 struction of the vats because other metals are Ha-, 

 'ole to decomposition from the action of the liquid. 

 Jn these vats the lye becomes reduced to a proper 

 degree of strength, when it is conveyed into I 

 wooden vats and left to form crystals of copperas 

 upon the sides or upon boughs thrown in for the 

 purpose. The form of the chrystals is rhombic, ; 

 and the colour a bcauliful green. The works arc , 

 owned by a company in Boston, and have been in j 

 operation for many years, though they have been i 

 made more extensive lately. The quality of the 

 copperas is very good, and it is generally used i 

 {^Trough the country, nearly ten thousand tons be- ' 

 ing annually sent to the market from Strafford. 



From the Unili^d Slates Gazette. 



IIa\ing been privy to a large sale of indigo lat- 

 ly,I have gained some little information about this 

 commodity, wliich I send you, to be used as your 

 editorial wisdom may direct. 



INDIGO. — The chief sign of good indigo, is its 

 lighlnes'! and ftetiiig dry between the fingers; its 

 swimming on water. If thrown upon burning 

 coals, it emits a violet coloured smoke, leaving 

 but little ashes behind. 



In choosing indigo, the large regular formed 

 cakes should be preferred, of a fine rich blue col- 

 our, extremely free from the white adhesive mould, 

 and of a clean neat shape, as it is much deprecia- 

 ted in consequence of an irregular shape in the 

 cakes, and the incrustation of white mould^--^vhen 

 broken, it should be of a bright purple cast, of a 

 loose and compact texture, free from white specks 

 or sand ; and whan rubbed with the nail, should 

 have a beautiful shining copper-like appearance. 

 That which is heavy, dull coloured and porous, 

 should be rejected — also, the small and broken 

 pieces, which though equally good in quality, do 

 not obtain an equal price. 



AGRICULTURAL. 



The last number of Flint's Western Review 

 contains some sketches of the natural history of 

 'he Mississippi valley. He states that the wild 

 'ice is found in the greatest abandance, in the 

 swamps on the upper courses of the Blississippi. 

 It is a tall, tabular, reedy, and annual water plant, 

 and resembles the cane grass of the swamps bor- 

 dering on the gulph of Mexico. Its leaves and 

 spikes, though much larger in other respects, re- 

 .semblo those of oats. The savages and Canadian 

 hunters obtain from it their winter supply of grain. 

 Mr. Flint thinks it might he cultivated with suc- 

 cess in any part of the Atlantic country, where 

 fhere are ponds and marshes. He has tasted it, 

 and pronounces it not inferior to Sago. 



He also notices the Reed Cane, and the excel- 

 lent fodder it furnishes for cattle. The butter 

 that is made from the cane pastures, is of the fin- 

 est quality and fl.avour. He has no doubt Ihat it 

 would grow as rapidly in Massachusetts, in the 

 intervals between the frosts, as it does in Louisia- 

 na. Its seed could be annually obtained with lit- 

 tle trouble, by our northern farmers. These hints 

 are worthy of notice, and we hope there will be 

 found among our agriculturalists, some who will 

 have a curiosity to try the experiment. The ex- 

 pence would bo very trifling. — Salem Obs. 



USE OF TOBACCO. 

 Gentlemen : Itbserved in your paper, some 

 davs ago, a notice that a person had discovered a 

 cure for the use of Tobacco. I have suffered un- 

 der a pulmonary complaint two years and a half: 

 about the first of July last I was very feeble, when 

 a friend advised me to use Slippery Elm Barh, as 

 a substitute for Tobacco, observing that I would 

 swallow the juice or spittle, which would be of 

 benefit to the lungs. I immediately commenced 

 using it ; and what has been very surprising to mo, 

 from that day to this I never had the least desire 

 for Tobacco, although I had used it for upwards 

 of twenty-five years. I cannot use it novi if I 

 would ; it is perfectly nauseous to me. I have 

 tried the experiment a few times, by putting some 

 in rav mouth, and have been compelled to throw it 

 out almost immediately. I do not know that the 

 Bark would have the same happy effect on others 

 that it has had on me ; but I would advise every 

 gentleman to try this experiment, who is desirous 

 to break a habit that is useless and expensive. — 

 It is expensive because the use of Tobacco cre- 

 ates thirst, and generally a thirst for something 

 stronger Ihnn toater. Respectfully yours, J. B. — 

 JSfational Intelligencer. 



Much excellent iron ore is found in the counties 

 of South Carolina, bordering on North Carolina. 

 Several furnaces have been erected, and hollow 

 vvare of a very substantial, if not o' a very neat 

 quality is made, 



GOOD FARMING. 

 There is a farmer in the town of Louisville, in 

 this county, who has had a harvest this year of 

 more than six hundred acres of produce. The 

 following are some of the items : — upwards of 

 two hundred acres of wheat; one hundred acres 

 of rye ; eighty acres of corn ; fifty acres of pota- 

 toes ; sixty acres of oats ; thirty of peas, together 

 with barley, &c. &c. The number of men em- 

 ployed during harvest was thirty ; all the grain 

 was very fine and well secured. This same farm- 

 er has one hundred horses, which he is raising 

 for market. There are several farmers at the 

 West, who keep more stock and cattle and cut 

 more hay, but we doubt if there are any who can 

 boast of a greater harvest of grain — iS^. Lair. JY. 

 y. Gazette. 



Peaches have been selling in Stonington, Con. 

 !\t six pencfi^pcr ba-sket. 



THAMES TUNNEL. 



It is observed that it will hardly be credited 

 that so largo a leak as there was in this work 

 could have been so promptly remedied. It was at 

 one time ffty feet wide. There are several tri- 

 fling leaks in the sides, but these are not expect- 

 ed to cause trouble. 



fTcekli/ consumption of articles upon the work 



Bricks, 7U,00I). Cement, 350 casks. Candles. 

 300 pounds. Portable gas, 500 feet. 



7.50 tons of soil were carted in to stop the leak. 

 Before the accident, 3 or 400 dollars a day were 

 taken from visitors. 



It is stated that in the single city of Bueno.-: 

 Ayres there are already si.\ thousand Frenchmen, 

 and the number is said to be increasing. 



Ji'helhcr Beans and Peas, or Oats are preferable 

 in ri sper.t to Economy, as provender for horses. — 

 A bushel of oats weighs, perhaps, forty pounds, 

 and a bushel of peas and beans perhaps sixty 

 pounds ; and as the skin o! peas and beans is 

 much less in quantity than that of oats, I suppose 

 there may be fifteen pounds of flour more in a 

 bushel of peas and beans, than in a bushel of oats. 

 There is also reason to believe that the flour of 

 beans is more nutritive than that of oats, as ap- 

 pears in the fattening of hogs ; whence, accord- 

 ing to the respective prices of these articles, peas 

 and beans generally supply a cheaper provender 

 for horses than oats, as well as for other domestic 

 animals. But as the flour of peas and beans is 

 more oily than that of oats, .it may in general be 

 somcvihat more difficult of digestion, hence it may 

 be found expedient to mix finely cut straw witli 

 them. 



" .Mode of Slopping Epislaxes, [hhcding at the 

 nose.) — "A young man nineteen years of age, 

 bled from the nose two days so profusely that he 

 fainted several times. Mineral acids, ice to the 

 nape of the neck, &c. were tried, but without 

 stopping the flow of blood. Dr. Brunner was call- 

 ed in on the third day, and he blew up powdered 

 gum Arabic through a quill — the hemorrhage 

 ceased directly."— rPhiladelphia Journal of Ihr 

 Medical and Physical Sciences. 



Superior Buntis. — One pound and a half of 

 flour, (a quarter pound left to sift in last) and a 

 half pound of butter cut up fine together ; then 

 add four eggs beat to a high froth, four tea cups 

 of milk, half a wine glass of brandy, wine, and 

 rose water each, and one wine glass of yeast : 

 stir it all together with a knife, and add half a 

 pound of sugar, then sift in the quarter of a pound 

 of flour, and when the lumps are all beaten fine, 

 set them to rise in pans they are to be baked in 

 This quantity will make four square pans full. 



To preserve Grapes on the viiies till winter. — 

 About September, when the grapes are nearly 

 ripe, procure some bags made either of crape, 

 muslin or white paper. 



Select some of the best branches, and with a 

 pair of sharp narrow-pointed scissars, cu( off all 

 small, unripe, rotten, mouldy, or imperfect grapes, 

 especially those eaten by the flies or wasps. 



Inclose each bunch in a bag, and tie the bag 

 fast with a string, so that no insect can get into 

 it. In tlic middle of a fine day in October, gath- 

 er them, with a piece of the shoot to them, and 

 iiang them up in a dry warm room. 



Dip the ends of the slioots in raelJcd- rosiaw. 



