130 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. Iti, 182'/. 



AGRICULTURAL ADDRESS. 



The following paragraph is extracted from the address of Pli- 

 Tiy Merrick, Esq. before tlie Agricultural Society of Worcester 

 county. 



"I am not unaware that there are those, who 

 will not yield a -.villing attention to the BUggestion. 

 that the opeiations of the htisbandman on his farm 

 are to be essentially aided by results deri^'ed from 

 scientific and philosopliical investigation. They 

 object that theory and practice are far dilTcrent 

 things; that the abstruse speculations of the clos- 

 et are too subtle and refined for the actual labors 

 of cultivation ; and they confidently claim tliat \'he 

 plain unsophisticated judgment which has been 

 formed by practice is clearer and better than that 

 which comes heavy lumbcrod with the conclusions 

 of a life of study. 'J'hey start bacls, as from mysti- 

 cal conjurations, from all book learning on matters 

 of husbandry, with much the same undefined hor- 

 ror as our ancestors did from witchcraft — and with 

 much the same reason too. Unwilling to be assur- 

 ed that science is, after all, nothing but perfected 

 practice, they pray, with a shivering devoutness, 

 that their farms may be spared from subjugation to 

 the waking dreams and visionary innovations of 

 the man of learning. — But let no hasty prejudice 

 or thouglitless fear, extinguish, by their mistaken 

 distrust, tlie glowing light of truth. Agriculture 

 has itself, in all ages, received benefit from intel- 

 lectual e.xertions — and through all the vicissitudes 

 of time, mind has given confidence to energy, and 

 direction to the active. In the most common ptir- 

 suits, in the boldest exeitions of enterprise, facili- 

 ties for practice hn\e been largely tlrawn from 

 those sober places in which men of learning have 

 been bestov/ed. When the hardy mariner goes 

 forth upon his favorite element of tumultuous wa- 

 ters, his tearle.'is intrepidity results not f'om confi- 

 dence in his own manly strength, but from a well 

 grounded assurance that learning has provided hint 

 with the means of steering his bark to another 

 shore; and he remembers tiiat science has taught 

 him to look for the land marks of the deep in t!ie 

 well ascertained orbits of the stars above him." 



cause the wool to separate from it, tanning it with 

 oak bark, treating it with oil; cleansing it, and 

 istly, in currying it, and rendering it of an equal 

 thickness throughout. The tubes, after being 

 opened with instruments, or tools called ivolves' 

 teeth, are drawn over the bosses of the cylinders 

 used for spinning cotton and wool, and are stretch- 

 ed tight by pincers. The tubes ousiht to e.xceed 

 the bosses of each cylinder in length ; and the 

 parts of them which extend beyond the bosses are 

 to bo pressed down and tied, and to be fastened to 

 the end of the cylinders with strong glue ; the ex- 

 tremities are then to be rubbed with a wolf's tooth, 

 to make the glue enter into the leather; and the 

 cylinders are left in this state for five or six hours; 

 after which the ligatures are taken oft", and the 

 ends of the skin which extend beyond the bos.ses, 

 are cut away in a lathe. In taking them out of the 

 lathe, the cylinders are rubbed with a cloth some- 

 what hard, to bring forth the polish of the skins. 

 Lend. ATew Month. Mag. 



OHIO POTATOE. 



Mr Story of this village planted last spring in 

 his garden a single potatoe, obtained of his kiiis- 

 ir.»n Judge Gary, of Chenango county, the seed of 

 which was said to be from Ohio, and whicii pro- 

 duced the present fall one hundred and thirty-si>;. 

 Thirty. three of them filled a half busiiel and 

 >veigbed 2.5 pounds; of the rest seventy five were 

 of a good ordinary size for culinary purposes : the 

 remainder rather small, making in the whole about 

 a busliel. His gardner, John Dutchcr, v/hohad the 

 care of planting, hoing, digging, &c. deserves 

 great credit, and can testify to the truth of the 

 facts detailed. Another specimen of this e>:cellent 

 vegetable, raised in the satne garden, is little less 

 extraordinary. Twenty-five potatoes of the com- 

 mon kind were selected of this year's growth, 

 weighing fifty pounds — They are of an excellent 

 qttality. This will certainly yield addiliona' induce- 

 ments to a fresh supply of emigrants from the 

 Emerald Isle — Cherrtf Valley Gazelle. 



MEXICAN TIGER FLOWER. 



This flower is of such exquisito beauty as to 

 merit particular attention. — Hernandez, a Spanish 

 physician, who was sent to Mexico by Philip II. 

 king of Spain, informs us that it grew wild about 

 tkat city, and was much cultivated for its exces- 

 sive beauty, and for the medicinal virtues of its 

 roots, being, as he terms it, a " frijefacient in fe- 

 vers, anil a promoter of fecundity in women." 



This flower has no scent, but in splendid beauty 

 it has scarcely any competitor. It is born to die- 

 play its glory but a few hours, and then literal!/ 

 melts away; but to compensate for this sudden de- 

 cline, it continues to produce flowers for several 

 weeks. The latter end of August is generally the 

 Reason of its bloom. 



It it properly a green-house plant, succeeds feest 

 in liglit mould, and is easily propagated by seed, 

 from which the plants will flower the second year. 

 The bulbs and oSsets may be taken up in October, 

 when the leaves are decayed, and ke"t in dry sand, 

 saw-dust, or rolled up in dry moss till March ; hut 

 they must be carefully preserved from frost. Or 

 they may be replanted immediately in pots of fresh 

 earth, and placed in the green-house ; giving 

 them but very little water, till they begin to vege- 

 tate in spring. — M'Mahon's Gardener. 



M. Delvan'.i Patent for making Tubes without 

 .^eams, of the Skins of the Legs of Sheep, for Spin- 

 Tii'.?i>- Factories. — It consists in cutting all round, 

 ibnv;? the claw, the skin of the leg of a sheep, pull- 

 ing it off m the same manner that liurcs and rab- 

 bits are rased: then soaking it in lime water, to 



The September number of Flint's Western Re- 

 view contains an article describing a variety of 

 beautiful trees and shrubs common to the valley of 

 the Missisippi. The following elegant tree is thus 

 described : 



China Tree. — This is a tree more cultivated in 

 the southern regions of this valley, as an ornamen- 

 tal shade tree than any other. It has fine, long, 

 spiked leaves, eight or ten inches in length, set in 

 corresponding pairs on each si If of a stem two 

 feet long. The verdure is of the most brilliant and 

 deep in nature. In the flowering season, the top is 

 one tuft of blossoms, in color and fragrance re- 

 sembling the lilac, except that the tufts are larger. 

 It holds in flower for a long time. It is a tree of 

 the most rapid growth of any in our country. 

 These trees, planted out in a village, in a few 

 years completely embower it, and from the intense- 

 ness of their verdure, they impart a delit;htful 

 freshness to the landscape, in that sultry climate. 

 After the leaves have fallen in autumn, the tree is 

 still covered with a profusion of reddish berries of 

 the si^c of haws, that gives it the appearance, at 



a little distance, of remaining in flower. Robins- 

 immigrate to this region iu the latter part of win- 

 ter, settle on these trees in great numbers, and 

 feed on the berries. They possess an intoxicating 

 or narcotic quality; and the robins, sitting on thp 

 trees in a state of stupefaction, may be killed with 

 a stick. The bark is said to be a pov,crfu! verini 

 fuge. 



E.xtrarts from " Gleanings m Hiisbandry and Rural Affairs." 



Blany people wonder why the curious enquirer.-- 

 into nature will give themselves so much trouble 

 about exotic plants ; but they do not sufficiently 

 consider, that many kinds of grain, many roots, 

 legumes, fruits, sallads, ;'.i;d trees, in common use 

 with us for nourishment, household utensils, cloth 

 ing, and ornament, are originally exotic. 



Stiliingjleet's Tracts. 



Humble Bees. — If a nest of the common Hum- 

 ble Bee (Apis Terrestris,] or of the Black Humble 

 Bee (A. Subterranea,) is taken late in the evening, 

 and confined for the night in a hive or box ; they 

 will not afterwards forsake it, but increase their 

 comb and breed. 



Black Currant JVine. — The process of manu- 

 facture is merely that of macerating the fruit, in 

 an equal quantity of cold water, two or three 

 days ; then boiling the whole slowly, until the 

 fruit is dissolved ; when the liquor is strained oflT. 

 Rt-boil the liquor, gently, a short time ; and add 

 a quantity of sugar, proportioned to the given 

 richness of the fruit ; ferment, and lay up, agree- 

 [ ably to the methods practised with other fruit 

 liquors. 



Buckwheat was first brought from Africa into 

 France, by the Saracens — and from France into 

 England. — Is called by ni:;ny French wheat. 



■ It may be well for the husbandman to attend to 

 the plants of Red Clover in the course of its grow- 

 ing. Some considerable variety appears in the 

 character pf the plants : lie should note them, 

 and sow the seeds of a head of each variety, ob- 

 serving the progress of the growth, hardiness, &c. 

 It is the way of discovering the good sorts, — the 

 best. The worst the field had better be cleared 

 of. 



A Dairy should be ropmy, airy, and shaded from 

 the sun, and the windows to face the north ; 

 wherever a stream of water can be brought 

 through it, the opportunity should always be era- 

 braced. 



Wooden vessels are supposed to be the best for 

 holding milk, but unless kept clean, communicate 

 a disagreeable taste to the milk. 



One of the best methods of cleaning and season- 

 ing wooden vessels for milk, is, after being well 

 rinsed in cold water, to put them into boiling wa- 

 ter for the sptice of about three minutes : then to 

 be kept dry till wanted. 



Erotics. — From some late attempts that have 

 been made to raise plants natives of the East and 

 West Indies in the open ground, it appears that 



several have flowered and ripened their seeds : 



and it is much to be wished more eflorts were 

 made to increase the number of our useful olants. 

 The late Dr Fothergill cultivated with tlie great- 

 est attention, at Upton, near London, every plant 

 that seemed likely to be of use in physic or manu- 

 factures, and which he could procure at any ex- 

 pen.se ; and it is to be regretted, that the public 

 were not made acquainted with the fruits of his 



