Vol. (>.— No.22. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



171 



Obseivatiuns respecling t- e UtilUy of Suialloivs, 

 ii/ the Rev. David Ure, Ministtr of Ujihall, in 

 •Scotlanil. 



One advantngc, wiiicli ibis country enjoys uitli 

 most otlicrs, is derived from tlie Swallow. These 

 migratory birds are of an incalculable advantage 

 to the interests of society at large, but more imme- 

 diately to the husbandman. Nature has, by in- 

 stinct, directed them to build their nests, and 

 bring forth their young, at the season of the year 

 when those insects, on which they live, are begin- 

 ning to injure tlie rising crops, by depositing their 

 eggs for the production of caterpillars. Were 

 those niyri'alfe of insects, vvith which the air then 

 swarms, allowed to fly about, without an enemy 

 to destroy them, the caterpillars, their offspring, 

 would, in a short time, become so numerous, that 

 •every vegetable would be totally destroyed. One 

 of their greatest enemies is the Swallow. The 

 most of common birds also feed their young with 

 caterpillars — which circumstance astonishingly 

 lessens their number. But the Swallow feeds l;er 

 young with the insect or parent of these caterpil- 

 lars, and is of superior advantage ; for, by des 

 troying a single fly or insect, in the beginning of 

 .-summer, many thousands of vermin are prevented 

 from coming into existence. Thus applying a 

 remedy to the evil in the most effectual way. — 

 Every encouragement, therefore, should, by the 

 'overs of Agriculture, be given to thoso friendly 

 visitants. Some thoughtless people discourage 

 ihem from frequenting the neighbourhood of bee 

 liives, from a suspicion that in their flight thev 

 pick up the bees. This perhaps is no more than 

 a suspicion : for it is probable that S>va!low3 will 

 not injure bees or any other insects that are arm- 

 ed with stings. But although a few bees should 

 be destroyed by them, their loss is of very little j 

 consequence, compared with the advantages aris- 

 ing from the destruction of the caterpillars and 

 other devouring vermin. It is believed, by accu- 

 rate observers that one nest of Swallows will de- 

 vour in a season, about 100,000 insects, which, 

 with tlfeir caterpillars, would destroy an immense 

 quantity of growing vegetables. Another advan- 

 tage arising from the Swallow is, that it never 

 lives on grain, which is not the case with most 

 other birds. 



Cultivation of silk Considerable attention is 



now paid to the cultivation of this article. A 

 number, within our knowledge, have engaged 

 succossi'ully in the business. Their success will 

 be productive of much benefit. It will e.\cite'the 

 attention of others to this employment. The fol- 

 lowing facts are worthy of attention. Four acres 

 of land planted with the mulberry, near Boston, 

 have supplied food for as many worms as made 

 490 pounds of silk — worth $3,30 per pound, or 

 $1,470; all of which were attended to by four 

 girls, and only for a short period in the year. — 

 This employment is well calculated for those, who 

 are advanced, and also for those families in which 

 there are many young children, neither of which 

 would be very profitable in any other way. It is 

 said, that the best method of cultivating the mul- 

 berry is to sow it broad cast, then the loaves may 

 be mowed off and raked together for use, without 

 much trouble. The leaves are also more tender 

 than those, which grow on trees, a sufiicient num- 

 ber of these however, must be reared to furnish 

 annual supplies of seed. — Dunstable, (JV. II.) Gaz. 



To preserve seeds in a state fit for vegetation.^ 

 Fill an old cask about half full of moist earth ; 

 then put the seeds, those especiaHy which are not 

 of an oily nature, and consequently liable to spoil 

 soonest, as near the centre of the cask as possi- 

 ble ; then fill up the remaining portion of the cask 

 with moist earth, ramming it tight, and heading 

 the cask so as to make it completely air and wa- 

 ter tight as possible, and stow it away in a place 

 to which no salt water is likely to reacji. In this 

 way, seeds may be brought, with perfect safety, 

 from the East Indies or New Holland. 



Patent Water-wheel. — The Dover (New Hamp- 

 shire) Republican, states, that "Mr. Elijah Skin- 

 ner, of Sandwich, has patented an improvement in 

 the open single screw or spiral water-wheel, cal- 

 led the 'open screw n'ater-tvheel,^ which promises 

 to be of great utility. This wlieel is used by pi-ic- 

 ing it horizontally in a river parallel with the cur- 

 rent; and, where the depth of water will admit, 

 wholly immersec, giving the watqr free passa.^e 

 into the screw or float boards. In small streams, 

 where there is but lit! Is head and fall of water, 

 this wheel may be used in a siaiilar manner to the 

 tub wheel, by mears of tiie water passing through 

 a long hollow cylinder in a perpendicular or 

 oblique direction. Tiie aiivicitages claimed for 

 this improveuient are, thit these wheels may be 

 used to advantage in slow and deep currents 

 where dams cannot be conveniently built, without 

 obstructing navigation, and may also be used in 

 tide waters with the ebb and flow of the tides, or 

 in floating mills, or at the bow or stern of vessels 

 for working the pumps, &c.; and lastly, its cheap- 

 ness of construction." 



Meal. — The consumption of Meat in London 

 may be nearly ascertained by the annual sales of 

 cattle at Smithfield market, which amount to 

 about 150,000 head of large cattle, 30,000 calves, 

 a million and a half of sheep, and 25,000 hogs. 



Bread Stuff's. — The annual consumption of corn 

 in London is about eight millions of bushels ; four 

 fifths of which are made into bread, and amount 

 to 64 millions of qr. loaves. The Butter consum- 

 ed is 11,000 tons. Cheese 13,000. Milk valued 

 at nearly five millions of dollars ; — Poultry, from 

 3 to 400,000 dollars. Game of various quantities. 



Agriculture in Russia. — An economical Society 

 and a school for the education of future agricultu- 

 rists, have recently been established at Moscow, 

 through the exertions of Prince Galitzin. " The 

 branches of instruction are the following: the Rus- 

 sian language, book-keeping, agricultural chemis- 

 try, botany, the pliysiology of plants, the manage- 

 ment of woods and forests, technology, farming, 

 and the veterinary art. The course lasts 5 years. 

 The Society publishes a journal in the Russian 

 language, which has already accomplished much 

 good." 



It is proposed to light the city of Pittsburg with 

 Seneca Oil. It is found in abundance floating on' 

 the surface of some of the creeks, and it is said | 

 that it misht be furnished for twenty-five cents! 

 per gallon, if a market was opened for its use. ' 



Fruit and Vegetables. — The neighborhood of 

 London furnishes it with fruit and vegetables, and 

 occupy about 6000 acres, which are laid out in 

 gardens, and give employment to 30,000 persons 

 in v.'interj^and nearly 100,000 in summer. 



SILK MANUFACTURE. 



About si.x weeks since, Mr Douglas,a Scotchman, 

 came to Windham, Conn, for the purpose of estab- 

 lishing himsulf in the weaving of silk ribbands. — 

 To this he was led from the low rate of board, 

 and the great facility of obtaining good and cheap 

 silk. He has wrought so long in his native coun- 

 try, and latterly at Now York, that his opinion 

 ought, perhaps, to be entitled to some weight. — 

 Ho stated tome, that it was his sincere convictioii 

 that he had never worked, or seen, from Italy oi 

 France, superior silk to that n.anufactuied in 

 Windham county, and those immediately adjoin- 

 ing ; nor did he e.\pect to see it better dyed than 

 it was here. 



It has been estimated, I believe, that silk to the 

 amount of thirty or forty thousand dollars, is 

 annually produced in this county; but this is prob 

 ably much under the present proceeds. In Toll- 

 and, also, and some of the adjacent counties, it if 

 largely cultivated. The quantity produced by sin- 

 gle families, varies from 10 to l.TO lbs. weight. — 

 It IS presumed that Cupt. Storris, of Mansfield, has 

 raised the present year upwards of 100 lbs. of silk. 

 Here, then, is §1000 gained without interferingin 

 the least with the other products of his farm, be- 

 sides aftbrding an abundant supply of luxuriou!^ 

 food for his pigs and poultry ! — Mass. Journal. 



To preserve floiuers. — Gather them in variou.s 

 stages, from the young bud to the full-bloom blos- 

 som, and press them carefully between severa' 

 folds of blotting paper, changing them into dry 

 parts of the paper, every second or third day, uii 

 till all their moisture is absorbed, then press then-, 

 between the leaves of some book. The same can 

 tions apply to leaves, which should always be the 

 most perfect. 



Russian Tallow. — The amount of Tallow in the 

 market of St; Petersburg, the last season, was 

 160,000 casks ; of which 135,000 were sold at a 

 reduced price from the previous years' sales ; of 

 course 25,000 casks remained on hand, to be dis- 

 posed of at a still lower price. 



It would seem from an article in the Portsmouth 

 Times, that some person lately had a sound toott 

 pulled, and sold, to raise 50 cents to buy rum. 



A Profitable Farm. — Mr Comfort Elliot, of Croy. 

 den, N. H. has a farm of 80 acres, on which he 

 has this year raised 175 bushels of grain and 193() 

 bushels of potatoes. He has this fall turned ofi", 

 in stock, grain, butter, shoats, &c. enough tc. 

 amount to over 500 dollars, and has a handsome, 

 stock lel't. He has hired but three months' labor 

 during the season. — Concord Gazette. 



A Kentucky paper says 20,000 sheep have beei: 

 recently sold in that state, at prices averaging a- 

 bout 50 cents a head. 



The Egyptians instructed the Greeks ; the 

 Greeks performed the same office to the Romans, 

 and the latter have transmitted much of that 

 knowledge to the world, of which we are in pos 

 session at this day. 



Cadmus, in 1519, B. C. introduced alphabeHca', 

 writing into Greece, from Phoenicia. The alpha- 

 bet then had only sixteen letters ; and the modf 

 of viriting was alternately from right to left anP 

 left to right. 



Dr. Arnot says lying with the head lower thaii 

 the body, is abetter way of emptying the stomach' - 

 than the new invented pump. [This is easier saiS* 

 than done.] 



