Vol.6.— No. 4r. 



NEW ENGLAND FARiVjER. 



37? 



pass a habitation, however spacious, standing nak- 

 od to the sun, with notliin;"; ornamental, nothiiis 

 inviting, around it, I cannot lielp sayintr to inysell' 

 however abundant may be the slovenly possessiims 

 of its owner, there is no retineniont in that house ; 

 there is no delicate and kindly inlerchaiii.'e of sen- 

 timent dinons; its inmates, and if ever they are so- 

 ciable, their sociablenoss consists in rude nd fit- 

 ful loquacity. Their books are few, and those ill- 

 chosen and unread. But if I notice a dwelling, 

 Jiowever humble, which is apparently as snuij as 

 its owner has means to make it, displaying neat- 

 ness and ta:stc in its fences, and shades and shrub- 

 bery, aiii flower pots at the windows, — I feel as- 

 sured that this IS the abode of refinement ; this is 

 ilie home of ([uiet and rational eiijuyraent, of in el 

 ligent and kindly interco;irse. — Cliristian Specla. 



I will begin ; then mix the contents of the pot with 

 1 the flour, add more warm water, if necessary, 

 'and in less than an hour the mass will be leady 

 I for baking ; and when baked will be found as well 

 raised and tasted as bread rai.sed with yeast. — 

 I From three to four hours are requisite in this pro- 

 cess, from the time of first preparinj^ the salt and 

 water. — Farmer''s Jlssistant. 



BREAD. 



Dr Darwin asserts, that the starch which may 

 be extracted fiom any given number of pounds of 

 tiiW potatoes, added to as many pounds of this root 

 when boiled, will make bread equal to that made 

 from the best wheat flour. The boiled potatoes 

 are to be mashed fine, with the starch, in its wet 

 stale, added to them, and then to be made in (he 

 manner of wheaten bread. An equal number of 

 pounds ot wheal flour, and of boiied potatoes well 

 mashed, will also m-iko good bread. Or, instead 

 of potatoes, boiled turnips, well mashed, and the 

 juice mostly squeezed out, will answer very well ; 

 but in such case the bread is to be kept about 24 

 hours, before eating, by which time it will lose the 

 taste and smell of the turnips. They are to bo 

 peeled before boiling ; and the potatoes are to be 

 skinned before they are used. 



Take twelve ounces of rice, boil it till quite soft 

 strain oS" the liquor (which makes the best of 

 starch) add the vice to four pounds of wheal Hoar, 

 and the whole, when made into bread in the usual 

 way, will weigh seven pounds ; so that this addi- 

 tion of boiled rice gives upwards of a pound more 

 of bread, than if four pounds twelve ounces of 

 flower had been used for the purpose ; the bread 

 made with the addilion of the rice is equally good 

 as that made entirely of flour, and will keep moist 

 considerably longer. It, however, requires a lit- 

 tle longer time in the process of rising. 



There is also a sliU greater addition to be made 

 to the weight and quautity of wheaten bread, by 

 boiling the bran, which is separated from the flour 

 i.T bolting, and kneading up the whole boiled mass 

 With the flour. The bran should be boiled about 

 twenty minutes, by which operation its weight and 

 its nutrimenlal qualities are greatly increased ; — 

 and wlien cooled lo lukcwarmness it may be added 

 to the dour to be made into bread. Or the water 

 in which ihe bran is boiled may be pressed out 

 and addeu to tlie flour ; and this of itself w ill make 

 a very lonsiderable addilion to the weight and 

 quaniity ol ihe Oread. 



Stale breau is more wholesome than that which 

 is ne«ly baked, as the latter contains a large pro- 

 portion oi lU'iigeslible paste ; which mpy,however, 

 be reuuirred less hurtful, by toasting. 



T malit bital tiith suit — I'ake as much of 

 this article as is ne> essary lor the quantity of 

 bread to be made ; dissolve Ihe sail in a quantity 

 of warm water sufficien to mix the flour intended 

 to be baked : mix eoiue flour in this water, and set 

 it in a pot near the fire ; but not eo near as to 

 burn the flour: A yellow water will soon rise en 

 the top, which is to be taken off, and the rising 



STEEL. 

 A discovery has, it is stated, been made in the 

 arts iu Paris, which promises to be of the hi.liest 

 importance. An English gentleman has succeeded 

 in making tlje beet shear steel from M. Craw- 

 shay's common No. 2 iron, fie asserts that by his 

 process he is able lo convert the very worst of any 

 country into shear steel If tliis result be obtain- 

 ed from iron of an inferior quality, it may bo ex- 

 pected that from the best iron a still superior qual- 

 ity of steel may be obtained, so as shortly lo su- 

 persede the necessity of applying lo Sweden for 

 iron. A knife of this steel is described as of a tem- 

 per to cut iron like wood, and a file to be superior 

 to all preceding manufactures. It appears that 

 by the new process the steel acquires a greater 

 degree of hardness than by the former method, 

 while it is also much tougher, therefore highly 

 valuable for mining operations. This gentleman 

 is coming lo England lo communicate his discov- 

 ery, which ought to be made generally public. 

 London paper. 



Temperance. — The Temperate Society of Thet- 

 ford, Vl. in their annual report, stale that the 

 diminution of the sale of ardent spirits iu that 

 town the last year was nearly one half. The sales 

 amounted to $.5000 in 1826, and only $2,659 in 

 1827. The quantity consumed is still alarming, 

 al' bough many have entirely obstuined. Fanners 

 have tried the experiu^ent of abstaining entirely 

 from using and furnishing ardent spirits, and their 

 experience is decidedly in favour of abstinence. 

 They find no difficulty in hiring laborers ; their 

 fields are free trom babblings and contentions ; 

 Iheir work is done quicker and better than for- 

 merly ; and they believe that the man who drinks 

 but a single glass during the day will lug behind 

 those who abstain, before night. Buildings have 

 been raised, sheep washed, and all kinds of bu- 

 siness performed, without the aid of ardent spir- 

 its. Some of the farmers who had laborers that 

 loved ruin, told them that their ciops should rot 

 on the ground, if they could not be gathered 

 without the help of mm. When this point was 

 settled, they had no further difficulty. Men who 

 had long been accustomed to use spirits discon- 

 tinued ihe habit, and were much satisfied with 

 the result. j 



Buildings have lately been raised in Belcher- I 

 town, Westfield, and other towns without the use 

 of rum. There was no. difficulty in finding men 

 to assist in the work. i 



The great cause of temperance is advancing. — , 

 Those who think at all, see that something must | 

 be done, and that all expedients except entire ub 

 stiiieiice are useless. "Let not the friends of teiu- I 

 perance give back The only word is, ^ress on. 

 The progress may be slow, bul it is the march tc- 

 victory. 



Dr. Physic, of Philadelphia, says he believes the 

 use of Liverwort, for the cure of consumption, is 

 nothing but quackery ; and he thinks it will do 

 more hurt than good. 



I Exportation of ict — I'he buMness ol exporting 

 ice in cariroes to the West Inmes, orij/inated in 

 Boston about twenty years r-ince. The first per- 

 son, (Mr. Frederic Tudorj who engaged in it, had 

 j many diffii-ulUea to contend with ; no ineurance 

 [cou;d be had on his vessel — sailors were unwil- 

 ling to go on a voyage so ha/ardous, and the com- 

 munity sneered at Itic pn.j ct. lie finally sur- 

 mounted all opposition an 1 pr.ju licc. Many vt esels 

 are now employed in transposing this product of 

 our northern winters to tropii al countries, and in 

 returning home laden with their valuable produc- 

 tions. — Haiitp. Gaz. 



Broad rimmed wheels for stages and carriages 

 of burden are fast coming into use in Massachu- 

 setts. — Hampshire Sen. 



Chimney Swallows. — Mr. Uun'l. B'ltler had been 

 annoyed tor soiiic days by a noise in the chimney 

 of his store, made by larye numbers of swallows ; 

 which, by the vibration of their wings acting on 

 the confined air, occasuine<l a rumbling like dis- 

 tant thunder. On Iho 28lh uitiuio, his son and an- 

 other person made an opening from the lower part 

 of the chimney into tne counting room, then as- 

 cended the roof, and by letting down into the flue 

 of the chimney a board fitted so as to nearly fill 

 the passage, drove 256 swallows into the rooiflj 

 where they clung to the walls, windows, &,c. 

 They were caught and put into a box with open 

 places on one side for the admission of light and 

 air. The next morning the board was again used, 

 and 1 19 swallows were forced down into the room 

 and placed in the box with the oihers, making in 

 all 375. So many of these little birds in one c.ige 

 presented a novel eight. They adhered to the 

 sides, and clustered together at the corners hang- 

 ing- upon one another like a swarm of bees. They 

 were released from confinenidit the same day, and 

 resumed thcii twittering notes and rapid flights. 

 Cliimney and barn swallows destroy legions of in- 

 sects, but never attack the produce of the soil, — 

 Did they fail to make their appearance, our build- 

 ings and crops would be overrun with insects. — 

 These harmless birds amply repay us for shelter- 

 ing them, and it is impolitic and cruel to destroy 

 them. — Hampshire Gaz. 



Beetles. — These are very common — their eggs 

 are deposited in the ground by the parent insect, 

 whose fore legs are very sliort, and well calculat- 

 ed for burrowing. From each of these eggs pro- 

 ceeds, after a short time, a whitish worm with six 

 legs, a red head, and strong claws, which is des- 

 tined to live in the earth unaer that form for four 

 years, and there undergoes various changes of its. 

 skin, until it assumes its chrysalid form. These 

 creatures, in immense numbers, work between the 

 turf and the soil in the richest mjeadows, devour- 

 ing the roots of the grass lo such a degree that 

 the turf rises, and will roll up with almost as much 

 ease, as if it had been cut with a turfing knife ; — 

 and underneath, the soil appears turned into a soft 

 mould for above an inch in depth, like the bed of 

 a garden. In this the grubs lie, in a curved posi- 

 tion, on their backs, the head and tail uppermost, 

 and the rest of the body buried in the mould. — 

 Such are the devastations comiuilled by the grubs 

 of the cock-chafer, that a whole field of fine flour- 

 ishing grass, in the summer time, became in a few 

 weeks withered, dry, and as brittle as hay, by 

 these grabs devouring the roots, and gnawing 

 away all those fibres that fastened it to the ground,. 



