290 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH i-:, IS r. 



Eng'ish writer in Loudon's Magazine, an article 

 rcpiililisjrd in tlio N. E. Far.-'ier, vol. v. p. 409, 

 stHtes that the ''ripe potato, having performed all 

 its operations, heconies nio:'e inert ; hut the cir- 

 cnlation of the sap in the unripe tnl)er having iieen 

 sloppeil, it suirts tnore readily and wiili greater 

 vigor when planted ; the one seems to die, wi.rn 

 out with a;^e,the other seems aciiilentally to have 

 fallen asleep, and when awoke, [)ossesses an un- 

 spent vigor and energy." 



It would he well if some of our cultivators 

 would asriirtaiii by experiment, the disputeil point 

 whether ripe or unripe potatoes are to be prefer- 

 ed for seed. 



MAPLE SUGAR. 



Every sugar boiler knows how to make maple 

 sugar, but every one does not know how to make 

 good maple sugar. The material of foreign sugar 

 is the same ; the difference in quality and price, 

 results in the processes by wliii-h it is manufac- 

 tured and refiued. The art of making good sugar 

 consists in freeing it from all impurities which 

 may affect its flavor or appearance. With the same 

 care the juice of the maple will make as good su- 

 gar, and as white, as the juice of the cane. Ev- 

 ery family who makes maple sugar, may addoiie- 

 tliird to its market value, by the simple process 

 we are about to detail, and which it will cost thcui 

 but a trifle to ado|>t. It is the process hy which 

 Havana sugars are brought to the purity and 

 whitenesii which we seethem in our market. We 

 take it from Jhaptal, who manufactured sugar ex- 

 tensively from the beet, and who here describes 

 tiie process he successfully pursued. 



We will first give the processes of purifying 

 the juice and the syrup. 'Ihe juiie (of the beet) 

 is first heated to a temperature of one hundred 

 and eighty degrees, thirtytwo de-grees below the 

 boiling point, w hen sonje milk of lime, prepared 

 by throwing some warm water on to liliie, is thrown 

 in, and the liquor well stirred. As soon as the 

 •first bubble makes its appearance, the fire is ex- 

 tinguished, and the liquor left at rest. A scum 

 rises, thickens, ilries and hardens. Tlie fiquor 

 becomes clear. The lime unites with the muci- 

 lage and settles to the bottoui. The scum is re- 

 moved and the clear liquor drawn of}. The pro- 

 cess requires an hour, and sometimes mtich more. 

 The syrup is afterward refined by animal char- 

 coal and the whites of eggs, and filtered through 

 a coarse, thick, rough cloth. Moulds of tin or 

 other material are prepared, of any size, of a con- 

 ical shape, like the form of a sugar luaf, with a 

 stopper in the small or lower end. When suffi- 

 ciently reduced, the syrup is turned into them ; 

 as soon as granulation has begun on the surf^ice 

 and sides, the crust is broken with a spatula, and 

 the whole stirred well ; after which it is left 

 alone. After this, the process of wdiitening or 

 claying is thus managed : the clay is first thor- 

 oughly washed, till it acquires such a degree of 

 consistency as not to flow when placed on a smooth 

 and slightly inclined board. It is then thrown on 

 to the sugar in the moulds. '1 lie moisture pene- 

 trates the loaves, deprives the sugar of its color, 

 aud passes out at the point of the mould, which 

 should now be unstopped. The clay deprived of 

 its water, shrinks and dries, and is removed. A 

 second, and sonjctiines a third application of clay 

 is made, before the sugar attains its desired white- 

 ness. — l"a7t,^'ee Far. 



Sagacitv of Bees. — The instinctive sagacity 

 of the honey-bee, every farmer has had occasion 

 to notice. — A curious instance of contrivance of 

 means and success of ultimate ends beW-een two 

 swarms, was seen in this town last fall. .\ far- 

 mer, «hile passing an open lot in the centre of 

 the town, notice<l a continued line of bees passing 

 through the air, from one farm house to another. 

 He followed Ihe advance line, and came to itster- 

 'pinatien where he found a hive tlrat had hern 

 assailed by two foreign svvartns, the one he had 

 followed, aud another diverging off in nearly an 

 opposite direction. By some instinctive under- 

 standing between two swarms, they had united 

 their strength, and simidianeously attacked the 

 hive ; the struggle was then over ; and the dead 

 and dying bees belonging to it, lay scattered 

 around the hive. The honey had been taken out 

 by the conquerors, who were then carrying it to 

 their own hives, something like fifty lbs. having 

 been removed in less than twentyfonr hours. It 

 was ])lain to discover that a coalition had been 

 formed between the two swarms, to attack and 

 destroy the other, and afterwards to appropriate 

 the honey to their own use. All this was done, 

 but how an understanding was effected, or the 

 stipulations were drawn up, we leave fiu- the nat- 

 uralist and curious to decipher. — Louisiana Jour- 

 nal. 



Proportion ok Crime to P'opt;LAT!ON'. — .Ac- 

 cording to Colonel Fersell, who has recently pub- 

 lished a valuable work on the statistics of Swe- 

 den, the ofltnders against the law, in different 

 countries, bear the following proportions to the 

 entire population : In England as 1 to 740 ; Wales 

 2,310; Ireland, 490 ; Scgtiaud, 1,130; Uenmark, 

 1J.700: .Sweden, 1,500; New South Wales, 22; 

 Cniied States, 3,.5( 0. 



from this table, it appears that the U. States 

 ane more free from crime, in proportion to- popu- 

 lation, than aiiuost any [lart of Kurope. Much' is 

 saTd by English journalists and travellers about 

 the frequency and increase of crime in this coun- 

 try ; but for every crin-e among us, we find five 

 in England, seven in Ireland, more than three in 

 Scotland, and about two in Wales. The latter is 

 a mountainous and agricultural country, with few 

 manufactmes and no trade. Secluded mountain- 

 eers, devoted to agricidture, are always moresim- 

 ple and moral in their habits than any other peo- 

 ple. Yet these simide and secludeil Welsh are 

 below the moral stamlard of the United Stales, 

 with their iuimense commerce, increasing trade, 

 and unsurpassed activity in all things. So much 

 for republican institutions and general education. 



Augusta, March 7, 1837. 

 Dr Jackson of Boston, who has been the past 

 season making a geological survey of Maine, has 

 given a course of lectures on the subject in the 

 Representatives Hall, which have been numerous- 

 ly attended and listened to with great satisfaction. 

 During liis lectures he has e.xhibited a great va- 

 riety of the minerals &c. of Maine, which he has 

 collected since he commenced #is examination. 

 1 learn that he has prepared a Report of his ex- 

 amination of the Stale thus far, which will soon 

 be published, aud may be expected to contain 

 much valuable inform'itit^n. I hope he has suf- 

 ficiently enlightened the members of our Legisla- 

 ture on tills subject, and that his valuable servi- 



ces will he con/mued until a full survey of the 

 State is made Portland Adv. 



Cehf.nts. — A cement is used in India for fil- 

 ling the joints of boats, which should be gener- 

 ally known- It is the mixing of calcincil or pul- 

 verized shells into a paste with coarse or refuse 

 oil. 



.•\n iron crmcnt is used in Paris by the foun- 

 taineers for uniting stones in the construction of 

 cisterns or fountains. This is made by taking 

 one part of vinegar, and four parts of pure 

 iron filings and stirring them together once every 

 hour for si.x hour.', or until they are mixed and 

 form a good paste. The stones being dry, they 

 are embedded in a thin coat of the paste, and 

 cramped down until the cement lias set, when the 

 stones may be polished, and the joints will be as 

 firm as the stone itself. 



MAKING CHEESE. 



As practiced in one of the most eminent Dairies in 

 .Veiu England. 



•Add the night's ndlk with the morning's, and 

 heat it gently over a fire until well warm, then 

 put it in a tid) or vat with sufficiently prepared an- 

 natto to give it a handsome yellow color. Put 

 rennet sufficient to make it curd in 2.5 minutes ; 

 when curded, take a wooden knife or sword and 

 chequer it all into squares lo the bott un ; let it 

 stand from 15 to 20 minutes, or until the whey 

 -appears above the curd ; break it up carefully, 

 with the hands in such a manner as not to bruise 

 or break the pieces of curd ; next put a clean 

 strainer on top of the curd so as the whey may 

 arise on top, and lade it oft' with a dish or dip- 

 per ; then put n cheese strainer in a cheese bas- 

 ket over a tub, and carefully remove the curd and 

 remaining whey into it, and cut it into slices 

 with a thin skimmer, until the whey has mostly- 

 drained out ; then bring the corners of the strain- 

 er together and twist them, so as to bring the 

 curd in a solid mass, and put the twisted cornel's 

 down in the basket, and a clean board about one 

 foot square on the top of it, on whic h put about 

 20 weight, in order to press out the whey. After 

 remaining about 15 minutes, the curd is to be cut 

 in pieces about one inch square, and put back 

 again with the weight on, and remain from ten to 

 fifteen minutes, and then cut as last stated, and 

 put back again, and so repeated from six to ten 

 times, or until the whey has entirely done drip- 

 |jing from it ; after which take it out and cut in 

 pieces of about two inches square, put in a wood- 

 en bowl and chop with a chopping knife, until 

 the pieces are the size of Indian corn. The next 

 is scalding the curd, which is done by putting it 

 in the strainer and putting in the kettle of whey 

 heated to blood warmth, for if the whey is too 

 hot it will ruin the cheese, and make it <lry and 

 liard ; while in the whey it must be stirred with 

 the hand until the whole is equally heated ; then 

 it is taken out and put in a cheese basket over a 

 tub, and clean fine salt thoroughly mixed, to give 

 it a high salt flavor, and let it stand until hardly 

 blood-warm, then the corners of the strainer are 

 twisted together as before, and put in the hoop 

 and pressed, in this instance, with a weight of 100 

 pounds to every 10 of cheese, to remain about half 

 an hour, taken out and turned and re-placed in 

 the pn-ss, and add about one-third to the weight 

 — then let it remain three hours. Then take it 



