VOIi. XV. NO. 38. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL . 



301 



llie nccoinitindation, if he chose. Consideriiii,' 

 this iiiforinatioii too good to be lost, and it heing 

 a good soaso^ii to provide tlio little Iiunbrr ner- 

 essarv, 1 thought I would rehito it as recollect- 

 ed. 



I think he stated that 3 f^r 4 men completed the 

 whole coneerii in half a day.— /?«n,?or Mechanic 

 and Farmer. 



Advantagf.s of changing Sf.ed Wheat. — 

 Mr Win. Cobh, of Gorhaiti, informs us that he 

 .sowed 10 or 12 years ago, 7 1-2 hnshels of com- 

 mon wheat, and it was so injured Viy the Hessian 

 fly, that he cut it nil up for fodrfer. At the same 

 time he sowed by the siile of it, a wine glass fiid 

 (it being all he could obtain) of the Alalaga wheal. 



.Seventeen years liad elapsed, and every post had pretty hot, I put in the gum, and gradually in 



and that did well ; he has sowed it ever since, milting the moisture from the grounti, cause 



with success, until wilhin two years since, wdiic 

 time it has been destroyed by the weevil. Friend 

 Cobb observes that he shall" not give up raising 

 wheat on account of its destruction by this insect, 

 but he shall try lime as recommended for a rem- 

 edy. AVe slioidd say to every farmer, do like- 

 wise. We have occasionally pid)lislied articles in 

 which it is shown that a change in seed wheat 

 has been attended with great advantages, and far- 

 mers should pay more altention to thi-? subject. — 

 In our last, we [lublished a notii-e of Egyptian 

 wheat, as was supposed, taken Irom a wild goose, 

 and raised in the State of New York, which is 

 not liable to smut or the weevil. We will send 

 and get some of that wheat,, if a few farmers are 

 disjiosed to pay the expense and try it. With a 

 little more enterprise ard a litlle expense, farmers 

 may gain much or prevent great lo.sses. There is 

 no subject now presented to the consideration of 

 the farmer of more importance than that of rais- 

 inn- wheal, at least, enough for his own consump- 

 tio°n. Ini|>iovements are m-:king by obtaining 

 new kinds of seed wheat, in new metho<ls of cul- 

 ture, in threshing, in destroying the enemies of 

 this' valuable grain, &c. &c., a;.id as we have a 

 good soil and climate, we shall doubtless soon be 

 able to raise our own wheat, and those avaricious 

 speculators who have been growing fat by feed- 

 in"' on the miseries of their fellow men, will have 

 to^turn their attenlion to other business, or they 

 will become as lean as a grasshopper in a drought. 

 — Yankee Far. 



rotted ilown, except tliat one, which renniinei 

 sound. In the progressof my investigation, anoth- 

 er instance was related, in which an entire side 

 of a garden exhibited th" same results. l\!y own 

 limited experience furnishes an incident worthy 

 of being mentioned. My garden enclosure was 

 erected of posts while green. Several pieces re- 

 mained exposed uniil th-y were completely sea- 

 soned. Out of lliese a horse-rack was construc- 

 ted, which was entirely rotted down, while every 

 post in the garden remains firm. I''roni these 

 facts, I deduce the belief, that a post planted when 

 green will last longer than one previously season- 

 ed ; and f<u- the reason that the operation of sea- 

 soning [iroduces cracks in the timber, which ad- 



ON THE PROPER MANAUKMENT OF POSTS 



HUh. reference to their durnbiliiy. 

 Perhaps there is no subject connected with ag- 

 ricullure, on which a greater diversity of opinion 

 prevails, than the question, whether with refer- 

 ence to their durability, posts should be put into 

 the "roimd green or seasoned? When Itiistset- 

 tled,"l took consi.lerable pains to inlorm myself 

 on this point, by consultation with those whose 

 experience should constitute them proper foun- 

 tains of information. The diversity to which I 

 bave albided, impaired greatly the acquisition of 

 decisive results. Mr Thomas Thweatt, of Din- 

 widdle, (a gentLmjan of great judgment and obser- 

 vation on all agricultural subjects,] related to me 

 a circumstance which contributed much to the at- 

 tainment of my object. He stated, (if my mem- 

 ory be correct) that in the erection of his garden, 

 a number of posts as he supposed, were prepared 

 and suffered to remain until they were thorough- 

 ly seasoned. Its completion, however, required 

 one in addition, which was taken from au adja- 

 cent tree, and immediately put in the ground. — 



decay. I recollect to have read the account of 

 an experiment jiroving that the inversion of posts 

 from the direction in which they grew, operated 

 beneficially. Two gate-posts were hewn from the 

 same tree— one was planted in the manner in 

 which it grew, the other inverted. The former 

 rotted while the latter was sound. It was ac- 

 counted for in this way — that nature had formed 

 valves for the ascension of the san, which allow- 

 ed the moisture from the ground to penetrate 

 through the same channel; but that the inversion 

 of these valves interposed a barrier to its admis- 

 sion. This theory corroborates the idea previous- 

 ly expressed, that the moisture of the gruuml, al- 

 ternately penetrating within the timber, and in 

 drowths, measurably recvding, causes its decay. 

 Whether the posts should be cut while the sap is 

 up or down, I atn unable to determine. A wri- 

 ter in some of the numbers of the American Far- 

 mer, states that oak timber should be cut while 

 the sa]) is up, because it is glutinous and forms a 

 cement, or substance whicb acts as a preserva- 

 tive. 



I have ventured to express these hasty and im- 

 perfect reflections, with the hope that, although 

 ihey may not im|);irt any useful inforiviation, they 

 may elicit some from others. These are contro- 

 verted subjects, in which every person who erects 

 a gate or encloses a gaiden, is deeply interested, 

 and their further discussion will be valuable, at 

 least to S. 



— Fanner's Reg.] 



* y^^^^J "".J * I " B ^ n- "- J — 



1 crease the heat, until by stirring I lind it has com- 

 pletely dissolved and incorporated with the tal- 

 low. While this process is going on it will (onm 

 violently, and large volumes of pungent smoke 

 will be thrown off, but I have never known it to 

 lake fire or other danger and iiiconvt'uieiice re- 

 sult from the prc| aration. \Mieii thus prepared, 

 it is applied wiih a binsh in the same manner as 

 tallow to boots and shoes, and with the same ef- 

 fect. A small quantity of lamp-black, combined 

 with the mass when melted, will furnish blacking 

 to the lcather,and if aivy choose they may add the 

 u?ual ingredients for making a paste for polishing. 

 F;u-niers, however, are generally ccmtent, if they 

 can keep their boots and shoes simply blacked and 

 water proof, and this the proper application of the 

 above cheap and easy preparation will- insure. — 

 That it cannot he injurious to leather when used 

 in this way, the nature of the substance, and ex- 

 perience would both determine. For India rub- 

 ber, I have always used overshoes, of which a 

 supjjly can in general be readily obtained, always 

 rejecting the most worn, burned, or other defec- 

 tive parts. Tlie spring oif the year is the liine 

 farmers are most exposed, and I am confident the 

 use of tliis prej)aratinn will prevent many a rheu- 

 matic twinge, if it slioidd wanl off nothing worse 

 from him who is compelled to be out at all sea- 

 sons. — Gen. Far. 



lNni4 RoBEEn. — One of the most valuable uses 

 to which India Rubber has been applied, is the 

 rendering of leather, or boots and shoes, impervi- 

 ous to water, and thus securing that important re- 

 quisite to health — dry feet. Various kinds of rub- 

 ber, paste and blacking, have within a few years 

 been offered to the public, all good no doubt, but 

 still at such prices, that common farmers, who 

 surely need a preservative of this kind against the 

 effect of almost continued exposure, were Jiot, to 

 any coiisiderahle extent, abte to avail theniselves 

 of the benefit. My object in this paper is testate 

 for the benefit of my brother tarmej-s, and those 

 who have suffered as I have done, the conse 



pare this substance for my own use, and wbic 

 I find to answer every desirable purpose. I take 

 common tallow, say one ])Ound, and melt it in a 

 small iron kettle holding about two quarts ; the 

 ordinary skillet would answer the same end. I 

 ave ready for use, cut into as fine strips or pie 



ces as iruiy be convenient, from 4 to 6 ounces of sold for $89 10 



India Rubber, and when the tallow begins to get 



Frozkn Potatoes. — As it is prob.ible from the 

 severity of the cold, and the small quantity of 

 snow, that many potatoes buried in the field.s, if 

 not those in cellars, will be frozen, it may be well 

 to give at this time the methods recommended by 

 the celebrated agriculturalist Dallas, in the French 

 pUbHS'aiion Bihliottieque Universalle. Mr Didlas 

 cons^^.Jers them in thiee states: first, when they 

 are slightly touched by frost; secoiul, when the 

 outer jiortion of their substance is frozen ; and 

 third, when they are frozen throughout. 



In the first case, he says nothing more is nec- 

 essary than to sprinkle the potatoes with lime to 

 absorb the water formed under the skin, which- 

 unless done will speedily occasion their complete 

 decomposition. In the second instance he causes 

 the potato to be pared, and thrown for some hours 

 into water slightly salted. When potatoes are 

 completely frozen he recommends their distilla- 

 tion, [which we do not] as in that state they yield 

 a spirituous liquor resendiling the best rum, and 

 aflbrding moi-e alcohol, and of a better quality 

 than could be obtained before the roots had been 

 submitted to the action of the frost. 



Instead of distilling, as recommended by Mr 

 Dallas, the thoroughly frozen potato should bo 

 boiled and mixed with bian or metil, as food for 

 swine or cattle. — Ih. 



AivoTHEa Whole Hog. — Your paper of the 

 13th iiist. spoke of a Hog which weighed when 

 dressed, 611 pounds, and was sohl for 12 1-2 els. 

 [ler pound. The larmcrs of N. Hampshire were 



nuence of wet feet, the inanner in which I pre- called upon to beat this, and it was doubted wbeth- 



er any other man could go the Hchole hog.' Now, 

 we can iid'orm the writer that we have gone the 

 "whole hog," bristles and all, and a pig to let— 

 for a hog was slaughtered in Boscawen, on the 

 18th inst., belonging to Davi<l Sweatt, 21 months 

 old, which weighed when dressed, 654 lbs. and 



Bos( nwen, Feb. 21, 1837. 



