802 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



BlARCn 89, lK3r. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 1837. 



Brocik's Silk Spisker and Twistek — We are liap- 

 py to bo informed from various parts of the country, tlial 

 tile abovo named apparatus is weii received, liighly ap- 

 preciated, and recommended by per^ions whose opinions 

 are decisive as regards tlie merits of tire invention. In 

 the current volume of the New England Farmei, pages 

 3-5 and 154, we have given testimonials of the high es- 

 timation in which the machine is held in Ohio, and in 

 Miiine, and we will now show that its reception in Al- 

 bany has been no hss favorable. 



At a meetingof a State Agricultural Convention, con- 

 vened at the Capitcd on the 2d of February, on m lion 

 of Mr Buel of Albany, a committee was appointed, con- 

 sisting of Judge Spencer, and J. B. Nolt of Albany, and 

 A. Walsh of Renscllaer, to examine and report on the 

 Silk Spinner and Twister of Mr Brooks, exhibited in 

 operation at the Capitol. 



Mr A. Walsh, from the committee appointed to ex- 

 amine Broolis' Silk Spinner and Twister, reported : 



Tint in the absence of Mr Nott, Messrs Spencer and 

 Walsh have seen the machine in operation, and criti- 

 cally examined it, and that Ihey are of opinion that it is 

 not only a most ingenious invention, but in their judg- 

 ment, cannot fail of bucoming eminently useful. It 

 seems to solve the problem whirh has induced great 

 doubt, whether the culture of Silk in the United States 

 would be proillably pro.=ecuted, from the difficulty of 

 good reeling of Silk from cocoons without very consid- 

 erable manual instruction. The comuiiltee are satisfied 

 that an ingenious female can almost immediately learn 

 ti reel on Mr Brook's maehiues, in a perfect manner. 



As the inachine has been seen by the convenliim, the 

 committee forbear to describe it particularly ; but they 

 recommend to the convention a donation to Mr Brooks 

 as a small reward for the immense benefits this inven- 

 tion will confer on the silk culturists of this country.— 

 See current volume of the Cultivator, p. '22, 23. 



The following additional certificates, »Slc., came to 

 hand after the above was prepared. — 



TO THE PUBLIC. 



This may certify, that last I2tli month, [December,] I 

 wont to Adam Brooks, in Sriluale, Mass , to learn to 

 spin Silk on his machine. I expected before 1 saw it, 

 lliat it was something very complicated, and that it 

 would take me a long tin-e to learn to spin. The first 

 morning I ever saw the machine, I commenced spin- 

 ning, and succeeded beyimd my expectation. I was 

 surprised that Sewing Silk could be manufactured with 

 80 little trouble. 1 immediately purchased one of 

 Brooks' machines, and have used it to my satisfaction. 

 1 have, with the assistance of a boy eleven years <Jld, 

 spun 150 skeins of Sewing Silk in eight hours, Irom the 

 cocoons, ready for cleansing and coloring — in all' have 

 spun nine pounds ready f>r the market. And in my 

 using the machine, I have met with no difficulty, nei- 

 ther has it got out of repair. Brook's machine in my 

 estimation is far preferable to any other now in use ; 

 and I would highly recommend it to all those engaged 

 in the business, and are about purchasin". 



Rachel W. Hkalv. 



North Marshfield, 3d month 20, 1837. 



1 the subscriber, do certify that 1 have one of Ad- 

 am Brook's Silk Spinning machines in operation, and 

 can truly say, it is equal in all respec:s, to what Mr 

 Brooks represents it to be. Eowaiui Phelps. 



Marlboro', Nov. 16, 1836. 



n''ortlie New KiiKl-Tnd Farmer.) 

 lylCK OK C.\TTl,E. 



Mr FKssExnLN, — Dear Sir: — A Subscriber to your 

 paper wishes to know the most effectual remedy for 

 killing lice on cattle, and has been told that Ashes, 

 Snuff, Tobacco, sassafras posts, &c. will effect it From 

 several years experience, I know that a small quantity 

 of uhgucntum (reercurial ointment) rubbed in round 

 their ears and horns, will effectually eradicate them — 

 It should be applied near their horns, that they may not 

 injure themselves by licking it, and it will as effectually 

 do the business, as il their whole bodies were bathed in 

 it. It may be purchased at any of the .Apothecaries, or 

 easily manufactured. 7 pounds of hog's lard, to I pound 

 of quicksilver — or in that proportion— mix the quick- 

 silver with a small quantity of soft turpentine, in a mor- 

 tar «ntil blended, then add the lard ; v\'hen applied to 

 stock, reduce it by adding equal quantities of lard; a 

 thimble full is enough for four cattle. 



But, Sir, it is an old siying, and somewhat true, that 

 an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; and 

 in order to throw the ounce into the right scale, I would 

 suggest to my brother farmers, if they keep their stock 

 well, give them plenty of good fodder; water and card 

 them, and keep them in a warm barn, in my opinion 

 they will seldom have lousy cattle. 1 do not believe 

 that there is any profit in keeping a half-starved stock 

 of cattle, either for the yoke or the dairy. I know of 

 some very worthy and pious men in oiher matters, that 

 are in the habit of se'ling all their English hrty, anii 

 keeping their stock on bog meadow hay, and if it keeps 

 the breath of life in them through our long northern win- 

 ters, (as it sometimes does) it would be a difficult mat- 

 ter to separate the hide from the frame in case of acci- 

 dental death in the spi ing. There is no religion in that 

 Yours, C. 



Old Colony, March 24, 1837. 



(For trie New England Farmer.) 



C Hampton. Windham Co. (Conn.) 

 I March 17, 1837. 



Mr Fessenden, — Dear Sir: — Having entirely failed 

 of a crop of Corn last season, in consequence of (he ear- 

 ly frost, and being desiious of ob.iaining a kind of seed 

 that will ripen sooner than the common kind, you will 

 do me a particular favor by informing me throuirh the 

 medium of your paper, what kind is the most produc 

 tive ; and at the same time, will come to maturity a few 

 weeks sooner than the kind that has generally been used 

 by tlie farmers in Connecticut. By complying with 

 the above, you will grant the request of Many. 



[The complaint above set forth is general. We have 

 inserted in several of our last papers, accounts of the 

 Clark and Dutton Corn, which state that they are much 

 earlier than our common corn, ripening the last of Au- 

 gust, The Lathrop or Phinney Corn, is another varie- 

 ty well worthy of being cultivated. It is about as early 

 as the two first named, and diffeiing from them only in 

 their small, dwarfish stalks and ligh: foliage. The Can- 

 ada Fie'd Corn, small ears, is much earlier than the 

 common, and when obtained from the iNoith, rarely dis- 

 appoints the expectant firmer of a crop, even in the 

 shortest and most unfavorable season. All of the kind; 

 above mentioned, may usually be obtained at the Seed 

 Store connected with this office.] 



tach considerable value to it. Thumburg informs us 

 that it sometimes fetches forty pounds a pound ; and 

 Osbeck states that in his lime, il was worth twcntvfour 

 times its weight in silver. This enormous price fre- 

 quently induced smugglers to bring it into the Chinese 

 territory; but the severest laws were enacted to punish 

 this fraudulent trfffic. The Tartars alone possess the 

 privilege of cultivating and collecting it ; and the dis- 

 tricts that produce this precious plant are surrounded 

 with palisade, and strictly guarded. In 1707, the Em- 

 peror of China, to increase his revenue, sent a body of 

 10,000 troops to collect gin-seng. According to the 

 Chinese physicians, this root possesses the faculty of 

 renovating exhausted constitutions; giving fresh vigor; 

 raising tin; drooping moral and physical faculties; and 

 restoring to health and embonpoint the victim of debau- 

 chery. It is also said, that a bite of the root chewed by 

 a man running a race, will prevent his competitor from 

 getting the start of him. 



It is somewhat singular that the same properly is at- 

 tributed to garlic ; and the Hungarian jockeys frequent- 

 ly tie a clove of it to their racer's bits, when the horses 

 that run against them, fall back the moment they breath 

 the offensive odor. It has been proved that no horse 

 will eat in a manger if ihe mouth of any other steed in 

 the stable has been rubbed with the juice of this plant. 

 I had occasion to witness this fact. A horse of mine 

 was in the same stall with one belonging to a brother 

 officer; mine fell away and refused his food, while 

 his companion throve uncommonly well. I at last dis- 

 covered that a German groom wiio had charu-e of the 

 prosperous animal, had recourse to this vile stratagem. 

 It is also supposed that men who eat garlic, knock up 

 on a march the soldiers who have not made use of it. — 

 Hence, in the old regulations of the French armies, 

 there existed an order to prohibit tlie use of garlic when 

 troops were on a march. — Miliigcn's Curiosities of Med. 

 Experience. 



GiN-sENo and Carlick. — The gin-seng is a native 

 of Tartary, Corea, and also thrives in Canada, Virginia 

 and Pennsylvania, in shaded and damp siiuations, as it 

 soon perishes under the solar rays. The Chinese at- 



New anb HicHT.v isEi i)L INVENTION. — Two gentle- 

 men of this town, have lately invented a new method 

 of opening and shutting Window Blinds, which, it 

 strikes lis, is highly useful. The object attained, is that 

 of opening and shutting the blind without openin" the 

 window. Whoever has been obliged to rise of a cold 

 frosty windy wintry night to shut a flipping blind, and 

 has been made to shiver all night by the exertion ; or 

 whoever has been obliged to stick his head and shoul- 

 ders out of a window into the face of a hail storm, to 

 save his windows by shutting blinds, must feel grateful 

 to the ingenious inventors of this new blind fast. The 

 object proposed is fully attained : the blind is opened 

 and shut, is secured without trouble, and without the 

 admission of wind or wet. The whole is of very sim- 

 ple construction, and constitutes an ornament of the in- 

 terior of the room. The inventors are Messrs Isaac and 

 Rufus Hosmer. — Concord (Ms.) Gaz. 



inrTo Correspondents. — The favors from our cor- 

 ponding friends increase in number and value; and 

 we have this week resigned our editorial columns to 

 v^'ri1e^s whose communications we thought would prove 

 of more value than our own lucubrations. We havo 

 still on hand a number of articles, including editorial 

 notices of new books, "Clarorian School," the struc- 

 ture and uses of Marl, &c &c., wliich v\e propose to 

 give in our next number. 



Ingersoll's Piggery.— The gentleman who solicits 

 some account from us, respecting an establishment, 

 named above, which formerly existed in the neighbor- 

 hood of Boston, is respectfully informed that we cannot 



