VOL,. XHn, NO. 10 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER, 



87 



" Sprinklings of the chlorated water will be more 

 especially necessary whenever an epidemic or con- 

 tagious disease prevails ; they should be made in 

 order to guard against the doletorious influence 

 arisinsj from the neighborhood of marslies, the rot- 

 ting of Hax, hemp and tho like. They will likewise 

 be serviceable in tlie diseases of domestic animals, 

 in places where silk worms are raised ; finally, in 

 all places where the air becomes charged with ex- 

 halations, which, on being accumulated, produce 

 fatal eftects. 



" In cases of asphyxia, produced by the exhala- 

 tions, of vaults, sewers, or any considerable mass- 

 es of putrefying animal substances, it will be ne- 

 cessary for tho patient to breathe the concentrated 

 chloride ; and his chamber should be sprinkled 

 with the chlorated water, so as subject him to the 

 influence of the disinfecting agent. 



" It is often necessary, sometime from a tender, 

 pious feeling of regret, to preserve for a long time 

 the bodies of deceased persons, A foetid odor ap- 

 pears more or less readily, according to the tem- 

 perature of the air, the state of the patient's body 

 at the time of his decease, or the disease that ter- 

 iifinated his life. This decomposition may be 

 suddenly arrested ; indeed, it may be prevented by 

 sprinkling the body with some chloride diluted with 

 water. For this purpose a bottle of chloride should 

 be mixed with twelve bottles of water ; in this mix- 

 ture a linen cloth should be wet, laid on the body, 

 and sprinkled occasionally with the liquid." 



NCTRITIVE CtCALITIES OF CHARCOAL. ThoUgh 



tlie importance of mixing charcoal with the food of 

 animals, particularly that of swine, has been gener- 

 ally acknowledged, and its benefits extensively 

 tested, still it has been supposed that it only acted 

 as a corrective to the acid tendency of food, and 

 facilitated fattening, by improving the health of the 

 animal. Some experiments are, however, on rec- 

 ord, which would seem to show that charcoal acts 

 a more important part in the matter, than has usu- 

 ally been assigned to it. 



In 1793, a family being driven from.New York 

 by the fever, were absent six or eight weeks before 

 it was deemed prudent to return. A number of 

 fowls confined in a loft in the workshop of the 

 house were forgotten at the time of leaving, and as 

 it was known that there was nothing provided for 

 their subsistence, it was expected on the return, 

 they would be found starved to death. To the as- 

 tonishment of all, the fowls were found alive and 

 fat, though there was nothing upon which they 

 could have fed, except a quantity of charcoal and 

 shavings ; water being supplied from the grind- 

 stone trough. 



These facts coming to the knowledge of a gen- 

 tleman in New York, as we learn from the Record- 

 er, he instituted the following experiment. He 

 placed a turkey in a box or enclosure, 4 feet long, 

 2 feet wide, and 3 or 4 feet high, excluded light as 

 much as could be done, and allowed a free circula- 



Several years since, in fitting out one of the 

 Liverpool traders at New York, a pig on board was 

 missing, and was supposed to have been lost. The 

 cargo was taken on board, stowed, and tlie vessel 

 sailed. It was now discovered that the pig was 

 alive in the coal hole, but as he could not he got at 

 readily, it was concluded to leave him to his fate. 

 He remained in this retreat until the passage was 

 made, when his pigship was found to be not only 

 alive and well, but materially improved in condi- 

 tion, though there was nothing, coal excepted, he 

 could have swallowed. 



When it is remembered that wood, sugar, and 

 several other substances, some of which are most 

 nutritive, are compounded of nearly the same 

 original elements, it would seem possible, 

 by animal chemistry, to convert them to the 

 purpose of sustaining life ; though all experiments 

 with wood or charcoal have failed. The German 

 chemists have converted wood into very palatable 

 bread, by roasting and pulverizing; but calcina- 

 tiofl, it has been supposed, would destroy whatever 

 powers of nutrition wood might originally contain. 

 The chemical action of vegetables seems unable to 

 produce the least effect on coal, and not the least 

 particle of it has ever been found in the structure of 

 vegetables, though mixed with the earth and water in 

 which the plants are growing, in the form of the most 

 impalpable powder. Whether animal chemistry is 

 able to do what vegetable organization cannot, re- 

 mains to be seen ; though if there is no mistake in 

 the statements alluded to, it would seem probable 

 that this intractable substance, is, in some way 

 made subservient to the nutrition of animals. — 

 Genesee Farmer. 



How to make agricultural pursuits pleasant as 

 well as profitable. — For ages the employment of the 

 husbandman has been looked upon as dull, uninter- 

 esting work. It has been thought to be a dull, plod- 

 ding occupation of the hands and not of the head. 

 And there has been too much foundation for such 

 an impression. The agriculturists of years not 

 long by-gone, did little with the head to dignify or 

 enliven the work of the hands. A change for the 

 better seems now near at hand. Perhaps in your 

 day, farmers may be generally more intellectual, 

 more intelligent, and more able to bring the truths 

 of science to benefit them in their manual labors, 

 and to give them interest and delight in their occu- 

 pations. But whatever others do, I hope you at 

 least will take such measures as will convince your- 

 self, if not others, that agricultural employments 

 are as interesting, intellectual, and pleasing pursuits 

 as any with which they may be put in comparison. 

 1 know of no method by which you can more ef- 

 fectually render them so than by employing your 

 mind upon your work. Most assuredly the more 

 your mind is employed upon your work — in tracing 

 effects to their causes, in accounting for failure and 

 disappointment, in understanding the operations of 

 nature, in devising improvements, &c. — the more 



dustry is not wanting, generally succeed in making 

 their farms the most profitable. But what I wish 

 especially to inculcate upon you, at this time, is, 

 that you will foci more interest, more pleasure, 

 more conscious dignity in your pursuits, the more 

 you occupy your mind on the subject. 



Agricultural schools would aid in thus elevating 

 agriculture. — Albany Cultivator. 



The Value of Observation to the Fakmer. 



Perhaps to no man or class of men is the value of 

 observation so great as to the farmer. His business 

 is principally with natural objects. His occupation 

 leads him in many things to imitate or follow nature. 

 But the laws of nature are learned only by watch- 

 ing the silent processes and the silent operations 

 which are going on, and thus ascertaining the 

 causes which produce the eflfects which we see 

 taking place around us. The man who watches 

 closest — who suffers no change to take place with- 

 out looking into the cause — who, in fine, observes 

 the most, and treasures up the most in his memory, 

 becomes most acquainted with the laws before 

 spoken of, and by consequence is the best farmer. 

 Although the observations which have been made 

 and recorded by others, have become a large fund 

 of valuable information, there is yet a vast deal 

 more to learn. Facts are yet in the daj:k which 

 can only be elicited by observation. 



It would be interesting to have a history of many 

 of the useful improvements that have been made 

 from slight observations, which first gave the hint 

 to set the experiment on foot. Mrs Child gives a 

 pleasing statement of the value of observation in 

 one instance. — A farmer not fifly rniles from Bos- 

 ton, says she, is quite famous for the improvement 

 he has made in the wild grape. He found a vine 

 in the wood which dozens of his neighbors passed 

 every week, as well as he ; but he observed that 

 where the oxen fed upon the vine the grapes were 

 largest and sweetest. He took the hint. The 

 vine was transplanted ^^nd closely pruned. This 

 produced the same effect as browsing had done ; 

 the nourishment, that in a wild state supported a 

 great weight of vines and tendrils, went entirely to 

 the body of the grape. His neighbors would have 

 known this as well as he, if they had thought about 

 it ; but they did not observe. 



It is by thus observing that we are enabled to 

 gather experience, and experience guides to future 

 success. The observations that have been made in 

 regard to the grain worm, or weevil as the insect is 

 sometimes called, led many farmers to sow their 

 wheat late. By so doing they have saved their 

 crops. It had been observed that the insect came 

 out at a certain time of the summer and remained 

 active a certain number of days. Hence by sow- 

 ing the wheat later so that it should not be headed 

 out, it would escape the ravages of the insect in 

 question. This has succeeded well with most 

 farmers. 



A farmer who will probaby have 500 bushels of 

 ffood wheat, told us, the other day, that had he sow- 



