196 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



DEC. 4, 1839. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



TROPICAL PLANTS— SPICES. 



Cinnamon is a tropical plant, growing in the 

 East Indies, and is largely cultivated in the island 

 of Ceylon, where there are more than 16,000 acres 

 ill cinnamon plantations. The bark of large shoots 

 of thicker branches is coarse, the finer kinds are 

 obtained from the smaller or more delicate shoots. 

 The best is thin, smooth, shining, and of a light 

 yellow color, bends before breaking, and is splin- 

 torv in in its fracture. 



Cassia. — The cassia of commerce is nothing but 

 an inferior quality of cinnamon. The finest cinna- 

 mon brings two dollars a pound, the second sort 

 from one°dollar thirty to one dollar fifty cents, and 

 the third sort about a dollar. These are tlie prices 

 in England, where the duties are from twenlytwo 

 to seventyfive cents per pouq^. 



Pepper grows on a perennial climbing plant. 

 The leaves arc heart-shaped, with a glossy surface, 

 and have little smell or pungency. Small white 

 flowers grow abundantly on all the branches, and 

 these are succeeded by the berries, which are 

 green when young, and become of a bright red 

 when approaching maturity. They hang in large 

 clusters, like bunches of grapes ; but the berries 

 grow distinct, more in the manner of currants. It 

 is raised in plantations of five hundred to one thou- 

 sand plants, divided by hedges. Sumatra, and the 

 neighboring islands in the Indian Archipelago, 

 produce the greatest abundance of this spice. 



Ginger grows both in the East and West Indies. 

 It has a perennial root with annual stems. The 

 roots creep and extend under ground in joints, from 

 each of which a slender stem shoots forth in spring, 

 and attains a height of two or three feet. On the 

 top of the stalk is a scaly spike, from each of 

 which scales a blue flower appears. When arrived 

 at maturity, the root is taken up, and forms the 

 ginger of commerce. It is afterwards ground in 

 flour or other mills for use. 



JVutmeg and Mace are the produce of the same 

 plant. It has its male or barren flowers upon an- 

 other, being a diocious plant. The flowers are 

 white, bell-shaped, and grow at the extremities of 

 the branches, two or three together. The em- 

 bryo fruit lies at the bottom of the female flower, 

 like a little red knob, which' afterwards expands, 

 and at the end of nine or ten months it has the ap- 

 pearance of a peach. The outer coat is fibrous 

 and hard, about half an inch thick; and when ar- 

 rived at maturity this bursts and a membranous 

 covering of a fine red color is seen, enveloping the 

 thin black shell which encloses the kernel or nut- 

 meg. The covering is the mace of commerce. 

 The mace resembles verdant net work ; and, when 

 collected, is left in the shade to dry, after which it 

 is pressed closely in bags and exported. The shell 

 of the nutmeg is hard, and is subjected to the heat 

 of fire before being broken. The kernel thus 

 shrivels up, and is then subjected to the action of 

 lime and sea water to destroy the vegetating prin 

 ciple. 



Fools line the hedges which bound the road of 

 life — what can the wise man do but smile as he 

 passes along it. 



Winter is coming, and it is incumbent on the 

 head of every family to devise measures for keeping 

 his households, as well as himself, warm and com- 

 fortable during the approaching winter. To do 

 this, it is not only necessary to look to the quantity 

 and quality of fuel in store — but the doors must 

 be listed, the windows fastened down and caulked, 

 and every crevice in the floor or wainscot filled. — 

 The cold air must be excluded — until that is done 

 it is folly to expect that a room can be kept warm. 

 Indeed in many of our New England dwellings, 

 where the fuiniture and the arrangements present 

 an aspect of competence and comfort, it is usual in 

 very cold weather for the blue looking group col- 

 lected around the fire to complain that their shins 

 are roasting, while their shoulders are freezing! — 

 Currents of air rush in from various quarters — and 

 agues, colds, catarrhs, and rheumatisms, are the or- 

 der of the day. A couple of hours' labor at this 

 season, will prevent weeks and months of discom- 

 fort hereafter. — Merc' Jour. 



Fidelity of a Dog. — The St. Augustine News 

 of a late date, mentions the following- touching in- 

 cident: 



An Irish greyliound, owned by Col Harney, and 

 which he had brought from Missouri, had formerly 

 a very strong attaclunent to M. Dallam, the owner 

 of the trading establisluncnt at Caloosahatchie. On 

 the massacre of the men at that post, but little 

 hopes were entertained by the survivors but that 

 the dog had either been killed or captured by the 

 Indians. Fourteen days after the occurrence, on- 

 the arrival of troops to give sepulture to these vic- 

 tims 01 Indian faithlessness, this faithful and attach- 

 ed aiiiinal was found, barely able to stand, emitting 

 a feeble howl over the remains of his friend, ]Mr 

 Dallam. The corses around were denuded by vul- 

 tures, but Dallam was uninjured. This noble trait 

 of fidelity was duly appreciated by the troops, and 

 Romeo, the trusty guardian of a dead friend, is now 

 sincerely and devoutly cherished by the garrison at 

 Tampa Bay. 



Morus Multicaulis, Esq. is likely to be strongly 

 opposed as a presidential candidate, by Rohan Po- 

 tato and Ruta Baga, Esqrs. 



The poor pittance of seventy years is not worth 

 being a villain for. What matters it if your neigh- 

 bor lies in a splendid tomb ? Sleep you with inno- 

 cence. Look behind you through the track of time ! 

 a vast desert lies open in retrospect ; through this 

 desert have your fathers journeyed; wearied with 

 tears and sorrows they sink from the walks of men. 

 You must leave them where they fall ; and you are 

 to go a little further, where you will find eternal 

 rest. Whatever you may have to encounter be- 

 tween the cradle and the grave, every moment is 

 big with innumerable events which come not in suc- 

 cession, but bursting forcibly from a revolving and 

 unknown cause, fly over the orb with diversified in- 

 fluence. — Blair. 



Imaginary evils. — If we except the blessings of 

 strength, health, and testimony of a good conscience, 

 all the other conveniences and peasures of life de- 

 pend on opinion. Except pain of body and remorse 

 of conscience, all our evils are imaginary. 



Benevolence. — " Well, neighbor B., what's the 

 most Christian news this morning?" said a pious 

 gentleman to his rich friend, the deacon. "I have 

 just bought a barrel of flour for a poor woman." — 

 " Just like you ! Who is it that you have made 

 happy by your charity this time .■"' " My wife .'" 



An AUtrnalive "If you don't accept my dial. 



lenge," said one gentleman of honor to another, 

 "I'll gazette you — so take your choice." "Go 

 ahead," said tlie other — " I had rather fill six ga- 

 zettes than one cofiin." 



A writer in the Morning Dispatch says the coU 

 oring matter of the Blue Ink, so much used, is not 

 Prussic Acid, but Indigo. The spurious, pale blue 

 ink, is of Indigo, but the real article, " blue as a 

 whetstone," when spread on paper, and growing in 

 a few days as black as jet, is one of the most poi- 

 sonous of all known substances. — Trav. 



GRKiilN'S PATENT STRAW CUTTER. 



JOSEPH BRECK & CO. at the New England Agricul- 

 tural Warehouse and Seed Store, Nos.Sl and 52 Norlh Mar- 

 ket i-ueet, have for sale, Green's Patent Straw, Hay and 

 Stalk CullCi', operating on a mechanical principle not before- 

 applied to any implement for this purpose. The most prom, 

 inent effects of this application, and some of the consequent 

 peculiarities of the machine are: 



1 . So great a reduction of the quantum of power requisite 

 to use It. that the strength of a half grown boy is suincjenl 

 to work it very efficiently. 



2. With even this moderate power, it easily cuts two bush- 

 els a minute, which is full twice as fast as has been claimed 

 by any other machine even when worked by horse or steaio 

 power. 



• 3. The knives, owing to the peculiar manner in which thej 

 cut, require sharpening less oUen than those of any other 

 straw cutter. 



4. The machine is simple in its construction, made and 

 put together very strongly. It is therefore not so liable as 

 the complicated machines in general use to get out of order. 



WIKSIIIP'S BRIGHTON KURSERllLilS, 



AND BOTANIC GARDENS. 



Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Shruhs, Cieep. 

 ers, Herbaceous, Perennials, Green Hnusc 

 Plants, &c. 

 Orders addressed to Messrs WINSIUP 



Brighton, Mass., will be promptly execited 



and forwarded to any part of this or other countries. 



A pril 10^ 



Fi-ult aucl Omamental Ti-ees, Flo'ivei-iu^ Slxrubs, 

 Plants, &c. 



The present being the most favorable season for trans- 

 planting all hardy trees and shrubs, we would remind those 

 who are in want of Fruit or Ornamental Trees, Shrnbsj 

 Herbaceous Plants, &c. that we cau furnish them at shon 

 notice at nursery prices, well packed for transportation tc 

 any part of ihe country. JOSEPH BRECK & CO. 



October 15. 



PRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL, TREES, &C. 



An ext-^nsive assortment of the 6nest varieties of Fruit 

 Trees, and a great variety of Ornamental Treesof large size. 

 A fine colleetioii of Herbaceous Plants, Roses, Honey- 

 suckles, Pteonies, -Sec. 80,000 genuine Moras Multicaulis 

 Trees, oi large size, the growth of Virginia. Also — 1000 

 bushels of Rohan Potatoes. Orders addressed to the sub- 

 scriber will receive prompt attention. 



Newton, Nov. 1, 1839. JOHN A. KENRICK. 



PEAR TREES. 



For sale at the garden of the subscriber a large collectio 

 of Standard and Dwarf Pear Trees comprising most of the 

 choice varieties of European and American origin. 



Orders by mail will be immediately answered. 



October IC. ROBERT MANNING. 



DOMESTICATED AVILD GEESE. 



A few pair for sale. Enquire at this office. 

 Novemher 6. 



GREENHOUSE GLASS, 



All sizes and qualities, for sale by LORING & KUPPER, 

 No. 10 Merchants' Row. 

 November 6. 2t 



THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



Is published every Wednesday Evening, at S3 per annum 

 payable at the end of the year — but those who pay withm 

 sixty days fniin the lime of subscribing are entitled ta a ce- 

 ductionof 60 cents. 



TOTTLE, DENNETT AND CHISHOLM, PRINTERS, 



17 SCHOOL STRIiET BOSTON 



