No. 199.] 109 



would flourish and produce a fine crop ; on the other hand, if a wet 

 season prevailed, then the wheat would flourish by reason of the salt 

 being washed out, or sunk deeply into the earth ; and thus the farmer 

 was sure of a crop of the one or the other article. The best seed is 

 to-be obtained from Alicant in Murcia, where there is great cultiva- 

 tion of salsola, the whole region of land being impregnated with salt, 

 and there are many salt ponds in the vicinity, which causes the crop 

 to be a sure one, there being no rain there during the summer season, 

 which is not the case in France. Barilla is an article of great com- 

 merce in Spain, Sicily and TenerifFe, and from those places alone are 

 shipped yearly to England, France, and the United States many 

 thousands of tons, for the making of glass, hard soap and for use ia 

 other purposes. To England, there is shipped yearly from Spain, 

 Sicily and Teneriffie probably more than 200,000 cwt. of the article 

 of Barilla, and to Marseilles, and to the United States, also, very large 

 quantities. 



Barilla seed can be procured of the best quality at Alicant, as there 

 the genial climate brings it to perfect maturity. In this country, the 

 plant would, in my opinion, mature and produce an abundant crop on 

 our salt marshes any where south of New-England, as it arrives at 

 maturity in the same space of time as spring wheat, and were it in- 

 troduced, our country would become independent of other countries 

 of one more article of necessity in our manufacturing establishments. 

 I have the honor to be, dear sir, 



Yours most respectfully, 



CHAS. HENRY HALL. 



MR. HELME'S METHOD OF MAKING BUTTEK. 



The first p'emium for Butter was awarded to Mr. Thomas Helme^wko 

 makes the foUomng st'atement of the method jiursued by him: 



We have kept during the past season seventeen cows, from which 

 have been made 2,414 lbs. of butter, (not including that used by the 

 family, consistmg of eight persons.) The cows are fed about two 

 quarts of grain per day besides the usual quantity of hay after comicg 



