430 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



rapidly passing into the chrysalis state, which will 

 enable me shortly to furnish the editor of the N. 

 E. Farmer with the insect in its several transfor- 

 mations, if he desires it. S. P. Fowler. 

 Danvers Fort, Aug. 7, 1861. 



Remarks. — We are obliged to our faithful cor- 

 respondent for this letter, and for the promise to 

 furnish us with further information on this im- 

 portant subject. We should have been glad to 

 publish it last week, but when received our paper 

 was so far made up that we could not find a place 

 for it. 



TO KEEP GRAPES FRESH. 



The following is a French method. Glass bot- 

 tles are placed upon simple wooden racks about 

 the outside of the fruit-room. 



"Cut the bunch of grapes on the trellis at the 

 end of the month of October, or even later, if it 

 be possible. Let it be attached to a piece of the 

 branch, including three or four joints below the 

 bunch and two above. Put a little grafting wax 

 on the upper end of this branch, and introduce 

 the lower end into a vial filled with water. The 

 mouth of the vial may be kept open and the water 

 unchanged ; add four grains of powdered charcoal 

 to each vial. This addition keeps it pure during 

 a whole year. It is not necessary to fill up the 

 vials, the evaporation not lowering the level of 

 the water more than two or three fractions of an 

 inch in the space of six months. When the 

 bunches pf grapes are arranged as mentioned, we 

 have nothing more to do, than, from time to time, 

 to cut away the berries that are rotten. It is es- 

 sential that the temperature of the fruit-room 

 should not descend below zero." 



The editor of the American Farmer says that 

 this plan of preserving the grape may be very 

 successfully practiced with other fruits ripening in 

 autumn, though not with a probability of preserv- 

 ing them fresh quite so long as the grape. He 

 has seen fruit of the Algiers winter peach kept 

 fresh in a vial full of water, but unsealed, for a 

 long time. The peaches, together with the leaves, 

 were not detached from the twig. This is worthy 

 of trial, and the time to put it in execution will 

 soon be at hand. 



A CURE FOR GLANDERS. 



As it may be of service to some people, I give 

 you an account of a cure I made of glanders a few 

 years back. My horse was a valuable one, and 

 had had the glanders some 12 or 18 months, and 

 so badly did he have it, that I offered to sell him 

 for $15. He could be heard to breathe from fifty 

 to one hundred yards every breath ; indeed, we 

 could not sleep well, so distressing was his breath- 

 ing, the stable being close by. I determined to 

 kill or cure, so for experiment : On Monday, I 

 gave him as much dry calomel as would lay on a 

 ten cent piece ; on Wednesday, I did the same ; 

 on Friday, I gave it again ; on Saturday, he could 

 not bite a pumpkin ; on Sunday morning, I looked 

 in his trough, and found at least one quart of old 

 mattery scales, with a mixture of matter, all in a 

 lump. From that time he breathed easy, and 

 never was troubled again with the glanders ; it 



was a perfect cure. I worked him in my buggy 

 for two years after, and traded him as a sound 

 horse, to a neighbor who was familiar with his 

 disease all the time he had it. He was slightly 

 salivated — was as good as before. A neighbor 

 tried the remedy with equal success. — CoiTespon- 

 dent Cotton Planter. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



CALIFORNIA BEER SEED — INSECTS ON WHEAT. 



You have doubtless, in common with most of 

 your readers, heard of or seen the substance 

 known as "California Beer Seed," or "Boston 

 Yeast." A very extensive ignorance prevails in 

 this region as to what this useful substitute for 

 yeast really is, and I wish to address a few in- 

 quiries to you in respect to it, hoping that many 

 may be enlightened through the columns of your 

 valuable journal. Is it known where the plant, 

 (if it is one,) originated, or where it was discov- 

 ered ? Admitting it to be a Vegetable, are the 

 conditions of its growth and perfection under- 

 stood ? It is said by some not to be as healthful 

 as ordinary yeast : are you aware that this is true 

 or otherwise ? 



If, sir, you or any of your many readers can 

 answer these inquiries, or give any information 

 on a subject on which, at present, very little is 

 known, you will greatly relieve the mind of a 

 Perplexed Housekeeper. 



P. S. — Is the reddish brown insect preying on 

 the wheat in this region the true "weevil ?" I 

 am desired to inquire your opinion as to the best 

 method of treating the crop after the insect gets 

 into it. Many farmers here have mowed down 

 the grain, hoping to save the berry from the mag- 

 got, but the prospect is that very little, if any- 

 thing, can be obtained in that way. 



Worcester, August 1, 1861. 



Remarks. — We know nothing of the "Califor- 

 nia Beer Seed." An article in another column 

 gives some information with regard to insects on 

 wheat. 



MOWING MACHINES. 



I rather think, from remarks that I have heard 

 from A, B and C, about the use of mowers in the 

 cutting of grass, that the popular opinion is with 

 you. From what I have seen of the use of these 

 implements, for ten years last past, I am of the 

 opinion, when properly constructed and properly 

 guided, that full one-half the expense of cutting 

 grass can be saved by them. I am not particular 

 as to what machine shall be preferred, though I 

 have seen no one that did the work any better 

 than the Buckeye. The proprietor of this ma- | 

 chine I do not know. J. w. P. " 



South Danvers, Aug. 5, 1861. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH MUCK. 



I have read a great deal about experiments with 

 muck, and now I will give those I have made. ■ 

 In the fall of 1859 I spread 60 loads on two ? 

 acres of upland grass ground, which had so run 

 out that it bore nothing worth harvesting ; now 

 it gives Id ton per acre. The muck which I used • 

 was taken out of a hollow where leaves of the 

 woodland above, and decayed wood, &c., had 



