1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



265 



A learned judge of our city, when the article 

 appeared in our papers, called upon me to inquire 

 as to the precise mode of procedure. He said 

 that his cistern had been repeatedly cleaned and 

 scoured, and yet the water was dark colored and 

 offensive, and for months they had been compelled 

 to use bay rum with it, to overcome its oflensive 

 features. A few days afterwards, in answer to my 

 inquiries, he said, "It worked like a charm. In 

 three days, the water was sweet, and in a week, 

 perfectly clear and pure." 



All this is probably of little interest, or impor- 

 tance to your readers, except in so far as it may 

 impress upon their minds the value of the mode 

 proposed for purifying water. Most families use 

 charcoal, and from the bottoms of their bins, can 

 obtain, with a little care, enough of the dust to 

 answer all their needs. It ought to pass through a 

 sieve to remove the coarser particles, which are of 

 little value, and may impede the action of the 

 pump. 



Recently, I have used dust from cinders emptied 

 from locomotives at our railroad station. These 

 cinders are prevented from escaping, by the wire 

 gauze on the top of the chimney, but from these 

 can be sifted out some so fine as to answer the 

 purpose admirably. These raih-oad cinders are 

 now used very considerably here as deodorizers in 

 the removal of night soil, and undoubtedly would 

 prove the very best article for use in stables, for 

 the absorption of all offensive gases. They are 

 exceedingly cheap. I pay a cartman for them, de- 

 livered at my house, about one cent per bushel. 



Some three years since, I covered the surface of 

 my rose and flower-beds, in the early part of Sep- 

 tember, as a protection against frost, since by their 

 color, they attract and absorb more heat from the 

 sun's rays, thus causing the more perfect ripening 

 of the wood of my plants, and at the same time af- 

 fording a farther protection, in that they covered 

 the ground and prevented sudden evaporation, 

 which carries off heat with such great rapidity. 

 The experiment was entirely successful. Helio- 

 tropes, and other tender plants, remained un- 

 touched in the open ground until November, while 

 in adjoining gardens, there were abundant evi- 

 dences that frost had done its work. 



If these cinders could be ground fine at a rea- 

 sonable expense, they would be the ne plus ultra 

 for use in stables. Indeed, as they come from the 

 locomotive, they are probably by far the best sub- 

 stance that can be obtained for that purpose. 

 Thus used, and then mixed with muck, or with 

 pulverized peat, they would be invaluable. 



Charles Robinson. 



New Haven, Feb. 17, 1862. 



OLD AGE. 



You will look long to find a better description 

 of extreme age than the following, which is taken 

 from a play written in the year 1860, by Nathan- 

 iel Lee : 



"Of no distemper, of no blast he died, 

 But fell like autumn iruit that mellowed long, — 

 Even wondered at because he dropt no sooner ; 

 Fate seemed to wind him up for fourscore years, 

 Yet freshly ran he on ten winters more, 

 Till, like a deck, tcorn out with eaiinf^ time, 

 The tcheeli of weary life at last stood still.^' 



For the New England Farmer. 



VARIOUS NOTES. 



In your weekly of March 1st, I find two articles 

 in strong contrast — the first on the production of 

 the sugar beet for sugar and brandy, the other, in 

 response to inquiries, taking a bold stand against 

 tobacco. I am glad to know that we have some 

 farmers whose consciences will not allow them to 

 raise products, not only useless, but positively 

 deleterious to the consumer ; but it is with some 

 surprise, as well as regret, that I find a correspon- 

 dent of the Farmer holding up the inducement of 

 great profits and large fortunes, as incentives to 

 the production of an article, which, though it may 

 indeed yield large money profits to the distiller 

 and seller, must, if he has any regard for the wel- 

 fare of others, do it at the expense of his own 

 peace of mind, while its inevitable effects on the 

 public at large are poverty and crime. 



SNOvr. 

 In the same number, an article from an ex- 

 change, after some very correct remarks on the 

 advantage of a covering of snow for the earth, con- 

 tains the statement that snow-water makes the 

 skin harsh and dry, which any one who lives in 

 the country will tell you is incorrect. The cause 

 of this trouble (except in disease,) is often the use 

 of hard water, or soap, or both, while snow-water 

 is soft, and I find it the best remedy for roughness 

 of the hands, &c. Some other items in the same 

 article, I think, are contrary to the facts in the case, 

 but as I have not yet proved them to be so, I let 

 them pass. 



FLESH OR FAT versUS MILK. 



"T. S. F." wishes to knoAv how to treat a cow 

 that gives so much milk as to keep her low in 

 fiesh. I infer from his remarks, that she did not 

 give milk in the winter, and that advantage was 

 taken of this to keep her cheaply. My advice 

 would be, to adopt a contrary course, and after 

 drying her off in the fall or winter, to take this op- 

 portunity to improve her condition. There will be 

 no loss in doing so, because less food is required 

 for a fleshy animal, and the milk will be more 

 abundant, and richer in quality through the sum- 

 mer, than it would be from cows poor at the com- 

 mencement of the milking season. 



REMEDY FOR CURCULIO. 



An extract from the Michigan Farmer, recently, 

 recommends common elder as a specific for eurcu- 

 lio. No harm will result from trying this, if it 

 does not lead to the neglect of other and more ef- 

 fectual remedies, but I am of the opinion, that ex- 

 emption from the curculio in this case was the re- 

 sult of some accident not observed by the fortu- 

 nate orchardist. I have tried the same remedy for 

 the striped bug, for which it has been recommend- 

 ed, with no effect, but to afford them convenient 

 shelter in rough weather. 



FEEDING MEAL TO CALVES. 



In reply to my article on the above suhject,, 

 "H." says reason would teach a man better, than 

 to give "young calves a large quantity of com 

 meal." One would think that this would be so, 

 but I have seen enough to convince me that some 

 words of caution are not superfluous ; probably 

 because many persons do not reahze how small a 

 quantity, comparatively, is required by a young 



