1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



267 



of clerks are also employed for other purposes, 

 such as copyi"g» recording, taking care of the 

 drawings, models, &c, while a large number of 

 female's are also kept busy copying the sj)ecifica- 

 tions after the applications have been examined. 



'Ihe act of 18G1 increased the salary of the Com- 

 missioner one-half— from $3,000 to $4,500, and 

 also added $500 to the salary of the Chief Clerk, 

 and S300 to the Librarian's. By that act, the ex- 

 aminers are tuade independent judicial officers, in- 

 stead of being, as heretofore, mere assistants to i 

 tlH! (Commissioner. They now make their deci- 

 sions upon their own responsibility ; and such deci- 

 sions cannot be controlled by the Commissioner, 

 until they come liefore him by the regular process 

 of appeal, jjrovided by law. 



The act of 18GI also created an Appeal Board, 

 composed of three members, at a salary of $3000 

 per annum each, with a clerk at a salary of $1000. 

 All appeals from the decisions of the Examiners 

 mnst Iw to this Board, who have the power of af- 

 firming or reversing the decision. — Prairie Farmer. 



Fur the New England Fanner. 

 METEOROLOQICAI. RECORD FOR JULY. 



These observations are taken for and under the 

 direction of the Smithsonian Institution. 



The average temperature of July was 71°; av- 

 erage midday temperature 76°. The correspond- 

 ing figures for July, I SG2, were 67° and 75 ° 

 (showing much warmer nights this year than last.) 

 Warmest day, the 7th, averaging 71 ° ; coldest 

 day, the 13th, averaging 62 = . Highest temjjer- 

 ature, 88 ° ; lowest do., 58 ° . 



Average height of mercury in the barometer, 

 29.25 inches; do. for July, 1862, 29.19 inches. 

 Higiiest daily average, 29.42 inches ; lowest do., 

 29 01 inches. Range of mercury from 28.96 inch- 

 es to 29.43 inches. Rain fell on eighteen days ; 

 amount of lain, 6.56 inches ; do. July, 1862, four- 

 teen rainy days and 3.89 inches of rain ; do. July, 

 1861, eight days and 2.76 inches; do. July, 1860, 

 twelve days and 5.04 inches. There were n.» per- 

 fectly clear days ; on seven days the sky was en- 

 tii'ely overcast 



It will he noticed that the harometrical changes 

 have been very slight — neither rising high nor 

 falling very low. The amotint of ruin and the 

 numl)er of wet days are remarkable. 



The table given above must change the reputa- 

 tion of July as to its being a month given to 

 drouglits — having Ijeen for the last four years, at 

 least, very well watered. A. C. 



ClaremonL, N. U., Aug. 4, 1863. 



ing in God, a gladness in our neighbor's good, a 

 pleasure in doing good, a rejoicing with him ; and 

 without love we cannot have any joy at all. 



PiCKi^lNO CucuMnEUS.— As a general thing, 

 sufficient care is not taken in pickling cucumbers, 

 and large numbers of them "spoil" in less than 

 three months' time. The following method we 

 think the best : Select a sufficient quantity of the 

 size you prefer, which prol)ably cannot be done at 

 one time. Put them in a stone pot, and pour over 

 them a strong brine ; to this add a small bit of 

 alum, to secure the color. Let them stand a 

 week ; then exchange the brine for clear water, in 

 which they must remain two or three davs. Boil 

 the best cider vinegar, and when nearly cool, pour 

 it over the cucumbers, having previously turned 

 off the water. Prepared in this manner, with the 

 addition of cloves, allspice, mustard, and cinna- 

 mon, boiled in the vinegar, pickles of every kind 

 will keep for a year. In pickling cauliflower, to- 

 matoes, and other vegetables, which easily absorb 

 the vinegar, the spiced vinegar should be added 

 when cold. — Rural New-Yo7-ker. 



A CiiEERFUi. Spirit. — Cheerfulness fills the 

 soul with harmony ; it composes music for church- 

 es and hearts ; it makes glorification of God ; it 

 prvKluces thankfulness aud serves the end of char- 

 ity; and, when the oil of gladness runs over, it 

 makes bright and tall emissions of light and holy i 

 fii-es, reaching up to a cloud, and making joy round 

 about. Therefore, since it is innocent, and may , 

 be 80 pious and full of holy advantage, whitsoev- ; 

 er can innocently minister to this holy joy does ; 

 set forward the work of religion and charity. And, 

 indeed, charity itself, which is the vertical top of 

 all religion, is nothing else but a union of joys con- , 

 centrated in the heart, and rellected fnim nil the i 

 angles of our life and intercourse. It is a njoi:;- 



What a Woman Can Do.— J. B. Bardwell, 

 Worcester Co., Mass., writes to the Agriculturist 

 that an unmarried woman of that place, now over 

 80 years old, a few jears since bought a farm for 

 $5,300, and recently added to it a pasture lot cost- 

 ing $500 more. She had accumulated the whole 

 by doing housework at $1,50 per week, and put- 

 ting her savings at interest. She formerly let the 

 farm to tenants, but not liking their doings, last 

 jear she assumed the management, and with the 

 help of one man carried on the business. She 

 ke4)t sixteen cows, attended personally to the dai- 

 ry, and attended l)er own housework, besides do- 

 ing the marketing, etc. A large class of young 

 men who are idly "waiting for something to turn 

 up," should take lessons from this old lady. — Ag- 

 ricuUurist. 



E.VTENSIVE Drainage. — The Prairie Farmer 

 says that those who are acquainted with the land 

 about Gilman Station, at the crossing of the Peo- 

 ria and Oquawka and Illinois Central Railroads, 

 know that there is a large tract (several townships) 

 which is annually overflowed and rendered almost 

 worthless for agricultural purposes. Recent sur- 

 veys by the Illinois Central Railroad Company 

 have shown that it can readily be drained, but at 

 a large expense, which they have decided to as- 

 sume. The plan involves nearly fifty miles of 

 drains of various sizes, and will cost about $50,- 

 000. Upon the results of this will de|>end the 

 drainage of other tracts in the State that need 

 reclaiming. 



Tea Cultuue in Califounia — An effort is 

 making in California to test the cultivation of tea. 

 Mr. H. A. Soinitag, at the Mission, a short dii- 

 tance from San Prancisco, has one thousand thrif- 

 ty looking plants of this year's growth, from seed 

 procured by a gentleman in China. The climate 

 of California is about the same as that of the best 

 tea-growing sections of China. As tea j-lanis 

 must be four years old before the leaves nr'- • ■; :- 

 able for picking, .some, 'inv 'v-' ' ■ ' ' o 

 the success of the pn; 

 C-^rifornia ca^i I.l- tb^ti - 



