No. 6. 



ANDGARDENER'SJOURNAL. 



83 



i 



pouring in a emnll qunncily of sulphuric ncid, diluted 

 with water. We determine the point of saturation 

 by using Tumeiick paper, which, if there is an excess 

 of ihne, ia colored of a reddish brown. A little prac- 

 tice will soon make one familiar with this part of the 

 process. Having neutralized the excess of the lime, 

 leaving the juice slightly alkaline, and the kettle hav- 

 ing been thoroughly cleansed, we return it again to 

 the boiler, and find that it is reduced to about seven 

 gallons, in consequence of concentration and the loss 

 of the black sediment. 



Rekindle the tire, and the juice being at 100^ of 

 Farenheit, commence adding slowly 2 lbs. of animal 

 charcoal, etirring it briskly the while. The syrup 

 , having been kept in a state of ebullition some minutes, 

 a thick white scum of a waxy nature appears, which 

 having been skimmed off, we throw into the kettle a 

 pint of cold water to abate the ebullition, and immedi- 

 ately add the whiles of ;{ eggs, beaten in water. In- 

 crease the lire, stir briskly, and skim for half an hour, 

 or as long as the scum continues to rise; at the expi- 

 ration of which time, extingnlsh the fire, and draw 

 ofl' the syrup into the filters, to remain during the 

 night, ill the commencemt of our experiment we 

 used conical Hannel filters, for which we have now 

 substituted two and even three thicknesses of woolen 

 blankets, secured upon a wooden frame or stand, 

 which we find answer a belter purpose. 



11 the operations of the first day have been success- 

 fully performed, the liquor in the morning will be 

 found clear and transparent, marking dO ° on the hy- 

 drometor, at which point we commence the clarifying 

 process. The syrup is now reduced to 2J or three 

 gallons, and returning it again to the boiler, having 

 first greased the sides thereof with a morsel of butter, 

 to prevent its burning; rekindle the fire, and should 

 there appear any impurities, we add, before healing, 

 the white of an egg, well beaten, removing them care- 

 fully with the skimmer. The fire requires to be 

 watched very closely, as there is at this stage, great 

 danger of burning the syrup, which should be kept 

 moderately boiling, until it marks 4.5 ° on the hydrom- 

 eter, when the proof by the thread should be taken, 

 bycoolinga portion of the syrup between the thumb 

 and fore finger: separate them suddenly, and if the fil- 

 ament breaks that, curiing itself into a horn or spiral, 

 the process ia completed. The fire is immediately ex- 

 tinguished, and the syrup conveyed to a tub or coolei, 

 in which chryslallization commences, when it must be 

 thoroughly stirred, and thence turned gradually into 

 the moulds, the points or cones of which have been 

 previously stopped with a peg, and the moulds them- 

 selvea saturated with water, in order thut they may 

 not imbibe any portion of the syrup. In the course of 

 an hour or two, a crystallized crust forms itself upon 

 the top of the moulds, which must be carefully stirred 

 and broken, in order to collect the chrystala into the 

 centre. At the end of three days remove the plugs 

 from the points of the canes, set them over the pots to 

 drain, where they are to remain ten days or a fort- 

 night, by which time the EUgar will be found to be dry 

 an.l perfectly chrystallized. 



I have thus detailed to you, I tru t with not too 

 much minuteness, the method pursued by us in sever- 

 al experiments of manufacturing sugar from beets, in 

 which we have been principally guided by the direc- 

 tions of Chaptal and Fontencl e. When one has be- 

 come acquainted with the process, I am convinced 

 there is nothing connected with it, which an intelli- 

 gent farmer cannot comprehend and practice; and I 

 see no reason why every man who cultivates fit'ty acres 

 ot land, should not have his acre or half an acre of 

 beets, and raanfacture not only sugar enough for his 

 tamily, but a i'ew hundred pounds besides, which he 

 might exchange to advantage vvitb his grocer for ma- 

 ny of the comforts, or it may be, luxuries of life. 

 1 remain respectfully. 

 Your friend and servant, 



PICKERI.NG DODGE. 

 Salem, Jan. 30, 1838. 



To prevent Hens from Scratching. — The Phila- 

 delphia Ledger says that a yankee has invented a 

 method of keeping hens from scrarcbing in gardens. 

 The plan ia to tie two of the toes of one loot. The 

 hen cannot scratch with the tied foot, and she cannot 



stand on that foot alone to scratch with the other. 



This is the age of invention. 



TkE Fly. — The Easton (Md.) Gazette says that 

 the Hessian fly is doing dangerous injury to the wheat 

 in that and the adjacent counties. 



The Worcester (Pa.) Star states that the Hessian 

 fly is ravaging the wheat fields of that neighborhood, 

 to a oonsiderabL' extent 



Hay and Hay lUakiug. 



Fiist, as to the lime of cutting the crop. In Mas- 

 sachusetts, Herds Grass or Timothy is the principal 

 grass grown. What now is the best time for mowing 

 this grass ? The general answer given by the farmers 

 is to cut this grass when it is in the flower; or when 

 the blossom begins to fall. By some it is maintained, 

 and this too upon high authority, that Herds Grass is 

 most nutritious, when it has become completely ripe; 

 and the seed is in that state that it would vegetate 

 perfectly if planted. We deem it a matter of consid- 

 erable importance to determine this point. We do not 

 expect from our farmers a critical exactness; but we 

 have no doubt that many of our experienced and in- 

 telligent farmers have made very careful observations 

 of this matter, and their opinions are what we want. 

 Let the farmers, if they can, say then what trials they 

 have made, or what they have observed in this matter. 

 Some persons insist that the appetite of the cattle is 

 the beet criterion; and that what they like best must 

 be best for them. We have not the same confidence 

 in the wisdom of this bench of judges, though so 

 much given to reflection in their ruminating hours. — 

 It is certain that if left to them they would much pre- 

 fer to eat Indian corn for example, in a green and 

 half formed state; but will any farmer say that corn in 

 this condition would yield as much nutriment os when 

 perfectly ripe ? We have great respect for animal in- 

 stinC; but we have much more respect for the reason 

 and experience, and sound judgment, based upon 

 caieful observations, of intelligent men. 



A second matter of imjiortant inquiry respects the 

 curing of clover hay. Some years since an ex[ieri- 

 ment wns made by the Rev. Mr. Packard, of Mailbo- 

 ro' — and another by Samuel W. Pomeroy, then of 

 Brighton, a gentleman possessing one of the most ob- 

 serving and acute minds that are to be met with, of 

 curing clover hay by salting it, the details of which 

 experiments were given in the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural Repository. In these cases the clover was cut 

 in the morning and carried in the afternoon, and when 

 packed away, abundantly salted. It is said that this 

 hay cnnie out green, fair, and in fine condition. But 

 there is a prejudice against this mode from a notion, 

 perhaps not without foundation, that the quantity of 

 salt necessary to be employed in such cases destroys 

 in some measure the nutritive properties of the hay. 



Be this, however, as it may, another mode has been 

 adopted to some extent in this and neighboring states; 

 that of cutting the clover while dry or free from wet- 

 ness, and after a few hours sun upon it without sha- 

 king it abroad much, putting it in a cock; allowing it 

 to remain until it becomes well made in the cock, and 

 merely turning it over the day of its being carried in, 

 that the bottom of the cock may become dry; then ta- 

 king it into the barn. We are not certain that we 

 have described this method intelligibly and properly; 

 but we hope that some of the farmers who have cured 

 their clover hny in this mode, will set us right both as 

 to the mode and the results. 



There are other points in regard to hny whicli we 

 wish could be determined. P'or example, is hay inju- 

 red by sweating in the mow or not 1 Mnny of the 

 farmers on the Connecticut river, who were in the 

 habit of "making their hay a great deal," have olter- 

 ed their course, and now get it in in a much shorter 

 time, and in a comparatively green condition. They 

 say much labor is saved, and the hay spends better fir 

 their cattle. It does mt come out so bright: the top 

 of the mow will appear even discolored and injured; 

 and it would scarcely pass for merchantable hay in 

 Boston, but the stall-fed cntdo eat it better and thrive 

 as well upon it; and therefore they consider it more 

 succulent and nutritious, than if it was as thoroughly 

 sun dried as possible. An exiiericnced English farm- 

 er, upon whose authority we place some reliance, was 

 accustomed to say that hay wns always better, to use 

 his own expression, for "sweating well in the mow." 

 It will certainly not do to get hay into the barn with 

 any wetness upon it from the dew or rain; but with 

 how much of the natural moisture or sap remaining in 

 it, il may be safe to put away, is the point on which 

 we solicit information. 



Another point of importance respects the spreading 

 of hay. Should it be given in a long state, or should 

 it be cut; and if cut should it be cut finely orcb'scly 1 

 We ha%'e many fncts on the matter of cutting all feed 

 for stock ; but we want more facts from the careful and 

 observing. One of the agents of the Eastern Stage 

 Company, who had under his charge a large number 

 of horses, said that he preferred to give them hay cut 

 about four inches long rather than shofffer. It compel- 

 led the horses, he said, to chew their feed, whereas, 

 when cut short, an inch or three-quarters of an inch 

 .n length, mastication was imperfectly performed. 



Men in all such cases are seldom without a reason; 

 but perhaps the true reason was that his machine was 

 not adapted to cut his feed shor.er than four inches in 

 length. 



Another matter which we wish could be ascertained 

 relates to the shrinkage of hay. How much will a 

 quantity of hny weighing one ton when put into the 

 barn at haymoking, weigh in the month of March en- 

 suing; or fcow soon does it arrive at a condition where 

 it may be expected to hold its own ? Wo have gene- 

 rally beard it estimated at one-fifth loss in that time. 

 We have no facta in the case; but it is obviously a 

 point of much importance in determining the farmers, 

 who sell hay, and the persons who buy hay, how the 

 price should be made up; and at what rate they can 

 afford to sell hay from the field, compared with what 

 they expect to obtain for it in the spring. — New Eng- 

 land Farmer. 



Plugi^ins; Fruit Trees. 



Messrs. Editors — Some seven or eight years ago, 

 yon doubtless recollect there was considerable said a- 

 bout plugging fruit trees with sulphur and other sub- 

 stances, to protect them from disease and insects. I 

 had thought however that this was all a humbug 

 which had lived its day ond received its doom; till n 

 a few days since a respectable looking man told me 

 he had practiced a similar method with the most per- 

 fect success, on many trees in Livingston Co., for sev- 

 eral years past; and that he had discovered a com- 

 pound which on being inserted into the body of the 

 tree, would in a few hours expel all borers, caterpil- 

 lars, curculios slugs &c. &c., and would efTectually 

 prevent all injury to the tree or fruit from these depre- 

 dators for many inonths after the application. I ask- 

 ed him if so powerful an agent would not injure the 

 tree or render the fruit unwholesome. He replied it 

 would not, as the ingredients were all used by men as 

 medicine, and the quantity absorbed by the fruit was 

 so very small that nothing but an insect could possibly 

 discover it I He evidently did not belong to the Thom . 

 sonian school of medicine however, for he informed 

 me that Calomel and raw quicksilver were among the 

 substances employed. How they were to be dissolved 

 and made to circulate in the sap of the tree, is a mys- 

 tery which he did not explain to me. 



If there is any truth in his statements, some of your 

 renders in Livingston Co. must possess information on 

 the subject: and if so, I should be glad if they would 

 give some testimony concerning it, througli the New 

 Gencece Farmer. MO.XROE. 



May 27(/i 1840. 



Horn Disease in Cattle. 



Messed. Editors — I saw a statement in your last 

 number, of an ox that was taken sick and died, suppo- 

 sed from the horn disease. Now, I am not a farrier 

 nor a farrier's son, bu; I learned forty years since how 

 to cure the horn distemper, and can do it without risk 

 or failure if applied to in season. I have cured thom 

 when fat, and past standing, and in winter when they 

 were poor. You will easily discover when it is the 

 horn ail, by their dull and sunken eyes, dry nose, cold 

 horns, and refusing to cat. 



The following is my remedy : — Take half a table- 

 spoonful each of spirits oi turpentine, camphor, fine 

 salt and black-pepper made fine, and one gill of sharp 

 vinegar. Mix them together, warm them to a blood 

 heat, turn the animal's head so that the ear will be up- 

 permost — take hold of the ear and put into it as much 

 as you can, hold it tight, and pull it up several times; 

 then serve the other the same — do it once a day lor 

 three or four days — split the tail if necessary — and the 

 cure will be effected. There is no mistake about it. 



A. DIBBLE. 



Byron, Gnirscc CO., N. Y. 



Life is a flower garden, in which new blossoms are 

 ever opening as fast as others fade. Nature is th% 

 mirror of the Invisible One 



