THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



169 



DAIRY UTENSILS. 



All dairy utensils should be scalded, 

 rinsed and dried every time they are used. 

 Glazed pottery is not considered desirable 

 for milk or cream, as the acid contained 

 in them acts upon the glazing (which is 

 generally an oxide of lead,) and converts 

 it into an active poison. Vessels made of 

 wood are preferred by many to any others, 

 for this purpose ; although they are liable 

 to become tainted with the acidity of the 

 milk, in which case they can only be 

 thoroughly cleansed by boiling; and when 

 this fails, a little sal asratus added to the 

 boiling water will effectually neutralize 

 the acid. The vessels must afterwards 

 be immersed for two or three days in wa- 

 ter, which should occasionally be changed. 

 Milk vessels may be made of maple, white 

 ash, hickory or white pine. — Selected. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 COW DISTEMPER. 



Mr. Editor, — Some time last year I 

 saw an article in the Planter signed A. B., 

 requesting information from those who 

 knew what was a cure for the cow dis- 

 temper. I have waited some time to see 

 if an answer would appear from an abler 

 hand than mine ; but as I have seen none 

 such, I will endeavor to give a remedy in 

 the best manner I can. Take a double 

 handful of the roots of wild horse-radish, 

 washed clean, and one gallon of water. 

 Boil these in any convenient vessel until 

 half the water is evaporated, and when 

 the remainder is cool, give one quart to 

 the diseased cow. If she has not been 

 long sick, this will, in most cases, effect a 

 cure; but if the case requires it, give a 

 second dose in about two hours. This 

 is as much as I ever saw given to one 

 cow, because this has always given re- 

 lief; but if one under my care received 

 not benefit from these two doses, I should 

 certainly give another, and another after 

 that, if necessary. 



I am no botanist, but will endeavor to 

 give you a description of the wild horse- 

 radish, mentioned above. It is a plant 



very commonly to be met with in the 

 woods in our part of Virginia. Near the 

 ground it shoots forth a number of spear- 

 shaped leaves, of about a hand's length. 

 From the midst of these rises a stalk from 

 one to three feet in height, and about the 

 size of a large goose quill, perhaps some- 

 what larger. Some few small leaves 

 grow alternately up this stalk, and at top 

 it branches off something like flax. It 

 blooms from May to October, and bears a 

 number of white blossoms, which assume 

 a dark hue when ripe. The root is di- 

 vided into a number of branches, some 

 larger, some smaller than the finger. — 

 They are very dark on the outside, and 

 nearly as much so throughout. 

 Respectfully, 



Samuel Stone. 

 Mecklenburg, June 7, 1847. 



From the New York True Snn. 

 THE ART OF WOOL GROWING. 



Farmers' Club met Tuesday. C. Henry 

 Hall, Esq , in the chair. 



Chas. L. Fleischmann exhibited eigh- 

 teen specimens of wool, collected by him 

 during his agricultural tour through Eu- 

 rope in 1845 and 1846, for the United 

 States' Patent Office. The specimens 

 were many of remarkable fineness, col- 

 lected mostly from the flocks of Germany. 

 Six of the samples were from the most 

 celebrated flocks of Prussian Silesia, where 

 the finest and best Merino wool in all Eu* 

 rope is grown, and one of the specimens 

 was from a ram that was sold for $4,000. 

 The first specimen was from the side of 

 a ewe of Prince Linchnowsky's stock- 

 breed at Kuchelma — the most celebrated 

 flock in Europe, for the last forty years, 

 for its thorough blood. His various flocks 

 of Merinoes, in Prussian Silesia, amount 

 to eight thousand sheep, from which he 

 sells yearly, on an average, 47,000 reichs- 

 thales ($27,000) worth of breeding bucks 

 and ewes. It is not rare that he gets 

 from 2,500 to 3,000 reischsthales ($1,600 

 to $2,000) for a single buck. The gems 

 of his flocks cannot be obtained for any 

 price. 



