104 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



which hardens the bark and destroys the eggs. 

 If the worm should be there it can be easily 

 removed. In February the trees should be 

 hilled and remain so until three or four heavy 

 frosts in the fall, and the roots again exposed 

 as before directed. I once hilled my trees in 

 June, but found this was not early enough, as 

 I discovered some worms in the fall. Since I 

 made my hillocks in February, and find them 

 free from worms. By this process the hillock 

 does not remain long enough to injure the tree, 

 or make the bark tender like it is at the sur- 

 face of the ground where it is covered all the 

 time, causing it to be moist and tender (the 

 hill covers this part) which is most favorable 

 to the maturing and protecting the egg; be- 

 sides, this mode causes the fly to deposit the 

 egg so high, if it should hatch, the worm tra- 

 vels so slow that it cannot reach the ground, 

 after the earth is removed, and is, therefore, 

 killed by the frost. 



As the time is approaching the prevention 

 should be used, I send you this communication 

 hoping that others may be benefited by it. 

 Yours, &c. 



R. A. Springs. 

 Springstein, S. C, Nov. 30, 1854. 



rarely or never die from its effects. And I 

 wish also to know what kind of mushroom or 

 fungous production is so noxious, for certainly 

 they can eat that which springs from the pop- 

 lar and several other kinds with impunity. I 

 advance the opinion that they are a narcotic 

 poison, probably acro-narcotic, causing conges- 

 tion of the brain and spinal cord, and thereby 

 producing paralysis, to some extent, of the 

 muscles of the legs, which is evinced by the 

 staggering and uncertain direction in which 

 they move, and by its acrid principle (if it 

 really has any), causing irritation and conges- 

 tion of the coats of the stomach and intestines, 

 against which the coarsely triturated or masti- 

 cated particles of corn impinge, and scratch, 

 and excite into active inflammation which may 

 probably in most instances cause death. The 

 reason why there is not diarrhoea or laxity of 

 bowels during the stage of congestion or irri- 

 i tation of the coats of the intestines, caused by 

 I the probable acrid principle of the poison, is 

 | perhaps because the narcotic principle counter- 

 I acts it, by a constipating tendency, like that 

 I of opium or laudanum. I hope that the in- 

 troduction of this subject may elicit some pos- 

 itive information and a cure if there be any. 

 for the deliterious effects of the mushroom. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 MUSHROOMS AND HOGS. 



Mr. Editor : This is the first day of Spring 

 and the song of the turtle will soon be heard 

 in our land, and, though quite a cool morning, 

 numbers of Blue-birds and Robin-red-breasts 

 are chirping and frisking about amongst the 

 apple trees. In a few months the forests will 

 put on her glorious green mantle, and the show- 

 ery spells of May will cause to spring up the 

 poisonous mushroom, so hurtful to the Hog, 

 and indeed, I believe, too, to the sheep, though 

 in a less degree. It is customary with the far- 

 mers in this region, where woodland is plentiful, 

 and especially after a good mast of acorns, to 

 turn their hogs out in the woods in the fall, 

 after the harvest-fields are pretty well gleaned 

 and dried up, and to permit them to remain 

 there through the Winter and Spring, until the 

 clover or harvest fields are ready for them in 

 the Summer, and consequently they lose a good 

 many of them during the months of May and 

 June from mushrooms. 



My object in writing this piece, is to inquire of 

 you, or some of your intelligent readers, why, 

 when corn is given hogs, after they have eaten 

 plentifully of mushrooms, that they, in a very 

 short time, show signs of the effects of the poi- 

 son ; whereas, if no corn is given them, they 



Louisa, March 1. 



BoMERO. 



If any gentleman, especially any physician, can 

 shed light on the above subject, we beg him to do 

 so.— Ed. So. Pl. 



BORAX WASHING RECIPE. 



A number of new subscribers have requested 

 us to republish the following recipe, which ap- 

 peared in a former number. We have been 

 waiting to give the results of some careful ex- 

 periments in our family, but which were broken 

 off by sickness. Enough, however, was ascer- 

 tained to convince us that there is really a 

 great advantage in adding a small quantity of 

 borax to common hard soap, previous to using 

 it for washing. 



Our method is as follows : To every pound 

 of soap add from one-half to three-quarters of 

 an ounce of common borax, with one quart of 

 water. Put the water in any convenient vessel 

 upon the stove, add the borax, somewhat pul- 

 verized, and then put in the soap cut up in thin 

 pieces. Keep them hot, but not boiling, for 

 two or three hours, or until the whole is dis- 

 solved, and then set it aside to cool, when a 

 solid mass will be formed. If the vessel is 

 set upon the warm stove at night, the operation 

 will be completed in the morning, though we 

 think it better to stir the mass just before it is 

 cooled. 



