298 



ties should be mowed close to the ground 

 twice a year, just as they are in blossom, 

 before any of them have* seeded. The 

 labor of cut ting" will in many cases be 

 repaid by the extra quantity of feed which 

 may be thus obtained. Thistles frequent- 

 ly occupy the best ground, and where they 

 stand thickly, they prevent animals from 

 eating the grass which grows among 

 them. By cutting them closely, the grass 

 springs fresh and sweet, and the patches 

 are grazed so much that the growth of 

 the thistles is often much checked. On 

 moist land, which is inclined to make a 

 thick sward, thistles may be effectually 

 smothered clown and killed by following 

 up the practice of cutting for a few years. 

 We have formerly proved this in our own 

 experience in repeated instances. 



In cultivated land, the Canada thistle 

 may be destroyed by frequent ploughing 

 Four thorough ploughings, with an inter- 

 val of three weeks between each plough- 

 ing, will destroy the principal portion of 

 them. — Cultivator. 



drachms,) and mix fhem thoroughly by 

 shaking. This is an indelible 'fluid, and 

 withstands the effects, combined or sepa- 

 rate, of heat and suds. Another recipe is 

 nitrate of silver, one drachm ; purest arum 

 arabic, half an ounce, dissolved in half a 

 pint of purest rain water, caught in a 

 perfectly clean vessel, in the open air. 

 To write legibly with this ink, the cloth 

 must first be dipped in a solution of one 

 ounce of salt of tarter, in an ounce and 

 a half of water, and exposed to the sun 

 until perfectly dry, before the ink is ap- 

 plied. Nitrate of silver may be made by 

 putting siver into nitric acid, (aquafortis,) 

 by which it is dissolved." 



USEFUL RECIPES FOR WRITERS. 



" W." in the Maine Farmer, under the 

 above head, gives the following useful in- 

 formation in regard to writing; on oily pa- 

 per, parchment, &c. It is sometimes the 

 case that paper contains oleaginous mat- 

 ter which prevents the ink from spread- 

 ing, and causes much trouble to those 

 who attempt to write on it. When paper 

 possesses this character, or when it is ne- 

 cessary to write on parchment, which is 

 generally possessed of an oily or greasy 

 surface, put a few drops of fresh, unadul- 

 terated beefs gall into the writing fluid, 

 and you will find it to flow easily and free- 

 ly from the pen. By adding a little salt 

 and vinegar to the fluid, it may be pre- 

 served a year or more without corrupting. 



" Indelible Ink. — This article is now 

 extensively used for marking linen. The 

 shopman's price is usually two shillings 

 per bottle ; but those who wish to use it 

 can manufacture it much cheaper. To 

 two drachms of nitrate of silvor, add a 

 weak solution of tincture of galls, (four 



THE COCKROACH NUISANCE 



Take a sixpenny loaf of wheat bread — 

 the staler the better — reduce it to a 

 crumb, (of course after paring off the 

 crust,) then in a pint of boiling water 

 put two tea-spoonsful of Cayenne pepper, 

 one of pulverized orris seed, half a drachm 

 | of saltpetre, the same quantity of white 

 I lead, and a wine glass full of extract of 

 hops. Now throw in your crumb of 

 | bread, digest for six hours in a moderate 

 heat ; strain through a cloth, add to the 

 liquor 30 drops of tincture of quassia, and 

 let it stand till the next day ; then bottle 

 it and keep it in a pantry. Some doxen 

 lumps of sugar, saturated with the mix- 

 ture, and strewed about the kitchen, will 

 remove this pest in less than no time. 



FATTENING POULTRY. 



It is asserted in the "Transactions of the 

 Society of Arts," that there is a great ad- 

 vantage in fattening geese, turkeys, and, 

 in short, fowls of every description, on po- 

 tatoes mixed with meal. On this diet 

 they are said to fatten in less than one- 

 half the time ordinarily required to bring 

 them to the same condition of "excellence," 

 on any kind of corn, or even on meal it- 

 self. The potatoes must be boiled and 

 mashed fine while they are hot, and the 

 meal added, just before the food is to be 

 presented. 



