44 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Febuuakt, 
American Jute. 
At the present time there is great interest in 
every plant which promises to be available for 
fiber. In the January Agriculturist a brief notice 
was given of the American Jute: which lias 
called out numerous queries as to the appearance 
of the plant which furnishes it; we give an 
engraving of the flower, leaf and seed ves- 
sel. This sketch, which is about half the nat- 
ural size, will enable anyone to recognize it 
among our wild plants. The flower is general- 
ly rose-colored, but is sometimes white, with a 
crimson centre. The lower leaves are more ir- 
regular in outline than those represented in the 
engraving, and all are covered on the lower side 
with a light-colored, velvety down. The plant 
varies somewhat in different localities, and it 
was formerly supposed that there were two spe- 
cies, which were named Hibiscus Moscheutos, and 
Hibiscus 2>alustris ; but they prove to be the same 
plant growing under different circumstances, 
one on the sea-shore and the other inland, and 
the former name (H. Moscheutos) is retained. 
Though the plant grows most abundantly in 
the neighborhood of salt water, it is not very 
rare in the interior. It will probably grow al- 
most anywhere, but will doubtless flourish best 
in low grounds. We have for several years cul- 
tivated it for ornament, in a very sandy spot, 
where it grew with great vigor. The plautma'y 
be raised from seed, or by dividing the large 
clumps of roots. All our knowledge of its al- 
leged value as a fiber producing plant is obtain- 
ed from the statement of the patentee employing 
it for that use. We only notice it as one of the 
articles now claiming a share of public attention. 
Flax Cotton. 
An interesting sample of battiE made from 
flax has been placed on the Agriculturist Exhi- 
bition tables. It is intended for quilting dress- 
es, comforters, and such other purposes as cot- 
ton batting is employed for. The spoeimeti 
was made at a factory in Loekport, N. Y., which 
is the center of a large flax raising district. The 
flax straw is first pressed through a brake, the 
invention of Stephen Randall, of Rhode Island, 
which consists of a series of fluted rollers so 
geared that they run at different speeds, thus 
producing a motion by which the fiber is fired 
fi'Om the woody portion. After passing through 
a duster, which further cleans it, the fiber, if re- 
quired white, is bleached, dried and carded. In 
making yarn or twine, suitable machinery, simi- 
lar to that used in the manufacture of cotton, is 
employed. It is the intention of the company 
to supply an article which may be mixed with 
wool or cotton in fabrics, to make twine, crash, 
bags, railroad car backing, and similar goods. 
■ i » » » i « 
About the Weather. 
The remark is often made, that this or that 
month has been unusually cold or warm. A few 
very hot or cold days are apt to give the impres- 
sion, that the month or season has been very dif- 
ferent from the average, with respect to tempera- 
ture. But the same month through a series of 
years shows a great uniformity of temperature, 
and the years, taken one with the other, vary 
but little. The following table of observations, 
taken by Mr. H. T. Haviland, at Brooklyn, N. 
Y., gives a striking illustration of this. Here, 
but one observation each day is made use of 
—from May 1st to Nov. 1st at 6 A. M. ; and 
from Nov. 1st to May 1st, at 7 A. M. It will bo 
seen here, that the average of January and July 
together, give very nearly tho average of the 
year ; and so with the other opposite months. 
It must be borne in mind, that the average of 
47° is not tbe mean of the year, but only that of 
the morning observation. Observations taken 
in New- York city six times a day, during nine 
years, gave never less than 53°, nor over 55°, as 
the average temperature of each year : 
[ January. 
>J»ir 
j February 
/ August .. 
j March... 
( September. 
t April... 
| October 
/May... 
\ November. 
f June 
\ December. 
Year's Av*ge, 
1858. 
33° .41'. 
67° 50° 
1859. 
28° .41'. 
66° 47° 
1860. 
29° Av. 
65° 47° 
1861. 
27° Av. 
66° 46X 
1 
28 
65 
24 
65 44>tf 
31 
65 
48 
27 
66 
46^ 
31 
66 
48 
27 
66 
32 
59 45,^ 
39 
59 
49 
37 
58 
47X 
34 
59 
46^ 
3*3 
61 
44 
52 48 
43 
47 
45 
43 
50 
46# 
43 
53 
48 
42 
52 
50 
38 44 
51 
42 
43 
53 
43 
48 
49 
39 
44 
53 
11 
65 
33 49 
01 
30 
45% 
61 
29 
45 
62 
32 
47 
60 
3! 
47 
47 
47 
47 
1S5S. 
17 Feb. 11° 
24 " 10 
5 Mar. 10 
COLDEST DAYS. 
1859. I 1860. 
10 Jan.lob.0. Uan. 8° 
11 " 4 " I 2 " 7 
11 Feb.rsa. 0.. 2 Feb. 5 
28Dec.lO " S " 8 
29 " 8 " !17 " 12 
1861. 
13 Jan. 
14 
8Feb.4b.O. 
9 Feb. 4 a. 0. 
7 March 15 
1862. 
Av* 
65° 46X 
46>i 
47 
47 
46 
47 
1802. 
5 Jan. 10° 
•5 Feb. 17 
7 Dec. 14 
20 " 10 
21 " 7 
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Valuable Record, for Farmers and Others. 
The accompanying diagram shows a simple 
and very satisfactory plan for keeping a record 
of matters which arc subject to variation — as, 
for instance : the hight of the thermometer, the 
rise and fall in price of grain or other products, 
the a-uount of yearly produce on the farm, etc. 
It has long been in use among scientific 
but is so admirably adapted for operations on 
the farm and elsewhere, that thousands of lite 
readers of the American Agriculturist will be in- 
terested in examining it* working, and in mak- 
ing it useful in their own business matters. 
Our illustration was prepared some time since, 
to exhibit the method as actually used in our 
office, for noting the changes in the barometer ; 
but in a recent number of the London Garden- 
ers' Chronicle, a similar plau is shown, for ex- 
hibiting the increase and decrease of the flow of 
milk in a number of cows, and that being a 
matter of very general interest, we will illus- 
trate the working of the record so applied. 
The numbers at the top of the diagram desig- 
nate the days of the month, to each of which 
is assigued one of the spaces made by the perpen- 
dicular lines. The figures at tho sides, 1, 5, 10, 
etc., stand for quarts of milk, each space be- 
tween the horizontal lines representing one quart. 
The daily yield of milk by each cow is shown by 
the irregular lines, running from left to right. 
Thus: it appears by the above record, that on 
the 1st day of the month, one cow (a) gave 8 
quarts, and the other (b) 11| quails. On the 2d 
day there was an increase in each, a, yielding 94 
qts., b, 12 qls. Tho increase continued with a, 
until it reached 11 J qts., on the 8th of the month, 
when there was a slight decline for a few days, 
after which the amount rose to over 19 qts., on 
the 17th day, and then rapidly fell away. 
Now, if notes were made in the perpendicular 
spaces under the dates, of the different kinds 
of feed given, change of pasture, and other 
circumstances supposed to affect the flow of 
milk, a glance at the record would determine 
whether the change were favorable or otherwise. 
The cases noted above are imaginary ones, but 
they serve to fully illustrate the method. The 
horizontal spaces can also denote degrees 
for the thermometer or barometer, bushels 
for grain, cents for the price of commodities, or. 
any other denomination required; and the num- 
ber of spaces can be altered to suit any busi- 
ness or other matter. The perpendicular spaces 
can also be used to represent as many weeks, 
months or years as are desired. Where several 
records, liable to become confused, are marked 
on one sheet, they can be kept distinct by us- 
ing different colored pencils or ink, or by mak- 
ing doited, or broken lines. 
As remarked above, the 
changes of the barometer are 
recorded hi this manner at 
our office, aud it perfectly 
demonstrates the usefulness 
of the plan, to notice how 
exactly the rise and fall of 
the mercury correspond 
with the variations in the 
atmosphere. Where the in- 
dicating line rises, the ac- 
companying notes read: 
"Fine weather," where il 
falls, there is recorded : 
" Cloudy, rain, snow, or 
wind," etc. A few years of 
such records, pertaining to 
various farming operations, 
would be invaluable as ex- 
hibiting the success or failure of different meth- 
ods of treatment. They would be like charts, 
pointing out paths to be followed, and rocks 
to be avoided. Whatever appeals directly to 
the eye, produces a stronger impression than 
any written statement can do. One who, upon 
consulting his chart, should find his lines con- 
tinually running down hill, would be strong!)' 
incited to a change of his present management. 
