30 
TWO ITEMS ABOUT HAY. 
better than in a warm one. In the cotton and 
sugar region every planter may himself make all 
his bacon, for he is now able to cure it. 
To families of farmers, living in the country, it 
offers the means of having fresh meat during the 
summer without waste, for what cannot be eaten 
fresh can be packed, and will be the best pickled 
meat, as it will be recently cured. 
There is yet another view in which this invention 
will wonderfully serve farmers and planters. By it 
they can impregnate wood with salt, and the wood 
will be indestructible; or may turn it to stone 
measurably, and it shall yet be flexible, and can 
never rot and only be lost by wear. By it shingles 
for houses, and posts for fences, maybe made inde¬ 
structible. To do this it is only necessary to im¬ 
pregnate them with brine thoroughly. But it may 
be carried still further, and the wood turned wholly 
to s-tone: and thus—the wood is first charged with 
salt, then with sulphate of iron, and dried, then 
charged with a solution of muriate of lime; this 
latter coming in contact with the sulphate of iron, 
decomposes the wood and forms an insoluble 
compound—sulphate of lime or gypsum. The 
wood then becomes stone, and yet retains toughness. 
The chief merit of this apparatus is its extreme 
simplicity and the economy with which it operates. 
The solution of salt, or brine, which is used in 
most cases, both for curing meat and wood, is not 
costly. No more of it is expended than the meat 
or wood takes up; the balance is returned to the 
cistern and serves for another, or other operations. 
If a little sweetening matter or spices be added, 
the cost is not greatly increased, and for the other 
operations contemplated upon wood the same ap¬ 
plies, for most of the required solutions are made 
from the cheapest ingredients. The apparatus, con¬ 
structed of metal, will last for centuries. If it should 
get out of order, the rudest mechanic in the country 
can put it to rights. A boy of fourteen years of 
age can work it as well as a man. In fine, although 
many of the principles involved are not new ones, 
yet it so happens that no other apparatus hereto¬ 
fore invented rendered them of public utility, on 
account of great expense, while by this one, they 
can be made practically, cheaply useful. 
Such are the benefits which will arise to the ag¬ 
ricultural world from this invention. Of its power 
to serve commerce in ship-building, in the construc¬ 
tion of railroads, bridges, &c., it is not here neces¬ 
sary to speak. 
All that has been stated, is the result of actual 
experiment, and may be daily witnessed at Mr. 
Davison’s packing establishment in Leroy street 
near West, and the truth of these representations 
tested. A view of the apparatus will surprise and 
gratify lar more than the statements here made. 
New York, Dec. 16, 1845. A. S. 
We commend the above article on curing meat 
to the attention of our readers. By Mr. Stevens’ 
request we examined the machine in question, and 
found it more than he represents it. We think the 
invention invaluable. Having received occasional 
letters of inquiry in reference to it, we have been 
induced, since Mr. S.’s article was written, to make 
an arrangement with the patentees to sell machines 
and rights to the States, or if desired, to smaller 
teriitories. In doing this we are persuaded we shall 
serve the public vastly more than ourselves. For 
prices see advertisement 
two items'Tbout hay. 
The extraordinary drought of the past season, in 
most parts of our country, has compelled many 
farmers to resort to some unusual expedients to pro¬ 
cure a supply of provender. One of these I wish to 
bring to notice, as it may be of some use among 
the various “ substitutes lor a short crop of hay,” 
offered in the public prints. 
In the northern Slates, few sections, probably, 
suffered more severely than the northwestern part 
of New Jersey, comprising the county of Sussex 
and the adjoining portion of Warren. Much stock 
has been sold, and for the remainder, the prospect 
is, that they will have to “ pick clean and close,” 
for seldom do we find a more complete failure in 
the hay crop. Some never mowed their meadows 
at all, and those who did, got but a slim return. A 
friend of mine, in journeying through Sussex 
county, came across one farmer, whose grass crop 
presented about the same hopeless appearance as 
the rest, at the usual time of mowing. And what 
did he do ? give it up in despair, and turn his cattle 
in to pasture according to the fashion ? Not he ! 
He said he always made it his business to save 
fodder. It was a prominent feature in his system 
of farming. Save it in the summer time—save 
it in the winter time—and save it at all times. If 
the “ early rain” had failed, he had faith that the 
“latter” one would come. So he waited, and come 
it did, and with a heavy crop of hay, of two tons 
to the acre, cut and housed in the month of Novem¬ 
ber. “In the month of November!” no doubt 
some will exclaim with surprise. Exactly so, 
friend reader, although perhaps had you passed the 
field when the mowing was going on, you would 
have been inclined to ask, with a smile, “ Mister, 
what time this year did you commence, that you 
have got no further along than this, in your opera¬ 
tions ?” 
But enough of this. Let us learn something by 
the way; and be you our teacher, Mr. Editor. I 
would ask, could such a result as this be depended 
on generally, under the like circumstances, or only 
on some certain soils or situations? What would 
be its effect on the crop of next year ? It w T ould 
probably be a little later; would it be just as good ? 
Would it leave the roots more open to the killing 
action of the frosts, and cause the grass to die out 
and thus make it necessary to seed the land over 
again ? Would the soil deteriorate under such 
treatment, or the reverse ? 
I would also take this opportunity of calling at¬ 
tention to another item in the treatment of grass 
lands, given on page 151 of Mr. Ellsworth’s agri¬ 
cultural report for 1844. It is a novel and curious 
doctrine, and I should like to know the principles 
on which it is grounded. It reads as follows: “ I 
will take an old piece of herdsgrass, that at present 
yields less than half a ton of hay per acre, and at 
the end of five years, without breaking up, fresh 
seeding, or manuring, in any way whatever, I will 
raise the crop to two and a half tons per acre; 
and this I will do by merely permitting the crop to 
stand until the seed will just vegetate before cut¬ 
ting.” And the writer goes on to state, that he act- 
