EJNORY ITEMS.—OYSTER SHELL LIME A PREVENTIVE OF THE POTATO ROT, ETC. 191 
A. Yes. they all leave a small quantity of ash 
when burned. 
Q. Of what does this ash consist ? 
A. It consists of the phosphates of potash, soda, 
lime and magnesia, of common salt, and other sa¬ 
line substances.— Professor Johnston. 
sundry" items. 
Chinese Tree Berries poisonous to Pigs. —I have 
just had the misfortune to lose five of my finest 
Berkshire pigs in twelve hours, by eating the ber¬ 
ries of the Chinese trees (a), which are now drop¬ 
ping. They were two months old at the time, and 
had not been where the berries grew, before the 
day they died. 
Orchard. —I have just finished pruning my 
orchard, which contains 40 kinds of the best 
northern and southern apples ; 30 kinds of peach¬ 
es; 12 kinds of pears ; 6 kinds of plums; 4 kinds 
of cherries ; 2 kinds of apricots ; 2 kinds of necta¬ 
rines ; and 2 kinds of grapes. 
Corn Bread. —I send you a receipt for making 
corn bread, such as is used at every meal at my 
house. I have stopped at nearly all the fashionable 
hotels in the Union, and never have found anything 
that has equalled it. It should be tried by every 
one who wishes to have a superior bread. 
Take one egg well beaten, a half pint of thick 
cream, Indian meal sufficient to form a thick batter, 
a small quantity of salt; add half a teaspoonful of 
salaaratus, dissolved in a small quantity of water; 
after mixing thoroughly, put it into the pans or 
oven, and bake immediately. E. J. Capell. 
Centreville , Miss., April 15, 1846. 
(a) These trees we presume are what are com¬ 
monly called the “ Pride of China” at the South, 
and “ Azedarach” throughout Europe'. 
OYSTER-SHELL LIME A PREVENTIVE OF 
THE POTATO DISEASE. 
We have frequently recommended the applica¬ 
tion of lime to the potato crop, as a preventive of 
the disease so destructive at present to this valuable 
root. A correspondent sends us the following re¬ 
port at a meeting of the Brooklyn Institute, from 
the Star, of its application to a crop of potatoes, 
raised by Mr. Charles Nadansky,of North Hempsted, 
Long Island, which is so conclusive of the good 
effect of shell lime, that we give it in full for the 
benefit of our readers, trusting that they will profit 
from the example of an intelligent practical farmer. 
That the piece of land planted is about one acre; 
and was planted in the spring of 1845 ; that all of 
it except about one fifth was manured at the time of 
planting in the usual way, with farm yard dung in 
the hills; that a strip in the middle of the piece, 
being about a fifth of the whole, was left without 
dung, and in place thereof about one pint of slacked 
shell lime was used to each hill; that the yield of 
the whole was about one hundred bushels ; that the 
produce of those grown on lime was estimated at 
one third less than those grown on dunged land, but 
of a quality very superior, being all sound, very 
regular as to size, fair, without a diseased or de¬ 
cayed tuber in them at the time of digging up, 
whereas those grown on the manured part were 
very irregular as to size, of an ill shape, watery, 
and had a large portion of decayed, tubers among 
them at the time they were dug up, and the damage 
was such as to excite much apprehension that they 
would not keep, and, in consequence, 70 bushels 
were sold. 
And further, that early in the fall of 1845, four 
bushels from the limed, and twenty-one and a half 
from the dunged land, were each made quite dry. 
by being spread and turned about on the barn floor; 
that in this process of drying, there was among 
the dunged parcel a large portion which had be¬ 
come rotten and worthless, but of those from lime 
not one was discovered unsound; that when thus 
dried, they were placed in piles, and as they were 
thus placed, they were sprinkled (so as to whiten 
every tuber) with air slacked lime, and covered, 
first with rye straw, and then with earth in the 
usual way; that in April, 1846, the piles or heaps 
were opened, and from the 4 bushels of those grown 
on lime, 21 tubers only were found to be unsound, 
while from the 21 k bushels from the manured land 
nearly 2 pecks were in a decayed state; and, fur¬ 
ther, that at the time the above named were piled 
and buried, one barrel of the dunged crop was set 
away in a coal cellar, and without being sprinkled 
with lfme, and in the spring, that is to say, in the 
month of April, upon examination there were found 
to be about the same proportion of decayed tubers 
as in the other part of the same crop. 
AGRICULTURAL PUBLICATIONS. 
Since January I have received the Agriculturist 
for 1846, regularly. I am so much pleased with 
it that I feel disposed to be one among its patrons. 
Its contents are so much of the common every day 
order of things, that they may be deemed not only 
practical, but very useful and instructive. Such 
should be the works devoted to agriculture; as our 
callings are adapted to the most useful, practical 
and the earliest method to suit the purposes we are 
engaged. Anything mysterious, complicated, or 
extravagant, does not suit the farmers of our country. 
We are yet in our infancy in our occupations; as 
such, we stand in need of plain instruction. Step 
by step we must learn, and not be tutored too ra¬ 
pidly, for fear of too sudden advancement, not 
knowing the grounds we have passed over. Plain 
and useful instruction we need, so that when we 
read we can understand; and if we endeavor to 
carry the lessons into the field, let it be such as can 
be profitably bestowed. When agricultural works 
are aiming at the mysterious, and remote sciences, 
they at once lose their usefulness to the common 
planter; for in our day and time, w r e are neither 
prepared nor competent to carry them into execu¬ 
tion; it is “as pearls cast before swine.” The 
instruction we most need, is the most easy and 
ready modes of carrying out our practical duties to 
the most advantage and profit. The mechanic arts 
are of value to us ; the time and manner of procur¬ 
ing green timber for seasoning for use; the kinds 
best adapted for certain purposes ; those most dura¬ 
ble and best to be applied for wet or dry places; 
all such lessons are useful, as they are constantly 
needed. The stock department, and hints on do¬ 
mestic and rural economy, are highly necessary. 
Eufaula, Ala. Jno. H. Dent. 
