FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 
93 
genuine otto of roses is not, it is said, prepared by dis¬ 
tillation, but by putting a quantity of carefully-picked 
rose-leaves into a jar or cask, with just sufficient wa¬ 
ter to cover them. The vessel is then set in the sun 
for a few days, and in about a week the otto (a buty- 
raceous) oil collects in the form of a scum upon the 
surface, and is removed by a piece of cotton. 
Superiority of Span-Roofed Green-Houses. —Mr. Mc- 
Nab of the Caledonia Horticultural Society, contends 
that the span-roof is much superior for Green-Houses 
to the lean-to. But the house should extend north and 
south, so as not to be so much exposed to the rays of 
the meridian sun. East and west roofs make the tem¬ 
perature by day and night too unequal, and plants fre¬ 
quently perish in consequence of it. He found that 
the same kind of plants which become soft, spongy, 
and drawn up in the lean-to house, continued hard, 
woody, firm, and bushy, in a span-roofed house. It 
also required less heat, was more open to a good cir¬ 
culation of air, and the plants were not so likely to 
perish, for the temperature, winter or summer could 
be kept more equable. 
Society of German Landowners. —Mr. Handley has 
furnished in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural 
Society, an interesting paper on the meeting, &c., of 
the German landowners. It is similar to that of the 
New York State Agricultural Society. It was estab¬ 
lished in 1837, and holds annual meetings, and pub¬ 
lishes its Transactions. The meeting at Doberan oc¬ 
cupied eight days, and every day the members, ladies 
as well as gentlemen, sat down to dinner at a spacious 
table, to the number of 700, the Grand Duke and his 
family heading it. 
Fine Wool. —As the subject of fine wool is attracting 
much attention in the United States, we make some 
curious extracts from Mr. Handley’s paper, showing 
to what an extreme the Germans carry this business. 
He says:— 
“ The fleeces, to the number of 300, were exhibited 
in a spacious tent, 150 feet long by 50 wide, placed 
upon tables, and most judiciously arranged under the 
direction of Mr. Jeppe of Rostock. It is impossible 
for a stranger to conceive the extreme attention paid 
to this subject in Germany, where immense flocks are 
reared for their wool alone, kept, during the greater 
part of the year, in large barns, and so carefully at¬ 
tended, that neither dew nor rain is allowed to fall up¬ 
on them. In the King of Saxony’s flock, which I visit¬ 
ed, 1 found wethers kept to the age of nine or ten 
years, solely for the 2 lbs. of wool which they annual¬ 
ly yielded. If subjected to a varying temperature, or 
checked perspiration, a knot is formed on the staple, 
to which my attention was directed by a very strong 
magnifying power, and which very materially deteri¬ 
orates from the value they attach to the article. Next 
to equality, fineness of texture is the great desideratum; 
and a beautiful machine has been invented by Mr. 
Jeppe for the admeasurement of the thickness of the 
wool, and the proof of its strength, which unites the 
minute workmanship and delicacy of watch-work. 
By this instrument 100 hairs of each fleece, selected 
from nine different portions of the body, forming asi 
average of fineness, are subjected to a given pressure, 
which is registered on a very minute index. The re¬ 
sult of one experiment, I was informed, was that an 
Austrian fleece had been produced, of which twelve 
hairs only equalled in thickness one Leicester ! The 
fleeces exhibited were sent from Saxony, Hungary, 
Austria, and from every sheep district of Germany. 
“ In the museum attached were samples of every 
wool in the known world, comprising even our most 
recently established colonies, carefully washed, weigh¬ 
ed, and sorted, with such remarks as tended to illus¬ 
trate the subject.” 
Agricultural Implements. —As those of Germany are 
notoriously antique, and badly constructed, we notice 
that many agricultural implements are now introduced 
into that country from England, and as our own are 
both cheaper, lighter, and frequently superior to the 
English, we would recommend to the mechanics of the 
United States to try their fortune in Germany. 
Siberian Vetch. —This grows from 10 to 12 feet long; 
also the Siberian bear’s claw, a new plant, said to be 
a strong one, very healthy for nursing ewes, requiring 
but light land, with deep roots, and shooting early in 
spring. Sheep like it so well that they leave no part 
uneaten. 
Sheep Raised on Mulberry-leaves. —Much amusement 
was created by a gentleman whose ruling passion was 
to raise a flock of Merinos, on mulberry-leaves. He 
was followed about by an ancient ram, to which he 
supplied his favorite food from a basket which he car¬ 
ried with him. 
We would recommend the said gentleman’s coming 
over here with his sheep, and eating up our Moru.t 
Multicaulis. 
Destroying Rats and Mice. —We find a simple, and 
as we think, an effectual remedy for the destruction 
of these vermin by Mr. Carr. A little manoeuvring 
may be judiciously used to attract the enemy to a suit¬ 
able position—suppose any unoccupied room in an 
outhouse, where they particularly abound. Here they 
should be fed with any favorite food—fish or malt I 
believe they are fond of—and then with, not a prepar¬ 
ation of arsenic, which they are much too clever to 
touch, but pills, the size of peas, made of equal portions 
of wheaten flour and powdered sugar, intimately mix¬ 
ed with one sixtieth part of that weight of dissolved 
phosphorus—say | oz. phosphorous to 1 lb. of flour 
and sugar; cold water should be. added to make the 
mass manageable, and the pills finally rolled in dry 
flour, and kept secluded from light and air. A eouple 
of pills may be thrown into each rat-hole, or any quan 
titv left on a plate in a dark situation, by which the 
double object is attained of attracting the animals by 
the luminousness of the phosphorus, and preserving 
it from too rapid evaporation. The pills should be 
replaced as often as eaten, and that without grudging, 
as, although all the slain may not be found, it may be 
relied on that “ every bullet has had its billet.” Still, 
in a day or two, many rats will be seen, running to 
water, where they die from excessive drinking. No 
domestic animal appears to be in danger of eating this 
preparation except fowls. Dry weather is most favor¬ 
able to its successful application, as damp, whether of 
situaion or atmosphere, dissolves, and consequently 
weakens, the phosphorus. 
Rust and Mildew in Wheat. —Wheat struck 
with the rust or mildewed, should be cut at once, no 
matter how green in appearance, as this is the only 
chance of saving anything from it. 
Copying Articles without Credit.— We have 
spoken of this thing till we are heartily tired of it. 
We have therefore come to the conclusion, that all 
exchange papers hereafter, except where it appears to 
be a matter of occasional inadvertence, which can not 
do us the justice of acknowledging the source whence 
they take their extracts, when copying from us, shall 
be struck from our list. 
p-p Volume I. of the American Agriculturist being entirely out 
of print, we have struck off a new edition, and are now prepared 
to furnish all orders. Price, neatly stitched with handsome paper 
covers $1 ; bound in cloth, gilt, $1.25, 
