AMEKICAN agriculturist. 
218 
PROTECTING CLOVER HAY STACKS. 
J osiaii Lackey writes to the Iowa Farmer , 
that he has tried to preserve clover hay from 
the effects of the weather in the following man¬ 
ner, and found that it answered as well as if 
the hay had been put in a barn. Clover hay 
put up in the ordinary mode, like timothy, is 
apt to get musty and unpalatable, but put up in 
the mode recommended, it comes out good and 
sweet. He says: “ When the stack, which 
is commenced the usual way, is raised to about 
one-half its destined height, the ends of long 
wheat or rye straw are placed just on the edge 
of the stack so that when the next layer of hay 
is placed upon it, the principal length of the 
straw will droop over the sides of the stack. 
Following this plan until the stack is finished, 
a complete and impervious covering is furnished 
to the hay that will keep it nearly as well as the 
best barn. I think that the long cane grass 
that grows in the sloughs of this country, will 
answer a much better purpose, the straw being 
longer, and will turn quite as well. — German¬ 
town Telegraph. 
- • «• -- 
Clover — The Question Settled. —It has long 
been a subject of debate whether Red Clover 
would thrive in this region. After much doubt, 
its culture was finally attempted a few years 
since on some of the prairies and red-lands in 
Greene, Perry and Marengo counties, some hun¬ 
dred and sixty miles north of us. The result 
in every instance has been of the most satisfac¬ 
tory character. But on the sterile sandy lands 
about Mobile, no one has believed it possible to 
succeed. In a few instances seed have been 
sown in the fall, which came up finely and pro¬ 
mised well during the spring and early summer, 
but the hot sun of August and September liter¬ 
ally burnt it up. There is, however, an excep¬ 
tion to this, which proves that Red Clover can 
be successfully cultivated here. Mr. B. C. 
Rowan exhibited to us a few days ago, a superb 
specimen from his place near the city, in full 
bloom 28 inches high. A few years ago he 
sowed a handful of seed as an experiment. To 
his surprise it seeded finely, and the small patch 
has been spreading from year to year, until it 
has widened to a quarter of an acre. The land 
is flat,, with a clay sub-soil and rather retentive 
of moisture. This quality in the soil has pro¬ 
duced the fine specimen of Clover before us, 
not a particle of manure having been used. So, 
it may be stated as a fixed fact, that if suitable 
land be selected, Red Clover will thrive in this 
region.— Alabama (Mobile) Planter. 
■—— ** - - 
For the American Agriculturist. 
THE BARN WEEVIL. 
I .see by the the last number of the Agricul¬ 
turist, that a subscriber wishes to know how to 
exterminate Barn weevil. Let him stack his rye 
and wheat for two years, and remove all straw 
from his barn for six weeks or two months, if 
practicable, previous to harvesting his rye and 
wheat, and he will be rid of the vermin. You 
must keep rye and wheat from the barn in sum¬ 
mer, leave nothing for them to eat or breed 
in, and you exterminate them. Oats they will 
not eat. Yours respectfully, 
P. L. Brokaw. 
Middlebush, N. /., May 30 , 1854 . 
Singularity in a Robin. —Mr. James G. 
Lewis has in his eating-saloon, a tame Robin 
which, until an incident occurred about a year 
ago, was a beautiful singer. It was kept in the 
same room with a parrot at that time, when 
“Pol” being out of her cage, flew across the 
room and alighted upon the cage of the Robin. 
The Robin was very much frightened, and since 
that time has never sang a note, or acted like 
the same bird it was before. But what is still 
more singular, its feathers are gradually turning 
white. It will soon be fitted for a place with 
the happy family in Barnum’s Museum.— Loclc- 
port Courier. 
The Fertility of tiie Nile Valley. —It is 
stated that the mud deposited by the River Nile 
in its annual inundations, and which is so cele¬ 
brated for its richness, has been examined by 
M. Ehrenburg, the celebrated microscopic phi¬ 
losopher, who finds that its great fertility is 
owing, not so mach to any peculiar mineral con¬ 
tribution, or the presence of vegetable matter, as 
to the vast accumulation of extremely minute 
forms of microscopic animals, which by their 
decomposition enrich the soil. 
-»•-»- 
DOMESTIC BREAD. 
Tiie Rhode Island Society for the Promotion 
of Industry, gave the first premium on domestic 
bread, to Mrs. Hiram Hill, of Providence. The 
following is Mrs. Hill’s recipe for making the 
bread exhibited by her: 
For two loaves of the ordinary size, take 
eight potatoes, pare them, slice very thin, and 
boil quick until quite soft, then mash to a fine 
pulp, and add a little by a little, two quarts of 
boiling water, stirring until a starch is formed; 
let this cool, and then add one-third of a cup of 
new yeast. This forms the “ sponge,” which 
should remain in a moderately warm place for 
ten or twelve hours, or “ over night,” until it 
becomes very light and frothy, even if a little 
sour it is of no consequence. When the 
“ sponge” is ready, add flour, and work it in 
until you have formed a stiff, firm mass. The 
longer and more firmly this is kneaded, the bet¬ 
ter the bread. 
Let the kneaded mass remain say from a half 
to a three-quarters of an hour to rise, then di¬ 
vide into loaves, put into pans, where it should 
remain say fifteen minutes, care being taken 
that it does not rise too much and crack, then 
put the loaves into a quick oven and bake, say 
three quarters of an hour. If the oven is not 
hot enough, the bread will rise and crack, if too 
hot, the surface will harden too rapidly and con¬ 
fine the loaf. 
-- • • •- 
GUM ARABIC. 
In Morocco, about the middle of November, that 
is, after the rainy season, which begins in July, 
a gummy juice exudes from the trunk and 
principal branches of the acacia tree spontane¬ 
ously. In about fifteen days it thickens in the 
furrow, down which it runs either in vermicular 
or worm shape, or commonly assuming the form 
of oval and round tears, about the size of a 
pigeon’s egg, of different colors, as they belong 
to the white or red gum tree. About the mid¬ 
dle of December the Moors encamp on the 
borders of the forest, and the harvest lasts six 
weeks. 
The gum is packed in very large sacks of 
leather, and brought on the backs of bullocks 
and camels to certain ports, where it is sold to 
the French and English merchants. It is 
highly nutritious. During the whole time of 
the harvest, the journey and fair, the Moors of 
the desert live almost entirely upon it, and ex¬ 
perience proves that six ounces of the gum are 
sufficient for the support of a man 24 hours.— 
Our Drawer. 
-• •«- 
To Restore those Struck by Lightning.— 
E. Merriam, the meteorologist, renews the re¬ 
commendation to apply cold water freely to per¬ 
sons who have been struck by lightning. In all 
cases where persons are struck down by light¬ 
ning use cold water on the body for hours; do 
not be discouraged if immediate success is not 
attained, but continue to persevere, and if, after 
three or four hours’ drenching, animation is not 
restored, add salt to the water and continue the 
drenching. I have an account of a person 
struck down by lightning on Staten Island sev¬ 
eral years ago, who was restored after several 
hours’ drenching with cold water. This case 
alone is sufficient to prompt to exertions in all 
cases beyond the time usually devoted to resto¬ 
ration of animation in cases where persons have 
been struck down by lightning. 
Golden Mottoes. —A vain man’s motto — 
“ Win gold and wear it.” A generous man’s — 
“Win gold and share it.” A miser’s—“Win 
gold and spare it.” A profligate’s — “ Win gold 
and spend it.” A broker’s—“ Win gold and lend 
it” (on firm security and good interest.) A 
fool’s—“Win gold and end it.” A gambler’s— 
“Win gold and lose it.” A sailor’s—“Win 
gold and cruise it.” A wise man’s — “ Win gold 
and use it.” 
- O » - 
The Rights of Ministers. —The Rev. Dr. 
Mason, of New-York, passing up Broadway, 
stopped to read a theatrical placard, which at¬ 
tracted his attention. Cooper, the tragedian, 
coming along, said to him : 
“ Good morning, sir; do ministers of the Gos¬ 
pel read such things ?” 
“ Why not, sir?” said the Doctor, “ ministers 
of the Gospel have a right to know what the 
devil is about as well as other folks.” 
- • - 
Wise Saying of a Wise Man. —It is men¬ 
tioned in Robert’s Life of Hannah More that in 
1783, Hannah More sat next to Dr. Johnson, at 
a dinner party at the Bishop of Chester’s house. 
She says, “ I urged him to take a little wine.” 
He replied, “ I can’t drink a little, child, there¬ 
fore I never touch it. Abstinence is as easy to 
me as temperance is difficult.” 
- * 9 » - 
Shaving by the Acre.— Interesting to Bar¬ 
bers. — It is said that a gentleman residing in 
one of the large towns of England, whose face 
rather exceeded the ordinary dimensions, was 
waited on by a barber for 21 years, without 
coming to a settlement. The barber, thinking 
it “ about time to settle,” presented his bill, in 
which he charged a penny a day—amounting in 
all to £31 18s. 9d.; ($159.08.) The gentleman, 
supposing too much charged, refused to pay the 
amount; but agreed to a proposal of the barber 
to pay at the rate of £200 ($1000) an acre. 
The premises were accordingly measured, and 
the result was, that the shaving bill increased 
to £78 8s. 9d.; ($392.43.) 
CLAIMS OF AGRICULTURAL PATENTS, 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 30, 1854. 
Hay Elevators. —T. T. Jarrett, of Horsham, 
Pa.: I claim, setting the catch free when the 
elevator reaches any desirable height by con¬ 
necting the said catch with a weight by a rope, 
whose length is adjusted in proper relation to 
the height, as described, to make the weight 
operate on the catch, precisely when the ele¬ 
vator reaches such a height. 
Corn Crushers. —Wm. Beal, of Lowell, 
Mass.: I claim the application and use of the 
peculiar form of tooth cut in the ribs both of 
the cylinder and concave, the front of the tooth 
being shaped obliquely across the ribs and every 
succeeding tooth being oblique in an opposite 
direction to the preceding one, for the purpose 
and object described. 
Neck Yokes. —John R. Pierce, of Castile, N. 
Y.: I claim placing the attaching rings of neck 
yokes upon racks passing on each side of a pin¬ 
ion movable upon the main bolt, or any arrange¬ 
ment substantially the same, for admitting of 
the equal longitudinal movement of the said 
rings, as set forth. 
Additional Improvement. 
Grinding Mills. —Oldin Nicholas, of Lowell, 
Mass. Patented Oct. 12, 1852: I claim, first, 
the shortening of the frontal projection of each 
tooth, in such manner as to form a notch in their 
tops. 
Second, I claim the corrugated ribs and con¬ 
cave, in combination with the teeth and corru¬ 
gated cylinder, these teeth having their frontal 
projections shortened so as to produce or con¬ 
stitute notches on their tops, or with teeth 
without their frontal projections being shortened 
or notched on their tops, either or both, for the 
purpose set forth .—Scientific American. 
