AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
175 
priced brown soaps are just as good as white 
soaps, and they are consequently, cheaper. 
“ Whale Oil Soap ” is formed of potash 
and impure unsalable fish oil. Its unpleas¬ 
ant odor injures it for common use, but im¬ 
proves it for washing trees infested with in¬ 
sects. 
Potash always yields a soft or mucilagin¬ 
ous soap ; Soda, on the contrary, produces 
hard soap when too much water is not left 
to keep it in a state of solution. Soft or po¬ 
tash soap can be changed to hard soap by 
the addition of common salt. In this case, 
there is an entire change of elements, Soda 
is formed from the salt, and this then takes 
the place of the Potash, giving us the hard 
or soda soap.* 
Potash, as is well known, is prepared from 
wood and ashes. The water leached 
through is boiled down until the impure pot¬ 
ash remains in the bottom of the boiling 
vessel. When purified it is white, and gene¬ 
rally contains one equivalent of carbonic 
acid, KO, CO 1 .. It is then made to combine 
with another equivalent, and becomes Pearl- 
ash or Salaratus, (KO, CO 4 , CO 1 .) The com¬ 
mon potash is often purchased, dissolved in 
water, and united with any greasy matters, 
when it forms a fine white soft soap. 
• The Chemical reader will understand that aalt is Chlo¬ 
ride of Sodium, (Na Cl,) and Potash (KO.) is an Oxide of Po- 
tassum (Kalium). When these are united, we may suppose the 
Oxygen (O.) and the Chlorine (Cl.) to change places,-forming 
8oda(Na. O.) andChloride of Potassum,(K Cl.) thus: KO.&Na. 
Cl“=Na. O&K. Cl. The soda now unites with the oily matters, 
yielding hard soap, and the Chloride of Potassum remainsin so¬ 
lution. 
CULTURE OF MILLET. 
We have several inquiries on the subject 
of raising Millett, but not having had recent 
experience on the subject, ourselves, we 
give below, from Allen's American Farm 
Book, a condensed description of the mode 
of sowing and cultivation. We think this 
an important crop, and profitable when intel¬ 
ligently managed. Like almost every other 
article we raise, Millet requires a good soil 
to yield a profitable return. With this and 
proper attention, few of the forage or grain 
crops can be better worth the attention of 
the farmer. Some of our friends who have 
raised it for many years regard it of equal 
or greater value than their best meadows of 
timothy or clover. 
Millet., (Panicum Milliaeeum .)—This is 
the species of millet usually grown in the 
United States. In its form and the manner 
of bearing its seeds, the millet strongly re¬ 
sembles a miniature broom corn. It grows 
to the hight of two to four feet, with a pro¬ 
fusion of stalks, heads and leaves, which 
furnish excellent forage for cattle. From 
60 to 80 bushels of seed per acre have been 
raised, and with straw equivalent to one or 
two tons of hay ; but an average crop may 
be estimated at about one-third of this quan¬ 
tity. Owing to the great waste during the 
ripening of the seed, from the shelling of 
the earliest of it before the last is matured, 
and the frequent depredations of birds which 
are very fond of it, millet is more profitably 
cut when the first seeds have begun to ripen, 
and then harvested for fodder. It is cured 
ike hay, and on the best lands yields from 
two to four tons per acre. All cattle relish 
it, and experience has shown it to be fully 
equal to good hay. 
Cultivation. —Millet requires a dry, rich, 
and well pulverized soil. It will grow on 
thin soil, but best repays on the most fer¬ 
tile. It should be sown broadcast or in 
drills, from the 1st of May to the 1st of July. 
If for hay, and sown 
broadcast, 40 quarts 
per acre will be re¬ 
quired ; if sown in 
drills for the grain, 
8 quarts of seed will 
suffice. It will ripen 
in 60 to 75 days with 
favorable weather. 
When designed for 
fodder, the-nearerit 
can approach to 
ripening, without 
waste in harvesting, 
the more valuable 
will be the crop. 
The Indian, or 
Grand Millet, is 
much cultivated in 
Asia Minor, Egypt, 
Arabia, the West In¬ 
dies, and elsewhere. 
It grows from lour 
to'six feet high, af- 
indian, or grand millet, fording a large quan¬ 
tity of forage, and much seed or grain, which 
is known as Guinea corn. This is ground 
into flour and used by the laborers where 
grown. It is also an economical food for 
cattle, swine, and fowls. It is not raised to 
any extent in the United States, but might be 
advantageously introduced into the Southern 
States. 
SOFT JUMBLES-BATTER PUDDING- 
GERMAN TOAST, 
Editor American Agriculturist: 
As you esteemed my former “recipes” 
worthy of a place in your paper, I send you 
three others in common use among my ac¬ 
quaintances. They fnay have been in print 
before, but if so, I have not seen them. 
Sarah. 
Soft Jumbles. —Two cups of sugar, 
rolled fine; one eup of butter, one cup of 
milk, with half a teaspoonfull of saleratus 
dissolved in it; four eggs, well beaten ; and 
and flour enough to make it rather thicker 
than pound-cake. Beat well after all the in¬ 
gredients are put together; rub over 
some square tin pie-pans with a bit of 
sponge dipped in melted butter, and put in 
the mixture rather more than an inch thick. 
Bake in a quick oven ; when cold, cut it in 
squares. 
Batter Pudding.— To eight eggs, put 
eight spoonfuls of flour; beat them well; 
then add a quart of milk ; butter a dish and 
bake. Serve with wine or brandy, and but¬ 
ter and sugar, rubbed together. For wine or 
brandy, substitute lemon-juice. 
German Toast. —Take a small loaf of 
baker’s bread, a-day old, and cut in slices an 
inch in thickness ; make a custard of four 
eggs, well beaten, to a quart of milk, adding 
four tablespoonfuls of sugar; soak the bread 
in the custard until it becomes saturated; 
then fry the bread in fresh butter till nearly 
browned. Serve with lemon sauce. 
THOSE GREAT EARS OF CORN-GOURD- 
SEED CORN AT THE SOUTH, 
[In our February issue, page 99, we pub¬ 
lished an account of several large ears of 
corn, raised respectively by Hon. Edward 
Everett of Massachusetts, Mr. F. R. Rives 
of Virginia, and Mr. M. W. Phillips of Mis¬ 
sissippi. As these ears appeared to have 
about the same superficial area, though dif¬ 
fering not a little in the number of kernels, 
we suggested that each gemleman weigh the 
shelled grain. The following letter in reply 
was so delayed by mail that it did not reach 
us until our April number was made up.— 
Ed.] 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
Sir: At your suggestion, I have weighed 
the corn from the ear that I counted the grains 
upon, and sent you the number, (1276 ker¬ 
nels.) It weighs, upon our small platform 
scales, precisely 16 ounces. I weighed the 
corn from another ear, which had only 20 
rows and 820 grains, the grains larger and 
appears heavier ; it weighed 14 ounces. 
We have of the first corn, ears that have 
24,26, and as high as 28 rows, the kernels be¬ 
ing generally large. It is the purest article 
of gourd seed, called “ shoe peg,” that I cap 
find. It has sold at $2 per busheL-rselect 
seed corn—while corn was selling at 50 
cents. Of course the selection makes a dif¬ 
ference in price. I have not examined for 
better ears; my overseer tells me to-day, he 
has counted as high as 1,500 grains. I do 
not suppose it will feed as well as the 
heavier corn, though it may be better for out 
work stock, where our feed is corn and corn 
blades only. It measures more from the 
barrel in shelling, than any corn I have ever 
tried. After testing many varieties, I have 
settled down upon this. I have now in my 
desk three varieties to test. • ^ 
The weevil injures the flint varieties far 
more than ihe gourd seed, and as I have : Said , 
owing, I think, to the shuck (husk) on the 
former being less, and thin and- soft, while 
on the latter it is more abundant, thick and 
coarse. I shall have one field of 100 acres 
planted with the best seed I can select, and 
if a favorable year, with no storfii3, will not 
be content under an average’of 40 bushels, 
and may make 50. Land is gOod. It will 
be planted on the level, and cultivated shal¬ 
low. I have other land to be in corn, that is 
richer, but not so favorably situated for early 
planting. Yours, with respect, 
M. W. Phillips. 
p. s.— I heard to-day, of an ear in Vicks¬ 
burg, from Illinois or Indiana,that has 2,/00 
grains, but I have not seen it, and must see, 
handle and count, to believe. 
Edwards, Miss., March 11, 1856. 
Why is a married man like a candle? 
Because he frequently goes out of a night 
when he oughtn’t to. 
No man sinks to the lowest vices in a day. 
