AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
31 
and shrubs, and to the vegetable border. 
Where there is no garden, let them be saved 
for those who have a use for them. Farmers 
who live within a mile or two of a village, 
when they come to market with their teams, 
should carry back coal ashes rather than go 
home empty. They are to be had for the 
asking, in most villages, and they will pay 
well for carting. 
If it be asked what a farmer can afford to 
pay for these ashes, it will be seen from the 
analysis that they can never have much 
market value. Nine-tenths of the bulk is 
worthless. We give the analyses of the 
late Professor Norton. The ashes were 
obtained from coal burned in a grate, in 
the usual way, in which no charcoal ashes 
were mingled. The constituents of one 
hundred parts of the ashes of white and red 
coal yielded of: 
White Ask- Red Ash. 
Matter insoluble in acids..88.68 
Soluble Silica. 0.09 
Alumina.-.3.36 
Iron. 4.03 
Lime...2.11 
Magnesia. 0.19 
Soda. 0.22 
Potash. 0.15 
Phosphoric Acid. 0.20 
Sulphuric Acid.0.86 
Chlorine. 0.09 
85.65 
1.24 
4.24 
5.83 
0.16 
2.01 
0.16 
0.11 
0.27 
0.43 
0.01 
Total. 99.98 100.11 
The potash in a ton of white coal ashes 
would be only about three pounds, which, 
if it were separate from the ashes, would 
only be worth about fifteen or eighteen cents. 
The sulphuric acid would be about seven¬ 
teen pounds, worth, in the carboy, about 
fifty cents. A farmer cannot afford to pay 
much for them, as the valuable properties 
are mixed with too much that is worthless. 
LESSONS IN LIFE-NO. I. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
BY A GLEANER. 
Our school days are not confined to the precincts 
of the district school, the academy and the col¬ 
lege. We are all our life learners, although some 
far outstrip others in acquiring “tact” in the 
management of their affairs, or, in other words, 
tact in applying the lessons which observation 
and experience teach. My object in penning this 
article is, not to furnish a literary production for 
your readers to peruse and forget, but to ask them 
candidly to reflect on my proposition, namely, that 
as a class, the farmers in this country still read too 
little, or at least furnish too little reading matter 
for their growing and grown up children. I truly 
believe that many husbands who now sit in sullen 
silence of a whole evening, or more likely congre¬ 
gate in the village store to hear the news, would 
oe truer and happier men if they expended from 
two to five dollars in weekly papers, with one or 
two of the best monthlies devoted to their em¬ 
ployment. Why, there is hardly a paper worth the 
title but will repay the subscriber outright in val¬ 
uable hints, to say nothing of the pleasure derived 
from the perusal of the endless variety which 
publishers give for a single dollar. Once more, I 
believe that hundreds of young men who now 
spend every dollar they can “ pump out of the old 
man,” as they term it, in novels, cigars, ball 
tickets, &c., and as many more of the class enti¬ 
tled “ Young America,” who spend their evenings, 
their caref'd mammas know not where, might all 
be induced to stay at “ home,” if “ home ” was 
made attractive, which it will not be apt to be if 
the reading matter is confined to the “ Bible and 
the Almanac,” and perhaps one or two important 
announcements of Dr. Grindle’s, (he has sent me 
three,) which are very cheap, and consequently 
very interesting. Reader, are these things sol 
If so, then profit by the lesson. 
SENDING POULTRY TO MARKET. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist. 
I have just received a box of turkeys with a 
letter accompanying it, saying “ we hope you will 
get the highest market price, as they are very 
nice.” In weighing the turkeys, I find they av¬ 
erage four and a half pounds. Their frames are 
very good, built after the style of the best modern 
clipper ships, but very deficient in their finish. 
They look as if they had never seen any grain 
but once, and then just before being killed. For 
a further description, I would refer you to the 
19th verse of the 41st chapter of Genesis. 
I suppose the object had in view in filling their 
craws to the utmost capacity, was to inform me 
they were corn fed.. Had these turkeys been well 
fatted, nicely dressed, and not fed for at least 12 
hours before being killed, they would have brought 
16 cents instead of 6 cents per pound. 
Fowls should not be fed for 12 to 20 hours be¬ 
fore they are killed. If their craws are full when 
killed, the grain soon becomes putrid, and spoils 
the poultry. The object in view in writing this, 
is to induce people not to send poultry to market 
in a poor condition ; if they do, they must not be 
disappointed if they get less than one half the 
market price. If well fatted they will bring a 
good price. 
Commission Merchant. 
New York, Jan. 8, 1857. 
UPLAND CRANBERRIES. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
In the great variety of new fruits brought be¬ 
fore the public, many of them will prove of great 
value to the cultivator. Among them is a new 
cranberry which was brought to my notice 
by Prof. F. Shepherd, of New-Haven, and 
by whom I was favored with a sample of the ber¬ 
ries. This season, an enterprising merchant of 
Newfoundland brought several thousand gal¬ 
lons into Boston, and disposed of them at a re¬ 
munerative price—less than the common cran¬ 
berry. 
In many respects they are found to be superior 
to our berries; they are not as tart, and need 
less sugar. By boiling them three-quarters of an 
hour they make a fine clear jelly, of a beautiful 
purple color, which can be kept for a long time. 
It will make superior tarts, and is also very val¬ 
uable for dyeing purposes. I was not able 
to procure the plants until late last fall, and have 
not had an opportunity to learn how they will 
adapt themselves to our soil and climate. I shall 
plant them out the coming spring, and shall be 
glad to have others do the same. The few 
plants I have obtained were taken from the rocks 
and barren places, by pulling the moss and plants 
and decayed leaves, in which they grew, all up 
together, leaving no soil under them, which shows 
that they grew on poor shallow soil, on the high¬ 
lands of Newfoundland ; and the gentleman from 
whom I procured the plants, says : from the man- 
iner in which they are found, he has no doubt they 
will grow on any soil in the United States. 
The plants are similar to our low cranberries, 
the leaf round and deep green, throwing up shoots 
from the roots like a mat, and covering the ground 
with bright scarlet red berries, which look beau¬ 
tiful. They are gathered by hand, and I was in¬ 
formed that in one case a female gathered fifteen 
bushels in a day, which show their great product 
iveness. 
1 have the promise of a communication from a 
gentleman whose statement can be relied upon, 
and who is acquainted with its growth, habits, 
&c., and when received I shall lay it before the 
public. F. Trowbridge. 
New-Haven, Conn 
HINTS ON COOKING SALSIFY OR VEGETA¬ 
BLE OYSTER-COFFEE-MAKING. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
While sending my envelope for the Sugar-cane 
Seed, I will add a word or two suggested by your 
remarks on Salsify. You will of course use these 
hints if you deem them of value. I hope others 
may give their methods, and we may thus mutu¬ 
ally benefit each other. Through the winter and 
spring, Salsify is a favorite dish on our table. We 
usually prepare it by boiling in milk until the 
slices are tender, adding pepper and salt, and a 
good slice ot butter. When ready to serve, stir 
in two or three well beaten eggs, taking care not 
to let it boil afterwards. This is very nice poured 
over slices of toast. 
Another way I have learned by a lew trials 
which husband pronounces decidedly good. Boil 
until tender a pint or more of Salsify, mash fine, 
then add pepper, salt, butter, a few spoonfuls of 
milk or cream, a little flour, and two beaten eggs. 
Make into small cakes, and dip in flour or egg 
batter, and fry of a light brown. Perhaps some 
of your country friends, who, like us, live fai 
from market, will pronounce this a good substi¬ 
tute for fried oysters. 
Would a few simple rules on “ Coffee-making ” 
be out of place in your columns 1 Experience 
has taught me that it is not “the easiest thing in 
the world to make a good cup of coffee,” but, on 
the contrary, a very easy thing to fail. I know 
that in my early housekeeping days, my coffee 
was often poor ; why, I could not tell. If the few 
hints experience has taught me, will save one 
young housekeeper the mortification I have felt, I 
shall be amply repaid. 
First, then, wash quickly through two or three 
waters as much coffee as you wish to roast, then 
carefully look it over, taking out impurities and 
every unsound kernel. Put it into a dripping-pan, 
and place in the oven, with the doors open until 
the coffee is dry ; then with a lively fire and fre¬ 
quent stirring, let it remain until the kernels are 
a light brown all through. Then pour into a close 
vessel and cover tightly. When wanted for use, 
take a table-spoonful or more for each person, 
grind rather fine, and stir into it sufficient cold 
water to wet every particle. Before adding to 
your coffee boiler, look to it that the vessel is per¬ 
fectly clean. It is not enough that it has been 
rinsed out,—it must be thoroughly washed with a 
cloth. You will, perhaps, laugh, but I have seen 
many an otherwise good cup of coffee made bit¬ 
ter and black from not obeying this simple direc¬ 
tion. Pour to the coffee as much boiling water 
as you require, and let it once boil up, when it 
will be ready for the table. Let your cup be 
warm if the weather is cold, and your cream too, 
and my word for it, every time you fill your hus¬ 
band’s cup, you will say (to yourself I mean,) 
“ how beautifully yellow it does look.” 
Edith. 
A Miser’s Epitaph. —What I spent, 1 
saved ; what I gave, I have ; what I saved, ! 
lost, 
