THE CULTIVATOR. 
199 
ments of Dr. Harris agree perfectly with those of Kol- 
lar. The latter says the fly lays its eggs on the leaf of 
the onion, close to the ground. When hatched, it bores 
through the leaf and descends into the onion to its base, 
which, if numerous enough, it wholly destroys. Their 
destruction is found difiicult. ‘‘ Strewing the beds with 
powdered charcoal has been found the most useful, but 
it must not be applied to every part of the bed, as it is 
best to sacrifice a portion of the crop rather than lose 
the whole, by leaving patches free from charcoal, where 
the parent fly will deposit her eggs, and which, when 
the larvse are hatched, can be removed and burned.” 
The white onion is much more liable to be attacked and 
destroyed than the other varieties. After the onion is 
attacked, which is known by the outward leaves turning 
prematurely yellow, it should be removed and destroyed 
at once, as a new generation is thus cut off. We have 
never known a bed of onions sown on what is called 
the hearth of a coal pit, or where blacksmith’s coal has 
been burned, injured by the fly; and it seems probable 
the effect of powdered charcoal may be good. Burning 
all diseased onions before the larvae leaves them, is pro¬ 
bably, however, the best preventive, and if generally 
adopted, would soon end their ravages. 
TO PROTECT FRUIT TREES FROM MICE. 
Epitors of the Cultivator —I observed art article 
in your paper sometime since, from a writer who in¬ 
quired how he was to preserve young fruit trees from 
the attacks of mice in the winter, as tiiey gnaw the bark 
beneath the snow or crust, and thus destroy the tree. I 
have also heard this complaint from western farmers, par¬ 
ticularly from Wiskonsan, where many young orchards 
have suffered severely from the winter depredations of 
these vermin. 
Now it is said that castor oil beans planted in a gar¬ 
den will prevent the attacks of mice, and also drive off 
moles from the vicinity where the beans are planted. If 
so, would not a composition made of these beans, and 
spread on cloth to bind around the trunk, be a preven¬ 
tive against the evil complained of? Would the beans 
in this way not be as offensive as when planted? Would 
the application of the oil (castor oil,) to the bark, not 
prevent the attacks? 
An answer to these questions, or any other sugges¬ 
tions, would oblige one interested. 
New-York, Nov. 20, 1843. Hazelwood. 
lOomeatic 
HINTS TO FARMERS’ WIVES. 
Messrs. Editors—^I noticed in your paper, a few 
months since, some hints to farmers’ wives, with regard 
to the proper management of kitchen affairs; also an 
insinuation that they had been rather overlooked, while 
the press hal been teeming with instruction to the 
farmer. The wish was expressed that some counsel 
might be directed to the wife, that would enable her the 
better to perform her varied and ceaseless routine of 
household duties. 
The first twenty years of my life were spent in the 
country on the farm; consequently, all the duties con¬ 
nected with that pleasant and independent manner of 
living are old acquaintances; and while memory has 
been recalling the past, with all the freshness of present 
reality, I have ofien been led to contrast the different 
methods of performing the labor in families, and to 
mark the relative advantages and disadvantages of each. 
In some I have noticed a constant hurry and bustle, ris¬ 
ing up early and sitting up late. These are always in¬ 
dications of a press of business; and a long, heavy day’s 
work, or a week or even a month’s hard labor does not 
relieve that pressure. Instead of getting forward with 
business, it rather accumulates; very many things that 
appear trifling at the time, must be omitted till some in¬ 
definite future, and the probability is that neglect will 
follow procrastination, interest will subside as other 
cares arise from day to day, so that what is omitted at 
the proper time is almost necessarily never done at all, 
for want of time. The good woman wonders how a 
neighbor of hers accomfilishes such an amount of labor, 
and readily concludes she must have an iron constitu¬ 
tion or she never could do it. But she does not realize 
that she labors much harder and takes many more steps 
than her neighbor, just for the want of system and tact, 
as it is termed. In preparing a breakfast or a dinner, 
there is only one article in the mind at the same time, 
.and she will enter her pantry or cellar three times, 
when, if she had formed some plan and cast her eyes 
about her for a moment, once going would answer every 
purpose. A little forethought and calculation would 
enable her to direct every step to the accomplishment 
of more than a single item of her little affairs, for house¬ 
hold duties are all in themselves considered little things; 
but as one says, “to be faithful in little things is some¬ 
thing great.” And in this very sentiment lies the secret 
of woman’s dignity. Her whole life is a routine of 
little duties and avocations that can be performed by no 
other hand, and yet the happiness of families, the habils 
of the rising generation, ami I had almost said, the fate 
of a nation, is depending upon just such little things, for 
they all have an abiding influence in the formation of 
character, and she who is faithful is indeed an ornament 
to her sex. 
But let us for a few moments look at another class of 
housekeepers, whose labor is timely and well directed. 
who make it their business to accomplish the most that 
can possibly be done in a given length of time. Their 
thoughts are sufficiently engrossed with their business to 
insure success; their plan has been deliberately formed 
and matured by careful observation, and making such 
changes as will be most likely to meet the wants and 
finish the work of each day; for with them every day 
has its appropriate work, and the business of one day 
does not ordinarily interfere with that of another. You 
may begin the day, if you please, with one of these 
housewives. Take one of her busiest in midsummer, 
and follow her from the first dawn of the morning; she 
has no confusion, no chairs to shove aside as she passes 
along to her kitchen, no misplaced articles to look for; 
every thing is ready for present use. “A place for 
every thing and every thing in its place,” is her motto, 
and it is resolutely brought to bear upon every member 
of the family. From the opening of the fire in the 
morning, you will notice her economy. As soon as the 
first materials are set in motion for her breakfast, she 
enters her dairy and prepares her milk to occupy the 
first vacancy over the fire, so that there shall be no loss 
of heat or time, for her cheese can be forming while she 
is eating. Thus she lays the foundation for the whole 
day’s work before breakfast; and if, as is often the case, 
she has a few waiting minutes, she arranges her bed 
room or some other necessary item, for her minutes are 
very precious in the cool of the day, simply because she 
can work so much faster and with more comfort. Break¬ 
fast is over, not in a hurried, confused kind of jangling 
way, but in that quiet, comfortable manner that would 
make even a stranger feel comparatively at home, and 
alwaj-s indicative of contentment with one’s situation. 
Then comes the dish washing, sweeping, preparing the 
cheese for the press, &c., and you will be surprised and 
highly gratified to see them all under way at nearly the 
same time, and with what rapidity all are accomplished; 
even the vegetables prepared for dinner by the time the 
clock strikes nine, and she is in readiness for the wheel 
or the washtub, as the case may be. The cooking of 
the dinner does not seem to hinder her materially; it is 
done at odd times or minutes which in other families are 
entirely lost, but it is well done, for the same well di¬ 
rected skill and judgment measures the quantities and 
regulates the requisite amount of heat to make it palata¬ 
ble. The same fire that finishes the cooking, heats the 
water for washing dishes, and the same care and despatch 
is observable through the dinner hour and two or three 
successive hours that are devoted to active labor. You 
will then see the good housewife with her sewing or 
knitting, perhaps spending an hour with some friend, 
enjoying a respite from care, or sympathising with some 
afflicted one. All have a tendency to nerve her to the 
performance of further duties. 
Now there is no mystery in all this: system and order 
have been her watchwords, and she has made it her 
business to strike out every thing that would not have a 
tendency to promote regularity, and in doing it has 
saved herself two-thirds of the perplexities of which 
so large a portion of females complain. Martha. 
LIME FOR PRESERVING APPLES. 
Some person has made an excellent application of the 
discovery which was made some years since, of the 
value of lime in preserving articles liable to damage 
from moisture. One of its first applications was in pre¬ 
serving plants sent from distant parts of the world, by 
scientific explorers, to France and England. These 
specimens, heretofore, in spite of the greatest sklil and 
care, were apt in long voyages to become moldy and 
discolored, but it was found when packed in tight cases 
with powdered quicklime, this substance absorbed all 
moisture, and kept the plants perfectly dry and safe. 
Now it has been applied to the preservation of apples. 
The pn-ocess we condense from the Genesee Farmer:— 
“ The apples are to be kept in casks, and in putting 
them np, a layer of chaff is pilaced on the bottom, 
sprinkled with quicklime; then a layer of apples, to be 
followed by successive layers of chaff and lime, until 
the cask is filled, when it is to be closely headed up.” 
Chaff has, it is well known, been frequently used for 
packing apples, but by itself it is not a sufficient guard 
against loss, and has been generally discarded, as it was 
found to imbibe and retain moisture, causing the applies 
to mold and rot worse than they would if packed alone. 
One or two quarts of caustic lime is found to eflectually 
counteract this tendency to absorb moisture; the little 
which enters the cask being attracted by the lime rather 
than the chaff. We have had no experience in this me¬ 
thod of preserving apples, but the theory is a good one, 
and we doubt not would be successful. It is besides so 
very easy in application that we think many would do 
well to test its efficiency the present season. 
To KILL FLIES IN A CHEESE ROOM AND ELSEWHERE.— 
Cheese rooms are frequently kept closed and darkened, 
to keep out the flies, as the dairymaids say. Mr. Live- 
say asserts that this practice, ruinous to cheese, may be 
avoided by occasionally boiling a pennyworth of quassia 
chips in a pint of water, sweetening it, and placing it on 
plates, where the flies have access to it. It will destroy 
all that taste it. 
Cheese. —Mr. Livesay, in the Preston Chronicle, has 
the following remarks on cheese, which we think worthy 
the notice of dairymen, as we have seen some dairies in 
this country suffering from the evils he condemns:— 
“Cheese being animal matter, cannot have too much air. 
I have noticed for some time that those daii’ies which 
have been kept in a large well aired room, have been 
quite sound; and those kept in a close ill ventilated room, 
were either faded, or very bad in the flavor. Though 
cheese should not be kept in too high a temperature, yet 
they will bear the summer heat very well, provided they 
have a constant supply of good air.” 
CATTLE SHOWS. 
The American Institute.—B elow we give a list 
of the Premiums on Stock, awarded at the late exhibi¬ 
tion of the Institute: 
Horses.— Stallions .—Hezekiah Wetmore, Westchester 
CO., N. Y., best stallion'—silver cup. Henry Vander- 
water, New-York, for 2d do.—diploma. 
Brood Mares .—Robert L. Stevens, Hoboken, N. J., 
best brood mare, Polly Hopkins—silver cup. John H. 
Coster, New-York, brood mare, Gulnare-—silver medal, 
tienry Watson, East Windsor, Ct., brood mare, Betsy 
Wilson—diploma: a silver cup having been before 
awarded. John A. Pool, New-Brunswick, N. J., brood 
mare Indiana—diploma : a silver cup having been before 
awarded. C. M. Hall, Harlem, N. Y., young brood 
mare. Young Lady Light-Foot—diploma. Alexander 
Benedict, Staten Island, N. Y., grey mare—diploma. 
Colis .—Robert L. Stevens, Hoboken, N. J., best colt 
—silver cup. 
Jacks.—J ohn A. Pool, New-Brunswick, N. J., best 
jack—diploma: a silver cup awai'ded last year. 
Mules.—R obert L. Stevens, Hoboken, N. J., best pair 
of mules—silver cup. 
Improved Breeds of Cattle.— Bulls^ 2 years old 
and upwards .—George Vail, Troy, N. Y., best Durham 
bull. Meteor—silver cup. Henry Hull, best Devon bull 
—silver cup. 
Bulls, 1 year old .—George M. Woolsey, Hurlgate Neck, 
N. Y., best Durham bull, .Tupiter—silver cup. 
Bull Calves. —Wm. Gibbons, Madison, N. J., best Dur¬ 
ham bull calf—silver medal. 
Cows _Thomas Addis Emmet, Mt. Vernon, N. Y., 
best Durham cow. Celeste—silver cup. 
Heifers. —Wm. Pirnie, Harrisontown, N. Y., best Dur¬ 
ham heifer, Victoria—si.ver cup. 
Heifer Calves. —Wm. Gibbons, Madison, N. J., best 
Durham heifer calf—silver medal. 
N.4.TIVF. Stock.— Cows .—John R. Peters, New-York, 
best native cow—silver cup. 
Heifers .—Joseph Clowes, Harsimus, N. J., best native 
heifer—silver medal. 
Bull Calves .—Sethuel Brackett, New-Haven, Ct., best 
native bull calf—silver medal. 
Working Oxen .—Benajah Ives, Cheshire, Ct., best pair 
of working oxen—silver cup. Lambert Wyckoff, Bush- 
wick, L. I., 2d best pair of working oxen—silver me¬ 
dal. 
Special Awards.— Bulls. —Wm. Gibbons, Madison, 
N. J., Durham bull. Zero—silver cup. John A. Pool, 
New-Brunswick, N. J., Durham bull. Carter—silver 
cup. 
Cows .—Henry Whitney, New-Haven, Ct., Durham 
heifer, Cornelia—silv'er cup. Henry Smith, Astoria, L. 
I., a cow of great milking qualities—silver cup. 
Sheep .—Long Wools —George Monteith, Albany, N. 
Y., best buck, Costw’old breed—silver cup. Charles 
Blackbourne, Bedford, L. I., best ew'e, Lincolnshire 
breed—silver cup. Charles Blackbourne, Bedford, L. I., 
best lamb—silver medal. 
Middle Wools _Obadiah Elliot, Middleham, N. J., 
best buck. Southdown breed—silver cup. Francis M. 
Rotch, Butternutts, N. Y., best ewe. Southdown breed— 
silver cup. Francis M. Rotch, Butternutis, N. Y., best 
lamn, SouthdoAvn breed—silver medal. 
Fat WeUicrs. —J. Macdonald McIntyre, Albany, N. Y., 
best fat wether, Southdown and Cotswold breeds-—silver 
cup. 
Special Aw^ards.—^W m. Pirnie, Harrisontown, N.Y., 
fora ewe and lamb, Leicester breed—diploma. 
James Broidie, Westchester co., N. Y., for a ewe and 
two lambs, Leicester breed—diploma. 
J. Macdonald McIntyre, Albany, N. Y., for a South- 
down buck—diploma. 
John Beatty, Morris co., N. J., for six ewes of the 
Bakewell breed—diploma. 
Charles Blackbourne, Bedford, L. I., for a Lincoln¬ 
shire buck—diploma. 
George Monteith, Albany, N. Y., for Leicester bucks 
—diploma. 
Swine.—W illiam P. Moss, New-York, for the best 
Berkshire boar—silver cup. 
Alexander Benedict, Staten Island, for the 2d best boar 
—diploma. 
John Giles, Providence, R. I., for the best Berkshire 
sow—sih'er cup. 
John Rutter, Yorkville, N. Y., for the 2d best sow— 
diploma. 
PREMIUM CROPS. 
Chemung Co. Ag. Society. —The following pre¬ 
miums on grain crops were awarded at the late Exhibi¬ 
tion of this Society, held at Elmira, Oct. 17: 
Corn. —J. L. Smith, Southport, best acre corn, one- 
fourth acre husked, Avhich yielded 52-^ bushels of ears. 
This is certified to be. an average of a lot containing 
between 3 and 4 acres, making 209 bushels of ears to an 
acre, long white 8 rowed variel}^; soil, gravelly loam; 
had laid in meadow and pasture 10 or 12 years, and had 
been foddered on some; had last spring a dressing of 25 
