1848 . 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
258 
It is advised that trees should be cultivated in a nur¬ 
sery till they are five or six years old, and then trans¬ 
plant them to an open lot. Mr. P. thinks it is not un¬ 
likely that they may sometimes be kept in the nursery 
with advantage till they have attained the age of ten 
or twelve years. 
In regard to heading dowfi, pruning. &c., Mr. P. ob¬ 
serves that from what observation he has been able to 
make, he is convinced that the top first thrown out almost 
invariably dies, “either before or after a new spn ut from 
near the earth starts forth,” and he thinks the process of 
nature is only seconded by art, when the top of a seed¬ 
ling oak, whether in the field or in the nursery is taken 
away to facilitate a better shaped and more vigorous 
growth. He has had long experience in raising trees 
of different kinds, and he is confident of the advanta¬ 
ges of this process. He observes “ I have in my nur¬ 
series but few trees which I supposed would not be im¬ 
proved by removing the top after having attained the 
age of three or four years. I have sometimes judged 
it necessary to subject them to a second and in some 
instances to a third process.” 
In regard to the question; how long it takes an oak 
to reach its ordinary growth ? Mr. Perry observes that 
there are not enough well attested facts to enable him 
to speak with definiteness. He thinks particular in¬ 
quiry should be made in reference to this point. One 
instance, however, is mentioned, which is worthy of 
notice. Four oaks, forty years old. stand on the side 
of a hill—the soil a sandy loam. The largest is esti¬ 
mated to contain over a quarter of a cord of wood. 
“ Of the- general fitness of our soil for the produc¬ 
tion of the oak in its full size and greatest strength, 
we have pleasing demonstrations in the majestic trees 
of this species which still remain scattered over most 
of the country, as well as in the safety with which our 
own majestic ships, built of our wood, and fashioned 
by the wise craftiness of our own men, have resisted 
and out-lived the mighty lifting up of the ocean wave.” 
The general advantages arising from planting forest 
trees are thus summed up in concluding the essay:—“If 
we value, therefore, the wealth or happiness of those 
who come after us, or regard the estimation in which 
we shall be held by those whose gratified feelings and 
kind remembrance we wish to secure, we can take no 
more wise and sure course than to cover our hills, or¬ 
nament our plains and fill our valleys with a rich pro¬ 
portion and pleasing varieties of the forest trees. Mix¬ 
ing those that put forth their freshness iu the spring, 
with those which by their evergreen foliage maintain 
in the winter season, a pleasing contrast with the 
whiteness of the drifting snow. With such an inheri¬ 
tance handed down to them, our children’s children 
made glad by the glory and beauty which they see 
around, will say that we, their fathers, were a wise and 
understanding people.” 
Effects of Ashes. 
Messrs Editors —Last fall I had a compost heap 
of manure and muck in preparation for covering my 
seed-beds of plums, apples, pears, &c., and a quantity 
of corn-stalks and weeds were thrown on the top of the 
heap and set on fire. A shower came up and we left 
it, but the top of the heap being quite dry, it kept burn¬ 
ing all night and half of next day. The ashes were 
spread over a part of a long bed of plum stones in my 
nursery, and the effect is visible to this time, the young 
trees looking darker and are much larger than the oth¬ 
ers where the unburned compost was put. Still they 
had the ashes of a larger quantity than was given to 
the rest, though when applied I thought them worth¬ 
less, and only put them on as an experiment. Charles 
Hamilton. Canterbury , N. Y., July 10, 1848. 
Comparative weight of good and poor milk. 
Having frequently heard various opinions expressed 
in regard to the comparative weight of good and poor 
milk, and having never seen an account of its being 
tested, I resolved to try the following experiments: 
9| qts. cream, 19 lb. 2 oz., which made 11] lb. butter. 
9] u N. milk, 19 “ 2 oz. 
9] “ S. milk, 19 “ 10 oz. 
9] “ water, 19 “ 2 oz. 
Relative proportions of milk and butter.- —By 
referring to my books, I find that, in 1839 I made the 
following trial from four cows in two days. 
Cow No. 1, 21qts. milk, 21b. loz. butter, 1 4-7oz. prqt. 
“ 2, 23 “ 1 13 “ 1 1-4 “ 
“ 3, 20 u 1 4 “ 1 “ 
“ 4, 18 “ 1 12 “ 1 5-9 “ 
About the same time I weighed a single quart of 
new and skimmed milk, each, and could not perceive 
any difference in the weight of so small a quantity. 
Edward Clark. 
Waterbury, Ct. July 1, 1848. 
[The above is a good illustration of the fact that the 
quantity of milk does not indicate the quantity of but¬ 
ter it will afford. Eds.] 
Chemical Names. 
Substances in organic chemistry, the names of which 
are frequently used by scientific writers, explanations 
of which many readers may find convenient and use¬ 
ful. 
Acroleon-^-ihe substance generated by the decompo¬ 
sition of fat, when highly heated, causing the disagree¬ 
able smell usually noticed. 
Ambreine —principal ingredient of ambergris. 
Amygdaline —a substance in almonds, peach-ker¬ 
nels, &.C., yielding by decomposition oil of almonds and 
prussic acid. 
Arabine —gum arabic,—forming with water, mucil¬ 
age. 
Camphene —the true oil of turpentine, obtained from 
common turpentine, and having power to unite with 
muriatic acid, forming what is called artificial cam¬ 
phor. 
Caseum, or Caseine —the curd of milk. 
Cerasine —chief ingredient cf cherry gum. 
Cerumen —wax of the ear. 
Colophony —the compound rosin which remains when 
the crude turpentine from trees is distilled. 
Dextrine —a gum, formed from the starch of seeds 
in vegetation—or by starch and sulphuric acid. 
Faradyn —the lightest liquid known—weighing only 
thirteen-twentieths of its bulk of water—obtained by 
distilling india rubber. 
Glycerine —a principle or constituent of all fats, and 
of their ingredients, stearine, margarine, and olein. 
Inulin —starch from elecampane, dahlia, dandelion, 
&c. 
Lactine —sugar of milk. 
Legumine —extract of beans and peas, with proper¬ 
ties intermediate between gluten and albumen of wheat. 
Lichenine —starch from Iceland moss and other li¬ 
chens- 
Lignine —principal ingredient of woody fibre. 
Palmatine —a peculiar stearine in palm oil. 
Pyin —the liquid, which, united with albumen, forms 
pus. 
Sinapisine —the pungent principle of mustard seed. 
Stearine —a constituent of fats—most of them being 
stearine and margarine, with a simple oil, olein. 
Tuebene —a liquid obtained from turpentine. 
Xyloidine— a very combustible compound, formed 
by combining woody fibre with nitric acicL 
