The Placer herald., 1870-08-27
HOUSE AND FARM.


freshly-slacked lime. We always keep a
quantity Of it on hand ready for sprinkling
over plants infested with slugs or bugs Of
any kind, and it has always proved efectual,
if applied at the right time. Last year the
white-pine worm attacked nearly every pine
tree on our place; but two or three dustings
of lime when the trees were wet with dew
banished or destroyed this pest, which in a
days. if unchecked would have stripped every
leaf from our trees. The asparagus beetle
appeared upon our beds of this vegetable in
counties numbers, but few doses of lime
have made them leave, and the plants look
healthy and vigorous at the present time. We
have driven from our garden the rose-bug,
cabbage flea and numerous other pests, by
the use of this same material, and we have
never observed that the plants were damaged
by its USE A correspondent at the West says
that he has entirely checked the ravages of
Colorado potato-bug by freely using lime up
on the plants, and we have no doubt that
others might be equally successful by a per-
sistent use of this material. Lime is so cheap
no one can object to its use on that score,
and even if it fails to kill the insects, it will
usually do the land good wherever applied.
One barrel of lime to three of fine pulverized
dry earth is better for most cases than clean
lime. The mixed earth and lime should be
busted on literally, when the leaves are wet
with dew, or after a shower of sprinklng.-
Exchange.
PLANTING TREES ON SLOPES OF RAILWAY
EMBANKMENTs.- London paper advocates
planting the slopes of railway embankments
with trees, adducing many arguments in sup
port of the plan. Among the points made is
that the roots of trees, at least those which
do not penetrate with straight tap-root,
possess the property of binding together and
giving cohesion to the slope through the
surface-soil of which they permeate and inter-
face. Nothing is more common in Scotland
than, where there is a steep slope, more
especially if it consists of what is called
travelled earth, to find it closely planted,
with the object of guarding against land
slides There is stillanother argument which,
if rather far-fetched one, is entitled to count
for trhe. Were embank-ments clad with
trees, a train might indeed leave the rails,
but when the trees are fairly grown, we should
read no more of trains being 'precipitated to
the bottom of lofty embankment." 1t might
be possible for a railway carriage to get cup
a tree, but it would be difficult for it to 90
"down hole. LII
BUTTER AND EGGs-A lady of this city
but dairyman's daughter sends us the
following:
For PRESERVING BUTTER. Take one gal
lon of water and add thereto salt until the
water will bear up an egg; then add three
tablespoonfuls of white sugar and one tea
spoonful of saltpetre. Boil the solution five
minutes and then allow to stand until cold,
when it should be strained into bowl or
other vessel Pack into the same as much
butter as the brine will cover
To PRESERVE EGGs.-Eggs may be kept
good fora considerable time if packed in fine
salt, and placed upon end.
The eggs should be perfectly separated from
one another and the upper layer completely
covered An improvement on this would
be to first inclose them in melted parafne, so
as to form a thin coating and so fill the
pores of the shells as to render them air tight
The destruction of the egg is due to the
entrance of the air from outside. .-EDs
Press. When packing for market they
should be placed in boxes of oats, and always
on end.
BEWARE OF HAR-DYEs. Our office was
lately visited by a gentleman whose scalp
was dyed with the same dark brown color as
his hair. In the course of conversation he
complained of trouble with his eyes, and as
most hair-dyes contain substances poisonous
to the human system, which in many in
stances have produced the inflammation called
ophthalmia this did not surprise us. The
complaint is well known to physicians, and
the best cure for it is TO abandon the use of
all hair-dyes and cosmetics. The worst of
all such preparations are those which are
said not to be dyes, but claim to restore the
hair to its natural color. One article called
Hair Life" consists principally of lead, sui
'phur, and lime. Some of these compounds
contain tinetur of cantharees, substance
which irritates the skin, and after protracted
use is apt to produce serious difficulties of a
peculiar nature. .-Manfdctltrer G Builder.
New VARIETY OF CHERRIES. s.-We were
shown last Saturday, SAYS the Portland
(Oregon) Bulletin of July 25th, new variety
Of cherries, grown on Mr. Luelling,s place,
at Milwaukee, that for flavor far surpasses
anything in the cherry line that has ever
come to our notice. The fruit, which is call
ed the "Black Republican, comes from
tree which grew from a sedan accidental
plant-in 1850. Many of the cherries shown
us were three and half inches in crcum-
ference. The skin is black (werefore the
name) and the pulp firm, of reddish color,
and cuts like an apple-no juice flowing from
it when the knife passes through. When
the stem is pulled from a cherry, no juice
comes from the cavity left. 1t will no doubt,
be fine variety for shipping purposes.
Several parties are raising large number of
trees.
RECIPE FOR BLACKBERRY WINE.-Gather
nice ripe blackberries; mash them well in a
wooden or earthen vessel, strain, and for
every gallon of juice thus obtained add two
quartz OF water to the pomace. Let this