The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-02-05
FACTS FROM ALL SOURCES.
THE THISTLE TAX.

1
reached Iowa and Kansas. It appeared
in Indiana and Illinois several years ago,
but vigorous efforts were taken on the
part of the states, and the warfare is
constantly kept up. Men are employed
at regular wages to dig and burn the
plants, it being Intellectual to leave
them on the surface of the ground to
dry and die. Wherever tie thistle gets
foothold in a community, the damage
is equal to tax of 10 per cent. on all
the farming land, at a fair valuation.
It is agreed that the seed was first in
troduced, in the hay with which fruit
trees are packed. 1t would be better to
raise ones own trees, and have inferior
fruit, than to be thus burdened.
Oranges, agricultural societies, and
clubs should make it an especial bust
ness to watch the Canada thistle.
THE GRASSES.
DIR. Bachelor, of central New York,
talks thus of the different grasses with
which he has been experimenting {:
Perennial rye grass he considers of no
value for hay or pasture, as it will not
endure the winters; but italian rye
grass, he says, is hardy anywhere in
New York, and is one of the most valu-
able grasses known either to cut for
soiling or for hay. In vigor it is like
orchard grass, but it is finer in texture,
and is of the cut-and -come-again
kind" often producing two crops in a
season and then a rich aftermath.
Meadow fescue he finds to be one of
the most vigorous grasses, adapted to
either meadow or pasture. It equals
timothy in the amount of hay and can
be cut at the same time. It is q good
grass to grow with timothy. Sweet
verDal grass ought to be grown in the
meadow to give fragrance to the other
hay. Cattle devour it with great eager
ness. Orchard grass alone, or with the
medium clover, is valuable, but it ripens
too soon for timothy. If cut just before
the fower-scape opens it makes valu-
able hay, but if left till it ripens its seed
is no better than rye straw.
USES OF sAwDUsT.
A correspondent of the Ohio Farmer
writes About six years ago I had
saw-mill set on my farm. At first they
washed the dust, as the sawyers called
it, by letting stream of water run
under the saw. As the water got low
it would not work; then they had to
wheel it out in pile, and when they
went away had big pile of sawdust
on my hands. As it was on q good
piece of bottom land that desired to
pIow, I wanted it out OF my way. I
tried to burn it, but it would not burn.
[ concluded at last to turn it to some
good account; so when put my hogs
up to fatten hauled good load every
few days and threw it in the pen.
They mixed it with their manure and
the cobs, and in the spring had about
twenty loads of the very best manure,
besides keeping the hogs clean and dry.
[ used the sawdust for bedding the
horses and COWS / put it around my
grape vines to keep down grass ana
weeds and the ground moist. The
vines improved wonderfully. So my
sawdust is used up, and it has paid.
If I was to have q mill again I would
make bargain to have the sawdust left
on the ground.
GRATING WAX.
One pound of rosin, five ounces 50
per cent. alcohol, one ounce beef tai
low, one table spoonful of turpentine.
Melt the rosin over slow fire, add the
beef tallow, and stir with perfectly
dry stick or piece of wire. When some
what cooled add the turpentine, and
last the alcohol in small quantities,
stirring the mass constantly. Should
the alcohol cause it to lump, warm
again until it melts. Keep in bottle.
Lay it on in very thin coat with a
brush. Should it prove thick, thin it
down with alcohol. It is always ready
for use it is never affected by heat or
cold, aud heals up wounds hermetically.
LIQUID GRATING WAX.
The Horticulturist gives the follow
ing formula for making Lefort's graft
ing wax, which is said to have been
highly recommended in France and
until lately kept secret: Melt one
pound of common rosin over gentle
fire. Add to it one ounce of beef tai
low and stir it well. Take it from the
fire, let it cool down a little, and then
mix with a tablespoonful of spirits of
turpentine, and after that about seven
ounces of very strong alcohol, (sixty-
five per cent, to be had at any drug
gist's store. The alcohol cools it down
SO rapidly that it will be necessary to
put it again on the fire stirring it con-
stantly. Still the utmost care must be
exercised to prevent the Falcohol from
getting infamed. To avoid it, the best
way is to remove the vessel from the
fire when the lump that may have been
formed commences melting again. This
must be continued till the whole is a
homogeneous mass similar to honey.
After a few days exposure to the
atmosphere in thin coat, it assumes a
whitish color, and becomes as hard as
stone, being impervious to water or air.
A Threatening Fashion.
A Paris correspondent writes CA
hint-a prophecy of coming fashion: It
is projected in the highest world of the
gentlemen and ladies who create our
fashions that it may become possible
to entirely dispense with all underskirts
hatevsr. In their stead tightly fit