Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 October 1868 — Agricultural and Domestic. [ARTICLE]

Agricultural and Domestic.

JTl»t X&d of Wood to Buy. As many western farmer have to buy their wood it it? advantageous to know something of t hft, comparattre>alue of the diflferfcht sorts. often pay little regard quality of the wood they pur chase, but take that which is offered at the least price, as though there was no differencebetween one cord of wood and another. The truth is the quality of wood is extremely varia- • bio, got only as betwoerf' the different varieties but as - between specimens of the same variety.* Wood grown on high- land is capable of generating giiiicE more heat than the same variety grown on low land. So too, ’Wood grown in northern latitude is preferable to that grown further South. The wood of bid well-matured trees is of jmeater value than that of those Windfalls, that have been a considerable time on the ground, trees partially decayed, or wood that has long been piled in a damp place, is of compartively little value as fuel, and should be bought at a very low price, if at all. It adds much to the value of wood if it is prepared for the stove when it is green, is then thoroughly seasoned, and is finally placed under shelter. Care, however, mast be taken not to pack it too closely or to put it in a building badly ventilated, as it is liable to be injured by the dry rot. By far the most valuable tree for fuel is the shell-bryfic hickory. It is comparatively easy to work, burns freely, leaves no unburnt coals; while the bark, which in many kinds of wood is of no value, is the finest kind of “kindling. We belief's, From the experience we have uad in burning this wood, os fimimtexperimentwith a view oF deternbnmg its relative value as a funbit is worth at least! a fourth raore~tha»~4Haple and upwards of a third more than beech. ' Dak wood differs very great j hr according to the variety of; the tree as well as on account of the difference of the locality where it is grown, and the thoroughness with which itNs dried, white oak ranks next to I hickory; yellow oAk is of about the same value as maple, while the red and black oaks are rated, about the same as beech. In this classification, however, we base our calculation on oak wood that is as well dried as the wood with which it is compared; but this will not be the case unless extra care is taken with it. - „ The soft woods as a class are about half as valuable a* hickory; some of them standing higher in the scale *ban. others' on account of theer superior density. In the purchase of wood as in everything else there 3is quite a saving in buying a good article. It costs as much to haul a load of poor wood a 3 of good, and the labor of preparing it for the stove is about the same; while the difference in the quality of the fiber, and the ease with which the dinner is cooked, argue strongly in favor of good wood. —Prairie Farmer . ■ - - ■■ ■ —lt may not be generily known that the seed of ihtosunflower is the mpst/-infallible remedy yet discovered for the speedy cure of founders’ in horses. The directions which we glean from a brief article upon the' subject in the Essex Banner, says: “Immediately on discovering that your horse is foundered, mix a pint of the white seed in his food, and it will effect a speedy scare. The seed when fed in small quantities to horses, is vary healthy, giving the hair a peculiar g&te, It is diuretic in its tenUfcy. Fowls like it'mocb, and thrive on it. __ . i —A singular fatality exists among horses at Bloomington 111. They swell up as if from \lie, within a few rs from the first attack. fin j’ —; wn u Odifonm of a man’s fiat, and

To preserve Grape* for Winter.

A grape will ■oornfuejQCr to ' ’decay immediately if the skin -ia pixuctiired ao that the air can come in contact with the phl}>; but, fortunately, many of-them are protected, with a firm, thlClT akin, as the Diana. It is certain that grapes will not defeay in consequence of air passing into the grape through the stem that supports the bunch; hence there ia np need of thrusting it into the flame of ii lump ov a ladle of sealing wax. The only use of cottoo batting, newspapers, wheat, bran or sawdust, is to keep the grapes from pressing on each other, and to keep oat the cold. The easiest way to preserve grapes, then.Js to hang the bunches up in a room where the temperature is not subject to much change. The air should be dry and pure, and providing it ia not above the freezing point-,,the cooler air, the better the grapes will keep. If they are packed in cotton, it ia liable to adhere to them, to impart a bad taste, and to convey the progress of decay from one to the other, if one commences to rot; whereas, if the clusters are hung up in a room, they can be examined, from time to time, and the decaying g &s they" appear.— Prairie Fanner.