EDITOR'S TABLE. 



Another " Importakt Secret" in Otjlti-vation. — Professor " Terra-Culture" Comstock 

 thought, or pretended to thiuk, that he made a great discovery in the art of culture, and 

 modestly demanded from the State, or the nation several thousands of dollars, as a reward. 

 For a long time he made himself and every one he met unhappy about it, until at length 

 the New York State Agricultural Society appointed a committee to examine into the thing. 

 We do not know that the committee reported, but we know that the chairman of it regard- 

 ed the whole matter as sheer nonsense ; — and so it was. The State would do nothing for 

 the Professor, and so he took to lecturing ; and the last we heard of him, he Avas in Wis- 

 consin. Poor Comstock ! people hereabout said he was mad ; and it may be he was, and is. 



Our friend Isaac IIildretii, formerly of Geneva, but who now hails from a romantic 

 spot on Seneca Lake called " Big Stream Point,'''' has also made a discovery, he says, and 

 we do not doubt it, for he is a genius, and has always been discovering something during 

 the last ten or twelve years that we have known him. We have been advised by the 

 following circular ; 



"I have made au important discovery in growing Pear and Phim stockis, by which method all 

 nursery-men may grow their own stock3 from seed, without risk of failure from the effects of 

 leaf-blight. I am willing, and propose to impart this important secret to those who wi.-h to avail 

 themselves of the benefit of this discovery. Should you think proper, I will give you the details, 

 on the promise from you of ten dollars ; payable when the matter is successfully proved by 

 practicable demonstration, one year from this date. I. Uildreth. — Big Stream Foint, N. Y." 



Now this is a very reasonable and modest announcement, more so than any of the sort 

 we have seen. A very little information on the subject of growing seedlings would be 

 worth $10, and HiLOEETn, we are told, has succeeded remarkably well. But if we were 

 in his place, we would grow the stocks and sell them, instead of selling a secret which may 

 turn out to be no secret at all. 



Singular Freaks of Nature. — A gentleman in this county presented us with two 

 Apples, taken, he says from the same limb of the same tree, which had never been grafted 

 or budded, one a russet like Pomme gris, and the other a large green apple. We of course 

 set this down as a mistake. But, what was our surprise, on receiving a letter from a 

 gentleman in Jamaica, L. I., (whom we visited during the time of holding the State Fair, 

 and who showed us, among other things, a large patch of Beets, from which he offered to 

 supply us,) containing the following announcement : " On examining my Beets I found that 

 some of them had turned to Sweet Potatoes, and therefore send you along a barrel, which 

 I hope you will receive in good order." This is the greatest transmutation we ever heard 

 of, and hope it will continue. 



Water. — Prof. Kirtland has again favored us with information on wind-mills for rais- 

 ing water, intended as a reply to statements made in the Ohio Cultivator. We are per- 

 fectly satisfied, ourselves, that this is by far the most inexpensive mode of raising water in 

 situations favorably exposed to the wind ; and if one or two, or twenty, have failed, the 

 fault has been in the construction, and not in the principle. The past season has undi)ubt- 

 edly led to many resolves to try some means of supplying water, and we hojjc wind-mills 

 will be fairly tried. 



We are indebted to the Hon. L. A. Ward, for specimens of the Sheldon Pear, measur- 

 ten inches in circumference. Smooth, beautiful, and excellent. 



