162 



THE GE^TESEE FAPwMER. 



Wheat Turning to Cbkss. — "We continue to receive a 

 ;great many articles on this subject. It is impossible to 

 publish them ; neither do we see any good that would be 

 accomplished, if they were p;iven to the public. They con- 

 tain no new facts— nothing that T^wi'w anything. 



A Canadian correspondent, in the February number, 



states that a board was accidentally blown upon a piece of 



wheat and the wheat was all turned into chess. Another 



correspondent, iu reply, thinks the board must have been 



a chetS'board. 



♦♦♦ 



Agricultural Humor. — Of the Amherst, Mass. Cattle 



show, the Springfield H^j^uhlican says : 



"There is a quaint humor in the making up of the com- 

 mittees upon stock,' etc., which is a new feature in 'Cattle 

 Shows.' For instance : The committee on cattle, upon 

 the principle that ' He wh.o drives fat oxen should himself 

 be fat,' Wi^s composed of eight gentlemen whose aggregate 

 weight is over 2000 pounds ! Then the committee on 

 calves (most.impudent selection) was -riiolly composed of 

 members of the last Legislature, The committee on fowls 

 were gentlemen from several towns about here, all of them 

 blessed with the name of Fowles. But the happiest thing, 

 and one thai; really had a good grain of satire in it, was the 

 committee upon maple sugar. This was made' up of 

 ' .sweet hearts,' three gentlemen and three ladies who 

 were known to be engaged to bo married, being upon it. 

 Poor things! Those who appointed them knew that it 

 was only right that they should nibble a little sugar now, 

 to make some small amends for the future that lies so near 

 before them." 



— ■•••»-! — 



Notices of Books, Pamphlets, &c. 



TIIK NEW AMF:RTCAN CYCLOPAEDIA : A Popular Diction- 

 ary of General Knowledge. Kdited by Gkorge Rii'ley and 

 CiiARLBS A. Dana. New York: D. Applbtos & Co. 1S5S. 



This is the great work of the day. It is designed to fur- 

 nish a condensed exhibition of the present state of human 

 knowledge. Avoiding controverted points of science, 

 philosophy, religion, or politics, it aims at an accurate 

 account ot the dcvelojjment of opinion in the exercise of 

 tliought, of the results of physical research, of the prominent 

 events in the history of the world, of the most significant 

 productions of literature and art, and of the celebrated 

 individuals whose names have become associated with the 

 conspicuous phenomena of their age. 



It is not a dull, dry, lifeless compilation, useful only for 

 reference, but a work adapted to the times, treating not 

 only op subjects which have an historical interest, but 

 also of those whith are now claiming public attention. 



Taking for instance the word Apple, we have not only- 

 interesting remarks in regard to its history, but also some 

 statistics of its cultivation at the present time in this 

 country, the diseases to which it is liable, the soils best 

 adapted to its cultivation, an analysis of the tree, and the 

 varieties adapted for general cultivation. So the articles 

 on Arboriculture, Agriculture, Agricultural Schools, Anri- 

 cultural Chemistry, etc., arc not stereotyped disquisitions 

 on these subjects, but were evidently written by men who 

 are acquainted with any recent discoveries throwino' lirrJit 

 on points not previously understood. We allude to these 

 subjects because they are those in wkich we are most inter- 

 ested, and because we are pleased to see them so pronii- 

 Dcnt in a work of such a literary and scientific character. 



The article on Agricultural Chemistry we have read with 

 great pleasure. It is evidently written by Prof S. W. Joux- 

 ox, of Yale College. Probably no other man in the countrv 

 could have written such a clear and impartial review of the 

 present position of chemistiy as applied to agriculture. 



The Xi'W Ci/cIopivJia will be completed in fifteen vol- 

 umes. Price in cloth, ,?3 per volume ; in library leather, 



$3,50; in half Morocco, $4; in half Russia extra, S-i.fiO 

 Persons in this vicinity can get the work from IX M 

 Dewey, of this city. 



FIELD TRIAL OF EKAPERS, MOWERS, AND HARVEST 

 IMPLEMENTS, bv the United States Agricultural Society, a 

 Syracuse, N. Y.. July 18—20. 18,)T. Edited by B. P. Pooui: 

 Secretary of tb« Society. BosUin : IJarzkp. & Chakdlep.. IWj^ 



The Trial of Reapers and Jlowers at Syracuse, undei i 

 the auspices of the United States Agricultural Society 

 was probably the best, on the whole, that has ever beei 

 made. In saying this, we do not forget that there wen 

 several drawbacks — the unnecessary parade, and a cum 

 brous committee, chosen in some instances not so mucf 

 for their competency as to give the Trial as much the aii 

 of nationality as possible — niifitakes undoubtedly occurred 

 yet the Trial was in the main satisfactory, and the repor- 

 will be read with much interest. The Prizes were awardea 

 as follows : — 



MowiXG Machines. — First Premium.— Go\A Medal ana 

 Diploma — To Ball, Aultman & Co., Canton, Ohio. 



S^ond Premium. — Silver Medal — To Walter A. WooDfc 

 Hoosick Falls, N. Y. {■ 



T/tird Premium. — Bronze Medal — To Martix Hallex 

 BECK, Albany, N. Y. 



A Diploma for simplicity of construction and solidity o 

 work?iiauship was awarded to T. D. Burrall, of Geneva 

 N. Y. :, also to R. L. Allkn, New York, for his concav. 

 knife blade, and general excellence of material and supe 

 rior workmanship ; also to the Buffalo Agricultura "> 

 Machine Works, for cheapness, and ingenious adapta r, 

 tion of cutter to an uneven surface. 



Reapers. — First Premium. — Gold Medal and Diplomi 

 —To C. H. McCoRMiCK, Chicago, 111. 



Second Premium. — Silver Medal — To Walter A. Vi'ood 

 Hoosick Falls, N. Y. 



Third Premium. — Bronze Medal — To Warder, Brokaw 

 & Child, Springfield, Ohio. 



Also a Diploma to Jo.v. Haixes, Pekin, 111., for "Illinois- 

 Harvester." 



CoMDixKD Machixes. — Firgt Premium. — To Walter A. 

 Wood, Hoosick Falls, N. Y. 



Second Premium.. — 'io Buffalo (N. Y.) Agricultural 

 Machine Works. < ^ 



Third Premium. — To Warder, Brokaw & Child, [[ 

 Springfield, Ohio. 



HOOPER'S WESTERN FRUIT BOOK ; A Compendions Col- 

 lection of facts from tlie notes and experience of successful Frnit 

 Culturists, arranged for practical use in the Orchard and Gar- 

 (len. By E. .T. IIoopeb. Third edition, completely revised. 

 Cincinuali: Mookk, Wilstacii, Keys & Co. 1858. 



We have alluded to this work in a previous number of 

 the Farmer. We are glad the demand for the work calls 

 for a new edition, as it has enabled the author to correct 

 any errors which may have been overlooked in the una- 

 voidable haste of preparing the first edition. The book is'' 

 handsomely "got up" and there are several excellent plates 

 of fruits, together with jiortraits of the author, of Dr. J. 

 A. Warder and'of N. Loxgworth "the father of Ameri- 

 can grape culaire, and the chief disseminator of that mosti 

 important fact — the sexual character oi the strawberry." 

 The book is sent by mail prepaid, for Si.OO.> 



LIFE THOT'OHTS. gathered from the Extemporaneous Dis- 

 courses of, Hex^lv Ward BBECHBiB. By one of bis. Cong-Oij^tion. 

 Boston: Phillu's., Sampson & C<). ISoS. 



We have in this volume some of thft .best thoughts, of 

 the most pppular of living preachers — thoughts which 

 move the heart and fasten themselves m the memory. 

 The publishers will send it pre-paid bj mail for $1. 



