THE GENESEE FARMER. 



16S 



I VINGSTONE'S TRAVELS AND RESEARCHES IN SOUTH 

 AFRICA. Including a Sketch of sixteen years residence in tlie 

 interior of Africa, and a Journey from tlie Cape of Good Hope 

 to liOanda on tlie west coast, thence across tlie Continent, down 

 the river Zambese, to the eastern coast. From the personal 

 narrative of David Livingstoe, L.L. D., D. C. L. To which 

 is added a Historical Sketch of Discoveries in Africa. Illus- 

 trated with numerous engravings, rhiladelphia : J. N. Brad- 

 let, -tS North Fourth street. lbo8. 



It is entirely unnecessary to speak of Dr. Livingstone. 

 hough comparatively unknown a year ago, bis name is 

 DW familiar to every intelligent reader. He is the great- 

 it of living explorers, and his narrative will be read with 

 le greatest interest by all classes in the community. — 

 he edition published by Mr. Bkadlev will be none the 

 ss interesting to the general reader from the omission of 

 Cousideiable amount of scientific matter and minor 

 tails. It is an elegant volume of 450 pages, and is sent 

 )st paid to any address for f;1.25 



J.VNSACTIOJT3 OF THE MICHIGAN STATE AGRICUL- 

 TURAL SOCIETY for 1S56. 



This is a handsome volume of 790 pages, containing the 

 oceedings of the State and County Agricultural Socie- 

 It is highly creditable to the Society and to the Sec- 

 tary, Prof. Holmes. . We notice among its contents two 

 lize Essays, one " on the Cultivation of the Potato," by 



B. Noble, and the other "On the Breedidg of Sheep," 



EnwARn ilASOx, who also furnishes an interesting 



tide on " Fruit Trees." Mr. Noble also furnishes arti- 



s on " The Cultivation of Clover," and on " Thorough 

 raining." 



IE GARDEN ; A New Pocket Manu,al of Practical Horticul- 

 ture; or. How to CultivateKitchen Vegetables, Fruits, Flowers, 

 and Ornamental Trees and Siirubs. Vv'ith an Exposition of the 

 Nature and Action of Soils and Manures, the Structure of Plants, 

 md the Laws of Vegetable Life and Growth, etc. I(y the author 

 }( " How to Write," -'How to Behave," etc. Fowlek & Wells, 

 WS Broadway, New York. Price, in paper, 30 cents; cloth, 

 DO cents. 



From a slight examination, we think this a most excel- 



it work— and so cheap that every one who cultivates a 



d of ground should possess it. 



TTELL'S LIVING AGE. 



This excellent periodical commenced a new series April 

 It is enlarged to e'ujMy pa^es, issued weekly. Price 

 cents a copy, or §6 per annum. "We regard it as the 

 ST, and certainly the cJieapest periodical in the world, 

 iblislied by Littell, Son & Co., Boston, and by Stan- 

 BD & Delisser, New York. 



)ELE; A Tale by Julia Kavanagh, author of "Nathalie," 

 'Rachel Gray," etc., etc. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 



868. 



'One of the best novels we have read for some time. 



■'Inquiries and Answers. 



Strawberries. — (William Thomas.) Your question, 

 iVhat is the best kind of strawberry for general cultiva- 

 n ?" can not be answered. No one variety is best under 

 circumstances. In this vicinity, if we were confined to 

 e variety for our own use and for market .purposes, we 

 ; ould select th& HooJxr. It is a lo.rge, ^handsome bei-ry, 

 excellent flavor, remarkably productive, and does not 

 juire the presence of other varieties to fertilize it. H. 

 Hooker & Co., of this city, can furnish you the plants. 



JCoRN Planter. — (R. S., Gorham, N. Y.) One of the 

 st Corn. Planters we have seen is "Wakefield's .Hand 

 rn Plant'er. The price is $5. M. W. Simmons, of Brock- 

 rt, is ageot for Western New York. It is sent to any 

 iress on reoeipt of price. 



Chinese Hogs. — (G., Mt. Healthy, Ohio'.) Wo do not 

 know who has any pure-bred Chinese hogs for sale. 

 There are very few in the country. The late John Dela- 

 field kept them for some years, but what became of them 

 after his death we do not know. Mr. Parsons,. of Guelph, 

 C. W., exhibited some at the Provincial Fair of Canada 

 West in 1855, and they were the last we have seen. They 

 are too tender to be kept pure for any other purpose thau 

 for improving coarser breeds. 



Preparing Basswood Bark. — Will you or some of your 

 correspondents inform me how to piopare basswood bai'k 

 for tying up buds, etc. I cut some last season, but can 

 make no use of it. Wm. Pawlins. — Fluxi,r Creek, Ky. 



Strip the bark from the trees in the mosith of June, 

 when the sap is flowing freely, and sink it in water until 

 the inner bark or liber becomes soft and will easily sepa- 

 rate, when it may be peeled off and dried, and it is then 

 fit for use. 



Mowing Machine. — (S. Hobbie.) We know of no 

 Mower which has been so thoroughly tested and which 

 gives such general satisfaction as Ketchum's. It is manu- 

 factured at Buflalo, N. Y., by R. L. Howard. See adver- 

 tisement in this number. 



Buckv'heat HuLis.— (A. C.) They are probably worth 

 about as much for manure as wheat chaff. 



Thinning the Frtjit -op Dwarf Pears. — I was much 

 pleased with the Prize Essay, in the March num!>er of the 

 Genesee Farmer, on the " Cultivation of Dwail' Pears." 

 On one point I should be thankful to " Y. Z." for further 

 information. He says " When a dwarf tree is well estab- 

 lished, it will set twice or three times as much fruit as 

 ought to be suffered ioiJiature. After the fruit has become 

 fairly set in the spring, it should be thinned by cutting or 

 pinching out the smaller and imperfect fruit, and leavino- 

 the rest equally distributed over the tree and upon the 

 difl'erent branches. This is quite a delicate operation-, 

 and, like pruning, to become perfect in it, requires nmoh 

 observation and experience. If too much fruit is left to 

 grow, the specimens will be small and somewhat without 

 flavor, and the tree will be stinted and exhausted." This 

 is in accordance with my experience. I am satisfied that 

 thinning the fruit is essential to success, but I have been 

 sorely perplexed in the operation by the curculio. After I 

 have thinned the fruit sufficiently, he stings a considerable 

 portion of what is left, and the result is a very thin crop 

 and deformed specimens. What I want to ascertain is 

 this. At what time does the curculio cease to sting the 

 pear, and can not we ascertain which have been stun^ and 

 which have not ? If so, would it not be advisable to let 

 the fruit remain on the tree till the curculio disappears, 

 and then thin out those which are stung y A. B. — Wayne 

 County, jV. Y., April, 1858. 



A Work on Drawing for Farmers' Children. —Is 

 there such a work for our children, to be obtained, writ- 

 ten in an easy and familiar manner, similar to the articles 

 in Forrc-iftr's Hoys' and Girls' J/(j(/ii~i/ie for 1855 y No 

 work would add more practical utility to the you'no- farm- 

 er's library than a work of this kind. The writer of this 

 has been a reader of agricultural papers since the days of 

 Judge BuEL, of Cultivator memory, and lias often needed 

 such instruction. It would find a ready sale, and form 

 one of the best works to award as a premium. An Old 

 Subscriber. — Ifarpersville, JV. Y. 



How does Water get into Drain Tiles? — Will some 

 of your correspondents, in their essays on draining, please 

 tell us how the water gets into the draining tile after it is 

 laid under ground? I can not quite unde^'stand how the 

 water gets into such a tube as is described by writers on 

 tile draining. M. P. — Glarhe. Ind. 



■ Rack for Feeding Cattle. — Will some of the readers of 

 the Genesee Farmer oblige inc by giving a plan of a cheap 



and strong rack for feeding cattle. Edward Linnkv. 



Torordo, Tuiva. 



