1860.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Containing a great variety of Items, including many 
good Hints and Suggestiornt which we throw into small 
type and condensed fonn, for viant of space elsewhere. 
JVlany Items are in type, for next month's 
number, in response to queries, etc., of our readers. 
FORTV PAOES !— Tbongh we promise 
to furnish only 32 pages in each number, yet the pres- 
sure of advertisements has been so great that the usual 
space is much exceeded ; but justice to our readers and 
advertisers demands that we shall not reduce the number 
of reading pages. Not only do we not decrease them, 
but for each pagi of advertisements added, we also add a 
page of reading matter^ This precedent in the first 
number of the new year we expect to follow throughout 
the volume. So our readers may reasonably expect sev- 
eral extra sized and extra good papers during tlie year. 
See the Premiums.— Of course we arc 
interested in them, but they are a good thing every way. 
Excellent articles are easily obtained by many persons, 
while by means of the eSorts to obtain them, thousands 
of persons are led to profitable reading. See pages 4, 5. 
Tlic Rural Ax&nnal Delayed.— Tlic 
transferring of the Office from Rochester to New-York, 
and other causes have delayed the publication of this 
valuable volume a little, but it will be ready soon after 
Jan. 1, and forwarded to those who have sent for it. It 
will be richly worth the cost to every one (25c. post-paid). 
"^Vliat Books. — At tbis busy season wc 
have not time to answer numerous inquirers about what 
books to buy. The list on page 5 gives the titles of most 
of those issued on Farming, Gardening, etc., with the 
prices at which they will be supplied at this office. 
IValks and X*alUs over a Genesee 
County Farm.— Well— we have taken friend Harris' 
arm and enjoyed a very pleasant walk, over part of his 
farm, and his talk, so spicy and instructive, has so filled 
up the time and set us so lo thinking about our own place, 
that we find we have not gone over very much ground 
after all. It is a pretty fair farm ; there is a good deal 
more to see and talk about upon it ; and with his permis- 
sion we will invite our readers to accompany us on our 
walk with him month after month through tlie year, very 
sure that they will ail enjoy it and be greatly profited. 
Special to Advertisers. — 1st. To en- 
sure admission, early application must be made. Our 
regular space this month was all engaged before Dec. 1st, 
and though we attempted to add extra pages enough to 
accommodate those who were very urgent, but were 
later in applying, we are still obliged to leave out nearly 
all who applied after Dec. lOlh, amounting to several 
hundred lines. 2d. No advertisement of Patent 
Medicines, or any thing of a secret character is desired. 
3d. We want no advertisers who will not do just 
what they promise to do. We request those unknown 
to the editors personally or by general good reputation, 
to furnish such references and other information as will 
fully satisfy us that they are to be confidently relied upon. 
The Assistant in charge of this department, is instructed 
not to admit advertisements from any one whom he 
would not himself patronize with cash, or orders, if he 
happened to want the things advertised and at the price 
asked. This explains why advertisements from distant 
unknown parties are frequently omitted, though often 
from good men, doubtless. By living up to these re- 
quirements we aim to make our advertising pages of great 
value both to the readers of the ^^ricu/furis; and to the 
advertisers themselves. Circulars, with terms of adver 
tising, etc, are sent to those desiring them. 
A Xalk TvitU our Readers, al^ont 
tlie Advertisements.— A gentleman from Trenton, 
who called the other day to renew his subscription, re- 
marked that " He was in mercantile business and was 
not a cultivator, and had no family, yet he look the Agri- 
culturist mainly for Its advertisements. He had stopped 
the a religious journal, because disgusted with its 
medicinal and other disreputable advertisements, as he 
considered them, which were constantly flaming out be- 
fore his eyes." He went on to say that he had observed 
many hints about his own business, by the diligent study 
of the varied and various business announcements of 
other men in different journals, and no other paper gave 
htm so much satisfaction in this line as the Agriculturist, 
because there he met with nothing of an objectionable 
character. Of course we esteem such testimony, and 
shall strive to ever merit it. The advertising depart- 
ment is valuable to every one. It wakes up and enlarges 
the ideas of the plainest farmer lo scan over such pages 
as occupy the business columns of this paper, while 
multitudes find just the things they want, and learn 
where they are to be obtained, and generally at what 
prices. Seeds, for example, of all kinds are now readily 
obtained from any part of the country, as they are con- 
veniently and safely transported by mail at the nominal 
postage of 8 cents per lb. (2 cents for each 4 ounces or 
fraction of 4 ounces). There is a large variety adver- 
tised in this paper from month to month. We advise our 
readers to look carefully through the whole of the ad- 
vertisements, and see what Is offered. These winter 
months are the best time to provide for seeds, imple- 
ments, trees, plants, etc. Catalogues and Circulars can 
now be sent for and consulted, correspondence carried 
on, and orders given, while there is a full assortment to 
se lect from. It is al ways a sou rce of satisfac- 
tion to business men, to have those ordering of them, or 
sending for their Circulars, Catalogues, etc., to state 
where their advertisements were seen, and we request our 
readers to bear this in mind. One of our good adver- 
tisers recently informed us that In one mall he received 
371 letters which stated that they had seen his advertise- 
ment in the Agriculturist, and that these letters came 
from all parts of this country, and the British Prov- 
inces. Other mails brought a similar influx of letters, 
amounting in all to over ten thousand. He thought this 
journal must have an immense circulation in every nook 
and corner of the land, among an intelligent and wide- 
awake class of readers— which is undoubtedly correct. 
THe I>eatU of CJiarles Hairs.— The 
personal friends of this gentleman will be pained to learn 
of his somewliat sudden death, and even those who only 
occasionally visited the Agriculturist office will miss the 
pleasant, clear, English face, which they had been ac- 
customed to see here. Mr. II. was from London, Eng- 
land, but was, we believe, without relatives hi this 
country. He had been principal business assistant in the 
office for more than eight years. While attempting to 
stop a street car he was struck by another car, which he 
did not notice was approaching on another track, and the 
result of the collision was a wound in the head, which 
though not regarded dangerous at first, had a fatal ter- 
mination in about two weeks. Mr. 11. possessed remark- 
able business Intents, which rendered hira valuable in 
his position, and a geniality of disposition which en- 
deared him to his associates, and rendered him popular 
with a large circle of acquaintances. 
Oliio Cliccsc ]?IanutUcturers^ Asso- 
ciatiou.— The second annual meeting of the Ohio 
State CJieese Manufacturers' Association, will be held In 
the city of Cleveland, January 24th and 25th. The an- 
nual address will be by X. A. Willard. The meeting 
will be one of great public interest, and a large attend- 
ance Is expected. Reports will be made from thirty 
cheese factories, and also from a large number of private 
dairies. The topics to be discussed are : Improved meth- 
ods of chee?e manufacture; best manner of marketing 
cheese; uniform style of cheese manufacture for 1866; 
the best manner of organizing factories — whether by 
by private enterprise, by corporations, or otherwise ; 
best breed of cows for the dairy ; summer and winter 
management of milch cows. 
Report of tlie l^epartnieut of Agri- 
culture for 1864.— In appearance, and as far as we 
have looked at the articles. In matter, this collection of 
essays is a great improvement upon those of former 
years. The illustrations are numerous, those of buds 
very good, those of fruit and cattle fair, and those of 
sheep as presentable as such greasy and wrinkly subjects 
will admit. Sheep are pleasant animals to look at, but 
they make ugly pictures. We have seen a great many 
bad looking blots which professed to be portraits of 
sheep, but the worst we ever saw is the one facing page 
199 In the Agricultural Report before us. This could 
never have been taken from anything having life ; it 
looks like an animal hewed out of wood and clothed 
with cast-iron pantaloons. We are sure that Mr. Grinnell, 
who has shown such good taste in the other illustrations, 
could never have put this in of himself. We congratulate 
him on the manner in which he has performed his task ; 
for though the report appears as Isaac Newton's, every 
one who knows anything about the matter understands 
that all that is creditable about the arrangement and 
selection of the articles la due to the late chief clerk 
Mr. Grinnell. While admitting that in Itself the book is 
a good one, and that it may be useful to the comparative- 
ly few who may be favored by their members of Con- 
gress, we protest against the whole system of making 
books of this kind at public expense ; against collecting 
a lot of essays from ready writers and calling them a re- 
port. It would be proper, had we a Commissioner who 
could do it, to publish a volume of statistics and an ac- 
count of the improvements in agricultural matters, all of 
which could be condensed into a book one-fourth the 
size of the present one. But this going outside of the de- 
partment for brains [warrantable perhaps under the cir- 
cumstances,] to make up a series of elementary and pop- 
ular manuals, on cabbages, sorghum, aquaria, etc., pub- 
lishing them at public expense for the benefit of a few, 
is a flagrant ourage. The regular Agricultural book pub- 
lishers are heavily, almost oppressively, taxed for being 
such. What right has the government to take the heavy 
taxes they pay, and use the money in publishing free-of- 
cost books of the same class that they publish T Why not 
publish school books, novels, or any other class of books 
as well. In the name of the tax paying community we 
call upon Congress to put an end to this cheat. Thera 
ate doubtless some members there who will wink at the 
thing for the sake of a few copies of the miscalled " Re- 
port," but we trust that the majority will see that It Is a 
wicked misappropriation of the public monies. 
TUo French "Bng" Exliibition,— 
An "exposition" of useful and injurious Insects has re- 
cently been held in the Palais d'Industrle in Paris, under 
the direction of the French Minister of Agriculture. Our 
countryman, Tovrasend Glover, Esq., attended, and boro 
off the Imperial gold medal, given by the Emperor for 
the best contribution to the knowledge of Insects in- 
jurious to agriculture. The medal has upon one side a 
medallion portrait of the Emperor, and on the other tho 
Inscription "Exposition des Insectes utiles et nulsible, 
donne par I'Empereur." Mr. Glover has for sometime 
been employed by the Department of Agriculture at 
Washington, and the value of his labors not only in 
entomology, but in pomology, etc., has long been kno\\Ti 
to those interested in such matters, and perhaps now that 
they have a foreign endorsement, the Illustrious head of 
our agricultural affairs may make some use of the talent 
he has had by his side, but carefully kept under a bushel. 
The publication of Mr. Glover's work has been recom- 
mended by our horticultural societies, and we advise 
Isaac Newton to look at the gold medal, and If he can- 
not heed the wishes of the sovereigns on this side of the 
water to follow the lead of a foreign potentate and do 
something creditable to his department and the country. 
Xlie Scliool of Mines, ColBinibia 
College.— From having been one of the most staid 
and venerable of institutions, Columbia College has 
become endowed with new life. Its management has 
fallen into the hands of men who think that there is 
something worth studying besides Latin and Greek. 
One of the manifestations of this new order of things is 
seen in the School of Mines, opportunely founded to 
meet the great demand for instruction in practical sci- 
ence. Chemistry, Geolog>', Mineralogy, Mining engin 
eering, Metallurgy and the kindred branches are taught 
by a corps of able professors. The rooms and facilities 
of the school are ample and through preparations were 
made for what was thought a large number of students- 
seventy— the classes are already full. For information 
address President F. A. Barnard, or Prof. C. F. Chandler. 
ISnsliels of Ears.— "C. S. W.,'* whose ex- 
cellent article on Western Agriculture we publislied In 
December (page 374), really intended to say, that the 
average yield of corn on his farm Is, by measurement, 75 
to 100 bushels of shelled corn. In a recent note he says: 
" In speaking of our corn crops, I had no thought of bush- 
els 'of ears,' and such a construction of my statement 
was unwarranted* With us, and in every other region 
that I have visited, com, and all other grain, is always 
bought, sold or estimated. In large quantities by weight." 
Several others have written, that he meant shelled corn. 
Tlie Sonthern Cultivator .—Very soon 
after the close of the war tliis paper made its appearance 
among our exchanges, it being the only agricultural paper 
among the States lately in rebellion that maintained itself 
during the years of disaster to the South. Its editor, Mr. 
White, is a well known writer upon southern agriculture 
and horticulture, and makes a useful paper. While we 
think the course of the Cultivator upon the labor question 
a mistaken one, we can commend its teachings in other 
matters to our friends at the South. The address of tho 
editor Is Wm. N. White, Athens, Ga. Price $2.00 a year. 
Pleasant Reading-.— Tho Ladies* Diaries, 
on pages 30, 31, will both amuse and instruct. We hava 
seldom met with a more agreeable advertisement. 
The **3fo Inlc I»en," is a Ilumbug, en- 
gineered by a swindler who attempts to cheat people by 
assuming part of the name of Mr. A. Morton, the well 
known gold pen maker, who advertises In our columns. 
