18G6.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
49 
to send on the piirliculitis of Uis own experience, and 
lliiit of others which may be reiiiible. AUesled uffidavits 
\\ould be desirable also. Our request includes all clas- 
ses of swindlers— jewelry dealers, gifl enterprises, lot- 
teries, book or map publishers, iiiklesspens, gift parcels, 
coininissiou merchants, etc.. etc. We have now a Mayor 
and police otficers who will \ei\d a willing h;md to a 
determined effort to stop or curtail the humbu? ope- 
rators, or drive them elsewliere at least. —A Suoqestion: 
If every one sending money would send a bank draft, 
or P. O. order, ))ayable to the order of the party remitted 
to, tlie reception and endorsement of the draft would 
furnish evidence, sufficient to convict any swindler. 
Soiatlicru As'ricialtni'al Jouruals« 
—As an indication of returning prosperity to the South- 
ern States, we are glad to note the iijipearance of South- 
ern agricultural papers. The Southern Cultivator, pub- 
lishect at Athens, Ga., has already been referred to, and 
we now have the first number of the Farmer, published 
by Elliot <t Shields, Richmond, Va. It is in the mag- 
azine form, containing 'IS pages besides advertisements, 
and gives evidence of ability in its management. The 
Southern Rurallst, a weekly, is edited and published by 
II. A. Swascy, M. D., at Amite City, La. Its first num- 
ber is mainly devoted to Scnuhern horticulture. We wish 
ail these enterprises much success. 
Cutalo;*'iies, etc., Kcceived. — Trans- 
actions Illinois State Horticultural Society for 1864 — 
Illustrated Catalogue and Floral Guide, from James Vick, 
Rochester, N. Y., a very clever specimen of catalogue 
making Premiums awarded at the Oregon State Fair, 
16G5; a neat |iamphlet containing besides the premiums, 
several addresses and essays, and all sliowing a most 
creditable stale of agricultural prosperity in our far-oflf 
sister State Addresses before the Pennsylvania State 
Agricultural Society, at its exhibition in 1665, by Hon. Ed- 
gar Cowan cfe Wm. H. Allen, L. L. D A fine engrav- 
ing of the Israella Grape, natural size, Doct. C. W. 
Grant ...Transactions Indiana State Horticultural So- 
ciety, January 1866 Journal of tlie Cincinnati Horti- 
cultural Society, September and October, 1865 De- 
scriptive Catalogue of Fruit Trees, etc., Barnes & Kelly, 
Coal Creek (Kansas) Nursery. 
Plaots 3faMied.— A. J. Nash, Fairfield Co., 
Conn. TJie little evergreen is Lycnpodium. lucidulum, 
one of the Club-mosses, one species of which was 
described in January-. .. .G. Hurd, Erie Co., Pa. Do- 
decathcon Meadia, American Cowslip or Shooting Star. 
You are right in valuing it as a garden plant; it is more 
common at the West " Subscriber," Forest Hill. Tiie 
leaf is apparently that of some Cassia; the grass is 
Muh! either gia Mexicana, Mexican Drop-seed. We never 
knew it to be troublesome in cultivated grounds. Its 
strong scaly root-stock indicates that it would be difficult 
to eradicate. It wouid probably yield to the treat- 
ment advised for Couch grass in November last. 
Xhiiigfiii "we Caunot do. — We caimot un- 
dertake to answer questions about plants or insects 
which are merely described by our correspondents. They 
Bliould send good specimens. Nor can we readily de- 
lerniine plauts from the leaves only. 
Ouesses at Plants.— We have eeveral 
limes requested our fiiends, who send specimens, to take 
a little pains with them and give us some material from 
which to determine the plants. The best we can do with 
poor specimens and single leaves is, to guess, and it is 
often tlie case that not enough is sent to even guess ut.— 
*• Subscriber," Philadelphia. Y'our vine mav be Ci/- 
nanchum nigrum, one of the Asclepias or Milk Weed 
Family. Send the flowers next summer A. V. D. B. 
The leaf looks like what was sent out as Variegated Balm. 
Never saw the flower and therefore cannot give the 
botanical name T. F. Brady, Minn. We cannot guess 
what the plants inquired about are — D. Blair, Hunting- 
don, Pa. The grass referred to as restraining the blow- 
ing sands is probably Sea-Sand-Reed, Calamagrostis 
ar^nrtrm.. common on our coasts and on the shores of the 
great lakes. We do not know of the seed being for sale. 
Sarah M., North Haven, Conn. Probably the leaf of 
the Balsam Apple, Momordica Balsamimaf sometimes 
cultivated in gardens. 
!$endin-s Plauts by Mail.— M. T. Grei,^- 
ory, St. Croix Co., Wis., asks us to call the attention of 
nurserymen to the importance of better packing the 
plants they send by mail, and gives several instances in 
which he received only dried leaves and sticks in retvirn 
for his money. It is a difficult matter to fix upon the best 
plan for all plants. In warm weather the plants will heat 
if kept close, and dry out if exposed. The use of wooden 
boxes for strawberry plants, when only a few were sent 
in each, was quite satisfactory. We recently had some 
plants from Washington Territory come in good order 
by mail. They were in a tin box, which had holes 
punched in the cover, and were packed in plenty of 
moss. Probably there would be less complaint, if dealers 
put fewer plants in a parcel and used more moss. 
l>eatltot' an AgricalturaL Editor.^ 
Prof. James J. Mapes. the founder and until quite recent- 
ly editor of the Working Fariner, died in this city January 
10th, at the age of tiO years. 
Report oi' tlie I>e|>at*f iiteiit of Agri- 
culture,— Se\'*ral inquiie how tlu'V cari get the report. 
Wiite to the Commissioner, or to y»ur Representative in 
Congress, and ask for it. 
His "Systeiu." — A contemporai-y or tem- 
porary sheet, has a powerful leader, written to show the 
superiority of his paper over others. It opens thus : 
''Our system of making a good practical and reliable 
agricultural and horticultural paper, is not as some edi- 
tors do, to refuse to publish anything, unless it comes to 
them original .' " Tlmt Is altnost as good as the Portugese 
sailor's grammar, when a piratical craft was approacliJng 
his ship, he asked : " What do her want of we, us want 
nothing of she." 
Ano»yiitoii»^ <^oiiiiiiiiiLicatioii!>». — Let- 
ters giving information of any kind, and especially those 
criticising articles which we have published, or iidended 
to throw doubt on statements which we have made, 
ought always to be signed with the true name of the 
writer. We may wish to write to him and ascertain the 
facts accurately, for we are always reaily to change our 
views if we are wrong— and to say so if It will do any 
good. We are virtually debarred from investigation if 
our correspondents only sign *'H. T.", "A. H. S.'*, or 
similar initials, or nommes de phune. 
Invert tlie Picture.— All must have 
noticed and admired the beautiful em-'ravings given last 
month. The one on page 20 presents a new phase (not 
intended), on looking at it up-side down. Thus seen, the 
turkeys appear like soldiers (Turcos,) in line of battle, 
with the shells bursting in their front. 
F'lHO Sausages.— A bos of sausages, re- 
ceived from Canaan, Columbia Co., N. Y., in season for 
New Year's day, were as good as the best "country 
home-made," we have ever eaten— the meat just lean 
enough— not mixed with lumps of fat — cut fine and very 
uniformly — well, but not over-seasone I. We would 
like to publish the directions, though we suppose these 
will hardly be furnished by the maker, Geo. E. Lovejoy, 
as we understand he makes a speciality of providing 
such sausages for the market. 
Sliaver's* l*eucil Sharpener is con- 
venient for artists and others, who use pencils withmov- 
able leads, also for sharpening slate pencils. 
Ives' Kerosene Liaiiip>>, of two or three 
forms, we have found very convenient. In the hanging 
pattern the lacnpis readily drawn down from the chimney, 
for lighting or trimming, and in the table and wall lamps 
the chimney turns down upon the side. 
Oefectivc Ejetters of one l>ay. — In 
over a hundred thousaiid letters received at this office 
annually, it is not surprising that there should be some 
errors on the part of (he writers, yet it would save us 
much annoyance, and some unjust discredit, if people 
would be more careful. Here is one day's record of 
defects in 583 letters, viz. : '1 letters with money but no 
signatures ; '2. letters with no place of date ; 2 with State 
not given ; 1 with no State, and no legible post-mark on 
the outside ; 1 with no post-office ; 1 with the County but 
no P. O. ; 1 with the '" given" name only, but no surname ; 
1 with several bills and currency notes all counterfeit ; 
2 with the letters unsealed but the money safe (a temp- 
tation to post-masters) ; 1 with money said to be inclos- 
ed, but left out by mistake, as the envelope had evident. 
ly not been opened since first sealed. This is an unusual 
record (1 letter in 42 defective), but almost every day 
brings one or more such, and the Publishers are blamed 
for not responding, when they have no clue to the address 
of the writer. How many letters miscarry from similar 
errors in the superscription, the clerks in the Dead Letter 
Office can best exiJlain. 
I>o ^lii^n Your Name. — We never publish 
a name wlien requested not to do so, nor when the writer 
indicates by initials, or otherwise, the signature he pre- 
fers to have published ; but we often wish to communi- 
cate with the writer, and sometimes have articles we 
should use, had we the means of identifying the author. 
A statement has but little value when it comes anony- 
mously. Will "Henry,'* whose letter is postmarked 
Reading, Mass., let us know who he is ? 
Xlie S. S. Question lIookM, entitled 
" Lessons for every Sunday in the Year," continue to re- 
ceive many favoriibic commendations, and are about 
equally used by all Christian Denoxiinations. The series 
is completed- No. i. On the Four Go.>.pels and Acts; 
No. 2. On the ret^t of the New Testament ; No. 3. 
From Adam t« Elijah; No, 4. From Elijah to Christ. 
Price ]5 cents each ; $1.5U per dozen; Sia per 100. If 
sent by mail, 3 cents each extra, in packages of ten or 
more ; and 4 cents each, when less then ten are sent. 
F<mr sample copies (No. 1,2, 3, and 4), for exami- 
nation, mailed post-paid, for 05 cents. 
Excellent KooUs.— The list on page 44 
gives the title and price of most of the books published 
on Farm and Garden work. Many of these are very 
good.— To sum up answers to a multituile of letters of 
inquiry, we may say tliat the following will certainly dis- 
appoint no one desiring lirst-rate books on the the topics 
indicated :—-4merica?t Weeds and Plants; Barry's Fruit 
Garden; Doxvniiig's Landscape Gardening and Rural 
ArchUecture; Downing's Fruits and FruU Trees of Amer- 
ica; Flax Culture; French's Farm Drainage; Flint on 
Cows; Flint on Grasses; Fuller's Grape Culturist; Fuller's 
Strawberry Culturist; Harris* Insects; Herbert's Hi7its to 
Horsekeepcrs; Maykcw's Horse Doctor; Onion Culture; 
Quinby's Mysteries of Bee-keeping (entirely new edition 
just out); Rural Register; Rural Annual; Saunder^s Do- 
mestic Poultry (jiew); S/cill/ul Housewife; Tobacco Cul 
tare; Wat'son's American Home Garden; Youman's House' 
hold Scu7ice, etc., etc. The jn ices of these, and of other 
books, may be found on page 44. Eveiy family, almost, 
would find the money required to purchase such books 
a paying investment. 
Potatoes Mixing- in the Hill. — Tobias 
Marten, Mercersburgh, Pa., sends a red and yellow sweet 
potato, which yrew on the same vine, and asks, if they 
will help decitle the question wliether potatoes will mix 
in the hill. It helps very much to decide that they will 
not mix in the hill, for it disposes of the only argument 
of the advocates of mixing. The mixers claim that when 
potatoes of different colors are found in the same liill, 
it is caused by a mixing thiough the blossom. Now, 
here is a case of two distinct colors from a sweet potato, 
which never blossoms at the North. How will the ad- 
vocates of mixing explain this? We regard these in- 
stances as sports, which are due to some cause which is 
not understood, and probably never will be any more than 
why we have white black birds. These sports in color oc- 
cur in leaves, stems and flowers without exciting any great 
wonder, or any suspicion of mixing ; but when a sport 
happens to take place below gr«und, we are asked to ac- 
cept the most improbable reasons for it. 
Potatoes — Planting* Siug^le Eyes. — 
Abel Stedman, of Herkimer Co., N. Y., says, that for 
four years he has practised using only large seed cut to 
single eyes. planted 2)^ feet apart eacli way, 4 inches deep, 
and cultivated Jlat. With Garnet Chili his result this 
season was only one bushel of small potatoes to eleven 
large, the product of a single hill (one eye) being in one 
case five pounds, all large potatoes. 
OaU «'l£nots^' gfood for Horn 
Ituobs.— Hiram Holt, of Windham Co., Conn., writes, 
that he has been in the habit of using the great black 
knotty excrescences which grow often on the black oak, 
and are vulgarly called " nigger-heads," fur making horn 
knobs, and thinks they are much better than if made of 
any of the woods mentioned on page 13. He saws out 
rectangular blocks of the right size, turns out the knobs 
and applies them about as we directed. The knobs 
outlast the lives of the animals. 
SeAV and ICip. — One of the nursery legend.s 
told us about the good old lady who *' knit all day to 
hear it purr at night." Many happy possessors of sew- 
ing machines in these days are so pleased with them that 
they would perhaps sew all day, if cloth was not so dear, 
or if they could rip the slitciies out as easily as the old 
lady unraveled her stockings. This fortunately, perhaps 
unfortunately, is not tiie case with most of the good ma- 
chines, though it can be done with those making the chain 
stitch, and this is often claimed as an advantage. The 
matter is of no consequence, however, to any one pos- 
sessing a little implement invented by W. A. Fitch, which 
he calls a " Ripper." One of them was tried at home 
before we accepted an advertisement of it, and has since 
been used with a good deal of satisfaction. With a little 
practice it can be run rapidly along a seam and sever 
the stitches faster than a rapid machine can make them. 
