18«6.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
329 
WYB 'k ©aiaiLS' (DDi'£rMMi§. 
"liVhere ao the W^eeds Come From ?"' 
Many a boy has asked this as, for the fourth or fifih 
lime in the season, he has bent over the onion or straw- 
berry bed, an'l taken otit every one that showed its liead 
at>ove the surface. But they won't sCay pulled up. In ;i 
few days another crop is ready to try the industry and 
patience of the young gardener. No wonder many peo- 
ple have thought weeds were in some mysterious waycre- 
ated in the soil. But we know Uiat every one comes from 
a seed which in some manner has found ils way into the 
earth, and waited, sometimes for years, for a favorable 
time to sprout and send up a plant lo provide anotiier sup- 
ply o( seeds. It is wonderful hi>w iheseinaniinate lliings, 
having no power to carry themselves, manage to travel 
to new homes, even to emigrate to new countries. The 
dandelion, the thistle, and other seeds furnished wiih 
downy appendages, ride upon the wind, and may be car- 
ried miles before finding a resting place. Some seeds, 
lilte those of the burdock, and cackle, have strong little 
hooks ready to lay hold of the first man or animal tliat 
brushes past them, and are thus transported to other 
fields. Some seeds are good swimmers, or rather float- 
ers, and the currents in the streams and even of tlic 
ocean bear them safely to foreign lands. The seed pods 
or vessels of some plants are made so that they fly o[ien 
with a snap when the seeds are fully ripe, and scatter 
Ihem over the ground. The seed of the Sand Box Tree» 
described in the Agriculturist of June, 1665, is contained 
in a sort of spring box, wliich explodes with a bang like 
a musket, and sends the seeds flying in every direction. 
Some seeds are strongly affected by moisture and dryness , 
when dry they are curled up, when wet, they straighten 
out ; this gives them a rolling motion w hich moves them 
at almost every change of weather. The animated oat, 
and the species of geranium called '* Stork's bill,'* are 
examples of this kinl. The birds swallow many seeds, 
and deposit them uninjured in new places; in this way 
some plants find their way to distant islands. When we 
find so many w ays in wliich seeds may be carried about, 
and wlien it is remembered that many of ihem maybe 
for years buried in the soil, and yet retain their life, we 
need not wonder that they spring up almost everywhere. 
If the boys will puUupall the v\eeJ5 in tlie garden before 
they go to seed, tliey will not only keep their own prem- 
ises pretty clear, and iiave less such work to do each 
year, but tliey will also help their neighbors, and thus be 
doing some good in the world. 
One "IVay to g:et au Autograph. 
A correspondent of the Boston Advertiser tells the fol- ' 
lowing story : I have seen an album wjiich contains the 
following inscription on one of its pages : " Treason is 
the greatest criTne. — Winfielo Scott. Washington, D. 
C.y August, 1861." The name is written in the stiff char- 
acters so well known, but the motto is traced in a much 
bolder and more forcible hand. The album is the prop- 
erly of a Xew York lady, who visited the city at tlie ex- 
tra session of Congress in 1661. She was very anxious 
to get the old General's autograph, but soon learned that 
it was not an easy thing to do. She, however, hit upon 
the expedient of sending her littlegirl.of about ten years, 
right lo his office during business hours. 
The child told the orderly that slie must see General 
Scott -and she would not be pm off with any plea of bus- 
iness, but waited half an hour, till her request was finally 
taken to the Adjutant. Of course, she was admitted to 
his presence, though he had no intention of allowing her 
to see the General. She persisted, however, and said 
she must see him. The officer finally poinled out the 
door which levl to his room, and told her that she could 
go in if she dared. She took him at his word, and in an 
instant stood within the door. Speaking of it afterward, 
she said she was afraid when he first looked up, "but 
when he saw it was only me, he said right pleasant, 
' Well, little girl, what do you want ?' and I told him my 
ma wanted him to write his name in her book; and he 
looked sharp at me, and then smiled a /itlle bit, and then 
shook hands with me, and asiced me who my ma was, 
and told him, and I told him rny pa was in the army, 
and ray ma was all alone with me ; and then he just 
/ kissed my cheek and wrote in ma's book, and said 'Good 
morning,' to me, and I came out, and nobody didn't hurt 
. me at all.' 
]%e^' and l.'sernl 9$port. 
A subscriber to the Agriculturist, .Mr. Alexander Gor- 
don, "Wocibury, Conn., has just described to us his way 
of catching flie?, which we think may furnish lively 
sport to the children— almost as good as fishing or catch- 
ing butterflies. Make a bag of millinet or mosquito net- 
ting, about three feet long, the upper part JM'^t wide 
enough to fit nicely to the flat hoop of a flou.- barrel ; the 
lower part is narrowed down to a point, making the 
w hole funnel shai«d. Tack It it securely to a hoop, and 
fasten the hoop to an old broom handle or other conve- 
nient stick. Now you have a net which you can sweep 
around in the rooms and take nearly every fly. When 
caught with a rapid motion they wil fly to the narrow 
end, and when enough are taken, give it a tv\ist to con- 
fine them, place them in a basin, and a little boiling wa- 
ter will instantly convert them into good chicken feed. 
An Amusing Play* 
Let two or more boys each take a stick— an old broom- 
stick is just the thing, and place it under tlieir knees, 
with their arms passed under it, and hands clasped in the 
position shown in the engraving. Each is then to try 
and push his neighbor off his feet, the hands remaining 
clasped. Theeff'ect is quite comical, and makes much 
sport. A clean grassy spot should be chosen for this. 
The '* Crook."— " Mv dear friends,'* said a return- 
ed missionary at one of the late anniversary meetings, 
"let us avoid sectarian bitterness. The inhabitants of 
Hindoostan, where I have been laboring for many years, 
have a proverb that 'though you bathe a dog's tail in oil, 
and bind it in splints, yet you cannot get the crook out of 
it.' Now, a mans sectarian bias is simply the crook in 
the dog's tail, which cannot be eradicated; and I hold 
that eveiy one should be allowed to wag his own peculi- 
arity in peace !" 
A Dntchuian^s Temperance Ijectare,- " I 
shall lell you how it vas. I put mine hand on mine head, 
and there was von pig bain. Then I put mine hand on 
mine pody and there vas anoder. There vas very much 
pains in all mine.pody. Then I put mine hand in mine 
pocket, and there vas noting. So I jined mit de temper- 
ance. Now there vas no more pain iu mine head. The 
pains in mine pody was all gone away. I put mine hand 
in mine pocltet, and there vas lueuty dollars. So I shall 
shtay mit de temperance." 
Puzzle for tlie Eyes* 
We present herewith another puzzle picture in which 
our young readers will be pleased to discover the differ- 
ent figures, and find out what they are doing. Those 
who have examined our previous pictures of this kind 
will probably readily see what is intended, as the solu- 
tion of one is a key to all similar designs. As we only 
print the names of those sending answers to the prob- 
lems, etc., in the " Puzzle Column,'' our young friends 
need not tell us n hen they succeed in making this out. 
An old rclloTTf who took part in the iate great re- 
beliiun, was one day boasting in the village tavern to a 
crn« d of admiring listeners, of his many bloody exploits, 
«lien he was interrupted by the question: — "I sny, old 
Jne, how may rebs did you kill duiing the war?" 
" Uow many did I kill, Sir? how many rebs did 1 kill? 
Welt I don"t know just 'zactly how many ; but I know 
this much— I killed as many of them as (Aej/ did 'o me!" 
Anscwers to Problems and Puzzle.-i, 
The following are answers to the Puzzles, etc., in the 
August number, page 295. No. iil9. Scripture Riddle ; 
Asa, JVuH, JVoou, Aziza, Anna.. No. 220. IHustratcl 
Rebus: Firttt in war, first in peace, and Jxrst in the 
hearts of his countrymen No. 221. Mathematical 
Problem: 3 hours, 23 minutes too fast No. 22-:;. lllus- 
tratrd Rebus : Beware, indulge not over muck in sleep, 
for fear penury over take you . . . No. 223. Farmers^ Enig- 
ma : The American Agriculturist No. ^24. Enigma : 
Wood-house No. 218. Prize Problem^ July number, 
page 263 ■ Answer. 13918 U? a feet. 
The following have sent in correct answers to puzzles : 
Daniel Frohman, iMattie Rankin, T. Spoon, Esq., Rufus 
H. Roys, Frank A. Lawrence, B. J. Hammer, B. Jones, 
J. C. Brantigam, C. E. Araidon, Harry J. Meixell, L. A. 
Dale, Levi Capp, Emily L. Adams, J. H. Barr, C. A. 
Hege, Carrie F. Iledg'^s, E. L. Bouton, George M. Hun- 
ter. S. C, Ware, Herman, Lizzie and Jennie Cook, Hessle 
E. Reynolds, J. L. Purdy, Isaac F. Tillinghast. 
J\e>v Puzzles to be Ans^vered. 
No. 225. Word Puzzle.— The name of a distinguished 
rebel contains five letters. From the letters of his name 
may be formed. 1st, his occupation ; 2d, his character ; 
3d, his offspring; 4th, his first victim; 5lh, how he ob- 
tained this victim ; 6th, the sentence pronounced upon 
the victim and himself. Who was the rebel? 
No. 22fi. Illustrated Rebus.— A. very popular proverb. 
No. 227. Word Puzzle.— Worlh 20 shillings, 1 measure 
45 inches, and ray name represents 500. What is the word? 
No. 22?. Commdrum.— When is music liliC a vegetable ? 
PUZZLE PICTtJBE.— NO EAKTHLY SWKIT WITHOUT A STIN(. 
