34-6 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
Ca1>1>a^e ifciieries. — W. R. V., Elkton, 
(where ?X An ounce of o:ibb:ige seed will usually give 
about 2000 plants. See notes for Kitchen Garden this 
month, and article on Management of Cold Frames in 
:\rarch last, page 90, for answers to other qvieries. 
Tomato Seed.— "W. R. V." The pulp is 
usnaily allowed to ferment slightly, when it will wash. A 
^ieni puis the seed in a cloth, and wasiies tiie cloth witli 
ihe enclosed seeds in soap suds. We have not trie^! this. 
Tilden 'roiiiato.— KitUer we have not the 
rigiit sort around New York, or it is not suited to this 
locality, as our own, and those we have seen in a iialf 
dozpn otiier places, have been in no respect equal to the 
oM smooth rel ; not as early, no more dwarf, pruductive, 
soliii, nor better flavored than that excellent old sort. Has 
it been over-estimated, or have we the wrong seed? 
Lai-fto i'siiiUflo^-er- — Mr. RixndaU 11. 
fJieen, of WickfonI, R. I., semis us a cauliflower that 
measures 47 inrhes aronn'i and weighs 11 lbs. It grew in 
liie black soil of a reclaimed bog. Pretty goo'i for Rhode 
Inland— or any other Sfale. 
X Prompt SettlemoMLt.— The Nla^^ara 
Fire Insurance Company of this city, paid their losses. 
STO.OOO an<! upward, within one week after the great fire 
in Portland, besides paying $1000 toward the relief of un- 
insured sufferers. Sucli promptness will increase con- 
fidence in an excellent company. 
Tlie ^'e-\v C^nglaRid. antl Vermont 
Fair.— The New England Agricultural Society, with 
the Vermont State Society, held a fair at Brattleboro the 
first week in September, at which we were able to be 
present a short time. The weather was all that could be 
desired, tiie grounds in fine order, and the attendance 
large. The show was remarkable for its uniform excel- 
lence in almost all departments, and the New England 
farmers, breeders, and mechanics deserve great credit, 
almost all of the N. E. States being well represented. As 
a show of live stock, there has rarely been a superior ex- 
hibition in this country. All classes of sheep were re- 
presented in goodly numbers. Mutton sheep, especially 
the Cotswells and Soulhdowns, were very fine, but the 
great show was that of Merinos, as was to be expected, 
and in this class it is claimed that ail previous exhibitions 
were eclipsed by both the number and value of the 
animals shown. In the various classes of neat stock 
the show was fine also, the Short-horns greatly pre- 
ponderated, though there were animals of all the favorite 
breeds. Among horses. Thorough-breds, Morgans, Black- 
hawks, and Hamiitonians divided tlie honors given to 
breeding stock. The same blood told its story on the trot- 
ting course. Ethan Allen, now 10 years old. making his 
mile in 2 min. 3S sec— the best time made. Specimens of 
mostof the valued breeds of swine were on exhibition, and 
the show was regarded as creditable. There was also a 
good show of poultry. To the departments of industry we 
had not time to devote much attention, but from the 
crowd, have no doubt the multitudes were gratified and 
instructed. Gov. Andrew's able a.ldress was listened to 
un Friday by a great audience, surrounding the stand and 
filUng the seals, which were said to accommodate 3000 
people. Listening was painful, and hearing quite impos- 
sible for all within the sound (and who was not?) of the 
continual yelling, auctioneering, shouting and declaiming 
ofthe keepers of a great number of disgusting side-shows, 
snakes, big woman, big dogs, peddler wagons, gambling 
stands, and what not, which were allowed to fill up a 
good portion of the grounds. A shame and blot upon the 
otherwise good management of the fair. 
>'ew York State Fair.— The Fair of the 
X. Y. State Agricultural Society, was held this year at 
Saratoga, a location which oflfered great inducements so 
far as concerns the comfort of both visitors and exhibi- 
tors, in the excellent giounds of the County Society, and 
the abundant hotel accommodations of the city. The 
weather was prevailingly good, the first and last days only 
being rainy, and the attendance on Thursday was very 
large, so that it is safe to say the expenses were paid, 
and perhaps a snug sum l;ud by against a rainy day. The 
show was a very large and interesting one in several de- 
partments. The Fairs of this .Society have been al- 
ways good ill the department of farm machinery and 
implements of all kinds— but this lias, in our view, ex- 
ceeded all previous ones in this particular, both in variety 
and excellence of the articles. The show of swine was 
the best we ever saw in this country, or perhaps we 
should say, it was a show of the best swine, fur the num- 
ber of different breeds was not very great. The Jeffer- 
son Co. breeders were there in full force, most with 
excellent swine. The show of cattle was small, but 
vary good, the herds of Messrs. Cornell, and Sheldon, 
weie represented by as good Short-horn cows as ever 
took the Society's prizes, and the Alderney's were in 
goodly number, and unexcelled in quality by any we have 
ever seen exhibited together : we can not specify partic- 
ular anifnals now. The Ayrsliire and Devon slock liad 
each good repieseniatives, so that on tlie whole, the cat- 
tle department presented a most instructive exhibition. 
In the sheep class, there was also a very instructive 
show. The American ^Merinos, worth from $500 to $1,500 
each, were in strong force ; the Silesian Merinos, in 
smaller num}>er. but of great excellence; their grades 
also of the first and second, crossing were 'shown, demon- 
strating the great improvement in thequality of the fleece 
thus produced on common flocks. There was a good 
sliow of most excellent Long-wools, and some Soulh- 
downs. The horse show was, on the whole, inferior to 
those of other years, and to what'.il should be. Theie 
was|a very poor show of Dairy protUice, and of fruits. 
The side-shows, whose name was legion, were kept out- 
side. The managemejit was excellent, and though many 
of the cattle and sheep, and horse-stalls were empty, yet, 
on the whoVe, the show was a very interesting and im- 
portant one. The discussions held during the nmrnings 
were well kept up, and formed a valuable feature. There 
i^ rnnch to Interest a stranger in thetown, and this visit 
to S:iratnga Springs will be remembered with satisfaction 
by a great many people. 
Awards* of tUe :^. IT. State Ag*! So- 
ciety to MoAvers, Reapers, TliresUers, etc, 
—The awards of the great trial at Auburn were announc- 
ed at the N. Y. State Fair, as follows : 
Class l.—Mov)ers, 18 entries. — The Gold Medal to the 
' Buckeye," Adriance, PlatL & Co.. New York.— 2d 
Prize, S'25, to the "Clipper," R. H. Allen «fc Co., N. Y. 
Class II.— Reapers (Hand-rake), 2 entries,— The Gold 
Medal to the " Kirby," D. M. Osborne & ''o., Auburn, 
N. Y.— 2d Prize, $25, C. Wheeler, Jr.. Autnnn, N Y. 
Class ll^i.— Reapers {Self-rake), 5 compete. — Gold 
Medal to Seymour, xMorgan & Allen, Brockport, N. Y.— 
•2d Piiza, $25, to C. C. Bradley & Son, Syracuse, N. Y. 
Cj.ASS III. — Combintd Mo^vers and Reapers (ifanrf- 
rake), 7 compete.— Gold Medal to W. A. Wood, Hoosick 
Falls, N.Y. -2d Prize. $25, to the '* Eagle," E. F.Har- 
rington, Rondout, N. Y. 
Class IV. — Combined Mowers and Reapers (^Self-rake), 
\0 compete.— Gold Medal to the "Hubbard." Williams, 
Wallace & Co., Syracuse. N. Y.— 2d Prize, $25. Sey- 
mour, Morgan & Allen, Brockport, N. Y, 
i:lass V. — Combined^ (Hand and SeJf-rake,) thrown out. 
Class Yl.~One-korse Mowers. — Gold Medal to the 
*' Clipper," R. H. Allen & Co., New-York. 
Class VII. — Horse-Power Inchned Endless Chain. — A 
Gold Medal to R. & M. Hardee, Cobleskill, N. Y. 
Class VIII. — Horae- Power Lever and Sweep. — Dow 
& Fowler. Gold Medal recommended, [not awarded]. 
Class IX.— Ten-Horse Thresher and Cleaner,— Dow 
& Fowler, a premium recommended. 
Class X. — Two-horse Thresher ayid Cleaner Combined. — 
Gold Medal recommended to R. & M. Hardee. 
Class XIII.— Hor^e Rakes. — To Barker, Sheldon, & 
Co., Gold Medal, to A. B. Sprout. $25. H. N. Tracy, and 
P. S. Carver, judged worthy of second premiums for 
Horse Rakes, with and without sulkv attachments. 
Class XIV. — Hay Terfrffr— Herring's Tedder was 
judged worthy of a Gold Medal for the design, but it 
was refused l>ecause the workmanship was so inferior. 
Class XV. — Horse-Power Hay Forks, 4 compete. — Gold 
Medal to J. Mansfield & Co., $25 to Chapman, Hawley 
& Co., applicable to Barley and Oats. A 2d premium, 
is recommended for A. B. Sprout, for Harpoon Fork. 
A New Orape Box.^Boxes for packius:; 
grapes are usually made of six pieces. We have been 
shown one patented by Smith & Dooiiitle.that is made of 
only three pieces. The ends are of pine, and the sides, 
bottom and lop are made of one thin piece of white 
wood. This piece is cut part way through, so as to al- 
low it to bend at the corners. That portion of the piece 
that forms the two sides and bottom is tacked to the ends, 
the lop is about 2 inches wider than the box. and this 
portion laift over and fastens to the side. By taking llie 
nails from this flap, the cover opens without splitting, and 
remains attached lo the other side, as if it were hinged. 
The box is light and cheap, and if no fault is found in 
use, it will no doubt become popular with grape growers. 
lllackUcrry Qsteries. — "Subscriber" 
complains that the new kinds of blackberries are too ex- 
pensive to plant, and wishes to know if wild plants can 
be successfully transplanted, or shall he depend upon 
seed. All of the garden blackberries are accidental wild 
seedlings that have been taken up and propagated. Wild 
plants differ greatly in the size and shape of their fruit, 
as well as in productiveness and time of ripening. If 
" Subscriber" knows where to get wild plants, that in 
their natural state have desirable qualities, they will be 
likely to do much belter when put under cultivation. To 
put out a plantation of wild plants, taken at hap-iiazard, 
would not be likely lobe profitable. The matter of seed- 
lings is one requiring some time and patience, and though 
some good sorts may be obtained, it will be much 
cheaper — if fruit is desired— to procure a few plants of 
varieties of known excellence and propagate from them. 
In good soil, blackberries multiply very rapidly — often 
too freely for convenience. 
7IaHiiri»;>- Oro1iar«l>i. — " Subscriber," 
MIddletown, Mo. The best time to manure an orchard 
is just as the trees are making their growth in spring. It 
is usually more convenient to haul manure in winter 
when the ground is frozen, and there is more time for the 
work, hence it is frequently done at that time, though at 
some waste of manure. 
Cooklug- CawUtlo-wer.— " I. C. S," Do- 
Kalb Co., Ind., is not acqu.iinled with canliflnwer. and 
wishes to know how to cook it. If friend S. does not 
know cauliflower, he has a pleasure in store. Cut the 
heads before they become louse, and boil in water slightly 
salted— never with meat. When tender, which will usu- 
ally be with 20 minutes cooking, take up and drain and 
cover with drawn butter, (white sauce made with butter, 
flour and water.) and serve hot. They are usually eaten 
without other addition, but some dress with pepper and 
vinegar— the same as they do cabbage. 
Coolong' Ega* Frait. — Last month we 
gave our manner of cuoking the fruit of the egg plant. 
Since then we have received several communications 
upon baking the vegetable. " Hawk eye," of Burlington. 
Iowa, says: " Cut longitudinally, like opening a water- 
melon, scrape out the conlenls of both halves, mix well 
with dry bread crumbs, season with pepper and salt, re- 
place in the hollow rind, and hake well in a hot oven. 
Try it if you wish a treat." Others direct that the fruit 
be parboiled before it is opened. 
Ooocl Home-made Ink — Hiimbii;:^ 
Recipes,— W. H. Bull, West Springfield, Mkss., writes 
us with a beautiful jet black ink which he says was made 
thus : Ttvo ounces of Logwood and hn!/ an ounce of Bi- 
chromate of Potash were dissolved in one gallon of rain 
water and strained, undone-eighth ounce of ammonia then 
added. — The ingredients can be bought of any druggist 
for less than 50 cents (probably for 25 or 30 cents). Su 
many others recommend this or a similar compound, and 
send such good specimens of the ink used, that it must 
be good.— if we had not so thoroughly exposed the hum- 
bugs as to make their business unprofitable, we migid 
soon expect to hear of a dozen of them privately offering 
by circulars, to send a valuable and "immensely profit- 
able" recipe for only a •'$V," and then forward this 
very ink recipe, printed on a large sheet and marked 
'■ Patent," or " Copyright " " applied for." In our many 
investigations among this class of swindlers, we have 
paid 25c. to $5 for recipes, etc., that we had already 
published in the America7i Agriculturist, 
** Oardeuing: f<>r Profit iu the ilarket and 
Home Garden, by Peter Henderson.'' A few months ago 
we announced a work on market gardening as being in 
preparation, but did not give the name of the author, as 
he preferred it should not be announced until he had 
completed his work. Thn manuscript is now in our 
hands, and the book will be brought out as soon as the 
necessary illustrations can be prepared. To answer 
numerous applications, we stale that orders cannot be 
filled until late in autumn or early in winter. While (he 
work is written more especially as a guide to market 
gardening, its teachings are also adapted to small opera- 
tions, and it will be. as those familiar with the practical 
character of Mr. Henderson's writing might expect, just 
the book that its litle indicates. 
Xlie l*e-\v Hat Rack advertised iu this 
paper is a very neat and simple contrivance for keeping 
one's *' best hat " safe w hile attending church. 
XUeJDeatlior Pror. Joliii A. Porter 
of Yale College took place at New Haven on the 25th of 
August. Prof. Porter was known to many of our readers 
as having filled the chair of Agricultural Chemistry in 
the Sheflield Scientific School for some time, and subse- 
quently that of Organic Chemistry. That very interest- 
ing, and to those who participated in it, instructive con- 
vention of agriculturists, by whom the so-called '"Vale 
Agricultural Lectures"^ were delivered and listened to, 
was carried through in great part by his efforts, and iden- 
tified hira with the cause of agricultural progress. The 
Sheflield Scientific School, now so liberally endowed, 
owes ils success to Prof. Porter in a great degree. 
