388 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[NO^TSMBER, 
" IntrodBiclion of tlie Verbena."— 
In August ueguve an accounl of Ihe introduction of the 
verbenu, n*i\v so common in oui gardens. Several h:ive 
written frum tiie " far West," claiming that ^'the verbena" 
grows wild there, and seem to think that South America 
gets credit for a plant that belongs to their region. We 
well know that several verbenas grow wild in different 
parts of this country, and that one of those of the West 
:;nd Southwest is tolerably showy, and has been cul- 
uvated. This is Verbena Aubletia, which has been recent- 
ly sent out as Verbena monlona. Ii is a rather weedy- 
plant, but is hardy and keeps long in bloom. The article 
alluded to referred solely lo the bedding plant, so common 
as to have monopolized the generic name Verbena, 
Stra'wberries in lo-\va.—**T.," in refer- 
ring to our note in last month's basket, says : " Allow me 
to modify your advice somewlial. Plant in spring on the 
highest and driest spot you can select. If not perfectly 
dry. dig a small irench around the bed in autumn, throw- 
ing the dill oulside, and if you don't want some big 
prairies in it, don't try to iirotect with anylhing in winter, 
not even the slightest mulch. T will say, even to the Agri- 
culturist, if there is a betterberry for the Norlliwest than 
Albany Seedling, lake it altogether, I have yet to see it." 
Cutting Stra^v berry Kiiuner.s.— 
'' W.," l?hester, Hi., asks, if Uiere is any implement for 
cutting strawberry runners. We believe that one or two 
contrivances for this purpose have been invented, but we 
never knew them to be used. Our large growers nip the 
runners by hand, or if loo old. they cut them with a knife. 
Xlie Agriculiurist StraM'berry. — 
We did not intend to say anything more about this fruit 
at present, but here are two opinions that we like to put 
side by side. In tlie words of the showman, who was 
asked which was the tiger and which the hyena, " You's 
paid your money and you takes your choice."— From 
Hovey's Magazine for July. 1866. *^ Agriculturist Straw- 
berry. ' * * It is sim|)ly a good sized, rough looking, 
and fair-flavored berry — all and even quile as much as 
was expected of it, ;md prohahly of no real value, com- 
pared with La Ciinstanle and Hovey's Seedling. Tlie 
vines have not wintered welt getieraily, and it is exceed- 
ingly variable according to cultivation." 
In tiie Horticulturist for August. 186fi, Mr. J. M. Mer- 
rick, Jr., Walpole, Mass., (Walpole lieing 18 miles away 
from Boston.) writes: ''Agriculturist. In size and 
vigor of plant, size of berry, and general excellence, 
this famous kind stands at tiie heal of the list and sur- 
passes all the Qiher kinds — some ihiity-two in number — 
which I now liave on trial. * * * * In brief, I may say 
that in my opinion, ilie best berry, taking all things into 
account, is the Agriculturist." 
FiBie Asters.— Only those who recollect the 
China Aster of twenty-live years ago can appreciate tlie 
improvement that has been made in this flower both in 
form and color. They are annuals, and every one can 
raise Ihem. A splendid slmw of these flowers was made 
at our office hy Cunu Kret^chmar Urns. & Co., of Brrtok- 
lyn. N. Y.. and a very fine bouquet of them was received 
froni P. Hannah, of Newburgn, N. V. 
€irnpe Queries, — "Yankee," Fairfield, 
Iowa. Draining is " essential," unless there is n very 
open subsoil that gives a natural drainage. If ynu cannot 
gel tiles, make stone or rubble drains, or use hoards. 
Nime of our American grapes have yet been profllably 
converted into raisins. 
Xbe Oiant Wax Bean. — Under the 
above name v\e have leceive't a sample of beans from 
Mr. Hem y A. Dieer, Seedpuian. Philadelphia. The puds 
are 6 to 9 inches long, thick and flesliy. of a pale yellow 
color, and a waxy anpearance. The seeds are red. The 
peculiarity about this v;irtety is, that its pods, even when 
full grown, are perfectly tender, ami may be used as snap 
beans. We have tried iliein both separately and in succo- 
tash, and consider ihem really delicious. The variety is 
a pole or luniiing bean, its ()rigin is unknown; but 
wlierever it came from we welcome it as u valuable ad- 
dition in our list of varieties^ 
Propagating- Paaiats.— *' A. M.," Macon 
City. Mo., asks : " Wlietlier a small room with the south 
all glass will not be a good substitute for a hot-bed in 
starting plants, making the bed so as to receive the light 
and heat of the sun through tlie glass, and when cold, 
heat tlie room with a siove."— This is one of similar 
queries that come from those who think that any glass 
structure will do for a propagating house. A room like 
the one described would piol)ab!y answer as a green- 
house for wintering some plants, but it would be a very 
poor place for slatting plants from seeds or cuttings. 
Structures fur propagating need to have ihe soil some 
y. 
degrees warmer tlian the air (bottom heal), and to have 
the glass as near the beds as possible. 
Huryiug' Hollylioclts. — Helen A. Bur- 
rough, Floyd Co.. Iowa, failing to winter hollyhocks by 
covering, keeping in the cellar, etc., at last tried burying 
them a foot deep in the soil of the garden. They kept 
well and grew finely when set out In the spring. 
Fine Oladiolns Flovrers.— "We thought 
we had seen the Gladiolus as fine as it could ho, but some 
specimens from Mr. Geo. Such, South Amboy, N. J., 
convinced us that there was a "touch beyond." Mr. S. 
is an enthusiastic cultivator, and imports all the new and 
rare European varieties of Gladiolus. 
Country Boads — Cross-M^ays ibr 
_ "Water. — "Birming- 
ham," of Chester Co., 
Pa., sends us a few hints 
worth practicing upon. 
The cuts sliow sections 
and birdseye views of 
": country roads : a is the 
^ horse track in the mid- 
die of ihe road ; &, b, the 
- wheel tracks; c, rf, the 
I gutters, e, e, the wash- 
ways off from or across 
the road. If ills desired 
to turn the wash off on 
both sides, very slight 
depressions (e, f, fig. 1) 
commencing in the 
wheel track on each side, and widening and deepen- 
ing to the gutters, with a slope towards the bottom of the 
hill, are all that is neces- 
sary and will not cause 
a jolt to a wagon that will 
break any thing or he 
uncomfortable. If the 
wash is designed to cross ^^ 
tiie road, let it do so in a 
long diagcmal (e. e, fig, 2). 
It does not take a very 
high cross-way to turn 
water wliere it has a free 
course, but if it is dam- 
med up and turned at 
right angles, it will take 
of course a high bank or 
cross-way lo turn it. It 
is not always praclicable 
to keep the middle of the road the highest, but it can be 
easily accomplished in many more cases than it is done. 
UnrHly Salsify. — '* Cavohis," D;inviUe, 
Ky., complains that his Salsify, the seed of which came 
from a reliable dealer. instea<l of making a biennial root, 
ran lo seed the first year and was worthless. Slcn'eover, 
the plants from this seed did the same thing. It is not 
unusual to see a number of plants in a field of biennial 
plant*, such as carrots, parsnips, etc.. flower the first year, 
but we never knew a whole crop to do so. We can only 
account for this occurrence by supposing that the growth 
of the Salsify was ciiecked by a drouth, and the plant as 
cffecluailv put to rest as it would be by cold, and when a 
" growing time " came again, the plant started to flower 
just as it would in spring. 
How to ITIcnd a infill Stone,--We 
have already cautioned against the practice of filling the 
cavities of mill stones with lead. Spencer Haines, of 
Burlington Co., N. J., writes tliai he uses melted sulphur 
with sand poured into the cavities while the mixture 
is hot, and finds it to answer every purpose, and to last. 
Internal ReTeuue. — Evei-y cue pays 
taxes in one way or another now-a-days, and is interest- 
ed in knowing what the law requires. Theie have been 
several pit ilications of the revenue laws, but the best we 
have seen is one compiled by Horace Dresser, pub- 
lished by r>. Appieton & Co. It contains the ori- 
ginal law of 1864, with all the subsequent amendments 
conveniently arranged for reference with marginal notes, 
and a complete analytical index. Price 50 cents, 
€vood"looktng^ Husbands, should be 
careful where they get their photograplis taken. A lady 
writes us. that while on a visit from tiome, a female 
friend showed her, very confidentially, a picture of tlie 
said friend's promised husband. Judge of her surprise 
lo find the photograph a very accurate likeness of her 
own husband, whom she supposed to be entirely unknown 
to her friend. Her first thoughts were of unfaithfulness, 
and aii liiatj but the matter Vtas finaltr explained thus; 
The husband in question, when in the city, h.'id his photo- 
graphs taken in quauttty fcir his friends, but rejected half 
a dozen or so wliich he thought not correct. The lady 
friend above referred to, seeing ;m advertisement of a 
" fortune teller" to ''send any one a likeness of her fu- 
ture husband for 50 cents," had invested that sum with the 
swindling sorceress, and received the picture in return. 
The fortune teller supplied her customeis with rejected 
miscelianeous photographs, gathered at a cheap rate at 
the photographic establishments, selecting of course llio 
best looking ones, so as to please the fancy other dupes. 
Ergo, good-looking husbanls (and wives too) should be 
ca'eful where they get their likenesses t.aken, and carry 
away all the copies made ; otherwise they may find jea- 
lousy and trouble created by the fortune tellers. 
Annealiuj^ I\'ails. — As a very easy and ef- 
fectual methoti of annealing nails, a subscriber recom- 
mends heating thein re.l hot and plunging in cold water. 
Better to heat and then cool slowly in ashes or sand. 
Brine on Sour-Cronf .— Q. R. Comstock 
asks w iiy the brine on sonr crout rises and falls, and 
slates that sometimes the brine is several inches above 
the ciout, and I'/'cc rersa. We vio not suppose that the 
brine changes at all, but that the apparent rise and fall 
is due to the crout, which, beint; in a state of fermenta- 
tion, gives off gas. ihe bubbles of which being entangled 
in the cVout, make the mass light enougli to rise. The 
oclivity of tlie fermentation is affected by warmth. 
Xoes of Slioes.— Wm. II. Maxwell, John- 
ston, O.. writes: ".. A line in the Agriculturist says: 
'Copper Tips protect the toes of children's sht-es.' I 
know a better way. Make Ihem what is called ' Scotch 
bottoms.' that is. a sole projecting one eight of an inch, 
or about that, beyond llie usual rule and always scttcc?. 
That makes a bottom on which to walk, an elastic easy 
sole, and protecis the toes." 
Sontetliing Entirely H'mi^arranteO. 
— The following is cut fiom a report of the proceedings 
of tiic American Institute Farmer's Club for Sept. 4lh- 
'' Names /or Grasses.— A.M. Uurns. Manhattan. Wiley 
County. Texas, wants lo ^end a variety of glasses for 
name.«. We commend him and others dfsirini: such in- 
formation to send specimens to Prof. Thurber. No. 41 
Park Row. New York : or J. Sianton Gould. Hudson. 
Jfew Jersey, and always be careful to enclose $5.'- 
We can only say that no one connected with this office 
was ever known to make any charge for information, 
and we have no doubt that Mr. Gould wMl feel quile as 
much surprised at the implication as does Die gentleman 
whose name is associated with his. We believe the re- 
porter of the proceedings meant kindly— but when wo 
are advertised lo do jobs, we prefer to he consulted. Send 
on your grass, and pay your postage, but keep your $5. 
Snrrace Indications of Water are 
often difficult to detect, and fiequently wanting alto- 
gether, even where water is close at hand. Sufficient 
perseverance will generally be rewarded, and so the 
willow, peach, or hazel-wand indications, if foUowtd, 
will usually come to water sooner or later. Waler ob- 
tained by digging wells is of two kinds ; that winch flows 
into the wells from Ihe adjacent ground in whicli it is 
held as in a sponge or a basin, being supplied from the sur- 
face, and hence called " surface water : *' and that wiiicli 
flows in under-ground channels at indefinite depths. If 
a well is sunk.near. or cuts one of these channels or sub- 
terranean brooks, the supply of water is usually more 
permanent than surface water. Surface indications 
are uncurtain, unless the inclination of the strata nf 
rock.s, or of gravel, clay, sand. etc.. is obvious, and 
the water flows out on sidc-hUls where these strata 
crop out, or unless the spongy or dishing character of the 
soil is obvious or proven. We would rely on no general 
indications of water, hut would dig our wells where we 
wanted Diem to stand, unless so doing would be in op- 
position to geological indications, or to facts established 
by ntlier attemnls lo find water in the immediate neich- 
borhood. Certainly we would never follow llie Water 
Wizard and his switch, in many cases fallacious. 
!je^ u*' soc Yosii' l'^i*»;iEres. — A "Wiun;-- 
b:tgo Co.. lil., coi respondent asks il:is triple Quesiion, 
viz. : '* Which is the most economical way to fatten 
20 steers— 1st, to feed them corn on the ear (the usual 
way? ; 2d, to take Die corn to null an J give one eighth, 
(they take one sixth.) for grinding ; nr, 3d, to buy a mill 
for $75 and grind your o« n corn ? " 
Paint — Coal Xar.— " Is coal tar good paint 
for tlie outside of a small house?" asks S. L. B.— Yes, 
if you like a black house, which no sane man can. We 
know of no cheaper and heller paint than good brdled 
Unseed oit, with best white-lead or zinc-whitei tinted 
of an agveeab!'? Eione'cclc." cr earth-color. 
