8 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
boiling, and allowed to boil one or two minutes. The 
liquid portion obtained by squeezing in a cotton cloth, is 
then evaporated to dryness. The evaporation should be 
done carefully, by placing the vessel in another larger one 
containing hot water. Half an ounce of this extract rep- 
resents a pound of fresh beef, and when dissolved in a 
pint of water, makes a strong and nourishing soup. Peo- 
ple at the West, where beef is so cheap, can readily pre- 
pare a valuable nutriment for their friends in the army. 
designating: Nails— Why *'I*eniiy?" 
— " L. F. P. /'inquires of the Agriculturist, why common 
nails are designated sixpenny, eightpenny, etc. — The 
word penny appears to be a corruption of the wordpound. 
Nails were counted by the six score (120), and by the 
great score or 1200. Sixpenny nails were those of a size 
to weigh six pounds to th« 1200 ; tenpenny nails those 
weighing ten pounds to the 1200 ; and so of other sizes. 
Beolc on Skeletonizing: Plants. — 
This beautiful art has been several times referred to in 
the American Agriculturist, and some illustrations have 
been given with a brief description. It consists mainly 
in preparing leaves and capsules of plants so as to retain 
the delicate veins and fibrous tissue perfect, but bleached 
white. Many of the specimens equal in beauty the most 
exquisite tracery in marble. The essential part of the 
process is, to place the leaves, etc., in warm water, and 
then let them lie in the same place for several weeks un- 
til the skin and cellular tissue decay so that they can be 
removed with a soft brush. The skeleton is then bleached 
in a weak solution of chloride of lime or other bleaehing 
preparation. The art may well be practiced by every lady 
at very little outlay of time or expense ; the specimens 
obtained are far more beautiful than the most elaborate 
ornaments that can be worked with the needle. We 
have received from the Publishers (Messrs. Lippincott & 
Co., Phila.,) a little volume of 50 pages from the pen of 
Dr. Parish, called the "Phantom Boaqutt," describing the 
process particularly and giving some exquisite engrav- 
ings of prepared leaves. The paper, press work, and il- 
lustrations are admirable. It may be had at this Office. 
Price $1, (which includes postage when sent by mail). 
Agricultural College of Penn.-A 
pamphlet of 63 octavo pages giving a succinct history of 
Agricultural Colleges generally, and of this one in partic- 
ular, has been sent us by Dr. Pugh, the President of the 
College. It opens with the origin of agricultural educa- 
tion In Europe, by briefly tracing its history to the present 
time ; it notices the several attempts to found agricultur- 
al colleges in this country, but is mainly devoted to the 
history of the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania. 
.—This Institution has been full during the session 
just closed — 110 students having been in attendance. The 
large and commodious buildings of the college about be- 
ing completed, at an expense of over $100,000, will be 
ready for students next year. The next session opens on 
February 22. Persons wishing further particulars can 
address Dr. E. Pugh, Agr.'l College P. O., Center Co., Pa. 
The Itasket Overflowing.— Our cor- 
respondents will please have patience. The paper is 
full, and we still have a large number of good basket 
items, as well as other articles which must wait for room. 
Our Seed Distribution for 1863. 
On page 4 Js a list of seeds offered to our readers this 
year together with the method of distribution. The 
design of the annual distribution is simply this : With 
our special facilities for raising and purchasing good 
seeds, and by a wholesale system of operations, we are 
able to put up and send out, at an expense comparatively 
small for each subscriber, though large in the aggregate, 
a few parcels of choice seeds, either new or specially 
valuable, which may serve as germs to future abundance 
in each locality where they are grown. Most of the 
seeds are annuals, and will therefore multiply rapidly. 
A single plant of some varieties will yield seed enough 
for two or three plots another year, and by the next 
year the single original seed may supply a dozen or more 
neighbors. — Our aim is not to furnish a seed store for 
those accessible to good seeds and able to buy them, but 
rather by the free presentation of a few seeds w here they 
would not, or could not be purchased, to awaken a taste 
for experiments, and for the cultivation of beautiful and 
useful plants. We introduce seeds of many common 
kinds, mainly for the benefit of those living remote from 
any access to good seeds, to whom they will prove accep- 
table. Most persons, however, will find in the list some 
seeds they have not yet met with or at least have not tried. 
Explanations.— We regret to make the list of seeds 
smaller than it has been in past years, or is likely to be in 
the future, and also to limit the parcels to only three or 
four. Nor can we introduce a large number of new 
seeds inlended for this year, for the following reasons : 
First, the enormous rise in the cost of printing paper, 
(see page 3:1) leaves us no margin of profit for seed ex- 
penses. 2d. Several plots of seeds we were raising 
specially for distribution turned out badly. For example, 
we sowed four acres of an imported heavy oat, intending 
to make a specially large distribution of the seed. They 
were promising finely, but just before filling out, a furious 
wind and rain storm prostrated and literally destroyed 
the whole crop. 3d. While in Europe, we arranged 
with several parties to order from them, if desired, an 
unusually large supply of extra fine seeds of many new 
kinds. But the duty of 30 percent added to imported 
seeds, with the thirty odd per cent premium upon the 
money in which the duly must be paid, the advance of 
foreign exchange to 145 and 150, and other increased 
expenses of importation will double the first cost which 
is very high for such choice seeds. We should have en- 
dured even this, however, had not the' greatly increased 
cost of our paper rendered it impractible, without raising 
the subscription price, a thing we do not wish to do. 
With these explanations, we present the list, hoping 
that it will be more than acceptable to our readers. The 
supply of several kinds is limited, but we will do the 
best we can under the circumstance, begging the in- 
dulgence of our readers if we are unable to do all they 
would desire. 
What our Agricultural Bureau ought to Do. 
"When the new Agricultural Bureau was pro- 
vided for by Act of Congress, we had some hopes 
that good would corne out of it. That the Gen- 
eral Government should do something — should 
do mucji — to foster and develop the greatest in- 
terest of our country, its agriculture, is too evi- 
dent to require argument. That no change for 
the worse could he made upon the system pur- 
sued during several years past, seems almost 
equally evident. The appointment ofaheadto 
the new department being a matter of so much 
importance, we tried to indicate to the President 
that in the selection of the Commissioner he 
should not be guided by his kind hearted feel- 
ings, by family considerations, or by impor- 
tunity, but appoint the best man, the one of the 
most comprehensive views, of activity, ex- 
perience, administrative talent, and enterprise. 
How far he was guided by such considerations 
we do not pretend to say. The appointment 
being made, we determined to judge of it 
by the result produced. So far we have 
waited and are still waiting to see what will be 
done. Any real good accomplished we stand 
ready to approve. Whatever hints we may 
offer to the gentlemen in charge of the Bureau, 
are therefore given in the kindest spirit. The 
Department belongs to us, in common with 
every other person interested in the agriculture 
of the country. 
What ought it to do ? First, we say, that it 
should aim at investigation, at the collection of in- 
formation and statistics which can not be attempted 
by individuals. To illustrate : The distribution 
of seeds, excepting those of rare and costly char- 
acter, can be done by individuals. Our Agri- 
cultural Department at Washington, has been 
mainly a free government seed store, largely de- 
voted to collecting, at public expense, a great 
number of seeds, mostly common, and of good, 
bad, and indifferent quality. These, together 
with an annual volume of little value, have been 
distributed at random by members of Congress 
as political instrumentalities. It is well for the 
Government Bureau to collect rare and new 
seeds from other countries, and test their utili- 
ty in different parts of our own country. But 
this should be only incidental. 
Here are a few of the things we would pro- 
pose for the attention of the Agricultural Bureau : 
I. — The opening of a comprehensive and sys- 
tematic correspondence with leading, reliable, 
and intelligent cultivators, at least one in each 
county in the United States, after the plan of 
M'Killop's commercial agency in this city. At 
that agency one can learn, on the instant, the 
exact status, the financial condition of any bus- 
iness man in the entire country. Such a sys- 
tem of government correspondence would ena- 
ble the Agricultural Bureau to gather prompt 
information on any topic of general interest. 
II. — The collection of accurate early infor- 
mation from the whole country in regard to the 
amount, condition and prospects of the growing 
crops. This information to be gathered fre- 
quently during the growing season, say from 
May to September, and the general result to be 
published for the guidance of both farmers and 
commercial men, and to be given to the public 
at once — not a year afterwards when of no par- 
ticular value. The special announcement by 
telegraph, that "full returns to the Agricultural 
Bureau indicate a given amount of wheat or 
corn growing, and that the prospects at a given 
date indicated an average or a deficient or a sur- 
plus yield," would be hailed by all classes as 
something tangible and useful. 
III. — A thorough discussion, founded on com- 
prehensive and general information, of two or three 
leading crops, each year. To illustrate: Grass, 
or the forage crop, is the most important one 
of the country. Could not the Bureau of Agri- 
culture, with its facilities, set on foot and carry 
out an investigation which would tell us defin- 
itely : what are the peculiar characteristics of the 
Blue Grass regions of Kentucky, and into what 
other portions of the country that grass might be 
introduced with advantage; what kind of grass 
proves to be the best for prairie soils in the 
different localities, and why ; and the same of 
clay soils, loams, bottom lands, etc., in the va- 
rious climates, and at different elevations ; 
the relative value of timothy, clover, lucerne, red- 
top, etc., for growing cattle, working animals, 
dairy purposes, also for horses, sheep, etc. 
The information should not be an Essay for the 
Report, at so many dollars per column, by one 
man, founded on his own limited observation, but 
it should embrace the results of a collection of 
reliable information from the whole country. Let 
the whole force of the Department be coneen- 
• trated upon one, two, or three crops a year, ac- 
cording to its facilities for doing it thoroughly. 
IV. — The introduction and testing of new 
seeds and plants. The present system is wholly 
wrong. It is worse than useless to collect a 
great mass of seeds, and scatter them broad-cast 
over the land, at the caprice of Congressmen 
who use them at random as electioneering or 
political appliances. Let the Department se- 
cure amoderate supply of several new seeds and 
put a portion into the hands of a few persons of 
known skill and enterprise, in a' sufficient num- 
ber of localities to make the experiment gener- 
al for the whole country, and let careful returns 
of the results be obtained and published. A 
hundred parcels of seed thus tested, would fur- 
nish more information than a million parcels 
scattered promiscuously. One or two hundred 
specimens of a new plant thoroughly tried in as 
many localities, would be amply sufficient to test 
its value, and the results obtained from their 
careful trial in judicious hands, and under 
specific instructions, would be decisive. 
The above are a few suggestions we would 
offer to the managers of the new Bureau of Ag- 
riculture. We may arid others hereafter. 
