1863.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
395 
Oiiplit Stable Floors to Slope to the 
Hear'?— Floors Ihus sloping allow the urine to flow off 
away from the animals, hence they are so constructed. 
Geo. P. Bissell, King Co., Wash. Ter., protests against 
this practice, and presents forcible reasons. He says : 
" No sound animal seeking rest takes a position with the 
fore-feet higher than the hind, but rather the reverse. The 
philosophy of it is, that the fore-legs (of neat cattle and 
horses) are straight and calculated to support the greater 
weight (without muscular effort). Suppose the horse to 
be in motion, then every one can see the hind-legs to be 
instruments of progression, and that the fore-legs do little 
more than catch the rebound, and sustain the weight of 
the body. Do urge it upon the whole world to cease tor- 
turing their animals by forcing them to stand with their 
weight thrown upon their hind-legs."— Mr. Bissell con- 
structs his stable floor of slats, with spaces between them 
sufficient to let at least alt the liquid excrements fall 
through, while the rear of the stall is % to X ' ncn higher 
than the front. 
Tight Mangers Otojeetnonal>le.~ G. 
A. Jening, Henry Co., thinks that tight mangers may be 
injurious to the health of horses, as they are required to 
feed with their noses thrust into the hay or other fodder, 
and are thus excluded from fresh air, and dust is drawn 
into the lungs. He proposes a manger made of strips two 
inches apart, with a frame work follower to rest upon 
the hay, the latter to have interstices large enough for 
the horse to readily draw out the hay. This may be 
somewhat of an improvement, though we do not appre- 
hend injurious results from the use of the box manger. 
Scalding- Hen Uce.— "H. P.," writes 
to the American Agriculturist from Marietta, O., that his 
poultry house was swarming with lice, which covered 
the nests, roosts, floor and sides. As an experiment he 
gave the whole apartment a good drenching with hot wa- 
ter from a sprinkler, repeating it three limes, and the ver- 
min have disappeared. They will probably appear again 
soon, unless the hens also are cleansed. Give them 
ashes mixed with sulphur in which to dust themselves. 
What is tlie Matter with the Pota- 
toes ? — " Workman," has left with us some potatoes of 
the Prince Albert variety, in which the tubers are studded 
all over with small potatoes from the size of a small pea 
to that of a pullet's egg, and asks the cause of this growth. 
We suppose that on accountof the drouth the first formed 
tubers stopped growing and ripened. Favorable weather 
following the ripening of the first, a new growth started, 
and the eyes which would, if planted in Sprag produce 
stems, now develop small tubers. This difficulty being 
due to a peculiarity of the season, we can suggest no 
remedy. Gardeners sometimes produce new potatoes in 
a manner somewhat similar to this second growth of 
tubers, by keeping potatoes in a cool place through the 
Summer, retarding vegetation as much as possible, and 
picking off whatever sprouts appear. In Autumn these 
potatoes are packed in boxes alternately with layers of 
light soil 5 or 6 inches in thickness, and kept in a cellar 
or other place where the temperature is about 60°. In 
three months they get a crop of small potatoes which are 
produced at the expense of the large ones, and without 
any growth of vines. 
Farmers* CInl)s-How to Organize 
One.-" G. P.," Athens Co., O. The simpler the organ- 
ization the more effective. Every member should be 
able to carry the constitution and by-laws in his head. 
In case a library is wanted, or any special business is to 
be conducted, tools owned, or work done by the club, 
special regulations will be required ; but when it is only 
desired to hold meetings for discussion of agricultural 
subjects, to exchange ideas and seeds, and have a good 
social lime once a week or fortnight, you will need only 
a Chairman, to be elected at one meeting to preside at the 
next, a Secretary and Treasurer perhaps, to be elected 
for the season. These, with one or two other active men, 
should constitute the executive committee, and manage 
the affairs of the club, make some simple rules, appoint 
meetings, and in short, do every thing which the club 
does not itself do, all their doings which affect future in- 
terests of the club being subject to its approval. The 
principal responsibility will devolve upon the Secretary, 
or the Chairman of the Executive Committee, who 
should be the recognized business man of the club. 
Clubs which have any other constitution than an under- 
standing to behave like gentlemen, usually neglect it. 
Corrosive Sublimate lor Trees. — 
Milton Painter, Bait. Co., Md., writes to the Agricultur- 
ist that, having an English elm badly injured by insects 
upon its foliage, he bored a small hole nearly through the 
body of the tree, filled it with powdered corrosive subli- 
mate, and stopped up the hole with wax. This was done 
six or seven years ago, and the leaves have been nearly 
untouched until the present time. The same was tried 
upon small locust trees, and it caused the borers to back 
out in less than 4S hours, and they have not since troubled 
the trees. He proposes to try the same treatment for the 
cure of " black knot." Notwithstanding the testimony of 
Mr. P., we are quite skeptical upon the subject of medi- 
cating trees, and are disposed to attribute his apparent 
success to causes not connected with the treatment. We 
should be glad if it were proven beyond doubt that a 
poison could be introduced into the circulation of a plant 
in sufficient quantify to render it free from the attacks of 
insects, and not injure the tree. We do not assert that it 
cannot be done, but much doubt it. If any other friends 
have trees upon which they are willing to risk the experi- 
ment, we should like to have them try it and report the 
results. There are plenty of locust, and plum-trees also, 
fit for no other purpose. 
Maiden's IBlnsh Apples. — "We have re- 
ceived, through the kindness of N. Farnum and Solon 
Robinson, a box of apples from the nursery of James 
Smith, of Desrnoines, Iowa. The fruit was all fine, but 
the specimens of Maiden's Blush were remarkable for 
their beauty. Nothing more perfect in surface, form, 
and color, can be imagined than one specimen of (his, 
which is still upon our exhibition table. It is so wax-like 
in appearance that not only people in general, but dis- 
tinguished pomologists have doubted, from merely look- 
ing at it, that it was a natural fruit. We have had waxen 
fruit mistaken for the natural, but never before had a real 
fruit which people insisted upon calling artificial. The 
deception^if such it can be called, was so perfect that we 
were obliged to label the apple " not wax." The tree is 
a good bearer, and the fruit of fair quality for table, cook- 
ing or drying. 
The Apple Pie Melon.— Mrs. G. P. Cook, 
Saratoga Co., N. Y., writes to the American Agriculturist 
that she considers the apple pie melon a valuable acquisi- 
tion to the housekeeper. Her method of using it is, to 
add tartaric acid or pie-plant (rhubarb) to give flavor in 
making apple or mince pies. For custards, the stewed 
melon is strained, thinned with milk to the consistence 
of sweet cream, seasoned as for ordinary custard, and 
one egg added for each pie. 
Valnc of Names tor Pmitf. — Fruit al- 
ways sells better if it has a name. It should, of course, 
always bear the correct name, great confusion is often 
caused by ignorant persons who have fruit for sate, giving 
false or fanciful names to well known and named varie- 
ties. No person, except the originator or introducer of a 
new fruit should ever name any fruit without consulta- 
tion with recognized pomological authorities, or the con- 
currence of some well known pomological, horticultural, 
or agricultural society. The name should only be given 
after diligent comparison of the fruit with others, and 
proving so far as possible, that it is distinct. The name 
first given with a published description of the fruit, holds. 
Plants for Names.— From Water-Vliet, 
Mich, [address lost]. No. 1, is Lamium maculatuiu, or 
Spotted Dead-nettle, an old and but little cultivated plant, 
but quite as pretty as some now cultivated for their vari- 
egated foliage. No. 2, appears to be the Blue Gilia, Gil- 
ia capitata, and No. 3, is not in a condition to be made 
out. Leaves should be sent as well as flowers J. IMP. 
Lain, Indiana, sends Cassia Marilandica, or American 
Senna. It is one of our most showy plants and is frequent- 
ly cultivated in gardens. Mr. L. says that under the name 
of "wild pea" it is used in dyeing a drab color— and 
asks if it has the tanning principle of sumac. We have 
not at hand an analysis of the plant, but we doubt if it has 
sufficient tannin to make it available as a substitute for 
sumach in tanning leather. It is used medicinally like the 
imported Senna ...Mrs. Jane Hill, Stark Co., 111. The 
plant is probably Aster multiftorus ; not usually rare.... 
Harriet, Montrose, Pa. The plant sent is the Long-tubed 
Centranthus (Centrantkus macrosiphon.) It was sent 
from this office this Spring in our seed distribution Mrs. 
H. B. Comstock, Cortland Co., N. Y. The "chickweed 
like plant" is Anayallis arvensis, or Pimpernel, and is 
not rare near the coast. The spotted leaved specimen is 
Mertensia Virginica, noticed in last month's basket. The 
other specimen is a species of Euphorbia, but the seeds 
are not ripe enough to enable us to determine which .... 
Mrs. F. G. Stanley, Adams Co., 111., sends Spigelia Ma- 
rilandica, commonly called Pink Root, though it is not 
at all related to the common pink. The root is a popular 
worm medicine. It is worth cultivating for the beauty of 
its flowers R. C. Smith, New-Haven Co., Conn. The 
plant is Phallus impudicus, the Stinking Morel. It is not 
to be confounded with the eatable Morel, as it is said to 
be highly poisonous. The plant is a fungus, is most re- 
pulsive in appearance, and has a smell worse than a con 
gress of dead rats. It springs up where there is decay 
ing vegetable matter. Probably a free application of salt 
would destroy the underground fibres from which the 
aboveground offensive portion springs. A digging out 
and removal of the soil for a few feet around the place 
where it appeared would be pretty sure to exterminate 
the disagreeable visitor A. Heus, Medina Co., Ohio. 
The plant suspected of poisoning sheep is some kind of 
an Eupatorium, but as you have sent us no leaves, we 
can not make out the species. It is not likely to be the 
cause of the trouble A. F. Alden, Peoria Co., III., 
sends us Cuphea viscosissxma, the Clammy Cuphea. 
With Gray's Manual, the minute observation which has 
evidently been given to the plant, would certainly have 
led to the proper name — Mrs. Wall, Alleghany Co., 
Penn. We can not determine the plant with any cer- 
tainty from the leaf sent. It would be guess work. Send 
flower or fruit.... H. E. Eastgate, Ulster Co., N. Y. The 
vine is Ckiogenes hispidula, the Creeping Snowberry. 
It is not closely related to the shrub commonly known as 
Snowberry, but is more nearly allied to the Winlcrgreen. 
L. Norton, Onondaga Co., N. Y. The vine is Clematis 
Virginiana, the Virgin's Bower. It belongs to the Ra- 
nunculus family, but vou probably did not make out be- 
cause the flowers are often dioecious. It is worth culti- 
vating as a climber, being very pretty in flower and fruit. 
Is tlie Strawberry a Fruit ?— A. F. 
Alden, Peoria Co., 111. There are many things popular- 
ly called fruits which are not such in the strictly botani- 
cal sense of the term. The true fruit of the strawberry 
is the little.grains which are distributed over or imbedded 
in the pulpy portion. Each of these grains is a little one- 
seeded fruit, and results from the ripened ovaiyof one 
of the many pistils found in the blossom. All these pis- 
tils are crowded on the flatfish portion in the center of [he 
flower, called the receptacle. This, as the ovaries ripen, 
enlarges, becomes pulpy and fine flavored, and forms 
what we call the fruit. It will be seen that the straw- 
berry is a fruit or not, accordingly as we use the word in 
a popular, general way, or in a restricted botanical sense. 
Planting* Strawberries. — D. F. Marck- 
res, Conn. Fifteen to 18 Inches apart, and one plant in the 
place is near enough. If the runners are pinched off, the 
plants will form large crowns, and the leaves of adjacent 
plants will touch one another. Plants forced in the 
house in the Winter will not fruit again in the Summer. 
What ftrapes to Plant— SOO Vines 
to Produce Grapes for the N. Y. Market* 
— At almost all times, and especially since our recent 
Grape Exhibition, inquiries are addressed to the Editors 
of the American Agriculturist, asking : "What grapes shall 
I plant." For example, a gentleman says, " I want to put 
out 200 vines to raise grapes to sell at the most profit in 
New-York." We advised: 20 Creveling, 25 Hartford Pro- 
lific, 80 Concord, 30 Delaware, 20 Union Village, ]0 Diana, 
and 15 Allen's Hybrid; and for the following reasons: 
The Creveling is a fair grape, and being one of the earliest, 
will sell well on this account alone. The Hartford is next 
earliest, very prolific, of fair quality, and will therefore sell 
well. The Concord will yield more pounds than any 
other, for the same trouble and number of vines, and is 
also of good quality, so lhat most people will buy it also. 
The Delaware grows slowly, and does not yield largely at 
first, but its superior quality will command a good price 
from a considerable class of persons. The Union Vil- 
lage is very large, of fair quality, will sell well for its 
size alone. The Diana is of peculiar flavor, liglil color, 
and will suit a particular class of buyers who will pay 
more for it than for the black grapes. The Allen's Hy- 
brid is the most promising hardy white grape we have, is 
delicious eating ; the fruit will sell at a high price. — The 
above list we submitted to a large meeting of Fruit 
Growers, and it met with almost unanimous approval. 
Two or three objected to the Diana ; with us it does very 
well. The above list be it noted is for market purposes 
in New-York, though it is not a bad list for home use, 
and may answer for other cities north of Washington. 
« Rats," "Mice/* and "Water- 
falls."— Most of our lady readers know that the cush- 
ions over which ladies' hair is dressed a la mode, are 
called " rats," from some fancied resemblance. The 
names "mice," and "cats," are given to the smaller 
and larger cushions ; while the hair is dressed in fantas- 
tic forms called 'bows," "waterfalls," "butterflies," 
etc. A dashing Philadelphia belle, leaving an order for a 
hair-dresser to attend at her residence, added " Bring two 
rats, four mice, a cat, and a waterfall." — "Poor young 
thing," said a smoolh haired Quaker matron, who heard 
the order, " she's lost her mind." 
