1805.] 
AMERICAN AaRIGULTURIST. 
33^ 
Xhe WHite Krencli Xumip,— A few 
years ago. \\ c were so favorably impressed with the merits 
of this turnip us grown in some portions of Rhoile Island, 
that we procured a huge amount of see'i and distributed 
it free among (inr readers. In many cases the leports 
were exceedingly satisfactory, while inotliers from some 
cause it did not appear to do well, and we ceased to 
recommend it further. Mr. Holtowell, a large farmer in 
Pasquotank Co., N, C, informs us that in his region the 
seed received from us gave llie highest satisfaction, the 
crop fai- exceeding in value any variety of the Sweile or 
other kinds, and that tliey continiiP to cultivate it there 
as extensively as they can procuie seed. For some 
reason Ihey can not grow turnip seed well there. He 
hopes the reopening t() northern markets will enable them 
to procure an ample supply, if it is to be had heie. 
j^heep at tUe 1\. Y. State Fair.— 
"Gastar" merinos, with fancifully high prices, {$2(iU to 
$6000) were present in full force from New York State 
and from Vennont, breeders horn other biales being ad- 
mittetl on a equal footing with those from this. The 
Siiesian mefinos of Wm. Chamberlain, of Red Hook, have 
a finer fleece, gi easy enough, which we iiave no doubt 
will cleanse quite as heavy as the Americans. The South 
Downs, particularly Mr. Thome's Yearlings, were per- 
fect pictures. Those of Messrs. Griffing and G. H. Brown 
excellent. We look great satisfaction also in tlie fine 
large Shropshire Downs and Hampshire Downs, shown 
by Mr. Lilienthal. Middle wool theep. South Downs, and 
their congeners especially, are the slieep for our eastern 
farmers, furnishing unsurpassed mutton and wool, for 
which there is a constant demand. 
Termiit-rree Hens' !\osts.— The fowls 
of Thos. Lawrence, of Rockland Co.. N. Y., were great- 
ly troubled with lice. Having little soft liay for netts, 
Mr. L, tried some Sycamore ;button ball) leaves, for one 
or two nests foi silting hens. l[i these nests no lice were 
to be found, though they abounded elsewliere in the 
house— on Sassafras roosts, in the nests, and on tiie birds— 
in spite of the most diligent use of lime, ashes, etc. The 
nests were all clianged, Sycamore leaves took tlie place 
of hay and straw, and the lice entirely disappeared, after 
whitewashing once or twice as usual. Now ihe buihllng 
has gone a long time witiiout whitewash, and still no 
vermin appear. 
Sharte Xroes iMJiirotl l>y Horses.— 
J. E. Pratt, wishes to know what lo do willi shade trees, 
the bark of which has been gnawed by horses- Pare off 
the rough portions and cover the wound with a generous 
poultice of cow dung and loamy soil, to which some 
hair may be added to give it tenacity. The mass is kept 
in place by covering it with a piece of bagging or other 
fabric, and tying it all securely. 
Hoi^ to Tetlier out a Horse.—*' T. 
S, J." thus writes : " I used to tether a horse by the head 
in former days, but he would almost always get his feet 
over the tether line and hurt himself, or get down. This 
led rae to devise some other method, and I hitched my 
tether line to the fore-leg, but the same evil existed in 
that ; tlien I tried a third experiment. I took a piece of 
an old lealhern tug, long enougli tu make a bow to go 
around liis hind leg. made a hole in each end, put in an 
iron bolt of proper size and length, with a thumb-nut, 
attaclied a trace chain to it, and put it around Ihe hind 
leg of my horse just above the anUle. an^i the other end 
of tlie chain was fastened to a post. I watched the horse 
for a long time, to see how the plan would work, and I 
soon became convinced that I had hit upon the true way 
of tethering. This was about ten years ago, and there 
has not been a year since that I liave not practised this 
way of tethering my horses, and I never have had a hoise 
iiurt himself, get down, or in any way get tangled by 
means of this tether line. 1 use a rope or chain, as is 
mostconvenient, butachainis preferable, because it does 
not injure it to get wet, as it does a rope. The strap of 
which I have made my bow to go around the ankle, I 
have used ten years, and don't know but it would last ten 
years more. I have often oiled it with neat's foot oil, I 
prefer a leather bow to wood or iron, as it never has 
chafed. I have use! this method on young, wild colts, 
and never had one injured by it , it is a most excellent 
way of taming them." 
i^iniit in tVlieat— Remedies la I^ortli 
Carolina.— We recently met Mr. C. W. Holloweli, an 
old subscriber in Pasquotank Co.. N. C. who, like many 
thousands of others, has been separated from us by the 
war. Amongolheritems he informed us that the "smut"' 
had been greatly detrimental to the wheat crop in his 
viciiuly, and indeed throughout the Stale. Three years 
aeo lie =owed 120 acres of wheat, as follows : The seed 
for 40 acres was soaked over night in strong old brine 
fiom ptnk, and then thoroughly mixed with lime by 
shoveling it over on the barn floor. No smut was found 
in the crop. For the second 40 acres, the treatment was 
the same as the above, except that the brine was reduced 
by adding an equal amount of water. This crop con- 
tained some smut. For the third 40 acres, the seed was 
wet with water only, but well coaled with lime. The 
crop was full of smul. These experiments seem to prove 
that the lime was not the curative agent. Aneffectual 
remedy has been found in blue vitriol (sulphate of copper). 
For each 10 bushels of seed wheat, 1 lb. of the vitriol Is 
dissolved in water enough to just cover the wheat. The 
vitriol dissolves quickly in hot water, but cold water may 
be used by giving more time and Stirling it occasionally. 
Experiments show no difference in the effects, when the 
seed is simply wet and then sown, or when it is suffered 
lo lie in a heap and soak for 8 or 10 iiours. Mr. HolloWVll 
says that during the war little blue vitriol could be got, 
and that it sometimes cost several dollars a pound ; and 
that those who obtained it had so good wheat, that they 
could readily sell it at a high price for seed, so prevalent 
was the smut. His soil is a sandy loam, alluvial. 
A Red I^ocust. — A red floweritig variety 
of the common locust, but lilce that in every respect 
save the color of its flowers, is offered by the European 
nurserymen. It is called Robinia Decaisneana, and is 
said to be highly ornamental. 
A i^'e^v ^Vorlc A1>ont Insects,— "Cu- 
rious Facts in the History of Insects, including spiders 
and scorpions. A complete collection of the legends, 
superstitions, beliefs, and ominous signs, connected with 
insects, together with their uses in medicine, art, and as 
fool ; and a summaiy of their remarkable injuries and 
appearances. By Frank Cowan. Pa., J. B. Lippin- 
colt & Co," pp. 396. We give the title in full, as it 
explains the scope of the work. It is pleasant, gossipy 
reading, culled from a great number of works, some of 
them quite rare, and shows extensive research on the 
part of the author, who has had the good sense to give 
reference to volume and page for his quotations. 
'* Inspector Oencral." — Why take an 
Agricultural Paper?— \n Illinolan, whose expressive 
French suffers from translation and condensation, writes : 
" Often when I ask my neighbors to subscribe foi the 
Agrtciilturtst, iliey object something in this manner : 
* We know what to do, we have no time to read, we do 
not know whether it will be worth what it costs, and be- 
sides it is from the East, where the ctilture is different 
from that of the West, etc' I answer like this; 'The 
great profit I have found in reading my agricultural jour- 
nals is that, while they taught nie many useful things, they 
made me love agriculture. To love our work is the 
only way lo lighten it, and the nwre we love it, the 
more progress we shall make.' The sad malady of not 
loving farm work, which has many victims among my 
brother farmers, has been cured in me by my reading the 
agricultural journals in my moments of leisure, and par- 
ticularly during our line winter evenings. These papers 
teach us order upon our farms, and disorder (especially 
on ou^Western farms) contributes not a little to make 
our farm life laborious and discouraging. They incul- 
cate—' a time for everything and a place for everything.' 
In this respect an agricultural journal, and above all the 
Agriculturist is an Inspector Gfnera/. who cannot come 
too often for the good farmer, and whose presence can- 
not trouble any but the negligent. It is a great loss to 
an intelligent agriculturist not to subscribe to an agricul- 
tural journal." 
Pnmpin^ Water from a Spring:.— 
''Annapolis" writes to U\e Agriculturist : " I have a first 
rate spring about 350 yards from the house, not over 30 
feet lower. Could not I pump the water from it in inch 
pipe, without requiring any more force, than for a com- 
mon well pump?*' You cacmot. It will require much 
more power to overcome the friction in a long tube than 
in a short one. We would not advise to attempt to 
draw water in this manner, as it would be very hard w ork 
for a strong man, at such a long distance and great depth. 
Sanitary Commission,— Ttie following 
suras have been received sinceour last acknowledgment : 
Wm. Beekman. Sacramento. Cal., oOc. ; C. Bushneil, N. 
H. Sl.OO. No further contributions are solicited on te- 
half of this noble organization, as will be seen by their 
farewell address of thanks, on page 253, Auguet No. 
To Harden Soap.— "8. M. E." writes that 
soap made after the directions given In the Agricnlturist 
page fi8 (Mari-h No.) remained clammy or rather soft. 
Time is needed for it to dry and harden ; the addition of 
salt will probably bring it right if it remains too soft. 
iVIedical Questions. — A number of letters 
have been received, asking what will cure this or that 
disease. Those inquiries are unanswered, because we 
do not think that people, as a geneial thing, are able to 
determine what is the matter with themselves; and 
secondly, because most diseases are treated on general 
principles, lather than with specifics. It is only quacks 
who use specifics. We mentioned the use of blackberry 
root in diarrhoea, because in most forms of that disease 
astringenl.s are beneficial, and blackberry root is a rea.lily 
obtained astringent not generally known. We have also 
a great variety of prescriptions and remedies suggested. 
These we must, as a general thing, decline publishing. 
There is far loo much dosing already, and we do not 
wish to contribute to its increase. 
Yolce tor a Selt»sncl<in<>; <_'o">v. — M. 
Bixter and otheis inquire for a remedy for cows, addict- 
ed to sucking their own milk. In the Agriculturist for 
1864, page 30S, there is an illustration of a cow's tongue 
split at the end, to prevent her sucking, which has been 
reported both a success and a failure, by different indi- 
viduals. This iliuslration represents a yoke on (he neck 
of a cow, which we never knew lo fail. Four sticlts of 
hard wood. A A, 10 or 12 inches long, and I'a inches 
square, are held together by S round sticks. B B, of touch, 
hard wood, about 2 feet long. 1 inch in diameltr. the ends 
being pointed, jtassinR through the sticks, A A. These 
dimensions may be too large for a very small neck. 
Fasten the round sticks, B B, in the desired place with 
screws % of an inch long. Then the yoke can be 
removed, or adjusted to fit a large or small neck. 
Patent Ri^lits Conflicting' Tvith 
Home-made Couveiiiences,— G. E. Rice. We 
think it will seldom occur that the gates, etc., which you 
wish to build for your farm, will conflict with any botly*s 
patent-rights, unless they are really copied. A careful 
examination of the patent documents, no matter what 
the owner may profe:^s, will usually disclose the fict tha* 
the real claim is for some feature with which your con- 
trivances will not conflict at all. You have no right to 
make and use even your own inventinn. if some one else 
invented the same thing before you, and patented it. 
IVIrs. Abel^s SkillAtl Housekeeper. 
—This book is worthy of a place in the hands of every 
housekeeper. It contains over six hundred recipes for 
cooking and other household operations, most of which 
are good common sense to say the least ; but aside from 
tliese, the fiist 30 or 40 pages on general deportmeni. 
practical thoughts (ui the care of one's self and of the 
children, servants, etc., are alone worth far moie than 
the cost of the book, which is $1.0t). Sent post-paid. 
IVlncilape and Ink.— I. C. Wildey. The 
mucilage put up in bottles is simply a solution of gum 
arable in water. The cheaper kinds of gum aie usually 
employed, and in this case it is necessary to use boiling 
waterand strain the mucilage to remove impurities. We 
have used a small quantity of creosote to prevent ink 
from moulding. Essence of cloves is sometimes used 
for the same purpose. A few drops of Nifrobenzo/e, a 
liquid which smells quite like oil of bitter almond, will 
entirely prevent flour paste from moulding, and we have 
no doubt would answer for ink. 
Qna^ -a tbr Ant«*— The celebrated fruit 
grower, Th -las Rivers, states that he kills ants by the 
use of a dfc, :'.ion of quassia chips. Four ounces of tht- 
chips, which m ;y be had of the druggists, are boiled for 
10 minutes in a gallon of water, and 4 ounces of soft soap 
added. This is used to syringe trees infested by anls, 
and is also pour«>d into their boles. 
