I860.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
24:5 
"Stonenengo.*" — A Work on the 
Horse. J. II. Walsh, editor of The Field (London) 
who has made his 7,0m d< : plume not only classical, but 
high authority npon matters pertaining to the horse, has 
written an admirable work— "The Horse in the Stable 
flnd the Field; his varieties, management in health and 
disease, Anatomy, Physiology, etc." It isan octavo of 
622 page's, illustrated by 170 engravings, most of them by 
distinguished artists, published by Geo. Routledge & 
Son, London and New York. This book has been for 
Bevcral years regarded as high authority on the subjects 
of which it treats, and a new edition now appears simul- 
taneously in England and this country, printed from the 
Fame phitcs. Few changes have been made in that part 
which is particularly the work of Mr. Walsh, but the 
anatomical and veterinary portion has been thoroughly 
revised. We regard the work as one of the most valu- 
able and practical on the Horse in the English language. 
It is a condensation of facts, reasons, and plain direc- 
tions, and for aught we sec is in almost all particulars 
quite as well adapted to the use of horse owners in 
this country as in Great Britain. It is placed on our 
list of choice works. Price, sent by mail, $3.50. 
tfc YHe 3few West -' is the name which 
Mr. Chas. L. Brace gives to his new book on California 
in 1S67— S, just published by G. P. Putnam & Son, New 
York. We have read it with great interest, gaining new 
ideas from almost every page, being led on from chapter 
to chapter by the pleasant style in which the writer 
presents his practical, common-sense views of society, 
customs, individuals, and classes, of beautiful scenery 
and natural wonders. The railroad brings us so near to 
the " New West" now that every thing written upon the 
subject has a charm. Mr. Brace is an old traveller. We 
have followed close in his footprints (in "Home Life in 
Germany ")more than once, and have been pleased to see 
how differently he saw things from ordinary travellers, 
and how much as one thinks he would see them him- 
self. He says he has tried to sketch such features as 
other travellers have neglected. If he has, he does not 
appear to have neglected those features to which they 
devoted their pencils. The author's views of the agri- 
cultural capacities of the State, the great farms, gardens, 
vinoyarde, wheat lands, silk-worm growing, the homes 
of the people, the choice places for settlers to seek 
homes, etc.. give the book a peculiar interest and value. 
It is a 372 page 12mo., beautifully printed and bound, 
and sent by mail for the price $1.75. 
Ohio Grape Growers*A«;sociation. 
—The summer meeting will be held at Lancaster on the 
State Reform Farm on the 25th and 26th of August nest. 
Everybody is invited and a good time expected. 
Evergreen for a Name, — A. C. Wood, 
Grant Co., Wis. The specimen is from Red Cedar, which 
always has prickly leaves when yonng. The "bur-like 
buds " are a fungus, which is not rare upon the tree, and 
often causes it much injury. 
American Fruit Preserving Pow« 
der.— We have several inquiries concerning this, and 
have investigated the matter. We have not used it our- 
selves, but propose to do so this season. Fruit that was 
put up last year was perfectly preserved. The powder is 
of course a chemical substance, and as far as we have 
been able to learn, it is nearly inert; at all events it is 
not as active as common salt, and in the small quantity 
in which it is used its presence is not likely to be 
noticed. If, as claimed, and we see no reason to doubt 
it, fruit can be preserved in large jars, without any 
special care to exclude the air, it will certainly be a great 
blessing to housekeepers. 
Hedging.— " D. S. F M " Jasper Co., 111. You 
are too late to do anything with Osage Orange this year. 
The seed is sown in spring in a seed-bed, the plants taken 
up in the fall, and set in the hedge in the following spring. 
You can buy plants next spring from the dealers. 
The Crows. — Dr. Geo. H. Bute, of Nazareth, 
Pa., has for many years been a consistent friend of the 
birds. He pleads with us in behalf of crows, telling of 
a state of things prevailing in a part of Germany about 
100 years ago. There the crows were almost all destroyed 
by order of the government, and as a consequence mice 
multiplied to an unprecedented extent. Every wheat ear, 
it would seem, had a mouse on it. So crows had to be 
imported and encouraged. No doubt crows do more 
good than harm. They pull corn and destroy the young 
and eggs of small birds, but cat many grubs and mice. We 
tried trapping them in our cornfield with entire success. 
A flock had done a day's work pulling up the corn, and 
then we seta trap in the outside furrow, covering it light- 
ly with tissue paper^and dirt. Three bad eggs werp laid 
in a sort of nest place under some hrn?h and briers in 
the fence row, in plain sight, and a good c^, broken, to 
show the yolk, was laid some S feet off. This was eaten, 
and in trying to get to the nest the trap was sprung and 
Jack Daw was caught by the foot. He made a great noise 
and called his friends about him, and no doubt they took 
warning, for no more came. The crow was not seriously 
hurt, and after being exhibited as an example and warn- 
ing would have been liberated, had he not been killed by 
a passionate man, who was clawed by him. 
Remedies.— "S. H., Jr.," Potsdam, N. Y. 
We keep as free from all " remedies " as possible, as we 
believe that popular medicine does more harm than good. 
Were we to publish your request, more than fifty people 
would prescribe the "best thing in the world" and no 
two alike. If you have no sensible doctor where you 
live you had better go elsewhere and consult one. and not 
depend upon remedies that may be suggested by people 
who know nothing of medicine. 
A Good Cause in Good fifands. — 
A few years since, the establishment of the "Church 
Union " newspaper, with the avowed object of bringing 
Christians of all denominations into closer sympathy, 
was hailed with pleasure by all who love religion more 
than sectarianism. Unfortunately for the cause and the 
paper itself, until recently its course tailed to be promo- 
tive of the end in view. A few months since it passed 
into new hands, and under its present able management 
is proving its right to its well-chosen title and establish- 
ing strong claims to the cordial support of those who 
approve of Christian Unity. We are pleased to notice 
that it avoids the error of endeavoring to impose uniform- 
ity— the very essence of denominationalism— but allow- 
ing men to differ in views, seeks to unite them in the 
common work of making the world better. 
The Ohio State Fair will be held at 
Toledo, Sept. 14th to 17th. D. C. Richmond will have 
charge of " Pumpkin Hall," and if the show is as good 
this year as it was last, it will be worth seeing. At any 
rate, D. C. is an exhibition of himself. 
Harrows, — The harrow in our May number 
(page 1331 is highly approved by " T. E. R.," of Berlin, 
Md., who writes that he made one and thinks it is just 
the thing in size and shape, but as he did not like the 
way the teeth were put in, in this respect he departed 
from the diagram given, and improved upon it, which we 
have no doubt he did. Taking a chalk line he made 
parallel marks across the harrow fore and aft, two inches 
apart, and set one tooth on each line where the lines 
cross the tooth-bars. In the center, the space is three 
inches between the lines on which the teeth arc put, the 
two parts of the harrow being brought as close together 
as possible. He used thirty-four teeth. 
Grape Cuttings.— " E. M. M.," Smith- 
field, Va., put out some 4,000 cuttings of the Concord 
Grape, and "mulched them heavily with 4 pine trash 1 
(pine leaves we suppose); many of them put out leaf, 
and from some cause (either the cold spell or the mulch) 
have died." We do not suppose that the trouble was 
caused by the mulch. We have no hint as to the time the 
cuttings were set, but we infer that they were put in too 
late. A vine cutting needs to be in the soil long enough 
to form roots before the buds push. In Virginia we 
should set them in autumn. A cutting if put into warm 
soil will put out a few leaves, and having no roots the 
weakly shoot soon dies. In all dormant cuttings aim to 
get roots before the foliage starts. 
"What is the Rest Breed ofSheep? 
TTardy, healthy, not fine wooled, neither very coarse, but 
medium; good for mutton and for wool. W. R. R." — 
You describe the characteristics of the South-downs, and 
it may be this breed would exactly suit yon. The Cots- 
wolds are much heavier, have a longer fleece, which, 
though coarser, is much songht after and brings high 
prices on account of its silkiness and combing qualities. 
South-down mutton is much the best and brings the high- 
est prices, but feeders prefer to fatten grade Cotswolds, 
or some other of the large long-wooled breeds. 
More Cirrnbs -with Sprouts.— H. Hig- 
bee, Decatur Co., Iowa, has our thanks for the specimens. 
He will find an account of them in the June number. 
The Flowering* of a " Centnry 
Plant.'**— Au American Aloe, Agave Americana, of the. 
striped-leaved variety is now about to flower in the green- 
house of Messrs. Frost & Co., the well-known nurserymen 
of the Genesee Valley Nurseries, Rochester, X. Y. We 
have seen the Agave growing abundantly in Mexico, 
where it' flowers in from seven to tventy wears,. Whep 
grown at the North, and under less favorable circum- 
stances, it is so long in coming into flower that it is pop- 
ularly called a " Century Slant," and is said to bloom 
once in a hundred years. This is a mistake, as the plant 
never blooms but once, and in this flowering affords a 
Striking illustration of vegetable economy. The plant 
goes on forming its large, fleshy leaves year after year, 
some of those of Messrs. Frosts' plant being 6 feet G 
inches long. These are very thick and succulent, and 
last for many years. When the flowering time comes, 
the stem pushes up from the center of the plant; it is 
about A inches in diameter and makes a growth in length 
from 3 to 5 inches each day. The stem runs up from 10 
to 30 feet in bight, aud throws out symmetrically arranged 
flower branches, which together form a handsome pyra- 
mid. The flowers are very numerous, but in themselves 
are not very handsome, as they arc of a greenish yellow. 
All this rapid growth of stem and profusion of flowers is 
at the expense of the nutriment stored in the thick 
leaves of the plant. They expend their substance in pro- 
ducing the enormous flower cluster, and the plant dies. 
We understand that Messrs. Frost have made prepara- 
tions to allow the plant to develop itself properly, and 
also for the accommodation of the many visitors who will 
wish to sec this rare floral exhibition. 
Hybrid Corn not Permanent. — 
Different varieties of corn mix easily, and by a littlo 
painstaking to keep the ears covered with paper covers 
until the silk is out, they may be^ dusted with any kind 
of pollen, from the spindles, desired, and the kernels will 
be a hybrid variety. Thus three or four kinds of corn have 
been mingled and the resulting variety has proved constant 
and excellent for years on the home soil. When removed, 
however, and coming under different influences of soil 
and climate, it is liable the first or second year to break 
up into its original varieties, or something like them, 
the ears being quite variegated. After a while the tend- 
ency ceases, and the variety may then, and not until 
then, be considered established. 
Vinegar. — " G. W. II," asks how vinegar 
which has lost its acidity can be restored. A sailor in 
church on hearing the minister read the text "If the salt 
has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted," 1 called out. 
"more salt." If the vinegar is spoiled it must have been 
very poor vinegar to begin with, and our correspondent 
must begin anew, which we should prefer, or add more 
vinegar-making materials to the old liquid. Vinegar 
is only produced from alcohol; alcohol comes from the 
fermentation of sugar, and sugar may come from a change 
in starchy materials. To get vinegar we have to use 
some fruit juice or similar liquid that will form alcohol. 
Good vinegar will not "lose its sour," as our cor- 
respondent complains. 
IB.-biU i six Trees.— "C. P. W.," Maplewood, 
Mass., writes: "I have in my garden Ave apple trees, 
Baldwin variety, I should judge about 12 years old. Have 
borne a little for a number of years, but not much. 
About the middle of last June I peeled the bark from 
the bodies of two of the trees, and from the lower part 
of one of the largest limbs on another tree, leaving only 
the very thin bark next to the tree untouched, which 
could at that time have been scraped off with my thumb- 
nail. To-day the two trees and single limb are filled 
with blossoms, while I find no blossoms on the trees im- 
peded or on any part of the tree with one limb peeled, 
except the peeled limb. I ask the philosophy of such 
results from such a process. I also served a crab-apple 
tree the same way, at the same time, then with fruit upon 
it. The fruit remained and now it is in full blossom. 
I stripped off the bark as clean as you would to make a 
whistle, only taking care not to injure the soft bark next 
to the wood." Mr. Ws experiment illustrates what is now 
generally accepted among fruit growers, that whatever 
threatens the destruction of the tree throws it into fruit. 
We alluded to this matter on page 258. We have known 
similar instances to that cited by our correspondent. 
Crop Prospects.— Our letters (up to about 
the 10th of June,) which allude to the crops, and great 
numbers of them do so, almost uniformly report most 
favorable prospects for winter grain, spring grain, and 
grass. From the South the corn crop is also included 
among those promising well. Little is said about cotton, 
but from other sources we judge that this is no excep- 
tion. In fact, we have hardly seen or heard of a grum- 
bling farmer or fruit grower, and this is wonderful, for it 
is a farmer's privilege to grumble at the weather as much 
as it is a sailor's to find fault with his " grub." In some 
parts of the West the peach crop will be a small one, but in 
general there is every promise of a good peach year, while 
apples and pears are likely to be in great profusion. Of 
course there is a yet a chance of some disaster from in- 
sects, disease or bad weather, but it should be a cause of 
g-Mieral r-jojeing among farmers and horticulturists that 
the prospects for a year of abundance are so flattering. 
