1871.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
147 
BOYS & (SIIEILS 5 (BOILimnSc 
The Icicle Prizes. 
When I offered prizes for the best essays on the icicle, 
I little thought that it would be until the mild days of 
April before I should announce who were the successful 
competitors. I told you last month the cause of the de- 
nay. There is another thing I did not foresee— that I 
should have over a hundred and twenty essays to read ! 
This was a little laborious, but it was very interesting to 
see the different ways boys would express themselves 
upon the same subject. One boy wrote six pages, and 
only two of them were about the icicle. The briefest 
article was from a boy in Dutchess Co. He condensed 
the whole matter as follows: u An icicle grows down- 
ward from its base. It is formed by drops of water 
freezing one upon another." Some used many more 
words without telling any more than that. It was very 
difficult to choose between the half-dozen best essays, as 
some touched points not noticed by others ; but upon the 
whole I think the first prize must go to Rileigh T. Scott, 
Yellow Stone, Wis., and the second to John Senger, St. 
Vincent's, Pa. Master Scott's account is printed in an- 
other column. Those whose articles were so good as to 
puzzle me in the decision, should be named. Here they 
are : Wm. T. Cooke, Scituate, E. I. ; Albert W. Bee, 
Dorchester, Mass. ; Jerry W. Jenks, St. Clair, Mich. ; 
Edward Jackson, Westchester, Pa. ; H. M. Seymour, 
Hawley, Mass. ; Olin Landreth, Rushville, N. Y. ; Felix 
G. Owen, Springfield, Mo. I hbpe that we shall have 
other and more promptly decided contests another win- 
ter, and that the girls as well as the boys will be able to 
take a part. The Doctor. 
Note from * fc Carleton." 
Mr. Editor: — I am under great obligations to my 
youug friend, for such I take him to be, who lives away 
out in Kansas, for calling my attention to the mistake in 
my talk with the young folks about "Vesuvius, in the Feb. 
Agriculturist. I said that Plutarch was a Roman. I had 
no right to say so, for he was n't. I was writing about 
the old Romans, and it was the most natural thing in 
the world for me to speak of him as a Roman historian, 
whereas he was a native of Greece. 
Now let me say to the boys and girls that it was Master 
Still, of Leavenworth, Kansas, who had eyes sharp 
enough to see the mistake, and I am much obliged to him 
for calling my attention to what may seem to be a very 
small affair ; but it is best to be always right. 
Cakleton. 
Asint Sue's I»na:zle-Box. 
I again offer a prize for the longest list of correct an- 
swers to all the puzzles. Also, a set of anagram-letters, 
to be drawn by lot, for a correct solution of all the ana- 
grams. 
That those sending answers may be saved tha trouble 
of writing the titles, I shall number the puzzles consecu- 
tively. 
Answers to these must reach me before the first of May. 
Those received later will not be credited. 
Address Aunt Sue, Box 111, P. O. Brooklyn, N. Y. 
ANAGRAMS. 
1. I run lame, Ben. 6. Bridle us. 
2. Lol rum it. 7. Card snake. 
3. Aiding me. S. Crop Street. 
4. Runs alive. 9. Be less him. 
5. Erie Daw. 10. Angle-net. 
DOUBLE ACROSTIC. 
11. The initials and finals will name two different col- 
ors. 
1. To plot. 2. A leather thong. 3. Legally elsewhere. 
4. A fruit. 5. A game. Ski. 
WORDS ENIGMATICALLY EXPRESSED. 
12. Cut our hair. 
13. It is not smaller. Ketstone. 
14. My crows contend. 
15. The string of the hotel. 
1G. An article at a distance. 
17. Fruit pitcher. 
PUZZLE. 
Find the word out of which the following sentence was 
made (repeating the letters, of course). 
IS. A modern Matron had on a Roman garment and 
tore it on a thorn. 
DECAPITATIONS. 
19. Behead a portion and leave an animal. 
20. Behead an animal and leave part of the human 
frame. 
21 Behead part of the human frame and leave a fish. 
22- Behead a fish and leave an animal. 
fti. Behead an animal and leave a grain. 
24* Behead a grain and leave a luxury. 
25. Complete I go throngh many a board ; 
Behead, — a weapon unlike a sword ; 
Behead once more you 'II plainly view 
Nickname applied to many a Jew. 
Adolfh M. Nagel. 
ZOOLOGICAL ENIGMA. 
26. I am compose !. of seven letters : 
My 1, 2, 3, 4, is an animal found in cold climates. 
My 4, 5, 6. 7, is an animal found in warm climates. 
My whole is an animal found in cold climates. 
A. M. N. 
NUMERICAL ENIGMA. 
27. I am composed of 22 letters : 
My 17, 7, 14, 15, is an officer. 
My 19, 5, 4, 13, is an actor. 
My 16, 20, 21, 11, is a tube. 
My 6, 8. IS, 11. 23, an edentate animal. 
My 10, 2, 0, 1, 3, 1-2, 5, is a country in Africa. 
My whole is good advice. J. I. M. 
AUNT SUE'S NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Harry H. I do "lovechildren." Isit not against the 
rule to "write in school hours"? If not, thanks for 
your puzzles. 
Harry (No. 2). It would make the anagrams too easy 
af solution to define them as you suggest. 
Harris. Thanks: they will "do 1 ' very nicely. 
Uncle Ed. Only the little ones make cross-word en- 
igmas ; can't you soar higher? 
A. H. H. You can study those things in school. 
Bk. I hope you will find occasion to write every month. 
Grant. It is a pleasure to furnish entertainment to 
one so courteous as yourself. 
John A. Boston. The same remark applies to you. 
D. E. Stevens. Suppose I give you the words " Sly 
ware," and tell you it is an anagram for you to solve. 
You print the letters "SLY WARE" on a card, 
then cut them separate, and transpose them until you 
make the original word with them; which is "Lawyers." 
To understand the acrostics, — study the original, with its 
answer. 
John and Griz. I was rather sorry for the poor dog on 
the gridiron; but neve.r mind, it will do very nicely, 
thank you ; our artist will straighten him out. 
Nellie B. Chapman. Thank you for telling me just 
how you went to work. Did you suppose I should offer a 
prize for any thing that was "as easy as rolling off a log" ? 
Auntie. I am very glad to hear from you and 
Robbie again. Yonr case must be discussed. 
Cora E. Shultz. Did you write that letfeer your own 
self? I never saw such pretty writing for " twelve years 
old." 
Blue Bird. I give a prize every week in Hearth and 
Home, for the solutjion of anagrams. 
Jos. H. Bird. Your answers were so clearly and beau- 
tifully arranged that I was in hopes you would win the 
prize: but alas ! your solutions of Anagram No. 8, and 
Numerical Enigma No. 2, were incorrect, and two others 
you did not attempt to answer. 
Ida B., and O. B. McC, will please read the paragraph 
in the Special Notice to Puzzlers, which alludes to original 
puzzles. 
Sarah G. Bates. If you " really cannot wait for the 
chances," you can have a set, by inclosing twenty-five 
cents to Bos 111 ; but yon must promise not to give up 
trying to find out the Anagrams. 
PRIZES. 
The Anagram prize was drawn by David Baird, N. E. 
cor. 109th-street and Second Avenue, New York 
I had to exclude several names from competition be- 
cause one word in each of their lists was wrong ; but in 
the prize for the greatest number of corract answers I 
counted all the Anagrams which were right. 
John A. Boston, P. O. Bos 246, Newburyport, Mass., 
answers 22 of the puzzles correctly, and wins the prize. 
He failed to answer the eighth Anagram, and answers the 
Charade with "Steam Boats" ; which, though very in- 
genious, will not quite do. 
Wm. Taylor, and Lillie Streeper, each answer 20. 
Correct answers, more or less, have been sent by S. L. D., 
Harry, E. S. K., Lillie G., Mary Bridge, H. S. H., Harris, 
A. W. K., Adolph M. N., Julie A. T M Bk., H. W. O., 
Grant, J. H. S., MaryH. Cole, W. T. C, Bertha S., Benja- 
min J., Clarence Clifford, Lizzie L. A., Clinton F., D. E. 
S., T. H. H., Willie, C. S. M., F. W. H., and H.W. L., 
G. H. F., O. B. McC, M. Byrto, Nellie Bache, Hattie 
E. P., Harry Anderson, H. M. C, E. Carr, S. E. Ober, M. 
Richardson, B. W. P., C. W. Drury, Jere Plnmer, N. 
Walker, Jessie F. G., C. B. Jr., B. Rockwell, Robbie Ed- 
dowes, Annie Batchelder, Cora E. S., ClaisonS. W., Sa- 
rah G. B., and Blue Bird. 
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN THE FEBRUARY NUMBER. 
Riddle. A letter. 
Anagrams. 1. Medicament. 2. Anecdotes. 3. Mu- 
lattoes. 4. Between. 5. Original. 6. Consolidate. 7. 
Brandished. 8. Betrothal. 9. Reopening. 10. Pantomime. 
Transformations. Scold, cold, fold, gold, told, sold, 
bold, hold, old. 
Scare-crow : care, row, 
3. Jarring T 
Double Acrostic. Battle-fields: brief, alibi, trifle, tall, 
lightning-rod, express. 
Charade and Decapitation. 
car. 
Divisions. 1. Wardrobe. 2. Tomahawk. 
4. Grandam. 
Conundrum. The waist (waste). 
Numerical Enigma, Na>. 1. Egotism. 2. Envy is a 
self-executioner. 
Rebuses. — 401. Labor, either brain or manual work, 
will be sure to pay : perseverance and patience pay 
doubly for efforts hestowed. 402. United we stand, but 
divided we fall. 403. Isle of Man. 
Thanks for puzzles, etc., to A. R., I. H. Phtmmer, Harry, 
Uncle Ed., Bertha Stout, Clarence Clifford, H. W. L. T 
Jesse Plnmmer, Maria L. B., Geo. E. Perry, W. H. M., 
Louise E. Turner, E. B. Jr., M.Richardson, Clinton F., 
Iowa, S. L. D., and Bayard W. Purcell. 
SPECIAL NOTICE TO PUZZLERS. 
"We do not want any Anagrams, so do n't waste your 
time over them on our account. As we give prizes for 
their solution we prefer to make them ourselves. 
Be kind enough to send none but original riddles. It 
would be a poor compliment to our clever puzzlers to 
serve them up ancient and second-hand affairs. 
If you will write your answers in the same order that 
you see them printed, it will save me much trouble. 
Several answers to the " Seven " puzzle were received 
after the March No. had gone to press. 
40G. llhtsfrafed Rebus—Good advice, but it will be 
found difiicult by some to follow it. 
407. Illustrated Rebus.— The name of a Western locality. 
l*ot us have a CSarden. 
We do not know how boys and girls can get more in- 
struction and amusement than in cultivating a little 
garden. Almost every one of them who lives in the 
country can easily have a small piece of land. Dwellers 
in cities must have their garden in the back-yard, or 
even be obliged to content themselves with a box of 
earth. Whether it be large or small, the things that grow 
in it will be more valued in the eyes of the owner than 
acres belonging to others. What Bhall you grow in it? 
That will depend upon what seeds you can get. If you 
have no money to spend for seeds, you must depend upon 
the kindness of others for a supply. If you know of a 
man or woman who really loves flowers, you need not be 
afraid to ask for seeds. The culture of flowers opens the 
heart and lets in kindness. That is one reason why we 
wish you to have a garden. You will have beautiful 
flowers, and you will enjoy them so much, that you will 
wish others to have them too. Sow the little seeds in 
the earth, after the cold rains are over, covering them 
very slightly, and mark the place where they are. The 
next day you will probably go to see if the seeds are up, 
andas they are not, you will think something wromr, and 
perhaps be tempted to dig where they were sown to find 
out what the matter is. Do not do any such thing. An- 
other reason for having a garden is, that it teaches 
