1872.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
3*27 
Bed-Bugs.-'J. W. W.," Windsor, N. S., 
has purchased a wooden house, which he finds tenanted 
with bed-bngs, and asks what to do. One of our asso- 
ciates was troubled in a similar manner, and completely 
conquered them by blowing the Persian insect-powder 
into every crack and cranny. This powder to be effec- 
tive must be fresh, and have been well preserved. That 
put up in small tins, as " magnetic powder, 1 ' and under 
various other names, is often worthless. Get your drug- 
gist to order from a New York importer a pound-bottle, 
and you will be likely to get the real thing. 
Coltl-Frame Cahhas^e Plants.— " 11. 
H.," Chester Co., Pa. Your questions indicate that yon 
should have Henderson's, Brill's, or some other practical 
work on market-gardening. We must assume that our 
readers are familiar with the first principles, and can not 
in every issue repeat the alphabet of gardening. In the 
case in point, cabbage seed is sown in the open ground 
about the middle of September. Before cold weather 
the plants arc pricked (set out with a dibble) into cold- 
frames. Here they are kept in a dormant state as much 
as possible by the proper management of the glass. 
They are not to grow, nor are they to be subjected to 
sudden alternations of temperature. As soon as the 
ground can be worked in the spring, these plants are set 
c*it where they arc to mature. 
drape « Vine Leaves. — S. T, Gilbert, 
M.D., Memphis, Teun. The leaves sent are covered with 
the excrescences of the Grape-leaf Gall-louse, Phylloxera 
vitifolia. It has heretofore been mainly confined to the 
Clinton, and the only remedy that has been suggested 
is to root ap that variety. Wc have not before known it 
to attack the Delaware and Crevcling. You will find a 
full account of this insect in the report of C. V. Riley, 
Entomologist of the State of Missouri, in the report of 
the Board of Agriculture of that State for 1871. 
Strawaerrks.- U G. H. T.," St. Catha- 
rines, Out. Wc had written a letter in reply to your 
inquiry, but upon looking at the bottom of your note 
we found that you h?A given only your initials. We 
have so often stated that wo did not answer personal in- 
quiries through the paper, that we supposed all our 
readers were aware of the fact. As you live over the 
border, we will so far depart from our rule as to say that 
we think you can get what you desire from Louis Kitz, 
Plainville, Ohio. People in writing to business men 
usually give their names. If they write to editors, they 
must give names or expect no reply. 
The I£»<iisli-!5iig— A. Fie\r Insect.— 
Mr. W. E. Howard, Entomological Editor of the Southern 
Farmer, sends na an account of a new bug which has 
not been before described. It is called IVysius Raphanus, 
as it was first noticed upon the radish. It seems to be a 
universal feeder, attacking radishes, cabbages, grape- 
vines, and potatoes, to which it is particularly destructive. 
It is related to the Chinch-bug. The description sent is 
so thoroughly technical that it would be of no use, ex- 
cept to entomologists, were we to publish it. We regret 
that Mr. Howard did not give a popular description by 
which any one could recognize the insect. 
Failure of Spring.— J. S, Frederich, 
Dubuque, Iowa, has a spring which for the past five 
years has been gradually failing, and would like to know 
if he may expect to lose it altogether, or if there is any 
way to restore it.— The probability is that the under- 
ground stream has opened a new channel or found a new 
outlet, which sometimes happens, and whether or not 
this can be remedied is doubtful. On some occasions 
flowing wells which have fallen off have been restored 
by pneumatic exhaustion, but we know of no way of 
applying this to a surface spring. 
Imperfection in a Bull.— "O. C. G.," 
Lynd, Minn., has purchased a full-blood Devon bull, but 
finds that it has but one testicle, and he a3kB will that 
destroy his usefulness.— Probably the other is not far 
off, though not in sight : and were it altogether wanting, 
would not necessarily render him useless. 
I>awn on Sandy Soil.— " J. H. K., 1 ' 
Dunn Co., Wis. You do not say what kind of grass you 
have on your lawn. At all events, we should sow some 
Red-top, and give a dressing of ashes and ground bone. 
Manure will bring in weeds, of which yon have enough 
already; frequent mowing will eradicate the sorrel. 
l^and for Stock-raising Sn the 
"West.— John A. Oakes, Elkhart, Ind., asks where in 
the West can land be procured for stock-raising pur- 
poses, and at what prices.— Iu the northern parts of 
Kansas there are railroad lands to be purchased for five 
dollars and upwards per acre, suitable for stock-raising, 
and in other parts of that State government lands may 
he pre-empted or "homesteaded." Particulars may be 
learned by writing to the United States Land Office, 
Topeka. Kansas. Nebraska and Minnesota also offer 
favorable locations for stock-raising. 
Clover Seeding iit Fall.— E. Weimann, 
Mecosta Co., Mich., has had trouble in getting his clover 
to catch in the spring by reason of the drouth ; he would 
like to sow it with rye this fall if it would be advisable. 
— It would not be advisable. The frosts of early winter 
would destroy the young plants. It would be better to 
try again in the spring, and harrow the rye with a 
Thomas harrow just after tho clover is sown, when it 
would not be so likely to fail. 
molting* Hens.— G. E. Hams, Lowell, 
Mass., asks what is the best treatment for hens during the 
molting season. Keep them dry and their houses clean, 
give them fresh dry ashes or road dnst to wallow in, feed 
the best of food and give them some ground pepper or 
other warm stimulant with it, and fresh water with a very 
small quantity of sulphate of iron (or common copperas) 
dissolved in it. As soon as they recover they should be 
fed wheat until they commence to lay again. 
Mange.— "Monarch," Perry Co., Mo., wants 
to know what ails his mare, which is constantly rubbing 
her mane and tail, and making sore spots on her neck 
by so doing, and what shall he do for her.— The mare 
has the mange, which is a skin disease similar to the 
itch. Give a table-spoonful of sulphur in her feed once 
a day for a week, and wash the tail and neck with soap 
and water, and then rub lard and sulphur, ground uo to- 
gether, on the spots or the itchy parts. 
Peas. — A farmer wants to know how he can 
grow peas free from "bugs.'" The only way is to sow 
them after the weevil has disappeared, which is gener- 
ally about the 10th of June; at least p'qas fown after 
that time are seldom affected, when early peas are much 
injured. The best pea to sow with oats for fodder is the 
black-eye marrowfat, or some other pea with large vine ; 
this variety shonld be sown early. 
What is a Bnshel?— " J. H. J.," Frank- 
fort, Ohio, Eays that the rule given in the Agriculturist 
of April, 1872, for measuring corn in the crib has been 
pronounced incorrect by our readers in that neighbor- 
hood, and he asks why we take 2,750 inches for a bushel 
when 2,150 inches make a bushel all over the commercial 
world.— Our rule is correct. We take 2,750 inches for 
the simple reason that corn-ears are sold and measured 
by the heaped bushel, which is 2,750 cubic inches. 2,150 
inches is a struck bushel, by which shelled grain is 
measured, and generally two bushels of corn-ears, of 
2,750 inches each, make one bushel of grain of 2,150 
inches. Corn, measured in the crib, of course is under- 
stood to be ears of corn, and the bushel in that connec- 
tion is the heaped bushel. 
Greasing Cog- Wheels.— C. Wade, Fair- 
view, Ky., aska if it is necessary to grease or oil the 
cog-wheels of machinery, and if so, what is the best 
oil? — As there is considerable friction in the contact of 
cog-wheels, they should by all means be lubricated. The 
best lubricator is tallow and black-lead, rubbed to- 
gether. In mowers, reapers, and thrashing-machines, 
this should always be attended to. 
Bets. — We do not desire to be made a party 
to the decision of a question on which a bet is depend- 
ing. Such disputes are never settled by such a de- 
cision, and the defeated party is never convinced of 
anything but that he is an injured individual. We de- 
sire to give information that may be useful to our read- 
ers, and are willing to respond to requests for such, but 
not to decide bets or even disputes. 
Shares Harrow. — O. C. Gregg, Lyon Co., 
Minn., asks where a Shares harrow can be procured, and 
if we think them the best for prairie sod.— This harrow 
can be purchased of or ordered through any agricultural 
implement dealer. It is undoubtedly a very good har- 
row, if not the best, for mellowing plowed sod without 
turning it back. 
Smut. — "Orion," Clarksville, Neb., complains 
of his spring wheat being smutty ; not single grains, but 
the whole ear is a bunch of smut. What is the cause and 
the remedy ?— This is only a had case of ordinary smut, 
which is a fungus often appearing on grain of all kinds, 
and sometimes completely destroying it, a3 in this case. 
It is worse in hot damp seasons than in others. A 
remedy is to soak the seed in strong brine or a solution 
of blue vitriol for a few hours, drain, and dry with lime, 
air-slaked, in a state of fine powder, just before sowing. 
How Can it he Boue ?— It is often 
asked, How can the Publishers possibly give so large a 
paper as this, with all its Engravings, etc., at $1.50 to $1 
a year?— Answer: The circulation is so great, that the 
Thirty-odd Thousand Dollars laid out in engravings, 
getting information, printing, electro typing, office ex- 
penses, etc., amount to but a trifle for each subscriber. 
(If there were only 30,000 subscribers, this would cost 
over a dollar each.) But the publishers are satisfied if 
they get from subscribers just about the cost of white 
paper to print on, because the large circulation bring! an 
income from good advertisers to pay other expenses and 
a living profit. The advertising pages are valuable to the 
reader, because only good advertisers are admitted, and 
they can go with confidence to these pages for business 
information. The reader will thus sec why it is that so 
much can be given for a small amount of money. More 
subscribers bring more advertising money, which in 
turn enables the publishers to give a better paper, as well 
as premiums, and the extra numbers offered on page 328. 
'Fen Cents a Month, or %}{ Cents 
a "Week, or H Cent a Day, will be the cost to 
any one of having himself and family supplied with the 
forty-four pages of good reading, of useful information, 
of flue pictures, etc., given in each number of the 
fea» Agriculturist— that is, to those who subscribe 
is month, and get the extra three months offered//'^. 
If four, or ten, or twenty or more persona club together, 
the cost will be even less than the above. See page 328. 
Egg-s at 13>a Cents a Dozen.- In 
New York they retail now at 33 to 45 cents a dozen, but 
at 12J£ cents a dozen, a little more than two eggs a week 
would pay for the American Agriculturist during the next 
fifteen months, at the extra offer made to single new 
subscribers on page 32S, with a further reduction to 
clubs of four, ten, or twenty. One good hen ought to 
yield this much. Result; Keeping one hen more will 
supply a family with the constant reading of this journal. 
Why, the $15,000 worth of fine pictures given in every 
fifteen months are worth a hundred times as much as this. 
How ahont the Four Irfillions? 
There are probably about five million men in this country 
who are engaged in cultivating some portion of the soil, 
varying from a garden plot up to large farms. From 
four to five hundred thousand read th» American Agri- 
cullwist, directly and indirectly, and enough more to 
make up one million read other journals devoted to 
practical cultivation, while some four millions plod on, 
using only their muscles and what knowledge they have 
picked up by experience and limited observation. Every 
man of them all ought to be observing, reading, and 
studying about his business— making his head help his 
hands. What would be the effect if, for one year only, 
every cultivator in the land should become a reader of 
books and papers devoted specially to hie own pursnit, 
or even of only one such paper? We firmly believe It 
would add millions upon millions of dollars to the pro- 
ducts of the country. It would give each one some- 
thing more to think of during the hours and days and 
weeks of hard toil, and they would be so much happier 
and so much elevated above the animals whose muscu- 
lar force they employ. It would dignify their calling 
and make it more attractive to themselves and their 
sons. Suppose, now, that each of our present readers 
should induce one or more brother cultivator to become 
a reader also. Would it not be a grand contribution to 
the general good I We believe so, and invite each of 
our readers to do this much. As an extra inducement to 
sucli non-readers, the Publishers propose to present to all 
new subscribers, who come in this month, a whole quar- 
ter-yewPs subscription ; that is, any new subscriber com- 
mg i/i during September, will get the Agriculturist from 
now to the end of 1873 for a single year's subscription, 
as noted, page 328. WH2 our friends please make this 
offer known among their friends and neighbors at once? 
