isn.) 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
■409 
Crude Carbolic Acid to ICill Sheep 
Ticks.—" C. A. L.," Sbelburnc, V t., asks where he can 
get the crude carbolic acid, recommended by ''Walks 
and Talks," to kill sheep ticks.— If your druggist doc* 
not keep it and will not order it, your cheapest and best 
plan is to use carbolic soap. In careless hands the crude 
acid is dangerous, but carbolic soap is perfectly safe, and 
if the solution is strong enough, equally effective. 
Fall or Spring Planting of Orapes. 
—"A. L. & Co.," New Hampshire, ask if it is best to 
transplant grapes in September or April. — Under most 
circumstances wc prefer to plant in spring rather than 
fall, but in sheltered positions, with dry and warm soils, 
early fall planting may have advantages over spring. 
What is meant by early fall planting, is planting done at 
least a month before frost becomes severe enough to 
reach to the roots of the newly-set vine or tree. If plant- 
ing has "been done so late in fall that freezing can not be 
avoided, snecess would bo more likely to follow if the 
surface is covered with 4 or G inches of leaves or straw, 
to prevent early frosts reaching the roots. 
The Jersey nerd-Boole, Tol. II. 
— The second volume of the Ilerd Register of the Jersey 
Cattle Club is now in press, and will be ready for delivery 
in November. It will contain nearly 1.500 new entries. 
The edition will consist of but GOO copies, and it will be 
sold, for the same price, with the first volume ($5), post- 
age additional. Orders may be sent to Col. Geo. E. War- 
ing, Jr., Secretary, Newport, R. I. 
Hand-Gllasses. — U R. D.," Lloyd, "Wis. 
In this wooden country the bars of hand-glasses are 
usually made of wood. They arc extensively used by 
many of our market gardeners, made of glass set in 
light wooden bars, and havo a conical top. Many, how- 
ever, use a frame of wood, about 13 inches in width and 
breadth— a miniature hot-bed frame, with, a miniature 
sash for covering. This is the cheapest kind of protection 
for early spring vegetables, such as cauliflower, encum- 
bers, melons, etc. We know of no one who makes the 
metallic bar to which you refer as having seen in England. 
Will Guano Injure Seed or "Voim tv 
Plants * — Pho-phatic guanos will not ; Peruvian guano, 
if of good quality, will. The former may be drilled in 
with the seed, the latter should be sown broadcast, and 
harrowed iu, or mixed with the soil before sowing. 
Hoy* to Remove Nuts from Rnsty 
Bolts,— l 'G. R." complains of the difficulty he often 
lias in starting a nut on old bolts. Every farmer has ex- 
perienced the same trouble. Wccan do little to help him. 
He must exercise- patience and ingenuity. If the bolt 
turns in the wood, and has a round head, wc should nick 
it with a sharp cold-chisel, and drive a nail by the side of 
it in such a way as to hold tho bolt, or cut the head square 
with the chisel, and then hold it with pincers. Pour a 
little kerosene or other oil on to the nut and let it have 
time to penetrate. Try the nut both ways. If it can be 
moved at nil, tho battle i:- half-won. Keep moving it a* 
far as possible ; put on nil, and then turn it back again, 
and repeat again and again. If a hot iron can be placed 
on the nut, bo as to expand it without expanding. the 
bolt, the nut can often be started. Hammering the nut 
will sometimes heat it sufllciently to have the same effect. 
Cattle EHscase in Kn^lnnd. — In one 
single county in England, that of Norfolk, there were in 
August last at one time, according to a statement in the 
Farmers Chronicle, ten thousand cases of disease in 
cattle and fifty thousand cases of similar disease in 
sheep, and the sheep are found to be equally subject to 
this complaint (epizootic aphtha') as horned stock. 
The Plower-fiarden. — This is a com- 
bined catalogue and journal published by C.L.Allen & 
Co., Brooklyn, N. V. These gentlemen are the largest 
bulb-growers In the country, and the catalogue is mainly 
devoted to bulbs. Original and judiciously selected 
articles furnish a good quantity of reading-matter. Wc 
are surprised that a person of such good sense as JIi\ 
Allen should devote several pages of his otherwise 
creditable magazine to such* arrant balderdash as that 
called tho "Language of Flowers.'" If there i-s a de- 
mand for such nonsense it 13 another proof that the fools 
arc not all dead yet. The subscription price, $1 a yeav, 
is refunded to the subscriber in bulbs or seeds. 
Sloubering in Elorses.— » LT. A. B.," 
Iowa City, writes that while the Agriculturist is good 
authority, yet he thinks we are misraken in saying that it 
ie Lobelia and St. John's-wort that causes slobbering in 
horses, and not the clover, for no horses can be induced 
to eat these herbs. V.,;\ u TI. A. B.' 1 states his case trio 
broadly, and thjeruinlialls into an error, for wc mride the 
statement on absolute personal knowledge that it was 
these herbs caused the slobbering in the case wo referred 
to, and not the clover, for we detected the weeds in the 
clover which was fed to the horses, and the slobbering 
ceased when clover from another field in which there 
were no weeds was fed. There is a diversity of opinion 
on this matter, but wc know that horses will cat both 
these weeds, both in pasture and in the stable, when 
they are mingled with the clover; and wc know they arc 
sufficient to cause severe slobbering. " H. A. B." rightly 
says that bran- or other dry feed given will cure the Blob- 
bering very quickly. 
Apioultiirist and. Floral Guide 
ia the title of a new monthly published at Mexico, Mo., 
by W. G. Church. The only number that has come to 
our notice seems to be quite np to the times. 
Plowing Twice for Wheat.— An 
" Ohio Farmer " writes us that last season, having tried 
twice plowing part of his oat stubble, he found that the 
yield of the part twice plowed was more than double 
that of the other, the difference being at the rate of 
nearly twelve bnshels per acre. This year he has hired the 
plowing of what land he could not plow twice himself, 
being assured of the profit of the practice. 
Lemon and Orange Trees.— tl M. "W. 
H. T " New York. These trees may be kept through the 
winter in a room where the temperature does not go 
below 35°, and it need not be at any time higher than 
55° or G0°. They will winter very well in a light cellar 
or basement. "Water only when needed, cs they are 
more likely to suffer from too much than too little. It is 
impossible to tell when a seedling tree will bear fruit, 
and on account of this uncertainty, as well as to get a 
valuable kind, the trees are budded or grafted. 
A Green Zinnia. — Anna M. Brown, 
Carroll Co., Md., sends us a specimen of a double Zinnia 
in which the rays are mostly green. We have not Been 
a green Zinnia before, though most of the white ones 
have a greenish tinge. It is not remarkable that the 
petals should be green, as they are but modified leaves, 
and sometimes return to tho condition of a leaf. 
Extra Value of Choice Cattle.— 
E. Burr, of New Hampshire, has sold a pair of steers 
which weighed, dressed, 1,2S0 pounds each, at 1\% cents 
per pound. At the same market there were some poorer 
stock, weighing 000 pounds each, sold for nine cents, and 
some poorer still which brought six cents only ; and yet 
some farmers think there is no profit in good stock. 
A 4»iant PnltBall, — A fine specimen of 
this fungus was brought us last mouth from the farm of 
C. Van Horn, Lafayette, N. J. It weighed 3 lbs. 4 oz., 
and measured 33 inches in its largest circumference. 
Steam Farming- and Crops. — In 
England is a farm of 375 acres, on which for several years 
the crops have been sold standing, to be removed by the 
purchaser. This year the crops — a'l grain of various 
kinds— realized from $40 to $75 per acre as they stood. 
There is no stock fed upon this farm, no mannrc made, 
and the plowing and cultivation have been done by steam 
for many years. Another farm of 600 acres, cultivated on 
the same plan, had grain, grass, and root crops sold, all 
of which were removed by the purchasers bodily. What 
would be said of such farming here? 
Blow to I'resei'te his Sheep.— 
1,4 J. C," Atlanta, Ga., asks if he should pen some cows 
with his sheep whether they would prevent the dogS at- 
tacking his flock or not. — Such a course is hot advisable, 
03 cows seem to have a great antipathy to sheep, and 
very often kill or seriouslyinjnre them by booking. The 
best plan would be to pen the sheep by themselves, aud 
destroy all marauding dogs in some way. 
Keeping Cider Sweet.— U J. M. 5." 
It is very difficult to keep early-made cider sweet in bar- 
rels for a long time. Sulphite of lime (not sulphate) will 
do it, but this is to many objectionable. Sweet cider 
may be kept by bringing it to a boil, bottling while hot, 
and corking and sealing securely. The vinegar question 
bus been answered. 
What is a Slorse-Poirer ? - "S," 
Sidney, Ohio, asks, What constitutes a horse-power ? A 
nominal horse-power is equal to the raising of 33.000 
pounds one foot high per minute, and theoretically tho 
force of a falling body of that weight through that space 
in that time would yield one horse-power. Thus, if 
3>,000 pounds of water fall one foot in one minute, or 1000 
pounds fall 33 feet, or any multiple of feet or pound* that 
will amount to the given sum of 33,000 (which is called 
" foot-pounds"), there will be one horse-power, theoret- 
ically, or about three quarters practically. If the number 
of feet passed over bya stream in a minute be multiplied 
by the number of square feet in its cross section, and by 
G2 l /4 (equal to the weight of a foot of water), the result 
will be the weight passing over a dam in that stream per 
minute; and this divided by 33,000, of course gives the 
horse-power. It depends on the kind of water wheel 
used, what proportion of this power (from, 60 to 60 per 
cent.) may be utilized. 
llicikory-Nuts and Chestuut*. — "A 
Subscriber" in Connecticut planted a few quarts of nuts 
by " striking the corner of his hoe a few inches into the 
sod, dropping in a nut, and then covering" — covered 
with the sod we suppose, and wc ard not surprised at tic 
result — "none of the seed came up. 11 VcryflJw seedlings 
have the strength to force their way through a paetaTO 
sod. While the hickory and chestnut arc robust as treey, 
they are while seedlings as delicate as any other plants. 
Our friend would not expect to get a crop of Lima beans 
by putting the seed under the sod. If he would succeed 
with tree seedlings, he must give them a good seed-bed. 
ttJpriijht Strawberries- "W. H. K.," 
Franklin Co., Iowa. The Eush Alpines mako few or no 
runners, and a large plant may, as the nnreerymsn said, 
produce a quart of fruit in a season. The fruit is liked 
by some people, but is to our taste much inferior to other 
kinds In your cold climate we would advise planting 
fruit trees in spring. 
I>ate Seed. — Some one whose signature we 
can not make out, asks where he can get date 8eed "in 
the green state, before it is preserved and sugared." — We 
were not aware that dates were sugared or preserved in 
any other way than by drying. If he wishes the seeds 
for planting, those taken from the dates of the shops 
will grow readily. 
Horse aud Cattle Powder.-" Young 
Farmer M asks if Taylor's Horse and Cattle Powder, ad- 
vertised in August Agriculturist ', is a humbug or is it 
reliable.— No humbugs can be advertised in the Agricul- 
turist, as pains are taken to avoid such things. Wc 
believe it to be as represented. 
White Urowallia.- " O. S. B.," West- 
moreland Co., Pa., sends us the white variety of Browallia. 
Apple Seed.— "Mrs. J. G.," Nobles Co., 
Minn. Sow in spring as early as the Eoil can be prepared. 
If the seed has been well kept it needs no preparation. 
If very dry and dull-looking, mis it with twice its bulk 
of damp — not wet— sand for a week ortwo before sowing. 
Stir this occasionally, to prevent heating. This will cause 
the seeds, if good, to become plump, and even sprout if 
kept long enough. The sand may be sifted out or sown 
with the seeds. 
Kerosene Oil and Lamps. — " R. H. 
G.," Miss. If the beBt quality of oil is used— and none 
other should be — it makes but little difference which of 
the ordinary lamps are used. We burn the German 
Students' and House ft Perkins' lamps, and like both. 
As to safety, we look out for that in the oil. 
"Death in the I*ot ,fl — especially if the 
pot contains cabbage, according to the Ithaca Daily 
Leader. Some one sends a quotation from a sheet of 
that name, but does not say what State. Wc hope it is 
not the Ithaca where Mr, Comc'l has bia University. 
Tiic worms have been at the cabbage, and it is rank 
il pizen." Read: "A woman in Newficld died last week 
from eating cabbage. The report is that a part of the 
same cabbage that is said to have killed th 3 woman was 
given to a cow, and, after eating it, the animal died also. 
Another report is to the effect that a woman iu LanBing 
cither died or came near dying from the same poisonous 
food. Do not put down any * sauer kraut \ this year, 
and let corn-beef aud cabbage cease to be an article of 
food upon your tables. There is death in cabbage."— 
This very worm has been at work upon the cabbages of 
Europe for years, if not for centuries— but it took this 
Ithaca man to find out the deadly qualities of the cab- 
bages upon which it had fed. It is now about time to 
trot out the old scares ; some one ought to die from the 
sting of a locust— and also for that lady to be bitten on 
the finger by a tomato-worm, and all the rest of it. In 
the mean time, let those who will, eat cabbage— with or 
without the worms, as they may prefer. 
A Pinlt fi£atydid. — "J. P. T."," New 
Haven, Ct. Thanks for the Katydid of a lively pihk 
culm 1 . We have seen the same thing once or twice before. 
