134 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
Containing a great variety of Items, including many 
good Hints and Suggestions which we give here in small 
type and condensed form, for want of space elsewhere. 
Xfiasket again Overflowing.— The Cal- 
endar of Operations, which litis four pages, is so import- 
ant this seed-time month that we have allowed, it ta 
crowd other departments. This, with an error in receiv- 
ing too many advertisements, crowds out many " Basket 
Items " in type. They must have room next month. 
To Correspondents,— Half a million intel- 
ligent, thinking, talking, writing readers have given us 
more letters than we could possibly answer. Please ac 
cept this excuse for delay in responding to several letters. 
** Errors Corrected." — In writing up this 
year's Mail Books, a few errors have been made — a re- 
markably small number, considering the number of names 
to be entered, and the frequent indefiniteness of the di- 
rections given in the letters containing them, the omission 
of name, of State, etc. If there is any living man who 
can pick 100,000 names out of letters, with their Post- 
Office addresses, as usually written, and with no mistakes, 
we will employ him at a large salary. We always desire 
to be informed of any error, and correct it promptly. 
The Drawing- Instruments here at 
Last ! — A large invoice of the beautiful cases of Draw- 
ing Instruments for Premiums, which were ordered 
from Paris in November, and which should have been 
here early in January, did not arrive until April 12th. 
None of our friends entitled to them can have been 
more annoyed than ourselves, at this extraordinary delay. 
We have previously purchased, at extra expense, and 
sent out to fill premiums, all the similar instruments we 
could find in the city, so that we shall now have a small 
overplus after filling the premium demands, in and to 
come in. These surplus sets will be sold to those first 
calling for them at $6 50 per set, including pre-paid 
postage. They are in neat rosewood cases, and the price 
is less than they could be sold for, if imported at the 
present price of Exchange. See engraving and descrip- 
tion in January Agriculturist, page 25. 
A Very Mean Imposition. — Every now 
and then, a subscriber sends us an advertisement or cir- 
cular that has come folded up in his regular copy of the 
American Agriculturist. Some of these circulars are 
descriptive of unseemly or vicious books, medicines, in- 
struments, etc., such as no parent would wish to have 
drop out into his family circle. We never put anything in 
the shape of a circular or handbill in any paper ; and as 
the papers are put into the mail bags in our own mailing 
rooms, such additions must usually be made at the Post 
Office where they are received, by some clerk or other 
person who is privately acting as agent for the venders of 
the reprehensible articles. It is a double imposition, first 
upon the publisher, who is thus made to appear to coun- 
tenance the swindling ; and second upon the reader, who 
is made the unwilling recipient of a thing he would on 
no account bring into his family. We ask the aid of 
every one so imposed upon, in ferreting out the guilty 
parlies. Any Postmaster proved to be guilty of such an 
offence will be instantly dismissed by the Department at 
Washington, as we are assured. 
66 Ten-Forties."— We cheerfully give a place 
in our reading columns to an advertisement of the New 
10-40 U- S. Bonds, thus called, because they have 40 
years to run, but may be paid after 10 years. We know 
of no better investment than these for small or large 
sums. The 5-20 six per cent Bonds are already selling 
at 114 to 115, and few can be had. The 10-40 Bonds are 
relatively more valuable, because having a longer time 
to run. In England, a three per cent permanent Gov- 
ernment Stock is considered a good investment, though 
the National debt is still twice our own, and the ability 
to pay very far less. With our National troubles settled, 
as we hope and believe they soon will be, all Govern- 
ment Stocks will stand at a high premium. They have 
pledged for their payment the whole property of the 
country, and take precedence of all other debts. If the 
public faith should ever fail, no other security would 
have any value. The increased confidence in the tri- 
umph and stability of our country is already creating a 
very large foreign demand for our National Bonds, and 
with the return, of peace, this demand will so increase 
as to call for a large share of our National debt, to be 
returned only as we demand the privilege of paying it. 
The longer running 10-40 Bonds will be most sought after 
abread. _ The present prospect is, that the 200 million 
Popular Loan will soon be all taken up. This may be 
followed by a 4-per cent, loan if more funds are needed. 
People so well understand the security and convenience 
of stable Government Bonds, the interest payable at reg- 
ular periods in gold coin, and the interest coupons being 
everywhere equivalent to gold, that even a 4-per cent 
Bond would be preferred by many, to 6 or 7 per cent 
property mortgages. Everything considered, we answer 
"yes," to a considerable number of readers who have 
recently asked us if it is advisable for them to subscribe 
for the 10-40 five per cent. loan. The particulars can be 
learned from the advertisement. 
Sales of Well-bred 1 Stock.— There has 
been considerable activity of late among cattle breeders 
all over the country, and many Short-horns^ Ayrshires, 
and Jerseys have changed owners at very fair prices. 
At the Towneley sale of Short-horns at Burnley. Lanca- 
shire, England, March 17th, the buyers congratulated 
themselves on the absence of Americans, and the com- 
petition of the* "Almighty Dollar." Nevertheless, the 
average price brought by 46 cows and heifers, and 10 
bulls, was jEJ.28.7s. lid., or fully $640 (gold). One 3-year 
old cow, Royal Butterfly Duchess, was sold to Mr. Belts, 
for 500 guineas — over ($2,500 (gold), and a heifer coming 
two years old next August, sold to Mr. Eastwood for 
£590, which is nearly $3,000, (over $5,000 in green-backs.) 
"Ten Acres Enough." — A work of 255 
pages, published by James Miller, New York. Tliis pro- 
fesses to give the experience of one who moved from the 
city to a farm of ten acres, and contains an account of 
what he did, which would be interesting and useful, if 
we had proof of its reliability. The author with- 
holds his name, and after reading his 23rd chapter, we 
don't wonder at it, for a more out and out specimen of 
literary robbery we have seldom seen. This chapter is 
mainly made up, paragraph after paragraph, from an 
article by Donald G. Mitchell, entitled, " Hints about 
farming", and published in the New Englander for No- 
vember, 1860, pp. 889 to 907. Where we find such a tiling 
in one part of the work, we suspect the whole, and this 
feeling is not at all diminished by finding the advertise- 
ment of some New Jersey Land Company, in whose 
interest it appears to be written, at the end of the book. 
Plants for Names. — W. P. T. Pope, 
Bald Eagle Furnace. The leaves sent are those of the 
Trailing Arbutus, sometimes called May-flower (Epigaea 
repens), one of our most beautiful prostrate shrubs. It is 
not usually classed among medicinal plants, but Mr. P. 
says it has a reputation in diseases of the kidneys. It is 
difficult to cultivate in the open ground, but one of our 
associates has it growing finely in a Wardian case. I. F. 
Hackman, Middlesex Co., Conn. The leaf sent is from 
the Aucuba Japonica, the Gold Dust Tree. A very 
pretty evergreen, but not hardy in the Northern States. 
Mailing' Boxes for Plants. — About 
50 have been received, and others are still arriving. We 
have not time to write to each contributor of these. Ex- 
periments are in progress with them, but it may take 
some weeks to decide upon the best. Several send let- 
ters and boxes separately, without sufficient description 
to tell which box a letter refers to ; as several samples 
from different sources are very similar. 
Dogs.-"W. S. B.," Whitley Co., Ind. In this 
country we think a larger, more powerful and pugna- 
cious dog is required by the shepherd than the English 
and Scotch shepherd dogs, which, however, in point of 
intelligence, kindness to the sheep, and ease of training 
are not surpassed. The Spanish, Mexican and South 
American dogs, if they are well trained, can and will be 
the death of anything'of the canine tribe that comes 
near the flock, and are, in fact, so " sharp " that it is 
often dangerous for a stranger to approach the flocks 
they guard. They may be trained as drivers to nearly 
equal the colley. We recommend farmers whose flocks 
are liable to injury from dogs — and whose are not, to se- 
cure some of these sagacious and powerful animals. 
At all times, however, keep a good rifle, or smooth bore 
loaded with a heavy charge of buck shot, and if possible 
kill every dog that passes your farm unaccompanied, and 
particularly any one that may be found upon your land. 
Three grains of strichnine is fully equal in its effects to 
an ounce of lead in the brain or heart, and often more 
easily and less noisily administered. 
Beware of Gold Mines.— Just now 
there is a great rage for investing in the gold and silver 
mining companies. Scores of these companies are being 
formed in Eastern cities, each one of which holds forth 
(on paper) the most wonderful prospects. The fact that 
a very few mining companies have been lucky in striking 
upon a valuable vein, is held up as an example of what 
others are likely to realize. A San Francisco paper gives 
a list of 95 companies, organized in California, by persons 
on the spot, of which the stock of only 5 (1 in every 19 !) 
is worth par, or what it originally cost the subscribers. 
What can those at a distance expect then, those who have 
only hearsay, or the statements of interested, perhaps 
visionary, or over-sanguine parties to guide them. The 
truth is, a man has a better chance of winning a prize in 
a lottery. As with the gold diggers, so with the Eastern 
formed mining companies, where one will chance to be 
successful, forty nine will loose their money invested. 
We have aimed several paragraphs at some of these com- 
panies. The men engaged in one of them, took our re- 
marks as aimed specifically at themselves, and called upon 
us with documents to show their legitimate organization 
(though it was not so until after our first paragraph was 
published on the subject), and to show their personal re- 
sponsibility, all of which we admit. But we failed to be 
convinced of the positive good prospects of the company. 
One of the parties is alone able to take all the stock re- 
quired, and if he had full faith in all that he holds out to 
others, he would not invite them to give $2J£ to $5 for 
shares that according to the statements put forth will so 
speedily become worth as many thousands. 
A Fine Azalea. — There is uo better spring 
blooming plant for the green-house or conservatory than 
Azalea Indica in its different varieties. It stands a deal 
of hard usage and seldom fails to cover itself with flow- 
ers. John Hutchinson, gardener to F. A. Lane, Esq., 
placed upon our table the finest specimen we have seen 
in many a day. It was the variety called Iveryana, and 
was so full of flowers that scarcely a leaf could be seen. 
Indeed it was a beautiful specimen. 
Xhe Plnral or Cactus- Ellie C. Jarvis, 
Boone Co., Mo. If cactus is used as a Latin word, the 
plural is cacti, when it is employed as an English word, 
we prefer to make the plural in the usual way, cactuses. 
Catalogues, etc., Received. — H. B. 
Lum, Sandusky, O., Flower Seeds: E. Williams, Mont 
Clair, N. J., Small Fruits: Buist's Almanac and Garden 
Manual, Phila. : Alfred Bridgeman, New-York, Flower 
and Vegetable Seeds : Spring Catalogue of New Plants, 
Peter Henderson, Jersey City; N. J. : Knox Fruit Farm 
and Nurseries, J. Knox, Pittsburgh, Pa.: Proceedings of 
the Missouri State Horticultural Society, 4th Annual 
Meeting: An Essay on the Culture of the Grape in the 
Great West, by Geo. Husmann, Hermann, Mo. : J. M. 
Thorbmn & Co., New- York, Flower Seeds: Husmann & 
Manwaring, Hermann, Mo., Fruit and Ornamental Trees : 
Transactions of the Mass. Horticultural Society for 18G3 : 
Descriptive Catalogue of choice Annual and Biennial 
Flower Seeds— Mark D. Wilson, Rochester, N. Y.... 
Dreer's Garden Calendar for 1864, containing directions 
for cultivation and a list of Seeds and Plants, Henry H. 
Dreer, Phila.: Fifth Annual Report of the Secretary of 
the Iowa State Ag'l. College, 1864... Transactions of the 
R. I, Society for the Encouragement of Domestic Indus- 
try for 1863 : Phoenix's Bloomington (III.) Nursery List: 
Supplement to Hovey & Co's Catalogue of Seeds. 
Herbarium for Hamilton College. 
—Prof. E. North writes that Hamilton White, Esq., of 
Syracuse, has, purchased and presented to Hamilton Col 
lege the herbarium of Dr. H. P. Sartwell, of Penn Yan, N. 
Y. The collection contains about eight thousand speci- 
mens of plants. From our acquaintance with Dr. S», as 
a careful botanist, and a maker of most excellent speci- 
mens, we congratulate the college upon the possession of 
so valuable a collection. 
Good Returns tor One Dollar.— Mr. 
Wm. Havenbull, of Kendall Co., 111., received one year 
ago four Triomphe de Gand strawberry plants as his pre- 
mium with the Agriculturist. Last autumn he sold four 
hundred plants atone dollar a hundred, and had four 
hundred more left to plant a bed for his own use. 
Seeding; to Grass — Information 
Wanted.— The practice of good farmers in different 
parts of the country varies more in regard to sowing 
grass for permanent mowings, or for "stocking down" 
for a number of 'years, than in regard to almost any thing 
else. Common practice in any one section is not a safe 
guide for other parts of the country ; neither is it always 
best or expedient for the district where it is most used. 
We shall be very glad to hear from many of the 
readers of the American Agriculturist on this subject, 
and will arrange for the benefit of all, the facts thus gath- 
ered. Please state— 1st. Kind of soil and if good grasses 
would grow without seeding. 2d. The time of year you 
prefer to sow grass seed. 3d. The kind of grass sown 
and the quantities of each. 4th. How long each kind is 
likely to last, before giving way to other sorts more nat- 
ural to the soil or propagating themselves more readily. 
