American ag-riculturist 
THE PIONEER OF THE 
with long, white, silky hair, and a countenance expres- 
sive of nothing in particular. Presently his owner, Mr. 
E. W. Dodd, of Brooklyn, came along, and we were soon 
shown that this was a dog of remarkable accomplish- 
ments. Not only could he do all the common tricks 
11 without trying," as the boys say, hut had progressed as 
far as to spell in words of two syllables, and to do sums 
in simple addition. No, I don't mean "bow-wow," by 
words of two syllables, for he does his spelling in the 
most quiet manner. The owner has letters of the alpha- 
bet, each one on a card ; these are laid out in a semicir- 
cle, and the dog is told to spell a name— Henry for in- 
stance. He walks along with his attention fixed upon 
the letters until he comes to H, which he takes up and 
lays by itself, then he starts again to examine the letters 
and when E is reached he picks that up and puts it by 
the side of H, and so on until the whole word is spelled 
out. Cards containing figures instead of letters are then 
laid down, and the dog is asked, "How much are six 
times twelve,"— he selects the seven and the two, and 
places them side by side, and does other simple sums. 
Tou probably think that is a remarkable dog. So I 
thought, and got his photograph for the engraving 
"How is it done?" Easy enough; how do yon spell 
Constantinople, or solve the problem, ' If an apple and 
a half cost a cent and a half, how much will two apples 
cost' ? If a young child can do these things why should 
not an old dog do things which are much easier ? "Tou 
know that a dog can't spell and cypher."— I have told 
you that I have seen him do both. ..." But there is some- 
thing you haven't .explained, some trick about it," 
So there is. I am glad yon like to know how things are 
done. The dog is trained to go from one letter or figure 
to another, and at a signal to pick up the proper one. 
This signal is given so adroitly and the dog's senses are 
fCOPTT.IGHT SECURED.] 
T R A I N. — DRAWN BY W. M. CART. — Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
so acute in heeding it, that of the thousands who have 
seen the dog perform, but few have discovered how it 
was done. Most people watch the dog, I watched the 
master. I noticed that he always held a hand behind 
him, and thinking that hand had something to do with 
the spelling, I watched it. As the dog came to the right 
letter the thumb-nail moved against one of the finger- 
nails and made the slightest possible click, loud enough 
for the sharp ear of the dog to hear, but not loud enough 
to be noticed by the spectators. So after all, it was the 
man, and not the dog, who spelled and cyphered, still it 
was wonderful to see how acute the dog was, and how 
well he had been trained to do his part. Will Wabren. 
The Pioneer of the Train. 
To a great many of our BoyB and Girls this picture will 
need no explanation. They have seen the trains goby, 
the men on horseback or walking, the children in the 
huge wagons with the furniture, the old women knitting, 
the younger ones often on foot, all moving at the slow 
pace of the patient oxen— where ? To the West. Every 
year finds these trains going farther and farther west, 
carrying families by the hundreds, and many a little one 
will read this in States which were not known, by name 
even, when the writer studied geography. What courage 
have these people who take all their movables and leave 
older settlements to go to a new country and make a new 
home ! What days of weary travel, what discomforts 
with but a wagon, or it may be a tent for a house, what 
deprivations of food, what sufferings when sick, these 
brave travelers must experience — can only be told by those 
who have had a part in them. Generally the guidance of 
the train falls to one who hap bad more experience in 
such matters than the rest. Indeed it would seem that 
there were some men especially made for the very pur- 
pose. The guide or pioneer has a wonderful knowledge 
of everything about traveling or camping. He will see 
further and make out an object quicker than most men. 
If he -has been over the country before— years ago it may 
be— he will remember eveiy feature, and if he travels 
a route for the first time, he seems to know just where to 
go to find the best camping places. He appears to never 
get tired, and never to lose courage. The artist has drawn 
a fine portrait of one of these hardy characters. Far in 
advance of the train he has gained the top of a swell in 
the prairie and casts a long look forward in search of 
signs of water. Let us hope that the indistinct line 
which he sees is a belt of Cotton-woods indicating water 
and that soon the tired travelers and their animals will 
reach the long looked for camping place. In the bustle 
of preparing supper, and in the enjoyment of eating it, 
the long and tedious road they left behind them will 
he forgotten. So on the train moves, on, day after day 
until the place is reached where the new home is to be. 
Answers to Problems and Puzzles. 
No. 367. Because he sins (he's in S)....No. 36S. A lit- 
tle continually increased by a little, ends in a great deal— 
A little c on tea in U le in creased bee Y A little ends in 
A great D eel. . . .No. 309. 'Tis now the witching time of 
night when church-yards yawn. Tie S now tea he witch 
in G time of night W-hen church-yard S T three feet and 
3 inches (the three feet 3 inches are intended to stand for 
anne, an old French measure). The following have sent 
correct answers : Thco. Wilson. F. S. Ingalls. W. A. 
McLawn. Arthur Moffatt. G. D. Bunyan. C'has. D. Water- 
bury. N. Brenner, J. E. Downing. Horace Beakes. Moses 
D. Toder, Alvey L. Hemingway, Job P. Sylvester. 
