1867/1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
147 
Kg.L 
Tlie Doctor Talks to tlie Boys and 
CSirls. 
"When you read about the tricks of magician?, who show 
a human head floating in the air, and who take out of a 
man's hat articles enough to fill a hand-cart, your young 
eyes open wide with astonishment. These thing3 are in- 
deed wonderful as showing what ingenuity can do, hut 
they are only tricks, and a person as ingenious as the 
one who invented them can easily find out how they are 
done. Eight around you are things more wonderful than 
any thing the conjuror can show, and if you will only 
open your eyes at this, and learn how to use them, you 
need not regret that you can not see the magician display 
his skill. Some of the things that I shall talk to you 
about have been carefully watched by the most learned 
men, who have told us very plainly what they have seen 
iu egg and seed, in bud and flower ; but how the seed be- 
comes a plant or the &gg brings forth a living animal — 
these have never been found out. 
Wise heads — philosophers as they 
are often called— are not, as many 
suppose, always engaged in look- 
ing at the stars, and measuring 
mountains ; many of the most 
learned poke around mud holes 
and ponds and find animals and 
other objects for their study ; 
many think that curious things 
are only to be found by travelers in distant countries — 
but you need not go out of your own neighborhood nor 
off of your own fa nn to search for curious objects, or to 
see more wonders than all the showmen can display. 
Every boy and girl in the country- knows frog-spawn. 
It is a mass of clear jelly, to be found in early spring in 
almost even" pool of water. If you can find some of this 
frog-spawn— and you can readily do so by a little search — 
take home a little 
of it and place it 
in a saucer or 
bowl of rain wa- 
ter, and look care- 
fully at it. It is a 
mass of clear jel- 
ly, with some dark 
2. Fig. 3. spots distributed 
It is really a collection of transparent eggs 
surrounded and held together by a jelly-like substance, 
and the spots are the yolks of the eggs (fig. 1). Keep 
the vessel containing the spawn and water in a warm 
window, and look at it carefully every day and change 
the water even,- day or two. The round spots, or yolk, 
eoon cease to be round, and will have this outline, fig. 
2, and later like this, fig. 3; but unless one has a micros- 
cope and knows how to use it, all the minute changes 
that take place can not be follow- 
ed. Still a great change may be 
fcseen without any help but your 
own eyes. The spots will rapidly 
increase in size, and you will soon 
see them of the shape of fig. 4. and 
you will be able to make out that 
, 4. the little animal has a head and a 
tail. "Which is the head, is made more certain by the ap- 
pearance of eyes, and the tail shows its character by hav- 
ing a tendency to wiggle, and growing longer. Fig. 5 
shows an older and larger animal than fig. -l.andasthe little 
fellow lias been growing all the while, you will wonder 
what he has fed on. The transparent jelly of the egg 
has thus far contributed to his growth, but he has done 
no feeding proper, as he has no mouth. As a mouth is 
the nest tiling needed, a Utile opening appears in the 
head, and the internal arrangements of the animal having 
been completed, he jerks himself out of the cavity of the 
Cgg that has hereto- 
fore been his prison, 
and when strong 
enough goca forth to 
see the little world 
you have mude for 
him in a bowl. The 
figures given here- 
with are all more or less larger than tin- natural size. 
But, you will say, this is not a frog, it is only a tadpole 
orpollywng. Truo, but is it not a wonderful change. A 
mass of jelly into living animals; and is it not also curious 
that the frog is not born a frog, but that he is at ftrel an 
animal quite unlike a frog. It is equally interesting to 
watch the change of the tadpole on his way to frog-hood, 
but we can not do so now. Put some of the tadpoles 
where they can take care of themselves, and keep a few 
to Htudy They will do best in a gla^s jar, iu which yon 
mn-t change the water every day or two. Any fruit-can 
will do, and you can avoid the trouble of cban-ing the 
Fig. 5. 
water by putting in some plants. Place an inch or so of 
gravel in the bottom of the jar, and then place in it any 
of the plants that are found growing entirely under water. 
Every deep brook or pond will furnish a number of these, 
and it does not make much difference which is taken, 
only those with the finest leaves are the best. Tie the 
plants to a bit of stone to hold them down, fill the jar 
Fig. 0. 
with rain or river water, and put in the tadpoles. If this 
is kept in full light, the water will not need changing. 
A ZVevr and Useful Toy. 
One of the best toys for children we have ever seen is a 
set of improved builders' blocks, invented and patented 
by a subscriber to the Agriculturist, Mr. Charles M. 
Crandall, Montrose, Pa. They are so really pleasing and 
useful, that we publish an engraving, showing how they 
Work. They are plain bass-wood pieces, most of them 
of the shape shown iu the figure, notched to fit eac"h other 
firmly, so that when a 
building is put together 
it can be taken up whole 
aud moved about with- 
out falling to pieces. 
They can be joined in 
almost endless combina- 
tions. "We have seen 
churches, factories, wind- 
mills, fences, cradles, 
and other furniture made 
with them. The little 
house shown in the pic- 
ture was put up by a boy 
in a few minutes. Be- 
sides the many hours' 
amusement they will afford, playing with these blocks 
will develop skill and taste in planning and executing, 
and we think Mr. Crandall has done the children a real 
service in bringing out so capital a plaything. The blocks 
are very durable, but if any split, they are still service- 
able in making new designs. All information about 
prices, etc., can be had by addressing the inventor. 
Plant SometJaiiig, a grape-vine, strawberry plant, 
a rose-bush, or even a beet or a cai'rot — something to care 
for and watch and study day by day. It will give more 
pleasure than any toy, besides adding something to your 
knowledge. It may perhaps be the beginning of a suc- 
cessful career as a fruit grower, a gardener, or a botanist. 
Tlie Boy >vlio kept " Blowing.-' 
Those who read the story of Timid Timothy in the 
March Agriculturist, page 107, will readily see the mean- 
ing of the similar picture given here. Boys who brag or 
i\ew Puzzles to lie Aias^vered. 
No. 258. A Clock Problem, suggested by David Rue, Jr. — 
Suppose the striking part of a clock to be out of order so 
that at one o'clock it strikes three, at the next hour it 
strikes five, thus gaining two strokes each hour, in how 
many hours from one o'clock will it strike the time cor- 
rectly, and how many strokes will it have given in all, 
counting the three made at the beginning ? Of course it. 
never strikes more strokes than twelve at one time_ 
1 _^Tf»* 
No. 259. Illustrated Rebus. — A very obvious truth. 
No. 260. Mathematical Problem, by J. S. Chandler.— 
Two wheels, one four (4) feet and the other four feet and 
one inch (4 feet 1 inch) in diameter, were put on an axle- 
tree, which brought them just four (4) feet apart ; both 
were then started at the same rate of speed, but as one 
wheel was larger than the other, they soon came back to 
the point from which they started, describing a perfect 
circle in their course. "What was the diameter of the 
smaller and what the diameter of the larger circle ? 
Answers to Problems aiacl Puzzles. 
The following arc answers to the puzzles, etc., in the 
March numbc. page 107. No. 253. Illustrated Rebus.— Ths 
last rose of summer No. 254. Illustrated Rebus.— The 
proper study of mankind is man No. 255. Word 
Sgtiare. — The proper definitions are: Plea, leap, ease, 
apes No. 250. Rlust rated Rtbus.— To the wise, noth- 
ing is accidental No. 257. Anagrams. — 1, Afterward; 
2. Mourned; 3, Prepared; 4, Hypocrisy: 5. Astonished. 
The following have sent in correct answers, up to 
March 1st. R. L. "Wells, C. H. Cannon, Oliver Coombs, 
"blow" a great deal may here see themselves r.s others 
sec them, ou the way to become mere porpoises in society, 
amuaing perhaps to those about them, inn not counted as 
valuable lull. ll Lctanothcr praise thee and not iliy^U'."' 
Willie Lcsher. George Kemper, U «T. O. S," Chs. E. 
McLencgan, E. Van Syckol, Jr., A. A. Boydon, Charles 
A. Farmer, " n," Wm. A. Fulton, A. J. Walling, James 
and Iabbic BorUott, Owen & Brumbaugh, Irvia Clark, 
