1878.] 
25 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
attached to the bottom. The upper half may he 
fitted up to suit the convenience. A single shal¬ 
low bag of strong material, with an opening to al¬ 
low the standard to pass through, may be tacked 
to the hoop, and form one large receptacle, or it 
may be divided into several compartments. The 
underside of the cover may be furnished with sev¬ 
eral pockets to hold articles, and its capacity as a 
work-stand may be still more enlarged by attaching 
a row of small pockets around the upper edge of 
the stand, to hold spools and other materials. 
Diphtheria—What to Do. 
Believing that much of what is called domestic 
medicine—frequent and ill-advised dosing—to do 
much more harm than good, the American Agricul¬ 
turist has, as a general rule, kept its columns free 
from the many recipes sent as “ the best thing in 
the world,” and “ sure cures ” for various diseases. 
While we are opposed to frequent medication for 
every little ailing, we think that every mother 
should understand the general laws of health, and 
sufficient of diseases to know when it is safe for 
her to apply some simple remedy, and when the 
case is sufficiently grave to make it necessary to 
call in medical aid at once. In many cases the suc¬ 
cess of the physician depends upon his being called 
at once, while it is too often the case that he is not 
sent for until all the medical knowledge of the pa¬ 
rents and neighbors is exhausted, and the patient 
still grows worse. There is no disease in which 
immediate aid is move imperatively demanded than 
diphtheria, which has been, the past season, aud is 
now, in some neighborhoods, and even whole town¬ 
ships, especially frequent, and often very malignant 
and fatal. In one family, within a mile or two of 
the writer’s residence, every one of a family of four 
promising children has been taken away within 
about a week. Diphtheria is eminently contagious, 
and every precaution should be taken to prevent 
it being communicated from one to another. When 
the disease prevails in a locality, children should be 
kept as much as possible from contact with others, 
and as persons in whom it has not manifested itself, 
are able to communicate the disease, all fondling 
of children, and “ kissing the baby ” by callers, 
should be avoided. Before there is any difficulty 
■of breathing, there is a constant pain at the sides 
of the throat, and this is accompanied by very fetid 
breath, and the appearance of whitish spots upon 
the sides of the throat, (fauces), the back part of 
the throat, or the roof of the mouth, is an indica¬ 
tion sufficiently strong to call for medical examina¬ 
tion at once. The remedies employed by physicians 
are various, but none is so generally used, and none 
have been found, if used in time, more reliable 
than the Chlorate of Potash. While we do not ad¬ 
vise any parent to assume the responsibility of 
treating so grave a disease as diphtheria, we may 
suggest how they can essentially aid the physician, 
and this is of especial importance to those who 
live at a long distance from the doctor, and where 
many hours must pass before he can arrive, for 
in this disease hours are of great importance. 
Chlorate of Potash, to be had at all drug stores, 
is a salt in small, white, scale-like crystals, which 
are not very soluble in water. It may be kept on 
hand in the form of crystals, or when the disease is 
prevalent in the neighborhood, it may be well to 
keep a solution ready for use. It takes about 16 
parts of cold water to dissolve one part of the 
Chlorate, and it is to be used in a saturated solu¬ 
tion. To prepare this, it is only necessary to add 
to water more of the Chlorate than it will dissolve. 
Half an ounce put into a four-ounce vial of water, 
will be about twice as much as the water will dis¬ 
solve. As long as any remains undissolved, the so¬ 
lution is known to be saturated— i. e., the water 
can take up no more. If the ordinary water is hard, 
use rain water. Upon the appearance of symptoms 
which seem to indicate diphtheria, a dose of this 
•may be given every hour, a teaspoonful for a child 
three years and older, and half a teaspoonful to 
those under three. It is to be given undiluted, and 
without any sweetening or other admixture, as its 
taste is not very unpleasant. Drink of any kind 
should not be given for some minutes after a dose, 
as it is desirable that the solution should remain in 
contact with the surfaces of the throat and mouth 
as long as possible. Children old enough to gargle 
the throat, may take the dose every hour, and every 
half hour use the same as a gargle. This is only in¬ 
tended to aid the physician’s treatment, and is ad¬ 
vised only for cases in which some hours must 
elapse before they can be attended. When the 
doctor comes, tell him exactly what has been done, 
and how many doses have been given. Those situ¬ 
ated quite beyond the reach of medical aid, cannot 
do better than continue the administration of the 
solution every hour, day and night, until the spots 
in the throat begin to disappear, when their fre¬ 
quency may be diminished to two, and later to 
three hours, giving all the while the most nourish¬ 
ing food. This advice has the sanction of the most 
eminent medical authorities, but we repeat, it is 
only to be followed until the doctor comes, and at 
the first appearance of diphtheria, or what seems to 
be that, lose no time, but send for medical aid at once. 
BOY§ & omy ffifflOTMtm 
No. 463.—Puzzle IMctui'e.—Master Green has 
gone out on a gunning expedition. He would shoot if 
he could see any game. Yon and I can see a plenty 
of game of various kinds, large and small, but there 
is more than any of you are likely to see at first sight. 
The Doctor’s Correspoiulcncc. 
ABOUT THE MICROSCOPE. 
Last month most of you no doubt saw that the Pub¬ 
lishers had arranged for the manufacture of a Micro¬ 
scope, which is to bo called the American Agriculturist 
Microscope, and that it can be had on very easy terms. 
In offering this Microscope I know that the Boys and 
Girls were considered quite as much as the older people, 
as it will prove a great source of amusement and in¬ 
struction, and is put so very low that it would seem that 
nearly every o 'e who really wished to have one could 
get it. Many will no doubt be writing to ask me about 
it, and I will answer them in advance, that while it may 
be had for a fraction of a dollar, it is quite as good 
as those which cost two or three dollars, but of course 
will not magnify like those large compound microscopes 
W'hich cost $25 to $100 or more. I have no doubt that 
enough youngsters -will have them to make quite a large 
YOUNG MICROSCOPISTS’ CLUB, 
and I shall try to point out, as they come along in season, 
the different things that you will find it interesting to 
examine. But this must not be all on one side, for I ex¬ 
pect you. on the other hand, to tell me what you find, and 
what you see that interests you. and that my cor¬ 
respondence, now quite large, will be much magnified by 
the Microscope. The engravings given last month show 
the parts of the Microscope, but there goes with each 
one a sheet telling 
HOW TO USE THE MICROSCOPE. 
This shows how to very easily mount the little instru* 
Fig. 1.— THE WOOD FBOG. 
ment on a base or stand, so that you can work more con¬ 
veniently with it. Then it tells how you can fit up a 
few little tools that will be very convenient to have, and 
quite worth the little trouble it will be to make them. 
Then it points out a number of things that are to be 
seen, many which you can examine now, and learn to 
use the Microscope handily. Take it altogether, I 
think we start off 
WITH THE NEW YEAR 
with a good prospect of having an interesting time. I 
expect that a large lot of new comers will join our 
circle—but there is room for all. The more the merrier, 
and there is always room for more. So tell your young 
friends—those who do not already belong to our circle— 
about the Agrimlturist and the Microscope, and let ns 
have as large a number as possible in our “ Young 
Microscopists Club.” 
W. I. Norton, of New Jersey, whose inquiries concern¬ 
ing the Tree-frog, I answered some months ago, sends a 
DRAWING OP A PROG. 
He found the frog in the woods, and “had a friend 
draw a picture ” of it. Now just here let me advise W. 
I. N., and every other boy and girl who reads this, to 
learn to draw. Had my young friend been taught to 
draw himself, he would not have been obliged to ask 
some one else to draw his frog. Every one who can learn 
to write, can learn to draw. All will not draw equally 
well, any more than all write well, but every one of you 
can, with a little trouble, learn to draw sufficiently well 
to be of great use. This frog of W. I. N.’s friend was 
not a remarkable one, but it was sufficiently accurate for 
me to see at once what frog it was taken from. I may 
have something to say 
ABOUT LEARNING TO DRAW 
at another time. As to this frog, I could see tiiat it was the 
Wood Frog {Sana sylvestris of naturalists), and my cor¬ 
respondent is right in saying that he never saw it on 
trees, ornear water. It is found in thick woods, preferring 
oak-woods, from Michigan to South Carolina. It is red¬ 
dish-brown above, and has a dark-brown patch around 
the eye, and extending considerably hack of it. It is a 
very active little follow, and makes long leaps, and you 
must be very lively if you would catch it, as it has a way 
of hiding among the leaves that may surprise you. If my 
friend had watched, he would have found that this frog, 
like all other frogs and toads, no matter where they may 
live at other times, go to the water at breeding time, usu¬ 
ally in early spring. As the young of all these animals 
is passed in the 
“TADPOLE OR POLLYWOG STATE,” 
they all go to the water to deposit their eggs, and then 
leave them, and the young which hatch from them, to 
shift for themselves. 
CARD-BOARD WORK. 
E. M. I know that making toys from card-board is a 
very pleasing occupation, and that making houses of 
card-board is even very useful, as one may learn much 
about architecture in making an exact model of a build¬ 
ing. If a young person in trying his hand at one of these 
only learns how necessary it is to be exact, and to always 
work from measure, it will be a useful lesson. Some 
persons are so careless that they can not cut out the stuff 
for a simple box, and have it all come together right, 
while the material for such a building as the New York 
Post-Office was all worked out, a stone at a time, in 
the quarry in Maine; and when the pieces were brought 
to New York, they were found to go together exactly, the 
measure having been given with great accuracy, and the 
workmen having observed it. One trouble about 
