REVIEW OF THE AUGUST NO. OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 
347 
REVIEW OF THE AUGUST NO. OF THE 
AGRICULTURIST. 
The most reasonable way for you and the read¬ 
ers of the Agriculturist to account for my not re¬ 
viewing your three preceding Nos. is, to believe 
your Reviewer to be like a skilful physician, who 
awaits the operation of an experimental dose of 
medicine, before repeating it. But some, who pre¬ 
sume to know “ who the author of Junius is,” will 
tell you, that I have been absent “ in the Mexican 
warothers, that I have had the “ copper fever,” 
and hence have been on a trip to Lake Superior. 
But, I say, that I shall say nothing, except in the 
way of some few short comments upon your 
August No. 
Do not mix your Potatoes —Let me advise culti¬ 
vators not to grow but one kind, except perhaps a 
few very early ones in the garden. I cannot see 
the advantage of growing all sorts, since no sort are 
exempt from the wide-spread disease. I have just 
received a letter from Indiana, which says the rot 
has already appeared among them, and in places 
never before affected. 
Drying Pears. —B \y the French method this is too 
slow an operation for Yankee go-aheadativeness. 
If dried in a well constructed drying kiln, at an ex¬ 
pense so small that it can hardly be counted, they 
are far superior to dried apples for every-day use. 
They need not be peeled, and, if small, only cut 
in halves. 
Drying Cabbage Leaves , noticed in the Farmers’ 
Club of this city, makes my Dutch blood boil, as an 
innovation upon the rights and privileges of sour- 
krout. I would sooner die of scurvy than live 
upon dried cabbage leaves. Pray what is the ad¬ 
vantage of “ dried cabbage leaves” over that of 
sour-krout ? I am sure the latter can be taken to 
sea, and will keep better than the former. If one 
of my old shipmates is still living, he could give 
you the history of some choice jars of it which 
went round the world with him. 
Insects , fyc. —The same letter above spoken of, 
tells me of a new enemy of the wheat crop in the 
west, that is very destructive, called the “ chinch- 
bug.” My correspondent says that the fall wheat is 
eaten up in places by them in the fall ; spring 
wheat and oats sadly injured, and sometimes de¬ 
stroyed just before getting ripe. Will the Prairie 
Farmer give us more information upon this part of 
the grain grower ? 
Self-Acting Machine for Raising Water. —Is this 
an improvement upon Montgolfier’s water-ram ? 
It does appear to me that if I had a fall of seven 
feet, affording eight gallons a minute, I could con¬ 
struct a much more effective and cheaper machine 
than the one described. Then, where is the im¬ 
provement or advantage of this ? There is a water- 
ram in operation near West Chester, Penn., which 
did not cost more than two days’work of a common 
carpenter, or handy man with tools, and it does a 
better business than the one described by you. 
Flax Machine. —The best kind is a good thresh¬ 
ing machine to take off the seed, without trying to 
save the lint. The present price of flax will not 
warrant much attention to its culture, as cotton has 
taken its place in a great measure; but the seed 
a 1 ways commands a remunerating price. 
About Fruit Trees Running out. —The reason 
why many persons are led to the belief that grafts 
decay with the original stock, is, because so 
many grafts are taken from decaying trees, and 
carry with them the disease of the parent stock. It 
is also a fact that seedlings are more hardy and 
long-lived than grafts; but this furnishes no proof 
that varieties do run out in consequence of being 
only propagated by grafting. Still, I am a great 
friend to seedlings, and would recommend every 
farmer to continue every year to “ know the tree 
by its fruit,” and if not good, cut down the top, and 
insert some choice grafts. We have certainly de¬ 
parted too far from seedling fruit trees, in some 
places ; while, in others, there seems to be no taste 
for any other kind except those that come “ nate- 
ral,” and of a size described by friend Greeley, as 
“ five to the pint .” 
Culture of the Grape. —Whatever comes from the 
pen of Nicholas Longworth is sure to be read with 
interest, and these extracts are -particularly so. 
His experiments appear conclusive to me against 
the importation of grape-vines. I have no doubt 
that the cultivation of native varieties can be made 
more profitable upon hundreds of thousands of 
acres of our native soil, than any other crop. 
It is useless to cry out against cultivating grapes 
for wine, on account of our temperance principles 
As well might we cry out against growing corn, 
because a few wicked men make stinking whiskey 
of it, which certainly produces more drunkenness 
than all the grape culture in the world. Some¬ 
thing more from Mr. Longworth will add value to 
your pages. 
Dairy Cows. —“ Almost ashamed to mention the 
subject,” are you, because you have so often en¬ 
deavored to persuade us of the truth, which we 
heed not ? I think I have read of one before who 
denied the truth; but when the cock crowed it 
waked him up to a sense of his duty. Let me 
crow and wake you up, not to be ashamed to con¬ 
tinue to urge upon the notice of all your readers 
the great importance of improving the quality of 
their milch cows. I think the article describing Mr,] 
Baker’s cows jumps at conclusions rather too 
much. Because a cow gives 21J pounds of milk at 
one milking, it is not certain that she will give 42^ 
lbs. each day; nor because Mr. Baker had made 
7 or 8,000 lbs. of cheese, is it at all certain that he 
will make 12 or 13,000 lbs. more. If Mr. Baker, 
at the close of the season, will give us an exact 
table of the amount of cheese made—number of 
cows—how long milked—ages—breed—how kept, 
&c., &c., it w r ill be very interesting and useful to 
your readers. 
Glass Milk Pans. —These may be most excellent, 
and “ with careful usage last a thousand years 
but, with common usage, such as they would 
surely meet with upon almost every farm, they will 
be found to cost more than they come to. “ Better 
let them be,” and use really good tin ones. 
Disease of Fowls. —This is an article well worth 
the cost of the volume to every person that even 
keeps a hen. If any of your readers have passed it 
over without notice, I beg them to refer back to it, 
and learn the true cause of much of the disease 
of fowls. 
