250 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June. 
HOTS 4 (B©raMM; 
The Doctor’s Talks. 
The opening of Spring is to me the beginning of 
what might be called “ The What-is-it ? Season.” 
When the pleasant weather allows you to go about 
in the woods and lanes, and over the farm, many 
of you find things which are new and strange to 
you, and it is very natural, if you can not learn 
about them otherwise, that you should send them to 
“The Doctor,” asking about them in various ways, 
but all are forms of saying “What is it?”—Ido 
not speak of this to find fault, for I am very glad 
that it is so, and I would encourage you all to fol¬ 
low the example of Master Eddie, who sends the 
very first letter of this kind that came to me this 
season. Eddie is nine years old, lives at Dayton, 
Ohio, and writes : “ I have found in the stone 
quarry on this place, a little stone ; it is in a sort 
of mud ; I would like to know the name of them, 
and how they were formed. 
Wo Call Them ‘ Indian Beads.’ ” 
Master Eddie has done very well fora boy of nine. 
If older persons would write just what they wish 
to say and then stop, 
it would greatly help 
those of us who have 
many letters to read and 
answer. That other 
boys—and girls too— 
may know what Eddie’s 
“Indian Beads” are 
like, I give an engrav¬ 
ing of a few of them, of 
the real size in figure 1. 
Fig. 1.—“ INDIAN BEADS.” They are evidently of 
stone and of a regular 
form, though many are more or less broken, and 
of a slightly bluish color. As most of them have 
a hole in the center, no doubt this suggested the 
idea that they were “beads,” and made by the 
“Indians.” I do not think that I can tell “how 
they were formed,” other than to say that, like 
Topsey, they “growed so.” These “ beads ” date 
far back of any Indians of which we have any ac¬ 
count, indeed before human life of any kind was 
known. Instead of being the work of human hands : 
The “Beads” Are Fossils. 
As this will cause many to ask : What is a fos¬ 
sil ? I will answer it in advance. The word is from 
the Latin and means “ dug out of the earth,” but 
is now applied only to the remains of things that 
were formerly living — animals and plants — of 
which there are a vast number, from those so small 
as to require a powerful microscope to see them at 
all, up to others larger than the largest elephant. 
These animals and vegetables, or parts of them, 
are often—not always— petrified, that is turned into 
stone. It is not, however, strictly proper to say 
that such things are turned into stone. Limestone, 
and other stones may be 
dissolved in water, and as 
the parts of plants or ani¬ 
mals decay, this dissolved 
stone is deposited in the 
place of these parts, and in 
time we have a stone cast of 
the original. These beads, 
then, give in stone some¬ 
thing that was once alive. 
You will next wish to know 
what plant or animal could 
ever have lived that look¬ 
ed like these fossils. 
These “ beads ” are parts of 
something else—only fragments, and belong to 
animals about which we know but very little. In 
the fossil state, there are found a great many of 
what the quarry-men call “Stone-Lilies,” one of 
the most common of which is shown in figure 2. 
This looks much like the bud of a Lily, and is upon 
a jointed stem, often several inches long. These 
fossils would be very puzzling, were there not now 
found at least one such creature still living. This, 
figure 3, now lives in the sea, near the West Indies, 
and a study of this allows the fossil forms to be 
understood. It belongs to the Radiate animals, of 
which the most familiar are the Star-fishes com¬ 
mon all’along our coast. I can now only say that 
these animals have all their parts arranged around 
a central portion. These creatures, of which the 
“Stone-Lily” is one, are called Crinoids, a name 
from the Greek which means “lily-like.” They 
have a central stem, which is made up of short 
joints placed one upon another, and on the top 
there are five arms or 
rays, which, as in fig¬ 
ure 3, are often much 
divided. The animal’s 
body is strengthened 
by having a great deal 
of lime in its sub¬ 
stance, and seems 
more like a stone 
formation than like a 
living thing. The 
finding of this “Head 
of Medusa” as it is 
called, in the West 
Indian seas, shows 
that the fossil “Stone 
Lilies ” were animals 
much like a star-fish 
upon a jointed stem, 
which would allow it 
to sway back and 
forth with the waves. 
The fossils which Eddie sends would perhaps be a 
great puzzle, did not the discovery of this living one 
show that these “ Indian Beads ” are the separated 
joints of the stem of a similar creature. While 
these Crinoids are so rare at present, they must 
have been very abundant in the seas of the ancient 
world, for there are in this country and in Northern 
Europe extensive beds of limestone which are 
largely made up of the remains of myriads of these 
creatures. In some parts of Europe these joints 
are known as “ wheel-stones,” and the very perfect 
ones are collected and strung to be used as orna¬ 
ments. In one part of the north of England, 
where similar fossils are very abundant, they are 
known by the name of “ St. Cuthbert’s Beads.” 
In sending fossils, especially if they have deli¬ 
cate markings, always wrap each one separately in 
soft paper, so that they will not get rubbed in the 
mail. Observe that no writing should be with such 
specimens, unless they are small and letter postage 
is paid. If sent as third-class matter, as samples, 
on which the postage is one cent for each two 
ounces, the parcel should always be so done up 
that the contents may be inspected. Consequent¬ 
ly, if a wooden box is used, no tacks should be put 
in to hold the cover, and in the case of any parcel, 
use no paste, gum, or sealing wax. In short, the 
package should be readily opened by untying 
the string. At this season it is proper to give 
A Word About Sending Plants, 
and by this I mean flowers or any parts of plants. 
The proper manner will depend somewhat upon 
the size of the plant and the distance it is to be 
sent. Many of you do not know that I cau make 
out a plant quite as well when it is dried as if it 
were freshly gathered. So for small plants, and 
those that are quite delicate, it is better to dry 
them before sending. If you have some large 
book—mind, not a good book, but one that is fit 
only to be sold as waste paper, for there are such, 
the plants can be dried in it, but do not use for 
such a purpose any book that it is desired to keep. 
If no otherwise worthless book is at hand, lay the 
plant upon a newspaper, or other soft paper, fold¬ 
ed, to form several thicknesses, and put a similar 
paper on it, and then apply weights; several heavy 
volumes are usually the most convenient weights. 
If the plant is not large, and there are many thick¬ 
nesses of paper, it will dry without changing, but 
if it is fleshy, it may need changing to fresh dry 
newspapers each day for two or three times. When 
it no longer feels damp to the touch, it may be put 
between papers, and with one or two paste-boards 
or vary thin board, may be done up and sent by 
mail. If it be desirable to send the plant fresh, 
put it in a box that will not get crashed in the 
mail. Paste-board boxes rarely escape damage, and 
small tin or wooden ones are preferable. Observe- 
what is said about tying, never use nails or tacks, 
or paste or gum on the paper. If it is at hand,. 
Always Pack the Plants in Moss. 
But every one does not have moss, and the next 
best thing is to wet paper and then squeeze out the 
water, so that it will not drip, and put this wet 
paper around the roots of the plants, or the lower 
ends of the stems. Observe one thing with live 
plants ; put in soft crumpled paper in the box with 
them, so that they can not move and be beaten 
against the sides or against one another. 
A Picture Puzzle. 
It might have been more in season to have pre¬ 
sented this picture about the time the Sweet Boughs 
and Early Harvest Apples were “beginning to start” 
to ripen ; but, all-in all, as it has a lesson to teach, 
it may be well to let it come early, that all may 
have the moral impressed before the temptation 
comes. The lad who is plainly seen is climbing— 
with apparent ease—into an old and favorite tree. 
The fruit is already just within his reach, and there 
seems to be no doubt that he will get it. “ Get it!” 
Well, we should think he would, and more than lie 
bargained for. What trouble the poor boy is in. 
Does he not wish he had not climbed into that neigh¬ 
bor’s tree ? What would he not give to be out of 
that orchard. He was caught when he least ex¬ 
pected it. The dog is watching for the farmer who 
owns the tree. Is he not looking in the wrong 
direction ? Boys in neighbors’ trees, beware 1 
Ihirinin” in ©1«1 ConnecSicut. 
BY FOUR BOYS. 
Daring the past year we tried a variety of the 
different commercial fertilizers, with about as many 
results a'fe the kinds we used. Special manures for 
potatoes gave good returns when used very early 
in the season, as there was sufficient rain after 
planting to dissolve them, but when used after the 
drouth commenced, the yield was no different from 
that w-here none was applied. This soil must have 
plenty of moisture or manure of any kind will have 
but little effect. In the winter of ’79 and ’80 we 
piled and mixed our barn-yard manure, keeping a 
good heat in it until spring. We then put thirty 
small loads on two acres of old stubble land, spread 
it evenly, plowed it once with a good plow, being 
very particular to turn over all the soil, then har¬ 
rowed it with a good drag-harrow until the land 
was in the very best condition. After planting, it 
was cultivated twice. Two boys went over it with 
Fig. 3.— A CRTNOID, SHOW¬ 
ING THE BRANCHED TOP. 
