1879 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
24T 
give a fair idea of the characteristics of two-thirds 
of the objects usually found in microscopic cabinets. 
“ For example, I have just seen with it the char¬ 
acteristic differences of the blood of man, the chicken, 
the frog, etc. It will show well the circulation of 
the blood in the foot of the frog. It shows clearly 
an® well the differences between cotton, linen, silk, 
and wool, and it shows the scales and markings on 
the latter (wool) very boldly. It shows not only 
the trichina cysts in the muscle of the pig, but also 
the peculiar striae or markings on the muscular fibre 
itself. Sections of woods, and the characteristic 
vessels and markings, such as dotted ducts, spiral 
fibres, etc., so interesting to students of botany, 
will all be clearly made out by this microscope. 
“ Perhaps it may not be out of place to say that 
a power of 100 diameters is by many vendors rated 
at 10,000 times. While this is unfair, and even de¬ 
ceptive in the majority of cases to which the mi¬ 
croscope is applied, there are some subjects con¬ 
cerning which it is more than true. Thus a little 
speck of gold, weighing the one-hundredth part of a 
grain, if seen under the highest power of this new 
microscope, would look as large as a mass of a 
similar shape weighing one pound and a quarter 
<8,750 grains) seen with the naked eye ! 1 This is 
startling, but true. 
“ Allow me to congratulate you on your success 
in giving our young people a microscope which, 
while extraordinarily low-priced, is really of de¬ 
cided practical value." 
Rape before Wheat.-“J. M.,” tllairsville, Pa. 
Spring rape or mustard may be sown as a summer pas¬ 
ture for sheep, and as a preparation for wheat, with ad¬ 
vantage. It may be sown at once, a peck of seed being 
used per acre; and when high enough, may be eaten 
down by the sheep. It should be plowed under when 
any that is left is in blossom, but should not be permit¬ 
ted to mature seed. 
Protrusion of the Rectum in Swine.— 
“ J. H. D.,” Adams Co., Ohio. This trouble is frequent 
in swine. It is caused by costiveness and consequent 
straining, or by weakness of the nerves of the spine, and 
often results in partial paralysis. The remedy is to give 
laxative medicine or food, as linseed-oil or linseed-meal, 
and to return the gut and inject an ounce of a mixture of 
8 parts of water and 1 part of laudanum. The animal 
should be lightly fed, kept in a dark quiet pen, that he 
may sleep and rest as much as possible. 
Barb Fence. —“H. H. S.,” Rockingham Co., Ya. 
To make a wire fence hog proof, it must have 5 or 6 
wires, strained very tightly, and have posts not more 
than 16 or utmost 24 feet apart. A good post and rail, or 
board fence, is preferable to a wire fence excepting where 
lumber is very costly, or where the snow drifts badly. 
Vine Named.— “G. W. K.,” White Haven, Pa. 
The vine which came up in your hanging basket, is not 
poisonous, but often cultivated under the name of “ Bal¬ 
loon Vine,” so called on account of its inflated, balloon- 
shaped pods. It is a native of the far South-West; its 
botanical name is Cardiospermum Balicacabum. 
Horses — Knuckling.— “ F. A. P.,” Dudley, 
Mass. When the fetlock or pastern joint bends over with a 
snapping noise, it is known as “ Knuckling.” It results 
from a sprain or weakness of the hock, or sinews of the 
lower part of the leg. Rest for a lengthened period (3 
days rest is of no account), and the application of cold 
water until the heat and tenderness are removed, and 
then rubbing with a stimulating application, will fre¬ 
quently remove the trouble. It is sometimes the effect 
of constitutional weakness, and is then incurable. In the 
latter case the support of a laced bandage will be useful. 
The Trade In Tin—and Tin Plate.— Tin Is 
a remarkable metal, almost equalling silver in beauty; it 
is the lightest of all the common metals save zinc, being 
about five-eighths as heavy as lead (the specific gravity 
of lead being 11.39 and of tin 7.29). Though it is suf¬ 
ficiently abundant and cheap to allow of its common use, 
it is found in but few localities in abundance, and it is 
somewhat singular that, with our abundance of other 
metals, we are dependent upon other countries for this, 
our deposits not being large enough for profitable work¬ 
ing. The mines of Cornwall, Eng., are the largest in the 
world. The leading sources of the supply of this metal 
in 1874 were: Great Britain, 10.000 tons; Malacca, 7,000 
tons; Australia, 5,800 tons; Banca (Malayan Island), 
4,000 tons ; Billiton and Banca (Malayan Islands), 3,000 
tons ... The tin plate, used for so many purposes, consists 
of thin plates of iron coated with tiu by dipping the care¬ 
fully scoured plates in the melted metal. The value of 
the plate depends upon the quality of the iron and the 
thickness of the coating of tin. “Charcoal Tin” and 
“ Coke Tin ” are trade names for plates, the iron of which 
is smelted with these fuels. Tiie poorest grade has but 
one pound of tin to 100 lbs. of plate, while the better 
qualities have two or three times as much; the coarser 
varieties are covered with an alloy of tin and lead. “Cross 
Tin” is the name for a kind in which the iron plate is 
heavier than in the common tin. A box of tin plate con¬ 
taining 225 sheets 10x14 inches, weighs 1 cwt. (112 lbs.); 
a box of “cross tin” of the same number and size of 
sheets, weighs 1)1 cwt., or 140 lbs., of which 4 to 6 lbs. 
are pure tin in the coating, and the rest iron. 
Saw-Dust.- “E. B. S.,”* St. Paris, O. Saw-dust 
that has “ lain 8 or 9 years in a heap,” and is not yet 
rotted sufficiently to make manure, shows pretty plainly 
the task before you. If it will decompose at all, it will 
do so by laying in bulk exposed to air and rain. Saw¬ 
dust will make wet land wetter and dry land moist. 
Probably the best use foy it is as a mulch around trees. 
Land Plaster.— “C. N.,” Wash. Ter., wishes us 
to tell him about “Land Piaster; what it is made of, and 
how*it is made.”—If we were to answer, “ it is not made 
at all,” the reply, while accurate, would hardly be cour¬ 
teous. Flaster is an unfortunate name, as it has several 
other meanings, and if all would agree to call it gypsum, 
the old Greek and Latin name for the substance, it would 
be much more definite. Gypsum, or Land Plaster, then, 
is a natural product, a mineral, occurring sometimes in 
crystakqbutoftener in mass, in beds several feet in thick¬ 
ness. The finer kinds, partly transparent and variously 
colored, are known as alabaster; the common kinds, va¬ 
rying from white to lead color, or even black, are much 
softer than common limestone, and are more translucent. 
There are large beds, where it is quarried, in Michigan, 
New York, Nova Scotia, etc. Its composition, in round 
numbers, is: Lime 32!4, sulphuric acid 46>f, water 21 
parts in 100—really a sulphate of lime combined with 
water. This water may be driven off by a heat erf 272°, and 
the gypsum then becomes Plaster of Paris. When Plaster 
of Paris is mixed with water, it soon recombines with 
the water that was driven off by the heat, and “ sets,” or 
becomes solid. Gypsum or land plaster then is a sul¬ 
phate of lime containing about 21 per cent of water. 
Plaster of Paris is sulphate of lime, without water. The 
ground, unburned stone only, is used as a fertilizer. 
Fine Maple Sugar.- W. B. Wheat, Croton, Del. 
Co., N. Y., sends a sample of maple sugar, to show the 
quality he has made for several years past. It is very 
light colored, has an excellent grain, and possesses the 
peculiar maple-sugar flavor, in a high degree. It is often 
the case, that very light colored sugar is deprived of this 
flavor in the process, and is then no different from com¬ 
mon sugar. Mr. W. says, that his only secret in making 
sugar of this kind,—and we do not remember to have 
seen it excelled—is a thorough knowledge of the busi¬ 
ness, which leads to having everything used in and about 
the operations as clean and as pure as possible. 
In this country all persons are compelled of necessity 
to wear shoes, at least most of the year, and although it 
is generally understood that some individuals are much 
harder upon shoes than others, still it has always been a 
wonder to ns why children (even making allowance for 
the greater number of steps they take) should wear out 
two and even three pairs to grown people's one. We 
have, however, of late, discovered that this is due largely 
to their not being properly made. What we mean by 
this is that they have not been protected from wear where 
the greatest amount of wear comes —that is, at the toe— 
and consequently wear through at this point, while the 
balance of the shoe was but little worn and often perfect¬ 
ly good. Parents who are not aware of this will be con¬ 
vinced at once if they will examine the children’s old 
shoes. This need no longer be the case, as shoes with 
the metal tip, which is adapted to all the heavy grades, 
and those with the (A. S. T. Co.) black tip, which is 
adapted to all fine shoes, remain perfect at the toe until 
the shoe is entirely worn out. We are satisfied that 
parents can reduce their shoe bills one-half if they will, 
when purchasing, ask for shoes made in this way. The 
black tip really adds to the beauty of the finest shoe. 
Breeders of Fine Dairy Stock 
Should at once investigate the Perfect Creamery ad¬ 
vertised in another column. It will enable them to realize 
the largest possible yield per cow,and thus enhance the value 
of their stock, as well as increase the value of the product. 
Bool of Grnei Eoiseholfl Late 
This Book contains gummed and ready for use over 650 
labels for Household Stores, Including a general assortment 
of Jellies, Preserves, Groceries, Herbs, Medicines.etc These 
labels are in quantities from 1 to 30 of a kind, in fact labels 
for every article needed in the family. 
Price 35 cents, pre-paid by mail. 
CORNELL it SIIELTOS, Birmingham, Conn. 
Speaking of Mr. 
Thomas Higgln, 
the '■'•American Cultiva¬ 
tor" of May 3d says:— 
“Always well known for 
enterprise and business 
sagacity, he has, during the last few years, become noted 
as the inventor of an improved process in salt manufac¬ 
ture, which bids fair to revolutionize that business. So 
great has been the demand for this new make of salt that 
his firm have been obliged, during the last year, to make 
additions to their already extensive works; and Mr. Hig- 
gin is at present on a visit to this country for the pur¬ 
pose of bringing its quality to the attention of the Ameri¬ 
can public, and, if the quality of American brine will per¬ 
mit, to induce salt manufacturers here to use his process, 
paying a royalty therefor. Competent judges say it is 
probable that this process will work as great a revolution 
in the manufacture of salt as the discovery of the Besse¬ 
mer process has in that of steel, or new process in mill¬ 
ing in that of flour.” Confirmatory of this comes the an¬ 
nouncement in the “ American Grocer ” of May 8th, that 
during the first three months of 1879 the importations 
show an increase of over 50 per cent of Iliggin’s salt, and 
a decrease of 17 per cent in Ashton’s, a brand once gen¬ 
erally considered the best. This improved salt (Hig- 
gin’s Eureka brand) is for 
sale by most dealers in 
salt, and by the importers, 
H. K. & F . B. Tihjrber 
& Co., New York. Send 
for descriptive circular. 
Y ALE LAW SCHOOL.—Regular course, 2 years; Gradu¬ 
ate course (for degree of D. C. L.) 2 years. Fall term 
opens Sept. 25th. Address 
Prof. FRANCIS WAYL AND, New Haven, Conn. 
.Perfumed, Snowflake, Chromo, Motto, Cards, name 
I In gold and jet, It’c. 
' G. A. SPRING, E. Wallingford, Ct. 
1 
1 
LJ 
50 
CHROMO, SNOWFLAKE, AND LACE CARDS, 
with name, 10c. 40 all chromos, 10c. 
Star Printing Co., Northford, Ct. 
CARDS—20 Chromo, 10 Motto, SO Ocean Shells, 
Snowflake, &c. Name on, 10c. 
_ CLINTON BROS., Cllntonvllle, Ct. 
ELEGANT NEW STYLE CHROMO CARDS, with 
name, 10c., post-paid. 
GEO. I. REED & CO., Nassau, N. Y. 
A Q PAGE AUTOGRAPH ALBUM FOR 15C. ILLUS 
4tO with 24 Birds, Ferns, Scrolls, etc. 6 for 60c. 46 quo 
tations given free with each. J. F. INGALLS, Lynn, Mass 
-JL> JfDJ. PA V.—With Stencil Outfits. What costs 4 cts 
* sells rapidly for 50 cts. Catalogue free. 
S. M. SPENCER, 112 Washington St„ Boston, Mass. 
Hours MUSICAL Instruction 
New England Conservatory, 
Music Hal), Boston. E. Tourjde, Director. 
$K 
RUE’S PATENT 
fQTAtP 
DlGGEB, ' 
Digs Irish 
ob Sweet 
POTATOES 
A sparagus-new variety-smallt’s 
DEFIANCE. The merits I claim lor the Defiance: 
it is early, a larger grass, softer, more tender, free from 
wood, the flavor sweet and verv delicate; far superior to 
all oilier sorts, and will produce double that of the Colossal, 
and can cut it longer; also will continue to grow longer 
than other sorts. Address 
A. SMALLY, Bound Brook, N. J. 
Hardy and Alpine Plants. 
Our new catalogue of over 80 pages will be mailed free to 
all applicants. If contains the largest selection of 
Hardy Herbaceous Perennials 
ever offered in this country; such plants as are well adapted 
to general cultivation, and which grow without the trouble 
of planting every year. Also, a full list of 
Beautiful and Rare Climbers. 
Choice Flowering Shrubs. 
Lillies, all desirable old and new sorts. 
Irises, including some species new to cultivation, as well 
as the new varieties of Kseinpfcr’s Iris. 
Phloxes. Over 100 named varieties of Garden Phlox¬ 
es, some never before offered in this country. 
Calluna vulgaris (Heather), 25c. and $1.00. 
Greutiana aenulis (Stemless Gentian), 25 and 50c. 
Xiillum Caroliniaiuim (Carolina Turk’s-cap Id. 75c. 
Lilium tigrinum, fl. pi. (Double Tiger Lj, 15c.; $1.50 
per doz. 
Rosa rugosa fRamanas Rose), 30c.; $3.00 per doz. 
Spirrea palmata (Palmate S.), 50c.; $4.00 per doz. 
Prickly Coinfrey. This new and promising forage plant 
is offered in started cuttings and rooted plants, by 
Box 180. WOOIiSON & CO., Passaic, N. J. 
