252 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[July, 
Tito New Compound Microscope ait Ex¬ 
cellent Investment.— We should not so frequently 
refer to this instrument, if we were not sure that it is a 
most desirable treasure. We can think of no other in¬ 
vestment of the same'amonnt of money, except for abso¬ 
lutely necessary articles of food and clothing, that will 
be likely to bring so large a return of pleasure, enjoyment, 
and profitable instruction. Those who have only used a 
Simple Microscope, or a set of double or triple magnifiers, 
can hardly conceive of the developments and wonderful 
revelations of a good Compound Microscope like this one, 
which was devised specially for our readers, and named 
the “ American Agriculturist Compound Microscope." No 
one who has seen its power exhibited,has failed to ex¬ 
press the greatest satisfaction and delight. Here is a tiny 
insect, a small flea, for example. The legs are scarcely 
visible to the naked eye, yet under this instrument the 
feet and end joints of the legs appear to be of a length 
of four or five inches, showing large “pinchers” like those 
of a lobster, while the legs are covered with hairs resemb¬ 
ling great thorns, and a complicated structure is exhibit¬ 
ed very clearly to the eye. Applying the Camera Lucida, 
the image is thrown down upon paper and then one can, 
■with a pencil, draw it upon the paper, of any desired mag¬ 
nitude, as from one to four, five, or six inches in length. 
The dust upon the wings of butterflies and moths be¬ 
comes a mass of beautiful scales or feathers, of remarka¬ 
ble form, and from one to several inches in length, accor¬ 
ding to the power of the instrument used, which can 
be changed at will to present the object magnified from 
25 to 150 diameters , or many thousand times the natural 
surface or area. The smallest bit of fine polishing pow¬ 
der, sold as “ Silicon,” under this glass shows an infinite 
number of most regular organic forms of more ex¬ 
quisite beauty than anything shown by the best kaleido¬ 
scope. The groat variety of insects, of plants, of dust, of 
foul water, etc., all present most striking objects to the 
eye. One of these instruments should be placed in every 
school, however small, and indeed one may well be in 
every household. The annual interest on the cost is only 
a few shillings; the pleasure to be derived from it by 
the young and old can hardly be reckoned in dollars and 
cents. We believe we have done a good work in bring¬ 
ing so valuable an instrument within reach of our 
readers, at a cost very far below anything of like value 
ever before produced. While the price to the public 
($15) is exceedingly low, and unprecedented, it will be 
supplied to our subscribers for only $10. [And for the 
time being it is also offered as a present to any one send¬ 
ing in only ten new subscribers at the regular rate of 
$1.50 a year each. A full description is given in our 
May number, pages 172, 173. The opinions of some ex¬ 
pert scientists will be found in June number, page 240] 
Emery Wheels.— “ M. E.,” New Lisbon, Ohio. 
You cannot make an emery wheel half so cheaply as you 
can buy one. Some of the mixtures to hold the emery 
arc patented ; the common method is to use a thick shel¬ 
lac varnish for this purpose. The Boynton X cut saw is 
best gummed by means of an emery wheel affixed to a 
lathe or mounted on a frame. Emery wheels can be 
procured from or through any dealer in hardware. 
Beauties of our Language.- It has been said 
that the English is the only language, in which swearing 
is possible. It is a wonderful language in allowing a 
greater variety of profanity than any others, and in pos¬ 
sessing a force which all others lack. The capacities of 
our tongue are not confined to the variety and strength 
of its “cuss-words,” but its richness is shown by pos¬ 
sessing acatalogue of official expressions, which common 
people are not to (or at least don’t) use, but which are re¬ 
served for the great men of the land. “Entomological 
vermin,” “Chuckle-headed, beetle-browed, long-eared 
jackass “Fiendish braying:” “Brawling liars,” “Con¬ 
temptible jackass;” “ Jackasses scalp“ The dirty work 
of tanning his hide,” etc. These are specimens of rich¬ 
ness, but we do not give them with the idea that any of 
our readers shall presume to use them. This is official, 
or wc may say, court-language, and is only to be found in 
the correspondence of the U. S. Commissioner of Agri¬ 
culture, who, whatever other qualifications lie may have 
for the place he holds—but does not fill—at least knows 
about “ Entomological vermin,” and is a judge of the 
bray of the “Jackass.” In this respect Le Due is a success. 
Eastern and Western Corn.— It is often 
stated, and is generally thought, that Eastern corn is of 
greater intrinsic value than that grown at the West. Pro¬ 
fessor R. C. Kcdzie, of the Michigan Agricultural College, 
has recently published the analyses of 13 samples of 
Michigan Indian corn. Professor W. O. Atwater, of the 
Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., has compared 
these results with the analyses of several kinds of Con¬ 
necticut and other corn, with the following results: 
“ The average of albuminoids in the Michigan corn, 
(12.76 per cent), and of fat, (5.68 per cent) are slightly 
greater than those of the Eastern corn, (not sweet), here 
reported, (12.37 per cent albuminoids, and 5.55 per cent 
fat). It must be concluded then, from this comparison of 
13 samples of corn grown in Michigan with 9 samples 
grown in Connecticut and North Carolina, that the aver¬ 
age of Eastern and Western maize is nearly the same.” 
Record of a Grade Jersey Cow.- “T. B. S.,” 
Wilmington Del., sends a record of a grade Jersey cow, 
as follows. •“ Susie,” 5 years old, had her third calf 
Mar. 8, 1879. April 5, the calf was taken away, and since 
then the cow gave as follows: Week ending April 12, 
135 quarts. April 19, 140 qts., April 26, 135 qts., to 
April 30, 4 days, S5 quarts, or over 20 quarts per day. 
6% days milk gave 10% lbs. of butter. The cow was 
under the care of Mr. Phillip Farnan. 
Applying Paris Green.— One of an ingenious 
turn of mind, who can readily adapt the means at hand 
to some new use, saves many a dollar in the course of a 
year. An example of 
this is shown in the 
manner in which Mr. 
G. H. Butler, Van 
Bitren Co., Michigan, 
converts a coffee-pot, 
after it has served its 
proper uses, into a 
convenient duster 
for applying Paris 
Green to the potato- 
vines. A handle 
about 6 feet long is 
fastened into the 
spout of the coffee¬ 
pot, as shown in the 
engraving; the bot¬ 
tom, shown separate, just below the handle, is per¬ 
forated with holes by means of an awl. Mr. B. prefers 
plaster for diluting the poison, and uses the small pro¬ 
portion of a heaping tablcspoonful to one peck. lie sifts 
the plaster and then thoroughly mixes in the Paris Green. 
He claims that, with a handle like this, one can stand 
erect and bring the duster very close to the plants, and 
that he can work very rapidly, applying the poison to 10 
acres in one day. “No patent applied for.” 
Cure for a Kicking Horse. —“ A. H. E.” 
writes : The block suspended by a rope, (shown in June, 
p. 224), is generally a very effective cure for a kicking 
horse, but I have seen a horse use it as a plaything, kick¬ 
ing it high in the air and then jumping to one side of 
the stall while it swung by him. This horse was cured 
of kicking (and of pawing) in the stable by fastening to 
the foot he most used, a piece of trace (or pump chain), 
about two feet long. He couldn’t jump away from that. 
Extraordinary Milking.— Mr. F. Ratchford 1 
Starr reports that his Jersey cow “Filbert,” gave in six 
months, 6,757 lbs. of milk, which was six and one-third 
times her own weight. A pure Ayrshire heifer, a little 
over 2 years old, and weighing 450 lbs., has given in the 
writer’s dairy 4,080 lbs. of milk in 120 days, and is still 
maintaining the average yield of 34 lbs. daily. This 
heifer has given her own weight of milk in 13 days, or 
nine times her weight in 4 months. Her feed has been 
hay, with 4 quarts of ground feed and 2 quarts palm-nut 
meal, up to grass ; it is now, (June), fresh cut grass and 
clover, with half the above feed. The butter yield is over 
S lbs. weekly, and cream for the use of a family besides. 
The Ayrshires do sometimes match the Jerseys. 
Ants in a Lawn. —A subscriber living near 
Boston, has a plague of black ants ; they have nearly 
ruined a place upon his lawn about 15 feet square. He 
has tried Insect Powder, Whale Oil Soap, Paris Green, 
Lime, Borax, and hot water, to no purpose. If any of 
our readers have had success in treating such a case, we 
hope they will inform him and others of the method 
through the American Agriculturist. 
Barn Weevils.— In response to our request for in¬ 
formation concerning the ridding of the barn or granary 
of grain weevils, we have but two replies. Mr. T. J. F. 
Smith, of Kent Co., Md., uses slaked lime; he dusts the 
bins with this before putting in the grain, and also after 
removing it_Mr. S. Ilarpold, Ellis Co., Tekas, says 
that he used lime and also “ China leaves,” (the leaves of 
the “ Pride of China,” Melia Azedarach , a common orna 
mental tree all through the Southern States), without 
effect, the weevils appearing to increase. He then, notic¬ 
ing that their odor was strong, spread Fig-leaves upon the 
top of the wheat, and in less than a week there was not a 
weevil to be found. He this spring tried Fig-leaves upon 
cucumbers and squashes ; a single leaf was placed in 
each hill, and there were no striped bugs to be found the 
next morning. Fig-trees are common in Virginia and 
southward. If found effective, they may be grown far 
North, by covering them in winter. 
Angora Goats.— “R. S.,” Lackawanna, Pa. The 
merits of the Angora goat consist chiefly in their fleece, 
and the ease with which they can be fed. They will 
thrive well enough in Northern Virginia, but as yet we 
can not point to a single instance in which any person 
has made a profit from them in any part of this country, 
except perhaps breeders who have sold animals to parties 
who have been induced to try to keep them-. 
Feeding a Weaned Calf.— “ R. R. C.,” Cohoes, 
N. Y. A young calf may be raised with a small amount 
of milk by substituting other food. Three quarts of 
milk daily may be sufficient, with the following addi¬ 
tions : To one quart of milk add two quarts of thin gruel, 
made by boiling one quart each of linseed-meal, oatmeal, 
and corn-meal, or wheat middlings, in six quarts of 
water, straining, and reducing with six quarts more of 
boiling water. The mixture should be warmed to the 
temperature of new milk. Three feeds a day may bo 
given; after one month increase one-half. 
Gophers. —“ S. F. S.,” Lincoln, Neb. Gophers or 
ground squirrels are an intolerable nuisance all over the 
West, and are difficult to manage. Corn soaked in a 
solution of Sugar of Lead, or of Chloride of Tin, will kill 
them off, and this is possibly the best method to pursue 
with the pests, to save the planted corn. 
Hogs or Pigs.— “G.,” Henrico, Va. The words 
nog and Pig are used synonymously to express the same 
thing. A pig is not always considered as a small hog, 
but when light pigs are referred to, small ones are in¬ 
tended. In the West, pigs are hogs, elsewhere, hogs are 
pigs. A shote is a half or partly grown pig. 
How to make Concrete.— “ T. H.,” Snybrook, 
HI. Full directions for making and using concrete were 
given in the American Agriculturist for November, 1874. 
Any back number for the past 22 years may be had by 
mail, post-paid, on remitting 15 cents. 
Windgalls or Puffs.— “J. R.,” Carthage, N. Y. 
Windgalls are puffy swellings occurring along the tendons 
of the legs of horses, below the knee. They are the re¬ 
sults of sprains or strains of the tendons, and are gener¬ 
ally filled with synovial fluid, or lymph, or serum. A 
padded bandage, with astringent lotions applied two 
hours a day at first, adding two hours every day after, 
until 1c is kept on continually, is the usual remedy. 
Rest from work is ho’.pful to a cure. 
Staining Chestnut Wood,- “W. J. McC.,” 
writes that when some chestnut limber that had been 
stored over a horse-stable was used, it was found to have 
acquired a rich color from the ammonia present in the 
stable. This led to the use of the Water of Ammonia 
(Hartshorn), for staining chestnut. The wood is rubbed 
with this two or three times, and when dry, varnished. 
<l Rawle’s Janet. »—“F. H.,” Bangor, Kansas. 
The name “Never Fail” should be dropped, the true 
name of the apple being “ Rawle’s Janet.” It is not of 
French origin, but according to Downing, who is very 
accurate in such matters, it originated on the farm of 
Caleb Rawle, Amherst Co., Va. 
Preparing Muck for Manure. — “G. C.," 
Beltsville, Md. It is a great waste to burn muck. By 
keeping it a few months it will break down to a fine 
powder, and in less time, if it is put up in heaps with 
some lime or wood ashes. By mixing it with the manure 
from the stables, it will be in the best condition to put on 
the land, and will be specially useful on light, sandy soils. 
By burning it, all the nitrogen it contains will be lost, 
and in muck which consists chiefly of vegetable matter, 
this amounts to from one to three per cent, or more 
than is found in some fairly good manure. 
Corn for Fodder.— “E. R.,” Raleigh, N. C. 
There is no need to try any questionable experiments in 
growing fodder when it is known that sweet corn will 
give an excellent crop in every'way. Evergreen or Tri¬ 
umph sweet corn can hardly be excelled for this purpose, 
and until something turns up that is better, we should be 
satisfied with these. It will be wise to try any new thing, 
whether it be Amber Sugar Cane, Pearl Millet, or Comfrey 
in a small way for an experiment, but unwise to risk a 
crop, however highly the novelty may be commended. 
