1882 .] 
AMERXCAU AGRICULTURIST. 
349 
A New Book On Insects.—“ The Injurious 
Insects of the Farm and Garden,” by Mary Treat, is now 
Teady. Every cultivator is aware that destructive insects 
■come and go—but more especially come, in a most unex¬ 
pected manner. A few years ago, our whole cabbage 
crop was threatened with extermination by the acci¬ 
dental importation of a “ Cabbage Worm ” from Europe. 
It is a matter within the experience of most farmers, 
that, by supplying it with food, the “ Potato Bug ” has 
been induced to migrate from its home in Colorado, to 
the shores of the Atlantic, and has left its mark on. the 
way. These invasions of insect enemies are so sudden, 
that the standard works of a few years ago, usually fail 
to give any information about the injurious insects of 
the present day. While we have the excellent works of 
Harris and Packard, the farmer and gardener may con¬ 
sult them in vain for information about a recent comer. 
Indeed, our most useful knowledge as to the insects now 
most injurious to our crops, is contained in the Reports 
of Prof. Riley, as the State Entomologist of Missouri, 
that of the Entomologist of Illinois, in the Bulletins of 
the American Entomological Commission, and in the 
pages of the American Entomologist. Mrs. Treat has 
done a good work in gathering the most important of 
these scattered materials, and in presenting them in a 
condensed form in the present work. She has also 
given, in several cases, the results of her own observa¬ 
tions. The present work is especially valuable for its a- 
bundant illustrations. With insects, a good engraving 
is far more useful than a detailed description, and in 
view of this fact, the publishers have introduced illustra¬ 
tions of the insects, in their various stages, wherever it 
could be done to advantage. The work gives a popular 
account of those insects most injurious to the cultivator, 
and suggests the best known agents for their extermina¬ 
tion. Price $2.00, post-paid. 
“'jTSxe Angora Goat; Its Origin, Culture and Pro¬ 
ducts. Containing the Most Recent Observations of 
Eminent Breeders. With an Appendix on the Alpaca 
and its Congeners, or the Wool-bearing Animals of the 
Cordilleras of the Andes. By John L. Hayes, LL.D., 
Secretary of the National Association of Wool Manu¬ 
facturers, etc., etc. New York: Orange Judd Com¬ 
pany.”—The title of this work is so descriptive of its 
contents, that we have given it as above. When one is 
investigating a subject, it is a great satisfaction to meet 
with a work that may be regarded, so to speak, as a 
land-mark, one that brings up, or, as the popular 
phrase goes, “posts up” our knowledge to a given 
point. One who would investigate the Angora Goat 
has in this work a resume of all that has gone before, 
and will be safe in taking this as an exponent of the 
knowledge up to date on the history of this animal. 
Besides giving a full account of the Angora and the 
present status of the breeding of this animal in this 
country, the matter of the Appendix is full of historical 
interest, even should it lead to no practical results. 
There are no doubt many localities on the Atlantic 
slope, south of Maryland, where the Angora Goat, prop¬ 
erly managed, may be profitably introduced, while the 
far West, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, in¬ 
cluding Texas, offers many localities especially suited to 
its profitable breeding, as the evidence cited in this 
work abundantly shows. While the profit from its 
fleece has heretofore sometimes been governed by the 
caprices of fashion, the animal, notwithstanding, has a 
permanent value. It can be kept at a minimum of cost, 
and all accounts agree in asserting that the flesh, of the 
young animal at least, is of most excellent quality. 
Aside from the value of the fleece for certain fabrics, 
that of the pelt, to be used for trimmings and for making 
mats, is always considerable, and the skin,when tanned, 
is adapted to many uses. The value of the Angora as 
a milk-producing animal should not be overlooked. 
Col. Watts, of South Carolina, says of a cross from a 
pure Angora buck upon a common ewe goat: “ I have 
raised a ewe goat that will give four quarts of as good 
milk as any cow on my plantation. The feed of one of 
my cows will keep twelve goats.” Our country, in its 
wide range from North to South, and from Ocean to 
Ocean, presents a wonderful variety of situation and 
climate. We have only to select those animals and 
plants best suited to particular localities, to reach the 
highest agricultural prosperity. There are places where 
the raising of the Angora must be profitable, and the 
work in question is the best guide to these. The author 
takes up the subject as one interested in the supply of 
an important raw material to our increasing manufac¬ 
tures. How competent he is to his task, the present 
work would be abundant evidence, did not his selection 
by the President as one of the Tariff Commission—indeed 
as its chairman—attest to his reputation as one interest¬ 
ed in our productive industries. Price $1.50, post-paid. 
Weight by Measure.— The rule for estimating 
dressed weights of live cattle is as follows: Measure 
from top of shoulders to root of tail for A in inches, 
then around the body, back of the fore-legs, for girth 
also in inches for B. Then A plus the square root of B, 
divided by 7.238, and multiplied by 14, equals the weight 
in lbs. of dressed meat. There is an indirect method of 
getting cubic contents of the carcass, deducting one- 
half for offal, and taking 62 lbs. as the specific gravity of 
the carcass. A square or parallelogramic cow would 
come out exact. Inferior cattle must be allowed for as 
they verge from fat and flesh down to skin and bone. 
Example: A = 60 inches, B SI inches; 60 X 9 = 540 -f- 
7,238 X 14 = 1,044 lbs. 
Artificially Hornless Cattle.—In answer to 
an inquiry signed ” W. G. I.,” Newbem, N. C.—A 
farmer, whose name is forgotten, of one of the southern 
tier of counties in this State, once told in the office of 
the Agriculturist that he used a white heifer or cow as a 
leader for his flocks of sheep, which ran in pastures 
filled with low bushes, high enough to prevent the sheep 
seeing one another at a distance; hence, to prevent the 
flock breaking up into isolated groups, he and his father 
before him practised removing the horns from white 
calves when just pricking through, and always kept a 
white heifer with the sheep as a rallying point, as sol¬ 
diers rally to the standard. They had originally a white 
heifer which was treated in this way, and so were her 
heifer calves, which generally came white. In the third 
generation they had two calves upon which no horns de¬ 
veloped. The horns were removed by searing with a 
hot iron—a cruel practice, but probably safer than to 
remove by cutting, as there would be less hemorrhage. 
Currant-worms.-“H. W.,” Miami Co., Ohio, 
writes with reference to our directions to kill the worms 
on Currants and Gooseberries, that he watches for the 
“ small waspish-lookingjKes,” and kills them wherever 
he can find them. He then looks for eggs upon the 
underside of the leaves, and crushes them ; then, if he 
finds pin-holes in the leaves, he knows that there are 
worms at work, and gathers and burns them, If, after 
all, some worms appear, he gives them a dose of air- 
slaked lime while the bushes are wet with dew. His in¬ 
teresting letter shows that he adopts the true method. 
He first understands the operations of the enemy, and 
then attacks it as early as possible. If he can kill a 
single female fly, he prevents the laying of many eggs. 
Sea Kale Forcing.— “ W. H. D.,” Baltimore, 
Md., asks if the cultivation and forcing of Sea Kale is 
carried on in this country as it is in England, where it is 
practised, and if it is remunerative. Sea Kale is one of 
the vegetables common in Europe, that seems to have 
never become fairly established in this country. Those 
who wish for it, can find it, as they can almost every¬ 
thing that grows, in the New York markets in its sea¬ 
son, but in very limited quantities. We have never seen 
the forced Sea Kale offered, but that grown in the open 
ground is to be had in early spring. There is nothing in 
our climate to prevent its cultivation here; it simply 
appears to be a plant that our people do not care for. 
Probably the abundance of Sprouts, or German Greens, 
supplies its place. Then theop.en-air crop comes in at 
the same time with Asparagus, which is generally pre¬ 
ferred. There would no doubt be a limited demand for 
Sea Kale in our large markets from the Europeans resid¬ 
ing in this country. 
The European Sparrow. —Every now and 
then we have an inquiry, usually from some Western 
State, about the English, or European Sparrow. The 
latest comes from a subscriber at Ada, Tenn., who says 
that he “ is interested in the new comer,” and asks us 
to give an engraving of the bird. As long ago as July, 
1865, we gave an illustration showing both sexes of this 
Sparrow. At that time a span-worm was a real pest upon 
the shade-trees of New York and the neighboring cities. 
The introduction of the European Sparrow at once dis¬ 
posed of the “ worm,” and there was a “ boom ” in favor 
of the bird. People in other cities paid high prices for 
Sparrows, and the bird has been widely distributed. It 
has made itself thoroughly at home in many places, and 
most of these would now gladly know how to get rid of 
it. The Sparrow, while it has in some places been use¬ 
ful in keeping insects in check, has, as a general thing, 
made itself qnite too much at home, and has proved a 
nuisance. It is a quarrelsome creature, and where it 
establishes itself, it drives off all other small birds. It 
increases in numbers rapidly, and if houses are not pro¬ 
vided for it, it seeks places in the door-capB and window- 
caps of houses. If these are of carved stone, the work 
affords them nesting places, and they repay the hospi¬ 
tality by disfiguring the stone-work with their droppings. 
The bird has proved to be, on the whole, such an unde¬ 
sirable one, that we would not advise its introduction to 
any new locality. If insects are troublesome, it will be 
well to try all other means of destroying them before 
introducing the Sparrow. 
“Willing; to Rough It.”— “ G. H. T.,” Pa., 
asks in what State he had better settle, about home¬ 
steads, and what are the prospects “ out there,”—mean¬ 
ing the West—for a young man who is ” willing to 
rough it.” We, for obvious reasons, do not advise 
where to settle. It is a point upon which each one must 
choose for himself. We would not incur the responsi¬ 
bility of advising our most intimate friend where to go— 
much less a stranger. Our correspondent should write 
to the Department of the Interior, at Washington, D. 
C., for a copy of the Homestead Law. As to his last 
question, we do not think that a young man with the 
spirit implied in the expression, “ willing to rough it,” 
can go amiss anywhere in this broad country. It is the 
true spirit of the pioneer, and it makes little difference 
to which of the Western States he goes; if he can 
“ rough it” for awhile, he will come out all right at last. 
Half a Million Bushels a Day S— From the 
comprehensive tables prepared by Mr. S. H. Grant, 
Superintendent of the Produce Exchange, we figure out 
that during six months of 1881, when the canals, rail¬ 
roads, and lake and river navigation, were all in active 
operation, the delivery of Grain at New York City 
averaged very nearly half a million bushels for every 
working day. To comprehend the magnitude of these 
figures, we may suppose this Grain loaded upon farm 
wagons, 40 bushels upon each, and a wagon and team 
occupying a space of fifty feet along a highway. The 
line would extend 118 miles for a single day’s receipts, 
and for a hundred days only, it would extend 11,800 
miles, or more than three times the distance across the 
continent, from New York to San Francisco.—During 
the entire year 1880, the receipts of Grain at New York 
alone reached the aggregate of 171,776,745 bushels. This, 
if brought by 40-bushel wagon loads, 50 feet to wagon 
and team, would require over four million loads 
(4,294,418), and the line extend 40,667 miles, or one 
and three-fifth times around the globe. 
‘EARLESS ^R 
ill ff )■ fj ^ 
m '• 'A 
The only machine that received an award on both 
Horse-power and Thresher and Cleaner, at the Centen¬ 
nial Exhibition; was awarded the two last Cold 
Medals given by the New York State Agricultural 
Society on Horse-powers and Threshers; and is the 
Only Thresher selected from the vast number built in 
-- the United States, for illustration and description in 
“Appleton’s Cyclopedia of Applied Mechanics,” re¬ 
cently published, thus adopting it as the Standard 
machine of this country. Catalogue sent free. Address 
gfli TOWARD HARDER, Coblesldll, Schoharie Co., N. Y. 
SPLENDID AND WONDERFUL VARIETY OF 
ORNAMENTAL 
GRASSES 
EVERLASTING 
FLOWERS 
AND 
IMMORTELLES 
Tastefully arranged in BOUQUETS and DESIGNS, 
or for sale in Bulk. 
LARGEST STOCK. FINEST COLORS. 
No other house offers such advantages to the-Whole¬ 
sale Trade. Florists.Drugsriste.Fancy and Art Stores 
should send for our Illustrated Wholesale Price-List. 
Natural Grasses, Flowers and Moss, bleached and 
dyed to order. 
HIRAM SIBLEY & 00. 
(79-183 E. Main St., ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
THE SUBSCRIBER INVITES 
attention to his CENTENNIAL SUN 
HAT. They are a good protection 
against Sun Stroke. Any person send¬ 
ing 75 cents or 25 three-cent postage 
stamps by mail, will have one of these 
hats boxed and sent to them by ex¬ 
press ; or sending $2, they will have 3 
hats; or sending $6, they will have 1 
dozen sent them. They are well made 
of palm leaf,very light, and wear good. 
Their shape being spherical prevents 
them from vibrating, breaking, and 
wearing out, or getting out of shape. 
They are not liable to be hoisted Dy 
the wind, the pressure is downward. The Patentee would 
like to get these Hats manufactured in different parts of the 
country, out of different materials, from very fine fancy 
Hats to the lowest priced cheapest Hats that can be made, 
and sold on royalty, they will be put on very low terms. 
Address JOHN CASE, Frenchtown, N. J. 
N. B.—If the man in Lancaster Co., Pa„ will send me his 
address, it will give me great pleasure to give him satisfac¬ 
tion. I received his order and stamps all right; but regret 
to say have lost his address. 
FRUIT DRYER. 
For a good, durable and cheap Farmers’ Fruit Dryer 
address D. STUTZMAN, lAgonfer, Ind. 
