1880.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
297 
Some Things this Number Contains. 
The Hints for the Work on the Parra and in the Orchard 
and Garden, pages 294, 295, will aid all cultivators. 
The Third Prize Essay on Keeping One Cow is of 
specral value to our Southern readers, showing how much 
a half acre may be made to yield; pages 310-311. 
The House Plan will meet the wants of many who live 
where they can get stone cheaply; page 304. 
The Talk about “ Patent Medicines,” and the Quack¬ 
ery connected with them will interest many, and should 
be read by all; pages 300-301. 
The Editorial Coirespondence. pages 301,302,303, makes 
a valuable collection of suggestive items of information. 
The Sheep Rot, and many Hints and Helps for Farm¬ 
ers, etc., pages 308 to 312. 
Flowers, Plants, Insects, etc., pages 313-314-315. 
The Famous Jersey Cow, “ Eurotas," page 305, will in¬ 
terest the hundreds of thousands who have cows. 
The Household contains a variety of information, in¬ 
cluding Faith Rochester’s Notes; pages 316-317. 
The Boys and Girls will read pages 318-320. 
The Basket is large; pages 296 to 300, and 325 to 329. 
Crop Prospects. — Wheat: Owing to the open 
winter much of the wheat was seriously injured, but the 
weather of early spring was in its favor. A large area of 
the winter-killed wheat in the Northwest was re-sown to 
spring wheat, which did very well. The increased 
acreage of wheat and its uniform good condition seems 
to indicate a crop exceeding the 440,000,000 bushels of 
last year. Eye: The acreage and yield are both larger. 
The poorer soils of New England, that do not give good 
crops of wheat, have produced a large yield of rye. Ear- 
ley : The yield is reported good everywhere, and the 
crop may be expected to be in the neighborhood of 
50,000,000 bushels. Oats ; The yield will be heavy, and 
the acreage, especially in the Southern States, is far 
greater than in previous years. An aggregate crop of 
450,000,000 may be expected. Hay is very light, owing 
to the dry weather that has so generally prevailed, and 
the price will be high. A substitute in fodder corn or 
Hungarian grass must help out in the winter feeding of 
stock. Potatoes are a fine crop; though the Beetles have 
been abundant, they are now so easily handled that po¬ 
tatoes are again one of the sure crops. Fruits : This is 
the bearing year for apples, and a good supply may be 
expected. Pears are a light crop ; and peaches are not 
more than an average. Grapes are excellent. 
Excelsior for Packing Fruit.— ‘‘Excelsior” is 
the trade name given to fine wood shavings, made origin¬ 
ally, we believe for the use of upholsterers as a substitute 
for hair and other expensive materials, in stuffing mat¬ 
tresses, sofas, etc. It is elastic and perfectly cleanly, and 
if made of the proper woods free from odor. Such a ma¬ 
terial has naturally been found adapted to other than its 
original uses, and is now largely used for packing various 
small wares. The latest application we have noticed is 
in packing peaches. Peaches for a near market need 
no packing, but the growers in Georgia seem to think it 
necessary to use something with their fruit and have hit 
upon Excelsior. Whether it is necessary or not, the fruit 
packed in shallow crates, with a layer of Excelsior 
above and below them, reaches the market in as perfect 
condition as those from much nearer points. 
Coal Tar for Insects.— “T. D. P.,” Madison, 
Wis., initials that many will recognize as those of a well 
known pomologist, writes that he finds water impreg¬ 
nated with gas-tar a simple and sure remedy for the de¬ 
struction of bugs and worms on all kinds of plants. He 
says “it should not be used too strong,” and this leads 
us to ask him how we are to fix upon the proper strength. 
Gasoline, Napktlia, Benzine, are names for 
very similar products obtained in refining petroleum. 
When crude petroleum is put into a still, and the heat 
gradually raised, that liquid which distils off at the tem¬ 
perature of 170° is called Gasoline ; that which distils at 
280” is Naphtha. The liquid which distils at 300° is Ben¬ 
zine, while properly prepared Kerosene distils only at 
400°. Gasoline, Naphtha, and Benzine are very similar 
liquids, differing in their specific gravity and boiling 
points. There is a still more volatile liquid than Gaso¬ 
line, obtained in small quantities, viz.: Rhigoline, which 
boils at 100° or less. As there is but a limited demand 
for these products in the arts they accumulate on the re¬ 
finers’ hands, and are sold at very low prices. There is 
a great temptation to unscrupulous retailers to buy these 
cheap products and mix them with kerosene; though the 
]aw has largely checked this adulteration, it is still more 
or less done in defiance of the law, and kerosene bought 
of unknown persons should always be tested before risk¬ 
ing its use. These products, Gasoline, Naphtha, and 
Benzine, have high illuminating and heating powers, 
and being also very cheap, it is natural that many at¬ 
tempts should be made to utilize them for lighting and 
as fuel—and various lamps and gas generators, as well as 
stoves, have been invented for the purpose. We have ex¬ 
amined a great many of these, but have not only not seen 
one that we could commend, but we have refused to ad¬ 
vertise them, as we regard all that we have examined as 
unsafe and their use attended with danger. The inven¬ 
tors show very clearly that no explosion can take place 
in their lamps or other apparatus, as they have guarded 
against this at every point. Still there remains the fact 
that their use requires the storingand handling of liquids 
that are unsafe in a high degree, and should never be 
trusted, as such things will be, in the hands of ordinary 
“help.” The following is cut from the “N. Y. Even¬ 
ing Post ” for May 26th last:—“ Mrs. Frances Jones, of 
Piqua, O., had a barrel of gasoline in her cellar to be used 
as fuel for a gas stove. Yesterday morning the barrel 
seemed to be leaking, and F. W. Amendt, a neighboring 
grocer, and two boys named Perdue, about sixteen and 
twelve years old, respectively, went into the cellar to see 
what was the matter. One of them struck a light, and 
instantly an explosion occurred, which shattered the 
building from cellar to roof, and threw a mass of brick 
and shingles fifty feet in the air. The two Perdue boys, 
Mr. Amendt, and a lady in the house, received fatal in¬ 
juries.”—Such casualties occur every now and then, and 
so long as these articles are in use with the present 
means for keeping and handling them, they will continue 
to occur. The fact that such “accidents” are possible, 
seems to us sufficient to justify our position in relation 
to the articles and all contrivances for their use. 
Weights and Measures. —R. Forest, Ont., 
Canada, thinking “we have much need of a change in 
our weights and measures, the present system being too 
complicated,” sends us the system he proposes, and asks 
us to publish it, and invites those who differ from his 
views to discuss the matter with him in our columns. 
We must decline both to publish the system, and to 
give room for its discussion. When one takes up a 
subject of this kind, he should first learn what others 
have done before he proposes a method of his own. The 
subject has been thoroughly investigated and discussed, 
and systems vastly preferable to that of Mr. F. have 
been proposed. The trouble is pot in the lack of better 
systems, but in the reluctance of people to make a change. 
Sending Fruits.— A large share of the specimens 
of fruits sent each season for our inspection, are perfectly 
useless when they reach us. Fruit sent by mail in a 
paper box, if it Is not thrown out by the way, is so badly 
bruised when it arrives as to be past recognition. 
Fruit by mail should be in a wooden or tin box, and so 
closed that it can be opened for inspection ; nails, tacks, 
sealing wax or gum, subject the parcel to letter postage. 
Do not use a cigar or perfume box, or any other that will 
give the fruit an odor or flavor; do not use cotton for 
packing any soft fruits. In sending by express, pay 
charges in advance—we have done paying such. 
Fish Culture, it has been supposed foryears, would 
do for an amusement but not as a business except in a 
few rare cases. Very great progress has been made in 
the artificial growth of fish, largely through the exertions 
of the United States Fish Commission, which has, among 
other things, distributed, within the last year, a large 
number of the European Carp. We should be pleased to 
hear from some of those persons who have been most 
successful in the growth of this remarkable fish. Perhaps 
the California people can make as good a report as any— 
at least we infer it from the notes in the Pacific press. 
How Large a Grape Vine can be moved with 
safety? asks“J. M. W.” If the question refers to the 
safety of the vine, if well cut back, a vine as large around 
as one’s arm may be moved and live, but it will be a very 
unprofitable job. If the writer would ask how large a one 
may be moved with profit, that will depend upon what 
kind of treatment ifrhas had, and its present condition. 
As a general thing it rarely will pay to move an old vine. 
A new one is obtained so easily, will grow so rapidly, and 
in a few years be so much better than an old vine, that 
has been moved, that it is better to start anew. 
Questions about Grafting.— “W.” asks how 
large the cions used in grafting should be. The shoots 
of the previous season’s growth are used, and these vary 
in size with the variety and the vigor of the tree from 
which they are cut. The average is about the size of a 
lead pencil, or somewhat smaller. He asks if more than 
two cions can be inserted, and how if but one should 
grow ? In what is known as crown grafting, more than 
two can be put in, but it is rarely done. If but one of 
the cions should grow, remove the dead one. One, in a 
majority of cases, is enough, and where two grow it is 
often one too many. 
Interesting Figures. 
Many unmathematieal persons “ hate figures,” and 
hastily skip over any article or item that presents any 
array of them. But, very often, a few numbers stand for 
and represent great and important facts in the commer¬ 
cial and industrial prosperity of our country, and can but 
be of great interest to every one. The very condensed 
tables at the head of our Market Reports in every paper, 
give at one view the summary of an immense number of 
transactions in Breadstnffs. For example, this month 
we find the receipt, during 24 days, at the port of New 
York alone, of 14,867,000 (nearly fifteen Million) 
bushels of grain, reckoning each barrel of flour as five 
bushels of wheat, or 3,195,000 bushels more than during 
the same period last year. 
But the Sales have been on a still greater scale. The 
summary of 24 days transactions show sales to the enor¬ 
mous amount of 36,969,000 bushels—a million and 
a half bushels for every day ! 
The Exports. The first line of table 4, shows that 
during the first half of this year, including eight busi¬ 
ness days in July, there have gone abroad from the New 
York port alone, an equivalent of no less than Sixty-four 
Million Bushels of grain. From Jan. 1, to July9,1880, the 
total exports from New York alone ran up to nearly a 
round §200,090,000 in value ($199,704,348) and for 
the year ending July 1,1880, the exports (from New York 
alone), reached $400,798,000 !—The exports for 
June amounted to $43,084,568—the largest amount ever 
sent abroad in the history of the country, we believe, 
during one month. All the above figures will be greatly 
swelled when we get returns from Philadelphia, Balti¬ 
more, Boston, New Orleans, Charleston, San Francisco, 
and other shipping ports. 
To Help the conception, suppose the above 64,000,000 
bushels of grain exported from New York this year up to 
July 9, had been brought here on wagons, 40 bushels to 
the two-horse load. Three million two hundred horses 
would have been required, and one million six hundred 
thousand drivers. These wagons arranged in a line, al¬ 
lowing 50 feet to each, for wagon, team, and headway, the 
line would extend 15,151 miles, or make up nearly five 
lines of teams all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific 
Ocean.—Put 250 bushels of grain in each railway car, and 
allow only 30 feet to a car. To bring this 64 million 
bushels of grain would require a continuous freight train 
of 1,455 miles, allowing nothing for engines. This would 
closely cover a track from New York to Omaha, or about 
halfway across the Continent I Note that we only speak 
of exports of our surplus, and from New York alone, 
during six months. This is allowing for only about one 
bushel out of every tuirty bushels of corn and wheat grown 
in this country during 1879. 
A FEW COMPARISONS. 
Taking the Census Report of 1860, and comparing it 
with the estimates for the year just ended (July), we have 
the following figures, showing the wonderful expansion 
during the short period of 20 years, in our country: 
1860. 
1880. 
Corn produced, bushels. 
... 838,792,740 
1,450,000,000 
Wheat produced, bushels. 
... 173,104,924 
440,000,000 
Wool produced, pounds. 
... 60,264,913 
232,500,000 
Cotton produced, bales. 
... 4,823,770 
*,675,000 
Hogs packed, number. 
... 2,350,822 
6,950,451 
Iron produced, tons. 
919,770 
3,070,875 
Petroleum produced, barrels.. 
500,000 
19,741,661 
Gold and Silver produced.._ 
... $46,150,000 
$79,711,990 
Wheat exported, bushels. 
... 4,155,153 
175,000,000 
Corn exported, bushels. 
... 3,314,305 
100,000,000 
Butter exported, pounds. 
... 7,640,914 
38,248,016 
Cheese exported, pounds. 
... 15,515,799 
141,654,474 
Merchandise exported. 
.. .$316,242,423 
$835,000,000 
Canned Meat.— During 
; the hot weather many Cam- 
ilies experience considerable 
difficulty in keeping a sup- 
ply of fresh meat. Withonta 
refrigerator oi 
an unusually 
cool cellar, meat will spoil 
in a very few 
hours. As a 
substitute, meat may now be 
bought in cans which may 
be opened at any time. The canned meat industry is now 
a very large one. It is estimated that fully three hundred 
thousand head of cattle are annually slaughtered in Chi¬ 
cago alone to Bupply the demand for canned meat. 
