336 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
should be potted when the buds are well formed, 
and shaded a few days. 
Geraniums should make a fine show of bloom 
now. Make cuttings now for next year’s stock. 
Ornamental Trees and Shrubs may be set out in 
autumn In removing evergreens the chief point 
is to prevent the roots from becoming dry during 
the operation. This is by many regarded as a 
favorable time of year to move them. 
j Herbaceous Perennials. —Fall is the best time to 
transplant many of these, as those like the Paeony 
will not bloom the same year if moved in the spring. 
Greenhouse and Window Plants. 
All plants to be taken in when frosts are ex¬ 
pected, should be in readiness. The houses should 
also be in order for the hurried time of moving in. 
In bringing in the plants it is best to do it a little 
while before the cold comes on, in order that they 
may not be injured, and more time can be given for 
clearing of insects, etc. Begin with the most 
tender varieties. The house plants should go into 
a room where the windows can be left open, in 
order that they may by degrees become accustomed 
to the confined air of the living room. 
Sod, Pits. etc., needed during the winter, are to be 
provided now 
Seeds of Annuals, such as Candytuft, Sweet Alys- 
sum and Mignonette may be sown. Other sowing 
for a succession of bloom may be made later. 
Hanging Baskets may be filled now and hung on 
the piazza until cooler weather. 
The Roses, Carnations, etc., that are to flower in 
winter should be taken up, potted, and put in a 
shady place until they recover. 
SlUjht Frosts. —When these come early in the 
season provide a covering for the choicest plants 
by spreading sheets or even newspapers over them. 
How to Clean Wash Pipes and Sink Drains. 
We hardly know the value of the plumber’s 
work which disposes of the wastes of the family, 
until the pipes become obstructed, and the old- 
fashioned slop pail has to do the work of gravita¬ 
tion Then there is loud lamentation in the family ; 
Bridget’s work is nearly doubled, and the mistress 
is threatened with notice of early leaving. We 
have had an experience in this line which ought 
to benefit all the house-keepers among the village 
and city readers of the American Agriculturist. 
Nothing is more common than partial obstructions 
in the outlet of the wash-bowl or bath-tub, where 
these conveniences are fixtures in the dwelling. 
Hair or lint gets in and other obstructions accu¬ 
mulate until the water nearly stops. If a stick is 
used the foul matter accumulates below, and the 
plumber has to be sent for, and you have to pay 
for his skill and time in making a free passage for 
the water. The best thing to remove these slight 
obstructions is a rubber force cup, or half globe, 
about three inches in diameter fastened at the 
apex to a handle about four inches long. If this 
is put over the mouth of the waste pipe aud 
pressed downward, it forces a column of air or 
water against the obstruction in the pipe and re¬ 
moves it. It will remove a slight obstruction in 
any part of the pipe. The cost of such a force cup 
is about fifty cents. We think we have saved five 
dollars in plumber’s bills by using one of these 
cups, as it has been needed during the last three 
years. Plumbers do not like to keep them for sale 
for obvious reasons, but you can find them at the 
drug or rubber store. A more serious matter is 
the obstruction of the waste-pipe from the water 
closet and sink, usually a four-inch glazed earthen 
pipe emptying into the cesspool or street sewer. A 
recent case of this kind revealed, upon examina¬ 
tion, an inch and a half coating of grease upon the 
inside of the pipe—the accumulation of a dozen 
years or more from the waste of the sink. This 
might have been prevented by the occasional use of 
potash or soda dissolved in hot water and poured 
into the waste pipe of the sink. W. C. 
An Important Supplement, 
All our readers will be interested in the large 
Supplement with this number, which includes 
the Premium List for the forthcoming volume. 
Attention is invited to pages 377 and 378, 
which explain the object of premium-giving, 
who may receive premiums, etc., and will 
answer some objections to the system. 
HSg^Please note on page 378, the “Extra 
Long Year,” that all new subscribers for 1881 
coming in from now onward will receive the 
remaining numbers of this year, issued after 
the receipt of their subscription, without extra 
charge. £2§rThis offer applies to all new sub¬ 
scribers, whether in premium clubs or not. 
We trust our friends will take this occasion 
to invite their friends and neighbors to now 
become readers of this Journal. We shall 
take good care to make the paper eminently 
worthy of their perusal. 
The Descriptions and Illustrations of a large 
number of excellent articles, in great variety, 
on pages 379 to 404 inclusive, of the Supple¬ 
ment, will interest all our readers, even if they 
care nothing for the Premium Offers. 
Carefully Preserve the Supple¬ 
ment to this number. It will be useful for 
reference on many points all through the year, 
while its premium offers hold good from now 
to July 1, 1881. 
containing a great variety of Items, inc’vding many 
good Hints and Suggestions which we throw into smaller 
type and condensed 'form, for want of room elsewhere. 
W lie re to Get Things Wanted.— Many thou¬ 
sands of b-r.ters come to the Editors every year (some 
with and some without “ return postage”), asking where 
they can obtain from Trustworthy parties, implements, 
animals, poultry, seeds, plants, fertilizers, and a great 
variety of other things, all of which questions we try to 
answer when we can. But nine out of ten of these let¬ 
ters, and much valuable time of both writers and re¬ 
spondents, would he saved, if the inquirers would take 
the little trouble required to just look through the adver¬ 
tising columns, where usually, in one number or another, 
several parties announce the very things asked about. 
We try to keep out all parties not trustworthy. If any 
mistake occurs, after all possible care, we can only ac¬ 
knowledge lo having been deceived, for we do not admit 
any advertisers whom ice would not ourselves patronize 
when wanting the things they offer. (The Editors 
have the “veto power” over any and every advertise¬ 
ment proposed for these columns) It will always 
pay to read through the business columns to sec what is 
offered and by whom, and useful hints are often derived 
from reading wlmt others say and how they say it. New 
ideas are thus started up in one’s mind.—When corre¬ 
sponding with any of o|jr advertisers, or sending for 
catalogues, etc., it is well to state that you are a reader 
of this Journal. They will know what we expect, and 
what you expect of them as to prompt and fair treatment. 
Tlie Fair Gist. -The attention of our readers is 
called to the Fair List to he found upon pages 3R7nnd 303. 
We return our thanks to the Secretaries and others, who 
have favored ns with Premium Lists of their fairs, and 
wish that every fair, small or large, may be a success. 
The most Important public feature of the ex¬ 
traordinary Premium List in the supplement, is the op¬ 
portunity afforded to individuals, and to communities, 
societies, etc., to secure GOOD BOOKS on various 
subjects, including Agriculture. Horticulture, and other 
topics, WITHOUT COST, except transportation. 
By turning to page 380, it will be seen that any number 
of persons, from ten upwards, now contributing $1.50 a 
piece can each have the American Agriculturist from Oct. 
until the end of 1881, and at the same time, without 
further expense, secure for the common use of all, good 
Books of their own selection to the amount of $10. $20, 
$50. or even $100 or moi'e. —It only needs some energetic 
public-spirited leader, in every neighborhood to secure 
this much desirable result. One of the club can be ap¬ 
pointed keeper of the books, and they can circulate from 
house to house until all read them. They will be a 
library of reference for all. fbr diseases of animals, and 
on a thousand other topics.—If this is not done by 
combined effort, any individual may collect a clnb of 
subscribers, and receive the books for his own indi¬ 
vidual property, to be loaned out or not as he may choose. 
Our Associate, Mr. Orange Judd, has been 
appointed an Indian Commissioner by tbe President. 
Though the appointment was a surprise to him. Mr. 
Judd accepted it, believing that it presented a wide field 
for philanthropic labor, and he is nowon his way to visit 
the various Indian tribes scattered through the Far 
West. The universal expression of opinion from tbe 
press indicates that the public regard this as an appoint¬ 
ment eminently fit to be made. During Mr. Judd's ab¬ 
sence we are promised many sketches from him of un¬ 
usual interest to those engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
Old readers of the American Agriculturist are aware that 
he is a close observer, and describes what he sees in a 
graphic and entertaining manner. His letters will con¬ 
stitute a most valuable feature of the paper during the 
next few months. 
“ Experiment Stations” not New.—We 
are apt to look upon the various methods for the Im¬ 
provement of agriculture as modern, and give little 
credit to the fathers for what they have done. We came 
across an illustration of this in a brief glance at the ex¬ 
cellent agricultural library of Prof. Miles of Houghton 
Farm. The works issued two and three centuries ago 
are not so numerous as those of the present day, hut they 
show that farming, gardening, and rural pursuits 
generally, occupied nearly as large a place, propor¬ 
tionally, as they do in our literature now. In a 
book of 303 pages now before ns, printed in 1655, 
(225 years ago) entitled Samuel Hartlib, His Legacy of 
Husbandry, p. 80 § 20, on Deficiencies in Agriculture, we 
read: “2. Deficiency, is, tiiat Gentlemen try so few ex¬ 
periments, for the advance of this honest and laborious 
calling ; when ns many experiments might he made for a 
small matter; for half a Pole square, will give as certain 
a demonstration, as an Acre ; and a Pottle [2 quarts] as 
an Hogshead. 1 hope in time there will be erected a Col¬ 
lege of Experiments, not only for this, but also the Me¬ 
chanical Arts.”_“3. Deficiency, is. that Gentlemen and 
Farmers do not meet and communicate secrets of this 
kind, but keep what they have experimented themselves, 
or known from others ; as Sybils leaves_”“5. Deficiency 
is, that men do usually cover great quantities of land, yet 
cannot manage a little well _4 little Farm well tilled is 
to be preferred _” All sound teaching is not new. 
Sign Your Name!—When a letter is full of in¬ 
formation, we are pleased to know from whom it came 
and to acknowledge it, which we cannot do when no 
name is given. If direct questions are asked, the omis¬ 
sion of the name is all the worse for the sender, as he 
or she must go without an answer. Always sign your 
full name—not simply the initials—to even a postal card 
that you take the trouble to address to us. 
Tlie Clover Crop.— It is very seldom that one 
hears of a farmer who says he has grown too much 
clover, that with him the clover seed he has sown has not 
been his best manure. A rotation that does not have 
clover in it shows that either the system of management 
is at fault, or it is one fitted to some peculiar circum¬ 
stances. Clover does not have one single good quality 
in its favor, but a number of them—not the least of 
which is its production of a large amount of valuable 
fodder in two or more cuttings, if for hay; and it 
makes a fine pasture if the crop is used in that way. 
T e good influence of the clover crop is felt for years in 
tlie better corn, wheat, etc., that follow, and this comes 
from the fact that the clover plant is a deep feeder and 
brings up a large amount of food elements from the 
subsoil and deposits it in the larger roots near the sur¬ 
face. As these roots decay the succeeding crops take 
up the nourishment from them. A growing clover field 
is a food gathering, and food-producing, soil-improving, 
and altogether a very valuable crop upon the farm. 
