AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
201 
Soda (the bi-carbonate,) while having all the 
good qualities of even pure saleratus (bi-carbon- 
ate of potash,) is superior, in that a slight 
excess is not so apt to turn cakes yellow or to 
produce a disagreeable taste. 
In our own family we have for five years past 
used no saleratus, but soda only, and speak 
above from experience as well as from the 
teachings of chemistry, which first suggested 
the change. We are aware, that a change from 
saleratus to soda, where pure saleratus has 
been used, will require a little readjusting of 
habits, but the change is really worth making. 
MUSKEET GRASS. 
This valuable grass is particularly adapted to 
the South. We do not know whether it will 
grow North, but are of opinion that it will not 
endure our severe frosty weather. Mr. Richard 
Peters, of Atlanta, Georgia, in a letter recently 
received from him, thus describes it: 
The muskeet grass is a perennial. It does 
best when sown in August, one peck of seed to 
an acre. It makes fine pastures for late fall and 
early spring grazing; and does best on moist 
or low ground. On very rich meadow land it 
would grow tall enough to cut for hay. 
For further information on this interesting 
subject, we would refer to Mr. Peters himself. 
A good southern grass has been a great desid¬ 
eratum there; and if the muskeet will grow 
well in that region during the heat and drouth 
of summer, it will prove one of the most valu¬ 
able acquisitions to the South. Such a grass, 
and one easily manageble, would make that sec¬ 
tion of the country one of the best and most 
productive live stock regions of the globe. 
-•• *- 
UNCLE SAM’S FARM FENCE. 
A few days since we fell in with a volume 
bearing the above title, which we supposed to 
relate to fences in general, and in particular to 
some “ new invention” of an aspiring Yankee 
genius. Upon the cover was exhibited a dozen 
lengths of the most approved Virginia fence, 
with “ stakes and riders” complete. This cover 
picture is almost worth the price of a moderate¬ 
sized volume, and the book referred to is such 
an one, having not quite 300 pages. So reader, 
just buy this book for its ornamental cover, and 
if you do not like the inside, paste up the leaves. 
But our story is not half told. 
On opening the book, instead of a tedious 
history of fences from the earliest dawn of civ¬ 
ilization to the present time, we found that the 
“ new invention,” the “Uncle Sam’s Farm Fence” 
treated of, is nothing more nor less than a great 
legal fence to be built all around and between 
the fields of Uncle Sam’s farm, to keep out such 
wild beasts as rum, gin, brandy, and all others 
of the untameable alcohol tribe. 
The book contains a very readable narrative 
of veritable transactions in the town where the 
41 Spread Eagle” sign-board swayed to and fro 
in front of the village Inn. The narrative has 
its counterpart in almost every village in the 
country, and few will commence reading it with¬ 
out going on to the end. It is from the pen of 
Milne, which is all that need be said of its 
style and interest. The last 30 pages of the 
book are from the gifted pen of T. S. Arthur, 
and are entitled “The Why and the Where¬ 
fore.” This part contains some capital hints to 
men desiring to commence business, and we 
would advise such persons especially to read it. 
The book is published by Messrs. C. Shepard 
& Co., 152 Fulton street, New-York. 
-• o # - 
HOW WE GOT RID OF MOTHS. 
A year since we had occasion to store a lot 
of furniture, with a considerable amount of 
woolen garments, carpets, bed clothing, &c. As 
the house necessarily used for storing was in¬ 
fested with moths and cock-roaches, we had some 
fears on their account, but we procured a •pound 
and a half of gum camphor, and packed all 
woolen materials in a single close room, with 
large lumps of the camphor in several places. 
The room was then closed up tightly, and left 
till a few days since. On opening it we found 
it still filled with a strong odor of camphor. 
The lumps of gum, which were about the size 
of a hen’s egg when put in, had now lost about 
half their bulk, and not a single thread of any 
cloth in the room had been injured by moth or 
other insect. 
One thing surprised us not a little, the ceiling 
of the room was literally covered with thou¬ 
sands of moths, though none were found else¬ 
where. The dollar expended in getting a large 
amount of camphor, probably saved us from 
many dollars loss, since a bit of stair carpet and 
an old fur muff, which were left in another 
room with some furniture, were entirely des¬ 
troyed. 
BENTON COUNTY (Minnesota) AGRICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
Through the politeness of Col. 0. II. Kelly, 
Corresponding Secretary, we have received, and 
perused with much pleasure, a copy of the pro¬ 
ceedings of a meeting of the above Society, held 
at Sauk Rapids, on the 12th and 13th of De¬ 
cember last. Those who have not lately ly vis¬ 
ited the far west, can hardly credit the state¬ 
ment, that in a region so recently a wilderness, 
there already exists a fully-organized and flour¬ 
ing society of men, deeply interested in the 
growth and success of agricultural industry. 
But such is the fact; and we find in the report 
before us, a reference to a “ former annual 
meeting,” and we are not now advised how 
many annual meetings have already been 
held. 
We hail with much pleasure these indica¬ 
tions of progress in the newer portions of our 
country. They tell us plainly that the Western 
farmers will not follow the suicidal policy, so 
long pursued in the older States, of exhausting 
their virgin lands. While the latter, with a de¬ 
generated soil, have much to do to regain what 
has been lost, the former, starting with a fund 
of accumulated experience, will hold their own, 
and rise to a higher degree of prosperity. 
QUANTITY OF POTATOES THAT CAN BE 
RAISED TO AN ACRE. 
We give below the reply of the Evening Post , 
.to our article two weeks since, page 268 of the 
Agriculturist. We copy this verbatim, as 
should always be done when practicable, in dis¬ 
cussions of this kind, as it is better to allow 
each party to speak for himself. Nine-tenths of 
all controversies are worse than useless to every 
reader who does not happen to take both papers 
in which they appear, for in that case, as he 
only sees one side, he cannot have a fair under¬ 
standing of the matter in discussion. 
The Post slides over the main point in issue 
between us, which was simply this. In an arti¬ 
cle trying to communicate some useful hints on 
potato cultivation, we incidentally remarked, 
that “ intelligently cultivated they would yield 
from 75 to 200 barrels per acre”—187-J- to 500 
bushels. The Post seized upon the latter num¬ 
ber—our very highest limit—and pronounced it 
an “ exaggeration”—a “ fiction.” Did we not 
in reply then to this charge, clearly prove that 
500 bushels per acre was no exaggeration and 
no fiction; but on the other hand, within the 
mark, andjm some instances not half the pro¬ 
duct that had been raised per acre ? 
And now we would respectfully ask, is it not 
the Post that “ exaggerates” in this discussion? 
Why did it not take our smaller number, 1874 
bushels, or what would have been perfectly 
fair, the mean of the two numbers for its re¬ 
marks, which would have been only 343-| bush¬ 
els per acre? We are not discussing this mat¬ 
ter for the sake of obtaining the victory in an 
argument—we aim at no such paltry considera¬ 
tion. We have, we trust, a nobler object in 
view, and that is, to show farmers what may 
reasonably be expected, and generally accom¬ 
plished, when they set themselves to work in 
the best and most intelligent manner. 
The Post says, “considering the industry 
with which our contemporary has evidently 
searched the record we wonder at the paucity of 
the result.” That is to say, we suppose, it won¬ 
ders that we did not find more examples. 
Why, dear Mr. Post, our industry was only 
of a few minutes duration ; and it went no far¬ 
ther than taking down some half dozen volumes 
which first came to hand, in a very small and 
poorly-selected agricultural library; so that 
lightning, swift as it is, must have been unusu¬ 
ally expeditious in striking down as many of 
poor humanity in this brief period, as we gave 
examples of large potato crops. Those we gave 
for your consideration, were but a mole hill to a 
mountain, of what we could raise up with a lit¬ 
tle more industry in research. We only aimed 
to establish the truth of what we had asserted 
as possible to accomplish; and we supposed that 
a few examples would be just as efficient to do 
this, and just as convincing, as if we had given 
many hundreds. But if the Post will advance 
us any thing worth while, we will undertake to 
present him the names of many persons in the 
United States, who within the past ten years 
have each produced their 500 bushels or more 
of potatoes from an acre. Our contemporary 
shall have two now in point, by way of com¬ 
mencement. 
Mr. Charles D. Coxe, of Sidney, Hunterdon 
County, N. J., recently raised 664 bushels of 
potatoes on one acre. They were the large red 
variety. He top-dressed the land well with 
barn-yard manure, then plowed and plant¬ 
ed in hills about three feet apart each way, 
and cultivated them in the usual manner. The 
soil was naturally good, and the season favor¬ 
able. 
Mr. Buck, of Lebanon, N. H., just informs us, 
that 500 bushels per acre of potatoes are fre¬ 
quently raised by the farmers in his neighbor¬ 
hood. Their soil is excellent for them. The 
last of May or fore part of June they take sod 
land, plow and furrow one way, turning the 
