392 
AMEBICAN AGEIOULTUEIST 
^mmcan ^prirritarisi 
New-York, "Wednesday, August 30, 1854, 
Expiring Subscriptions. —As we have before 
announced, the Agriculturist is sent no longer 
than ordered and paid for; so that any one re¬ 
ceiving the paper need not expect to receive a 
bill for it afterwards. With the last number of 
any subscription we send a notice that the time 
is up, or what is equivalent, we generally send a 
bill for another year. The bill is made out at 
the full price $2 a year. Those belonging to 
clubs will of course remit only the club price. 
A boy or young man from the country, 
wanted at this office. See advertisement. 
-■ •«- 
Letters from F. II., J., and others, came too 
late to be further noticed in this number. J. 
should have given his real name. We are una¬ 
ble to write him privately. To avoid imposition, 
to save answering those who have no claim upon 
our already over-taxed time and attention, and 
for various other reasons, we have long since 
made it a rule to take no notice of anonymous 
letters. 
INDIAN CORN FOR SOILING. 
An intelligent friend, who has recently com¬ 
menced farming on the Hudson River, acting 
upon our suggestion last spring, put in seven 
acres of corn in drills and broad-cast for soil¬ 
ing. The seed was got in early, and the 
ground having had a coating of guano, in ad¬ 
dition to being in good condition, the corn took 
a vigorous start before the beginning of the 
drought, which is now afflicting that region, and 
thus shaded the surface so well as to defy its ef¬ 
fects. When his pastures dried up, he commenc¬ 
ed feeding the corn-stalks. Of these a man could 
cut a day’s supply for a dozen animals, in a 
short space of time, and on a very small patch. 
The consequence is, that while his neighbors 
have been coming to him to know how they 
shall dispose of their stock in the absence of 
any feed for them, his dairy-maids have been 
asking for additional crocks and firkins in 
which they may bestow their unusual surplus 
of fall butter. This is not a bad result for July 
and August. Henceforth the early drilled corn 
for soiling is a settled feature in his system of 
cultivation. 
How many similar facts must we record, be¬ 
fore we shall induce our readers to guard them¬ 
selves against drouth, to which all are liable ? 
If it comes, you are safe, and if it does not, 
your corn is worth twice what it cost for winter 
feed, or bedding for cattle, or manure turned into 
the furrows on the field where grown. 
-- 
Ohio State Show. —The Farmers of Ohio 
are making very extensive preparations for the 
approaching State Show, to be held at Newark, 
Licking County, commencing on the 19th of 
September. We are indebted to Mr. G. Sprague, 
Corresponding Secretary, for a beautiful litho¬ 
graphic map of the Show grounds, which gives 
a good idea of the location of the different 
offices, buildings, tents, carriage-ways, rings 
for the exhibitions of horses, &c. The plan also 
includes a fine view of the ancient works at 
Newark, which are in themselves well worthy of 
a visit. The grounds chosen by the Society are 
admirably adapted to their purpose by nature ; 
and from the perfect arrangements making in 
good season, we are of opinion that the forth¬ 
coming show will be one of the most attractive 
yet held in this country. 
From a circular, we learn that Mr. Joseph E. 
Holmes, Superintending Engineer of the New¬ 
ark (0.) Machine Works, is chosen to superintend 
the implement and machinery departments. Ex¬ 
hibitors in this line can communicate directly 
with him for any information they may desire. 
Mr. Holmes, is not unknown to many exhibitors 
at the former New-York State Fairs, the World’s 
Fair in London, and the New-York Crystal 
Palace. 
AM. AG. 
A WORD TO SOME OF OUR EXCHANGES. 
The Country Gentleman of 17th inst. says: 
Scarcely a day passes that we do not observe 
more or less articles copied from this paper 
without credit. We have not complained of it, 
because we suppose that it originates in most 
instances from carelessness; but editors must 
be aware that, whether the fault is intentional 
or accidental, great injustice is done us, and we 
hope those who may hereafter copy from this 
journal, will be more careful to indicate the 
source whence their extracts are taken. 
But we have a direct complaint to make 
against the Granite Farmer. In that paper of 
August 5, the leading article which appeared in 
the Co. Gent, of July 27, on “ Wheat and 
Chess,” appears with simple credit of “Ex.” 
As it must have been copied direct from our 
paper, the substitution of “Ex.” for Co. Gen¬ 
tleman i, must have been intentional. Several 
other articles have appeared in the recent nos. 
of the same paper, copied from this Journal, 
with this simple “ Ex.” attached. We beg 
leave to submit to the editor that if our arti¬ 
cles are worthy of being transferred to his 
columns , they are worthy of an explicit credit. 
We entirely agree with the above. Scarcely 
a single batch of exchange papers arrives which 
does not bring a number of uncredited articles 
copied directly from the American Agricultur¬ 
ist. These articles usually contain information 
which we have gathered at considerable ex¬ 
pense, or have paid a good price for by the 
column. A quite common practice is no less 
reprehensible, viz., that of abbreviating the 
credit so as to destroy all its advantages. We 
have before us a number of our long articles 
credited to the “Am. Ag.,” the “Am. Agst.,” 
the “ Agricultural American ,” &c. Suppose 
we should adopt the same practice and credit 
the Co. Ge., the So. Cu., the Ge. Fa., the Ru. 
Ne., the Oh. Cu., the Pe. Fa., &c. ? 
Our own rule is, to give full credit whenever 
we can learn where to give it. We make but 
one exception to this rule, and that is in copying 
from one of our New-York magazines, which 
literally steals from every available source, and 
consequently deserves no credit. If any of our 
exchanges find us erring in the matter of credit 
through oversight, we will thank them to adopt 
our practice of sending a marked paper con¬ 
taining the original article, and we will at once 
make the “amende honorable.” 
Sewing Machines.— We have several inqui¬ 
ries in regard to these machines. Our readers 
will find a very good one announced in our ad' 
vertising columns. 
ARE PEOPLE MORE UNHEALTHY THAN 
FORMERLY \ 
A WORD ABOUT SODA FOUNTAINS, SWEET DRINKS, 
&c., &c. 
The present season has been comparatively a 
very favorable one to health; and yet, aside 
from cholera, the number of deaths in this city 
is much above the average proportion. We 
think there is one cause of this which has been 
overlooked. We refer to the great number of 
cheap “ Soda Fountains” that have recently been 
set up at almost every street corner. Prof. 
Doremus has startled the people somewhat, with 
the discovery that these fountains contain large 
quantities of lead. We think there is another 
and greater evil resulting from the syrups used 
in the soda water. Every glass of this drink 
contains a table-spoonful, or more, of a sweet 
syrup, which is mingled with water more or 
less acidulated with carbonic and sulphuric acids, 
and the mixture goes into the stomach in a fit 
state to sour immediately. The warmer and 
more relaxed the system, and the feebler the 
action of the digestive organs, as is usually the 
case in hot weather, the greater is the tendency 
of the syrup to sour. The acids (sour substances) 
thus formed are productive of indigestion, heart¬ 
burn, irritation of the intestines, and conse¬ 
quent dearrhoea, and dysentery. 
The same remarks apply to the various drinks 
sold under the name of mead, small beer, bot¬ 
tled soda, &c. 
All sweet drinks and food, such as confection¬ 
ary, preserves, rich cakes and pies, are also espe¬ 
cially liable to sour in warm weather. The ul¬ 
timate effect is very like that produced by sour 
and unripe fruits. 
* NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
The American Text Book of Practical and 
Scientific Agriculture, intended for the use 
of colleges, schools and private students, as 
well as for the Practical Farmer; including 
analyses by the most eminent chemists. By 
Charles Fox, Senior Editor of Farmer’s Com¬ 
panion, Lecturer on Agriculture in the Uni¬ 
versity of Michigan, &c. Published by El- 
wood & Co., Detroit, Michigan. For sale by 
D. Appleton & Co., of this city. 
On the morning of the same day that we 
heard of the decease of the lamented author, 
we received from Messrs. D. Appleton & Co., a 
copy of the above work, and we have devoted a 
number of odd hours to its examination. The 
design of the work is pretty well expressed in 
the extract from the title page, which we have 
given above. Our own opinion is, that too wide 
a field is embraced in the aim of the author. 
It could hardly be possible to treat with any 
thing like completeness, or even with clearness, 
in a volume of 350 pages, such a variety of 
subjects as are glanced at in this book; and on 
this account we find whole pages devoted to 
short statements of facts and principles. As 
an illustration, we refer to pages 21-23. The 
work is a kind of a very brief agricultural cn- 
cyclopidia, and as such is valuable. 
It is a fault with our author, as it is with 
most writers on any scientific subject, that they 
are apt to forget that others do not see with 
their eyes, or read and think with minds as 
well disciplined and as well informed on a spe- 
