AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
27 
iitg far enough in the rear to be out of sight, yet 
near enough to understand liis movements. 
An hour or so, brought Hawkins into town, 
when he stopped at one store, then at another, 
and so on, till he got to the ‘ Cheap Cash Empo¬ 
rium’ of a dealer in ‘ East and West India 
goods, and Produce in general.’ After tying 
‘old Doll’ at the post, and a stay inside of a few 
minutes, out he came, lifted the bag on to his 
shoulder, and took it into the store. In half an 
hour, or so, out he came again, with his pipe in 
his mouth, puffing away stoutly, with bag in hand, 
and hanging down at each end, which he swung 
on the saddle, mounted ‘ old Doll,’ and turned 
her face homeward. Bentley who had hitherto 
kept out of sight, soon came into the store, and 
inquired of the Store-keeper if he had beans to 
sell. 
‘ Yes,’ said West India ; ‘I just took a bushel 
and a half, real good ones, of Joe Hawkins, who 
lives somewhere in your part of the town. I 
guess they’ll suit you.’ 
* What’s the price!’ 
‘ Why I gave six and sixpence, but as I paid 
in tea, snufl and allspice at retail price, you may 
have them for the same, in money.' 
‘ I’ll take them ;’ and without more ado, the 
beans were measured up, put into the bag, and 
away went Bentley, by a cross road, over which, 
with a little hurrying, he got home before Hawk¬ 
ins had turned down the hill past Bentley's house, 
where he found him quietly repairing a broken pick¬ 
et on his gate, ‘ as if nothing had happened. 
‘ Well neighbor Hawkins,’ cheerily asked Bent¬ 
ley, how did you make out with your beans V 
‘ Pooty fair ; got my price, and traded it out 
a’rter’ards, as we wanted a few notions for house¬ 
keeping. Guess though, I’d done as well to let 
you had ’em. 
I guess so too,’ leered Bently ; for I have got 
the same beans now in my kitchen, which I 
bought just as you left the store, of West India 
himself, for six and sixpence, which he said was 
all he gave you for ’em, and paid in dicker!' 
The switch went down into ‘ old Doll’s’ hide 
in a moment, while she and her long eared pro¬ 
geny aforesaid .turned smartly ‘ up the hollow,’ 
and Bildatl Hawkins was not seen riding past Jo- 
tham Bentley’s house again that Summer. 
- «p * w ra &l pn m » o . 
Pessnsylvania Faria School. 
The Secretary, VVm. G. Waring, desires us to ac¬ 
knowledge the following recent contributions to archives 
and grounds of the State School. 
Jas. S. Barr Esq., Huntingdon, Pa., a copy of Worcester’s 
Dictionary. 
Dr. Chas. G. Reinhold. Boalsburg, Pa., a copy of his 
Farmer’s Promotion Book. 
J. Winebrenner, Harrisburg, Pa., combined clod-erush- 
Jng harrow and roller. 
G. C. Bucher Esq., Pa., plants of Peabody’s Hautbois, 
and Scott’s Seedling Strawberry. 
John Evans, Erie, Pa., seed of Etrurian Wheat, 
las. S. Barr, Huntingdon, Pa., Worcester’s Pro¬ 
nouncing, Explanatory and Synonomous Dictionary. 
Titos. Evans, Erie, Pa., seed of Etrurian wheat. 
J. Winebrenner, Harrisburg, Pa., Gourly’s harrow and 
clod-crusher. This effective looking implement will be 
useful here. 
Dr. C. G. Reinhold, Boalsburg, Pa., a copy of his 
Farmer’s Promotion Book, and the right of use of his 
portable rack fence—an exceedingly simple and cheap 
fence. 
J. B. Garber, Columbia, Pa., plants of several new 
varieties of grapes and seeds of trees and plants from the 
Northwest Territories—very interesting and valuable. 
Josiah Hoopes, West Chester, Pa., plants of new rasp¬ 
berries and grapes. 
Dr. C. W. Grant, Iona, near Peekskill, N. Y., plants of 
new grapes, with specimens of the Ohio Delaware, far 
surpassing the Isabella in flavor, and much earlier—quite 
decidedly the richest hardy grape ever tasted here. 
Jesse Heacock, Millville, Columbia County, Pa , right 
Jot use of portable fence—Mcllroy’s patent. (Will be 
triad.) 
Chas. Downing, Newburg, N. V., Downing’s seedling 
gooseberry, and the revised edition of “ Fruits and Fruit 
Trees of America.” 
Win. G, lluyett, Williamsburg, Blair County, Pa. His 
improved reaping and mowing machine, and cornstalk 
cutter and grinder. (The latter will be tried shortly— 
both machines have a high reputation.) 
J. H. Gould & Co., Alliance, Ohio, box of husking 
thimbles, just received and tried one day. Some hands 
are greatly pleased with them—others prefer the old 
. “skiver.” 
Messrs. D. Appleton <fc Co., publishers, N. Y.. a copy 
of Gillespie's Surveying—a very complete and superior 
work—and Youman’s Class-book and Atlasof Chemistry— 
a novel and beautiful work of evidently great educational 
value. 
Hickling, Swan & Brewer, Boston. Tate’s Natural 
Philosophy, and Hill’s Lessons in Geometry—both well 
adapted to convey instruction. 
Philips, Sampson & Co., Boston. Sargent's Readers— 
books of very high merit. 
-- a Oa-. -- 
If there be any Man wlio casi 
Sit coolly down, amid the rush of letters that nas 
crowded in upon us during the last two weeks, and in 21 
working days do the amount of thinking needed to write, 
or get written, collect, select, correct and arrange the 
mass of articles, engravings, &r.., required to fill a single 
paper of this size, and yet make everything in the paper 
tip-top, we should like to engage his services imme¬ 
diately at any price. ' We will surrender the chair edi¬ 
torial at once, and for ourselves act only as publisher. 
How many fine plans laid out for this number have been 
crowded over for a month, if not two. Let us get by the 
month of January, and we will see what we can do in the 
March number. It is unfortunate that the first two num¬ 
bers of the volume which ought to be the best are neces¬ 
sarily the poorest of the year, for the reasons aforesaid. 
Into which are thrown all sorts of paragraphs—such as 
Notks anil Replies to Correspondents, with Useful or 
Interesting Extracts from their Letters, together with Glean¬ 
ings of various kinds from various sources. 
To Correspondents. —Please remember that the mo¬ 
ment one paper is issued w e commence preparing the next 
and all communications or articles designed for any num¬ 
ber should be on hand, if possible, very early in the 
previous month. These pages are not made up of simple 
extracts tlirown loosely together, but much care and 
thought are devoted to every column. Give ustime,or ex¬ 
pect articles to be “ laid over.” Further, just now we are 
receiving thousands of letters every week, very many of 
which contain moro or less inquiries and suggestions on 
all kinds of work. Such letters are necessarily laid by 
for an appropriate season. For example, we have letters 
just received containing suggestions on corn husking, 
wheat sowing, &c., which will be just in season next 
autumn, and these are filed for that time. Others require 
special investigation, or engravings, and of course must 
wait their turn. 
Names op writers must always accompany letters of 
inquiry, and indeed all others, or a notice of them need 
not be expected. We have received many letters from 
persons signing themselves “ subscribers ” only, and 
some of these have been from Post Offices where we have 
no subscribers. Such letters have gone into the “ kin¬ 
dling basket.” When a particular request is made to that 
effect, the name of any writer will not be published, 
Skeltering Cattle.—W, C. A., Tioga Co., N. Y. 
Cattle should be housed at night as soon as the cold rains 
of Autumn come on. They should be yarded nights dur¬ 
ing the Summer season even, to be handy for milking and 
to save the manure. If the barn has open sheds or hovels 
attached, they will afford the requisite shelter until cool 
weather, when cattle should be stabled to keep them 
warm, to afford a sheltered place to feed them in, and to 
save the manure. These matters are discussed elsewhere 
in this number. 
Trimming BlctHges.—N. B. Robbins, of Ply¬ 
mouth Co., Mass., will find June and July the best time 
to prune or cut in hedges. They are then in a vigorous 
growing condition, and soon heal over the wounds made 
by the knife or shears. 
ToolU Wash-Powders.-S S. Medary, Wis- 
Never buy any of these, as you are quite as apt to get a 
positively injurious article as a good one. Those pow¬ 
ders and washes which are most effective in cleansing the 
teeth and rendering them white, are just the things to 
spoil the natural enamel and thus destroy the teeth. 
Nine-tenths of the tooth-washes sold by pedlars are a 
mixture of hydro-chloric acid and water, costing 50 cents 
to$l a barrel, but sold at from 12 to 25 cents the small 
vial. The acid in them soon destroys the teeth. A stifl 
brush and clean water, or water and a little hard soap 
is the best tooth-cleanser. The teeth should be cleaned 
just before going to bed, as food or decaying vegetable mat¬ 
ter remaining on or between, the teeth sours during the 
night nnd decays the teeth. 
BCccpistgr Onions.—J. B. Medbock, of Elk Co. 
Pa., referring to a basket note, Vol. XVI, page 235, say3 
he keeps his onions designed for planting in a dry placs, 
but allows them to freeze and thaw freely, only avoiding 
any stirring or shaking of them while frozen. He says 
they grow just as readily in Spring. Those used for eat¬ 
ing are put to cooking while still frozen, and he thinks 
they are all the better for the freezing. 
The New Maoazine.— The Atlantic Monthly, pub 
lished by Phillips, Sampson & Co., Boston, promises to 
be a sterling affair. We have little time for magazine, 
reading, and have found so little worth reading in most of 
the so-called literary magazines of the country, that we 
seldom take up any of them, w ith the exception of the 
National Magazine and the Ladies’ Repository, both of 
which are issued by Carleton & Porter, of this city. In 
the first two numbers of the Atlantic Monthly, how¬ 
ever, we have found a rich intellectual treat. It 
abounds in original thought addressed to the mind, the 
intellect, and not to the fancy or fasltion. From the list of 
contributors engaged, and the character of the first numbers 
issued we shall look for a monthly intellectual least, such 
as we have not before found in this country, and we have 
no hesitancy in recommending this magazine to the atten¬ 
tion of all who desire a class ol reading of the kind above 
indicated. It may be obtained ol the publishers, as above 
at §3, per annum, post-paid, or of mosL book nnd periodi¬ 
cal dealers in the country at 25 cents per number. 
-I ■li ra o c a ■ ► o 
Boys and Girls Own Columns. 
Whata uesliom to Ask J 
Many hundreds of miles away, lives one of our old sub¬ 
scribers, whom we have never seen, but who must be our 
special friend, as he takes very much pains lo set us right 
whenever he thinks we chance lo slep a little aside from 
the course which he thinks just proper in the conduction 
of these columns. We call him our “friend,” because 
we think the very best friend we have is the one wiio is 
frank enough to tell us of our faults. All have more or 
less failings, which they are not themselves aware of, but 
which are plain enough to everybody else; now how kind 
it is in others to point out these failings, that they may be 
corrected. Boys and girls, you should he thankful to any 
one who will tell you of your faults, so that you may see 
them too, and guard against them. 
But we are getting a great way from what we com¬ 
menced to write above. A little while ago the friend 
alluded to sent us a pretty long letter, and almost Hie first 
sentence we saw in running our eye over tiie sheet was 
tins: “ Don't you think you are lowering the character cf 
the Agricullun.it by introducing that bnys’ and girls’ de¬ 
partment, filled with problems, children’s stories, &c.f 
No, sin, we do not. Why, mail - , wtiat put that into your 
head 1 Lower the character of this paper becauso we de 
vote a page now and then to such things as will specially 
amuse and interest our youthful readers! No, sir. Why, 
the happiest hours of our life are spent with children. 
How many times during the weary labors of the day are 
we cheered by tile thought that when night comes, we 
can go way out to our country home and have a romp and 
frolic with our little ones who are waiting impatiently for 
“papa to come home.” That long ride at sundown 
would be twice as long if there were no children (and 
their mamma, of course,) at the other end of the route. 
And when Sunday morning comes, and our weekday 
cares are laid aside, how we love to get up early and take a 
walkor ride to a distant school room, where weean gathei 
around us a large group of happy children in a Sabbath 
School, and sing sweet songs and talk of pleasant tilings 
Why, the whole week oftalliing with and writing for grown 
up people gives no such real pleasure as we enjoy during 
these few hours spent with children. How often we 
wish the tens of thousands of boys and girls who read 
these pages could now and then all come and join in one 
ol those glorious songs we sing. Here is the first verse 
ol one we shall sing to-morrow morning—it is Saturday 
night now, Dec. 19 : 
“All the week we spend full of childish bliss, 
Every changing scene brings its happiness ; 
Yet our joys would not be full, 
Had we not the Sabbath School. 
Another song begins thus : 
“ Welcome, welcome, quiet morning, 
I’ve no task, no toil, to-day ; 
Now the Sabbath morn returning, 
Says a week has passed away ” 
