18G 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
loss of wax. That which becomes soiled, so that 
it is not a perfect white is then colored. A Church 
orders from one of these establishments what they 
require of various sizes, &c. They burn what 
they need, and the rest is returned and deducted 
from what they took. They thus pay for the de¬ 
ficit. Only a few inches of a candle which is five 
feet long are burned. 
There are five large Ccraiuole in Siena. The 
large candles (some of 4 inches through and 5 or 
more feet long) are made by suspending the wicks 
tnd pouring the wax over them. They are made 
round and very true by rolling them under a plank 
on a tade. They are colored by putting in chrome, 
Prussian blue, &c. They are then hung up in the 
6un for a time to harden. Wax unbleached is worth 
three Pauls (about thirty cents); bleached, forty 
cents for a pound, Troy weight. 
Kecipes. 
Rhubarb Pies. 
“ Jeanne,” of Lancaster, Erie Co., N. Y., con¬ 
tributes the following to the Agriculturist, which 
she esteems as a great improvement. “ Prepare 
the stalks by peeling their thin skin, and cutting 
tine enough for a pie—one or two stalks less than 
by the old method. Put in a basin with two or 
three tablespoonfuls of water, and boil for a few 
moments which reduces to a soft pulp like apple 
sauce. Have ready, when partly cool, two soda 
crackers rolled fine, and two-tliirds of a teacup of 
sugar instead of a whole one, which add, mixing 
thoioughly. This is the rule for one pit using 
upper and under crust.” 
[To this we will add, that a great saving of 
sugar can be made by adding to rhubarb a small 
quantity of soda—a pinch of soda will go about as 
far as a handful of sugar in neutralizing the acid. 
Whenever it is desired to economize sugar, or 
when a very sharp sour taste is not relished, the 
soda may well be used. It is invariably used in 
our own family and with great satisfaction. —Ed.] 
Drl*l Kliubarb for Pies. 
S. A. P., of Carroll Co., Ind., writes: It may 
not be generally known that good pies and tarts 
can be obtained by cutting your surplus pie-plant 
into small bits and drying them for Winter use. 
For use, soak them, and then stew them like dried 
apples. They are nearly as good as when 
fresh. 
Pickling' Hams, Slioulders and Jaws. 
Peter Tillar, Jr., Westchester Co., N. Y., com¬ 
mends the following to the readers of the Agri¬ 
culturist . For the hams, shoulders and jaws of 
a hog weighing about 200 pounds, take 3 lbs. 
of salt, £ lb. saltpetre, ground fine. Mix these 
well, rub on the meat, and pack away closely. 
After about three days, pour on a pickle, made in 
the proportion of 4 lbs. coarse salt and 2 ounces 
of saltpetre to 5 gallons of water. These are to 
be boiled together, and added when cold. The 
meat will require pickling from 4 to 8 weeks. 
Mr. T. adds : “ There may be better recipes, but I 
know this to be good. 
To Preserve Furs from Motk. 
A correspondent submits the following plan 
which seems quite plausible, since moths do not 
work ir cotton or linen : Shake out the furs well, 
or beat them, to expel any moths that may be 
already in them ; then inclose them perfectly 
tight in a cotton hag (or one of linen), and hang 
them in a garret, oi other dry place. If there be 
no access for the parent moth except through cot¬ 
ton, no eggs will be laid in the furs. 
Whale Oil Soap.— Many inquiries for this ar¬ 
ticle constantly come to us. It is to be found at 
most agricultural warehouses and seed stores, 
and it is now offered in our advertising columns 
by the quantity. The price is about 4 cents per 
lb., according to quality, price of oil, &c. We 
have been shown a lot of 8 or 10 barrels at much 
less prices, it being inferior for manufacturing 
purposes, but answering perfectly well for use on 
trees, &c. 
Into which are thrown all sorts of paragraphs—such as 
Notes and Replies to Correspondents, with Useful or 
Interesting Extracts from their Letters, together with Glean¬ 
ings of various kinds from various sources. 
To Correspondents—More letters than ever 
have come in the past month, containing valuable commu¬ 
nications for the paper, and questions of general interest. 
These are all acceptable, but cannot be attended to faster 
than our time and space will allow. 
l.etters oti Private Business.—-We have be¬ 
fore us a multitude of letters asking specific questions, 
and usually inclosing stamps, as is right, for personal re¬ 
ply. So far as is in our power we cheerfully respond to 
such letters, but we beg to say that their number far ex¬ 
ceeds our time and ability. Matters of general interest 
must first be attended to. Correspondents will therefore 
please consider any delay or failure to answer their per¬ 
sonal letters as wholly due to absolute want of time, and 
not to oversight or neglect, or to inattention to their re¬ 
requests. 
Caterpillar SBruslses.—C. J., Queens Co., N. Y. 
We know of nothing better 
for the purpose you desire, 
than a little implement illus¬ 
trated in the accompanying 
sketch. This cut we have 
had made from a caterpillar 
brush which w e recently re¬ 
ceived from the Brush Fac¬ 
tory of John G. M'Murray & 
Co., Lansingburg, N. Y. 
These, from the stiffness of 
the brush, and excellent 
workmanship, are svperior 
to any we have seen. It will 
be observed, that the brush 
here shown is to be tied to 
the end of a stick or pole of 
any desired length. It can 
then be twisted into the nests 
and by this means gather up 
the web and the caterpillars, 
and bring them to the ground. 
The brush portion is about 
seven inches long, and two 
and a-half inches in its great" 
est diameter. The retail 
price is thirty-seven and a- 
half cents. 
Cabbages for Seed..—J. R. Reeve, Shelby Co., 
Ill. Pull up a few cabbages by the roots, in the Fall, and 
stand them upon the ground in the cellar. At planting 
time, in Spring, set them out in the open ground, and if 
the head is firm, cut it across the top to allow the shoots 
from the heart to grow freely, and abundance of seed may 
be expected. Many set out only the stumps after the 
heads have been used, but we prefer the whole plant. 
Roses for Prairie Cottages.— -Susan Gibbons, 
of Udina, Ill., inquires for standard roses. The common 
Michigan, the Queen of the Prairie and the Baltimore 
Belle are good, hardy roses, fine growers and bloomers, 
and with bloomers inside of the cottage to cultivate them 
they would soon impart rose eolor to any prairie home. 
If anything could win the “.men folks” to the flower bor¬ 
der, it would be these roses. 
The Blooming off Callas.—D. B., Columbia, 
Me. Many of the parlor plants will not bloom until their 
roots have thoroughly filled the pot or tub in which they 
grow'. Putting the plant into a smaller pot will have the 
same influence as shortening in the roots of a tree, and 
tend to throw it into flowering. Change the soil, putting 
in half muck, and give plenty of water. 
A Barge Tulip.—E. Kalb, Fairfield Co., O., 
writes (May 13), that he has a Tulip, of deep red color, 
the cup of which is 2t inches deep, and 5! inches in dia¬ 
meter; and inquires if a laiger one was ever seen by any 
one else. It is perfectly bell-shaped. The bulb came 
from near Hagerstown, Washington Co., Md. 
Grape Vines for (lie Conservatory. —Mrs. 
Robinson, Brown Co., Wjs., and others. Make a border 
on- -the outside of the conservatory, and plant the roots, 
introducing the vines through small apertures near the 
bottom of the sides of the building, as in a forcing grape 
ry. If there be no space for a border, set the vines 
in large pots or tubs, using rich soil, and watering 
freely. In both cases train the vines up the sides and 
roof if glass. In the absence of a glass roof train along 
tile sides. 
Mushroom Beds.—“C R,” of Wis., will find 
these fully described on pages 262 and 290 of our last vol¬ 
ume (Nov. and Dec. numbers). 
Clipping Strawberry Runners. —B. F. Reed 
Calhoun Co., Mich. Strawberries, for bearing alone, do 
better by having the runners clipped. Keep them short 
by pinching back once a week during the growth of the 
runners. 
Sugar Cane Seed for Feed.—A Western cor¬ 
respondent inquires if sugar cane seed is poisonous when 
fed to stock. We should say decidedly no, having net 
seen the least reliable statement or reason for such suppo¬ 
sition. 
Bead Bark on Apple Trees.— J. J. Jackson, 
Tioga Co., Pa. There are a variety of causes for this 
Sometimes it is occasioned by a wet soil. For this there 
must be under draining. Sometimes it is caused by in¬ 
sects. For these, common soft soap witli a scrubbing brush 
is a good remedy. A pound of potash dissolved in two- 
ancl-a-half gallons of water puton carefully with a sponge 
will also remove them. 
Renovating- Old Trees.—“B.” asks how to 
bring some old apple trees that have never received cul¬ 
ture or pruning, and are now bearing worthless fruit, into 
profitable culture. If very old and unthrifty cut them 
down to make room for others. If still vigorous, dig about 
them in the Spring, top dress with a wheelbarrow load to 
each tree of a mixture of stable manure, muck, and wood 
ashes, scrape off the rough loose bark and engraft one-third 
of the old top with good varieties of fruit Follow this up 
for three years until the old head is entirely changed and 
you may reasonably expect good fruit for many years. 
Y ou will find some useful hints upon this topic in sundry 
numbers of the Agriculturist. 
IBooks on 'Evergreens.— Isaac Atwood, Jeffer 
son Co , Wis. We call to mind but two works of thekind. 
viz.; Mehan’s Ornamental Trees, noticed page 234 of our 
XVth Vol. Price 75c.; and Warder’s work on Hedges 
and Evergreens, noticed on page 112 of this volume. 
Price $1, 
Norway Spruce for Hedges.—Samuel B. 
Ormsbee, Dodge Co,, Wis.. Most of yourquestions are 
answered in the longadveitisement of Parsons & Co , on 
page 92 Marcli Agriculturist. We w-ould procure small 
plants, worth about $15 per 100. Such plants can be 
packed so as to bear a passage of several weeks. The 
latter part of April would be the most desirable time to 
have them shipped. They may, however, be set any 
time in May, or even in June, but with more risk. Such 
plants will form a good screen, and hedge even, in four or 
five years. They will make good screens for a fruit or¬ 
chard. 
Taft Grass.—John Young, of L. I., takes it for 
granted thatw-e know just what lie means by this article. 
We think we do, lor we have been in his region and seen 
it. We should not try to choke it out with other grass 
seed, but with manure. The tufts, all that we ever saw, 
grew on rather poor land. Plow deep, manure heavy', 
and till thoroughly, and we will warrant the tuft grass 
will cave in. 
Osage Orange.—S. W. Robinson, Taj lor Co 
Iowa. We published the information you desire in sun 
dry articles last year. In an extended tour through the 
West, we found few Osage Orange hedges uninjured by 
frost, especially north of latitude 41°....We desire as 
practical information as posssible about Western farm¬ 
ing. 
Pea Bugs.—Robt. Winn, Hancock Co. Ky., an-d 
T. A. Gridin of Ill.—Scalding peas before sowing, will de¬ 
stroy the bugs or flies in them,and prevent their doing fur¬ 
ther mischief without injuring the peas themselves. They 
can be dropped into water almost boiling hot, and stand 
until the water is cold. Imported peas are much less 
troubled with bugs than seed raised in this countiy. Late 
sowing puts the parent bugs out of their reckoning, and is 
generally an effective remedy. 
€Iul»s.—Rev. R. Osgood, Cayuga Co., N. Y.—The 
papers of a club need not be sent lo one address. They 
may be at different Post Offices even, if procured by one 
person, and coming at the same date. 
