AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
251 
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. 
Turnips, Varieties, Keeping anil Feed" 
ing.— A Putnam County reader inquired what varie¬ 
ty ofturnips our Gattawissa subscriber raised 500 bushels 
per acre, as detailed on page 197 ; how kept and fed, &c. 
We forwarded his queries, but received the reply too late 
for the preceding pages. It is in substance as follows : 
“ The seed sown is of the flat blue-top (purple-top,— Ed ) 
and the blue-top, round, the latter yielding the most large¬ 
ly ; the feeding and keeping quality the same. In large 
heaps they heat and spoil; so only 20 to 30 bushels are 
putin a heap, and coated with straw or turnip tops, to 
keep out the dirt which is thrown on to the depth of some 
six inches. The soil they grow in is used for this purpose. 
As wanted for feeding, 30, 60, or ICO bushels at a time 
are taken out to a warm cellar. The little frost that may 
be in them comes out, leaving them in nice condition for 
milch cows_In feeding,about I bushel per cow is thrown 
into an oak plank trough, chopped fine, and sprinkled with 
6 or 8 quarts of meal of corn and cobs ground together. 
This divided into two messes constitutes, with some 20 
lbs. of hay, the daily food of a cow, and keeps her in good 
condition with a fullflow of rich milk throughout the Win¬ 
ter, leaving her in excellent order as a Summer cow, 
when grass comes. Every drop of urine and solid excre¬ 
ment is saved, and a large amount of rich manure is thus 
secured— a very important consideration with every farmer. 
manure for Turnips.—O. O. Stewart, Lincoln 
Co., Me. With the manures you have, there need be no 
longing for “ patent manures,” which are often too much 
like patent medicines—of very little practical use. Mix 
equal quantities of your barn yard or stable manure and 
muck together, and add a bushel of dry lime to a double 
load and you have a first rate lurnip grower. The ashes, 
may very well be applied to the young plants, as they be¬ 
gin to'make their appearance in the drill. Besides being 
a good fertilizer, ashes tend to keep away the garden flea. 
Put in rows 18 inches apart and thin to 10 inches or a foot 
in the row. The hen manure needs little preparation, 
but is perhaps best if pulverized, mixed with a quantity of 
dry muck or earth, and sown in the drill with the seed. 
Lasalle County, III.— S. Martin writes, July 
10th : “We are well satisfied with our prospect of a good 
corn crop— no weeds and large corn_King Philip corn 
silked out. and the Dent corn five feet high. Our corn 
was planted before the excessive wet weather came on 
and the rain being warm did not hinder our good seed 
from growing. There is plenty of poor corn here abouts. 
Cause: Some planted early, some late—just as it hap¬ 
pened—and the weeds are now as tall as the corn_I 
improve my corn thus: I began by selecting the best 
ear I could find, and planting the kernels. The next 
year I selected the best from this year’s seed, and so on 
yearly, and the crop grows belter every year.” (No 
doubt of it.— Ed.) _“ Seven acres of King Philip corn 
planted on sod are beginning to tassel.... Winter wheat in 
this vicinity is rusting badly, and we fear the Spring wheat 
will be damaged... .We suppose you had a happy time 
on the Fourth with friend Timothy Bunker, Esq., enjoy- 
his turnips and ditches....” Sorry to say, not—see 
a preceding page.—E d. 
Berries. —W. S. W., Barnstable Co., Mass. Our 
monthly “ Kitchen Garden Calendar.” and the berry arti¬ 
cles appearing from time to time will give you the required 
information. See also the report of the Fruit Growers 
Convention of Western New-York, in the present num¬ 
ber. 
Berries from Seed.—II. T. Baldwin, McHenry 
Co. Ill.—Mash the well ripened fruit of Strawberries, Rasp¬ 
berries, Blackberries, Currants, Gooseberries &c., and 
wash out the seeds. Dry them thoroughly and put away in a 
cool, dry place till planting time in Spring, when they 
may be sown like ordinary vegetables, covering lightly 
with well pulverized soil. Of course the productions 
will be of various kinds, and of different degrees of good¬ 
ness. 
Evevirreens front Seed.—H. W. Myers, Sum¬ 
mit Co , O., and others. On page 13 of the January Agri¬ 
culturist for 1857, we gave minute directions for raising 
White Pine, Arbor Vitae, and other evergreens from seed. 
White Pine Seed, as well as others, is to be gathered in 
the Autumn when the cones are ripe, and planted in 
April or May in a light leaf-mold soil. 
Currant Bush Caterpillars— W. H Quinn, 
Rensselaer Co., N. Y. Hand-picking is the best means 
of exterminating these w hen once at work on the bushes. 
To prevent their attacks, sprinkle or syringe the bushes 
every few days, when the leaves begin to open, with soap 
suds, or the whale-oil soap mixture, described on page 
149, May Agriculturist. 
Canker Worm, Borer, &c.—Jas. S. Barker, 
Hancock Co., Ill. Tar applied direct to the body of a tree 
is injurious. You may, in a measure, prevent the ascent of 
the female canker moths by binding on a newspaper or 
piece of muslin and coating it with tar. You will see a 
more effectual method described on page 244 of this 
month’s Agriculturist _The insect you found eating off 
the twigs, a sample of which you inclosed, appears to be 
a borer—not the real apple borer which works in the body 
of the tree, but more allied to the locust borer spoken of 
on a preceding page. 
Edney’s Pump.— We have several inquiries re¬ 
specting this pump, and present herewith an engraving 
of a small working model 
which we have examined. 
It appears to be well adapted 
to forcing water to great 
heights. The forcing appa¬ 
ratus is placed at the bottom 
of the well. The piston 
W'orks horizontally, and both 
ways. The long rods termi¬ 
nate in small chains, passing 
over pullies on each side of 
the pump. They connect at 
the top with the double-arm 
lever. By raising and de¬ 
pressing this lever alternate¬ 
ly, the piston is moved in 
contrary directions, and Hie water is forced up through 
a central pipe, extending^ the top of the well, or it may 
be carried any distance above the operators. We do not 
see why this arrangement is not as simple, cheap, and ef¬ 
fective as anything yet proposed for accomplishing the 
same end. 
If iteking’ Machines.— A. Rust, St. Clair, Mich. 
We know of no ditching machine that has stood the test 
of a thorough trial on a variety of soil. Give ns a good 
Irishman, with his spade and pick, and if the ground be 
hard, let him have the assistance of a surface and subsoil 
plow. 
Wilt! Winter Cherries.—L. Martin, Lasalle Co., 
Ill. It is quite likely you have one variety of the Winter 
Cherry, as it grows wild over a large portion of the West¬ 
ern country. We consider it none the less valuable for 
this, but are glad to find, on our own soil, a variety of the 
Physalis, which, to our taste, is quite equal to that brought 
from Europe, and cnltivated with much care by many 
persons. Ours has this advantage, viz. : it ripens much 
earlier than the foreign variety. Most of the American 
sort that we sent out was the wild, improved by several 
years’ cultivation. But the wild plant yields a valuable 
fruit—the difficulty has been that people have not known 
that the berries were valuable for sauce. 
Large Tulips.—Mrs. V. E. White, of Ohio Co., 
Va., in response to the challenge of E. Kalb, in the June 
Agriculturist, to produce a larger tulip than was there de¬ 
scribed, gives the measurement of a pink one she then 
had in bloom, measuring 3i inches in depth, 71 inch, 
es in diameter, upon a stem 261 inches in length. She 
says: “ Some of our early tulips, of which we have over 
twenty varieties, were larger than the above.” 
Candy-Tufft. —D. Colklessen, Washington Co., 
Md.—The plant you speak of as coming from seed sown 
as Candy-Tuft, is doubtless one kind of that flower. The 
seed was purposely sent out by us mixed, to give variety, 
some producing a white and others a purple bloom. On 
page 21 of the January number is an illustration of the 
plant in bloom, accompanied with a description. 
llcstroying Ants in tlie Garden.— “Ama- 
teur,” of Chatham Co., Geo., in reply to an article under 
the above head in a former number of the Agriculturist, 
gives the following : “ Thrust a cane or hoe handle per¬ 
pendicularly into their mounds, and the ants, not liking 
the day light thus unceremoniously let in upon them, and 
the formation of a chasm into winch they often tumble, 
to the imminent risk of breaking their necks, leave in 
disgust. Where this is not practicable spread raw cot¬ 
ton, finely fringed out over their haunts. They find it a 
difficult matter to pass through, or over it and leave as be 
fore.” 
Varieties of Grapes, Raspberries and Goose¬ 
berries, &c., for out-door Culture.—J. Keag, Bedford Co. 
Pa. These are very much a matter of taste among culti¬ 
vators. We will recommend a few which have proved 
good, and which we have mainly planted. Grapes: Del¬ 
aware, Rebecca, Diana, Catawba, Isabella, and Hartford 
Prolific, Raspberries: Fastolf, Red Antwerp, Allens 
(hardy) and Brinkle’s Orange—(several others might well 
be recommended,) Gooseberries: Confining ourselves 
to native seedlings so that no danger need be apprehend¬ 
ed from mildew—Mountain, Downing and Houghton’s 
Seedling. Add a few choice strawberries and currants to 
, your garden. More on this topic next month. 
direction of Grape Vine Hows. Books 
&c.—J. C. Messer, Lucas Co., O and L. D. J., Knox Co., 
Ill.—We prefer having grape vine rows run north and 
south, but should arrange them with reference to the 
locality. Persoz’ culture of the vine is a very good little 
treatise, and the process recommended is doubtless mainly 
correct. 
Mildew on Gooseberries.—J. P. Miller. 
Washington Co., Pa , asks why his gooseberries mildew, 
while those of a neighbor, purchased at the same time, of 
the same nurseryman, do not? We cannot answer. Ii 
the soil is the same the cause must lie in the treatment 
Deep tillage and mulching the ground w'ith straw or sail 
hay, is the best remedy for mildew. Suggestions on bud¬ 
ding may be referred to at another time. Also on raising 
the box plant. 
Tobacco Growing'.— II. W. M., of Ohio, will 
find a full chapter on tobacco growing in the March Agri¬ 
culturist, Vol XVI., page 54. 
Cabbage Savoy.— Geo. P. Doir, Jackson Co., 
Mich. This seed, sent out by us last Spring requires the 
same treatment every way as the cabbage, to which it is 
very closely allied. Cook it in the same manner. 
Mumbugs, Horticultural and otherwise 
—W. T. W., Queen’s Co., N. Y. Beware of all these ad¬ 
vertisements, whether of the “Celestial Rose,” at $1 per 
seed, or $25 per potted plants ; or, “ New Hampshire 
Pine Apples,” ata less price; or even that class, which, for 
merely a few postage stamps to pay return postage, you 
will be put in possession of an invaluable secret that will 
enable you to make lots of money easily. They are traps 
into which sensible people should no sooner fall than 
they would venture inside a mock auction shop. 
Ringbone and Morse Books. —Wm. Wood, 
Clinton Co., Mich. Not knowing how bad a case of ring 
bone your horse has, or how it was induced, we cannot 
venture an opinion as to its curableness. “ Dadd’s Mod¬ 
ern Horse Doctor,” for which you inquire, we can procure 
and forward you post-paid, for $1. It is a valuable work 
of its kind. 
Garget ill Cows. —The article on page 165 of the 
June Agriculturist has called out several remedies for 
this disease. C. I. French, of Bradford Co., Pa., finds the 
root of garget, or poke, cut up and given the cow, with 
meal or a spoonful of saltpetre in a mess, is a speedy 
cure_F. A. B., of Bristol Co , Mass., finds nothing 
equal to saltpetre, giving a teaspoonful at a time. Repeat 
the dose each day for several days, if a cure is not effect¬ 
ed. J. Russell, Trumbull Co. O., draws out all the milk> 
and rubs the affected part thoroughly with hog’s lard, or 
some other soft grease. He has never known it to fail 
when rubbed for a long time—say half an hour—and by 
next milking the cake has disappeared. 
Poke Weed. or Garget Phytolacca decandra — 
S. R. Griggs, Washington Co., Vt , will be able to recog 
nize this root from the following description : Root per 
ennial, large and branching, somewhat like rhubarb, but 
of a light color, and strong to the taste. It throws up 
strong branches each year, some 5 to 8 feet high, which 
produce long racemes of dark purpl? berries, filled with 
juice. They are sometimes termed pigeon-berries. The 
root is poisonous, and so is most of the medicine we take. 
We have used it in cases of garget in cows with very 
good effect, boring a hole in a potato, and inserting apiece 
of the size of the finger. In obstinate cases we have 
known pieces inserted beneath the skin in Ihe cow’s bag 
or flank, near the affected part. 
Sfcfective Teats in a Heifer. —The heifer 
will probably give as much milk with three teats, as with 
four, if the lacteal vessels are in a healthy condition. If 
the defect has become chronic, and there is no swelling 
of the bag, we should attempt no remedy. 
Bed-Bugs — Flies.— Is it so?—The papers are 
passing aroundthe following. Our faith is weak, but here 
is what they say: “ Recent experiments in more than 
one family have established the fact that the plant known 
to botanists as the Polygonum hydropiper, usually known 
as “water pepper,” or “smart weed,” which may be 
found in abundance along ditches, roads, lanes and barn 
yards, is an effectual and certain destroyer of the bedbug 
A strong decoction is made of the herb, and the places in 
fested with the insect well washed with it. The plant 
may also with much advantage, be stuffed in the cracks 
and corners of the room. 
Gophers and Ground Squirrels. —Such was 
the heading written for a Basket note on page 154 of May 
number. We did not notice that the printer put or for and, 
until our attention was called to it by P. Bay ley, of Har¬ 
rison Co., Mo. We did not intend to convey the idea that 
ground squirrels are the same animals as gophers. Mr. B. 
describes them thus: “ The gopher in preparing his burrow 
raises a mound by the aid of a sack or pouch on each side 
of the neck. He subsists chiefly on roots as my garden 
can testify. There are several kinds of ground squirre' 
