120 
AMERICA^T AGEIOULTIJRIST. 
[March, 
good qualities of flour paste and none of the ba^ 
ones of mucilage made of gum Arabic. M 
ABOUT THE 'WEED LISTS. ^ 
kl 
When in September last I asked for lists of J 
weeds, I supposed that I might have as many as' i 
fifty or possibly a hundred. To my great surprise,' , 
1 find that I have five hundred and eighteen! i 
These vary from lists of a dozen or two, all the^ ■ 
way up to those containing a hundred and fifty's 
plants. Though I specified weeds of the farm and^ 
garden, a number have regarded every wild plantyi 
as a weed. In lists of this kind only those names ■ 
of plants troublesome to cultivation will count. 
To examine this immense pile of letters, and count 
and compare the lists require an amount of labor 
that I have not yet found time to give. I hope 
to get through with it in time to announce the , 
decision in the back part of this number. If I do 
not, it will appear in the next. The Doctok. 
Among tiie Wolves. 
Naturalists are not agreed as to our Gray Wolf, , 
some claiming that it is a variety of the wolf of. 
Europe, while others consider it as distinct. They 
are sufficiently alike in character and disposition to 
make each in its country despised and dreaded. 
Many suppose the European wolf was the original 
of the dog, and there are curs enough with wolf-^ 
ish character to make the parentage seem proba¬ 
ble. From being bold and wonderfully daring in | 
pursuit of its prey, when once entrapped it be¬ 
comes the most abject coward. It is stated that a 
poor woman fell into a pitfall-trap, and a wolf 
which had previously been caught was so com¬ 
pletely cowed at finding itself a prisoner that it lay 
quietly all night, making no attempt to injure tlie 
woman. In its build the European wolf is lighter 
than the American, with longer legs and ears. 
Its color is gray, with a tinge of fawn-color, with ; 
many black hairs. In Siberia and other high lati¬ 
tudes it becomes almost white. The wolf in thej 
engraving has evidently been on a foraging expe-1 
dition, and looks pleased at the prospect of a| 
hearty meal. The Prairie Wolf or Coyote is muehtj 
smaller than the Gray Wolf ; it is abundant on the\ 
Western plains, and makes hideous noises at night.' ; 
The Doctor’s Talks. 
IS SPONGE A VEGETABLE OB AN ANIMAL? ■ 
A young correspondent, in sending some ques¬ 
tions about sponge includes the one given above, 
which has frequently puzzled much older persons. 
At one time naturalists regarded it as a plant, 
but at present it ranks as an animal, or rather it is 
a few drops of oil of cloves are added, and it is 
preserved in a closely-covered jar or wide-mouthed 
bottle to prevent drying. For ordinary mucilage 
procure at a drug store some cheap gum Arabic, 
pick out all the sticks and other foreign matter, 
and placing it in a bottle, add rather more water 
than enough to cover it and cork the bottle well; 
let it stand where it can be turned upside down 
FISHING FOB SPONGES.— Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
a collection of animals. The material we caU 
sponge is only the framework of the mass. This, 
when the sponge is alive, is covered on the outside 
by a slimy or jelly-like substance which lines the 
cavities also, and is the living part of the sponge. 
It is made up of numerous individuals belonging 
to the lowest order of animals. The sponge shows 
few signs of life beyond keeping up a current of 
water, which passes in by some of its numerous 
small openings and is forced out through others. 
and not fali over. Invert the bottle daily or often- 
er, and the gum will soon dissolve. If in a hurry 
for the mucilage the gum will dissolve much soon¬ 
er in a small sauce-pan set on a warm part of the 
stove and frequently stirred. A mucilage for 
general use that I like better than that from gum 
Arabic, is made from dextrine, from which much 
of that now sold as mucilage is manufactured. This 
is starch that has been so altered by treating it 
THE WOLF (Canis lupus).—Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
WHEBE no SPONGES COME FBOM ? 
There are a great number of different kinds of 
sponges besides those of the shops, and some are 
. to be found in nearly every sea, though they have 
so little resemblance to what you ordinarily see 
that you would hardly suppose them to be related. 
The finer kinds come from the Levant and Medi¬ 
terranean, while the coarser sorts are from the 
West Indies and Florida. The Turks gather them 
by diving, while the sponge-fishers of the islands 
along the coast of Greece use a kind of fork fixed 
to the end of a pole, as seen in the engraving. 
Those collected with the fork are apt to be injured. 
Besides, the finest kinds are found in water fifty 
feet or more deep and can only be reached by div¬ 
ing. To prepare the sponges they are covered 
with sand when the jelly-like portion soon decays ; 
after this is removed they are thoroughly washed 
and dried. The finest quality of sponge is very 
costly. It is sold by weight, and the dealers at 
Smyrna, the principal market, understand how to 
make it hold a great deal of very fine sand. In¬ 
deed, when a case is opened and the sponges are 
beaten, the sand often far outweighs the sponges. 
MUCILAGE AND PASTE. 
“B. R. R.,” Baltimore Co., Md., wishing to 
“ connect loose papers,” aud “ make a smooth 
job,” asks “if there is anything better than the 
mucilage sold by stationers. If not, what mucilage 
is the best.”—The ordinary muciiage is a solution 
of cheap gum Arabic in water, with a very little 
carbolic acid, oil of cloves, or something else added 
to prevent mould. If mucilage is used to join two 
pieces of paper, it becomes hard and stiff when 
dry, and is not near so good for this purpose as 
common flour paste, or better still a paste made 
witli rice flour. Such paste will keep a long time if 
with weak acid that it will dissolve in cold water. 
It may be used like gum, to form a mucilage of the 
desired thickness, with either cold or hot water. 
This keeps well in a bottle or jar, and has aU the 
It is fond of the domesticated dog, and will follow Q 
an emigrant train which has a dog, for many miles 
over the prairie. It is said that at nightfall the 
Coyote and the dog will frequently play together. L 
