into which are thrown various useful or interesting 
'terns, Replies to Questions, Extracts from Letters, Glean- 
ngs from other Journals, etc. 
No more Special Premiums. —Some persons 
are still applying for the Special Premiums, formerly of¬ 
fered by the Publisher for a specific time only. The stand- 
ng premiums on page 315, are all we now offer, except 
the extra numbers offered on page 320. These are large 
.•nough, surely, and will well reward those who get up 
clubs. Take a look at them. 
Tlie Premium Strawberry Plants were all 
•lent off at the earliest moment practicable. A number of 
persons sent orders to us that should have gone to regu¬ 
lar dealers. Though not in our line, we have tried to 
iccommodate them as far ns possible. We do not keep 
■"nineties for sale, and in some cases the orders were 
jlightly varied, neeessarily, by those who filled them for 
us. We trust all have received the plants in good order. 
Plants by Mail.— We commenced putting up our 
■urawberry plants in tin boxes, but by a new rule of the 
Post Office Department, the boxes were excluded. No 
plants can go at the lower postage rates, unless open at 
one end, so as to be inspected. They can be nearly in¬ 
closed in oiled silk or muslin, and we have as yet heard 
of no failure among the hundreds of parcels,we have foi- 
w'arded thus put up. 
The N. Y. State Agricultural Pair, unfor¬ 
tunately for us, is just opening as we go to press. By tel¬ 
egraph we hear that it promises to be much more success¬ 
ful than the state of the country and the occurrence of a 
storm on the first day, would promise. 
Fall Exhibition of the Brooklyn Horti¬ 
cultural Society. —The Annual Fall Exhibition of 
the Brooklyn Horticultural Society is in progress as we 
go to press. (Sept. 19.) The display is in some respects 
tlie finest ever seen in Brooklyn, if not in this country, 
particularly in Green and Hot-house plants. Those hav¬ 
ing ornamental foliage are in fashton among amateurs, 
and beautiful specimens are on exhibition. Parsons & 
Co., of Flushing, contribute a splendid collection of Ma- 
rantas, Caladiums,Tradescantias, Begonias.Cissus, Ferns, 
etc. Excellent collections are also shown by Andrew 
Bridgman and Isaac Buchanan of New-York, and Louis 
Menand, of Albany. The latter gentteman exhibited two 
banana trees, one in full fruit ; these and two specimens 
of the screw pine Ipandanus utilis ) attracted general 
attention. An india rubber tree, contributed by John 
Humphrey, of Brooklyn, is particularly noticed ; also a 
magnificent Alocasia Metallica, with leaves like large 
ntes of the richest bronze. 
Fruits and flowers seem to have suffered considerably 
:rom the dry Summer, judging from the comparatively 
meagre display, which, though good in some respects, 
does not equal that of last year. Ellwanger & Barry, of 
Rochester, N. Y., show 135 varieties of pears, and 67 of 
apples. H. B. Shaw, of Newburgh, N. Y., shows a large 
variety of grapes, including splendid bundles of the Del¬ 
aware, weighing 9 ounces each. A good collection of hot¬ 
house grapes was contributed by Mr. Cowan, Glen Cove, 
L. I. The most noticeable features among the flowers 
were a magnificent show of Dahlias, by C. S. roll, of the 
New-York Orphan Asylum, and a large collection of 
Asters, from the French Nursery at Gloucester Landing, 
N. J. A Scotch thistle, grown from seeds taken from the 
grave of the poet Burns, by C. B. Miller, Secretary of the 
Society, attracted much attention. The exhibition is 
held in the Academy of Music, the largest public hall in 
Brooklyn, is thronged by visitors, and is generally consid¬ 
ered the most successful one yet had. 
The Fruit Growers Society of Western N. 
Y., will hold its next Meeting at the Court House in Ro¬ 
chester City, commencing Oct. 1st, at 11A.M. 
Colli drapery Queries.— J. D. Lyman, Stafford 
Co., N. II. (1) It would hardly pay to have a cold grapery 
only 10 feet long. (2) The ends may be of the same ma¬ 
terial as the front and rear. Glass may be used, but is 
not necessary, if the roof fronts the south. (3) The glass 
cover will be needed at all times of the year, even in 
July, to regulate the temperature in our climate of sud¬ 
den changes, where the temperature varies 30° oi more 
In 24 hours. It is safer to lay grape vines down in very 
cold weather and cover with soil. (4) Peach trees protect¬ 
ed by glass, and shaded from the hot sun, will seldom be 
injured in any temperature in New-HampsMre, A few 
evergreen blanches, hung upon the tops of the peach 
bees to keep off the sun, will be an additional sa r eguaid 
MERICAN AGRICULTUR1 S 
in very cold localities. (5) Simply leaning sashes against 
a building would not be convenient. They need to be 
under good control (see 3 above). A good border, pro¬ 
tected by the lower wall, is desirable. 
Failuro’of Orchard Houses.— Growing fruits 
under glass in large quantities, is coming into very gen¬ 
eral use in England and on the Continent. This year 
there have been a considerable number of failures even 
in orchard houses. Mr. Parsons suggests that one cause 
of failure is the lack of bees in such houses to distribute 
the pollen. The absence of these is the more serious, as 
there are less breezes in these confined structures to blow 
the pollen from plant to plant. Mr. P. advises distribu¬ 
ting the pollen with a camel hair brush, in the middle of 
a warm sunny day. Could not a bee-hive be kept in each 
orchard house, and thus obviate the tedious process of 
hand impregnation ? 
Hot-Beds for Drying Fruit.— “H. P. S.” of 
Morrisania, N. Y., writes that he makes a temporary 
floor in a hot-bed frame, on which the fruit to be dried is 
spread, and the sashes then laid on. When the sun is too 
warm, a little air is let in, but the sashes are kept closed 
at night. In this way the fruit is kept free from dust and 
insects, and dried in a few days. This is a good plan, and 
has been previously recommended in the Agriculturist. 
Protecting Blackberry Canes. —A Subscriber 
at Concord, N. II., states that in that latitude, New Ro¬ 
chelle blackberries are winter-killed, two years out of 
three, and inquires how to protect them. Lay the eanes 
down carefully in the Fall, before heavy frosts come, and 
cover them with an inch or two of earth. They are to 
be uncovered and staked up again as soon as danger from 
frost is past. Or the plan proposed, to remove them to 
a border near a fence, and set up corn stalks against them, 
would probably succeed. 
Potting Strawberry Itunncrs.-C. S. Pell, of 
the New York Orphan Asylum, has exhibited at the office 
of tlie A merican Agriculturist, strawberries grown in pots 
directly from the runners taking root there. He procures 
“ thumb ” pots of two to three inches in diameter, for 50c. 
to 75c. per 100, fills them with earth, and beds the runners 
one in each, at the point of starting a root. The plants 
are well rooted in two to three weeks, and they may be 
turned into the soil at any time in September or October, 
and yield a fair crop the next season. 
Apples In Newspapers.—J. Thomas, New Gar¬ 
den, Md., writes that last Fall he treated his apples as fol¬ 
lows. They were carefully picked and kept in a cool 
place until freezing weather commenced ; then, after as¬ 
sorting, the sound ones were placed in boxes a foot deep, 
with a newspaper at the bottom, and between each layer 
of apples. Bellflowers packed in this way came out 
sound on the 1st of March. This requires considerable 
trouble, but may answer a good purpose for keeping a 
few apples of choice varieties. 
Grape Layers.— 11. A. Sheldon, Addison Co., Vt. 
Layers of grape vines put down this season, may be 
severed from the parent vine late in Autumn, after tlie 
growth and flow of sap is over, or at any time during the 
Winter before the sap starts in Spring. The transplant¬ 
ing of the layers should be deferred until Spring. 
Cassabar or Persian Melon.— Specimens sent 
to us by Geo. A. Elston, Chester Co., Pa., proved quite 
equal to anything in the melon line that we have tried 
this season. They are shaped like the old fashioned musk- 
melon, one foot long and byd inches in diameter, rough 
skin, flesh thick, green color, very sweet and rich, No. 1 
in every respect. We hope to have seeds to add to our 
free seed distribution next Winter. 
Best Lawn Grass. —To many inquirers. We are 
at loss what to recommend. Most persons advise a mix¬ 
ture, and the seedsmen keep on sale lawn grass made up 
of several kinds, including white clover, which is liked 
by many. Our taste is to use only one kind of seed, so as 
to have an even, uniform grass plot. Last year we sowed 
the Italian Perennial Rye Grass very thickly. It came 
up quickly, and in five weeks we had a most beautiful 
lawn, which was frequently cut, and showed finely all 
Summer. But it killed out badly during the last severe 
Winter. We dug up the lawn in Spring, and sowed it 
thickly with Kentucky Blue Grass. It came up very 
slowly, and for a time we felt disappointed. But it looks 
very well now (Sept.), and we have no fear of its being 
winter killed. Our present first choice would be Ken¬ 
tucky Blue Grass, and we think we shall not miss this 
time, as this is certainly hardy. It maybe sown at al¬ 
most any season. 
Protecting Trees from Babbits.— “Henry,” 
Whitesides Co., Ind., writes to tlie American Agricultur¬ 
ist that a mixture of lard and sulphur applied to the 
trunks of young trees will prevent rabbits from gnawing 
i ’. [October, 
them. He says he obtained the directions from a nursery¬ 
man who paid ten dollars for the recipe, and who had 
found it a sure preventive. 
Sowing Osage Orange Seed.—D 1(. McClure. 
Dauphin Co., Pa. Seed may be put in boxes of earth 
this Fall, and be exposed to freezing duiing Winter. 
Drainage should be provided at the bottom of the boxes 
to let out the falling rain. In the Spring sow the con¬ 
tents of the boxes, soil and seed. Osage Orange Seed is 
now worth 75 cts. a quart in this city. 
Stacking Beans.— J. T. W;, Suffolk Co., N. A'., 
makes a “ stack pole,” by boring two % incli holes through 
a strong pole, and driving in pins for cross work. These 
pins extend about one foot from tlie pole, and a strong ba> - 
rel hoop is nailed to the ends, making an open platform 
for the beans. The pole is set firmly in the ground, with 
the cross work 18 inches above the surface. The 
beans are then laid on in a circle, with the roots in the 
center against the pole, and elevated a little higher than 
the tops, so as to turn water. When sufficiently dry, the 
poles are lifted, and tlie beans laid upon tlie wagon for 
carting in. 
Straw for Feed. —J. W. Sage, Huron Co., O., in¬ 
quires whether it will pay to store straw in the barn after 
threshing, to be fed out in Winter. That depends upon 
the abundance and cheapness of hay, and upon the 
quality of the straw. Good Oat Straw, run through a 
cutter, and mixed with a little bran or shorts, will be 
almost as valuable as hay. Where hay is plenty, we 
should give it the preference, except for an occasional 
change. If straw is to be fed, it will undoubtedly pay to 
store it under cover, if there be room. 
Immense Stock of Grain.— There was stored 
in Chicago at one time, last month, four and one-third 
million bushels of grain. Put this upon wagons in loads 
of 40 bushels each, and it would require 180,333 teams to 
draw it. Allow 44 feet to each team, and place them 
along the shortest railroad route to this City (908 miles), 
and tlie line of wagons would extend all the way from 
Chicago to New-York City. The above refers only to 
the amount of grain in Chicago at one time. The an¬ 
nual receipts there are many times larger. 
Still Larger Grain Figures. —Tlie Wheat, 
Flour, and Corn, exported to foreign countries, for the 
year ending Sept. 1, 18G1, equalled 54,330,995 bushels of 
giain. This divided into loads of 40 bushels each, would 
require 1,358,025 wagons. Allowing 44 feet for each wa¬ 
gon and team, the line would extend 59,753,100 feet, or 
11,317 miles; or nearly half way round the globe ; or 
they would form more than three continuous lines ot 
teams all the way from New-Y'ork to London. 
How Muck Wheat to the Acre ?—The largest 
yield of wheat which lias been communicated to us, is 
that raised by Samuel Charlsworth Esq., Winnebago Co., 
Wis., who harvested sixty-tliree bushels from a single 
acre. Has any one done better, and if so, how was it done ? 
Large Potatoes. —Bradford Deane, Boone Co., Ill., 
writes that he raised four potatoes weighing in the aggre¬ 
gate 22 lbs. ! The largest weighs 6 lbs., the smallest 5 lbs. 
Scalding Onion Seed.—" W. O. IC.” writes that 
a paragraph has been going the rounds of the papers to 
tiie effect that scalding water poured upon onion seed 
will cause it to germinate in a few minutes. He says he 
tried it, and lost all iiis first planting, not a seed coming 
up. It is often useful to soak seeds in tepid water imme¬ 
diately before planting, but few will bear to be scalded, 
except those enclosed in a tough, horny shell, like the 
locust, which require such treatment to liberate the germ. 
Destroying Eartli-Wornis. —A subscriber 
writes that earth-worms, which are sometimes trouble¬ 
some in pots of house-plants, may be destroyed by water¬ 
ing the soil with common ley of wood ashes ; this appli¬ 
cation will also be a benefit to most plants. 
What Next ?—One of the latest novelties in the way 
of Magazines, is Mrs. Demorest’s “ Quarterly Mirror of 
Fashions.” On opening a number the other day, we 
found a considerable mass of thin, strong Vanilla paper, 
folded down to Magazine size, and fastened in. On refer- 
ing the matter to the “ Home Department,” the aforesaid 
paper was found to consist of three full size patterns for 
cutting the latest styles of ladies’ dresses now in vogue 
to wit: the “ Gored Dress,” “ Gored Sleeve,” and “ La 
dies’Zouave Jacket.” This sending of actual patterns 
instead of diminutive pictures of them, is certainly a nov¬ 
elty in tlie way of fashion Magazines. 
Wheels on Plows.— David White, Bergen Co., 
N. J. The best way to secure a uniform depth in flow¬ 
ing is to use a wheel under the end of fhe beam. Ax un¬ 
skillful plowman can make better work . this addi¬ 
tion than a good hand without it. 
