326 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
Tokay WIb&c.—S iiggvstive to ©rape 
Growers.- The celebrated. Tokay wine, the finest in 
the world, it seems is not produced on so small an area 
as has been reported—two or three vineyards—but the 
Tokaj, or Hegyalja vineyards cover (50,000 acres, yield¬ 
ing 1,675,000 gallons of wine, of w hich 50,000 gallons are 
superfine, 375,000 gallons superior, and 1,250,000 gallons 
ordinary. The land is dug over three times ; the vines 
are placed IX feet apart, only three to five buds being 
left on each stock, and the vines are trained to stakes and 
only allowed to grow three or four feet high. The soil is 
poor and volcanic, and is never manured. The Tokay 
wine comes from grapes ripened on the sides of moun¬ 
tains, where the air is dry and in constant motion, and the 
sunbeams are never intercepted. In these places the 
vine disease is wholly unknown. These statements, 
gathered from a pamphlet upon the wines of Hungary, 
recently published by a Hungarian gentleman, M. do 
Szemere, are suggestive to grape growers. 
Fra'ud.s ins. Wine.—It is claimed that an 
abundant production of grape wine in this country would 
alleviate the evils of intemperance, by supplying a light, 
pure, stimulating drink for the masses. This does not 
seem to be the case in France. In Paris, and in Cette, 
in which are the principal manufactories of fraudulent 
wine, the business is carried on to an enormous extent, 
and so perfect is the process of imitation, that the chemists 
can no longer detect and expose the fraud. A competent 
authority states, that it is certain that there is not a drop 
of grape juice in more than half the vast quantities of wine 
drank by the people of Paris. Of the many millions 
of bottles of wine imported annually in this country, at 
high rates, and drank under high sounding names, witli 
much smacking of lip's, it is morally certain that notone 
bottle in a thousand is anything more than a chemical 
concoction of alcohol and drugs, without a teaspoonful 
of grape juice in a hogshead. 
BJ>i»y tlae CSveem BA dud a ISeasns.—Whether 
the frosts come early or late, there will always be some 
unripe pods on the Lima bean vines. If large enough to 
Shell at all, tiiey are worth preserving. We generally 
save a fair Winter's supply of these green beans by sim¬ 
ply shelling and drying in the sun, on a warm side of the 
house, sr an the piazza roof. They cure and keep well, 
and when cooked in Wint.ei and Spring, are almost as 
tender and good as the green beans picked from the 
vines and cooked in Autumn. 
Makisig- JLimsa Bcimis S®ereMsiiaI.—. 
It may not be known to all the readers of the Agricultu¬ 
rist , that Lima beans, and the pole beans generally, can 
be continued in growth from year to year, without new 
seed. In Autumn, before the leaves are withered by 
frost, remove the runners, leaving a foot or so of the main 
stalks and leaves. Take up the roots and plant in pots or 
boxes of earth, and set them in a light, airy cellar, or 
other room, where they will be protected from the frost. 
A green-house is preferable, but not essential. Keep the 
earth moist, but not wet. Light and just warmth enough 
are required to promote ttie growth of a few roots and in¬ 
cipient leaves—in other words to keep the plants alive. 
In Spring they will begin to grow well, and as soon as 
frosts are over they can be set out in the open ground, 
where they will start into vigorous growth, and produce 
large vines, and a good crop of beans a month or more 
earlier than those raised from seed. In Autumn, the same 
roots may be again taken up, and so on from year to year, 
malting the bean in reality a perennial. Simply to lay 
the plants in sand in a cellar, and keep them in an entirely 
dormant state, has not proved successful, so far as our ex¬ 
periments have gone. 
Keeping Sweet fl»ota,toes.—“ Subscri¬ 
ber,” Coffey Co. Kansas. Sweet potatoes keep through 
the winter best, when covered in a dry sand hill, or ottier 
dry earth beyond tile reach of frost. They may be put 
in boxes of one bushel each, or spread into layers in the 
bottom of a pit, and cover with dry earth. They should 
be carefully dug and handled previously, so as not to 
bruise them. For use during early winter before opening 
the pit, pack some in boxes of sand or dry earth and keep 
in a dry place away from frost. 
Emgiisk Speckled —N. B. K.,Low¬ 
ell, Penobscot Co., Me., writes that he planted some of 
these among potatoes, on highly manured land, and had 
an extraordinary growth of haulm, some stalks measur¬ 
ing nearly 8 feet in length. From one pea he counted 84 
pods, measuring 6X feet in length. 
WiBitei- BB;aa*B«y.—A sample of 6-rowed bar¬ 
ley, from Chas. ChapniftH, Ottawa Co,, C. W., is very fine ; 
straw larg,e ; heads Ictffg and 6-rowed; claimed to yield 
remarkably well. It is said to have been “ bred up ’! 
from a single head of' jarge size foupd in England^ 
Maack lor 2Bed.di.Bag-. — S. B. Tomkins, 
Ulster Co., N. Y. Dry muck answers a good purpose 
as bedding for cattle. About half a cord will last one 
animal two weeks. It should be thrown out and replaced 
with new, when saturated with liquid manure. The solid 
excrements should of course be thrown out daily. 
IPfCiBaisB-iaa IBGifttci'.—J. Perkins, Cuyahoga 
Co., O. writes that he lias taken the premium of $2 at 
their County Fair, for butter made and kept according to 
a hint derived from page 138, May Agriculturist. That 
item alone pays him for two years’ subscription. 
Cypress “Wiine. —R. T. Tour seeds would 
probably have come up, had you soaked them in warm 
water before sowing. Let the water be brought just to 
the point of scalding, then pour into a saucer, and let the 
seeds lie in it for three or four hours. They will then 
almost surely vegetate. 
ESaisoag- FTg Trees. —Cynthia M. Green, 
Broome Co., N. Y. Figs are difficult to raise from seed. 
Better get one or more trees of such kinds as are desired, 
from a nurseryman, and increase the stock at pleasure, by 
means of cuttings put into the ground in Spring. They 
root as readily as currant bushes. Layering the branches 
is still better. Before severe frost, gather up the branches, 
tying them with a strong band, and set over them hogs¬ 
heads or barrels without heads, and fill up with earth. If 
too higli for one hogshead, set another on top of the first. 
They may also be banked up with earth, or bent down 
and covered with soil. With this simple protection, figs 
maybe readily raised in the Northern States. 
EBotf. Ssisaal 4©i* EbryaBBg- Elowers soad 
Leaves. —Many flowers and leaves that will not retain 
their color when dried in the air, or between sheets of 
paper, can be cured so as to preserve their tints, as fol¬ 
lows : Heat a quantity of fine clean sand in a kettle or 
other vessel, too iiot for the hand, but not hot enough to 
char a piece of white paper left in it. Spread a layer of 
this an inch or so deep ; put over it a sheet of white blot¬ 
ting paper, or herbarium paper ; lay on the flowers or 
leaves; cover with another sheet of paper, and add more 
or less hot sand. Flat leaves may be covered with a 
thick layer ; more delicate flowers should have little sand 
over them, or their petals will be crushed. Some succu¬ 
lent plants may need several successive dryings to re¬ 
move all their juices, while a single treatment will an¬ 
swer for others. A little practice will enable any one to 
successfully cure most kinds of plants, which dried thus 
generally retain their natural green or other colors, in¬ 
stead of turning brown. 
EBooks oBE. SBsbb’ms sasaal ©tikes* IFsbi'bbe 
B uildings. —“ G. E. I’.,” Canadensis, Pa. We know of 
no work specially devoted to barn architecture. “ Allen’s 
Rural Architecture ” ($1.25) gives many practical hints 
on barns and all other farm structures, though we should 
not build a barn exactly like any of the plans proposed in 
that work, or even like those described in the Seventeenth 
Volume of the Agriculturist , (1858). That volume, by 
the way, contains a pretty full discussion of farm build¬ 
ings, with illustrations, running through nine months, 
and includes laborer’s cottages, farm houses and append¬ 
ages, ash and smoke houses, barns, stables, carriage 
houses, cart and wagon sheds, workshops, turkey and hen 
coops, piggery, poultry, and pigeon houses, etc. (Price 
in numbers, post-paid, $1.12,—bound $1.50, or $2.00 if 
sent by mail.) A premium plan for barn and carriage 
house combined, was published in July. 1800 (Vol. 19). 
In August following is a plan of our own barn and car¬ 
riage house, which, after a year and a half's trial, we 
think is the most complete one we have yet seen for the 
same purposes. 
!6ecoi*«l ©1‘ llae Tsotbcs. — A comprehen¬ 
sive history of the current events, giving for present re¬ 
ference and future preservation, the principal facts and 
incidents occurring in this eventful period, is now being 
issued by John D. Torrey, Publisher of this city. The 
work is valuable, as it embraces in chronological order a 
general and concise, but full record of what is transpiring, 
and it appears to be prepared with industry and care to 
make it authentic. All who wish to read and preserve, 
apart from newspaper rumors and reports, the great facts 
and incidents of the time, will be glad to secure this work. 
It is issued in weekly numbers at 10 cents each, and in 
semi-monthly, and monthly parts at 20 and 40 cents each. 
ffic©EBOBMy.—An assistant, after reading 
a proof of our article in the Household Department on 
Economy, and othe,r articles ip the same vein, suggests 
that we are “ cutting our own fingers off”—for the tern 
dericy will bo lead people, in their efforts (o economize, 
to drop the Agriculturist also. Well if that be the case, 
we must suffer, and will cheerfully bear our part—for we 
believe, and must therefore advise, that people ought to 
economize now. But the feared result is hardly to be 
expected. If the Agriculturist lias pointed out a way to 
save five dollars this year, or suggested any means of in¬ 
creasing the product of the labors of the field, garden, or 
house, to the amount of five or ten dollars only, it will be 
quite likely to do the same thing another year, and it 
would seem to be the best economy to have it on hand. 
We do not believe a single person has received this jour¬ 
nal for a year without having been directly or indirectly 
benefited more than five dollars. It is not always that 
one is cognizant of the origin of his present way of think¬ 
ing and practice. The thousand facts, hints, and sugges¬ 
tions given during a year in a journal like this, enter into 
a person’s thoughts, and lead to other thoughts, without 
his being aware of it at the time. 
EABaSgloSlDag- filae S“l©w.—The French are 
about instituting a new order of knighthood, to be confer¬ 
red upon the most successful farmers, of whom one in 
each Canton is to receive the “ Medaille Agricole,” which 
represents an annuity of 100 francs from government. 
ff’i'Otusakly Tr-aie.—-A gentleman, whom we 
recognize as cashier of one of the leading banks of New- 
Hampshire, in a letter respecting some horticultural mat 
ters, incidentally adds the following : “ ... The Agricul¬ 
turist has come to be almost one of the necessities of life. 
— Millions of flowers in many thousand of gardens, scat¬ 
tered all along from Canada to Mexico, and from the At¬ 
lantic to the Pacific, spring into life by its agency and 
influence. Its hints make numberless gardens to be bet¬ 
ter tilled, and their owners more happy, over this im¬ 
mense extent of territory. Its impression for good is 
made upon both the out-door surroundings, and upon the 
families within, so much so, that one who knew enough 
could read its 1 cypher ’ on thousands of homesteads_" 
Iss«S.Ss*ec4 lEaifil 00 eBi.ce.— We would not over 
“ magnify our office,” but many testimonies, of which 
the above is a specimen, are certainly a source of satis¬ 
faction. The direct influence of the Agriculturist upon 
its vast circle of readers is doubtless large, but even this 
is scarcely equal to its indirect influence. We exchange 
with nearly two thousand other journals, and most of 
these are all .the while copying the more valuable hints 
and suggestions of the Agriculturist —too often without! 
credit. The articles and items thus copied, are passed 
along from one journal to another, so that they form the 
great staple of the agricultural, horticultural, and house 
hold columns of the three thousand journals of the coun¬ 
try. A recent examination of a large number of papers 
showed that much more than one half of all the good- 
items and articles, pertaining to farming and gardenings 
that are now circulating in the country, were originally 
prepared for and appeared first in the columns of the’ 
American Agriculturist —though scarcely a tithe of theirf 
have retained the credit of their origin. A cotemporary 
editor recently remarked that he had found this to be so 
much the case, that hereafter when he copied any good 
agricultural article, going around without credit, he 
should, as a matter of course, credit it to the American 
Agriculturist. 
IB«rse»S>!a©«*§ lor Sinow.—A correspond¬ 
ent of the American Agriculturist suggests that the ball¬ 
ing of snow on horses’ feet may be materially lessened, by 
making the upper side of the shoes wider than the lower 
side, so that the inner edge will be beveling outward. If 
constructed in this way, the balls of snow would more 
readily fall out than if held by square-sided shoes. The 
suggestion is not a new one—at least we have heard of ill 
before, we believe—but it would seem to be valuable, and 1 
worthy the attention of blacksmiths, or those who have' 
horses to be shod. At best, damp snow will pack into- 
the shoe, but if the lower side of the opening be the" 
widest it will be more likely to drop out. 
To IPrevesat Ivy JPoisoBaimg-.— Georgef 
P. Ray, Marion Co. Mo., writes to the American Agri¬ 
culturist that Ivy poisoning can be prevented by wash¬ 
ing the exposed part with a solution of sal soda, or with 
strong ley of wood ashes. W. Olds, Whiteside- Co., df 
rects to wash with a strong solution of epsom salts, which* 
he says will effect a speedy cure of the poisoned parts.. 
ILnuainBaoiati, flbr CSaB’OEai© ISBacnaimsalism.. 
Among several recipes for different forms of rheumatism, 
the American Druggists’ Circular gives the following 
prescription for the chronic form : Mix 2 ounces of Cam 
phorated soap liniment, X ounce of tincture of cantharides, 
i ounce tincture of opium (laudanum;, and IX drachms 
of iodide of potassium. This mixture,qr compound lint 
ment is (0 be occasionally rubbed upqn the parts effected. 
