1861.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
355 
Seeds for Free Distribution to all Subscri¬ 
bers for 1862 (Vol. 21.). 
Every subscriber to the Agriculturist for 1862, is invited to 
select four or five parcels of seeds from the list below. 
These seeds are all valuable. Of the 90 kinds offered, 
many are new varieties, but we include several common use¬ 
ful sorts for the convenience of those living remote from ac¬ 
cess to good seeds. 
Most of them are annuals (reproducing seed the first sea¬ 
son), and in all cases there will be enough to yield a good 
supply for future use. Our aim is, to furnish the germs of fu¬ 
ture abundance in each locality where these seeds go. 
Many of these seeds have been grown by ourselves, the 
present year; the others are obtained of the best growers in 
this country and Europe. The distribution will begin early 
in February, and a description of them will be given in our 
next number. We give the list now, that subscribers may 
send for the seeds when renewing their subscriptions. 
Mode of Distribution.—The seeds may be called for 
at the office after January-25, or be sent for by mail at any 
time now, to be forwarded when ready. The postage is only 
I cent per ounce under 1500 miles ; and /Scents 
per ounce when over 1500 miles. 
Those sending for seeds to be forwarded by mail, will 
please carefully observe the following 
DIRECTIONS—(1). Select from the list below, any four 
or live parcels desired, and write plainly on a slip of paper the 
numbers (only) of the kinds of seeds wanted. (These num¬ 
bers are used on our seed drawers, seed bags, etc.) 
(3) Enclose the slip in a prepared envelope—directed in full 
to your own address, as here shown, and put upon it post¬ 
age stamps to the amount of one cent for each ounce 
of seeds to be enclosed, if to go 
under 1500 miles, or two 
cents if to go over 1500 miles. 
(Most places West of the Mississippi 
river are over 1500 miles.) IV .B.—The 
total amount of stamps required can 
be reckoned from the table of seeds 
below. Any fraction over even 
ounces will need an extra lc. or two 1-cent stamps accord¬ 
ing to distance. Forward the above prepared envelopes to 
tins office, and the seeds will be enclosed according to the 
numbers on the enclosed slip. To save letter postage, let 
there be no marks on the envelopes except the address and 
stamps. About 2 ounces will go in a common sized envelope 
Field, and Vegetable Garden Seeds. 
No. Weight o f package. 
185—Mammoth Long Bearded Spring Wheat_One ounce. 
3—Improved King Philip Corn.One or two ounces. 
14:1—Darling’s Early Sweet Corn... About one ounce. 
18G—Evergreen Sweet Corn. . About one ounce. 
98— Long Ked Mangel Wurzel.About one ounce. 
187— Conn. Broad Leaf Tobacco About one-eighth ounce. 
188— Genuine Havana Tobacco.About one-eighth ounce. 
191—Mammoth Millet.About one-half ounce. 
189— Spelt or German Wheat.About one ounce. 
190— Nepaul Barley.About one ounce. 
8— Daniel O’Kourke Pea.About one ounce. 
9— Champion of England Pea.About one ounce. 
99— Prince Albert Pea.About one ounce. 
13—Green Kohl Rabi .About one-fourth ounce. 
13—Enfield Market Cabbage.About one-fourth ounce. 
145—Flat Dutch (Winter) Cabbage.About one-fourth ounce. 
193—Improved Stonemason Cabbage;_one-l'ourth ounce. 
199—Red Dutch Cabbage ..About one-fourth ounce. 
: 64—Extra early Round Turnip Radish ; one-fourth ounce. 
150— Early Paris Cauliflower_About one-eighth ounce. 
147 — Neapolitan Cabbage Lettuce...About one-fourth ounce. 
73— Imported Brussels Sprout^ About one-eighth ounce. 
101—Improved Long Orange Carrot. ..About one-half ounce. 
148— Long dark Blood Beet. . About one-half ounce. 
149— Extra early Bassano Beet.About one-half ounce. 
95—Hubbard Squash, pure......... .About one-fourth ounce. 
193— Fejee & Italian Red Tomato...About one-eighth ounce. 
154 —Ice-cream Water Melon..About one-eighth ounce. 
76—Skillman's Netted Muskmelon About one-cighth ounce. 
194— Hollow Crown Parsnip.About one-l'ourth ounce. 
66—Extra Curled Parsley.About one-fourth ounce. 
151— Yellow Danvers Onion.About one-fourth ounce. 
153—Fine Large Cheese Pumpkin. About one-fourth ounce. 
17—Red Strap-Leaf Turnip_... .About one-fourth ounce. 
71—Long White French Turnip... About one-lmlf ounce. 
195— Early Short Horn Carrot.About one-fourth ounce. 
74— Solid White Celery..About one-fourth ounce. 
103—Sage.About one-eightli ounce. 
156 — Summer Savory.About one-eighth ounce. 
157— Long Prickly Cucumber.About onc-eighth ounce. 
l9t)—Green Curled Kale..About one-fourth ounce. 
193—Improved Purple Egg Plant. ..About oue-eiglith ounce. 
31—Winter Cherry.About one-eighth ounce. 
197—Linnaeus Rhubarb.About one-half ounce. 
Flower and Ornamental Seeds. 
89—Cotton Plant (2 kinds, mixed).One-half ounce. 
Ill—Castor Oil Bean . .One-half ounce. 
On an average any five of the following varieties will go 
under one 1-cent stamp, (or two stamps if over 1500 miles.) 
Containing a great variety of items, including many good 
hints and suggestions which we give in small type and 
condensed form for want of space elsewhere. 
Will tlie Reader please refer early to a 
few special business items on page 378 ? 
Our Exhibition ’Fables have been pretty 
well supplied for the season. The usual report, which 
is necessarily omitted now, will be given next month. 
The Free Seed Fist, though crowded 
into small type and limited space, will,doubtless be ex¬ 
amined with interest. We expect to distribute half a 
million parcels of valuable seeds, of good quality, free 
to all subscribers. 
Itread Exhibition.— We call special atten¬ 
tion to the Exhibition of Corn Bread. (See page 372.) 
The exhibition will, of course, be open free to the public, 
and will doubtless be of great value to all our readers, in 
the information brought out and published. We contem¬ 
plate having several successive exhibitions in different 
departments of Farm, Garden, and Household products, 
implements, etc. We hope for liberal contributions to 
our first exhibition on Dec. 14, opening at 1 o’clock, P. M. 
Back Numbers for Sale.— Having Ste¬ 
reotype or Electrotype plates of all the German numbers 
now published (since July 1858,) and of all the English 
editions for five years past, we can always send any de¬ 
sired volume or single copy, back to those dates. Price, 
post-paid, $1.12 per volume, or 10 cents per number. 
Bound volumes. $1.50 each, or $2 if sent by mail. 
Receipts not Needed.— Unless specially 
desired, we do not send receipts to individual subscribers. 
As the paper is only sent so long as paid for, its reception 
after forwarding a subscription, is a token that the money 
has been properly received by us. Failures by mail are 
now of rare occurrence, and the few that do happen are 
usually the result of want of care in properly sealing and 
directing letters. 
Preserving- (be Volume—Rinding.— 
The neatest way of keeping the numbers is to have them 
bound up. Any book-binder will probably do it for 75 cts, 
with marbled paper covers. Those who can send vol¬ 
umes to this office can have them bound in regular book 
style, gilt letters on the back, etc., for 50 cents each. We 
have these covers prepared by the thousand, having a 
large brass stamp for embossing them, and can thus bind 
cheaply. The prepared covers, ready for binding, can be 
furnished at 25 cents each, but are not mailable. The 
numbers can be preserved readily, however, by placing 
them together, and punching through the back with an 
awl, and sewing together with a strong thread. 
THe Telegraph Explained. — In con¬ 
nection with the completion of the Telegraph to the Pa¬ 
cific, noted on page 358, our newer subscribers, who have 
not seen former volumes, may be glad to learn that in the 
September No. of Volume 17, (1858,) is given one of the 
most plain and complete explanations of the whole work¬ 
ing of the telegraph, ever published. The engravings and 
description make the subject so plain that even a child 
can understand exactly how thoughts or words are sent 
to distant points. As we have stereotype plates of that 
number, we can print and supply any copies desired, at 
the usual price, (10 cents per copy, sent post-paid.) 
John Smith, 
Albia. ‘ 
MonroeCountyX 
Iowa. ' 
300— Fancy Gourds, (mixed 
varieties) (ha)* 
301— Scarlet Chinese Egg 
Plant, (ha) 
303—Animated Oats, (ha) 
177—Graceful Quaking 
Grass, (ha) 
33 —Mignonette, (ha) 
35 —Mix’d Nasturtium, (ha) 
31 —Chinese Pink, (ha) 
33—Portulaccas Mix’d, (ha) 
51 —PhloxDrummondii, (ha) 
30—Tassel Flower, (ha) 
37 —Beautiful Zinnias, (Mix¬ 
ed) (ha) 
303—MxdGermanPoppy,()i.fi) 
304r-Mxd FrenchPoppv, (ha) 
305— Double French Mary-i 
gold, (ha) 
183—Fine Mixed German 1 
Asters, (ha) 
306— Gc'.den Straw Flower, 
(everlasting) (ha) 
308—Crimson Globe Ama¬ 
ranth, (everlasting) ha 
310— ConvolvulusTricoior.Aa 
173—Mixed Larkspur, (ha) 
67—MalopeGrandifloiaJAa) 
311— Fine Mixed Lupins, (ha) 
313—Fine Sweet Peas, (ha) 
134—Wliitlavia, (ha) 
49— Candytuft, (ha) 
133—Gilia nivalis, (ha) 
183—Sweet Alyssum, (ha) 
169—Clarkia pulchella, (ha) 
175—Mixed Salpiglossis (ha) 
168—Swan River Daisy, (ha) 
50— Mixed Schizantlms.(Aa) 
40—Escholtzia Californica, 
(ha) 
313— Xeranthemura Annum 
(ha) 
138—Long tubed Centran- 
thus, (ha) 
316—Acroclinium Roseum, 
(hha) 
314— Balloon Vine, (hha) 
37—Coxcomb, (to) 
33—Cypress Vine, (ta) 
307—Rhodanthe Manglesii, 
(everlasting) (ta) 
133—Mixed Canterbury 
Bells, ( hb) 
il35—Standing Cypress, ((6) 
43—Foxglove, (hp) 
309—D w'f BlueLar Kapur, (hp) 
171—Forget-Me-not, (hhp) 
315— EccremocarpusVinu, Ip 
• (ha.) hardy annual; (hha.) half hardy annual; (ta.) tender 
annual; (hhb.,) half hardy biennial; (tb.) tender biennial; 
hp.) hardy perennial; (hhp,) half hardy perennial; (tp,) 
•jndcr perennial. 
Prize Essays. — A considerable number of 
Essays in competition for the prizes offered on page 293 
(Oct. No.), are received, and more are coming in daily. 
It was intended to commence the publication of the suc¬ 
cessful articles in the present number, but the yearly In¬ 
dex has crowded out this and other valuable matter, and 
we have been obliged to postpone it until the commence¬ 
ment of the new volume. Contributors, and subscribers, 
will please exercise patience ; we are equally anxious 
with them, to have the work in progress. 
150 Subscribers Eost !—When a subscri¬ 
ber writes us a respectful letter asking sundry questions, 
and we apparently pay no attention to the letter, we sup¬ 
pose he will return the compliment by paying no attention 
to us thereafter. But that is just about the state of affairs 
with reference to some 150 of our readers. We have in 
the paper, or out of it, responded to many thousands of 
letters this year, and with pleasure, though to accomplish 
the work, we have often,four nights out of seven,sat atour 
writing table many hours after our subscribers have re¬ 
tired to rest. We have a strong constitution, developed by 
the active labors of the farm all through our earlier years, 
and we can and do attend to our business and editorial 
duties 15 hours a day on the average, aside from meals 
and sleep, yet we have not been able to respond to all the 
letters received from our vast army of readers that de 
mand personal attention. No one has been neglected 
willingly, but some things can not be done. We beg the 
pardon of those who have thus been apparently neglect¬ 
ed. These letters, months old, are here before us, mark¬ 
ed “ for immediate reply,” but the days and nights are too 
short. Excuse us friends, and if possible we will do bet¬ 
ter another year. We must have still more editorial 
help, and hope to be able to afford it, if our friends will 
voluntarily aid us in enlarging our list of subscribers with¬ 
out expending much in advertising. Ten thousand extra 
subscribers, obtained without extra expense, will afford 
profit enough to pay another competent editor. Will our 
friends neglected this year, and others, each furnish one 
or more of the desired additions ? 
P. S. Since writing the above, we have concluded to 
take for granted, that our readers will aid in securing tho 
desired new subscribers, and we have, in advance, se 
cured the requisite editorial aid, as stated on page 358 
Now we shall bring all tilings up square and promptly. 
§ometlimg; for Boys—Tool Chests. 
—We believe in giving boys tools. If supplied with these 
they will acquire skill and ingenuity that will always be 
beneficial in all stations of life. A man is badly off who 
must run to a mechanic for every trifling job requiring the 
use of tools. We take pleasure therefore in calling at¬ 
tention to Mr. Parr’s advertisement on page 376. We 
have, on our exhibition tables, one of each of the sizes ad¬ 
vertised, and invite all who can, to look at them. See also 
the new premiums, (Nos. 24, 25, 26,) where we offer 
three sizes of these chests. They are very fine, and 
worth the effort of our young friends to obtain them. 
We have not room to describe all the various tools. The 
largest sizes are the best, but any one of those costing 
$8, $13, or $20, respectively, will be worth its price. How 
many of our boys will earn one ? See the premium table 
for the number of subscribers required.—Don’t forget 
the great Dictionary. 
75 ll>s. Linn {CHS Rhubarb §ccd for 
Subscribers.— We have this year gathered, and placed 
in our free seed distribution, a large quantity (75 lbs.) ot 
pure seed of the genuine Linnaeus Rhubarb or Pie Plant, 
which is one of the best, probably the best variety of this 
excellent garden plant. Those who can get the roots 
will save a year or two of time ; but those who can not 
get roots should sow the seed. Mr. Buistsays : “Though 
the plants raised from seed will not be of a uniform char 
acter, yet from seeds of the best kinds all will be worth 
cultivation.”—The plant is so valuable for early sauce 
and pies, as well as for putting up for winter, that every 
family should have it in the garden. There is also much 
talk of its great value for wine making; but on that point 
we have no experience.—The seed is to be sown in early 
Spring. The plant grows well in all climates. Full di¬ 
rections for culture will be given in due season. Our 
parcels will be abundantly large for any garden, and cost 
subscribers only the one cent for postage. 
A vote of Thanks. —A subscriber from 
Central New-York called at the Agriculturist Office this 
week, to tender a “vote of thanks” in behalf of himself 
and nine of his neighbors, for our articles on the “Prospects 
of Farmers.” Most other farmers thereabout sold theii 
wheat at 90 c., and their rye at 55 c., soon after harvest. 
He says, the Agriculturist articles on the deficiency in 
Europe led them to hold on, and as the result they got 
$1.10 for wheat, and 77 cents for rye—a clear gain to 
the ten persons of over $1,700 ! This was the result in 
one small town only. What has been the saving in the 
whole country ? The truth is, we took special pains to 
ascertain the amount of wheat sown in Europe last yeai, 
and to watch its growth Our advice as to the prospec 
tive demand upon this country was no guess work. We 
shall take the same course next year; indeed we intend to 
go over the Atlantic and see the growing crops next 
season, and then let our own farmers know what to do 
pend upon. 
The New-York Observer.— An Adver 
tisement of this old, influential Journal was received, but 
crowded out, and we will therefore give the substance 
here, viz., that the “Observer is a large double sheet, 
equivalent to two ordinary complete newspapers, giving 
in addition to the news of the day, Foreign and Domestic, 
a synopsis of the doings of all religious denominations, 
and distinct Commercial and Agricultural departments— 
making a full compendium of intelligence for the family. 
Terms $2,50 a year in advance. (One Dollar commission 
allowed for each additional new subscriber.) Publishers, 
Sidney E. Mouse Jr. & Co., 37 Park Row, Ncw-York.’ 
