26 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
finding out more and more about the world we live in, 
but the most learned is soon brought to a point where he 
must say “ I do not know.”_Master F. J. P., Ionia Co., 
Mich., profits by what he reads, for having an insect to 
send, he made a very clever case by boring a block of 
wood as I directed some time ago. But my young friend 
should not use tacks to fasten in the plug. I wonder 
that the post-office people did not see them and charge me 
letter postage. Such things when sent by mail must be 
tied only, and in such a manner that they can be opened 
readily. The case contained 
THE POTATO OR TOMATO WORM 
is the pupa state ; this was found in a manure heap, but 
they are generally in the ground. Most of you, I think, 
know the fat green “ worm ” or caterpillar, that makes 
such work with the tomato and potato vines; it is as 
large as a small boy's finger, and has a horn at its tail, 
which some people think is a sting ; it neither stings 
nor bites, and is harmless to everything but the plants— 
but how it does eat them! Whenthia caterpillar has made 
its growth, it goes into the ground, throws off its skin, 
and appears something like a curious little brown jug 
with a handle. Next season the fellow wakes up, bursts 
its brown shell, and comes out a large quick-flying moth, 
which you sometimes see at dusk about the flowers, 
where it hovers, and runs its long tongue into them in 
search of honey. The part which makes the handle to 
the jug-like pupa, is the case that holds the long tongue. 
The scientific name of the insect is Sphinx quinquema- 
culata, the Five-spotted Sphinx.Another boy, in 
Iowa, wishes some simple way to make 
BLACK OR VIOLET INK. 
Violet ink I know nothing about making, and less 
about using. I think it should never be used; indeed, 
people as a matter of safety should let these fancy inks 
alone. Good black ink we know will last for centuries, 
and if it fades can be restored again. Unless you use 
a great deal of ink, it will be cheaper to buy it, than to 
be at the trouble of making it, but as it is well enough 
to know how, I will tell you one of the ways. The best 
ink is made of galls and copperas, (Sulphate of Iron), 
water, and a little gum is used to keep the ink from 
spreading; these are all that any ink need contain. There 
are different ways of putting these together; as you ask 
for the simplest, I give it. Into an ordinary quart bottle 
put a pint of rain-water and two ounces of broken galls, 
not powdered, but broken up as fine as wheat grains; 
you can break them by putting them into a piece of 
strong cloth, and pounding them with a mallet. Let the 
galls and water stand in a warm place for a week or more, 
shaking every day, or as often as convenient. Then add 
half-an-onnce of gum arabic, and three-fourths of an 
ounce of copperas, and shake occasionally for three 
or four days or more. The ink will then be ready 
for use, and may be poured off from the dregs, or left on 
them, as you choose, but if left, you must take care in 
pouring off the ink when wanted, not to stir up the dregs. 
This ink will be pale when first written with, but will 
grow jet black in time. Should it not flow readily from 
the pen, add a little sugar, not more than a auarter of an 
ounce to the pint. A few bruised cloves will help to pre¬ 
vent mold, but nothing except keeping it stopped, will 
prevent this, or any other ink, from drying up and be¬ 
coming thick in the inkstand. 
PUMPKIN-SEED MATS. 
A question comes to me, which should go to Aunt Sue, 
but as there is not time to send i t to her and get a reply,and 
as the seeds are likely to be more plenty this month, than 
later, I take the liberty of answering it myself, though out 
of my line. The Doctor], Ves, Alice B., I have “heard 
of pumpkin-seed mats,” and what is more, of “melon- 
seed bags.” When I was a youngster the girls and voung 
women carried a reticule , and the old women carried a bag; 
they were both the same thing, but it was thought more 
genteel to say reticule. These bags were of various sizes, 
shapes, and materials, and answered the place of pockets. 
No doubt your fathers and mothers can recollect what a 
wonderful thing their grandmother’s bag was, and the 
many nice things that came out of it. The bags of the 
older persons were strong and large; those of the young 
girls were small, and of some fancy material, often of 
beads of various colors, worked into pretty figures. At 
one time melon-seed bags were in fashion ; these were 
made of the seeds of the musk-melon, and black, cut- 
glass beads of various sizes; these were strung on strong 
silk, to make an open-work net, and this was lined with 
silk. These bags were very pretty, and no one would 
guess at the material without first examining it closely. 
But about the pumpkin-seed mat. The seeds—those of 
squash will answer quite as well—are to be dried, then 
all the poor and small ones picked out, so as to have 
them alike in size ; if the thin film or skin of the seeds 
has not fallen off in drying, it should be rubbed off, to 
leave a clear white surface. You will need some very 
strong linen thread and a needle. Begin by stringing 18 
seeds, passing the needle and thread through their small 
ends, and tie the thread securely; this will give you a 
rosette of seeds, standing on their edges. Now between 
each two of these seeds put two other seeds, the thread 
passing through the large ends of the seeds of the 
first row, and through the small ends of those in the 
second row. The diagram will show how this is done. 
For the third row, put three seeds in the spaces between 
the pairs of the second row, and so continue, using four 
seeds for the next, and so on, until the mat is large 
Fig. 1.— PUMPKIN-SEED MAT. 
enough. If intended for a toilet table, the mat may be 
finished with a fringe at the edge, and a bow in the cen¬ 
ter, of any desired color. If to be used for a tea-pot, then 
it is better if left plain, except a bow in the middle. If 
strong thread is used, and the knots at each row carefully 
made, the mat will be much more serviceable than one 
would suppose. 
Aunt Site’s Puzzle-lCox. 
GEOGRAPHICAL ENIGMA. 
I am composed of 26 letters: 
My 1,11,19, 5, is a city in Italy. 
My 3,19, 9,12, 2, 23, 24, is a city in Persia. 
My 18, 26,19,10, 22, 3, 8, 21, 7, is a city in Tennessee. 
My 4, 20,18, 24, is a city in Massachusetts. 
My 22, 25,16,17,14, 26, is a city in Austria. 
My 24,23,15, 8, 7,19, is a city in Italy. 
My 6, 12,17, 22,13, 21, 8,16, is a city in Kentucky. 
My whole is a city, and where situated. E. W. 
METAGRAM. 
Entire, I’m often seen on people’s faces, 
Adding no charm to any of their graces ; 
Beheaded, by a certain class I’m worn. 
More to protect or hide than to adorn. 
Behead again and you will see a bird 
(Its song Is not the sweetest ever heard 1) 
Restore my heads; curtail (one letter shorter). 
You then will see what floats upon the water. 
Behead me now and quickly you will find 
An animal, most useful to mankind. 
Curtail me once again, and you will see 
Something that might be “ short for” you and me. 
D. M. W. 
PUZZLE. 
Take one quarter of a pear, half of a quince, half ot a 
pear, half of a plum, and another quarter of a pear, and 
make a delicious fruit. Sallie. 
cross WORD. 
My first is in take but not in bring, 
My next is in knight but not in king, 
My third is in eat but not in drink, 
My fourth is in judge but not in think, 
My fifth is in snow but not <n hail, 
My sixth is in picket but not in rail. 
My seventh is in hut but not in shed, 
My eighth is in cot but not in bed, 
My ninth is in dark but not.in light, 
My tenth is in strength but not in might, 
My eleventh is in cent but not in dime, 
My twelfth is in mortar but not in lime, 
My thirteenth is in ale but not in tea, 
My fourteenth is in lake but not in sea, 
My whole, in these-pa'ges, you oftentimes find, 
’Tis improving and pleasant and just to my mind. 
Sydnora. 
BLANK DECAPITATIONS. 
(Fill the first blank in each sentence with the word 
which is to be beheaded for the second blank.) 
1. i-him and asked what-him. 
2. In the night I heard the dog-and the- 
hoot. 
3. The latter took-as soon as it was --. 
4. Please-carefully. 
5. I scarcely dared to-the-paper. 
6. Its-was-feet. 
DIAMOND PUZZLE. 
1. A consonant. 2. Large. 3. The end. 4. A division 
of animals. 5. To tax. 6. To beg. 7. A consonant. . 
Orion. 
SQUARE WORD. 
1. A tree. 2. A gas. 3. Northern. 4. A vowel, and 
light blows. 5. A Russian river. Orion. 
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN THE NOVEMBER NUMBER. 
Numerical Enigma.—S aint Peter’s. 
Cross Word.—M abel. 
Pi.—A millstone and the human heart 
Are driven ever round, 
If they have nothing else to grind, 
They must themselves be ground. 
Syncopations.— 1. Feather, father. 2. Cart, cat. 8. Coral, 
coal. 4. Heart, hart. 5. Trowel, towel. 
Diamond Puzzle. 
Square Remainders. 
G 
RAG 
' RULER 
GALILEO 
GELID 
RED 
O 
B-EAR 
F-ARE 
F-RED 
Hidden transposed fruits. 
1. Pear. 2. Grape. 3. Quince. 
1. Berry. 5. Peach. 
Charade.— Partridge. 
Puzzle.— DID. (D stands for 500, consequently two Ds 
equal one thousand. Divide the two Ds by one, or I, and 
you have DID.) 
A City.— New York. 
Concealed Square Word. 
CONCH 
OMAHA 
NAIAD 
CHASE 
HADES 
Transpositions. 
1. Part, trap. 
2. Scar, cars. 
3. Tame, meat. 
4. Arm, mar. 
5. Rap, par. 
Thanks for puzzles, letters, etc., to P. T. V., George, J. C. 
C. , John Smith, Bella, Sid, Kitty, C. F. Y., Patsie, C. J. 
D. , Geo. W. W„ and Erastus. 
Send communications intended for Aunt Sue, to Box 111, 
P. 0., Brooklyn, N. T., and not to 245 Broadway. 
Aunt Sue’s Chats. 
Adele.—A butterfly is a rather pretty “ shape for a 
pen-wiper.” Cut two pieces of black cloth the shape of 
figure 1, but about twice as large. Button-hole one piece 
around the edge with yellow silk or worsted. (This 
keeps it in good shape.) Work yellow dots all round the 
edge, and the six dots in the center of the lower wings 
Fig. 1.— BUTTERFLY PEN-WIPER, 
blue. Cut half a dozen pieces of black silk (or muslin) a 
little smaller than the pattern, to put between the pieces 
of cloth. Chain-stitch the lines between the upper and 
lower wings with red. Roll up a small piece of black 
velvet (black cloth will do), and fasten it on to the work¬ 
ed piece by red worsted, sewed over and over. Before 
sewing the body into place, put all the pieces together 
where they belong, and fasten them all in place by sew¬ 
ing on the body. Sew two black beads on the head, for 
eyes, and draw a piece of waxed black silk through the 
head for the long feelers or antennae. 
Alice G. S.—Your letter reached me too late to give 
you any hints for your Christmas-tree. By “ many scraps 
of wool,” do you mean pieces of colored worsted f A 
good way to use up the latter is to knit reins for little 
boys to “play horsie ”; these are always acceptable, and 
