474 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[December, 
and, no doubt, before planting-time comes again, there 
will be something about them in the other part of the 
paper, though I do not think they can be made profitable 
so far north as Wis. This is hardly the place, the Boys’ 
and Girls’ Columns, in which to tell all about pea-nuts, 
though I may very properly give here something about the 
way pea-nuts grow. Here is a good place to stop, and ask 
WHAT ABB PEA-NUTS f 
Most every one knows that they grow in the ground— 
indeed, they are often called “ground-nuts.” Potatoes 
grow in the ground, and we call them tubers ; are pea¬ 
nuts tubers? You will find that, besides the difference 
in size, they are very unlike potatoes ; they have a shell, 
which can be cracked and opened, showing the kernels 
within, and these kernels come up like seeds ; the pea¬ 
nut is much more like a pea, than like a potato, so we 
call it a fruit, and that kind of fruit known as a pod. 
But you know that the pods of the pea are picked di¬ 
rectly from the vine, while the pea-nut is dug out of the 
earth—how do the pods of the pea-nut get into the 
ground? To see how, you must watch the plant, but as 
you ean not do that now, I will tell you what to do next 
spring, for it is one of the most curious operations 
done by any plant, and to watch this is well worth the 
little trouble that it will be t« raise a few plants. I here 
give you an engraving, which shows the way the plant 
manages, but those of you, who can get a few raw pea¬ 
nuts next spring, can plant them, and watch their 
growth yourselves. You must not be too much in a hur¬ 
ry, but wait until the earth gets warm, about the time 
older persons plant beans and melons will do, and hav¬ 
ing a bit of rich ground, you can plant your pea-nuts, 
having first shelled them, either in a little row, putting 
them 6 or 8 inches apart, or three or four seeds in little 
hills, two feet apart. If the pea-nuts were good—mind, 
you can’t raise roasted pea-nuts—the plants will appear 
in a few days. The weak stem bears leaves with four 
parts. After a while the plant will produce flowers— 
very small yellow flowers, each on a stalk from just 
where the leaves join the stem. The engraving (fig. 1) 
gives only a very small part of a plant, but enough to 
show what you must look for. The little yellow flowers 
wither soon after they bloom, and the ovary, the part 
which is to be the pod, is left in the calyx, or green part 
of the flower. Then the stalk of the flower turns down¬ 
wards, and another stalk, right under the ovary, which 
we did not notice before, it being so short and hidden 
in the calyx, begins to grow, and grows on and down¬ 
wards for several inches, or until it reaches the earth, 
and if the ground is loose and light, as it should be, 
the growing of this stalk 
PUSHES THE YOUNG PEA-NUT INTO THE GROUND, 
and when once there, it grows very rapidly, and when 
full grown, ripens. Here then, in the pea-nut, we have 
a plant that flowers above ground, but actually, by 
force, buries its tender little pods in the soil, that they 
may ripen underground. What is quite as strange as 
anything about it—if for any reason the young pods fail 
to reach the ground, they wither and fail to make pea¬ 
nuts. The engraving shows a part of a plant, with its 
flowers, and some of the very young fruit, pointing down¬ 
wards, while in the lower part of the picture, you see the 
pea-nuts of different sizes as they lie in thejground, from 
the very smallest to the full-grown nut. There are many 
curious plants, but I do not know of any that behaves 
more strangely than this, which, as if fearing Ehe boys 
might get at it, hides its fruit away in the earth, until ripe. 
HOW EELS ABE CAUGHT. 
“ W. H. F.” Yes, the story is true that a factory was 
stopped not long ago by eels; the mill where it>occurred 
is not over a mile from my house, and the same thing 
has happened in other places. Your difficulty in under¬ 
standing how this could occur, is because you have in 
mind the old-fashioned water-wheel, where there is a 
plenty of space r.h around it. At the present time what 
is called the “Turbine Wheel” is largely used. In this 
the wheel is placed horizontally, and inside of an iron 
box; the stream of water passes in at one opening in 
the side of this box, and out at the other, and in so do¬ 
Fig. 2.—FRAME OF EEL POT. 
ing strikes against the paddles, or buckets of the wheel, 
and pushes it around. You can understand how, in such 
a wheel as this, a large number of eels, and there were 
several bushels of them—could clog it up, and stop its 
working. This happened in the fall, when the eels were 
GOING OUT TO THE SEA. 
Wherever fresh-water streams and ponds connect, in 
however roundabout a way, with salt water, the eela 
come into them in spring, and go out to the sea in the 
fall. Of course, there are many places where the fish can 
not do this, and must stay all the time in fresh water ; 
but wherever they can reach salt water, even by going 
very long distances, they make their regular journeys. 
As to catching eels, there are several methods, but the 
easiest for you would be to set, what is called by the 
fisherman, an “eel-pot.” Figures 2 and 3 show the 
regular pot, as used along the coast. It is a long basket 
with a funnel-shaped mouth ; figure 2 shows the frame¬ 
work, and how the mouth is fixed, and in figure 3 you 
have the same filled in with basket-work, usually strong 
oak-splints, as they have to stand rough usage. The bot¬ 
tom is arranged to open, so that the eels may be taken 
out. Some pieces of meat or fish, no matter if some¬ 
what old, are put into the pot, to attract the eels ; the 
pot is then anchored at the bottom of the stream by a 
heavy stone, and a float, which may be a stick of wood, 
or a bit of board, is fastened to it by a cord, which al¬ 
lows the pot to be found and pulled up. The fish, at- 
Fig. 3.— EEL POT COMPLETE. 
tracted by the bait, nose around, until they find the fun¬ 
nel at the end, and readily pass in, but when they try to 
get out, they keep along the sides of their trap, and but 
rarely find the place by which they entered. I have 
spoken of the eel as a fish, and will answer now what 
many of you are thinking of, by saying that 
AN EEL IS A GENUINE FISH, 
as much as a trout or a cod. There is a common notion 
that eels are in some way related to snakes, but there is 
no closer relationship than any other fish has. Their 
very long bodies, and squirming motion, give them a 
snake-like look, but it is only in appearance, for in all 
respects they are true fishes, and no one who likes eels, 
need avoid them in the fear that they may eat some “ un¬ 
clean thing.”... .Here is a letter from one of my young¬ 
sters in Cook Co., HI., who asks me for some 
DEVICE FOR TRAPPING BABBITS. 
If “W. A. B.” will look back to these columns for 
February of last year (1876), he will find quite a full rab¬ 
bit story. The ways of catching them in snares are 
there given, and also one method of trapping. In 
some localities rabbits, especially if there is snow on the 
ground, do great injury to young fruit trees, and to 
shrubbery, causing serious loss, and they must be 
Fig. 4.— BOX TRAP. 
poisoned, shot, or trapped. The trap shown in the article 
referred to is not the simplest kind, and I give here an 
engraving of a common box-trap, which almost any boy. 
can make. This is shown in figure 4, and is about 20 
inches long, and 8 inches wide and high, with the top 
and front end fastened together, and hinged to the other 
end. The rear end may be made high and pointed, or a 
piece nailed on, as seen in the engraving. 
TO SET THE TRAP 
you will. need two pieces of wood and a string. One 
piece of wood you will whittle round, making it some¬ 
what larger than a lead pencil, and 8 or 10 inches long; 
point ib-at one end, and make a notch near the other end; 
this is the bait stick. The other piece is for a brace ; 
this is a flat piece, with each end sharpened by cutting 
it away from one side, like the edge of a chisel. Bore a 
hole throngli the rear end, higher up than that in fig¬ 
ure 4, say 3 inches from the bottom, and large enough for 
the bait stick to pass through easily, then fasten one end 
of the string to the cover, near the front, pass it over the 
top of the rear end, where there should be a notch, and 
tie the other end of the string to the brace ; to find how 
long the string must be, put the bait stick in the hole, 
one end of the brace in the notch near the end of this 
stick, and the other end of the brace in a slight notch 
made above the hole. When all is in this position, the 
string should be long enough to lift the cover so high that 
the rabbit can easily enter the trap. When the bait-stick 
is moved in the least, the brace will leave the notches and 
down comes the cover. You will see that the notches 
must not be very deep—just enough to hold the brace. 
BUT ABOUT THE BAIT ? 
Well, it should not be forgotten, as the rabbit will hard¬ 
ly go into the trap and spring it for amusement. Use a 
piece of sweet apple, well stuck upon the point of the 
stick; a hit of turnip or other root will answer, though 
an apple, especially a sweet one, is the best. 
Aiuit Sue’s I’uzzle-ISox. 
The following enigma (by J. W. W.) is somewhat dif¬ 
ficult of solution, the last four or five items being un¬ 
common words, and most of the others having so wide a 
range as to be a little indefinite. I shall be happy to 
publish the names of all those sending the answer. 
No. 1. NUMERICAL ENIGMA, FROM JOHN W. WHEATLEY. 
I am composed of 42 letters: 
My 41, 20, 7, 23, is a bird. 
My 34, 10, 5, 31,14, is also a bird. 
My 15, 35, 26, 42, 25, 11,14, is a plant. 
My 30, 40, 29, 37, 13, 26, 35, means “ pure.” 
My 1, 5, 4, 27, 40, is a thicket. 
My 8, 28, 32, 42, 6, 10, 29, is a number. 
My 12, 11, 14, 22, 6, was a celebrated poet. 
My 39, 11, 5, is to quarrel. 
My 4, 26, 31, 29,11, is a tropical fruit. 
My 5, 7, 13, 36,18, 2, 9, is a bold, blustering fellow. 
My 3, 17, 36, 23,13, 22, is the marmoset. 
My 15, 9, 2, 4, 23, 37,14, 27,14, 20, 16, 26, was a great 
author’s fictitious name. 
My 30, 37, 5, 9,11, 24, is a kind of muslin. 
My 27, 17, 29, is a musical instrument. 
My 29, 13, 33, 28, 12,—bright, lustrous. 
My 19, 2, 38,10, 23, 21, 12, 40, is stupidity. 
My whole is good advice. 
NO. 2. NUMERICAL ENIGMA, FROM LOTTIE F. TAYLOR. 
I am composed of 23 letters : 
My 1, 18, 11, 19,,3, is a number. 
My 9, 21, 15, 17, 7, 4, is generally made of glass. 
My 12, 10, 16, 2, may be made of wood, tin, glass, or 
china. 
My 9, 5, 6,13, 14, is a kind of boat. 
My 23, 5, 22, 8, is a girl’s name. 
My 20, 10, 13, is worn on the head. 
My whole is a well-known proverb. 
CROSS WORD, BY R. F. G. 
My one and two are in thought but not in brain. 
My three and four are in rush but not in cane, 
My five and six are in yellow but not in black, 
My seven and eight are in shoulder but not in back. 
My ninth is in mind but not in soul, 
I hope you all love (as you live in) my whole. 
HALF-WORD SQUARE. 
1. A bird. 2. A person walking. 3. Blooming. 4. A 
plaything. 5. A pronoun. 6. In action. Nutmeg. 
FI. 
“ Oto teal I dyetas, gevifro het micer, 
Henededn welf het shuro, 
Rof sosileens laslf tell otfo fo mite 
Hatt nyol edstra no wolfsjr.” Maggie Smith. 
1. A later ten. 
2. I’m a crony. 
3. Pin tears lid. 
4. Lead me on. 
5. Up ! search! 
ANAGRAMS. 
6. Made tire. 
7. Drier mane. 
8. I get a note. 
9. Time canters. 
10. Comebget rail. 
L. N. J. 
BLANKS. 
(Fill the first blank in each sentence with/the required 
word, and add a letter to the same word—to fill the second 
blank. For example. I have just-about the- 
riots. Solution : read, bread.) 
1. PleAse leave-the coats in the-I. 
2. We have planted the seeds in a!-and hope 
they will-. 
3. I wish you would-the buckle on that-. 
4. The-was very fond of looking in the-. 
5. The-was very-to see his father. 
6. They said we might-through the-. 
7. The-will not grow in every-. 
8. The water is so-— that it will scarcely-—. 
PUZZLE. 
Take a hundred and ten and divide it by nothing, 
A queer kind of sum you will say. 
DIAMOND PUZZLE. 
1. Part of a cap. 2. A vessel. 3. Markets. 4. An 
island. 5. Part of the body. 6. Chilly. 7. Part of a 
hat. The central letters, perpendicular and horizontal, 
form an island. Nip. 
