Q50 AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. [August, 
inches long, and spread about the same distance, and 
contained, by count, 146 gooseberries, weighing li- lbs. 
entirely free from mildew. In size they varied from £ 
to I inch in diameter, were of a light color and pleasant 
flavor. We regret Mr. W. did not Know the name of the 
sort, as a variety so free from mildew should be more ex¬ 
tensively cultivated. The branch brought in, was about 
one-sixth of the growing plant. 
Improved Currants.—A number of samples of 
drrferent varieties sent to our office recently, attest the 
improvement made in this fruit within a few years. The 
finest sample received came from Geo. Seymour & Co.— 
a very large branch of the White Grape variety crowded 
with thick clusters, the fruit so transparent as to show 
every seed ; flavor very excellent; a promising variety, 
from the same source, a branch of the cherry currant, 
some of the berries over 1} inches in circumference ; the 
branch perfectly loaded with clusters ; flavor too acid for 
oar liking. From Parsons & Co., good specimens of the 
Versailles, not quite so large as the cherry, but much bet¬ 
ter flavor. 
Siauclin:; Cypress, (Cantua coronopifolia.)—R. G. 
Blanton, Hays Co., Texas. The red flower forwarded 
to this office corresponds with the botanical description 
given of the plant named above It is very attractive, 
ami would be a desirable addition to the flower border. 
We are not aware that it has been brought under cultiva¬ 
tion. We shall be pleased to receive a supply of seed in 
their season. 
BSencfits ol Mulching-.— J. D., writes that he 
finds much advantage in mulching the ground around 
peas cabbages, cauliflowers, tomatoes and many olher 
garden vegetables, particularly when drouth prevails. We 
prefer this treatment to artificial watering of plants, ex¬ 
cept where very long continued absence of rain makes it 
absolutely necessary. Every one must have noticed that 
the surface of the ground covered by a stone, a board, or 
even a layer of straw, is almost invariably damp, free 
evaporation of the water rising from the deeper soil, 
having been prevented. Give the ground to be mulched 
a thorough hoeing to clear it of weeds and facilitate the 
ascent of moisture, and apply an inch or two of loose 
straw, hay, sawdust, or other light material that will not 
exclude air. 
Chinese Sugar Cane and Sniphee.—J. W. 
Deupree, Davis Co., Iowa. The Chinese is the taller 
plant, and has black seeds, while the Imphee has light 
colored steds, very much resembling broom corn. The 
joints of the. Imphee are also closer than the Chinese 
cane. An attempt w as made to cultivate the Imphee,but 
the seed brought here was not pure. We doubt whether 
it will prove valuable ; our own limited experimenting 
with it was not satisfactory, and latterly we have heard 
little of it. 
Nciv-Jersey Lands.—“ Subscriber,” Hamilton 
Co., O. The extensively advertised tracts of land in 
New-Jersey, which yourself and many others Write to 
inquire about, offer no inducements to settlers, especially 
not to those who can do far belter in your rich western ter- 
rilory. Several parties from New-Englund, who, in behalf 
of themselves and others, went to spy out the land, have 
called on us on their return, but they brought no clusters 
of grapes, and don’t believe any one else will bring any. 
They think the advertisers need a particular blow ing up— 
and perhaps they w ill get it. Of the Tennessee lands you 
inquire about, we know next to nothing. 
Superior Milch Cows.—Fleming Hodges, 
Chickasaw Co., Miss., writes that after careful selection 
for eighteen years, his mileh cows are brought up to the 
point of yielding each from 20 to 30 quarts per day. His 
first stock was obtained in Virginia; the breed is not 
named, but from the description they appear to be grade 
Devons. No cow has been retained for breeding which 
did not yield a large supply of rich milk. We suppose, 
of course, that care was taken to have the breeding 
males also of a good milking stock. As might be expect¬ 
ed, Mr. II.’s cows aro in demand in his neighborhood. 
Similar management will secure the same results in any 
place. 
liroad Tail African Sheep.—We recently 
saw a buck and two ewes of the above breed in the yard 
of the llev, Henry II. Garnet, 52 Laurens-st., New-York, 
which had just arrived from the Cape of Good Hope. 
They each have a tail which we should judge would 
weigh some six pounds—a rare delicacy for the gour¬ 
mand, we are told. The buck is a pure w hite, one ewe 
has a touch of black, and the other of bay or buff. This 
breed in Smyrna and oilier parts of Syria, where they 
abound, have all the varieties of colors, “ ring streaked 
and speckled,” like those of Laban more than 3000 
years ago. Specimens similar to the above were intro¬ 
duced into Pennsylvania during the last century, and the 
carcasses of their descendants were in great demand in 
tjie Philadelphia market till within a few years. Some 
of our farmers might find it profitable to try a cross of the 
above on some of our native sheep, as we understand 
they are for sale at half the cost of importing, say $30 to 
$40 each. The wool is mostly very fine and soft, with an 
intermixture of fine hairs. 
ii XSie Methodist.”—The advertisement of this 
new journal appears in our advertising columns. We 
have read the first two numbers, and they indicate that 
this will be a family paper of the very highest order. It 
will be worth while for those not prepared to subscribe 
at once, to at least send for a specimen copy or two, 
which will be freely forwarded by the publisher. 
Some CJood Schools are announced in our ad¬ 
vertising columns—that of Fort Edward which we have 
already taken occasion to speak of in the highest terms 
from our personal knowledge of the Principal, an old col¬ 
lege classmate; and the new school just being started by 
Prof. Hopkins who proposes in addition to the usual 
routine of study, to give his pupils a practical as well as 
theoretical know ledge of horticulture, for which he is 
well qualified; and the Granville Female Academy, Lo¬ 
gan Co., Ohio. 
Pea,le’s Court off BcatEt.— This admirable 
painting by our countryman, Rembrandt Peale, is one of 
the most expressive pictures ever executed. The all con¬ 
quering monarch. Death, is represented upon a throne, 
and upon his right hand and left are w itnessed the deeds 
of his swift messengers, war, famine, pestilence, pleas¬ 
ure, intemperance, vice, etc. In another part of the paint¬ 
ing is shown the triumph of Christian faith over the ter¬ 
rors of Death. As the original painting can be seen by 
but few, we very cheerfully commend the enterprise of 
Mr. G. Q. Colton, who has undertaken the work of fur¬ 
nishing special and accurate lithograph copies of large 
size for the small price of one dollar. In this enterprise 
he has adopted the plan pursued by the publisher of the 
Agriculturist, viz ; to furnish a good thing at the least 
possible price, and depend upon an immense circulation 
for pecuniary reward. The Court of Death will make an 
appropriate parlor ornament, and the lesson its constant 
presence before a family w ill inculcute, will have a valu¬ 
able moral tendency. 
Cook’s Portable Sugar Evaporator.— 
We have already described this implement, and com¬ 
mended its use for making Sorghum sugar, and maple 
sugar also. So far as we can judge from what we have 
seen of it in operation, it appears to be the best apparatus 
for sugar making yet provided. We have before us sev¬ 
eral samples of beautiful well crystalized sugar made 
with Cook’s evaporator, by O. N. Brainard, of Marion, 
Iow a, and others. These are strong evidences of the util¬ 
ity of the apparatus. 
Ellery’s IietJia llttblitr Paint. —We have 
given this a pretty thorough trial, having applied it to the 
roofs or our dwelling and an out-house, last Autumn, 
where it has been subjected to Winter and Spring expo¬ 
sure on a surface nearly flat. It stands the test well, and 
we shall now use it on a new barn roof. The experienced 
painters who applied it, and who were previously preju¬ 
diced against this and other patent compounds, speak of 
it in high terms, and they, with others w ho have exam¬ 
ined it, are ready to recommend it. We have also ex¬ 
amined the specifications of the patent, and the combina¬ 
tion of materials appears to be made on scientific princi¬ 
ples. It is essentially composed of oil and any desired 
coloring matter, in which is a considerable admixture of 
India rubber, gutta percha, and gum shellac. These sub¬ 
stances render it elastic, and water shedding. The elas¬ 
ticity is a very desirable quality. The paint is scarcely 
as expensive as the common oil paints. 
From the Christian Advocate and Journal. 
A New Invention. 
We notice with pleasure the progress of useful inven¬ 
tions, and especially of such as tend to relieve the con¬ 
stant toil of every day life, and to bring comforts more 
and more within reach of the masses. In this spirit we 
have spoken of sewing machines. We have endeavored 
to examine and recommend in these columns those w hich 
seemed to us best adapted for general use, and for becom¬ 
ing the docile and active family servant. We are pleased 
now to be able to say, from examination and careful 
tests, that a still farther advance has been made, which 
lessens the price so as to bring a good article within reach 
of many w ho have as yet been unable to procure them ; 
and in speaking of this machine we must say that we 
have thought until now, if any one thing was settled 
about sew lhg machines, it was that a good one must work 
with two threads. The defects in all the single thread 
machines hitherto tried have been such as to preclude 
thorn from being considered really useful; and w e had 
become fully convinced that the only reliable inventions 
of this kind for use were one or olher of the well known 
two-thread machines, which have been heretofore spoken 
of in this paper, although they are from necessity more 
complicated and expensive than a machine using but one 
thread. 
Our Patent Office reports show that no branch of me¬ 
chanical skill has been more pursued by inventive genius 
of late years than that of simplifying arv.l cheapening 
sewing machines, which has resulted in producing a ma¬ 
chine remarkable for ils simplicity, which makes a good 
strong seam, without liability to rip, even when cut into 
small pieces, by using only one thread direct from the 
spool. It was not easy to Convince us that one thread 
would produce a seam fit for general use and of reliable 
strength ; but experience has proved it to be so. This 
machine has been tested in the past two years by private 
families and by manufacturers. After many experiments 
with other machines, this one has been adopted by the 
large hosiery manufacturers of Philadelphia, in whose 
work a peculiarly firm and elastic seam is required. In 
our own city a prominent manufacturer of fine muslin 
and cambric goods, who a year ago was a firm advocate of 
the shuttle machines, has now discarded their use alto¬ 
gether, and adopted this. 
For family sewing in all its varieties, the work of this 
simple machine is found perfectly strong and reliable; 
and its hemming is done on the right side, and to any 
width, and is neat and accurate beyond comparison. 
Felling also is readily performed by it, and we can not see 
any requisite for family purposes which it can not be 
made to meet as readily as any sew ing machine in use. 
It is simple and easy to work, can not be run in the 
wrong direction, nor is there the slightest difficulty in 
changing the needle ; it is not liable to get out of order, 
and combines cheapness with its other merits, being sold 
at thirty dollars. 
While, therefore, we abate none of the well-deserved 
praises we have given to the others, we must in justice 
express our confidence in the merits of the Willcox & 
Gibbs Sewing Machine. We consider that a great desid¬ 
eratum has been supplied by it in proving beyond doubt 
that two threads are not, as was supposed, necessary to a 
good instrument, and we recommend all who desire to 
consult economy of time,labor, and money, to go and see 
it for themselves, and give it a fair examination without 
prejudice. 
Dushuss Satins. 
CS"~ Sixty Cents a Line of Space. 
ITALIAN BEES. 
Pure Queens of this race are now ready for delivery, 
impregnated by pute Italian drones of which some tw enty 
thousand are flying about the hives. No common drones 
are allowed in or near the grounds, and my neighbors 
have kindly allowed me to remove their common bees to 
a locality distant two miles from my Italians. For terms 
and other information apply for Circular to 
S. B. PARSONS. Flushing, N. Y. 
<KEiCJ>VE8£ & SSASiEl£’S 
CELEBRATED NOISELESS 
FAMILY SEWING MACHINES, 
No. 495 Broadway, New-York; No. 18 Summer st., 
Boston ; No. 730 Chestnut st., Philadelphia ; No. 181 Bal¬ 
timore st., Baltimore ; No. 58 West Fourth st., Cincin¬ 
nati. * * For nur oien family use we became fully satis¬ 
fied that Grover cf linker's is the best, and we accordingly 
purbhased it."—American Agriculturist. 
|T|pSEND FOR A CIRCULAR. 
WHEELER & WILSON’S 
SEWING MACHINES, 
“ The best in use.”— American Agriculturist, 1860. 
Office 505 Broadway. New-York. 
SEND FOR A CIRCULAR. 
SATCFOKB’S BBFATERS, 
PorlsaMe or set isa IBa’ick, 
Are pronounced by the most compel ent judges to be the best, giv¬ 
ing the largest amount of heat, with a small quantity of fuel— 
owing to their being so constructed as to burn the gases and 
smoke, and with the largest radiating,surface so arranged as 
to warm the air rapidly to a soft summer heat. 
Eight sizes, adapted to warming only one or two rooms, or a 
whole house, churches, academies, public halls, &c. 
THEY ALWAYS TLEASE. 
THE NEW AIR-TIGHT CHALLENGE RANGE 
now ready. 
Send for testimonials (free) to 
SANFORD, TRUSLOW & CO., Manufacturers, 
239 Water-street, New-York. 
