846 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
ers you send, appear to be of the above species ; usually 
found in the margin of woods, and in bloom during April. 
Aslics for BSose Bugs.— “.A.” of Chambersburg, 
Pa., writes, that wood ashes sifted over the bushes will 
expel rose-bugs. This remedy we know to be good 
against the siug, but the true rose-bug, in this vicinity at 
least, is not so easily go4 rid of. 
Smlift'for Plant Ijice.—Jonathan Highman, New 
Haven Co., Conn., writes that after trying various other 
applications, he has found Scotch snuff sprinkled upon 
the leaves and branches of infested plants, a sure remedy 
for aphides or plant lice. 
Potato Hugs. —W. J. Erslcine, Vanderburg Co., 
Ind., writes that the Potato Fly ( Cantliaris vittata ) lias 
been very destructive in his neighborhood the present 
season, and inquires for a remedy. Have any of our 
readers succeeded in .preventing their depredations ? 
These flies may be turned to account, as they are useful 
for making blister plasters. They might be collected by 
sweeping over the tops of the vines with a sheet held by 
two men so as to form a bag, then dropped in hot water, 
dried, and sold to druggists. 
Arsenic for Unsects. — John A. Ferguson, Berk¬ 
shire Co. Mass., writes that a locust tree nearly destroyed 
last season by borers, was saved by boring a three-eighths 
inch hole in the trunk, inserting three cents worth of 
arsenic, and plugging it up. The grubs soon disappeared, 
and have not returned this season. [We can not com¬ 
mend this treatment. If the arsenic saturates the wood 
enougli to kill the insects , it would in most cases injure 
the tree, and certainty be dangerous for fruit trees.— Ed.] 
Castor Oil Plant and Moles.—A correspondent 
writes that he once bought what was recommended as a 
sure recipe for driving away moles. It was to put castor 
oil beans in their burrows. lie found the beans would 
not “ go down,” with the moles—they all came up. 
©rooming out Moles.—Milo Black, Hamilton 
Co., O., advises to open two holes at some distance apart, 
in the mole track, and pour several pails of water into 
the upper opening. He says with this treatment the 
mole will soon show his “ patent forks” — [If lie happen to 
be at home. — Ed.] 
A Colony of Sky-larks.—A. J. Hunt, Washte¬ 
naw Cm, Mich., writes that last year while plowing Sum¬ 
mer fallow, he came upon a nest of sky-larks, which lie 
protected from disturbance, and lie has now upon his 
grounds a colony of 14 or more of these sweet song birds. 
It is to be hoped they may receive general protection and 
become widely disseminated. 
Robert Burden, Queens Co., N. Y., states that a bird 
answering the description given of the sky lark lias been 
seen by several persons in the neighborhood of llavens- 
wood. Attention was at first attracted by his peculiarly 
sweet song. The little warbler has been fortunate to 
escape the tribe of bird murderers that swarm over the 
country adjacent to this City. 
Mouses for Bees .- 1 T. M. S., Hartford, Conn. 
The most successful apiarians prefer to set their hives in 
the open air, during the summer season, at least ; many 
leave them with only the partial shelter of an open shed, 
the year round. When a house is used, the bees are only 
allowed access to the hives through openings left for the 
purpose, all other communications with the interior of 
the house being closed. 
Vositilatiug' Cellars. — L. C. Waters, Onondaga 
Co., N Y. writes that a well ventilated cellar is less like¬ 
ly to suffer from frost. He had been much troubled by 
vegetables' freezing in his cellar several years, although it 
was made perfectly tight by banking against the sides of 
the house, and about the door and windows. Last season 
this was neglected, and to his surprise, nothing in the cel¬ 
lar froze. The moisture from the vegetables and from 
the soil passed off freely, and the air being dryer, became 
a poorer conductor of heat, and enougli was left to keep 
tiie temperature below the freezing point. Provision 
should be made for ventilation when building, by car¬ 
rying a flue from the cellar, by the side of Die chim¬ 
ney or elsewhere, up to Die top of the house. 
Tarring Shingles.— J. C. II., Patterson, N. C. re: 
ferrirfg to our inquiry published in Die July Agriculturist 
writes : A house stands near mo, that was covered in 
1807 with shingles first dipped in well boiled tar, and after 
Die roof was put on, a coat of well boiled tar was applied 
with a brush, and before hardened, a good coat of clean 
fine dry sand sifted over. The roof is pretty good yet. 
The tar should be boiled enough to harden when cold. 
Cement for Roofs.-A. J. Duncan, Iowa, inquires 
for the best roofing cement. He has tried a mixture of 
losin and tar, applying it to the boards, covering this with 
roofing paper, then giving another coat of tar and rosin, 
and covering the whole with sand while the cement was 
hot. This he says answers in warm weather, but is 
cracked by h ost. 
Filtering Cisterns.— S. D. Ingham, Brown Co., 
O. The proposed arrangement might answer a very good 
purpose, provided the cistern were always nearly filled. 
When the water is low, it might pass through the filter 
too slowly to supply the inner reservoir. 
Filtering Spring Water.— S. R. Griggs. The 
plan proposed, of attaching a filter to the head of an 
aqueduct through which water is conducted from a spring 
to (he house, would work well. The water would there¬ 
by be freed from clayey or'otlier deposit washed in during 
heavy rains, and insects, etc. be kept out. The charcoal 
should be broken into small lumps—say the size of peas. 
Artesian Well at Columbus, 0.—In the July 
Agriculturist, page 200, we gave a full account of this 
undertaking, which had then reached a depth of 2,388 
feet. The work is still progressing, and at last accounts 
a depth of 2,575 had been attained. Experiments were 
made to ascertain the temperature at that distance be¬ 
low the surface. It was found that the mercury regis¬ 
tered 88°, an increase of one degree for every 71 feet. 
This differs materially from the increase at other places. 
The average increase in the coal mines of England is 
one degree for each 44 feet, while the Artesian well at 
Louisville, Ivy., shows an increase of one degree in 67 
feet. Several of the lead and silver mines of Saxony, 
indicate a rise of one degree in 65 feet. It has long 
been known that the temperature rises as we approach 
the bowels of the earth, and it is quite interesting to ob¬ 
serve the variation cf Diis increase in different places. 
It has generally been suppe/sod that the heat is greater 
in the vicinity of volcanoes, and the low rate of increase 
at Columbus—a long distance from volcanic action, in 
part verifies this opinion. 
Wagon and. Carriage Mali ers, who are not al¬ 
ready aware of the fact, will be glad to learn that there is 
published in this City a very good journal devoted espec¬ 
ially to their calling, viz.: the “ N. Y. Coach Makers’ 
Magazine.” It is now in its 3d volume, and is well worth 
the attention of those interested in this branch of business. 
E. M. Stratton, Publisher, 106 Elizabetfi-St. 
Agricultural Scrap Book.—C. S. Keep, Port-, 
land Co., Conn., suggests that an Agricultural scrap-book, 
to contain pieces occasionally found in other than agri¬ 
cultural papers, would be valuable. Occasionally items 
of importance appear in local papers, but there is so much 
nonsense published in these fugitive paragraphs that they 
would form ail unreliable guide. Asa matter of curiosity, 
and for occasional reference, it would be interesting. A 
good agricultural paper, with a character to sustain, will 
be a found the safest counsellor. 
TUc Age ol' Morses, as is well known, is deter¬ 
mined by the appearance of the teeth. It is difficult, ex¬ 
cept after long practice, to judge accurately after the an¬ 
imal lias passed his ninth or tenth year ; the directions 
laid down in the books, are not very clear on this point. 
A little work of 47 pages on this subject, just published by 
Louis Brandt, a German Veterinary Surgeon, professes to 
give infallible marks by which to.tcll the age of ahorse up 
to twenty years or more. It is abundantly illustrated with 
drawings, and if it prove reliable, will be well worth the 
price asked, $1 per copy. 
Every BBody’s Eawyer, by Frank Crosby, Phila., 
I860.—12 mo. 384 pp. Tins work contains plain and 
simple instructions for transacting business according to 
law, witii legal forms for drawing the necessary papers. 
Its instructions are calculated to keep its readers out of 
law. 
Veterinary College at tlie West. —Dr. Geo. 
II. Dadd, Veterinary Surgeon, and one of the editors of 
Die American Stock Journal, recently called on us, on his 
way to the West, where it is proposed to establish a Vet¬ 
erinary College—probably at Cincinnati, 0. We com¬ 
mend the enterprise to the hearty co-operation of our 
Western friends. 
Blow xnncli Is a “ Morse Power.”— Daniel 
Evans, Wood Co., O. In estimating the power of en¬ 
gines, one “horse power” is taken’ as equivalent to a 
force sufficient to raise 33,000 lbs. one foot in one minute. 
This standard was first adopted by Dio English engineers, 
Bolton and Watt. 
Weather Notes front tlio Clturalceo Na¬ 
tion.— I. B. Hitchcock, of Cherokee Nation, west of 
Arkansas (latitude 36°), sends weather notes kept through 
Jan., Feb., March, and a portion of April. The notes 
were made at sunrise, and during Jan. the mean temper¬ 
ature was SOM 0 —lowest 8°, and highest 61°. The mean 
for Feb. was 3l3£ 0 .—lowest 5°. highest 50°. For March, 
the mean was 38 ’ 4 l°—lowest 18°. highest 02°. Snow had 
fallen six times and it had rained ten times. 
Connecticut Fins.— J. Mix, New-Ilavcn Co., Ct,, 
sends samples of pins manufactured by the American Pin 
Co., which appear to be all that is needed in a pin — neat, 
solid heads, and needle like points. Most of t*ie pins here¬ 
tofore made, have had too blunt a point. 
-■» <- — -- 
Tiie Hydropult. 
This instrument described in the August Agricndturist, 
page 236, is evidently gaining in favor with the public. 
Our commendation might seem to be partial, the com¬ 
pany being our tenants, but we have no interest what¬ 
ever in its manufacture or sale. The following extracts 
will show how highly it is approved by others.] 
From the New-York Faily Tribune. 
Fire at the American Institute Fair. It may be 
remembered that on the night of the 5th of October, 1858, 
the Crystal Palace, in which the annual fair of the Amer¬ 
ican Institute was being held at the time, caught fire by 
some accident and was completely destroyed. Singular 
to relate, on Dnfnight of the 5th of this October, last Friday 
at the same hour, and under almost similar circumstances 
one of the main buildings in which the Institute Fair was 
being held at Palace Garden, took fire, and very narrowly 
escaped destruction. The Janitor was lighting the gas, 
when he accidently ignited some fancy festoonings in the 
hall ; and in an instant the flames were overleaping each 
other in all directions, and at such a Light that it was im¬ 
possible to throw water on them by ordinary means. For¬ 
tunately for the exhibitors and visitors, one of the articles 
on exhibition at the time was Vose’s I-Iydropult, a pump 
with hose and suction pipe attached—so light that it can 
be carried about by a child—yet capable of drawing the 
water from a pail, tub, or reservoir, and sending it to a 
great hight. One of the waiters in the refreshment saloon 
seized this little force-pump and threw several pails of 
water through it up to the fire, and extinguished the flames 
in a few minutes. Had it not been for the Hydropult, the 
entire building and all its valuable contents must have 
been consumed. The managers of the fair awarded the 
highest medal to the American Hydropult Company, in 
recognition of the valuable service which it rendered them 
in this emergency. 
From the Journal of Commerce. 
HOW PALACE GARDEN WAS SAVED FROM FIRE. 
American Institute, / 
New-York,- October 13, I860. ) 
To the American Hydropult Company. 
In compliance with the request of one of the officers -ef 
the Company, I take great pleasure in certifying to 
the efficiency of the hand engine, or portable pump, 
which you see proper to call the “ Hydropult,” or water 
thrower. 
At the late fair of the Institute, at Palace Garden, in 
lighting the gas for the evening, fire was communicated 
to some light combustible ornaments, and the flames 
quickly communicated to the canvas and board ceiling 
of the roof. The roof was so high that there were no 
means of reaching the fire by ladders, or otherwise, and 
one of your hydropults being on exhibition, it occurred 
to one of the floor clerks of the exhibition to bring it 
into use. 
With a single pail of water, and this little instrument, 
the fire was almost instantly extinguished. It was the 
general impression that three or four minutes’ delay 
would have resulted in the certain destruction of the 
building, and all present concurred in the opinion—or 
rather in the certain conviction—that the Hydropult saved 
the Institute from a similar calamity which on the same 
day of the month, two years before, laid the Crystal 
Palace in ashes. 
Very respectfully, THOMAS McELRATII, 
Corresponding Secretary American Institute. 
From the New-York Dispatch. 
Sewing MacMues. — W hich is the best.?— The 
Question Answered. — There can be no doubt that 
Wheeler & Wilson’s Sewing Machine is the very best 
the market affords. Everybody says so, and that a large 
majority of people prefer it for family sewing, while 
Dress-Makers, Shirt-Makers, Corset-Makers, Gaiter- t il- 
ters, Shoe-Binders, Vest-Makers, and Tailors, all use it, 
and insist there is no equal for their purposes, clearly 
establishes Die fact Dial it is unequalled for Die variety of 
uses to which it is adapted. The Wheeler & Wilson 
Machines make Die lockstitch, the only stitch that can¬ 
not be raveled, and that presents tlio same appearance 
on botli sides of Die scam—a fact of itself sufficient lo ac¬ 
count for its having the highest premiums awarded it at 
all the State fairs held for the past few years. No other than 
the Lock-stitch has given such universal satisfaction, and 
our advice is, if you want a Sewing Machine Dial will do 
your own family sewing in a very superior manner, or if 
you wish lo earn a livelihood by sewing for others, do not 
get any oilier tlian a Wheeler & Wilson Machine, and 
you will (lien feel certain tiiat you have one Dial vi ill give 
you the fullest satisfaction, 
