1862 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
135 
good knot in it to prevent its slipping off. Scatter these 
enticements in various parts of the field where crows and 
black-birds are wont to alight. No crow will eat 
more than one or two kernels in that field or any other 
very soon. The two ends of a horse-hair sticking out of 
his mouth, well anchored in his maws by a fine kernel of 
corn, will be nothing of a pleasure to him, and he and 
his company will leave for parts unknown.” 
JPlaas lor llii'd Mouses.—(Charles.) No, 
Charley, we have none, in our portfolio. But you, or 
your father, or .the carpenter, can contrive something suit¬ 
able. The Indians, you know, hang np calabashes on the 
sides of their huts, or on trees close at hand, and the birds 
soon occupy them. Almost any kind of box will answer; 
the, birds are not fastidious about styles of architecture. 
But if you can make a little house, resembling in its out¬ 
lines the house you live in, it will show some skill and 
taste on your part. A neighbor of ours has made a little 
Gothic cottage, a miniature edition of his own residence, 
and the-birds like it. Another man, near by, has lately 
made a sort of Chinese pagoda, an octagon about 18 
inches high and ten broad, and set it up on the top of a 
pillar twenty feet high. The blue birds have already be¬ 
gun to make reconnoisances about it, and will ere long 
take full possession. 
Peppejr versus Mats.— A subscriber recom¬ 
mends to fill the holes of rats with colored cotton sprink¬ 
led with pepper—Query: Do rats dislike pepper, and if 
they do, will they not immediately dig new holes, and 
thus do more damage than if left to go freely into their 
old haunts ? Their destruction is the only sure remedy— 
but how to secure this is a puzzling question. 
Cottosa Waddling' verms Cacaaiiaalaer 
Bugs.—Take cotton wadding, cut it into pieces 8 inches 
square, split.it, spread one piece glazed side up over each 
hill, just as the plant is coming through the ground, and 
pin it fast to the earth, with a sharp stick at each corner, 
a wire with a hook at the tip will do, to keep the wind 
from blowing it away. This practice J. Banister of Es¬ 
sex Co., N. J., assures the Agriculturist “ will keep all 
bugs off, and protect the vines from slight frosts. The 
protection is perfect, the result satisfactory, the cost tri¬ 
fling ; and the crop will or may be two weeks earlier than 
it can be without this protection.” 
Coal Tar for Moles and fsii-womiiH. 
—“ C. C.,” Jamesburg, N. J., alluding to doubts stated 
in a recent number of the Agriculturist, whether moles 
really eat peas, says, that however that may be, they de¬ 
stroyed. his crop, at least, for two years. Last season he 
soaked the peas in a week solution of coal tar—a tea¬ 
spoonful of tar to a quart of water—and the moles did 
not disturb them, though at work elsewhbi e in the garden. 
A neighbor drove them from working in his sweet potato 
hills, by pouring a little of the tar water in a slight trench 
around the plants. It was also tried around tomato and 
cabbage plants, and the cut worms did not trouble them. 
Old Morses.—“ Senex.” Some horses are 
old at ten years of age, and some not until twenty. It 
depends chiefly upon the way they have been treated. 
The prevailing impression that a horse necessarily begins 
to fail after nine years of age, is a mistaken one. A 
horse does not attain his full growth and perfection of 
physical power till past his seventh year. He does not 
begin to run down right away. If he is not overstrained 
with heavy loads, or over-driven, or misused in any way, 
he will be in his most serviceable condition between his 
seventh and fifteenth years. Tor a family horse, or a 
safe saddle horse, or for real valuable service on the road 
or the farm, give us one who has sown his wild'oats, and 
is content to be sober and quiet. 
CSlaiiders iia Morses.— S. B. H., of Lum- 
berton, N. J., in reply to the article on page 44, February 
Agriculturist says: He does not think by the symptoms 
that the horse has the glanders, but rather Caries of the 
teeth. The horse should be examined, andif the teeth are 
found to be decayed they should be extracted. Caries 
are often taken for glanders, and a person should be very 
careful to examine the teeth before resorting to severe 
treatment for glanders. 
IPoisats of a Horse.—“M.”, of Malden, 
Mass., and others, will find illustrations on page 11 of vol. 
18, (1859,) showing the points of a horse, both in skeleton 
and covered with muscles. We can not repeat them now. 
Cattle—$1 Move on Facia.—An intelli¬ 
gent observer, not himself interested in raising or selling 
improved cattle, writes to the Agriculturist from Hart¬ 
ford Co., Conn., that he doubts not the influence of the 
State Agricultur al Society, and of the late Homestead, 
have together raised the value of all cattle in Connec¬ 
ticut an average of $2 per head ; and he well says : How 
large would be the aggregate profit, if the average value 
of all the cattle in the United States were increased in 
value only $1 per head. Yet this increased value, and 
more, will be secured so soon as farmers understand 
the result of even a slight admixture of improved blood. 
Mavgett or Caked Bag'.—A. A. H., of 
Hillsboro’ Co., N. H., communicates to the Agriculturist 
a simple remedy that, he says, will cure a cow in nine 
cases out of ten, if applied as soon as discovered, or very 
early. Bathe the bag in cold water for 30 or 40 miuutes. 
Two applications (night and morning) will effect a cure. 
Wrong' Side of tlie Tree.—A subscriber 
in Stark Co., III., suggests a friendly criticism on the 
vignette of the February Agriculturist, viz.: that the man 
begins to cut on the wrong side of a leaning tree; he 
thinks “the artist at least was not brought up in the 
woods.”-Precisely so, but we claim to know better, 
having felled many hundreds of trees with our own 
hands. (The “tee,” here includes several editors.) The 
picture was designed merely as a pleasant sketch of a 
scene common in the western wooded countries, and not 
to illustrate the particular method of felling trees. We 
acknowledge the criticism, and say to all novices when 
cutting down leaning trees, make the first and largest 
notch on the side the tree is to fall, which will prevent its 
splitting upward. 
Coloring- of Autumnal Foliage.— 
“ Mary ” thinks, as do many others, that the beautiful 
coloring of the leaves in the Fall is caused by the frost. 
Doubtless King Jack hastens the painting somewhat, and 
dashes in some of the most vivid tints. But that is all. 
Did you not observe, last Autumn, that the trees were 
dressed in their most gorgeous robes, and that, too, before 
there was scarcely any sign of frost ? The transforma¬ 
tion was gradual, and therefore less striking than when 
it is the work almost of a single night. This change in 
the color of the leaf we must therefore ascribe to its ri¬ 
pening, rather than to its freezing. 
Soda, Salevatns, etc., in Cookery. 
—A. M. Ward, Hartford Co., Conn., writes: “Four 
years ago I forbid the use of Soda and Cream of Tartar 
[doubtless saleratus also.— Ed.] in my family—we had 
spent money by hundreds of dollars on our teeth, but a 
soft rot ever made dread havoc. Now for two years past, 
a “ toothache ” has been unknown in our circle. I have 
two children, the oldest 5j<f, and neither has a tooth 
blemish. At first my wife said ‘ You can have no cakes 
now, nothing made of flour, but plain bread, and even 
that uncertain,’ —but we have no lack of such luxuries, 
good in quality and variety. In my receipt book I dis¬ 
card any and all receipts having the above articles incor¬ 
porated ; and as a humane medium I would like to see 
the same stand occupied by the Agriculturist .” [On the 
other hand, we could speak of the good resulting from the 
use of soda as a tooth wash. Chemistry does not indicate 
the unliealthfulness of moderate quantities of soda and 
cream tartar. Soda is an alkali, and neutralizes the action 
of acids in sour foods. Tartaric acid can be no more hurt¬ 
ful than the grape juice from which it is derived.— Ed.] 
ISclaiaiziaag Boxes and Bags.— “J. A. 
G.” On page 276, Vol. XX, we mentioned an India rubber 
bag for carrying flowers; doubtless oil silk would answer. 
The flap must be made large to prevent circulation of air; 
the fabric light, and when filled it must be carried in a tin 
or other box. Delicate flowers are best carried and kept 
from wilting in corked bottles with a few drops of water, 
and straws enough to prevent their falling from one side 
to another. A good, close shutting, tin box, oval, 6 or 7 
inches wide, 3 or 4 deep, and 12 to 14 long, opening on I 
the side, and having a compartment at one end for water 
plants, with a cover like that of a pint pail, is a conveni¬ 
ent form of hotanical box for common use. 
“ Land Boor.”—A subscriber who read the 
article with this heading, published on page 337, last 
volume, says it was intended for him, and that he shall 
take immediate steps to reduce his cares, expenses, 
anxiety, labor and taxes, by disposing of a portion of his 
land and improving the remainder. He is no longer go¬ 
ing to be a slave to the title of “ large possessions.” 
One Mam’s Complaint.— Among all the 
good words said to and for this journal, it would be strange 
not to have a complaint now and then. If done in a right 
spirit, we think most of those who tell us of our faults as 
well as of our good deeds. Here is a complaint we do not 
like: Mr.-writes that “he can’t endure the Agricul¬ 
turist any longer, because it uses the imperative mood.” 
[This man has studied grammer, and understands moods.] 
“The paper continually says ‘do so,’ or ‘dp so,’ and I 
don’t like this imperative tone...Well, well, must we 
give up our most cherished plan of putting a good many 
thoughts into a paper that can be afforded cheaply ?- 
we do not like to have the appearance of haughtiness 
It is briefertosay: “Lookout for slippery paths in the 
cow yards ; spread some manure on the asparagus bed to 
keep it from freezing deeply ; put a few bundles of straw 
around the pump when liable to be frozen, etc.” But must 
we needs say: “It is respectfully and reverently suggested 
that the reader should look out that no slippery places be 
left in the cow yards ; we respectfully and humbly sug¬ 
gest that the reader, will find it advantageous to put some 
manure on the asparagus bed to keep it from freezing too 
deeply,” etc. Why friend, we are in favor of the utmost 
suavity in talking to members of this free and republican 
country ; but it is so much shorter to use the «impera¬ 
tive” form to convey the same idea, that we beg the priv¬ 
ilege of continuing it so as to save room for more hints. 
Okra Seed for Coflfee.— S. Ransom, 
Warren Co., Ill. The seeds you send are Okra, (not 
Oker, as called in the Chicago Tribune.) For culture see 
April Agriculturist., p. 101. The plant is very common, 
and the seed abundant—on sale at all our larger seed 
stores. We have heard of the dry seeds being used for 
coffee, but have not tried them, and do not think they aie 
of much worth for this purpose. The green pods are 
excellent for making soup—called “ Gumbo Soup ” at the 
South. We grow it for this from seed sown every Spring. 
Illinois Coflee.-Peas $1,240 per 
Busliel.—Cautioning our readers against coffee hum¬ 
bugs, (page 101,) we called upon Mr. Huffman, of Illinois, 
to make some return for the $1.06 sent him, In justice 
we will say, that three weeks after the money was sent, 
we received a package of 53 chick peas (Cicer arietinum ). 
They cost just too cents each, and we presume they will 
make as good coffee, as any other peas. Printed direc¬ 
tions for culture, etc., accompanied them. Now, although 
the pods yield but two peas each, we think, judging from 
our own crop the past season, Mr. Huffman has made a 
good thing out of an old pea, not unfrequently sold by our 
seedsmen during the past 20 years. 
S^atraotic Fanner’s Clialb.—The Club 
at White Plains, N. Y., (Henry C. Field, Pres., Sol. A. 
Haviland, Sec., Jas. Gibson, Treas.,) at their meeting 
April 9, adopted patriotic resolutions, giving thanks to 
their brother farmers and others, battling nobly and brave¬ 
ly in the service of their country. 
A Snowy Country.—The Maine Farmer 
states that a severe snow storm entirely covered a house 
in the town of Mexico, (Me.), burying two families, who 
were only relieved by the neighbors tunnelling through 40 
feet of drift until they reached the front door. If “ snow 
is the poor man’s manure,” Maine should be a fertile State. 
Rain, in California..—Apropos to the 
above is the amount of rain which fell in California and 
Oregon during the past Winter. According to the Cali¬ 
fornia Farmer, over 35 inches of rain fell in San Francis¬ 
co from the 19th of November to the 22d of January. 
The average quantity of rain in that vicinity is about 20 
inches annually, while here, in the vicinity of New-York 
City it is 55 to 60 inches. 
Claeap Sewing' Maclaines.—A Babcock, 
Union Co., Ill. All these small “pocket” machines, 
which are screwed, upon a dining table or stand, and 
work with a crochet hook or needle, are altogether too 
cheap, or rather dear, at any price, whether it be $5 or $10. 
We know purchasers who would be glad to re-sell their 
“ cheap machines” for $1 or less. 
Manure Hook Wanted.—Several sub¬ 
scribers inquire for a good book adapted specially to the 
use of manures; and one, on being told (hat there is no 
such work, complete and reliable, suggests that some 
practical farmer or competent chemist would benefit 
others and his own pocket also, by getting up such a book. 
We do not know any one man capable of writing sueli a 
book in the present state of our knowledge on the subject. 
There are too many unsettled theories as to the action 
and value of different kinds of organic and mineral ma 
nures. In a series of articles given in the Agriculturist, 
Yol. 19, (1860), we tried to set forth our own views, so far 
as confirmed by experience—with some theory. 
Soda, Crackers.—We published in 1860, the 
method for making soda crackers. It is hardly worth 
while to repeat it; for it is very difficult to make them in 
private families so that they will resemble the bakers’. A 
sponge is set over night, and the next morning stiffened 
with flour, butter or lard added, and the whole well rub¬ 
bed together and beaten, and finally rolled out, cut, and 
pricked as we see them, and baked in a brick oven. 
