1862.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
827 
Manufactory of Flax Cotton.— We 
learn that Mr. Samuel C. Allen, an inventor of machinery 
for making flax-cotton, has recently purchased large 
buildings, water power, etc.* in Lawrence, Mass., for the 
establishment of a manufactory of flax-cotton goods. It 
' is said that the company engaged in this enterprise have 
abundant means ; the present scarcity of cotton will cer¬ 
tainly give great encouragement to the undertaking. 
Wlxen to Cratlicr Cotton. —0. C. Wil¬ 
son, Williamson Co., III. The practice at the South is to 
commence picking as soon as enough bolls are open to 
keep the field hands profitably employed. The character 
of the staple is injured by much exposure to rain, and a 
heavy storm often causes much difficulty in the picking 
by tangling the fiber with the burr. Northern grown cot¬ 
ton will need to be picked early, perhaps wlple the seeds 
are yet green, which will do no harm, provided it is af¬ 
terward dried in the sun. It should, under all circum¬ 
stances, be dried of dew and rain before storing. 
Missouri Corn—Mousing' Stock, etc. 
—Wm. Russell, of Iron Co., Mo., planted corn on tim¬ 
othy sod, heavily surface manured, dropping 2 kernels 
at each step 1% to 2 feet apart, and covering with the 
foot. Rows 3 X feet apart. Went over each row with 
2 horse harrow, having front tooth out, which left the 
surface light. Followed in 2 weeks with shovel plow, 
which was all the cultivation given. There were no 
weeds to trouble the crop. At harvest he found a heavy 
yield, with 1 to 2 ears on every stalk. He cuts his stalks 
with a power cutter, and feeds out during the winter. 
His cattle are regularly housed in cold weather which 
he thinks more than pays in the diminished food they 
consume, besides saving the manure which would be lost 
were they running at large. 
Fall Pippins kept until Spcing'.— 
M. L. Goff, of Brooklyn, N. Y., writes to the American 
Agriculturist, that last year he bought a barrel of Fall 
pippins (not winter apples) in the market, and sorted them 
over into three lots: those perfectly sound; those slight¬ 
ly bruised; and those mellow—throwing the decayed ones 
aside. They were then all wiped dry with a towel and 
wrapped separately in pieces of newspaper. They were 
then packed into an old cheap trunk, the soundest on the 
bottom and the mellowest at the top, and the trunk set into 
a small dark closet off from a room seldom warmed in 
winter. At New Year’s a few were taken out and found 
as good as when put in, and from then until the last of 
April they were occasionally drawn upon, all remaining 
entirely sound. The last dozen or so were a little shriv¬ 
eled, but still very good. 
Working- Orchiu-d I.uiids. —William 
Ralston, Guernsey Co., Ohio. Moderate cropping rather 
benefits than injures orchards, provided plenty of manure 
be supplied, and proper care be taken not to injure the 
trunks and roots of the trees, A heavy sward excludes 
air, and is unfavorable to rapid growth or full fruiting. 
Hoed crops are generally preferable for orchard culture. 
Seedling' Pears.— C. S. Rust, Oswego Co., 
N. Y. The pears sent us are undoubtedly seedlings. 
They appear to be worthy of dissemination among the 
really good pears, and are therefore entitled to a name. 
Test of a CSrape.— Mr. G. R. Garretson, 
seedsman of Queens Co., N. Y., says; a good grape is one 
whose skin we can eat, and whose seeds can be spit out, 
Evergreen Vine to Cover a Stump 
Fence.—C. A. Hindes, Allegany Co., N. Y. The Eu¬ 
ropean Ivy is the most suitable evergreen climber to cov¬ 
er the unsightly roots of your fence, and the Holly or 
Mahonia is the best shrub to fill the vacant spaces. Cov¬ 
ered thus, with the evergreen Mahonia to fill gaps, the 
fence will be quite ornamental. 
Lead and Copper Wire.— Lead wire 
is much used in England for tying up fruit trees and 
vines to stakes and trellises, also for attaching labels 
to slakes. It is soft, flexible, durable, and less hurtful 
to’ plants than copper wire. It is made of lead and 
an alloy mixed with it. For the coarser uses of garden¬ 
ing, especially where much strength is required, this 
is undoubtedly a good thing. Yet for common, every 
day work, such as tying plants to stakes, etc., we mush 
prefer the old bass matting. This is cheaper, more easily 
handled, and sufficiently durable. 
Second Crop ofHubbard Squashes. 
—A subscriber in Lamartine, Wis., in a note dated early 
in September, said: “ A Hubbard Squash vine on which 
seven squashes have ripened, has now a second crop as 
arge as goose eggs. The vine was well shortened-in 
cany in the season.” 
Coal Tar on Cabbages.- 111 C. C.,” of 
Jamesburg, N. J,, referring to the experience of A. P., 
page 262, (Sept.), says that if he had diluted the coal tar 
with water before using, a tablespoonful of tar to a pint 
of water, it would not have injured his cabbages, but 
would have kept the slug from them. He “ knows it, for 
he has tried it.” 
Valne of Sunflower Seeds.—E. J., 
Millville, Pa. Sunflower seeds contain a large amount of 
oil, which may be expressed and used for burning and 
other purposes. They are very valuable as feed for poul¬ 
try, being worth probably as much per bushel as corn. 
ISonvax’dia.—G. T. Rockingham Co., N. H. 
This evergreen shrub requires the protection of a green¬ 
house or flower pit, in Winter. It does well for a border 
plant in Summer. Bouvardia triphylla with bright scar¬ 
let flowers is the more common variety. They are re¬ 
newed by cuttings, generally of the roots. 
Keeping AScraiiiainnisi, Verbenas, 
Heliotropes, etc., tUroug'lx the Winter.— 
“L. H. R.,” Kock Bottom, Mass. A green-house or pit, 
such as is described on page 273, Sept. Agriculturist, is 
the best, place for these plants during winter. They can 
be kept in a cellar, but will require some care, giving them 
just enough water for moisture without causing them to 
mold or damp off. 
Flowering' the Camellia.—E. S. Bar¬ 
tholomew, Chautauqua Co., N. Y. Repot soon after they 
are done blooming, which is usually in February and 
March. Buist recommends as soil for potting : 3 parts 
loam, 2 parts leaf mold, and 1 part each of sand and well 
rotted manure. Keep the plants now in pots in moder¬ 
ately cool moist rooms (parlors and living rooms are too 
dry) until December, when they may be carried to the 
warmer apartments to prepare them for blooming. Wa¬ 
ter and syringe them frequently. Eight inch pots are 
large enough for blooming. 
Japan Lilies.— M. T. Scott, Franklin Co., 
Ohio. These are very pretty, and perfectly hardy. Most 
florists and seedsmen now have them on sale at 25c. to 
37c. pfer bulb. They may be planted in the Fall or Spring. 
Ibahlias Changisag-.—“ Ignoramus,” as he 
calls himself, of Bloomfield, N. J., says he purchased 
choice dahlia roots, and planted with care in 1659. They 
were put in the cellar the next Winter, and planted out 
the following Spring, but he was surprised to find the 
blooms had changed color, and now he can hardly find 
one like the original in the whole collection. He wishes 
to know whether others have found the same trouble. 
Flower Seeds from Colox-ado, which 
have failed, were probably killed with kindness and too 
much water, says J. B. W. 
Bladder Nut (Staphyled trifolia), is the name 
of the shrub sent by R. B. Griffith, Grand Isle Co., Vt. It 
is a native of the northern States, generally found in 
moist shady places. Its inflated capsules are quite showy. 
Growing Plants in Moss.-— This is now¬ 
adays put forth as something new ; but we learn from 
Phil. Transac. Abridg., Vol. 10, p. 796, that it was done 
by C. Bonnet, of Geneva, in 1746. He grew successful¬ 
ly, wheat, barley, peas, pinks, daisies, tulips, and cuttings 
and layers of vines. 
Boukle Crocus.— “Horaeola.” We have 
neVer seen it, but have read of such a thing. Clusius, an 
old author, speaks of the “ crocus, vernus, latifolius, fla- 
vo-vario flore duplici, the double cloth of gold crocus.” 
Sabine says that some consider this only a sport, but he is 
satisfied that the double-flowering bulb has appeared. In 
the Hortus Floridus, we find two crocuses figured, one of 
which is described; “crocus pleno aureo flore striato.” 
When we are so lucky as to find two double crocuses, 
“Horticola” shall have one of them. 
What ails my Verbenas?— “Jennie,” 
ot Brooklyn. We can not tell you positively without 
knowing more about the case. In some places, verbenas 
suffei from a species of mildew or rust; in others, from 
minute insects. We suspect your trouble arises from 
setting your plants in the same bed every year. Ex¬ 
perience shows that they will thrive best in soils renewed 
every second year. Let the soil be light and poor, rather 
than heavy and rich. 
The Botanist Douglass.— “Amateur” 
inquires from whom the fine spruce-fir, Abies Doug- 
lassii, was named ? It was from Mr. Douglass, the bot¬ 
anist and indefatigable plant collector. He traversed 
many portions of the world in search of new trees,' 
plants and seeds. It is even said that he has enriched 
England with more varieties than any other traveler. 
We are indebted to him, among other things, for a fine 
Spirea, for tiie elegant Clarkia, different species of Peris- 
temons, Lupins, (Enotheras, Gesnerias, Ribeses, the 
Spruce already named, aiso Pimis Lambertiana, Finns 
Douglassii, etc., etc. He traveled up and down our Pa¬ 
cific coast, in South America, and in the Sandwich 
Islands. It was in the latter country that he met his 
death, and that in a most melancholy way. In roaming 
among the mountains he fell into one of the pits dug by 
the natives for the purpose of catching wild bulls. One 
of these animals was in the pit when he fell into it, and 
gored him so dreadfully as to cause his death. 
Egg' Pliant Made Palatakle.— We have 
just learned to eat egg plant with pleasure, and perhaps 
now it is more the fixings than the plant itself. It cer¬ 
tainly tastes well cooked thus : Cut in thin slices; dip 
these in (hen’s) egg beaten; sprinkle on powdered crack¬ 
er, and fry with as little grease as possible.—After eating 
them awhile in this very palatable form, we may come to 
like them pure and simple. 
The Largest Cheese.— W. Whitford, allud¬ 
ing to the cheese spoken of in the September Agricul¬ 
turist, says it was probably the one made in Cheshire, 
Mass., and sent to Thos. Jefferson, while he was Pres¬ 
ident of the United States, 61 years ago. Mr. W., who 
by the way is now 81 years of age, recollects the cheese 
well, as it was pressed in his uncle’s cider mill ; it was 
four feet in diameter, and weighed 1,300 pounds. 
A Lai-gc Cheese. —It is reported that a 
dairy firm, Messrs. Steele & Bro., owning seven hundred 
cows, near San Francisco, Cal., made a cheese weighing 
1,779 lbs., which sold for 25 cts. per pound in San Fran¬ 
cisco, amounting to the round sum of $444.75 ! 
Metheg'Iin.— E. S. Locke, Warren Co., Ohio. 
Metheglin is honey and water boiled and fermented, and 
sometimes flavored with spices. We do not know the 
particulars for making it, and find nothing in the nooks. 
Bed Ants in the House.— G. Bassler, 
Butler Co., Pa. Another subscriber says he has “well 
nigli exterminated these rebels by persistent efforts in 
feeding fresh meat followed by hot water baths, scalding 
whole regiments at once.” Dishes of sweetened water 
set in different parts of the house will assist in their de¬ 
struction. Sponges baited with sugar become filled witli 
them, when they may be scalded out in hot water. 
Cotlee.— Mrs. J. Shirk, of Parke Co., Ind. The 
coffee of commerce will not grow at the north, except in 
glass-houses. The Illinois kind you speak of is bogus— 
it is only a sort of pea. We paid 2c. each for 50 kernels 
sent by mail, just to prove what we suspected, viz.: that 
they were the “ chick pea.” 
•• Turn to tlte Left.”— Dr. J. S. Shimer, 
Lehigh Co., Pa., accounts for the rule in this country, 
requiring teams to turn to the right, as follows ; When 
heavy four and six horse teams were chiefly used, the 
driver either rode the saddle horse or walked beside him 
on the left side. This would make it more convenient 
for him to keep to the right, in order to avoid collision. 
He says that drivers of two horse teams almost univer¬ 
sally occupy the left of the seat, and hence can better 
turn to the right.—In N. Y. State the custom of drivers is 
the reverse ; they sit on the right hand, but continue to 
turn to the right. Either the seat, or the direction of 
turning should be changed. 
Steawn Fix-e-Eng'imes.— These are rapidly 
superseding the hand-engines, both in this and other 
cities. At a large fire, within two blocks of the Agricul¬ 
turist Office, we noticed six steam-engines throwing their 
powerful streams into the fifth and sixth story windows. 
The fire was kept from spreading beyond three or four 
buildings where it originated, which could not have been 
d,one with the hand-engines. One who has worked at the 
brakes of a hand-engine until nearly exhausted could not 
but look upon these muscle-saving machines with a feel¬ 
ing of relief as, hour by hour, under a broiling sun, they 
poured enormous streams of water without cessation 
into the burning buildings. 
Bx-igin of Fires in New-Fork.-- 
From the Fire Marshal’s report, we find that for the six 
months ending first of June, there were 183 fires in this 
city, the principal of which were caused by the follow¬ 
ing, viz: defective stoves and pipes, 25; gas leakages, 
and gas in windows igniting curtains or goods, 21 ; care¬ 
lessness w'ith lights, 20 ; sparks on roofs, 11; defective 
chimney flues, 10 ; grates, fire places, and fire boards. 9; 
furnaces, 8; children playing with fire or lights, 8; intoxi¬ 
cation,' matches, steamboilers, and hot-air registers, 6 each. 
