AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
169 
par with the “ professors’ ” recommeding tan- 
bark for strawberries, because tannic acid is 
found in them. Why not manure crab-apple 
trees with New-Orleans sugar or molasses 
so as to produce “ August Sweets ” ? Sub¬ 
stituting honey for molasses ought, “ by the 
same reasoning ” to give a fruit of still finer 
flavor. Who believes it ? 
Birds Pulling Corn. —S. E. Todd recom¬ 
mends, in the Country Gentleman, to pre¬ 
pare corn for planting, by steeping it in a de¬ 
coction of tobacco, not very strong, for 12 
hours or less, drain it in a basket; and then 
pour upon it a preparation made by warm¬ 
ing together in an iron vessel, say a pint or 
more, of coal tar (gas tar) to each bushel of 
corn, with a sufficient quantity of water to 
coat over the grain. The mixture is to be 
heated as hot as it can be borne by the finger, 
and the corn briskly stirred as it is added, so 
that every kernel shall be thoroughly cov¬ 
ered. Mr. T. says that although crows, 
birds, or squirrels may commence pulling 
corn thus prepared, they will immediately 
cease their depredations. The gas tar is a 
cheap article, and can be readily obtained in 
any locality where gas is used, and indeed 
in most our large villages. 
Substitute for Buttermilk. —We have 
seen it recommended to supply the lack of 
buttermilk or sour milk for cakes, &c., by 
keeping on hand gruel made by thickening 
boiling water with flour or Indian meal, and 
letting' it stand until sour. This may do 
well as a source of acid to mix with soda, 
but it will not supply the casein found in 
sour milk or buttermilk which adds so much 
to the richness and nutriciousness of articles 
prepared with the latter substances. 
New Cure for Roup. —Edmund Cone says, 
in the Ohio Farmer, that in attempting to 
keep from 600 to 1,500 fowls together, he 
has, till recently, lost hundreds each year by 
the roup. The past season he lost none. 
As soon as the disease made its appearance, 
he collected all his fowls into the hen-house, 
and built a fire with corn-cobs, producing a 
smoke so dense that objects could not be 
seen unless in a direct line with the win¬ 
dows. He says the poultry seem to enjoy 
this dense, pungent smoke exceedingly ; the 
cocks crow and hens sing more than at other 
times, especially if the weather is cold. 
The smoke produces constant snuffling, or 
sneezing, with a very active action of the 
nictitating (winking) muscles, and consider¬ 
able lachrymation or discharge of water from 
the eyes. He does not tell us how often he 
smokes ’em. In addition to the effect of the 
smoke upon his fowls, he says he has him¬ 
self been troubled for fifteen years with a 
throat affection (chronic laryngitis), which 
he has feared would terminate in consump¬ 
tion ; but he is now almost if not quite well; 
and he attributes his recovery to being in the 
smoke to witness its effects upon the poul¬ 
try. He will experiment further, both upon 
poultry and human subject. 
Sale of Stock by Mr. Miller. —We de¬ 
sire to call attention to the advertisement 
in this week’s paper, of the annual sale by 
Mr. Miller, of improved stock at Mr. Bath¬ 
gate’s, in Fordham. 
The Windham County (Conn.) Agricultu¬ 
ral Society will hold their next annual show 
at Brooklyn, Wednesday and Thursday, Sep¬ 
tember 19th and 20th. We notice one fea¬ 
ture in the arrangements which we have not 
observed elsewhere, which is, that mileage 
is allowed to such animals as do not obtain 
a premium, but which are considered by the 
committee to be creditable to the exhibition. 
For all distances over five miles from the 
place of exhibition there will be paid as fol¬ 
lows : 
“All neat stock 4 cents per mile, except 
oxen driven or exhibited in yoke, which will 
receive 4 cents a mile per pair ; brood mares 
with foal at foot, 4 cents per mile for one an¬ 
imal ; colts, unbroken to saddle or harness, 
4 cents per mile ; all sheep and swine 4 
cents per mile, except sows with pigs, which 
shall be entitled to mileage for but four an¬ 
imals.” 
This is a very good arrangement, as it 
renders the burden of getting to the show- 
grounds less onerous to those living at a dis¬ 
tance. The officers of the Society are : 
, President, 
Calvin D. Williams, Pomfret. 
Vice-Presidents, 
Henry A. Dyer, Brooklyn; David Gallup, 
Plainfield ; Ezra Dean, WYodstock. 
Corresponding Secretary, 
Albert Day, Brooklyn. 
Recording Secretary, 
Dr. James B. Whitcomb, Brooklyn. 
Treasurer, 
John Gallup, 2d, Brooklyn. 
Standing Committee, 
Perrin Scarborough, Brooklyn ; Jos. Gil¬ 
bert, Pomfret;’ Luther I). Alexander, Kill- 
ingty; E. C. Eaton, Plainfield; Lucius Car¬ 
ter, Canterbury ; P. H. Pearl, Hampton ; 
James M. Johnson, Windham ; Geo. C. Mar¬ 
tin, Chaplin ; DyerH. Clark, Ashford ; Jos. 
Dorsett,'Jr., Eastford ; Benj. Gallup, Jr., 
Voluntown ; Amos J. Gallup, Sterling ; B. 
F. Hutchins, Thompson ; Asa T. Child, 
Woodstock. 
1855 Premiums on New-York Farms. —We 
call the particular attention of our readers 
in New-York State to the announcement, in 
the advertising columns, by Mr. B. P. John¬ 
son, Secretary of the State Society, of the 
premiums to be paid on farms during the 
present year. We hope to see a lively com¬ 
petition for these premiums, for we consider 
reports upon the general system of farming 
pursued by successful men, among the most 
valuable brought out by the Society. We 
like to see detailed descriptions of the kind, 
quality and amount of different crops culti¬ 
vated together upon a given surface, and also 
of the methods of manuring, tillage, &c. 
The competitors themselves, even though 
not successful in gaining the premiums, will 
be well repaid for their efforts ; for, setting 
aside the advantages of giving especial at¬ 
tention to putting their farms in the best 
possible condition for exhibition and exam¬ 
ination, there is no better method of bring¬ 
ing into notice or advertising a good farm or 
its products, than to have it reported upon 
by a competent committee of the State So¬ 
ciety. 
The South-western Agricultural Asso¬ 
ciation will hold their next annual show on 
the Society’s grounds, near Louisville, Ky., 
commencing October 9th and continuing five 
days. From the premium list received we 
see there is a pretty liberal sum offered. 
We notice that it is the policy of this society 
to make the premiums less in number, but 
larger in size, than is customary with some 
other similar associations. This will, per¬ 
haps, render the competition for those pre¬ 
miums more spirited. The officers of this 
association are : 
George Hancock, President; Robert N. 
Miller, Gibson Mallory, and Lawrence Young, 
Vice Presidents; Hugh Brent, Recording 
Secretary; Dr. D. D. Thompson, Cor. Sec¬ 
retary ; Thomas Y. Brent, Treasurer. 
MR, TANQUERAYS GREAT SALES OF STOCK AT 
HENDON, ENGLAND. 
W T e have received from several sources, 
full accounts of the great sales of stock at 
Hendon, on the 24th ult. As usual, the 
American purchasers were first in the field. 
Messrs. Morris & Becar, of New-York, were 
the largest buyers, and with one exception 
they and Mr. Spencer secured the highest- 
priced animals. 
The highest price paid was 500 guineas 
($2,500), for Oxford (11), by Mr. Gunter, a 
young English breeder of the “Young Amer¬ 
ica” order. The next, Oxford (16), was 
purchased by Messrs. Morris & Becar, of 
New-York, for 580 guineas ($2,400). The 
next highest animal went to Mr. Lorillard 
Spencer, of WYstchester, N. Y. ; the next to 
Morris & Becar; the next to Lord Burling¬ 
ton ; the next to M. & B. ; the next to Spen¬ 
cer ; next to M. & B., and of the next eight 
the latter gentlemen took two. 
Next week we will give a fuller account 
of the sale, together with the names and 
ages of the animals, the names of purchas¬ 
ers and prices paid ; also of the sale of Mr. 
Bolden’s herd, &c. It will be seen from 
this that the price of prime Short Horns still 
rules high abroad as well as at home. 
The National Magazine for June. —We 
have received an early copy, and read it with 
our usual pleasure. There are some twenty 
or more fine illustrations, including a map of 
the Dead Sea and its environs, one of the 
best we have seen. Goldsmith’s Deserted 
Village is commenced, with a portion of a 
series of illustrations published by the “Lon¬ 
don Etching Club,” of which only a few 
copies were published previous to the de¬ 
struction of the original copperplates. The 
monthly number contains 96 pages of inter¬ 
esting and instructive reading matter of a 
high order. We can do no more than re¬ 
peat what we have before said, that this is 
one of the best and cheapest magazines in 
our country. The next number commences 
a new (semi-annual) volume. Published by 
Carleton & Phillips, 200 Mulberry st., New- 
York. Terms $2 a year. 
