AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
249 
South Salem (N. Y.) Farmers’ Club. —We 
learn that some twenty members of this 
Club met upon the farm of Mr. Henry Kee¬ 
ler, on the 21st inst., and had an interesting 
and profitable time in examining his general 
method of cultivation, agricultural imple¬ 
ments, grapery, &c. The Club adjourned 
to meet upon the farm of Mr. S. G. Howe, 
on the third Tuesday in August. We had 
an interesting visit at Mr. Keeler’s farm 
a few weeks since. His improved imple¬ 
ments, and various ingenious contrivances 
in and about his house, barns, &c., will re¬ 
pay any one for going to see them ; and we 
doubt not the club were pleased with their 
afternoon’s entertainment. 
The Jamesburg (N. J.) Agricultural So¬ 
ciety will hold its annual Fair on the 18th of 
September. This has heretofore been strict¬ 
ly a Fair —that is, a meeting for exhibition 
and sale, and not for competition. It is pro¬ 
posed to give diplomas for the best articles 
exhibited at the next Fair. The following 
officers were elected on the 9th inst. for the 
ensuing year : 
President—James Buckalew. 
Vice Presidents—Ralph C. Stults, Alexan¬ 
der Redmond, Benjamin Budd, and Frederic 
Farr. 
Corresponding Sec’y—Jas. C. Magee. 
Recording Secretary—Wm. H. Courter. 
Treasurer—John D. Buckalew. 
Committee of Arragements—Andrew Mc¬ 
Dowell, James Applegate, Peter Voorhees, 
Geo. Farr, and Thos. S. Snediker. 
Committee of Ways and Means—Thos. S. 
Mershon, Wm. Redmond, G. P. Metcalf, J. 
B. Thompson, and S. Van Wickle. 
The Montgomery County (Pa.) Agricul¬ 
tural Society holds its next Show at Nor¬ 
ristown, October 3d and 4th. The premiums 
amount to some $1200, and a spirited Show 
may be looked for. The present officers 
are, 
President—Edwin Moore. 
Vice Presidents—Samuel Roberts, Thos. 
P. Knox, Wm. H. Holstein. 
Treasurer—D. C. Getty. 
Corresponding Sec’y—A. W. Corson. 
Recording Sec’y—George F. Roberts. 
The Waldo County (Me.) Agricultural 
Show will take place at Belfast, October 3d 
and 4th. The present officers are, 
President—A. W. Burrill, Waldo. 
Vice Presidents—E. P. Brown, JohnHea- 
gan. 
Secretary—Robert White, Belfast. 
Treasurer—Wm. T. Colburn, Belfast. 
The Mercer County (N. J.) Agricultural 
Society will hold its first annual Exhibition 
at Hightstown, September 25th. The offi¬ 
cers are, 
President—Isaac Pullen. 
Vice Presidents—C. S. Hutchinson, E. T. 
R. Applegate, Jas. C. Norris, Wm. Conover. 
Recording Sec’y—C. P. Johnson. 
Corresponding Sec’y—J. S. Ely. 
John Wilkes was once asked by a Roman 
Catholic gentleman, in a warm dispute on 
religion, “Where was your church before 
Luther I” “ Did you wash your face this 
morning ^’’ inquired the facetious alderman. 
“ I did, sir. - ’ “ Then, pray, where was your 
face before it was washed I” 
HINTS FOE. HOUSEKEEPERS. 
The attractiveness of a room does not de¬ 
pend on the richness and expense of its fur¬ 
niture, but on the taste which selects and ar¬ 
ranges it. A city parlor is no model for one 
in the country. That which is suitable for 
one may be entirely inappropriate to the oth¬ 
er. Elegant furniture, rich curtains, showy 
mirrors, and velvet carpets belong to those 
who have nothing pleasant to look upon with¬ 
out the walls of their dwellings, but in the 
country far more simplicity is desirable, and 
in better taste. I do not like a profusion of 
gilding anywhere. It always has a tawdry 
and vulgar look, but in a country house it is 
shocking. 
There should be a correspondence in the 
furniture of a room. People who have nev¬ 
er thought of this would be surprised at the 
beautiful effect of harmony in color that can 
be secured by proper attention. They are 
pleased, but they do not know why they are 
pleased. I well recollect the impression 
made upon my mind years ago by a simple 
parlor furnished in a most economical style. 
The wood work was painted cream color. 
The paper was of a small figure, buff and 
white. The carpet was brown and wood- 
colored. There was a sofa in the room. 
The chairs had mahogany-colored frames 
and cane-seats. There were various smaller 
seats made of soap-boxes and shoe-boxes, 
covered with brown and buff striped furni¬ 
ture calico. The effect was exceedingly 
pleasing. “ What a pretty room this is,” 
was the exclamation of almost every visiter. 
There were but two colors in the room, al¬ 
though there were various shades of them— 
brown and buff. These afforded an agree¬ 
able contrast, and harmonized admirably 
together. 
Another room has often pleased, me where 
the furniture is all bird’s-eye maple. Instead 
of a stuffed sofa there is a cane-seated one 
similar to the chairs. A hair cloth sofa may 
be comfortable, but where it affords a violent 
contrast to chairs and tables it is not so 
pretty as something more simple. Damask 
and plush, I do not consider at all desirable 
in most country houses. Where there are 
curtains they should be of a color which 
either corresponds with, or contrasts well 
with the carpet and paper. 
Furniture should not be stationed in a row 
against the wall, as if drawn up in milita¬ 
ry order, but should be placed where it would 
most naturally and socially be used. No 
particular directions can be given about these 
things, for each individuals taste must pre¬ 
side in her own house, but hints we often 
find to be of value to us. 
If you wish to add an ottoman or two to 
your parlor, and think you can not afford the 
expense, I would recommend a resort to 
soap-boxes. These can be made as com¬ 
fortable as anything you can purchase. 
Springs can be procured for two or three 
York-shillings a dozen. Five of these are 
sufficient for one box. Secure large blocks 
in each corner of the box inside. Castors 
can be firmly inserted in these. Saw a 
board to fit the box. On this at each cor¬ 
ner fasten a spring by nailing it down with 
tacks and bits of leather. Place one in the 
middle. Then tie the springs together at the 
top to keep them in aproper position. This 
board may rest on the corner blocks, at such 
an elevation as shall raise the springs a few 
inches above the box. Put a few folds of 
cloth upon the springs and nail a coarse cov¬ 
ering over the whole. When this is neatly 
done a cushion of cotton or rags may be se¬ 
cured by a second covering. Over it all you 
can use hair-cloth, furniture calico, or any¬ 
thing you please. If you can not easily get 
springs, or consider it too troublesome to 
use them, a stuffed cushion answers very 
well. 
Lounges can be manufactured in the same 
way as ottomans by having a frame made the 
proper size. A convenient way to dispose 
of the contents of the rag-bag is to stuff has- 
socs with them. From coarse, strong cot¬ 
ton cut two circles fourteen or sixteen inches 
in diameter. Stitch around the edges of 
these a strip of cotton about six inches wide. 
Stuff it as hard as possible with rags, and 
cover it with carpeting or drugget. This 
makes a soft footstool or a convenient low 
seat. 
I write from experience in regard to home 
manufactured furniture. At another time I 
will make some suggestions about toilets, 
work-tables, &c. Anna Hope. 
EXPERIMENTS IN AGRICULTURE. 
It is an excellent thing for those farmers 
who have means and opportunity, to make 
frequent experiments. That many of them 
prove useless, is no argument against the 
practice. This has often been the case in 
every branch of science and art; and yet the 
world owes more to those experiments which 
have been successful, than to any other 
means of human investigation. The way to 
fortune may indeed be easier or more certain 
to those who follow in the wake of custom ; 
but as all nature is full of truths, rarely will 
the investigating mind long continue its re¬ 
searches without making some new dis¬ 
coveries. 
Few farmers are aware]of the scope and 
capabilities of agriculture, and, doubtless, 
think the arts a much more suitable place for 
study and experiment. And yet agriculture 
is more extensive in its relations to other 
sciences and is much more difficult of com¬ 
prehension, than any of the mechanic arts. 
But it is exceedingly difficult to persuade 
most persons of this fact. They appear to 
think agriculture a simple matter, and easily 
understood, requiring rather muscular pow¬ 
ers, than skill and intellect, to carry on its 
operations successfully. More^ enlightened 
times, however, are fast superseding these 
old and unprogressive ideas. It certainly 
were ill-deserving the manifold praises be¬ 
stowed upon it, if agriculture will admit 
nothing more than the achievements of bodi¬ 
ly exertion. And it should be the principal 
object of agricultural experiments to bring 
to light such facts as shall lessen the labors, 
and enlarge the rewards of the husbandman. 
We should avaii ourselves of every means by 
which we may add to our knowledge, and 
increase the facilities of labor. Let science 
