AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
339 
by being spread upon a table covered with a 
white cloth. 
The saffron of France was sold in 1828 at 
forty francs, or eight dollars, a pound, in 
1850, when the product was very much in¬ 
creased, it was not worth more than twenty- 
five francs, or five dollars, a pound. It is 
inferior to that from the East, but has the 
same properties. 
I have seen and examined the saffron pro¬ 
duced in the State of New-York. It is de¬ 
ficient in sweetness and in odor, compared 
with the French. This difference is proba¬ 
bly the result of a different kind of cultiva¬ 
tion.— Saniewski Felix, in Plow , Loom and 
Anvil. 
MR. AND MRS. SPARROWGRASS CHOOSING 
GARDEN SEEDS. 
“ When Mrs. Sparrowgrass returned from 
giving directions about the fruit and cider, 
she brought with her a square paper box full 
of garden seed. To get good garden seed is 
an important thing in the country. If you 
depend upon an agricultural warehouse you 
may be disappointed. The way to do is, to 
select the best specimens from your own 
raising : then you are sure they are fresh, at 
least. Mrs. Sparrowgrass opened the box. 
First she look out a package of seeds, 
wrapped up in a newspaper—then she took 
out another package tied up in brown paper 
—then she drew forth a bundle that was 
pinned up—then another that was taped up 
—then another twisted up—then out came a 
bursted package of water-melon seeds—then 
a withered ear of corn—then another pack¬ 
age of water-melon seeds from another mel¬ 
on—then a handful of split okra pods—then 
handfuls of beans, peas, squash seeds, melon 
seeds, cucumber seed, sweet corn, evergreen 
corn, and other germs. Then another bursted 
paper of water-melon seeds. Theie were 
water-melon seeds enough to keep half the 
country supplied with this refreshing article 
of luxury. As the treasures were spread 
out on the table, there came over me a feel¬ 
ing that reminded me of Christmas times, 
when the young ones used to pant down 
stairs, before dawn, lamp in hand, to see the 
kindly toy-gifts of Santa Claus. Then the 
Mental Gardener, taking Anticipation by the 
hand, went forth into the future garden ; the 
peas sprouted out in the round leaves, toma¬ 
to put forth his aromatic spread ; sweet corn 
thrust his green blades out of many a hil¬ 
lock ; lettuce threw up his slender spoons; 
beans shouldered their way into the world, 
like jEneases, with the old beans on their 
backs ; and water-melon and cucumber, in 
voluptuous play, sported over their beds like 
truant school-boys 
“ Here are sweet peas, on tiptoe for a flight: 
With wings of gentle flush o’er delicate white, 
And taper fingers catching at all things, 
To bind them all about with tiny rings.” 
“ ‘ Now,’ said I, ‘ Mrs. Sparrowgrass, let 
us arrange these in proper order; I will 
make a chart of the garden on paper, and 
put everything down with a date, to be plant¬ 
ed in its proper time.’ Mrs. Sparrowgrass 
said she thought that was an excellent plan. 
‘ Yes,’ I replied, tasting the cider, ‘ we will 
make a garden to-night on paper, a ground 
plan, as it were, and plant from that; now, 
Mrs. Sparrowgrass, read off the different 
packages.’ Mrs. Sparrowgrass took up a 
paper and laid it aside. ‘ I think,’ said she, 
as the third paper was placed on the table, 
‘ I did not write any names on the seeds, but 
I believe I can tell them apart; these,’ said 
she,‘are water-melons.’ ‘ Very well, what 
next?’ ‘The next,’ said Mrs. S., ‘is either 
musK-melon or cucumber seed.’ ‘ My dear,’ 
said I, * we want plenty of melons, for the 
summer, but l do not wish to plant half an 
acre of pickles by mistake ; can’t you be 
sure about the matter ?’ Mrs. Sparrowgrass 
said she could not. ‘ Well, then, lay the pa¬ 
per down, and call off the next.’ ‘ The next 
are not radishes, I know,’ said Mrs. S. ; 
‘ they must be summer cabbages.’ ‘ Are 
you sure, now, Mrs. Sparrowgrass V said I, 
getting a little out of temper. Mrs. Spar¬ 
rowgrass said she was sure of it, because 
cabbage seed looked exactly like turnip seed. 
‘Did you save turnip seed also?’ said I. 
Mrs. Sparrowgrass replied that she had pro¬ 
vided some, but they must be in another pa¬ 
per. ‘Then call off the next: we will plant 
them for cabbages, whether or no.’ ‘ Here 
is a name,’ said Mrs. Sparrowgrass, bright¬ 
ening up. ‘ Read it,’ said I, pen in hand. 
‘ Water-melons—not so good,’ said Mrs. S. 
‘ Lay that paper with the rest and proceed.’ 
‘ Corn,’ said Mrs. Sparrowgrass, with a 
smile. ‘Variety?’ ‘Pop, I am sure.’ 
‘ Good, now we begin to see daylight.’ 
‘ Squash,’said Mrs. Sparrowgrass. ‘ Winter 
or summer?’ ‘Both.’ ‘Lay that paper 
aside, my dear.’ ‘Tomato.’ ‘Red or yel¬ 
low?’ Mrs. Sparrowgrass said she had 
pinned up the one and tied up the other, to 
distinguish them, but it was so long ago, she 
had forgotten which was which. ‘ Never 
mind,’ said I, ‘ there is one comfort, they 
can not bear without showing their colors. 
Now for the next.’ Mrs. Sparrowgrass said 
upon tasting the tomato seed, she was sure 
they were bell-peppers. ‘ Very well, s<f* 
much is gained: we are sure of the capsi¬ 
cum. The next.’ ‘ Beans,’ said Mrs. Spar¬ 
rowgrass. 
“ There is one kind of bean, in regard to 
which I have a prejudice. I allude to the 
asparagus bean, a sort of long-winded escu¬ 
lent, inclined to be prolific in strings. It 
does not climb very high on the pole, but 
crops out in an abundance of pods, usually 
not shorter than a bill of extras, after a con¬ 
tract; and although interesting as a curious 
vegetable, still not exactly the bean likely to 
be highly commended by your city guests, 
when served up to them at table. When 
Mrs. Sparrowgrass, in answer to my question, 
as to the particular species of bean referred to, 
answered, ‘Limas,’ I felt relief at once. ‘ Put 
the Limas to the right with the sheep, Mrs. 
S , and as for the rest of the seeds, sweep 
them into the refuse basket. I will add an¬ 
other stick to th fire, pare an apple for you, 
and an apple for me, light a cigar, and be 
comfortable. What is the use of fretting 
about a few seeds more or less ? But, next 
year, we will mark all the packages, with 
names, to prevent mistakes, won’t we Mrs. 
Sparrowgrass?’ ”— Putnam's Magazine. 
Sanitary Substances. —Copperas, or sul¬ 
phate of iron, is a very excellent substance 
for slashing drains and sinks. By dissolv¬ 
ing half a pound of it in a pail of hot water, 
and throwing it into a sink once a week, it 
will keep down all offensive odors. The 
chloride of lime, or the chloride of zinc, will 
answer just as well, but these are expens¬ 
ive substances in comparison with copperas 
(sulphate of iron.) But there is anothersub- 
stance which is far superior to either cop¬ 
peras, the chloride of lime, or zinc, as a 
deodorizer, both as it respects its qualities 
and economy; we mean charcoal powder, 
made of ground wood charcoal. Charcoal 
powder possesses the quality of absorbing 
ammoniacal, sulphuretted hydrogen, and 
carbonic acid gases in a superior degree to 
any other substance. Placed in the vicini¬ 
ty, or spread among decaying animal or veg¬ 
etable matters, it absorbs all the offensive 
and hurtful gases, and keeps the air sweet 
and wholesome .—Granite Farmer. 
Experience is a pocket-compass that a 
fool never thinks of consulting until he has 
lost his way. 
THE NUTMEG AND ITS CULTURE. 
We find in the Rochester Union an inter¬ 
esting letter from Singapore, in the Indian 
Archipelago, from a correspondent signing 
himself “B. F. A.,” which we suppose to be 
the late Commissioner of the United States 
to the Sandwich Islands, from which we ex¬ 
tract the following account of a nutmeg 
plantation, and the culture of a fruit so gen¬ 
erally used, and of which comparatively so 
little is generally known : 
The nutmeg plantation I visited, belongs 
to a Chinaman by the name of Wampoa, and 
is situated some four miles from the city. It 
is one of the most beautiful and thoroughly 
tropical places I have ever seen. The place 
is surrounded by huge rows of bamboo, 
neatly cut, and within are large fields in 
which are planted cocoa-nut, beetle-nut, man- 
gosteen, and nutmeg. The latter field em¬ 
braces nearly fifty acres, and like the others, 
the trees are in regular rows, crossing each 
other at right angles, and about thirty feet 
apart. Some are of very large size, and not 
less than thirty, feet in hight. Lixe coffee, 
the trees require great attention, and thor¬ 
ough manuring and irrigation, and the ground 
must be kept free from grass or weeds. 
They are removed from .he, nursery the sec¬ 
ond year, and for two years after must be 
kept covered from the burning sun by mats 
which are spread over them by means of 
four supports set in the ground. The roots 
are also mulched with coarse litter. They 
commence bearing four to five years from 
the planting ; but the tree does not produce 
its full crop until it is eighteen years old. 
'I ke produce of a tree is then worth five or 
six dollars a year. One nutmeg per day 
from each tree, is regarded as a profitable 
yield. 
Upon the tree before the husk opens, the 
fruit does not look unlike the hickory nut 
before the shell drops. They are fit to pick 
when the outer shell opens, so as to disclose 
the mace which covers the inner shell that 
incloses the fruit; and the trees are exam¬ 
ined every morning throughout the year, to 
see if any of the fruit is fit to pick. When 
it is ready to gather, the mace is a most 
brilliant crimson, and exceedingly pretty. 
After it is picked, the outer shell is thrown 
away then the mace is carefully taken off, 
flattened with the hand, and spread on wooden 
trays to dry. It is occasionally turned over, 
and the rain kept from it until thoroughly 
dry, when it is put in bags for market. The 
nut is also placed on wooden or metal pans, 
and kept in the sun until the nut within will 
rattle about in the shell, when the shell is 
broken off and the nut is ready to be sacked 
and sent to market. If the shell which cov¬ 
ers the nutmeg is broken before the fruit is 
dry, it is ruined ; and great care is exercised, 
therefore, in this process of drying. 
Important to Owners op Cattle. —The 
general impression is that, when cattle are 
run down by a railroad train, the company 
can be made to pay the damages. But a de¬ 
cision of a contrary character was made in 
Connecticut awhile since. In a case of this 
kind, a railroad company, without waiting to 
be sued, commenced a suit themselves 
against the owner of the cow for allowing 
her to stroll along the roads and thereby 
cause the accident. 
The judge charged the jury that if they 
were satisfied that the accident resulted from 
a want of proper care on the part of the own¬ 
er of the cow to keep her from straying in 
the highway, they must return a verdict, 
against him for the damages and costs. The 
jury accordingly gave a verdict against the 
owner for the amount. 
This is undoubtedly contrary to previous 
usage. But the fact that the lives of pass- 
