1871.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
27 
BdDYS & ©©OTMTOo 
A New Year’s Greeting. 
What shall a New Year’s greeting be to all oar boys 
and girls but to wish them a “ Ilappy New Year?” Now, 
it seems not very long ago that we did the very same 
thing. Bless us 1 liow the years do fly ! To you, young 
people, it seems a very long while from Christmas to 
Christinas, and from New Years to New Years. When 
the holidays are over, and you have enjoyed your visits, 
your presents, your vacation, and all the pleasant things 
that holiday time brings, and after school has commenced 
again, and you have talked it all over with your school¬ 
mates, then some of you no doubt say, “Oh, dear!-it 
is so long before Christmas and New Years will come 
again 1” It is not so with us older people; we find the 
years come around hist enough—too fast, indeed, for all 
the work there is to do in them. You, too, will find it so 
when you are no longer boys and girls. A “ Happy New 
Year !” How often at the beginning of the year do we 
speak that wish to our friends 1 A pleasant wish it is; 
but if it is mere empty words, it does n’t make any one 
happy. We must followup our words by deeds if we 
would have our wish “come to pass.” We wished you 
a “ Happy New Year,” and we shall try, in our way, to 
contribute to your happiness. We do n't see each other 
but once a month, but we will try to have a jolly time 
when we do meet, and to make it. all the merrier, we 
have persuaded “ Aunt Sue” to come along with us. You 
do n’t know who Aunt Sue is ; but those who were boys 
and girls ten years ago will tell you that she is—as Capt. 
Cuttle would say—“ the chock-fulledest” of puzzles of 
any one yon ever saw. Just look at her Puzzle Box for 
this mouth, and see what a lot of nice things she has pre¬ 
pared, and she means to keep doing so. Then we shall 
try to make you happy with a nice lot of pictures ; some 
shall be funny, to make you laugh, and some serious, to 
make you think. Then the Doctor will have some of Jiis 
talks—well, just you see if we don’t have a pretty good 
time once a month. Now, what are you going to do to 
make it a “Happy New Year?” If you know of any 
thing better than to try to make some one else happy, we 
wish you would tell us what it is. You need not go out¬ 
side of the family to find opportunities. There are 
mother, father, sister and brother, and you can do so 
many things to make them happy; or, what is much the 
same thing, you can avoid doing so many things that will 
make them unhappy, that every boy and girl can, if they 
will, to show that they are really in earnest when they 
wish others a “ nappy New Year.” 
About Walking. 
now many boys and girls like to walk for the sake of 
walking? They think that they would like to have 
dumb-bells, Indian clubs and house gymnasiums, with 
which to take exercise to improve their health ; and for¬ 
get that they possess the means by which to take the 
most healthful kind of exercise—walking. Those who 
live in towns will enter an omnibus or horse-car to go a 
mile or so, when, if they would allow a few minntes 
more, and walk the distance, they would feel much better 
at the end of their journey. So with those who live in the 
country. They will spend time in harnessing a horse, 
and in getting ready to go a short distance, instead of 
starting off vigorously on foot. There is, somehow, a 
notion among our people that it is not dignified to walk. 
The English think differently, and they are much better 
walkers than we are. Dickens used to take a regular 
daily walk—eight miles, we think it was—as a rest from 
his daily mental labor. Perhaps it is to these walks that 
you are indebted for the delightful Christmas carols, for 
Little Nell, Oliver Twist, and Paul Dombey. The writer 
early accus*»med himself to long walks, tramps of a 
whole day: and this practice was useful to him, when, in 
a "desert country, the horses gave out, and he was obliged 
to make twenty and thirty miles, day after day, on foot. 
Never mind if there are horses in the stable doing noth¬ 
ing; they can afford to do nothing better than you can. 
If you have not a fatiguing distance to go, take it on foot; 
and if either is to suffer for want of exercise, let it be 
the horses. 
What S Saw from the City of York. 
The Agriculturist has correspondents all over the world. 
We are always glad to hear from them, but never more 
so than when they write a word to our Boys and Girls. 
“ B. B..” writing from Hurrongate, Eng., says: “I think 
the young readers of the American Agriculturist would 
like to hear something about what the writer saw from 
the top of the highest tower of the York (England) Cath¬ 
edral, which measures in hight. 213 feet. Now this is 
an immense size, is it not,?—Well, we entered a little 
door inside the church, and after ascending a vast num¬ 
ber of steps, we leached the roof, but only the roof,—not 
the top of the tower by any means, yet, for we had been 
going up one of the smaller towers, and were only part 
way up it even. Well; we crossed the roof, and started 
to go up the center tower; and after ascending a long, 
spiral flight of stairs, we reached the top of the tower, 
having overcome 270 steps ! There, the wind blew very 
hard indeed. But only think of the view ; all around us 
on each side, for the distance, we should say, of at least 
40 miles I It was not a very clear day, but we got a very 
good view, so what must the sight be on a fine, clear day 1 
Close beneath us were the streets of York, with men 
about the Bize of tin soldiers, and horses like those in 
toy farm-yards 1 The cars in the distance puffing along, 
and the houses roofed with tiles, stretching far and wide. 
It was great fun, and I think you all would like to have 
seen it. And now, when we go home to New York, we 
hope to see something that must be still grander: name¬ 
ly, New York from Trinity spire.” 
An Icicle. 
The Doctor wishes to ask if any of the boys have ever 
watched an icicle. He is sure that they have all seen ici¬ 
cles hanging from the roof of the house, but he would like 
to know if any boy has watched the formation of one. 
There is a great deal to be learned from so common a 
thing as an icicle, and the watching of its growth has often 
afforded him much amusement and instruction. Now, 
the Doctor will send to the boy who sends the best ac¬ 
count of how an icicle grows—like a cow’s tail, down¬ 
wards—one of the steam-engines offered as prizes, and 
the Agriculturist for one year; and to the second best, the 
paper for one year. Come on, boys ; here is a chance. 
Aunt Sue’s Puzzle Box. 
Boys and girls, I propose to have a lively time through 
1871, with every good thing in the enigmatical depart¬ 
ment that we can get together. I want Father and 
Mother, Uncle John and Aunt Mary to join in and help 
the little ones ; Grandfather will, of course. Send in 
your puzzles, and I will do myself the pleasure of sea¬ 
soning and dishing them up to suit all parties. Perhaps 
you think pleasing all parties is n’t the easiest thing in 
the world to do ; but I’m going to try it, and at the end 
of the year I will let you know how I succeed. Now for 
the good things. 
ESf Address all communications intended for the 
Puzzle Box, to Aunt Sue, Box 111, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
QUESTIONS, ENIGMAS, CHARADES, Etc. 
KIDDLE. 
Thongh I’m often bound for the most of my life. 
And 6erve my master well, 
Yet I feel as free as the rustling leaves, 
Which oft of my presence tell. 
And whether obscure or widely known, 
At home, or a worthless rover, 
Among the titled I’m ever found, 
With my faults all under cover. K. 
COUNTIES IN TEXAS ENIGMATICALLY EXPRESSED. 
1. A cake. 2. A stone. 3. A queen. 
4. A berry. 5. A pursuit. 0. A planet. 
NUMERICAL ENIGMA. 
I am composed of IS letters : 
My 14,17, 5,13,15, was the wife of one of the patri¬ 
archs. 
My 1, 4, 5, 10, lf>, was one of Saul’s daughters. 
My 2, 1, S, 6, 10, was second cousin to Joab. 
My 7, 8, 18, 13, 4, 9, was a servant sent to Elisha by a 
sick king to inquire if he would recover. 
My 1, 2, 12, 11, 17, 3, was one of the daughters of Ze- 
lophehad. 
My whole is a scripture name, used to signify to the 
Jews that “ the riches of Damascus and the spoils of 
Samaria ” were to be quickly taken by the Assyrians. 
n. g. d. 
TRANSPOSITIONS. 
1. Transpose a rent into a thicket. 
2. Transpose part of a book into an insect. 
3. Transpose an animal into a plant. 
4. Transpose a river into a string. 
5. Transpose a fruit into a fish. 
6. Transpose a mineral into a valley. 
ENIGMATICAL LIST OP CAPES. 
1. A biped, an exclamation, and an enolosure. 
2. A trade and an animal. 
3. A caution. 
4. A color. 
PUZZLE. 
If to a vehicle you will but add 
The period of time which each one lives, 
You'll something see. oft on the table laid, 
To many on epicure it pleasure gives. 
SQUARE WORD. 
Square the word SEVEN. 
(As this will require some patience and perseverance, 
I propose to give a set of anagram letters—to be drawni 
by lot from the names of all those sending correct solu¬ 
tions—for an answer composed of fair English word* in 
common use. Proper names not allowed.) 
CHARADE. 
To the animal kingdom my first doth belong, 
My second belongs to the fruit; 
My whole you will probably have to obey, 
If it is proper, and happens to suit. 
COMBINATIONS. 
1. Join together a verb, an adverb, and an article, mi 
make a flower. 
2. Combine equality, an article, and a situation, and 
make a contemptible creature. 
3. Combine a frame of mind, a preposition, and a 
vowel, and make a desirable quality. 
898. Illustrated Rebus .—'The name of an Indian tribe. 
400. Illustrated Reims .—You will know tnoro about, 
this after you have made it out. 
ANSWERS TO REBUSES IN THE OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 
NUMBERS. 
393. “ Who drives fat oxen should himself be fat. 
394. Straws show how the wind blows. 
395. Govern your conduct according to circumstance* 
around you. 
390. If sinners entice thee, eesseat thou nets’ 8 
