AMBBICAN AGBICOMUBIST. %7 
DEATH OF PKOF. JAS. W. F. JOHNSTON. 
The best mowing machines are compact, 
strong, simple in their construction, so as 
not to be liable to get out of order; and 
they should be made to keep their proper 
position on the roughest and most uneven 
ground—which is best done by means of a 
side wheel upon a spring axle. 
Another important matter is, that they 
should do their work equally as well when 
driven at a slow rate of speed as when 
driven rapidly. This is a point in which a 
majority of machines have failed, even when 
good in other respects. 
Several accidents have occurred during 
the past season, and, other things being 
equal, those implements are to be preferred 
which afford the most secure seat for the 
driver. The leisure season now approach¬ 
ing will give an opportunity to examine into 
the claims of the different implements before 
the public, and it will be well to take this 
time to provide for the wants of another 
summer, when the pressure of other duties 
will give less opportunity to make a careful 
selection. 
CHEAT IN STOCK-WESTERN FARMERS 
BEWARE! 
The interest awakened in regard to im¬ 
proved stock is being taken advantage of by 
several unprincipled speculators, who visit 
some of the localities most noted for full- 
blooded cattle, horses and sheep, and buy 
up animals that are, at most, only partial 
crosses of the better breeds. These they 
procure at a low price, and take them to the 
west, and by false representations palm 
them off for thorough-breds at exhorbitant 
prices. Farmers can not be too cautious in 
purchases. They should require full, certi¬ 
fied pedigrees in every instance, and also 
know of whom they buy. The editors of 
newspapers are sometimes to blame for an¬ 
nouncing the arrival of stock from the east, 
with the character of which they are entire¬ 
ly unacquainted. A friend no farther west 
thancentral New-York, was recently diddled 
out of several hundred dollars in purchasing 
at eight to twelve dollars each a flock of 
sheep represented as pure Merinoes, which 
were scarcely equal to several that he sold 
lrom his old flock at three dollars a head to 
make way for the new-comers. 
Some valuable information in reference to 
the comparative value of thorough-bred cat¬ 
tle and crosses, is given in another article in 
this number. The same principles apply as 
well to all other animals as to cattle. 
Pure Garden Seeds. —It is not always safe, 
says the Rural Intelligencer, for every man 
to raise his own garden seeds. If he saves 
seed from a squash of one kind that grew in 
the neighborhood of one of another kind, or 
pumpkin, the sorts will mix in the seed, and 
next year he will have another article, some¬ 
thing perhaps half squash and half pump¬ 
kin. So if he raises the early Russian by 
the side of the Long Green Cucumber, he 
will find the seed next year, pruducing a 
mixture of the two. If cabbages and tur¬ 
nips are allowed to go to seed near each 
other he can not depend upon pure seed from 
either next year. In raising beet seeds, if 
the object is to perpetuate the pure bloods, 
such only should be set out for seed in 
spring, and as soon as the stalks are grown 
look out for pale or green ones, and cut 
them out, leaving none but those which are 
of the deepest red—almost black. The 
seeds from these alone will produce pure 
blood beets. Others will be deteriorated and 
run out. Corn will mix at great distances. 
WEATHERSFIELD IN DANGER, 
We suppose everybody knows the reputa¬ 
tion of Wethersfield, Conn., for producing 
onions in immense quantities, to say nothing 
of their superior size and quality. In this 
respect the good people of that ancient bor¬ 
ough have stood without a rival till recently 
A few days ago, a suspicious looking box, 
with all freight and express charged paid, 
came to hand, directed 
“ To the Select Men 
of Wethersfield Conn,” 
which was left unopened fora time, as fears 
were entertained that it might contain a tor¬ 
pedo, or some horrible contrivance of that 
sort—or perhaps a murdered body. After 
due deliberation, however, the mysterious 
box was cautiously opened, and the contents 
officially examined. 
The “ findings ’’ were, a bushel of the larg¬ 
est onions ever seen, even in Wethersfield, 
which were carefully packed and forwarded 
by the “ Select Men ” of some thrifty agri¬ 
cultural town away out in Iowa. A little 
note inside contained the simple challenge, 
“ Wethersfield might beat Iowa on onions if 
she could." 
W’ethersfield, look to your laurels ! or the 
tears of your children will be turned into 
weepings of real sorrow. 
HUNT UP THE MUCK BEDS. 
Before the ground becomes filled with 
water, and especially before it is closed by 
frost, a large amount of muck or earth which 
is mixed with decaying leaves or other veg¬ 
etable matter, should be heaped up, ready to 
be drawn to the yard during winter, and 
mingled with the droppings of domestic ani¬ 
mals. By this course the manure itself will 
be rendered doubly valuable, and the vege¬ 
table matter thus added will furnish a large 
amount of excellent food for future crops. 
Do not neglect this. It is the cheapest 
method of securing what most soils need, in 
order to yield large and profitable returns 
for the labor invested in their cultivation. 
We have no claim upon our readers 
for any exertions in behalf of the Agricultu¬ 
rist ; still, as our sole reliance for any in¬ 
crease in our subscription list, or in the 
means of improving our present issues by 
new and expensive illustrations, &c., de¬ 
pend entirely upon the good will of those 
who can speak from personal knowledge of 
the merits of this journal, and upon their 
favorable mention of it to others, we hope 
to continue to receive the hearty cooperation 
of all who are disposed to favor and promote 
our enterprise. 
The steamer Atlantic brought the sad 
news of the deathofthis distinguished friend 
and promoter of agricultural improvement. 
No other man has labored more diligently or 
more successfully to disseminate correct in¬ 
formation among the farmers ofGreat Britain; 
and his voluminous works, owing to a cheap¬ 
er press—have been read quite as much in 
this country as there. His writings were 
chiefly devoted to collecting and arranging 
the developments of scientific agriculture, and 
no individual has done more to substitute a 
system of enlightened cultivation for one of 
mere routine farming. His “Notes on 
America,” were valuable, though in some in¬ 
stances, too careless in the collection and 
comparisons of facts, and like most similar 
works, tinged too strongly with English 
prejudices. 
He did not, however, confine himself whol¬ 
ly to agriculture proper. His last work, 
“ Chemistry of Common Life,” (recently re¬ 
published here by the Appletons,) is a most 
valuable contribution to popular science. It 
shows that there is an interesting philosophy 
even in the plainest things, and that the hum¬ 
blest details of common life abound in mar¬ 
vels, where there is the “ seeing eye ” to ob¬ 
serve, and the searching intellect to explore 
them. His success has been due more to 
resolute energy and to indefatigable industry 
than k to comprehensiveness and depth of 
native intellect, and in this respect, the his¬ 
tory of his life when published will be a fine 
example to others. 
His loss 10 agricultural science is a very 
great one at the present era. After the com¬ 
pletion of this last work in the spring, he vis¬ 
ited the continent, hoping to recover his 
failing health, but without avail; and he re¬ 
turned home late in the summer with his 
lungs deeply and fatally effected. He re¬ 
signed himself to his lot with Christian sub¬ 
missiveness, and expired at Durham, Eng¬ 
land, September 18th, at the age of 59. 
Guano Sprinkler. —A simple machine 
(unpatented) bearing this name has been 
constructed by Mr. Ira Dimock, a machinist 
and farmer, in Uncasville, Ct. The plan of 
the sprinkler is suggested in the common 
city watering cart. A cask having one 
head, and being the size of a common bar¬ 
rel, is fastened head downward upon a pair 
of wheels, which are united to an axle as 
long as the distance between two rows of 
corn. From the lower end of this cask pro¬ 
jects a pipe made of tin outward and faced 
backwards, about four inches in diameter, 
and about twelve inches in length. Across 
the end of this tin pipe another is placed, 
about four feet long, also made of tin, having 
a line on its undersurface thickly perforated 
with small holes. A gate is made to fit over 
that end of the shorter pipe which is inserted 
in the barrel, by which the contents of the 
barrel are shut out from the pipes, or by 
raising which the contents are admitted to 
the pipes, and thus sprinkled upon the gar¬ 
den. When using the sprinkler, Mr. Dimock 
mixes the guano in the water, with which 
the barrel is filled, in due proportion. Then 
