353 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
the chill comes on, and by the time the 
“personal earthquake” leaves them, there’s 
not a hickory nut left on the tree. 
look Jlttork. 
All Books received—if not unworthy of notice—will be an¬ 
nounced in this column by title, as soon as received. 
Fm ther notices or reviews of Agricultural and Horticul¬ 
tural Books will b ■ given—when their striking merits 
or demerits require it—after we have had time to thor¬ 
oughly examine them. 
The Principles of Practical Agriculture, 
embracing the theory of the soil; clearing 
of land ; plowing ; manuring; draining and 
irrigation ; hedges and fences ; management 
of meadow and pasture lands ; cultivation of 
wheat, rye, corn, oats, barley, buckwheat, 
hops, tobacco, clover and all the varieties of 
grasses ; the economy of live stock breeding 
and feeding; the management of the dairy; 
and the use of marl, peat, lime and gypsum, 
and the various systems of cultivation ; keep¬ 
ing journals and farm records, &c. By Al¬ 
bert D. Thayer. Translated by Win. Shaw, 
Esq., and Cuth. W. Johnson, Esq., F. R. S. 
500 pages ; price .$2. New-York : C. M. 
Saxton & Co. 
The Illustrated Annual Register of Ru¬ 
ral Affairs and Cultivator Almanac for 
1856. Edited by J. J. Thomas, of Macedon, 
N. Y., and published by Luther Tucker & 
Son. Albany, N. Y. Price 25 cents. 
We have just received a copy of this high¬ 
ly valuable little work ; it being the second 
year, or“ Number Two,” of its publication. 
It contains an Almanac for the year 1856, 
and upwards of 100 pages of excellent read¬ 
ing matter, on the subjects of country dwell¬ 
ings, barns, and other out-buildings; the 
best kinds of fruits and their cultivation ; but¬ 
ter and cheese making; agricultural imple¬ 
ments ; improved animals, &c.; embellished 
with 150 handsome engravings. We assure 
our readers the Annual Register is well 
worth their perusal, as indeed everything 
else in this line from the experienced pen of 
Mr. Thomas; and we should like to see a 
copy of it in every farm-house of the Union. 
Principles of Agricultural Chemistry, 
with special reference to the late researches 
made in England. By Justus Yon Liebig. 
We have before us two editions : one from 
the translation of Sam’l W. Johnson, made 
while he was in Germany in the Laboratory 
with Liebig himself. Published by Luther 
Tucker, Albany. Price, paper, 25 cents. 
The other, a reprint of an English edition, 
translated by Prof. Gregory, of Edinburg, 
and Published by John Wiley, New-York. 
Muslin, 50 cents. 
Inside View of Slavery ; or a tour among 
the planters. By C. G. Parsons, M. D., 
with an introductory note by Mrs. H. B. 
Stowe. Boston: John P. Jewett & Co. 
318 pages. 
The Planter’s Victim, or Incidents of 
American Slavery, with illustrations. Wm. 
White Smith, Philadelphia, Publisher. 365 
pages. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
HINTS ON PERSONAL HABITS. 
It is of great importance that our personal 
habits should be correct, and agreeable to 
others. It is these habits which make the 
difference between a high-bred woman and 
one who is uncultivated. Attention to little 
things will add much to individual influence. 
I am not unfrequently disgusted with the 
smell of hair that has been dressed with 
water till it has become offensively sour. 
There can be no smell more disagreeable, 
and young ladies should be particularly care¬ 
ful not to offend others in this way. In 
warm weather the hair should be frequently 
aired, and never twisted up wet. I have 
known a lady, for years, who is well edu¬ 
cated, and fills an important position in so¬ 
ciety, but I never entered her room without 
being nauseated by the sour odor which per¬ 
vaded it. Every remembrance of her is 
coupled with it, and every new interview 
revives and renews my consciousness that, 
excellent as she is, this one habit makes her 
personally disagreeable. This very week I 
took my seat in the cars behind a neat, well- 
dressed young lady, who, I will venture to 
say, has not aired her brown tresses this 
summer, and to those same brown tresses, I 
owe my resolution to offer a few hints on 
personal habits to the readers of the Agri¬ 
culturist. 
The hands should always be kept in as 
good order as possible. An old iron spoon, 
ora small piece of brick, will do better to 
scrape pots and kettles with, than the nails. 
A mop may be used for washing most dish¬ 
es, which will render it unnecessary to scald 
the hands, as many people so carelessly do. 
Any child of ten years can make one of these 
mops. The stick may be about a foot long; 
a groove should be cut in it a little less than 
an inch from the end. Around this the 
wicking for the mop may be strongly tied, 
after the manner of making those found in 
the stores. 
If the nails are not all scratched off, or bit¬ 
ten off—which we should expect no lady to 
do—they will require some attention. In 
wiping them they should be rubbed so as to 
prevent, the skin adhering to them and form¬ 
ing hang-nails—as they are called. They 
should, of course, be always clean. A sharp 
knife should not be used, as it thickens the 
nails ; neither should they be cleaned down 
too deep. 
While I say the hands should be always 
kept in as good order as possible, I should 
be ashamed of myself if I could not use mine 
for any service required ; and I am sure I 
do not wish to see young ladies afraid to 
work, because it will spoil their hands. I 
only wish them to preserve them from un¬ 
necessary injury, and to avoid making them 
as red as a beef-steak. 
Every young woman should brush her 
teeth daily—and twice a day is none too 
often for cleanliness. What can be more 
disgusting than a foul mouth ? Some people 
think brushing the teeth causes them to de¬ 
cay. Nothing can be further from the truth. 
No face can be wholly agreeable which re¬ 
veals teeth that are not clean. A tooth-pick 
should not be used at the table, nor any 
where in the presence of others, if it can be 
avoided. When rendered necessary, by 
pain, a napkin or handkerchief should be 
held before the face. Sucking the teeth to 
clean them is unpardonable, as some would 
consider even the mention of the subject 
here. 
Snuffing, too, is one of those habits which 
it would scarcely do to whisper in the hear¬ 
ing of ears polite, but which, nevertheless, 
is too common not to be guarded against. 
People often unconsciously fall into habits 
which they themselves disapprove, and it is 
a kindness, for which they should be grate¬ 
ful, to remind them of it in a courteous man¬ 
ner. 
Table-manners are of much consequence. 
People should eat at home as they would 
wish to eat abroad. In these days, in good 
society, it is customary to put the food in 
the mouth with the fork, instead of the knife. 
To use the knife for this purpose seems 
scarcely less awkward than years ago it 
would have done to resort to the fingers. 
This, one may say, is a small matter; and so 
it is, but it is these small matters which dis¬ 
tinguish one accustomed to society from one 
who is not, and they are worthy of atten¬ 
tion. The arm should not be rested on the 
table, as if ready to grasp the plate and every 
thing within reach. It is a most awkward 
position. The food should be carried to the 
mouth, and not the mouth brought down to 
the food. 
It is always pleasant to see tha different 
members of a family bid each other “ good 
morning,” and “good night. ” Children should 
always yield their parents this mark of re¬ 
spect and affection. 
As a nation, Americans are not noted for 
their politeness. This is somewhat singular 
considering the high estimation in which 
woman is every where held. It is owing 
probably to the individuality of our people. 
They respect no one quite as much as them¬ 
selves, and even children are pretty apt to 
feel their own importance. When I was a 
child it was tile custom for girls to curtsy, 
and for boys to take off the hat and bow, to 
passing carriages. In these times, a car¬ 
riage can not always pass a group of boys 
without incivility from them. We do not so 
much need, in America, to cultivate a spirit 
of sturdy independence, as we do of civility 
and respect for others. “ Thou shalt rise up 
before the hoary head, and honor the face 
of the old man,” is as important now as 
when it was given by God to Moses as a 
rule for his people. “ Be eourteous,” is an 
apostolic injunction, which all young people 
should remember in their treatment of each 
other, as well as of their superiors. 
Anna Hope. 
An amateur gardener and joker sent to a 
seedsman in town the other day, for some 
seeds of the “ pie-plant,” which he had ad¬ 
vertised—requesting precisely six parcels of 
custard pie-seeds and two of mince pie. The 
seedsman promptly sent him half a dozen 
goose eggs and two blind puppies. The hu¬ 
morous gentleman admitted that the joke 
was rather against him. 
