AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[August, 
BE;»a*var«l Kx.jBiisitiiaaloja dot* 'Wit* 
laea.—Harvard University has held annual examina¬ 
tions for women, at Boston, ever since 1874, and as will 
be seen by an advertisement, it is proposed to commence 
holding the examinations in New York aiso. There are 
many women who are pursuing studies by themselves or 
under teachers, either in special subjects, or the usual 
college course, who wish to know what progress they are 
making, and who propose to submit their acquirements 
to the test of an examination before the faculty of one of 
our leading universities. It will be surprising to many 
to learn that there are so many women engaged in the 
higher branches of study, as to make such examinations 
practicable, or desirable. Those who would know more 
abont the matter, can learn full particulars by addressing 
Secretary of the Local Committee, No. GO Fifth Av., N. Y. 
Tiiomas’ Fruit — When 
Messrs. Win. Wood & Co. first issued the new edition of 
this work, we called attention to the fact; we then un¬ 
derstood that it was to lie sold only through agents, and 
was not easily to be procured, we did not say much nfeout 
it, but we learn that it is in the trade, and can he had by 
any one. Those who know John J. Thomas, need not bo 
told that any work ho may write, will he thorough and 
reliable in every respect. Wc have commended the 
former edition of the Fruit Culturist in the highest terms, 
and need only to say that the new edition is brought up 
io the times, and is one of the very best works of the 
kind. The publishers have done their part well, and it 
is handsome as well as useful. Sent by the Orange Judd 
Company for the price, $3.75. 
Trine Amsslem Tesaola.—This new variety 
appears to have this year substantiated the claims made 
for its great earliness. Some of our exchauges have 
noted its early ripening, and we have a letter from Mr. 
AVampler, of Carthage, Mo., who has been instrumental 
in introducing it, which states that it ripened there on 
.Tune 27th, which is a little earlier than ever before. Mr. 
AY. states that tire severe ;old of March loth destroyed 
tile peach crop generally, and only a few trees of the 
Amsde-n, in a sheltered garden, escaped. One specimen 
of the Amsden measured 1i inches in circumference. 
AVe shall ho glad to hear how this new variety has done 
in other localities. 
TTIse I£«>ta.ny of CailifoB'aaiit.—The- 
Legislature of California having failed to provide for the 
publication of all the reports of the Geological survey of 
the State, several of the leading citizens have furnished 
the means for publishing the botanical report. The 
first volume is just out, a 4to. of over 600 pages, and con¬ 
tains the Polypetalous plants, by Profs. W. H. Brewer 
and Sereno Watson, and the Gamopetalous by Prof. Asa 
Gray. It is expected that the second volume, containing 
the remaining families, will follow in due time. A 
limited number of copies maybe obtained at $6 each, on 
application to Prof. Watson, Herbarian of Harvard Uni¬ 
versity, Cambridge, Mass. 
C«*Ba8<‘issB>al Editiojas of I a oefli*y, 
appropriately so-called because in the Centennial year 
the price is 100 cents. For the low price of $1, Messrs. 
J. R. Osgood, Boston, give in paper covers, but with fine 
paper, type, and illustrations, the complete poetical 
works of several authors. Those of Longfellow, Whit¬ 
tier, and Tennyson, have already been published, and 
others arc to follow. Cheap, hut choice. 
Forest rm«l Stream MsosalUlSools: 
Tor Riflemen is the title of a neat little work by 
Major Geo. C. Starr, published by J. B. Ford & Co., New 
York. Members of the numerous rifle associations, and 
those about to form such organizations, will find this a 
most useful hand-book. Sent from this office for 50 cts. 
TSiistles.—“ S. S. W.,” Clearfield, Pa. The 
best time to kill thistles is the. first time you see them. 
3f you see them before they seed, so much the better, if 
not, mow or hoe them down as soon as possible. There 
is no better time than now, when they are in full growth. 
Cut them close to the ground, and the probability is that 
most of them will die from the shock to the roots and 
the uncongenial character of the fall weather for their 
recovery. 
TUse Appletons am«l Science.—Messrs. 
D. Appleton & Co., besides publishing the admirable 
Popular Science Monthly, and various American scientific 
works, are doing much for the advancement of the vari¬ 
ous branches of science by their reprints. No sooner docs 
a work of value appear upon the other side, than it is repro¬ 
duced by this house, and at once placed within the reach of 
American students in an admirable form. Among the 
works recently reprinted by this house are “ Air and its 
Relations to Life,” by AV. N. Hartley, an admirable work, 
and a useful one. The “ Memoirs of Caroline Hcrschel,” 
by Mrs. John Ilerschel ; “ The Warfare of Science,” by 
A. D. AVliitc, and the “ Short History of Natural Science,” 
by Arabella B. Buckley. The last named work is noticed 
more in full elsewhere, the item being by Prof. Asa Gray, 
than whom no one is better able to place a proper esti¬ 
mate upon such a work. The “Science Primers” are 
continued by the publication of No. VIII, “ Botany,” by 
Dock J. D. Hooker. The same house will soon issue 
under the title of “.Darwinians,” the various articles 
contributed by Prof. Asa Gray, to different periodicals 
upon Darwin and his writings. 
Mas-lset for MloSiair.—Messrs. Hall & 
Turner, of the Jamestown Alpaca Mills, write to correct 
an impression that they are anxious to purchase mohair, 
or the wool of the Angora goat. They say that most of the 
mohair offered them is useless for combing, on account 
of ignorance in breeding the goats, and preparing the 
fleece. They have simply agreed to receive and sort the 
clip for some growers in California, Georgia, and Ten¬ 
nessee, and to dispose of the refuse after they have se¬ 
lected what they require for their own use. The present 
condition of business makes the sale of the discarded 
portion of the fleece very difficult, 
TosaereSe Mouses.— “E.,” Villa Ridge, 
Ill. In the American Agriculturist of December, 1875, we 
gave a very full article upon ‘building concrete houses, 
with many illustrations of the needed appliances. A 
natural mixture of sharp sand and pebbles will make very 
good material if used in proportion of eleven parts to one 
of hydraulic lime, or two of common lime. It would be 
well to screen the sand from the pebbles, and then add 
the pebbles to the ready mixed mortar made of one part 
of hydraulic lime, or two of common lime to four of sand. 
IBerS&siaSre Savou* f£e<*or«l, Vol. B.— 
AAV have received a copy of the first volume of the Berk¬ 
shire Swine Record, which contains 1,000 entries, list of 
owners’ names, and a handy index. The work of compi¬ 
lation lias been very carefully performed by the editor, 
A. M. Garland, Esq., Secretary of the Berkshire Swine 
Association. We find on looking through the pedi¬ 
grees but one evident error, this being in entry GOG, a 
record of Manchester Lass 4th, GOG, farrowed August, 
1874, out of Manchester Lass 3rd (004), sire, Earl Gran¬ 
ville, which conflicts with entry G10, a record of Man¬ 
chester Lass 5th, farrowed May 18th, 1S74, out oS the 
same sow G04, and by the same sire, hut both raised by 
different breeders. An error of this kind may give the 
editor of future volumes some little trouble in unraveling 
the intricate pedigrees of the descendents of so prolific 
an animal as a sow. 
4lost of a. Mouing Machine.—The 
cost of a mower to a good farmer is much less than to a 
poor one. A good farmer will keep a machine in good 
condition for a dozen years without any repairs hut to 
replace a few holts, the cutting blade, or a few knives, 
while others will use up a machine in three or four years. 
The difference is, that a machine may cost a good farmer 
$20 a year, and cut his grass for 25 to 50 cents an acre, 
while to a poor one, the cost is perhaps three or four 
times this amount. One of the most costly wastes upon 
the farm is the too common neglect of machinery. 
Trait I’reserviiig- 5'owder.—When 
an advertisement of an article of this kind appears in 
the American Agriculturist , that is of itself evidence 
that, the article has been examined, that we know of what 
it is composed, and that, did we wish such an article 
ourselves, we should not hesitate to use it. Persons not 
knowing our rule in this respect, have made inquiries 
about fruit preserving powders. To such we would 
answer, that there are various articles that prevent fer¬ 
mentation in fruit; common salt will do this, but is not 
palatable in fruit; the inventor of the Fruit Preserving 
Powder has hit upon a substance that answers the same 
purpose that salt would, though much loss is required, 
aud is nearly tasteless. So far as known, it has no effect 
upon the system, and we have not hesitated to use fruit 
preserved by it. 
Sale of Morses at Woo«ll>iarsa,¥£y.— 
The annual sale of Mr. Alexander’s yearling horses at 
AYoodburn occurred lastmonth. The prices were higher 
than ever before, averaging $074 on 60 head. The grad¬ 
ual increase in value of this stock is shown in the fol¬ 
lowing figures, which represent the averages for the pro¬ 
duce of the choicest sires for the past six years: 
1871 
’72 
’73 
’74 
’75 
’76 
Lexington.$1,145 
$1,217 
$1,368 
$1,195 
$1,755 
$1,559 
Australian. 387 
1,077 
832 
753 
958 
8S2 
Planet. 402 
774 
514 
300 
383 
483 
Asteroid... 313 
514 
17G 
209 
792 
549 
S«agar Maid Soa-glao Maelaisaery.— 
The Blvmyer Manufacturing Co., Cincinnati, O., some 
years ago by their inventions and the appliances they in¬ 
troduced, added greatly to the wealth of the country, by 
enabling sorgho growers to convert their crops into a 
marketable product. They still continue to make sorgho 
machinery, and in addition they supply apparatus for 
manufacturing syrup and sugar from the true sugar cane. 
The cultivation of the cane in quantities for thehome or 
neighborhood demand is rapidly increasing in all the 
Southern States, and this firm supply apparatus suitable 
for working up the crop of a few acres or that of a large 
plantation. AVe saw their Victor Evaporator at work 
last fall, turning out a beautiful product with little labor 
i or fuel. Their catalogues illustrate the apparatus in full. 
Tine —Beach, Son & Co., Seedsmen, 
!\o. 7 Barclay st., not only sell lily bulbs, but raise fine 
lilies ; their store has been gay for some time with the 
brilliant and fragrant flowers of these bulbs. 
Sundry Humbugs. 
This longcontinued heat¬ 
ed term in the early part of 
July is not only debilitat¬ 
ing to the body, but causes 
the mind to take anything 
but a cheerful view of mat¬ 
ters. As we took up the 
accumulation of letters of 
complaint and inquiry, the 
reports, circulars, pamph¬ 
lets, and all the rest of the 
materials tnat accumulate 
ana make up our monthly 
Budget of IIumDug, the 
mercury was trying to see 
how far it could get above 
90°, and the hot air swept 
in at the window in a most 
discouraging manner. “Af¬ 
ter all,” thought we, “ -what 
is the use ? AVhat good 
does it do to try to help 
traps and pitfalls set for 
them ; here we have been for these many years showing 
up the folly of all lotteries, and the rascality of most of 
them, we have tried to keep the community from losing 
its money in swindling schemes, and risking its health 
by running after quack medicines and shyster doctors. 
AVe have kept at this, winter and summer, year after 
year, and yet on this torrid July day, here is a mass-of 
evidence that swindling has not abated, and that there 
are scores of people who have been, or badly want to be, 
humbugged. It’s all of no avail, and just labor wasted. 
Humbugs exist because they are a necessity in our state 
of society. AVe have fought the thing almost single- 
handed long enough. AVe make no progress, it does no 
good. The weather is too hot to bother with human 
folly and wickedness, and the Humbug column for Au¬ 
gust may go by.”—It was with such thoughts that we 
pushed aside the disgusting budget and took up the 
morning paper for a change of thought. Our thoughts 
did change, and ran somewhat as follows : 
“HURRAH FOR CONGRESS 1 ” 
“Nowhere is something worth while. ‘The constant 
drop will wear the stone.’ There is no fort so strong 
that it cannot be taken if the besieger keeps pegging 
away. It is refreshing to find effective help at last. No 
doubt that our unremitting exposures, winter and sum¬ 
mer, have done much to bring this about. Steady work 
does tell after all. ‘ Hot ? ’ Yes, a little, but one don’t 
mind it much if he keeps at work. Excuse us, we cau’t 
stop to talk about the weather. Humbugs have to be 
written, weather or no weather.”—Perhaps the reader 
will wonder what produced such a sudden change in our 
way of looking at things. It was an item under the 
AA’ashington news, that Congress had passed 
A BILL TO SUPPRESS LOTTERIES, 
the second section of which reads as follows; “No let¬ 
ter or circular concerning lotteries, so-called gift con¬ 
certs, or other similar enterprises offering prizes, or con¬ 
cerning schemes devised and intended to deceive and 
defraud the public for the purpose of obtaining money 
under false pretenses, shall be carried in the mail. Any 
person who shall knowingly deposit anything to be car¬ 
ried by mail in violation of this section, shall be punish¬ 
able by a fine of not more than $500 nor less than $100, 
with costs of prosecution.”—This has passed both the 
Senate and the House, and has gone to the President for 
his signature. It is hardly within the possibilities that 
“ veto ” will be placed upon a law so eminently proper. 
Deprive swindlers, of all kinds, of the use of the mails, 
and they will soon be forced to work for a living. It is 
a pity that the same penalties could not be made to ap¬ 
ply to those papers which advertise such schemes. Still 
the above is a great step gained, and if enforced , will 
well nigh pat an end to one species of the genus hum¬ 
bug. AVe shall get the entire act soon, and hope to 
