288 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[August, 
ISaisiaig - Turkeys. — “N. G.,” Saginaw 
Co., Mich. Tho most successful turkey raisers feed flic 
chicks for the first few days of their lives upon finely 
chopped, hard-boiled eggs, and keep them from wander¬ 
ing oft' by cooping up the hen. After the chicks are a 
week old, scalded wheat, or oaten grits and corn meal 
may be given, but until they are fully fledged, they should 
be carefully protected from rain storms and wet grass. 
AtansaSiloifiie.—“J. E. B.,” Clayborne, La. 
If coloring must be used for butter, we would use a 
preparation of annatto in preference to anything else, as 
it is perfectly harmless, and gives an excellent and na¬ 
tural looking color. A preparation which is largely used 
in creameries and cheese factories, and is prepared with 
especial care for this purpose, is supplied by 0. S. Bliss, 
of Georgia, Yt. 
A §>hor£ History <>T Natural Sci¬ 
ence, and the Progress of Discovery, from the time of 
the Greeks to the present day. For the use of Schools 
and Young Persons: By Auabella B. Buckley. With 
illustrations. Miss Buckley was Lyell’s secretary during 
the later years of his life, and wielded the pen that put 
upon paper many of the matured thoughts of this most 
painstaking writer and well-balanced thinker. She was 
thus brought in contact with many of the leading- scien¬ 
tific men of our day, and she “often felt very forcibly 
how many important facts and generalizations of sci¬ 
ence, which arc of great value in giving a true estimate 
of life and its conditions, are totally unknown to the 
majority of otherwise well-educated persons.” Her en¬ 
deavor to supply this want is every way commendable. 
As reprinted by the Appletons, almost in fac simile of 
the English original, it is a 12mo. volume of 467 pages; 
the last thirty or more containing a series of chronologi¬ 
cal tables of the rise and progress of the various branch¬ 
es of science, and a full index. We do not speak at ran¬ 
dom when we pronounce this to be just the book which 
many readers of the American Agriculturist want, and 
would elsewhere search for in vain. It is “short,” but 
well-proportioned, clear, simple, and thoroughly reliable. 
SSnssisaes* 1’lnek.—Some men are depress¬ 
ed by misfortune, but A. B. Farqnhar, proprietor of the 
Pennsylvania Agricultural Works, is not of this kind. 
His large establishment at York. Pa., was destroyed by 
fire on the 7th of May—loss beyond the insurance nearly 
$100,000. On June 20th the Works were rebnilt, employ¬ 
ing 200 hands, and prepared to execute all orders. The 
present factory is a fire-proof structure 120x200 ft., built 
in the most thorough manner, and furnished with the 
best machinery. Besides this, there are store houses, 
detached shops, lumber yards, and other needed ap¬ 
pliances, connected with one another by railways. Long 
before this notice appears, the establishment will be 
in full blast, turning ont thrashing machines, horse¬ 
powers, and other specialties more rapidly than ever. 
S^irissg- ISoa-ses.— The practice of “firing” 
horses, although common, is one that is not advocated by 
the American Agriculturist, for the reason that it is pain¬ 
ful, generally useless, and leaves an ugly blemish upon 
the animal. Evidence as to the easy possibility of avoid¬ 
ing this operation lias been recently given by Mr. C. II. 
Maude, the manager of the stables of Queen Victoria, in 
which 200 horses are kept for use. Mr. Maude states that 
he has never used this operation in the 16 years during 
which lie has superintended the royal stables, and finds 
that blisterings and rest produce better effects than 
the shrinking of the, skin by “ firing,” for the purpose of 
producing a “ natural bandage” and counter irritation. 
Kasfcet Items com® 
tinned on page 313. 
Poisoning Potato Bugs. 
We have already given various devices for the applica¬ 
tion of Paris green in both the dry and wet state. No 
doubt any one of these, as well as other patented and un¬ 
patented appliances, will answer the purpose, but now 
that the application of this, or some similar poison, is 
likely to be a regular part of the farm work, it is very de¬ 
sirable that it should be done in the best possible manner. 
The first consideration in using the poison, should be 
safety to the operator ; then come the questions of case 
of application, low cost of apparatus, and economy of 
material. One of the best poison distributors that we 
have seen, and one which seems to meet all the above 
requirements, was invented by Mr. B. C. Arnold, of Chap- 
paqua, N. Y., and is represented in the engraving. It 
consists of a shallow wooden box about 12 inches square 
and 3 inches high, made of %-inch, or even thinner, stuff. 
Tlie bottom of flic box is covered with a piece of wire 
cloth, about as fine as that used for ordinary flour 
sieves; the edges of the wire cloth may turn up for half 
an inch all around, and he secured l)y nailing a thin 
strip upon each side. The upper part of the box has a 
hinged cover, A, which is fastened down closely by a hook, 
B. The handle is made of any convenient sapling, or 
other light, straight stick, bent in the form shown in the 
engraving, and securely nailed to the sides of the box; 
the cross-piece to the handle serves to keep it in shape, 
and may he used to hold the affair by if found more con¬ 
venient. The Paris green and flour, thoroughly mixed, 
are placed in the box, which should be set upon a paper 
while it is being filled. 
The material will not pass 
through the wire cloth un¬ 
less the box be roughly 
shaken or jarred. To use 
the affair, the operator 
takes it in ouc baud and a 
suitable stick in the other, 
and as be passes along tlie 
rows he gives the side of 
tho box a tap wherever 
the presence of the hugs 
shows that poison is 
needed. Tire quantity de¬ 
posited is regulated by 
the force of the tap, and 
as the box may be held down close to tlie vines, there 
is no danger of diffusing the poison in the air, or of 
scattering it where it is not needed. Generally the poi¬ 
son is "most wastefully used, as the slightest dusting is 
all that is required. With a little practice one can dust 
two rows in once going through the field. Of course the 
use of this and all other methods of applying the poison, 
should be entrusted to an intelligent person who will 
work carefully and thoroughly. A little practice will 
teach such a person how high or low to hold the box, 
how hard to rap it, to pass- by the vines where there are 
no insects, and only to use the poison where it is needed. 
In mixing the poison, the flour should be first sifted and 
the Paris green carefully stirred in, one part to 20 of 
flour, and the mixing continued until tlie whole is of an 
uniform color. Wc repeat, that tlie utmost caution must 
be used in keeping the poison and all utensils concerned 
in mixing and using it, in such a manner that no acci¬ 
dent can possibly occur. 
Mr. Green, instead of patenting his useful invention, 
gives it for the benefit of bis fellow farmers ; be has 
found it so effective in bis own experience, that he is de¬ 
sirous that it shall have the widest publicity, and on be¬ 
half of tlie potato-growers, we give him their thanks. 
-<£*»■-- 
Agriculture at the Centennial. 
The vast amount of work that lias been done in gath¬ 
ering together the collection of soil products and manu¬ 
factures therefrom, which are exhibited at the Centen¬ 
nial Exposition is almost astounding to contemplate. 
Now that it is done, it is not surprising that the result is 
open to the criticism that it might have been better 
arranged, or at least might have been differently 
arranged with advantage. If a farmer, desirous of study¬ 
ing the agricultural features of the show, were to ex¬ 
haust himself—which he may easily do—iu surveying 
the Agricultural building only, he would miss some of 
the best things to be found in the exhibition. Perhaps 
it is fortunate for him that it is so, because in the search 
for what he seeks, he will come upon many things he 
ought to see, and would otherwise fail to discover. For 
instance, we have noticed amongst other things, that a 
fine collection of wools from Tasmania, is in the main 
building, as is also a very large collection of cotton sam¬ 
ples from Egypt. In tlie Kansas and Colorado building 
there is an excellent collection of products and speci¬ 
mens of natural history and geology. There is an inter¬ 
esting variety of specimens of ornamental and useful 
woods in the Ohio, W. Virginia, Indiana, Canada, and 
other State buildings, and so on at almost every point, 
one may see something of agricultural interest outside 
of the building specially provided for this department of 
industry. The Agricultural building itself is a vast 
show of something of everything, such as is found at the 
best of the State Fairs. Perhaps the most conspicuous 
thing to be noticed next to the implements being the in¬ 
dustrial products of our vast corn crops in the shape of 
whiskey, contained in huge piles of polished barrels and 
transparent bottles, of immense quantities of lard in 
glass headed barrels, bottles, globes, and artistic shapes 
all of it white as snow; of a large and varied assortment 
of starch for both laundry and culinary purposes, and 
last, but not least, of pork, hams, shoulders, sides of ba¬ 
con, sausages, and beef in many shapes. One gets a 
clear idea of the intrinsic value of this crop from the 
view of its various products here. In short, the exhibi¬ 
tion is to be seen, it cannot be fairly described in any 
possible way. 
Horticulture at the Centennial. 
- -O- 
Fault-finding is easy, and at the gfeat Exhibition, great 
and interesting beyond one’s most extravagant anticipa¬ 
tions, there is abundant room for fault-finding. We 
have heard it remarked that the horticultural display 
was poor, that there was but little there worth looking 
at, and we have noticed that these criticisms came from 
professional horticulturists, who sent nothing to the ex¬ 
hibition, and have taken no further interest in it than to 
visit it and find fault. If we compare the exhibition as 
it is, with what, considering the horticultural resources 
of tho country, it might have been, we admit that it falls 
short. On the other hand, if we consider itas it appears 
to the thousands who daily look upon it, and for the first 
time in their lives, see rare and fine plants, it is very far 
from being a failure. As to the out-door portion, when 
we remember that this spring the grounds were un¬ 
touched except to be desolated by the traffic and rubbish 
incidental to the erection of many vast structures, and 
were about as unpromising as a brick-yard, we must 
wonder at the industry and perseverance that has 
brought them to their present condition. So far as hor¬ 
ticulture is concerned, we think that grave mistakes have 
been made in the organization, which has so subdivided 
the departments as to make it appear that horticulture 
comprises only ornamental gardening and the cultiva¬ 
tion of exotics under glass. We do not understand that 
classification which places the strawberry and raspberry 
shows, and those of early vegetables, in the Department 
of Agriculture, and the same remarkable subdivision will 
place the great pomological display which it is proposed 
to hold in September, under the same department. We 
find no fault with the Department of Agriculture, but 
protest' against the divorcement of Pomology and Hor¬ 
ticulture. The inconsistency of this arrangement is 
shown in the fact that the judges of fruits thus far ap¬ 
pointed are all prominent members of the Pennsylvania 
Horticultural Society, and are known as horticulturists, 
who in their business do not regard horticulture as con¬ 
fined to ornamental plants. The early fruit shows have 
been melancholy failures, and we trust that the fact 
that the proposed September show is to be held as some¬ 
thing distinct from horticulture, will not merit the same 
verdict. Here is a chance for the greatest fruit show 
that the world has ever seen, if fruit-growers only choose 
to make it so. It is to he greatly regretted that the 
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has determined to 
hold an exhibition of fruits at about the same time, and 
this will divert some of the exhibitors from the Centen¬ 
nial show. The Pennsylvania Society may have reasons 
satisfactory to itself for engaging in this rivalry, but 
fruit-growers elsewhere will regret it, and should see to 
it that the Centennial show does not suffer on this ac¬ 
count. Let us have our great Centennial Exhibition of 
the fruits of the whole country, no matter under what 
department it may be held. 
As to tlie display made under the Bureau of Horticul¬ 
ture, we have had time to examine only that in the Hor¬ 
ticultural Building. This building is one of the finest 
structures upon the grounds, and consists of a spacious 
main hall, with four side halls which are built in the 
form of curvilinear lean-to conservatories. In the main 
hall are four large beds with a handsome fountain at the 
intersection of the walks. Here are planted out various 
palms, tree ferns, cycads, and other large specimens 
with attractive foliage, among which are intermingled 
interesting plants of lower stature. The general effect 
is pleasing, and the thousands who pass through the 
building are evidently gratified by it. There are a num¬ 
ber of plants of economical importance, such as coffee, 
tea, banana, gamboge, and others, and the groups of peo¬ 
ple which gather about these show that tlie collection is 
both instructive and pleasing. The majority do not seem 
to know of the houses at the sides, where the choicer col¬ 
lections are placed, and these have comparatively" few 
visitors. One of these houses is occupied by the collec¬ 
tion of George Such, South Amboy, N. J., and well sus¬ 
tains his reputation as a grower of fine plants. We have 
not space to enumerate the plants which make this the 
finest of all the horticultural exhibits, but advise all 
the visitors to make it a point to see it for themselves. 
Another fine collection is that of B. S. Williams & Co., 
Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, Upper Holloway, Lon¬ 
don, Eng. This contains many choice things, hut the 
specimens coming from abroad are of course not so large 
as those in Mr. Such’s lot. Messrs. W. & Co. have shown 
an enterprise in sending so far which is worthy of all 
praise, and when we consider that their plants were in 
the cases for 16 days, we may be sure that they are skillful 
packers as well as successful growers. 
Lovers of ferns will not fail to examine those shown 
by S. B. Parsons & Sons, Flushing, L. I. It is a very 
large collection of specimens, which, though of medium 
size, are in the most perfect condition of health, and in¬ 
cludes some of the most rare and beautiful of these in¬ 
teresting plants. 
Messrs. Miller <fc Sicvers, of San Francisco, Cal., show 
