4r48 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[December, 
Dried are soon to be in our mar¬ 
kets. According to a Hawaiian paper an Alden’S drying 
apparatus is to be put up for drying bananas; the owner 
expects to find his market in this country via San Fran¬ 
cisco. We are not told what is to be done with them to 
make them eatable. 
Asbestos SSooiisag'. —In many cases it is 
expedient to cover a building with some substitute for 
shingles or tin. Among the various roofing felts and 
other materials of the kind, that made by H. W. Johns, 
in the composition of which asbestos is used, is regarded 
by builders and others as the most useful. 
A Baby Swims' was described by Aunt 
Sue in her “ Chats)' for last month (Nov.) She did not 
know, nor did we, that the swing she described is so 
like a swing that was patented several years ago. that 
one in making it would infringe upon the rights of the 
holder of the patent. It is generally supposed that any 
one has a right to make a patented article for his own 
use, and that the patent only prevents making the article 
for sale. This, which has been published, by some who 
did not investigate the matter, is a great mistake. Only 
the holder of the patent, and those authorized by him, 
have a right to make the article covered by it. In this 
present case the swing was patented by Dr. G. H. Lupton, 
M. D.. (formerly of Cleveland, O.,) now of Middletown, 
Del., in 1867, and the patent will not expire for some 8 
years. No doubt tbe swing is a very good one, as many 
thousands have been sold under the name of “Lupton’s 
Juvenile Swing,” but our friends have no right to mako 
one like his. Of course, knowing the facts, it is an act 
of simple justice to give them to our readers, and wo 
are sure that none among them will willingly interfere 
with the rights of another. 
Book Notices.—The crowded state of our 
columns prevents printing notices of a number of 
books, which must be postponed until another month. 
Herd Book of the Ayrshire BBreed- 
ers> Association. —We have received a copy of the 
New Herd Book of the Ayrshire Breeders’ Association. 
It lias been carefully edited by J. D. W. French, Esq., of 
Andover, Mass., who, we are informed, lias given his 
services alKJget.her gratuitously, as a labor of love. To 
collate and revise so many pedigrees as are contained in 
this record, is no light task, and Mr. French is entitled to 
the thanks of Ayrshire Breeders, for his services. The 
hook is supplied by the Association at $0.00 a copy, free 
by mail. Applications may be made to Mr. French. 
Give your i^iimc sand Address.— 
“Admirer of tbe Agriculturist.” Although you are an 
admirer of the American Agriculturist , we prefer to have 
your name and address when a request is made for in¬ 
formation regarding patents. We never nnblish names 
of inquirers in full, and even suppress initials when re¬ 
quested, there is therefore no reason why correspondents 
should withhold their names. We can reply to no ques¬ 
tions from parties who do not care to give their names. 
A Text-Book <>aa Tctei-Inary Ob¬ 
stetrics.— A much-needed and very valuable work on 
Veterinary Obstetrics, and the diseases incident to partu¬ 
rition in our domestic animals, is now in course of publi¬ 
cation by Messrs. Bailliere & Co., of King William street, 
London. The. author, George Fleming, is the well- 
known English veterinary surgeon, and author ot many 
valuable books on veterinary science and practice. The 
work is issued in parts, of which two have already ap¬ 
peared, the price of each part being 2s. 6 d. sterling. An 
examination of the two parts thus far issued convinces 
us of the value of this work both to the professional 
veterinary practitioner and the stock-breeder. 
Diseases of IPoailfl.s-y.—The best and 
most practically useful book on the diseases of poultry 
that we have seen, is the one- entitled as above, by Mr. 
Geo. P. Burnliam, of Melrose, Mass. The author is a 
practical poultry man, and knowing' the advantages of 
prevention above the troubles and risks of cure, makes 
a special point of the necessity of preventing diseases. 
Few poultry-keepers care to bother with physic, and 
prefer to resort to the summary use of the hatchet, to 
end the ills their fowls are subject to. This is a los¬ 
ing business, and it is important, as a matter of profit, to 
know how to keep poultry in health. This book lias 
some excellent advice in.regard to this, and tbe author’s 
remarks about vermin are especially good. Sent from 
this office, post-paid, for 50 cents a copy. 
Bnto’fsiatiomal Dsiiry Kxbibitlom 
at Hamburg;. — The Dairy Association which was 
formed at Bremen in 1S74, lias determined to hold an In¬ 
ternational Exhibition of dairy products at Hamburg in 
1S77, opening February 28, and continuing until the 4th 
of March following. All dairy products and utensils will 
be admitted, also carriages for milk, appliances for keep¬ 
ing it, and machinery for condensing and otherwise pre¬ 
paring it; also food for cattle, other than grain, straw, 
and hay; scientific articles, models, and plans of build¬ 
ings, and means of education for the business of dairying. 
Applications for space must be made by the 15th of De¬ 
cember to the Exhibition Committee, Hamburg. 
A«Sviee isn ISegsirtl to Creameries. 
—“ B. D. B.,” Shippensburg, Pa. Where dairies are 
small and scattered, and milk can only be collected once 
a day, we fear the profitable working of a creamery would 
hardly be possible. Farmers ought to deliver their milk; 
if it is collected by the creamery, the price paid for it 
should be reduced. The morning’s milk might be col¬ 
lected along with the evening’s milk, but some loss 
would result. If no collection is made ou Sundays, the 
milk of that day would be kept and worked up by the 
farmer. The best way probably would be to procure ad¬ 
vice from an expert, like X. A. Willard, Little Falls, N.Y., 
or L. B. Arnold, Rochester, N. Y., in regard to tbe diffi¬ 
culties to be overcome. Either of these gentlemen would 
give advice professionally for a reasonable fee. 
Sweet Coj-sb.—“ R. D.,” Vineland, N. J. 
In neighborhoods where green corn is grown for tho 
New York market, there will be found one or two local 
varieties, which have been established by selection, and 
are much tetter for the locality than any other. This is 
especially the case with early corn, as a few days arc, in 
this, often of great importance. Earliness and produc¬ 
tiveness are the first essentials, then the ear should be of 
good size, regularly and well filled, especially at the tip ; 
in early corn the eating quality is not so much regarded, 
as the others, hut other things being equal, tbe better it 
is, the more readily will one secure regular customers. 
You will no doubt find among your neighbors an early 
variety better suited to your locality, than you can get 
elsewhere. For later, and the general crop, we have 
seen nothing better, iu all respects, than the “ Tri¬ 
umph.” Tbe “Asylum” and “ Stoweli’s Evergreen ” 
are both excellent late varieties. 
lBBdl;iBBB,5natli«m of* :a Horse’s Eye,— 
“ T. E. M.,” Cuba, O. A speck in the eye of a horse, re¬ 
sulting from inflammation, may be absorbed in time, if 
a return of the cause is guarded against. A good cool¬ 
ing dressing for the eye, is four grains of sugar of lead, 
dissolved in one ounce of rain water; or sulphate of zinc 
may be used instead of the lead. A rag, saturated with 
the solution, should be hung over the eye, and the ani¬ 
mal kept in a dark stable for some days. The absorp¬ 
tion of the speck may often be hastened by blowinginto 
tbe eye, through a goose-quill, a pinch of burnt alum. 
A ion* SEieep.—“Mrs. M. O. D.,” 
Spartansburs’, S. C., sends the following recipe for a dip 
for sheep as a cure for scab and ticks, which she obtain¬ 
ed from a Scotch shepherd in Texas, who sold 10,000 lbs. 
of wool in one season in San Antonio. The dip is as fol¬ 
lows: “ Boil 25 lbs. of tobacco in 100 gallons of water, 
add 12 lbs. of sulphur, li lbs. of arsenic, and 2 boxes of 
concentrated lye. The tobacco is boiled until tbe leaf 
is gone from tbe stalk, and the sheep are dipped in the 
mixture when it is only lukewarm. 
IMatrsdiiea bsb ;i IBot-sse.— “C.” Diarrhea 
is sometimes caused by a tenderness in the bowels, that 
is aggravated by work or rapid driving. When it is thus 
caused, tbe horse should be rested for a considerable 
period, and only driven very slowly, and for short dis¬ 
tances, until recovered. The food should be changed 
from whole to ground grain, tbe hay should be cut ana 
moistened, and the ground feed mixed with it. In place 
of oats, we would give one part of linseed meal, two parts 
of rye, one part of coarse wheat middlings, and (wo parts 
of oats, all very finely ground together. In each morning’s 
feed wo would give a dram of sulphate of copper for a 
few weeks. Feed lightly, and four times a day. 
A Tsarf SIcai».-“ W. A. C.,” Yonkers, 
N. Y„ has a lot of turf from a boggy piece of ground. 
He has built it into a pile 4 feet high and 10 feet wide, 
and mixed oyster-shell lime through it. He asks if, 
after allowing it to lie during the next winter and sum¬ 
mer, it will be suitable to apply to a lawn, and if there is 
any better plan of using it.—We should not think of us¬ 
ing this on the lawn any more than we would feed pop¬ 
corn to the pigs—the pigs would no doubt thrive as well 
as on common corn. This sod compost would be a use¬ 
ful dressing to the lawn, but. no better, or not so good, 
as one of articles readily obtained, whereas, if one wished 
to purchase a few loads of such compost, it would be dif¬ 
ficult. if not impossible. A gardener would jealously 
g;tard such a treasure as this heap, and look grudgingly 
at every shovelful taken from it. By adding half as 
much stable manure, and re-building tiie heap two or 
three times during the summer, to get all thoroughly in¬ 
corporated, our fritnd will have a splendid compost, re¬ 
quiring perhaps only the addition of some sand to light¬ 
en, to fit it for nearly all greenhouse plants.. Such a com¬ 
post would be valuable to put into a hot-bed, or boxes 
used for raising seedlings, and for all purposes where tbe 
best possible soil is required. If he wishes to give 
choice fruit or ornamental trees a good start, this may 
be mixed in with the soil at planting. It would he diffi¬ 
cult to find a substituie for so valuable a compost, while 
for the lawn, guano, bone, ashes, or fine manure, without 
the decomposed turf, will answer quite as well. 
Thatch i'os- a Poultry-Mouse .—“ O. 
H. A..” Winchester, Va. A thatched roof is the very 
worst that could be selected for a poultry-house. It 
would harbor hosts of vermin, which could never be 
ejected from it. We would rather have no roof at all, 
than one of thatch. The best is one of Doards, covered 
with tarred roofing, and whitewashed thoroughly beneath. 
Books for a Stock Farmer.—“ D. J. 
V.,” Jersey City, N. J. For one who wishes to devote 
his attention to sheep, pigs, and poultry, we would recom¬ 
mend the following books. Stewart’s Shepherd’s Manual. 
Randall’s Fine Wool Husbandry. Wright’s Poultry 
Book. Burnham’s Diseases of Poultry. Harris ou the 
Pig, and Jennings’ Diseases of Cattle. Sheep, Swine, and 
Poultry. Tiie continual references to these subjects in 
the American Agriculturist , will also be found useful. 
Wood Ashes.—“ C. L. C.,” Jersey City, N. 
J. Wood ashes may be procured by the boat-load in 
New York, at tbe prices quoted in our market reports. 
Chas. Y. Mapes, 158 Front st., N. Y., could procure them 
for you perhaps in less quantities. 
Kcmctly Fob- Sand-Cracks.—“ W. W. 
S.,” Center Co., Pa. To cure sand-crack, the edges of the 
crack should be pared, and the hoof about the crack care¬ 
fully roughened with a file, and cleaned from grease with 
spirits of ammonia, or ether. Then a cement, made by 
melting togethertwo parts ot gutta Percha, and one part 
of gum ammoniacum, should he applied to the crack, so 
as to cover it completely. The hoof is then io be bound 
up to prelect it from blows. The cement may be molded 
while warm into sticks, and a piece broken off when 
wanted for use, and softened by healing gently. 
Apparatus. —“Mrs. N. S. B.,” 
Marion Co., W. Ya. Milking machines are, so far, fail¬ 
ures. They do not empty the udder, and in time the cow 
is dried up. An injured teat or udder may be relieved of 
milk by tlie tube described in the American Agriculturist 
of November, but we would not use them as a regular 
tiling. A stricture in the teat maybe remedied by means 
of a bougie having small lancet points upon its sides, 
which cut the skin (o a proper depth as it is passed up¬ 
wards. Such an instrument is made by Dr. Horne, 
Veterinary Surgeon, Janesville, Wis. 
May for Fuel.—“ C. G. T.,” Lincoln, Neb. 
—The method in use for converting hay into fuel is to 
twist it very tightly into ropes, which arc then knotted. 
In this condition the combustion of the bay is somewhat 
retarded. With the immense peat beds in your State, 
there should bo no need to resort to such a poor device 
for procuring fuel. Many of the large sloughs, when dry 
in summer time, ought to furnish peat of fair quality. 
Marsh Mbb« 1 and GypscoBBS Marl 
from Nova Scotia.—We have received a sample of 
gpyseous marl from the marshes of Nova Scotia, sent by 
Mr. William Manning, of Portland, Me. This marl con¬ 
tains by analyses, 2 per cent of potash, 1 per cent of 
phosphoric acid, with some organic matter, sulphate of 
lime, carbonate of lime, magnesia, and other fertilizing 
matter. As it can be procured for CO to 70 cents a ton on 
board a vessel at llie Bay of Fundy, it is probable that in 
some localities near tiie coast it may be found profitable 
to use as a fertilizer. On exposure to the weather, it 
falls to an impalpable powder, and is easily applied to 
the soil. Mr. Manning states that it lias been used on 
grass lands in Maine with satisfactory results. 
The Best Fowl.—“H. C. F.,” Ashland, 
Neb. There is much difference of opinion as to which is 
the best fowl to keep. After trying several kinds, we 
have settled on tho Light Brahmas, as best for us; these 
are good layers, good sitters, fair eating, very handsome, 
very tame and docile, can not fly, and arc too lazy to 
scratch in the garden. 
“ Batten* a cats .’'—“ W. L. B.,” Harford Co., 
Md., bought some trees which were represented to be 
“ tbe real butternut of the confectioners, a three-cornered 
( nut, with a hard shell,” but lie now thinks they arc “the 
