136 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
Notes. —Rain and melted snow as follows: Snow 1st, 
2d, and 23d, 0.58 inches ; Rain, 5th, 10th, 11th, 26th, 30th, 
and 31st, 1.57 inches.—Showers on 13th and 15th.—Snow 
fell lightly on the 15th and 16th.—A southeast gale pre¬ 
vailed on the 18th, and northeast gales on the 26th and 
30th.—Temperature uniform for the season: maximum, 
58.0 ; minimum, 22.2.—The fluctuations of the barometer 
were between 30.230, maximum, and 29.349, minimum. 
March 31, 1864. O. W. Morris, 
Grape Notes an<l Queries. — E. W. 
Knight speaks of two kinds of Clinton. The true has 
no foxiness at all. The question as to the originator of this 
vine is still undecided_Underhill’s Seedling.—“W.”, 
Oyster Bay, N. Y. This is the same as the grape which 
has been called the “ Celestial,” and though the nam'e 
has been changed, its quality has not. It . is sold at a 
high price and is no better than, if as good as, the North¬ 
ern Muscadine and other fox grapes — R. O. Beers, 
Fail-field Co., Conn., gives his experience with grafting 
the grape. He waits until the vines are in leaf, and then | 
takes roots “ as large as knife handles or smaller,” and 
inserts a cion of two eyes by cleft grafting, without wax¬ 
ing, and plants the grafted roots. Of course the cions 
were kept dormant. Mr. B. succeeded with 30 out of 34 
by this method_A. Harris, Appenoose Co., Iowa. 
There is not enough known of the Concord to say 
whether it will succeed as a wine grape with you. Its 
reputation in this respect would seem to be established 
in the Southwest, but we have no testimony as to its suc¬ 
cess as a wine producer in the North and East. Climate 
has much to do with the amount of sugar in any variety, 
Waste Corners should be cleared up and 
occupied this season with some growing crop. All kinds 
of farm and garden produce not wanted in the family 
will doubtless sell well at high prices for a year to come, 
and no spot should remain idle. If not planted at the 
usual time with ordinary crops, put in turnips or carrots 
a little later, or plant corn or peas for a succession. 
Osage Orange Pences — Kcnding 
tlie tops down.—Frank French, Winnebago Co., 
Ill., sends to the American Agriculturist his method 
of treating hedges, as follows: “ I turned down the 
tops of a piece of hedge, took some little crotches and 
pegged them down, and buried them about 8 inches deep, 
in the fall of 1862. I never saw any shoots grow faster, 
and this spring I intend to bury the tops of a long piece 
more, which I neglected to do last fall. I presume I 
shall get my fingers scratched, but I shall have a tight, 
quick-growing fence.” The tightness of a fence made 
in this way we can testify to. It is absolutely dog-tight, 
and rabbit-tight too, we should think. 
Works* oh Fruits.— M. M. Buckley, Stam¬ 
ford, C. W. The revised edition of Downing’s Fruits 
brings the work up to 1857. For all varieties introduced 
since then it will be necessary to refer to the current peri¬ 
odicals and the Reports of the Am. Pomological Society. 
Cole-Slaw.— “J. L. .F.,” Chester Co., Pa. 
This name of sliced cabbage, is correctly spelled as 
above. Cole is a general name for the Brassica or cab¬ 
bage tribe ; Slaw is from the Dutch Slaa, signifying sliced. 
Sorglimn Culture.—The requisites to 
success in the cultivation of the sugar sorghum are good 
seed, a soil not too rich in vegetable or animal matter, 
but loose and deep, and of fair strength, and good 
culture. The seed ought to be soaked before planting, 
and covered very lightly. Planting in drills, 3% feet 
apart, is now preferred, and at the first hoeing the plants 
are thinned to 8 or 10 inches apart; subsequently every 
other one is cut out, which will leave them standing in 
the rows 16 to 20 inches apart. The suckers are allowed 
to grow when in drills ; but, if the sorghum be planted in 
hills, it is best to leave 5 plants to a hill and remove all 
the suckers. The remaining culture is like Indian corn 
until the cane is ready to harvest. The importance of 
this crop to the country is beginning to be appreciated. 
The Great West is fast coming to provide its own sweets, 
and between honey, maple sugar and sorghum syrup the 
demands upon the eastern markets are very greatly 
reduced. The quantity produced has been vastly over¬ 
estimated, but still it is very great. Combinations of 
neighboring farmers ought to be formed to buy one of 
the largest and best evaporators, and setting it up in a 
conveniently central place, have it ready to convert theii 
cane-juice into syrup well and rapidly in autumn. 
Planting Beans too Beep. —J. B., 
Oberlin, O. Two inches is far too deep to cover the 
large sorts of beans. Limas for instance, have to push 
up a large head, and if the ground is heavy it is impossi¬ 
ble for them to force through. A covering of half an 
inch is sufficient. Limas should be stuck in, eye down, 
simply covering them a little more than out of sight. A 
successful gardener of our acquaintance plants his Li¬ 
mas in a warm sand bed, sticking them in thickly, but 
does not cover them out of sight even. The bed is wa¬ 
tered if dry, and when the roots have grown an inch 
or two, they are transplanted to permanent positions. 
Striped S«isi»sh Beetle.— “ Coxackie” 
writes to the American Agriculturist concerning this 
pest: “Last year I escaped wholly. I started melons 
and cucumbers in the ground, protected against the cold 
by small boxes four to five inches high, each covered with 
a pane of glass, and my watermelons were protected by 
old sash frames about two feet square and four inches 
high, with sashes. Not a striped bug did I see on the 
whole lot, even after the glasses were taken off. Finding 
my young squash plants attacked by multitudes of bugs, 
I put square open frames about them, and not a bug 
troubled them afterward. From careful observations 
during last spring and early summer, I am satisfied the 
striped bug will not fly over an obstacle A. inches high, 
and this cheap contrivance perfectly protects the plants.” 
Should Cabbagesl»eTransplanted? 
—H. Eaton, asks if cabbages do best grown from seed In 
the hills or transplanted. Some good cultivators plant 
the seed in the hills. We tried it but once and found it 
twice as much trouble, and not producing near as good 
cabbages as a lot transplanted on the same ground. Hog 
manure said to produce club-foot; sea-weed and stable 
manure good. Winter cabbages are sown in hills in June. 
Sundry II imiimgs.—A large batch of ma¬ 
terial received from subscribers, was placed in the hands 
of the City Detective Police several days since, but the 
constant attention required at the great Fair, has prevent¬ 
ed their doing much in this line, as yet....Better save 
postage on circulars from pretended agents in New-York 
and elsewhere, for the Covington, Ky., lotteries, all of 
which are humbugs. You will get no return for the 
money sent them, no matter how great their promises. 
We tried to find a few of them, but they have no location ’ 
except a post-office box. The “ Bankers,” so advertis¬ 
ing, have only one receiving teller—no paying-teller_ 
Will the Mayor of Chicago, Ill., please look after the 
filthy swindler, who advertises by private circulars from 
P. O. Box 6529, in that city 7.We don’t keep a 
“ collecting agency,” friend Taber, and therefore can’t 
collect that $200 prize you have drawn, even for the 
“99 per cent.” you offer....“Q. A. Johnston,corner of 
Elm and Mill-streets, Plaistow, N. H.”, (an elm tree by 
the side of a mill dam ?) has told hundreds of others the 
same story. If he will call in we will sell him a dozen 
of his $200 prize tickets, for 5 cents—their value as paper 
rags. How large a city is Plaistow, Mr. Johnston ?_ 
The “ Railroad Laborers” and others who have sent 25 
cents to “ Wood, Hoyt. <j- Co." N. Y. City, have got all 
they will ever get—two shillings’ worth of experience— 
cheaply bought, unless they are foolish enough to send 
the extra dollar asked. Nobody but the Postmaster can 
find any such firm here-For exposure of “ Freeman’s 
Journal of Science and Medicine," see last December’s 
Agriculturist, _ Cheap Sewing-Machine “Agencies," 
hailing from Maine, are especially to be avoided. The 
falsehoods told about their $10 machines ($4 to agents, 
after they pay $10 for the first one, whether they get it oi 
not), are very plausible and easily put on paper, which 
being very thin don’t cost much, even now, Those who 
get one of these machines for the $10 sent (few do), will 
be able to pay a small portion of the freight expenses by 
selling the thing for old iron. ... A new Employment 
Dodge : A fellow in New-Jersey writes to every one adver¬ 
tising for a situation that if they will send him 50 cents, 
he will secure one at $85 a month. Ask him to get the 
place and promise him a $5 bill when he gets it for you. 
-A subscriber says an “agent” for ■“ Kelly’s Pump " 
collected $5 each from a number of persons for town 
rights, but nothing comes in return.What a kind 
man is D. B. Wallace, Box 2948, Philadelphia, to offer to 
send a lot of jewelry, etc., worth $15 each, for only 
$1 each, and throw in a $25 silver watch for each $15, 
and a $60 gold watch for each $40 sent to him. Whew ! 
Forty $15 articles ($600), and a $60 watch, making $660— 
all for $40 !! ! A big offer if it were ever filled. 
Prices of Books are advancing some¬ 
what, though not in proportion to the increased cost of 
paper, etc. It will be noticed in the list on page 133, 
that only a few differ from last month’s rates. We can 
only promise present prices to continue for the month. 
Tlie Agriculturist Sanitary Fund. 
—The multitude of letters received in reference to this, 
show a great interest everywhere in the enterprise, while 
they tell of a local effort put forth in almost every 
town and neighborhood throughout the countiy, which 
we had not fully appreciated, or we should not have 
proposed the plan at all. It will, however, serve the 
original design of giving a medium for contributions 
from all who can spare a dime or dollar more to aid the 
soldiers. When the contributions are mainly in, we 
shall acknowledge them with the contributors’ names. 
TIte >. Y. Five Stock Markets.— 
Cattle are still in light supply, averaging 4,150 per week. 
Prices unprecedently high—the best, fat, heavy beeves 
selling at 17 cents per lb. estimated dressed weight, and 
down to 13c. for the poorest_ Cows scarce and high, 
owing to advance of dairy products ; good, fresh milk¬ 
ers, $50 to $60 each.... Veal Calves abundant, especially 
of young, poor animals ; prices range 5c. to 9c. per lb. 
live weight, according to quality_ Sheep are selling 
quickly at prices ranging from 8c. to 10)^c. per lb. live 
weight. Pelts average $4 and more.... Live Hogs sell 
quickly at 8%c.®9Xc. per lb. live weight, for corn-fed. 
Any Number of tlie Agriculturist 
Wanted, from January, 1857, to the present time, can 
be had for 10 cents. We have stereotyped plates of the 
last seven volumes, and print back numbers as needed. 
Complete volumes (from 16 to 22) are sent post paid for 
$1.24 each, if unbound; or $2.00 each if sent bound. 
(At the office, or by express, unpaid, $1 and $1.50 each.) 
Condensed. Items. —Two Monster Oxen, 
donated from Livingston and Tompkins Counties, N, Y., 
are worth seeing at the Great Metropolitan Fair. More 
about them hereafter.The Great Hog, “Benham’s 
Challenge” can be seen for several weeks at least at the 
Agriculturist Office. Dalton’s Knitting Machine, 
a simple and effective implement, is on exhibition here 
also.The Gas Making Machine advertised on page 
153, appears to be worth looking into. A friend, in whom 
we have confidence, who has used one two months, says 
it is all that is claimed for it.No one will omit to 
read the advertisement of the Rail Road Lands in Il¬ 
linois, a State that bids fair to soon outstrip all her 
sisters in agricultural wealth, and all but one in popula¬ 
tion .The “ Agriculturist Strawberry,” will be¬ 
gin to be distributed in August; we have never promised 
it earlier, though we could have sent it out this spring, 
but for the unprecedented drouth last autumn. The 
Metropolitan Sanitary Fair is doing splendidly ; it is 
worth going a thousand miles to see it. The receipts 
now (April 15) are nearly up to the promised million 
dollars, while the display of articles seems as large as 
ever, and the attendance is undiminished. 
