1864..] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
Q63 
dies.” We lire ted lo speak strongly on this subject from 
the fact, that When the editor ot the Agriculturist return¬ 
ed from his labors with the Sanitary Commission, his 
health continued to fail, and all the usual remedies and 
the skill of physicians seemed to avail nothing. Prof. 
Alonzo Clark, M. D„ one of the most successful physi¬ 
cians in the city of New York, was sent for in consul¬ 
tation. Ho prescribed the simple decoction of Blackberry 
root, with a diet of beef tea and cream. The result in 
checking the disease was remarkable. Within' the past 
few weeks we have known the Blackberry root pre¬ 
scribed in very numerous instances of bowel complaints, 
so prevalent during the drouth, and it has not failed in a 
single instance. We therefore head this item “ import¬ 
ant”, and hope to call the attention of physicians and 
others more directly to the subject.—There has been a 
great call for A blackberries for soldiers.” We suggest to 
send to eac’. regimental surgeon a few pounds of the 
root, with t 1 sitera, to call his attention to the subject. 
A Scil-Piiintcd Portrait.—If any one 
can be taken in by a letter similar to the following, which 
was received by one of our subscribers, perhaps he is 
silly beyond saving. It was preceeded, of course, by 
Ticket “ 1G49,” or some other. We have little fear that our 
readers can be so duped, but will just pin this specimen 
of a humbug to the wall, for examination by theeurmus : 
“ Private and Confidential. 
No. 8G Exchange St., Jan. Glh, 1864. 
Mr.-. Dear Sir:—Your ticket drew a prize of 
$200, but as you have not paid for a certificate you can 
only obtain it by writing me a letter dated on the day of 
drawing and enclose <.10, the price of ticket. When re¬ 
ceived, I shall go to l.te Managers’ office and open the 
letter in their presence, saying, This letter was mislaid 
in the post-office, but the date and money are correct. 
They do not know the No. of your ticket and will take 
the money and send you a certificate which secures you 
the prize.—I w ill aid you to do this if you will assist me 
to sell tickets by informing your neighbors you have re¬ 
ceived the prize money and whom to apply to for tickets. 
Write immediately. Yours truly, - Thos. G. Biiowne.” 
There you are. Mr. Browne, in your proper colors, 
painted by yourself, as a swindling cheat. How do you 
like your portrait? The readers of the American Agricul¬ 
turist, thousands of w hom have received similar letters 
from you and others, know well enough that you would 
cheat them instead of the pretended lottery managers, 
should they forward you the $10. 
An Astonudins: Publication. “The 
Philosophic and Scientific Ultimatum, Written in the 
Constitution and Laws of the Universe, by the omnipotent 
hand of Divine Intelligence, and spread before all man¬ 
kind in the universal language of organic Mind and 
Matter, Cause and Effect, for the Guide of Nations and 
the promotion of Human Happiness,” and so on for a 
page, “is the title of a work now in press.” “Every dollar 
received for the work is strictly pledged to objects of 
charity and benevolence.” Send your money, $2.50, to a 
certain Post Office box in New York, and—further this 
deponent saith not, only that probably the publisher of 
this tremendous tome must have exhausted himself in 
getting up a title, and we should fear the balance of the 
book would not be forthcoming. 
To Make Hlartl-cider into Vinegar. 
—H. N Heff, Pa. Give air free access and summer tem¬ 
perature. Some old vinegar or “ mother” accelerates it. 
Vinegar from Peaches.—“ C. B.,” St. 
Joseph, Mich., says that good vinegar may be made from 
peaches, and advises peach growers to put theiv over ripe 
and waste fruit into barrels containing water. When the 
water is strongly impregnated with the juice of the fruit, 
it may be drawn off into other barrels to ferment. 
TCiflc Clubs.— The rifle is a strange thing to 
too many of our young men. When they went to the 
war, multitudes of the men had never pulled a trigger in 
their lives, and of course it took them some time to 
gain a confidence in themselves and in their weapons. 
Now that many having honorably served their time, are 
returning to peaceful pursuits, it is gratifying to know 
that rifle clubs are forming in various parts of the 
country. These should receive legislative encourage¬ 
ment, and wealthy citizens may well afford to offer cups, 
and sums of money, fine rifles and similar premiums for 
specific feats, or general excellence of marksmanship. 
There are three ways in which these clubs are organized, 
and all work well—the purely military, the purely 
civil (like a farmers’ club or village Lyceum), and the 
mixed civil and military. As a guide in the selection 
and use of the rifle we think Cleveland’s hints to Riflemen, 
will be found very good. It is in our book list. 
Medicating Trees.—Some months ago 
we gave the statement of a contributor who claimed that 
lie had successfully cleared trees of insects by the Intro¬ 
duction of medicinal substances into their circulation. 
Since then, others have testified to the same thing. There 
is now upon our Exhibition Tables a dish of as fine 
plums as one could wish, and without a curculio sting 
upon them. Mr. S. Cooper, of Staten Island, who brought 
them, ascribes his success to the use of sulphur. A X 
inch hole was bored into the trunk, filled with sulphur, 
and plugged up. Before doing this he could raise no 
plums ; his neighbors fruit is all spoiled, while his trees 
are loaded. ( Here is a statement made in good faith, and 
we have had similar ones claiming that other insects be¬ 
sides the curculio have been repelled by the same treat¬ 
ment. Bitwearenot prepared to believe that the sul¬ 
phur had anything to do with saving the plums. It is a 
great pity that we have not some Horticultural Society, 
with experimental grounds where this and all similar 
questions could be definitely settled. 
Two Crops of ILeavcs.—“ W. A. F.,” 
Raysville, Ind. When the more prominent buds are 
killed by frost, but the vitality of Ihe tree is still uninjured, 
dormant buds, which would not otherwise have devel¬ 
oped, will push and thus a covering of foliage be secured. 
Hoot Grafting-.—' Will A. W. C., send a 
drawing and description of his instrument for the roots? 
Planting; Acorns.—“G. J. K.”, Wauseka 
Co., Wis., gives the following as his method of planting 
acorns: “ Mark your ground as for corn, except make 
the rows 8 ft. instead of 4, and take out one hoe full of 
earth for each hill. Go to the woods where hogs have 
not been permitted to run. scrape the leaves and M inch 
of the soil, either with shovel, spade, or hoe, and fill your 
wagon box. In planting, if acorns are plenty, you need 
but about 2 quarts of leaves to each hill, put on sufficient 
soil to keep them in place. Plant anytime from the 
falling of the acorns to the first-of May. It is but little 
work to gather the leaf mould, and if any is left it is the 
best mulch for grapes, strawberries, etc., you can use. ” 
Onlt-applcs.—Mrs. “ S. A. S.”, Rockford, 
Wis. These are excrescences caused by the presence of 
a grub. An egg is deposited in a puncture made in the 
leaf and a diseased growth or tumor is found around the 
young grub, in which it lives, and upon the substance of 
which it feeds. The grub turns to chrysalis in autumn 
when the “apple” falls from the tree; it remains in that 
state until spring, when it cornea out as a small fly, Cy- 
nips confluens, black and brown color, about X inch long. 
Gardening; in Caliibniin. —“J. B. B.” 
Blair Co., Pa. Any plants that succeed with you will 
do well in California, and many otliers that we at the 
East cannot grow at all, flourish there. See article on 
strawberries in July'No. Bee keeping is profitable there. 
The Warden Plea.— Mr. B. F. Miller, 
Jackson Co., Oregon, finds that dry corn meal sprinkled 
around the plants will save them from the attack of this 
insect. It is renewed after a rain or heavy dew. We 
have had the same recommended for the striped bug. 
Mildew.—E. Jeffries. This is a microscopic 
plant which lives on the leaves of grapes, etc. Sulphur 
is the best remedy yet found. Doubtful if anything will 
help the Catawba when it rots. Get a hardier sort. 
Grapes Ifer Iowa.— J. Zing", Henry Co., 
Iowa. The Delaware is a hardy grape, and so are Con¬ 
cord and Clinton.—All nurserymen now have them. 
Exliibition of Grapes and Wines.— 
An association at Cleveland, (Ohio, we suppose, but there 
is no State mentioned on the Circular,) offer liberal pre¬ 
miums, open to all. to be awarded at an exhibition to be 
held in that city from Sept. 17th to 30th. The prize list is 
signed by F. R. Elliott, Sec’y. 
Linnseus S81inl»arl*.— “ T. P. R.” Lock- 
haven, Penn. We know of no book upon the culture of 
this, and making “ wine” from it. It is cultivated just 
like any other variety. The ground can hardly be too 
rich as it is a great feeder. All nurserymen have it, as 
it is one of the best if not the very best for pies, etc. 
©esslcatcd Potatoes.— D. Williamson, 
Putnam Co., Ill. These are made in large manufactories 
bv cooking the potatoes, peeling them, and then rubbing 
them through a coarse grater, which leaves them in 
large grains. The material is spread bn cloth, stretched 
on frames, and placed in a room heated by steam-pipes, 
to dry. With a little ingenuity this process might be im¬ 
itated in the family, grating or chopping the potatoes, and 
then drying them on pans in a moderately heated oven. 
Ikryiug- Sweet Corn.—“Young House 
keeper”. The ears should be no riper than it for the 
table. Cook enough lo harden the milk in the grain, slice 
from the ear by means of a sharp knife and dry in the sur. 
or near the stove. Some prefer lo cut the corn from the 
cob while raw, then set the pan containing it in a kettle 
of boiling water until it is scalded. Then spread on pans 
and dry in the stove oven, leaving the door open to avoid 
too much heat. In either way it will be a little mote 
“ tough” than fresh corn. When dried corn is used. It 
should be soaked in water over night in a warm place. 
I.oss of Wheat Seed.—B. S. Sehenck, 
Chambersburg, Pa., writes that he had received many or¬ 
ders, some of them prepaid, for Boughton White Wheat 
seed, all of which were destroyed by the burning of his 
house during the late rebel raid at that place. He 
wishes through the Agriculturist to inform parties inte¬ 
rested that he hopes to meet all engagements if lie caa 
learn their address, amount of orders, etc. 
Cauliflower Seed.— C. Molla, Joliet, Ill. 
Plants are sown in autumn, and wintered in frames, and 
those which form the best heads in spring are allowed to 
go to seed. Most seed sold in this country is imported. 
Mailing- Hulks.— “W. T. G.’\ Equality, 
III. Take up when the leaves begin to wither, dry and 
pack in dry moss, tie the parcel, mark it “plants by 
mail,” and pay postage at the rate of 2 cents for 4 ounces. 
Inquiries for K»ucks.— 'The notice of 
Rouen Ducks which appeared in the last No. of the Ag¬ 
riculturist, leads to considerable inquiry as to where the 
pure breed may be obtained. This item will inform our 
correspondents that we know of no one who has them 
for sale, and at the same lime broadly hint to those who 
have pure Rouens for sale to advertise them. It would 
be a very profitable speculation, we doubt not, for some 
one lo breed Wood Ducks to supply them to gentlemen 
having ornamental bodies of water in their grounds. 
Grain Hinder.— “More than one” of our 
subscribers inquire if there is any such thing as a ma¬ 
chine for binding grain which does good work and is 
practically useful. We should be glad to know, also. 
iVew York State Wool Growers' 
Convention.— Just as we go to press we receive the 
numerously signed call for this convention from Mr. II. 
S. Randall. The call is as follows— 
The Wool Growers of the State of New York, and 
other persons interested, are requested to meet at the 
City I1ai.l, (Court House,) in the City of Rochester, on 
Wednesday, the 21st day of September next, at ten 
o’clock A. M„ for the purpose of organizing a State Woo. 
Growers’ Association, and adopting such other measures 
as may be deemed expedient. 
Among the signers will be noticed 15 Presidents oi 
the State Agricultural Society, with other equally promi¬ 
nent agriculturists. If properly carried out, this move¬ 
ment will result in good, and though we miss from the 
list of signers several names we expected to see, we 
hope the movement will enlist the co-operation of all 
interested, that in the Society formed there may be no¬ 
thing cliquish, but unity for the general good. 
The SelihScwer advertised in our columns 
is a contrivance for guiding the work under the needle oi 
a sewing-machine, which it does admirably. It is a 
great relief to the eyes and from the cramped position 
usually necessary, to have the work led straight to Its 
place by means of this simple appliance. Every owner 
of a sewing-machine should be supplied with one. 
Sunday School Question Book.— 
Price Changed.— The price of the S. S. Question 
Book is now 12 cents each, and the following prices, If 
sent by mail, will be charged—allowing 3 cents each 
for postage on any number over 10 copies. 
4 copy, 16 cents. I 4 copies, 60 cents. I 7 copies. 1 04 cents. 
2 copies, 32 cents, o copies, 76 cents. I 8 copies, 1 20 cents. 
3 copies, 4S cents. | 6 copies, 92 cents. | 9 copies. 1 36 cents. 
Mr. Judd Still Ahsejit.— To the many 
kind inquiries in regard to Mr. Judd, we would reply that 
he is still confined to his room. The hopes of a speedy 
recovery, expressed last month, were net realized, as he 
suffered a severe relapse. The excessive heat, added U 
the exhausted condition of his system, protracted his ill 
ness, which at one time wore a very serious aspect. A 
the present time (Aug. lC.ii.) he Is gradually, but decided 
ly improving, and we confidently expect he will b» 
with us early In September. Those who have wrlttei 
upon matters requiring his personal attention will under 
stand why their favors nave not been answered. 
Associate Editors. 
