392 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
JmmtM %$m\x\hmt 
Kcw-I«ik, Wedatestlay, Feb. 2§. 
Agents’ Receipts, etc.—A number of persons in differ¬ 
ent parts of the country have interested themselves in 
procu.J ig subscribers for this paper, and we have not re¬ 
cently heard of any imposition practiced upon subscribers. 
Those more immediately connected with the Office are 
furnished with regular Office receipts, signed, and en¬ 
dorsed upon the margin, by the Conducting Editor, and 
when these are presented, no one need have the least 
hesitation in receiving them, as we do not give them out 
to irresponsible individuals. 
ABOUT OUR NEXT VOLUME. 
The next number of the American Agricul¬ 
turist closes its thirteenth volume. During 
its progress through the press, its subscrip¬ 
tion list has been nearly doubled ; and it af¬ 
fords us pleasure to add, that our labors in 
the good cause of an improved husbandry, 
seem to be looked upon with special favor 
by the great agricultural class. This was a 
point at which we knew we should soon ar¬ 
rive in an intelligent community. How else 
could it be with this journal, when it con¬ 
tains all that is most practical and enlight¬ 
ened in the broad field of American culture, 
joined with all that is best suggestive from 
abroad. 
“ High Farming,” or in other words, en¬ 
lightened science going hand in hand with 
skillful and intelligent practice, is our motto. 
The readers of the American Agriculturist 
find it a fearless and intelligent advocate of 
the best systems of recruiting and fertilizing 
the worn out soil; of ditching, draining, and 
improved preparations for culture ; of deep 
plowing, frequent stirring, and fine pulveri¬ 
zation ; of a choice selection and great va¬ 
riety of seed ; of superior methods of culti¬ 
vation and harvesting, preparation for and 
sale in the markets, thus realizing the high¬ 
est prices ; of the more improved and profit¬ 
able domestic animals for the husbandman, 
and their various adaptability to different lo¬ 
cations ; of the finest and most luscious 
sorts of fruit in their seasons ; of the rare 
and beautiful shrubs and flowers ; of the 
most valuable forest and other trees, their 
growth and preservation; of the introduc¬ 
tion of such new and improved implements 
as facilitate the manual labor, and render the 
farmer more independent of it, and yet ena¬ 
ble him to considerably extend the area of 
his exertions, and make them many times 
more productive—or, in other words, put it 
in his power to cultivate three acres with 
more ease to himself and six times more 
profit than he formerly did one ; and last 
though not least, furnish full and reliable 
weekly reports of all the markets, showing 
the Farmer, the Planter and Gardener, when 
and where he can realize the most for his 
produce. 
Our next volume, we trust, with all the 
added improvements which we propose be¬ 
stowing upon it, will be even more highly 
appreciated than the present. We look for 
a steady additional increase of subscribers, 
and the active influence and cooperation of 
our friends in its behalf. Untiring and unre¬ 
mitted exertions are wanted in our favor, 
and for these the public may be assured it 
will be repaid many fold. 
The American Agriculturist undoubtedly 
stands at the head of its class for fearless 
honesty in its opinions, just, and proper sug¬ 
gestions, broad and enlightened views—and 
there we intend to keep it. 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NEW-JERSEY 
First Annual Report, for the year 1854. 
We have received and carefully read the 
greater portion of this valuable Report, and 
are fully convinced of the importance of the 
survey nowin progress, to the State at large, 
and especially to the agricultural interests. 
If it can be carried out upon the plan pro¬ 
posed and commenced by Dr. Kitchell and his 
able corps of assistants, it will aid very ma¬ 
terially towards developing immense treas¬ 
ures of wealth now concealed in the varied 
soil of one of the most interesting sections of 
our country. 
We trust the legislature now in session at 
Trenton, will so fully appreciate the impor¬ 
tance of this work, that they will furnish 
every facility for carrying it on successfully. 
The present report contains a genera] view 
of the plan upon which the survey has been 
carried on by the Superintendent, Dr. Wm. 
Kitchell, together with the reports of Mr. 
Cook, Assistant Geologist, Mr. Wurtz, 
Chemist and Mineralogist, and Lieutenant 
Viele, Topographical Engineer. 
We wish a copy could be placed in the 
hands of every citizen of New-Jersey. As 
this will not probably be done, we have 
marked several portions for copying, and we 
shall from time to time chronicle the more 
interesting results as they may be furnished 
by those having the matter in hand, espe¬ 
cially so, since our journal weekly visits a 
large majority of the towns throughout the 
State—probably a greater number of them 
than any other single periodical. 
Household Words for March. —A double 
number for March and April closes up the 
tenth volume. We have just looked over 
the table of contents for this volume, and 
are strongly reminded of the great variety 
and extent of subjects treated of, and the 
amount of useful information conveyed in a 
pleasing style. This Magazine is scarcely 
equaled by any one in our language as an 
instructor of the public mind. We cheer¬ 
fully commend it to a place in every family, 
as superior to the current popular literature 
of the day. Published by J. A. Dix, No. 10 
Park-place, New-York. Price $3 a year, 
25 cents a number. Two copies for $5, three 
copies $6. 
Farming, &c., in Alabama. —A friend in 
Montgomery, Ala., under date of February 
22, writes : “ Farmers are generally planting 
corn ; forest-trees are swelling their buds, 
fruit-trees also. A few blossoms are to be 
seen on the peach and plum trees—full two 
weeks later than usual. Provisions are 
scarce and high—corn selling at $1 per bush¬ 
el, and in, a prairie country at that.” 
1—rmr ..mu i n r --- , 
CHEMISTRY 
FOR SMALL AND LARGE BOYS AND GIRLS. 
CHAPTER VII. 
67. A good illustration of the operation of 
chemical affinity, is found in the common 
process of dissolving bones in sulphuric acid 
(oil of vitriol—S0 3 ). The greater portion of 
the earthy part of bones is phosphate of lime. 
Phosphate of lime is a compound substance 
made up of phosphoric acid (P0 5 ) and lime 
(CaO). Phosphate of lime is then repre¬ 
sented by CaO,P0 5 . Two par- {Fig. I.) 
tides of bone earth is repre- CaO,PO- 
sented by figure 1. We will CaO,P0 5 
now add to this one particle 
of sulphuric acid, thus : S0 3 
But lime has a stronger affini¬ 
ty for sulphuric acid than if {Fig. 2.) 
has for phosphoric acid, and on Ca,P0 5 
bringing them together a change P0 5 
takes place, as seen in figure CaO,S0 3 
2. This leaves one part of phos¬ 
phoric acid free, and this then {Fig. 3.) 
unites with the other portion CaO,PO s ,PO, 
ofphosphate of lime, and pro¬ 
duces the compound seen in fig. 3, called 
saper-phosphate of lime, which is an entirely 
different substance from the original particle 
of phosphate of lime. The name, super- 
phosphate of lime, implies that there is a 
greater or superior quantity of phosphoric 
acid. There is also another new substance 
formed, besides the superphosphate of lime. 
It is the sulphate of lime, usually called 
plaster of Paris—CaO,S0 3 —which is com¬ 
posed, as you see, of lime (CaO) and sulphu¬ 
ric acid (S0 3 ). 
68. We must keep in mind that each of these 
capital letters are symbols, representing so 
many atoms of the substance for which these 
symbols stand, as shown in Chapter V. The 
little figures, at the right hand of these let¬ 
ters, show how many of these atoms there 
are ; thus P0 5 means POOOOO, or one 
atom of phosphorous and five atoms of oxy¬ 
gen. 
We have now learned how substances 
change their form and composition, by rea¬ 
son of the different degrees of affinity exist¬ 
ing between the atoms, or masses of atoms. 
We shall see much more of this as we pro¬ 
ceed. We will now take up some of the 
simple elements, one by one, and examine 
them, beginning with that one having the 
smallest atoms, viz: 
HYDROGEN. 
Symbol H—Atomic Weight 1. 
69. This substance is so called because it 
is found abundantly in water. The word 
hydro signifies water, and gen signifies the 
producer of; hence hydro-gen means water- 
producer. Hy-dro-gen, when not combined 
with any thing else, takes a gas (air-like) 
form. It is, like air, transparent—that is, 
we can not see it in a glass jar filled with it, 
any more than we could see air in the same 
vessel; but when we put the open mouth of 
a jar or bottle into water, the water will not 
rise up in the interior of the vessel, because 
the space is occupied by the air. So^wecan 
ascertain a vessel to be filled with transpa¬ 
rent hydrogen. 
