AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
91 
April No. We have no spare copy or we would send one. 
If any one wishes to make atrial, however, the roots can 
be obtained we believe of J. M.Thorburn & Co., N. Y. 
Ojiious and Tobacco.—J. D. Blacken, of Suf¬ 
folk County, and S. B. Stowell, of Tioga, will find the 
information they desire on pages 57 and 54, ofthis volume. 
Mow to make the inane of a Morse Crow. 
A Jersey subscriber wants light in this matter. This 
is a new case in our medical practice. Wenever yet saw 
a horse, in good growing condition, whose mane did not 
keep up. If he has an animal, whose tail and other hair 
grows, while his mane stands still, he must be a nonde¬ 
script It will oe a better speculation to sell said horse 
to Barnum, or his successors, than to attempt to nurse his 
mane into luxuriance. V&'e should want more light on 
the case, before we attempted to shed light on the cure. 
On general principles we should say, make the horse grow 
by generous feed, plenty of good English hay and oats, 
and then if the mane dont start, sell him as a queer sample 
of horse flesh. 
A Word of Commendation.—G. Thompson, of Fulton, 
writes us in eulogy of our journal in terms which our 
modesty forbids us to quote. We are obliged to him for 
his appreciation of our labors, and for his kind wishes. 
Will a multitude of other correspondents please accept 
this as a response to them all? 
Baked Corn Pudding’. —“ Edith” sends us 
the following recipe:—Scald three pints milk, into 
which stir smcothly 2 cups corn meal, and 1 cup 
chopped suet, or J cup butter. When cooled, add a well- 
rounded cup of good sugar, 2 beaten eggs, 2 teaspoonsful 
of cinnamon, 1 of salt, and a pint of milk, mixed with 3 
tablespoonsful of flour. Add a cup of raisins, and bake 
21 hours. 
Hawthorns from Seed.— “W. W. W ,” Pitts¬ 
burg, Pa —The Hawthorn Seed was probably planted at 
the wrong season. Gather the berries when fully ripe, 
clean from the pulp, and sow at once (in Autumn); or 
still better, put into boxes of earth, and keep till Spring. 
The boxes may either be kept in cellars, or exposed dur¬ 
ing Winter. Sow early in the Spring, covering one-half 
inch with light soil. Muck, or wood scrapings, mixed 
with the covering soil, are good. Sometimes they do not 
vegetate freely the first season, but if undisturbed, will 
usually show themselves the following Spring. For a 
“short method,” il has been recommended to soak them 
for one or more days in warm water, also in manure 
water. We can not say as to these methods. 
Flower Pits. —Will “H.” the writer of Vae plain, 
straightforward description of a Flower Pit, given in 
another column, please send us his or her address ? We 
like the article, and desire others of the same kind. 
Blackberries. —To A. C. D. —The New-Rochell • 
variety: called also the Seacor and the Lawton, is a valu¬ 
able berry. We have watched it closely for some years 
past, and believe it worthy of general cultivation. 
Potatoes—Wliicli End to Plant'?— C. W. 
Betts, of Long Island, puts this question. It is a mooted 
one, like most others in practical husbandry. John Brown 
of New-Hampshire, the originator of the Improved King 
Philip Corn, tried careful experiments to settle it. With 
Pink-eye potatoes, seed ends produced 170 pounds, and 
butt ends 217 on equal areas of land AVitli Peach-blows, 
the result was 170 to 225 on the same area. If this indi¬ 
cate the difference in the value of the two ends for seed, 
we may say that butt ends will add about one-fourth to 
the yield. Our correspondent can calculate whether this 
will pay for using butt ends exclusively for seed. Our 
manure article refers to the importance of giving plenty 
of food to the seed. This may explain why the butt ends 
of potatoes have proved best—there is more aliment to 
each set. 
Pear on White TStorn.— J. R. F., of Pennsyl¬ 
vania, will probaly lose his time and money, if he make 
the experiment. The pear will occasionally succeed on 
this stock, but is short-lived and unprofitable. When 
dwarfs and standards, two or three years from the bud, 
can be had at the nurseries for fifty cents each, a farmer 
will find it much cheaper to buy than to attempt to raise 
them himself. 
Trimming Evergreens.— J. F. Gould, of Leba¬ 
non, expresses his surprise at our caveat against this bar¬ 
barous custom. If you want an evergreen hedge or play¬ 
thing in your grounds, you can play what fantastic tricks 
with it you please. But if you want a tree, we believe 
the model of Nature cannot be improve ! upon. First, set 
a young healthy tree with branches full and close to the 
ground, and then guard it against shears, knives, saws, 
animals, and the fierce northwest winds until it is well 
started. In good soil, a fir or spruce only asks to be let 
alone. It will make a more beautiful cone, without help, 
than with it. If it lose its lower limbs by decay or acci¬ 
dent, we would pull up and plant anew. 
Cranberries.— W. M. is answered on page 8 (Janu¬ 
ary number). 
Kelibale Seeds. —John A. G., Esq., of Indiana, 
complains bitterly and justly, we have not the least doubt, 
of the impositions in seed, practised especially upon these 
residing at the West, and inquires where at the East he 
and others can get good seeds of various kinds. There 
ought to be reliable seedsmen nearer home, but if Mr. G. 
is disposed to go East at a trifling extra expense for car¬ 
riage of seeds, we can only point him to our advertising 
columns. Whenever we have wanted seeds of any kind, 
we have gone to Allen’s, Thorburn’s or Bridgeman’s, 
whichever happened to be most convenient at the time, 
and have always got just what we stipulated for. Should 
our western readers find it necessary to try them, and find 
them not strictly honorable and reliable, let us know, and 
we will give them a touch of our steel-pen. 
Fruit Trees GirdledSSby 
mice. —“Ovid” is informed that a 
common method of remedying this in¬ 
jury is to insert grafts into the wound¬ 
ed parts, above and below, thus mak¬ 
ing a bridge between the roots and 
branches, as shown in the cut. The 
whole should be covered with graft¬ 
ing-wax. 
Pruning. —The experience of A. Jaques, of Gene¬ 
see, accords with our teachings upon this topic. 
Grapes. —D. C., of Virginia.—The varieties of grapes 
best adapted to out-door culture in this vicinity are Isa¬ 
bella and Catawba—the former dark, and the latter light 
purple. The kinds you allude to are the Black and White 
Scuppernong, grown abundantly at the South. Cuttings 
may be planted either perpendicularly, or in an inclined 
position. The latter is the more common method. 
Giant Asparagus. —“Subscriber” wishes to know 
if this is owing to cultivation, or if it is a distinct variety. 
We have never found any difficulty in making the com¬ 
mon kind of giant size, by a deep bed and high manuring. 
His plan is good. Let the bed be covered with coarse 
manure and litter every Fall. 
Fermenting' Manure to Kill Seeds.—J. B. 
Harris, of St. Lawrence County, asks if mustard, thistle, 
and grass seed will be killed by the heating of manure. 
If the fermentation is violent enough, all vegetable mat¬ 
ter will be decomposed. But the outer side of compost 
heaps are seldom heated enough to destroy the vitality of 
these seeds. 
Wild Mice.— Z. M. Drew, of Michigan, asks if this 
will grow at the East. It has been tried in Connecticut, 
but nothing very brilliant promises to come of it. Better 
dram the marshes where it will grow, and put in hoed 
crops or grass. 
Raising Herd’s Grass.— James Pott, of Penn¬ 
sylvania, wishes to know the best method of doing this. 
The crop requires no special treatment. If for seed, of 
course it should be kept clear from everything else. If 
for hay clover, red top and blue top are sometimes sown 
with it. The common method is to stock the ground with 
this seed in the Spring, in connection with a crop of oats 
or Spring wheat. 
Gapes in Chickens.— Jonathan Townley, of New 
Jersey, recommends tobacco water in the food for tins 
complaint. It may be a good remedy, but we cannot cer¬ 
tify it. 
Slorcr in the Locust. L. R. Murray, of Water- 
town, will find a wire thrust into the domicil of this in¬ 
sect, and under the fifth rib of his person, a very effectual 
argument against him. It is the homoeopathic remedy. 
The disease is boring, therefore it is to be bored. A small 
dose of wire cures every invalid. 
Malt Screenings for Cows.— David Edwards, 
of New-Jersey, sends us his experience in the use of this 
article for fodder. The cows utterly refused it after ten 
days, and became very weak in the hind legs. Cows 
want a variety of food—much bulky food with that which 
is solid. (See page 81.) 
The Osage Orange.— John E. Freear, of Virginia, 
inquires about this plant for a hedge. An intelligent 
farmer from a section of Illinois where it has been a good 
deal planted, informs us that it has not met his expecta¬ 
tions. It requires twenty feet of land upon each side of 
the hedge. If this is invaded by the plow, the hedge be¬ 
gins to fail. It may possibly do better in Virginia. We 
should not advise planting it without further experiments 
on a limited scale. 
Onion Culture. —3. Wright, of Granville, Ohio, 
gives us the following hints on this topic : 
In my mode of cultivating Weathersfield onions, al¬ 
though seventy-five years old, I have no need of boys’ 
help. After the ground is well prepared, I plant my seed 
in rows sixteen inches apart, and in hills six or seven 
inches apart. If my ground is in good order, I plant as 
early in the month of April as possible, always pressing 
the ground down wuh the hoe or foot. As soon as the 
onions are fairly up, I hoe between the hills; and in a few 
days, between the rows, approaching as near to the hills 
as possible, without injuring the onions, In this way there 
is very little weeding to be done. Six or eight onions will 
grow in a hill, and be sufficiently large. 
Winter Cherry —Physalis Peruviana .—The article 
on page 35 has called foith a multitude of inquiries, both 
for seed and for further information. Mr. Goodsell in 
forms us that he has distributed to applicants all the seed 
he could spare or obtain, and received calls for much 
more from every section of the country. We have made 
several essays to procure seed elsewhere, but so far with¬ 
out success. Mr. G. has favored us with further particu¬ 
lars of the plant, which came too late for this number ; 
they will be given in our next. 
Barberry Bushes.— Henry Rogers, of Conn., as¬ 
sures us that several gentlemen in his vicinity are fully 
convinced that these bushes blast rye. The popular the¬ 
ory that this blast is caused bv the pollen of the barberry- 
flowers scattering upon the grain when in blossom, is un 
philosphical. Grain will not grow well near any kind o 
shrub with strong roots like this. The roots appropriate 
the plant food, which the rye needs, and thus the heads 
do not fill out. 
Rotation of Crops. —C. White, of Indiana, asks 
for the best rotation. This depends so much upon the 
markets in his neighborhood that we cannot advise him. 
Some rotation is necessary, and it should be is those 
crops that command the best prices. As a rule, gram 
crops should not immediately succeed each other. 
Octovaros Farmers’ Cl ub.— We have received 
from T. Wood, Esq., the obliging Secretary of this Club, 
a very able address, with their resolution to publish it 
in this journal. It is admirably adapted to the occasion 
on which it was delivered, but quite too long for our col¬ 
umns. It is full of valuable statistics and sound doctrine, 
and would form an excellent agricultural tract for distri¬ 
bution. 
Stable Manures.— R. W, Saunders, of Virginia, 
will find his enquiries answered in Allen’s Book of the 
Farm, and in our articles on Manures, in due time. For 
the book, see page 21 (January number). 
Michigan Marls.— S. H. Holmes, of Liberty, i*- 
quires the value of this article. If they are composed v 
decayed shells of snails and clams, they must be valu 
able. See remarks on Jersey Marls, above. 
Recipes.— John Brown, of Indiana, is right about 
the importance of these for the culinary department. We 
shall be obliged to any of our friends who will send us re 
cipes which they have tested in their own kitchens. 
Reading for Boys.-“ A Farmer,” sends us Ins 
experience m trying to get one of his neighbors to sup¬ 
ply himself and boys with the Agriculturist. His story is 
one often repeated. His neighbor “ ventures nothing and 
makes nothing.” Our correspondent is justly anxious for 
the welfare of his neighbor’s sons, one 15, and the other 
17 years of age, who are growing up in ignorance, though 
they attend school in winter. They have a few books and 
no papers to occupy their evenings. He well says: 
“ Boys who have nothing to amuse or instruct them at 
home, nothing new to read or to study, seek amusements 
elsewhere, breaking the Sabbath, strolling through woods 
and fields with other boys perhaps more vicious than 
themselves, congregating together evenings, when some 
master spirit of the young proposes some daring mis¬ 
chief, and it requires more firmness than many boys have 
who are not vicious of themselves to refrain from follow¬ 
ing. To parents I would say—keep your boys usefully 
employed, and when their daily labor is done, see that 
nothing is wanted on your part to instruct and store their 
minds with useful knowledge; not the light and silly 
trash, taken by cart-loads from too many of our printing 
presses, but real practical instruction, that will fit them 
for the several stations they may occupy. Give them a 
time for recreation, but be sure and keep a supply at the 
fountain of knowledge, keep the stream that pours into 
their young minds pure, supply them bountifully with use¬ 
ful books and papers, and the investment will be like 
bread cast upon the w aters to return after many days.” 
Sugar-cane in France.— We have received, 
through the kindness of Mr. Robert Parsons, an early 
copy of the report of A. M. le comte De David Beaure¬ 
gard to the agricultural meeting at Toulon, upon the cul 
tivation and alcoholization of the juice of the sugar sorg 
hum, made in February. He speaks in terms of high com¬ 
mendation of the qualities of this plant, and among o’het 
things of its value for fodder. He says “ we have nour¬ 
ished almost exclusively this season sixty head of large 
cattle with the products of a hectare , (about two acres,) 
which had borne sorghum the previous year, and sowed 
itself. The plant, notwithstanding its abundant bearing, 
exhausts the soil in a much less degree than many other 
plants, for I have harvested it during three consecutive 
years in the same place, with a slight manuring only each 
time, and the harvests have been firmer and finer. I will 
add that the sugar sorghum accommodates itself to all 
kinds of soils, provided that they be naturally moist, or 
that they be watered three or four times in Summer, as 
they do for maize in Provence. It does best in an alluvial 
soil, very cool, very deep of the same consistence, and in 
which the calcareous elements will do no harm.” This is 
the testimony of a distinguished Frenchman, which is 
certainly sufficiently strong. It is well to know what our 
neighbors across the water think of it 
