164 
AMERICAN AG-RICU LTURIST, 
fall breath, and the comer filing a few moments breath. 
No time is lost, but labor is saved for the mower and team. 
It only requires one or two rubs, with the file rightly used, 
to put the mower in good order when regularly attended 
to. The teams will do more and better work in the 
course ofthe season, used in this way, and the machines 
last much longer. Allowing the horses to stop at the 
comers, is to them like closing the steamer’s valve a few 
moments while landing passengers; they start willingly 
and freely. 
XVtoeat Insects—lied Weevil.— DanielBates, 
Trumbull Co., Ohio. By “ Red weevil,” you probably 
mean the midge or Wheat Gnat produced by the clear¬ 
winged Wheat-Fly (Ceciiomya Tritici) which has pro¬ 
duced the chief insect destruction of the Wheat crop in 
Western New-York, Ohio, &c., during the pastfewyears. 
The fly appears over the fields in great numbers on cloudv 
days, and mornings and evening during the last of June 
and first of July, laying its eggs upon soft grain only. These 
hatch out the orange-colored maggots. A remedy against 
Ihcir ravages would be worth millions to the country, but 
so far we are without a certain remedy. The best par- 
tial preventives are sowing early kinds of Wheat, and 
hastening forward the crop by stimulating manures, to get 
ihe grain hardened before the appearance of the fly. 
Dusting slaked lime over the fields when damp, and 
Durning sulphur freely over the Wheat, have sometimes 
oeen a little advantageous. The Weevil proper, and the 
various species of Moths, attack only the ripe grain. The 
Hessian fly and the Chintz or Chinck bug operate upon the 
green stalks. This subject is treated more at length 
mVol. XV, page 244. 
Hugs and Cucumbers.— Mr. Bergen of Long- 
Island, recently stated that some farmer’s in his neigh- 
Dorhood plant as many as ten acres each of cucumbers, 
and that the way they save them from bugs, is to use 
plenty of seed at first and then at four or five successive 
periods they plant on a new side of the hill, a lot 
more of seed. This supplies an abundance of young 
plants for the bugs to feed on, and they leave the stronger 
growing plants untouched. When well out of the way of 
bugs the surplus plants are dug up with the hoe. This 
is a similar plan to one we have recommended strongly 
for years past, and have found it successful in practice. 
See Agriculturist Vol. XII, page 88. 
“Augle Worms.”— “A Lad of Fourteen,” at 
Kingsville, Ohio, says : “ Angle worms are doing much 
damage in our garden, particularly around the rhubarb ; 
they seem to take the richness out of the ground. Can 
they be destroyed.” 
Remarks— They do no harm, and carry nothing away. 
They rather enrich the ground than otherwise. We have 
counted 35 on a single square rod in our garden this sea¬ 
son. The centipedes or “ thousand legged worms,” are 
however, a nuisance, as they attack the plants. They, too, 
greatly abound, and nothing sends them off but a larger 
dose of salt than it is convenient or profitable to apply. 
Kuta hagas Extra.—A Correspondent writes: 
To-day (June 18th) we have taken a lot of ruta baga 
seed (j lb. to i acre) and sown it broadcast all over our 
garden, dropping it thickly wherever there is likely to be 
a single foot of spare room, as for example, between the 
rows of early corn and potatoes, peas, &c. The hoeing is 
now going on which will cover the seed ; and hereafter 
the growing young plants will be cut up with the hoe like 
weeds wherever they are in the way, but left to grow 
where there is room for a single turnip. A useful plant 
may as w ell occupy the ground as a useless weed, and in 
Autumn we shall most likely gather several bushels of 
turnips for the bare cost of the seed, or 25 cents. This plan 
may be pursued not only in gardens but in fields, at any 
tune in June, July, and even into September. After, say 
July 15, some of the later varieties of turnips should be 
substituted for ruta bagas. 
Sowmjg Corn lor Fodder.— J. Plocker, of 
Wanshara County, Wis., writes strongly in favor of sow¬ 
ing four or five bushels of corn to be cut up for fodder. 
He cuts up the stalks after threshing with a cradle, 
and after drying packs them away in alternate layers 
with dry straw. The cattle eat both stalks and straw, 
which he justly remarks is a much better way than 
to burn the straw in the Spring to make room for the plow. 
Had this been extensively done last year, we should not 
have heard of thousands of cattle perishing at the West 
for want of food. 
Salsify.—M. E. M., wishes a recipe for pickling this 
vegetable. If any subscriber has one will he or she 
please forward it for publication. We are not aware of 
its being pickled, nor do we think it particularly desirable, 
as, with proper care, it may be had in a fresh state from 
September till June. 
Artificial Honey.—J P. P., of Randolph Co., 
Me. Don’t send your dollar for any secret recipe for 
making artificial honey—nor for any other secret pre¬ 
scription ; 992 in a 1,000 of them are humbugs. Save 
your money to buy a genuine honey manufactory—a good 
swarm of bees. “ A subscriber ” writes us that “ he in¬ 
vested a dollar and got the follow'ing : Dissolve 20 lbs. 
of coarse sugar in 3 quarts of warm water. Stir into it 
one-fifth ounce of cream of tartar first dissolved in a lit¬ 
tle water, and also five or six pounds of good honey, and 
half a teaspoonful of essence of peppermint. Boil the 
whole slowly for 12 minutes, stirring it all the time, and 
your ‘ first-rate ’ honey is complete—30 ibs. of it.” Any 
one can try this who has a notion that way. We pre¬ 
sume it is as good as any recipe offered at any price. 
Bielytra Spectabilis— Naming—Hardiness.— 
Our valued correspondent, N. Goodsell, of New Haven, 
N. Y., asks if our printer did not make a mistake, on page 
136, in the name of this plant, and suggests that its true 
name is “ Diclytra.” We believe not. The word is de¬ 
rived from two Greek roots,— dis and elytron, or elutron. 
“Diclytra" appears in one or two of the older botanical 
text books, but it was doubtless a typographical error 
there, the c having been accidentally substituted for e— a 
very common mistake, as printers well know, and one 
which has caused some amusing blunders. The Dielytra 
spectabilis is perfectly hardy, and it should be found in 
every garden, even the smallest. The native species, 
Dielytra eximia, resembles the D. spectabilis somewhat, 
but is much less beautiful. Mr. Goodsell is right in his 
suggestions that Generic names of plants should com¬ 
mence with Capitals, and specific names with small let¬ 
ters, (“ lower case,” as the printers say,) except when 
the specific name is derived from a proper name. 
Bee Mottos.—“ A Subscriber ” of Tazewell County, 
Ill., says he is in a fine country for bees, but they can not 
raise them successfully because of the “Bee-Miller,” and 
inquires what they can do. lie and others will find a 
series of articles on bees in our successive numbers. As 
a direct answer, however, we will here say: 
(1) Get acquainted with the moth and the worm, so as 
to know how they look. The female moth is larger than 
the male, and quite different, of a dirty brown color, 
keeping still all day long and looking much like a sliver of 
an old board. Toward evening she may be found flitting 
around the entrance of the hive. She is the author of 
mischief in laying her eggs within the hive, and her 
progeny of worms devour and file the comb. (2) Put your 
hand on every moth you see around the hive. (3) Set dish¬ 
es of sweetened water and vinegar among your hives, and 
every morning kill the moths entrapped in them by night. 
(4) Distrust moth-proof hives for which great claims'are 
made ; but take care to have all hives made with tight 
joints, and with no open seams outside or inside. (5) If 
the moths get the upper hand in a weak hive, expel the 
bees, and join them to another stock. (6) Keep no feeble 
swarms or abandoned sheets of comb as nurseries for the 
worms. (7) Lift the hives at times, and with a sharp 
stick crush any worms that may be found in the corners, 
or cracks, or on the bottom board. 
Covering’ Eles Hives.—“A Subscriber” asks 
why it was advised in the May number that a hive of 
bees should be inverted, if it was to be carried some dis¬ 
tance. He would “remove it carefully from its place, 
right side up, set it on a cloth or blanket, and carry it to 
the place of destination.” The danger would be that he 
would smother the bees, if the cloth fitted tightly to the 
hive and the hive were placed on a wagon or wheel-bar¬ 
row. The great object of inverting is to insure ventila¬ 
tion. It may be done without difficulty in Spring, not so 
well in Summer. * 
Chestnut ami Walnut.—To C. P., of Illinois. 
The American Chestnut is a fine ornamental tree, to say- 
nothing of abundant crops of sweet nutricious fruit. It 
flourishes on a variety of soil, and grows spontaneously, 
over a wide territory. It has been cultivated as far north 
as Maine with success. A light soil suits it best, and its 
favorite localities are upon high grounds, hill and moun¬ 
tain sides. The English Walnut, (Juglans regia,) belter 
known as the Madeira nut, is quite extensively cultivated 
by nurserymen. It makes a noble ornamental tree, bears 
a good fruit, and is perfectly hardy in this latitude. Like 
the chestnut, it does best on a dry rolling soil. Both 
would doubtless flourish at the West, especially upon ele¬ 
vated lands. 
Apple Substitutes.— M. Joslyn, of Cedar Co., 
Iowa, asks “ if we know ofa more acceptable substituie 
for apples as table sauce, than the tomato,gooseberry, rasp¬ 
berry, strawberry, rhubarb, currant, &c.?” These are all 
excellent, particularly the strawberry in its season, and 
out of season, if well preserved, uncooked in sealed cans. 
We would not “ substitute ” these for the apple, but have 
them all, and the apples too. 
4.pples and Fears, Hardy.—J. G., of Spring- 
field, O., saysthe last two winters have been very severe 
upon fruit trees, and wishes a short list of Apples and 
Pears which will prove hardy in his vicinity. The fol¬ 
lowing are both hardy and valuable. 
Early Apples—Early Harvest, Early Bough, (sweet), 
Red Astrachan, William’s Favorite, Benoni and Grav- 
enstein. Fall varieties—Alexander, Fall Pippin, Jersey 
Sweeting, Monmouth Pippin, Porter and Rambo. Win¬ 
ter varieties—Baldwin, Danver’s Winter Sweet, Jona¬ 
than, Newtown Spitzenburg, Rhode Island Greening, 
Yellow Belleflower, Newtown Pippin and Black Gilli. 
flower. 
Summer Pears—Bartlett, Bloodgood, Madeleine, Louise 
Bonne de Jersey, Onondaga, Rostiezer and Tyson. 
Autumn Varieties—Beurrb Diel, Buffum, Dix, Fondante 
d’Automne, Flemish Beauty, Onondaga and Seckel. 
Winter Varieties—Easter Beurrb, Glout Morceau, Law¬ 
rence, Vicar of Winkfield and Winter Nelis. 
This list might be extended much further, but the above 
are sufficient for ordinary culture. 
Apples lux Maime.—A Maine correspondent says 
that “just to hit Brother Bidwell a little, ‘ a poor shack in 
luck’on a small scale, away ‘ Down East’ close to the 
jumping-off place,” last year sold $505 worth of apples 
from less than H acres, and that, too, though he made a 
bad bargain in selling them at $2 25 per barrel. 
Naming- Grapes.—C. Dikeman, Scott County, 
Iowa. The “Charter Oak,” was so called from the 
famous old Charter Oak, of Hartford, but is a libel upon 
the name, as the grape is not worth growing. The “ Di¬ 
ana Grape,” was named after its originator, Mrs. Diana 
Crehore, of Boston. The “ Isabella,” also originated by 
a lady, is so called in honor of Mrs. Isabella Gibbs. The 
“ Rebecca,” the most recently introduced is named after 
Mrs. Rebecca Peake, of Hudson, N. Y., on whose ground 
the first vine of this variety was discovered. 
Eggs-Pickle for—W. S. T., of Hampden Co., 
Mass., will find the following a good pickle. Eggs are 
now being taken from it in a sound state which were put 
away last season. Dissolve 4 quarts unslacked lime and 
4 quarts salt in 8 gallons of water and pour this liquid 
upon the eggs, packed in a water tight barrel or keg. 
Gapes m Ctoickens.—J. M., writing from Onon¬ 
daga Co., N. Y., says he has used the follow-ing prevent¬ 
ive with complete success for a series of years. “ Mix a 
little fresh ground coffee with corn meal and feed in the 
morning three times a week.” 
Watering- Flowers,-To J. G. After the recent 
superabundant natural watering, flowers will need but 
a little for a long time. Water only when the ground be¬ 
comes dry. Evening is the best lime to apply it. 
Brooklyn Horticultural Society.—For 
membership, &c., apply to either of the following officers: 
J. W. Degrauw, President; J. E. Rauch, Cor. Sec.; Jas. 
Parks, Rec. Sec.; M. Brandegee, Treasurer. 
Hiigtot suing—Balls on Cattle’s Horns.— 
A. R. Vail, of Dutchess Co., N. Y., inquires if the 
metalic balls on cattle’s horns attract lightning, and thus 
endanger the animals. Wethinknot. Around knob set on 
a poor conductor of electricity like horn can have little or 
no effect of this kind. The animals refered to would have 
beenjust as likely to have been killed without the “ brass 
ornaments.” 
WSxale Oil Soap.—In speaking of this mixture as 
a destroyer ofthe cherry slug on page 135 of last month’s 
Agriculturist, an error occurred in the quantity of water 
to be used. It should be one pound of soap to seven and 
a half gallons of water. If much stronger than this, the 
plants will be injured by the application. 
Subsoil Flow.—D. W. Wilson, of Clinton. The 
ordinary subsoil plow in common use is the best. Mapes’ 
Improved Subsoil or Mole Plow, so called, we do not 
consider valuable. There will doubtless be improvements 
in subsoil plows ere long, but the one in general use is 
very good. They cost from $5 to $9, and from that up¬ 
ward according to the size, “rigging,” &c. 
Breeding Colts.—A. L. Sayre, of this city, in a 
recent note, says : “ Having had several discussions with 
farmers who are opposed to breeding colts on account of 
its unprofitableness, I wish to refer the matter to your 
columns. 1 would like a statement of all expenses of 
raising a colt ofthe best blood, say to the age of four 
years.” This is an interesting question, and instead of 
answering it direclly we will solicit the opinions, or 
rather experience of pur readers on what we will call the 
“ Colt Question.” Who will respond? 
Hedge Fences.—Jas. H. McNall, of Washington 
Co., Pa., writes: “I see in the Agriculturist, that it is 
necessary to leave a strip of land twenty feet in width 
on each side ofthe Osage Orange hedge fence. If it will 
do well by leaving that amount, people should be satisfied, 
for that is little loss of ground to what we sustain by 
keeping up timber land to make rail fences, and less than 
is shaded by the timber that is generally grown around 
the farm. Besides it would cost less to keep up the 
hedge fence when once made. It appears tome that if 
the hedge plants were set out without having the centre 
