AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
165 
roots cut they would bear more breaking of the side 
roots. Would it not do as well to drill the seed as set 
out the plants where the fence is intended to stand.” 
Ittignicmette.— S. F, A. This plant is an herba¬ 
ceous annual and no treatment that we are aware of 
can materially alter its habit. We do not think it can be 
grown to a woody shrub. It is well suited to pot culture 
through the winter when sown in August or September. 
A new variety has been cultivated for a year or two past 
in England of a larger growth, but resembling the com¬ 
mon “odorata” in habit, growth, &c. 
Crows.— J. F., of N. J., says the crows were in the 
habit of robbing his hens’ nests which suggested the 
idea of an infusion of arsenic inside the egg. The result 
was that dead crows were found in the vicinity. This 
specific need not be confined to crows. Rats, skunks, 
&c., should be treated in the same way. 
Budding- and Grafting'.— G. S., of Augusta, 
Ill., will find the information he desires on budding in 
the present number. Grafting will be discussed at the 
appropriate season. For a treatise on the above, and the 
general cultivation of fruits we can recommend the 
standard work of A. J. Downing, entitled “ Downing’s 
Fruits and Trees of America.” Retail price $1 50. 
Indian Corn—Early and late Planting-. 
—Our Waterloo Correspondent writes: Those basket re¬ 
marks on my experience in Indian com culture are true, 
if it is a good warm corn season, with no trying drouths : 
bi>t my theory will succeed in allseasons. As to having to 
plant corn twice over, I never yet encountered such a 
dilemma. I take it that no corn rets in the ground in a 
well underdrained field, if not planted before the tenth of 
May. I planted corn and sorghum on that day, this cold 
season and have now, 5th June, what the southrons call a 
“good stand.” The sorghum has a darker and much 
narrower leaf than King Philip corn. If early planted, 
corn does not grow at the root when the leaves are 
chilled and stationary. Why does it grow so much faster 
than later plants which have not been thus retarded by 
cool weather when hot weather comes. Experiment not 
only proves this, but also that early planted corn stands a 
drouth much better than late planted. 
NOTES UPON VALUABLE BOOKS- 
[Purchasing Books. —Bnok selling is no part of our busi¬ 
ness, and we would prefer to have all our readers get 
such works as they desire directly from the publishers, or 
from a regular book-seller. But many are remote from 
book stores, and are cautious about sending money to un¬ 
known publishers. To accommodate such, we will at 
any time be happy to procure any desired book, especially 
on any subject treated of in the Agriculturist. As a gen¬ 
eral thing we can send any book by mail post-paid on re¬ 
ceipt of the regular retail price—the discount allowed us 
by publishers being just about enough to cover the cost of 
mailing.] 
American Sliort-ISorn Herd Book—Vol. 3. 
This valuable, indeed indispensable work to breeders 
of Short-Horns, is now issued, by its compiler, Lewis F 
Allen, Black Rock, N. Y.* This third volume is more 
extensive than the second, which was issued in 1855, and 
contains about thirty-five hundred pedigrees, including 
nearly every Short-Horn herd of note in the United States 
and the Canadas. It is richly illustrated with upwards 
of a hundred fine cattle portraits, among others, those of 
the famous bull “ Cornet,” bred by the late Charles Col¬ 
ling, of England, in 1804, and sold at his great sale for a 
thousand guineas ; and the cow “ Duchess,” calved in 
1800, bred also by Mr. Colling. In the portraits are shown 
the best cattle of half a century ago. Short-Horn cattle 
are now an American institution, and on no soils, and in 
no climates, do they give greater promise than ours. They 
are the ornament of the gentleman’s park, and the materi¬ 
al for the superior beef and daries of our farmers. Every 
cattle breeder should have the Herd Book ; and, even if he 
does not breed Short-Horn cattle, he will get many a cap¬ 
ital idea from its pages, and learn how the beau ideal of 
bovine excellence is obtained by close attention, and the 
exeicise of good taste in the selection and propagation of 
this noble race of animals. The book is beautifully got 
up in paper, printing, plates, and binding, and will make 
a valuable addition to every rural library in the country. 
We comm end it to public examination. 
* Those desiring the Herd Book, can address their or¬ 
ders to L. F. Allen, as above. It is on sale, in this City, 
at the Agricultural Warehouse of R. L. Allen, and at C. 
M. Saxton & Co.’s Agricultural Bookstore 
Hooper’s Western Fruit Book : A compendious col¬ 
lection of facts, from the Notes and Experience of 
successful Fruit Culturists, arranged for practical use 
in the Orchard and Garden. By E. J. Hooper, for¬ 
merly editor of “ Western Farmer <fc Gardener.” Cin¬ 
cinnati, Moore, Wilstach, Keys <fc Co. 333 pages. 
Price $1. 
The preface to this work is written by Dr. Warder, and 
much of the original matter bears the impress of having 
been derived from the same fountain-head, though the 
Doctor would hardly be held responsible for the many 
Yankeeisms, and much of the style which is scarcely 
Addisonian. Note a single example on page 152: “ The 
Duchesse d’Angouleme, should be cultivated only on the 
quince, and no where else." We notice that general de¬ 
scriptions of a genus, instead of being at the head of each 
genus are scattered among the varieties ; thus, in the de¬ 
scription of the Heathcot, page 165, we have the general 
qualities of pears, while under the Winter Nelis, page 
202, we find a description of the best way to cultivate on 
the quince. The descriptions are generally good, although 
in some instances unjust ; for example; of the “ Fall 
Bough,” the book says: “ Little known and not approved,” 
while, at least hereabouts, it is well known and esteemed 
as of first-rate quality. Stetson of the A stor House finds 
that his guests appreciate it by eating all he can get for 
them. The “ Willis Sweet ” is not mentioned, while in 
many places it is counted as one of the best baking apples 
if not the best; so much so, thatpeaches will often be left 
untouched at the table while Willis’ Sweets are there well 
baked. For eating with milk, its sugary richness is 
unequalled. However, the book is prepared especially 
for Western readers, and is scarcely adapted to Eastern 
localities. Dr. Warder’s articles on “treatment” are 
very good in any place, particularly respecting low set 
trees of every sort, and we would apply the same treat¬ 
ment to forest trees. We regard Dr, Warder as one who 
combines, perhaps better than any other pomologist, the 
double advantages of theory and practice, and we wish he 
had written the whole book or .that he would prepare 
another such an one as he can bring out. Taken as a 
whole, we do not find this work at all superior to those of 
Barry, Elliott and others, except in its quotations from 
different authors in the descriptions. It is much behind 
Barry in the details of treatment taken from French 
works. The only way of getting a really good “Fruit 
Book” is through a committee of the Pomological Socie¬ 
ty, representing different sections of the country, with 
some one good pen to throw over the whole the life and 
spirit which Downing infused into all his writings. We 
throw out this hint to the Society and do not despair of 
yet seeing such a work published. 
After all, there is no better fruit book as far as it goes ; 
than that of A. J. Downing, and if Chas. Downing, who 
has more pomological knowledge, and more modesty than 
belongs to most fruit men, could be induced to bring his 
brother’s book down to the present time, we should pro¬ 
bably have about all that we specially need now on this 
subject. Before leaving we must add, however, that we 
value Mr. Hooper’s work, and it will be useful to all fruit 
growers, not only as a Western book, but because in it we 
can find so readily the opinions of various pomological 
bodies. 
Artificial Culture of Fish, 
A Treatise on the Artificial Propagation of Certain 
Kinds of Fish, with the Description and Habits of such 
kinds as are the most suitable for Pisciculture. By 
Theodatus Garlick, M. D., Cleveland, O. Thomas 
Brown, Publisher 
This is a neat volume of 142 pages, comprising a series 
of papers which first appeared in the Ohio Farmer within 
a year or two past, with some emendations by the author, 
and detailing the theory of artificially propagating several 
kinds of fish, after which his own practice has been suc¬ 
cessful. It is written in a plain, unambitious style, re¬ 
markable more for good sense and close observation than 
the graces of scholarship, vet withal instructive, and to 
the point. Although the author describes several varie¬ 
ties of pond or still water fish which may be easily domes¬ 
ticated—such as the bass, perch, roach, sunfish, &c.—his 
favorite is decidedly the brook or speckled trout, where 
the waters are congenial to them. In artificially propa¬ 
gating and domesticating this beautiful fish, Dr. Garlick 
has been eminently successful. We had the pleasure of 
inspecting numerous specimens of his trout, of different 
ages, while exhibited in their large glass cases or tanks, 
in September last, at the State Agricultural Exhibition in 
Cleveland. In these cases, with fresh cold water slowly 
percolating through them, were some hundreds of fish 
from two inches in length to those of a pound weight, 
perfectly healthy, of brilliant color, thrifty and active. 
They were taken from his own propagating waters—arti¬ 
ficial ponds fed by springs—and connected with each 
other by planked flumes or conduits, guarded by weirs 
and net-work, giving him entire control over both fish 
and vVaters. The book is a detail of successful experi¬ 
ments and practice, as well as theory, and therefore is to 
be received as authority. 
We would, indeed, have been better content had the 
ingenious author set out on a more extended plan of in¬ 
struction, with a wider scope of description in the varie¬ 
ties of fish for domestication, illustrated with the manner 
of making ponds, and converting our vagrant waters with 
which the country abounds, into stores where myriads of 
edible fish may be propagated for domestic use, and given 
at length the domestic habits of the most useful among 
them. Such a work, now that we have the mode of 
propagation understood, is much needed, and we cannot 
but hope that one so well prepared as Dr. Garlick appears 
to be, from the production of this little volume, will give 
us the full measure of instruction which we require to 
carry his theory into general practice. There are thou¬ 
sands of farms where valuable streams flow lifelessly 
along, or the purest springs issue in abundance from their 
hillsides, which may be made capable of yielding quanti¬ 
ties of delicious fish of many varieties, at small expense 
on the part of their proprietors, and afford abundance of 
excellent food at almost all seasons for the table. 
It is passing strange to us, that among the many items 
of domestic rural economy which have engaged the atten¬ 
tion of our people, fish culture has been so neglected. It 
is simple in theory, and easy in practice, and, as it an- 
pears to us, only needs the application of a master spirit 
in its development to set those who have the opportunity 
right at work to accomplish the result in good earnest. 
Our State Agricultural Societies have for three years past 
offered a liberal premium for a work of the kind adapted 
to popular use, and, strange to say, no treatise has yet 
made its appearance in response. We know several ac¬ 
complished pens that need only to set themselves about it 
to give the public all the instruction they need, and trust 
that another year will not pass ere we can notify our 
readers that so welcome a volume is offered to them. We 
hope that Dr. Garlick may be induced to follow his brief 
volume by another fully suited to the exigency, and prom¬ 
ise him in advance, not only the thanks of all liberal- 
minded men, but, in our judgment, a solid pecuniary rec¬ 
ompense for his labor so worthily bestowed. 
The Best Dictionary.— It would seem almost super¬ 
fluous to speak of the value of a work of this kind, but next 
to the Bible, there is no book so important as a good dic¬ 
tionary—one of the kind we have in mind—and such an 
one as we keep three several copies of—one for general 
family use, one for the sanctum or office, and one for the 
sanctum sanctorum or private study, and were the book 
less bulky, we would have a fourth copy for a vade 
mecum or pocket companion. We refer of course to the 
Unabridged Webster’s Dictionary, published by Messrs. 
Merriam, of Springfield, Mass., which we consider the 
most perfect thing of its kind in the world. When this 
work was first issued, during Noah Webster’s life, we paid 
$14 for a copy and thought it money well laid out ; now 
a more complete edition is sold for $5 or $6. This is 
really a family Encyclopedia, as it not only directs how 
to spell and pronounce all the words in our language, in¬ 
cluding Geographical, Scripture, and Greek and Latin 
names, but it also gives such full definitions and explana¬ 
tions of words and phrases as to be a valuable source of 
information upon almost all topics. Daniel Webster, who 
by the way, was not, we believe, a relative of Noah, the 
Dictionary Man, once said : “ I possess many dictionaries 
and of most of the learned and cultivated languages, an¬ 
cient and modern, but I never feel that I am entirely 
armed and equipped in this respect without Dr. Noah 
Webster’s book at command.” Farmers, let the boys 
have a patch of ground to cultivate “ on their own hook,” 
if they agree to apply the proceeds to purchasing an 
Unabridged Webster’s Dictionary. We have alluded to 
this work before, and do voluntarily so again, our atten¬ 
tion having been called to the matter by seeing an adver¬ 
tisement of it in our last number. 
E5F* Forty Cents a Line. 
HEDGES’ CHINESE SUGAR-CANE MILLS. 
Three sizes of Horizontal Mill, with gearing set in an 
iron frame, ready to attach belt or gear wheel from Steam, 
Water, or Horse Power. 
PRICES AS FOLLOWS : 
For 3-roller mill with horizontal rollers, 12 inches di¬ 
ameter, and 24 inches long, $300. 
The same size mill, vertical, with means of fastening a 
beam or lever overhead, so as to propel by horses, with 
out any additional machinery, $175. 
For 3-roller mill, with gearing, &c., as above described, 
horizontal—rollers 8 inches diameter and 12 inches long, 
$150. 
None of this size, vertical, are made. 
For hand mill of 3 rollers, 5 inches by 6, geared and fur¬ 
nished with balance wheel and two cranks, $50, in iron 
frame. 
We make vertical mills, each with 3 rollers, 11 inches 
diameter, of any length of roller, from 12 inches for $100, 
to 30 inches for $250. The 12-inch mill will give one gal¬ 
lon of juice per minute, with two horses. Others in pro 
portion. 
Cast iron boilers from 15 to 75 gallons. 
Terms— Cash. 30 days required for completion of 
orders. HEDGES, FREE & CO., 
Cincinnati, Ohio. 
or, HEDGES, MOCKBEE & CO., 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
