4 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIS P, 
[Januatit, 
Containing a great variety of Items, includir many 
good Hints and Suggestions which we throw int small 
type and condensed form, for want of space elsewhere. 
Tlie Xerms Imperative.—Aftera 
full monlir.s notice, oui' new terms went into effect Dec. 
1st. They were fixed as low aspossihle, and we think 
quite as 1 >w as those of any other journal. Th.jse 
acquainted with the expenses of such an establishment, 
wilt see the necessity of strictly adherirrg to our pub¬ 
lished terms. Some continue to send in subscriptions at 
the old rates. When this is done, the usual method will 
be to credit the sender with so much time as his money 
will pay for at the regular rates. 2'he present terms are : 
For English Edition, $1.50 a year ; four copies for $5 ; 
ten copies, for $12 ; twenty or more copies, for $1 each. 
For German Edition $2 a year ; four copies, for §7; 
ai.e copies, for $10; tenor more copies, for $1.50 each. 
Sorsflium in Orange Co., N. Y. —We' 
have on the Agriculturist table a sample of very good 
syrup from Messrs. Brewster & Boak, of Scottstown, 
just north of Middletown, N. Y., where considerable ex¬ 
periments were made the past season, and with such 
success as to induce the further cultivation of this crop 
next year. The best cultivated plots yielded about 300 
gallons of syrup per acre, worth now at least $1.25 per 
gallon. Other plots yielded less than 50 gallons, owing 
to bad weather, late planting, and non-attention to the 
culture. Tlie average is estimated at about 100 gallons, 
which Mr. Brewster thinks can be easily doubled after 
the past year’s experience. Clark <fc Hedge’s mills, 
and Cook’s evaporators are established at three points in 
the county, where the cane is received from farmers, and 
worked on shares. From what we can gather, it seems 
probable that Orange Co. may readily and profitably 
produce its own sweetening. It is worth looking after. 
Blaclc Spaaiisli Cowls.—A very beauti¬ 
ful pair of these aristocratic looking birds have been re¬ 
ceived from Louis Essig, poultry fancier. Canton, Ohio. 
He has our thanks. We will take good care of them. 
Wliy Henneries Ite Xfglat, 
“C. M. W.” does not understand. Fowls love warmth and 
sunshine. This they seek to enjoy whenever they can in 
V inter, and when confined, ought to have the shelter of 
the poultry-house, and the warmth of the sunlight within. 
When they have this they do better, are more active, 
healthier, and lay more. All animals are liealthler for 
being in the sunlight part of each day. Of course the 
hens will seek dark, secluded places for their nests. 
“ Early CliiclceMS,” says a correspondent, 
lay in winter, w'hen old hetis do not, because fowls will 
not lay while the new feathers are growing, after moult¬ 
ing, and with old birds this period often extends into the 
winter. Therefore lookout for a good stock of early pul¬ 
lets, to furnish eggs next Christmas and New Year’s time. 
Ceetling' for Milk.—“ Beginner” inquires 
the very best way to feed cows for milk. A very 
good method is that- followed by some of the dairymen of 
Middlesex Co., Mass., as detailed by Dr. Reynolds. 
Those farmers who wish to sell milk the year round, 
have two sets of cows, one set coming in early in Octo¬ 
ber, the other in April or May. Those which are dry in 
winter, are fed on hay or roots, and kept in warm stables, 
though let out into the yard twice a day for airing and 
drinking. Care is taken to keep them in good, fair con¬ 
dition, even while they give no milk. Those which are 
milked in winter have hay, oats, corn fodder, roots, with 
meal and shorts. The grain is often mixed with cut 
feed, and moistened before it is fed out. The feeding is 
done with great regularity and system, and so is the 
milking. The stables are kept neat, the cows are cur¬ 
ried and brushed. As soon as the summer cows come 
in, they are fed more than before. They are turned out 
to pasture in May, but are stabled at night. In the morn¬ 
ing they have cut feed and grain. In mid-summer, when 
the pastures dry up, they are foddered once a day with 
fresh cut corn-stalks. Sometimes, newly cut grafts or 
millet is given. This, with various modifications, is sub¬ 
stantially the practice of many good dairymen elsewhere. 
"Warty Xeats—Cleanliness in Milk¬ 
ing.— “S. G.,” who has lived in the citv until lately, but 
now is enjoying country life, thus gives his experience: “I 
bought two fine young cows. One of them had many 
warts on her teats and was very unruly and hard to milk. 
Besides, the teats of both cows were, at milking, often 
dirty—sometimes very much so. Therefore my wife, 
taking w ith her at milking a little clean warm water, 
washed the teats and bag clean of all dirt before milking. 
These good effects followed: We have nice sweet milk, 
free of all disagreeable substances, the flavor of which 
we sometimes perceived in milk bought in the city. The 
warts on the teats of the unruly cow disappeared in a 
short time, the teats became smooth and soft, and the cow 
stands quietly at milking. I see some neighbors of mine 
practice the washing too, but using the milk of the cow 
instead of water.’’ 
Pig'S —Sick iind Weakly, and “ off 
tlieir Feed.” —“ A. T..” of Amboy, Ohio, writes, 
that if his pigs are ailing, and look dull and stupefied, 
keeping their nests and not eating well, he gives them a 
good washing in warm soap suds, and two table spoon¬ 
fuls of sulphur. He takes particular pains to washout 
the “ sweat pores” of the legs. The partial paralysis of 
the hind legs, which sometimes occurs, he finds is re¬ 
lieved by a “ small” dose of copperas, (green vitriol). 
One of the best things we have found for keeping pigs 
in good order is a mixture of ciean charcoal dust with 
their food, so that each hog shall eat half a pint or so 
once a week at least, especially if green food is lacking. 
^latiiglitei'-laoiiiite Offil. —“ O. M.” Ot¬ 
tumwa, Iowa. Work the offal up with swamp muck, 
sods, or loam, using one-fourth to one-sixth offal, and 
apply it after it has come to a good heat, or let it lie in a 
heap, covered with a few inches of muck or mould, so 
that it shall lose nothing. Employ it just like barn-yard 
manure, according to its strength, using that which is 
most healing, that is the strongest, on the heaviest land. 
ISces—CSootl BSessilSs.—Bid- 
well Bros., of Minn., send to the American Agriculturist 
a statement showing what good workers the Italians 
are. “ Last spring our apiary consisted of one Italian, 
and 58 stocks of black bees, all in frame hives. We have 
increased our oneTtalian stock to 15—our 58 to 181, prin¬ 
cipally by artificial swarming. We have forced our 
old Italian stock five times, and the first new one once. 
The parent stock weighs to-day 49 lbs. (less hive), and 
we have taken out one frame for each new swarm 
forced The first new swarm weighs (less hive) 57 lbs., 
its swarm 54 lbs., the 2d 59 lbs., 3d 61 lbs., 4th 59 lbs„ 51h 
53 lbs. We have taken from the 1st new swarm, in boxes, 
•22 lbs. honey, 'id 126 lbs., 3d 88 lbs., 41h lbs., 5th 
lbs., making in the whole 7 hives, 3®a lbs. hive honey, and 
339ji lbs. in boxes. Total 722j4 lbs. as the products of 
one Italian stock, and have given 8 sealed queens to 8 
stocks of black bees previously swarmed. We shall Ital¬ 
ianize our whole apiary next season. All of our 196 
stocks have filled their hives, except two very late ones 
which came out the last of August and 1st of Septem¬ 
ber. The average weight of our stocks, less hives, 
bees. &c., is about 58 lbs. of honey. We have taken off 
in glass boxes 1,208 lbs., and 1,301 in caps.” Allowing 
30c. per lb. for hive honey, and 35c. for cap and box 
honey, the income of this apiary amounts to $3,261 95. 
“ Vcntiii'e IVotkiii"’ ISs&ve.” 
—“ H. A. T.” a.sks whether he shall sell hay or run in 
debt for stock to eat it up ? He must of course judge for 
himself whether he can go with profit into the operation. 
Selling part of his hay, he may be able to buy stock to 
eat the rest up. The proposition he makes is of the char¬ 
acter of perfectly safe business ventures, which good 
merchants make all the time. It is never best to go into 
such speculations to an extent that will embarrass one 
seriously should any thing go wrong. 
Ciood Way to Keep the Cold ©at.— 
We have been testing, anil are now enjoying the benefits 
of an excellent invention for keeping the cold out, and 
saving fuel in these high-priced-coal times. The intro¬ 
duction of a furnace heater had shrunk the doors and 
windows so much, that for several autumns past there 
had been the annual discussion whether it was test to 
lay in three or four extra tons of coal, or have the joiners 
and painters around for a couple of weeks, piecing out the 
doors, and re-casing the windows—the discussion always 
ending in favor of the extra coal, until it got up to $14 a 
ton. But the joiners and painters raised too, and wanted 
$3 to $3.50 a day, and ever so much more for the rise in 
paint. Just then an advertisement in the American 
Agriculturist, by E. S. & J. Toney, led us to look into 
the merits of their “ Weather Strips,” and as the result, we 
ordered the whole house fitted up with them, four weeks 
ago.—Well, they are a cheap luxury that would not be 
spared to-day for five times their cost. As we write, the 
winter’s blast (thermometer at '2°), whistles shrilly with¬ 
out, but not a breath of it penetrates UTibidden into our 
sanctum, and not a shake or )ar of the windows dis¬ 
turbs the train of thought. Of course we have venti¬ 
lators to admit all needed air, though a constant stream 
of fresh air, warmed and properly moistened at the cel¬ 
lar furnace, saves the necessity of admitting air from 
elsewhere. This “ weather strip” is simply a neat 
beaded strip of wood, having a flexible narrow belt 
of rubber along one edge. This is placed at the top, 
bottom and sides of the doors and windows, or over 
the casings, and projects far enough to effectually 
close any opening. The rubber operates as a cushion 
also, to prevent shaking of windows, and jarring of doors 
in shutting. The cost is 8 to 12 cents per foot for win¬ 
dows, and somewhat more for bottoms of doors. A few 
feet even, placed against the worst openings, will soon 
save the cost in fuel, to say nothing of health and comfort. 
Cam Morse Hayforks l»e used in 
Stacking Hay ?—No doubt of it, with suitable 
cranes, derricks, or shears. Will not some of the readers 
of the Agriculturist, who have experience, report for the 
benefit of inquiring readers in Minnesota, where the 
dry atmosphere renders shelter for hay and fodder an 
expensive luxury, which must needs be dispensed with. 
Corn Fodder in Minnesota.— H. G. Dan- 
ver, Goodhue Co., Minn., says they make a practice ol 
putting up their cornstalks in large stacks, as we infer, 
without taking any especial care to have them very dry, 
and he has never yet seen them spoil. With the greatest 
care to have the stacks very dry, and well laid up to stand 
rain, large stacks will almost always heat, and mould 
badly in other parts of the country. 
Coal Xar vs. “Criitta I®ercka Ce¬ 
ment IS.oofing.”-Mr. Urban Burrows, of Susquehan¬ 
na Co., Pa., informs us that two or Ihree years ago he pro-, 
cured from New-York City, four gallons of the above 
named “cement” at $1 a gallon, and at the same time a 
barrel of coal or gas tar from Scranton, at 2jd cents per 
gallon. The two looked much alike, and when applied side 
by side, they operate exactly alike so far as he could see. 
No difference can now be discovered in their appearance. 
Meeping- Cheese in Wintci*.—J. 8. 
Cox, who keeps a produce store in Delaware Co.. 0., 
says in answer to “ Novice, ” p. 110, Vol. 23, that he buys 
his cheese in barrels in November usually, and putting 
the barrels in a dry, cool place, using them as needed, 
sometimes not opening the last before the 1st of April. 
Claret "Wine Stain.— Mrs. D. H. Jack- 
son, Worcester Co., Mass. Javelle water, the recipe 
for which was given in the December Agriculturist, 
page 348, is a good application for removing fruit and 
other vegetable stains from cotton or linen garments. 
Fruit of Wistaria.— English papers make 
a great talk about the fruiting of a Wistaria in that coun¬ 
try. There are vines here which bear seeds every year. 
A New Earkspur, Delphinium Brunonia- 
num has been introduced into England from India. It is 
described as a very ornamental dwarf species, having a 
powerful odor of musk. 
Heath of a Horticulturist.—A. G, 
Hanford, Esq.,died at Columbia, O., in September last. 
Mr. H. was identified with western Horticulture and con- 
ti ibuted to the Wisconsin Farmer and other periodicals. 
To Managers of Horticultural anti 
similar Societies.— When these bodies are of suffi¬ 
cient importance, we should be glad to announce the time 
•f their meetings, but the notice should reach us as early 
as the 10th of the month previous to that in which the 
meeting is to be held. Announcemenls of the recent 
meetings of the Illinois and Ohio Societies came too late. 
Post Office Money Orders.— As pre¬ 
viously announced, this new system has gone into oper 
ation at a limited number of Post Offices. Persons liv 
ing near any post office named below, can procure 
money orders payable in New York City, or at any other 
one of the offices named, for an amount not exceeding 
$30. More than this can be sent by getting two, three or 
more orders as needed. The charge is 10 cents for an 
order not exceeding $10, and 20 cents for any amount be¬ 
tween $10 and $30. The orders are made payable to the 
written order of the person to receive the money, so that 
this is a safe mode of sending money—the same as a draft 
on a bank. Subscribers remitting money can pay it in to 
any one of the following 0 .^ 005 , or to others hereafter 
established, and send the order to the Publisher, according 
to the directions given on blanks furnished at each money 
order office. The following is the list of money order offi 
ces so far established, arranged alphabetically in States 
Illainc ! Augusta, Bangor, Eastport, Portland.-.\ew- 
Il'ampsllire : Concord, Keene. Nashua. Portsmouth.- 
