1866.1 
AMERICAN ACKICULTURIST. 
7 
Tl»e Ciit-leaved BSlacIctoerry.— H. P. 
rjiornton, Lawrence County, Indiana. This is an old 
rariety, concerning the value of which there is a difference 
ef opinion. It is a great grower, and if allowed to have 
Its own way will produce weak canes 15 or 20 feet long 
and but little fruit. It would not answer your purpose as 
a hedge plant, but if traineii upon a fence or other sup¬ 
port would prove a formidable obstacle to trespassers. 
When kept cut back, it produces abundant crops of targe, 
rather late fruit, which is by some considered of fine 
quaiity, but to others again it has an unpleasant flavor. 
Aspliodel.— H. G. Tyer, Essex Co., Mass. 
Asphodel is a genus of plants of the lily family, some of 
which are occasionally cultivEited for ornament. Some of 
the species are emetic, but we doubt if rats are so afraid 
of these or any other plants, that “ they will die rather 
than pass over them.” All the o d herbals, or works on 
plants, are full of such stories about plants, which have 
of later years been proved to be fanciful or erroneous. 
Seedling’ Oladiolits.— H. H. C., Mystic 
Bridge, Conn., planted some Gladiolus seed, and wishes 
to know if he is likely to get new varieties, and how to 
treat his young bulbs. If the seed was from good sorts 
there will doubtless be a great variety, but no one can 
foretell whether there will be any distinct from those 
now in cultivation. Take up the young bulbs and put 
them in dry earth or sand, and keep them in some place 
where they will be dry and always cool, but not freeze. 
Removing Rjeoiiies.— A. H. C., Rutland, 
Mich. Autumn is the best time ; they may be trans¬ 
planted very early in spring, but do not flower so well. 
Miller’s Propagating Case.— This tvas 
figured in the Agriculturist last year, and there have been 
numerous inquiries as to where it can be had. Mr. M. has 
left the city and we know of none for sale. They are 
of too small size for use except by amateur cultivators. 
Pansies.— A. B. Spaulding, Windsor Co., Vt. 
Pansies will not do well in the house, unless kept very 
"ool. They are best grown by sowing the seed soon after 
nidsummer, and setting the plants in a cold frame to 
winter. When the snow remains on the ground all win¬ 
ter, plants from fall sown seed will give a fine bloom in 
early spring in the open air. 
Camellias.— S. H. Harlan, Champaign Co., 
O. If a gardener told you that camellias “must have a 
peculiar soil found near Philadelphia,” he told you a great 
fiece of nonsense. They will do in any light, loamy 
soil, rich in vegetable matter. Sods from an old pasture, 
allowed to decay, and then mixed with clean sand, or 
good garden loam, with leaf mould from the woods, will 
answer. The pots must have ample drainage. 
Dapline Oclora.— C. G. Thompson has one 
that does not bloom. Cut it back early next spring. 
Use lip tlie Hoop Slcirts. — A subscri¬ 
ber says “ Tell your readers to throw ladies’ old hoops 
into the fire, and when taken out they will be found per¬ 
fectly annealed, and will stay twisted in any form, and be 
extremely useful as a substitute for wire in a thousand 
and one instances,” Pray use up the old hoops in some 
such way, they are a nuisance if thrown out with rubbish. 
Canary Seed. —A correspondent states th.at 
he successfuliy raised a quantity of this, giving the same 
soil and treatment as oats, but does not state the yield. 
Plants to lie Named. —H. Goeriug, Lo¬ 
rain Co., 0. The very clever drawing is that of Tecoma 
rodreares—sometimes called Bignonia —the Trumpet 
creeper. It is often cultivated as an ornamental vine. 
. ..Adeline Howard, Lee Co., Ill.,sends the fruit of the 
Spindle-tree, also called Burning-bush and Wahoo— 
(Euonymus atropurpureus). It is a fine shrub, and very 
showy in autumn on account of its brilliant crimson 
seed pods — D. B., Volga City, Iowa, sends flowers and 
roots of Mertensia Virginica, the Virginian Cowslip or 
Lungroot. It is frequently cultivated in gardens, a«d is 
a very pretty spring flower — T. O. D. The plant is 
Gentianapuberula —S. S, R. M., Lewisburgh, Pa. The 
flower is Hibiscus Sinensis, or close to it. It could be 
propagated from cuttings with bottom heat_Irene Cole, 
White Co., Ind. The climber is Quamoclit coccinea, 
sometimes called Ipumea. figured in February last. The 
plant described is probably the Leucoium vernum, the 
Spring Snowflake—the bulbs of which are sold by 
seedsmen ...M. S. Shaler, Brown Co., Wis. The vine 
is Virgin’s Bower, Clematis Virginiana. One Gerani¬ 
um is the oak-leaved; the larger one nut recognised. 
Mr. R. Allen, York Co. Me., sends the Fringed Gentian, 
Gentiana crinita. As there are over 30 species of Aster, 
we cannot tell the one described without a specimen_ 
N. Mason Gates, Middlesex Co. Conn. Pelemonium 
coeruleum, or Greek Valerian, a pretty spring bloomer. 
Mai-l.— “Ple.ase state wh.at kind of soil is most 
benefited by the use of mart—the quantity used, and how 
to apply it?”—E. A. P. This name covers a great variety 
of materials of variable fertilizing value. It usually 
means deposits in swamps, or former lake bottoms, in 
wiiich minute shells abound, mixed with vegetable and 
earthy matter (calcareous marls.) There is scarcely 
any limit to the quantity which may be used without 
injury to the soii, though a maxitnum good -rllect is 
often attained by a dressing of a few loads. It depends 
on the needs of the soil and the quality of the marl. It 
supplies lime, and a small quantity of phosphoric acid, 
together with the peaty substances usually found in 
swamp mud, and sometimes a notable quantity of ammo¬ 
nia. Dig it this winter,expose it to the action of frost, and 
apply 20 to 50 loatis per acre, on various crops. The best 
effects are on heavy soiis, poor in organic matter and lime. 
How Miicli B>ocs drain Slai-iiilc.— 
A correspondent of the Prairie Farmer states that 75 lbs. 
of corn on the ear weighed when dried, including the 
cobs, only GO lbs,—a shrinkage of 20 per cent. The de¬ 
crease of each separately is not stated. Definite knowl¬ 
edge on tliis point will enable producers to properly 
graduate the price of corn according to the srason of 
seiling. Careful experiments with this and other grains 
are much needed. Wlio will make them and give the 
results for publication in the American Agriculturist! 
Blow Msjoli ^anil anti dfavel in 
rflortar, Cojicrete, etc.—Take a box and nearly 
fill it wiih coarse gravel ; add to this as much of a 
quality, the stones in which will average I-8th to 1-lOth of 
the diameter of the coarser kind, as can be worked into 
the mass without materially increasing its bulk ; then 
add all tile fine, dry, sharp sand, free from dust or dirt, 
that can he worked into the whole. If the exact quantities 
used of each material be known, you witl have a means 
of estimating the proportions you will need. To make 
such a mixture of sand and gravel a perfect mot tar, it 
needs to be mixed with lime slaked to a creamy consist¬ 
ency, so that each particle shall be covered with the 
lime, and the spaces between tliem filled. This is the 
theory of a perfect mortar—rarely reached in practice. 
Concrete Fence I*osts.—“ If concrete is 
strong enough for water pipes, w hy will it not make good 
fence posts?” This is in effect the inquiry of a sub¬ 
scriber in Bond Co., Ill, The material has strength 
enough, but would need to be protected to some extent 
against the action of frost on the surface; if made hollow, 
posts might become filled with water, and split by freezing. 
Aecnmiilating' Power. —A sub¬ 
scriber writes that he has an invention w hereby the power 
of a wind-mill maybe accumulated when the wind blows, 
and the power is not in use, in such a way that it may 
be used w'hen the wind does not blow. There is no rea¬ 
son why some such thing should not be successful, and 
if so it would be very valuable ; but many inventors have 
tried to do this and failed to make it practical. 
Uig-latiiing' ISod Hitmlmg'.— Perry W. 
Clark, Onondaga Co., N. Y., writes that the following 
game was played in that vicinity last summer, by opera¬ 
tors who quite likely are now at work in other parts: 
An agent agrees to put up lightning rods on buildings to 
remain a year on trial. He gives a written agreement 
that if they suit and are wanted at the end of the year, 
all right; if not he is to remove them without cost to the 
parties. He takes what he calls an “ Order ” for the 
rods, bu* what in reality is a promissory note, which he 
sells to the first note broker that will buy. In this way 
thousands of dollars were taken from the writer’s section 
of country, and for no really good equivalent returned. 
liOolc Out tfbi* the “CSas” Man.— 
There is a chap out West selling the right to “ make 
and use Olefiant Gas.” He charges only one dollar for 
the recipe, which is as follows: 2 quarts alcohol, 1 pint 
camphene, 2 ounces of alum, 1 teaspoonful of “ Cucuma ” 
liquid. Mix, let stand 12 hours, then use.—This is not 
gas at all, but only the old and dangerous burning fluid 
with alum added, and colored by “ Cucuma,” which 
should be Curcuma—but these humbugs are generally illit¬ 
erate. At the present price of materials, this would 
be a very expensive, as well as a very dangerous light. 
Qiiaclc Hoctors.—P. S. M., sends ns a cir¬ 
cular of wonderful cures, and asks if the man is reliable, 
alleging as a reason for his caution, that he was once 
humbugged out of $25 by a “doctor” In New York. 
Now if there is one thing tiiat w e have tried to set forth 
in language so plain that it could not be mistaken, it is 
that no physician who advertises certificates of cures is 
fit to be trusted. One lesson of experience ought to con¬ 
vince our correspondent of the truth tf our position. 
New Bliimtxig-—latei'iialional and 
Home College. —An enterpri.sing genius is se-nding 
out circulars from New Vork City, to induce young men 
to enter his “ Coliege,” and st.ay at home at the same 
time. For $50 he promises a “ mail scholarship”—what 
that means we do not know, only that $50 will not be 
safely invested in any such operation. It is nonsense to 
talk of fitting a young man for business by mail. No re¬ 
liable business college, and many are reliable, professes 
to do any thing of the sort. Readers of the American 
Agriculturist will not be caught bv such a tran.spaient 
swindle. The “ Professor” in this enterprise has bten 
placed under police surveillance. 
Don’t l»e Hiiml»wj»-g-e«l by circulars froa 
Fletcher Brothers ; T. Sherman & Co. ; George P. Hai 
per; Cosmopolitan Art Union Association ; by the mar 
who wants to have somebody in your neighborhood draw 
a lottery prize to help his bu.'iness along; by the mar- 
who says “ your ticket has drawn a prize, but you mus- 
send him ten dollars, and he will lie for you ;” nor by any 
other man that wants to give y-ou ever so many hundred 
cents’ worth for a dollar paid him in advance. 
AmcrieaM Weeds and Useful 
Plants.—This is an illustrated treati.'e upon those 
plant.' which are interesting to the cultivator, eitlier as 
objects- of his care, or as intruders upon his premises. 
The descriptions are both popular and scientific, and are 
interspersed with many interesting observations. A con¬ 
densed account of the structure of plants, which prefaces 
the descriptive portion of the work, will, if carefully- 
studied, enable any intelligent person to refer a plant to 
its proper family. We commend this work to those who 
have a desire to know something of the plants they daily- 
meet. A new edition is to be issued Jan. 15. Price $1.50. 
Dili* 8iininllesit Siilisorilycr.—We haye 
many young subscribers, little boys and girls, some of 
whom earn the money and forward it them selves, but 
here is one not so young: A man in Clark Co., Ohio, in 
renewing his subscription for 1865, writes: “I suppose I 
am the smallest subscriber the American Agriculturist 
has of my age. I am thirty-one years old, 46 inches high, 
and w'eigh 55 pounds.”—About like a 6 or " year-old boy. 
Cniimmed Oil wbich has thickened on 
wheel axles can be readily removed with a little kerosene. 
Mcssvs. Fnftersoii BSro^., at 27 Park 
Row', are not only good men and excellent neighbors, 
but they keep a very convenient down town retail .and 
wholesale establishment, where we always expect to 
find anything and every thing wanted in the Hardware 
line, from a tack up to a whole chest of tools—not to 
specify a large assortment of skates; and we believe 
their articles are good and sold at reasonable rates. 
'File Fennsylvania Agfricnltiii-al 
College. —It will be seen that the seventh session of 
this Institution is announced in our advertising columns. 
Dr. Wm. H. Allen, formerly president of Girard College, 
has been elected to fill the vacancy occasioned by the 
death of Dr. Pugh, the former president. We hope the 
college may have that encouragement and support which 
will ensure for it a useful and successful career. 
'File Massacliiisetts Agricultural 
College. —We learn that Massachusetts has sold a good 
portion of her land scrip and purchased 400 acres o. .tnd 
at Amherst, upon which it is intended soon to erect the 
necessary buildings. Judge H. F. French, well known 
as a writer on agricultural subjects, has been chosen as 
President hy the board of trustees, and is engaged in the 
preparatory work of organization. An agricultural col¬ 
lege worthy of Massachusetts should be entirely indepen¬ 
dent of existing institutions, be endowed with abundant 
means, and be able to command the very highest talent. 
Report of tlie Department of 
culture, 1863. —Now that tlie year’64 is just ex¬ 
piring, the report for ’63 makes its appearance, a delay 
said to be caused in part by the great press ot public 
printing. The work forms a handsome volume of 700 
pages, which is about twice as large as need be, did the 
writers exercise ordinary conciseness. The-e are arti¬ 
cles on a wide range of agricultural and horlicullural 
subjects from writers, some of whom are well known, 
and others not known at all. Some of the articles are 
valuable, and others are mere talk, and they are illus¬ 
trated hv numerous wood engravings, paa-t of which are 
