1665.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
105 
the above, aoy new eubscribei may have a plant, If 5 cents 
be sent for expense of packing and postage—bnt only on 
condition that the application comes wilh the subscription, 
(to save looking up the name) 
BOOKS FOR FARMERS and OTHERS. 
[Any of the following books can be obtained at the Of¬ 
fice of the Agriculturist at the prices named, or they will be 
forwarded by mall, post-paid, on receipt of the price. Tiiese 
prices are positively good only to Jlay Ist.] 
Allen’s (L. F.) Rural Architecture.$ 1 ,W 
Allen's (K. h.) American Farm liook. 1 50 
Allen’s Diseases of Domestic Animals. 1 00 
American Bird Fancier. 30 
American Itose Cultnrist. 30 
American Weeds and useful Plants. 1 i5 
Art of Saw Filing—(Holly). 60 
Harrv’s Fruit Garden. 173 
Beecher’s (Henry Ward) Fruit, Flowers and Farming.. 1 23 
Uemont’s Poulterer’s Companion. 2 00 
Bement’s Rabbit Fancier. SO 
Blake’s Farmer’s Encyclopedia. 1 .30 
Bridgeman’s Fruit Cultivator’s .Manual. 73 
Bridgeman’s Toung Gardener’s Assistant. 2 00 
Bridgeman’s Kitclien Garden Instructor. 73 
Bridgeman’s Florist's Guide. 75 
Brandt’s Age of Horses (Englisli and German). 50 
Breck’s Book of Flowers. 150 
Browne’s Field Book of Manures. 1 50 
Browne's Poultry Yard. 123 
Bnist’s Flower garden Directory. 1 50 
Bulat’s Family Kitchen Gardener. 1 00 
Burr’s Vegetables of America. 4 50 
Carpenters and .Joiners’ Hand Book ..(Hally). 60 
Chorlton’s Grape-Grower’s Guide.—. 75 
Cobbett’s American Gardener. 75 
Cole’s (S. W.) American Fruit Book. 60 
Colman’s Agriculture.. 5 00 
Copeland's Country Life. 4 .30 
Cottage Bee-Keeper . 73 
Cotton Planters’ Slanual (Turner). . 1 50 
Dadd’s Modern Horse Doctor. 1 .30 
Dadd’s (Geo. H.) American Cattle Doctor. 1 50 
Dadd’s Anatomy of the Horse—(colored). 5 00 
Dana’s Muck Manual. 123 
Dog and Gnn (Hooper’s). 30 
Domestft Poultry . 30 
Downing s Cottage Residences.... 2 30 
Downing’s Pl uits and Fruit Trees of America. . 3 00 
Eastwood on Cranberry. 73 
Elliott’s JVestern Fruit Grower’s Guide. 1 30 
Employment of Women—By Virginia Penny. 1 .30 
Every Lady her own Flower Gardener. 30 
Fessenden’s Complete Farmer and Gardener. 1 50 
Elax Culture.(Ready next month). 50 
French's Farm Drainage. 1 50 
Field's ('f liomas W.) Pear Culture. 1 23 
Fish Culture.. 123 
Flint (Charles L.) on Grasses. 2 00 
Flint’s Milch Cows and Dairy Farming. . 2 00 
Fuller's Grape Cultnrist. 1 30 
Fuller’s Strawberry Cultnrist. ’20 
(Joodale’s Principles of Breeding. I 00 
Gray’s Manual of Botany and Lessons in one Vol. 4 00 
(jray’s How Plants Grow. 1 23 
Guenon on Milch Cows. 73 
Hall’s (Miss) American Cookery.. 1 25 
Haraszthy Grape Culture, &c. 5 00 
Harris’ Insects Injurious to Vegetation, plain. 3 50 
do. do. do. do. colored plates... 4 50 
Herbert’s Hints to Horsekeepers. 1 75 
Hints to Riflemen, by Cleveland. 1 .30 
Hop Culture...(Ready April 15th). 40 
How to Buy a Farm and Where to Find One. 1 73 
Jaques’s Fruits and Fruit Trees. 60 
,Jennings on Cattle, Sheep. &c. 1 50 
Johnston’s Agricultural Chemistry. 1 73 
'ohnston’s Elements of Agricultural Chemistry. 1 '2.3 
Kemp’s Landscape Gardening. 2 00 
Langstroth on the Honey Bee. 2 00 
Loudon’s (Downing’s) Ladies’Flower Garden. 2 00 
Lenehar’s How to Build Hot-houses. 1 50 
Liebig’s Familiar Letters on Chemistry. 50 
Liebig’s Modern Agriculture.... 1 23 
Liitsley’s (D. C.) Morgan Horses ... 1 50 
Manual ol Agriculture by G. Emerson and C. L. Flint. 1 00 
Mavhew’s Illustrated Horse Doctor . 3 6d 
MaVhew’s Illustrated Horse Management. 3 30 
McNiahon’s American Gardener. 2 50 
Miles on the Horse’s foot. 75 
Morrell’s American Shepherd. 1 25 
My Farm of Edgewood. . 2 00 
National Almanac and Annual Record. 1 50 
Neill’s Practical Gardener_(Pardee). 1 50 
Norton’s Scientific Agriculture. 75 
Olcott’s Sorgho and Imphee. 1 25 
Onion Culture . '20 
Our Farm of Four Acres (bound) 60c.(paper) SO 
Pardee on Strawberry Culture. 75 
Parsons on the Rose.. 1 23 
Phantom Bouquet, or Skeleton Leaves., ... 1 50 
Pedder’s Land Measurer. 60 
Quinby’s Mysteries of Bee keeping. 1 75 
Rabbit Fancier. SO 
Randall’s Sheep Husbandry. 1 50 
Randall’s Fine Wool Sheep Husbandry. 1 00 
Rand’s Flowers for Parlor and Garden. 3 00 
Rivers’ Orchard Houses. 50 
Rural Atl'airs_(bound)_3 Vols—each. 1 50 
Saxton’s Farmers’ Library, .set of 3 Vols. morocco. 9 .30 
do do do do 3 Vols..cloth. 8 50 
Schenck’s Gardener’s Text Book. 60 
Sliepherd’s own Boot . 2 25 
Skillful Housewife . 75 
Smith’s Landscape Gardening. 1 50 
Spencer’s Education of Children. 1 50 
Stewart’s (John) Stable Book. 1 50 
Ten Acres Enough. 1 50 
Tliaer’s (A. D.) Principles of Agriculture. 2 .30 
Thomas’ Fruit Cultnrist . 1 50 
■ntompson’s Food of Animals. 1 00 
Tolnvoco Culture. 25 
Todd’s (S. E.) Toung Farmer’s Manual. 1 50 
Tucker’s Register Rural Affairs. 30 
Vaux’s Villas and Cottages.. 3 00 
Walden’s Complete Soil Culture. . 1 50 
Warder’s Hedges and Evergreens. . 1 50 
Waring’s Elements of Agriculture. 1 00 
3Varson’s American Home Garden. 2 00 
Wax Flowers (Art of Making). 1 50 
Wheat Plant (.John Klippart’s). 1 50 
Woodward’s Country Homes. 1 50 
Tale College Agricultural Lectures. 60 
Touatt and Spooner on the Horse. 1 50 
Touatt and Martin on Cattle. I 50 
Touatt Oil the Hog. 1 00 
Touatt on Sheep. 1 00 
Toumans' Household Science.. 1 '75 
Toamans’New Chemistry... 1'15 
“ Cheap Lands on the Atlantic Coast.” 
There are consiilerable tracts of uncultivated lands on 
the Atlantic Coast—in southwestern Massachusetts, on 
Long Island, in New Jersey, and further southward— 
which have never been brought under cultivation. Dur¬ 
ing a few years past these have been extensively ad¬ 
vertised, sometimes in large blocks, and at others cut up 
into small plots or farms. A question naturally arises, 
why have tiiese lands lain so long in a comparatively 
wild state, if they are half as valuable as now repre¬ 
sented by parties interested in their sale, situated as they 
are near good markets, and surrounded with enterprising 
cultivators. This is a very reason-able question, and 
one which properly places them in the position of a sus¬ 
pected man, w ho is required to prove his good character 
before being admitted to confidence. There is this to be 
said, however, that portions of them were purchased 
cheaply in large tracts, many years ago, by foreign pro¬ 
prietors who have given little or no attention to them in 
some cases, and in others the titles have been a long time 
in dispute, and iti.sonlyon the seltlement of their owner¬ 
ship that they can be offered to the public. But in 
reality, a large proportion of them were not worth culti¬ 
vating, while cheap good lands could be obtained by 
going only a moiierate di.«tance westward, and while 
farm produce was less valuable than now ; and, further, a 
good deal of this kind of land is not now, and never will 
be, worth buying for cultiv;ition. It matters not at how 
low a price land maybe offered, nor iiow favorably it 
may be situated, if it will not give a reasonable return 
for the money, labor, manure, and seed expended on it. 
A prominent defect in these lands is their light, 
.sandy,character, not oniy upon the surface, but especially 
in the subsoil. Tlie whole region referred to. gooa and 
had, rests upon a bed ot porous sea-sand of unknown 
depth. The top of this underlying sand bed is very 
uneven, sometimes coming up to the surface, and some¬ 
times five, ten, twenty, a hiindreil, a thousand feet, or 
more, below. For example, we have found it in orre place 
by digging 10 feet, while less than a dozen rods dis¬ 
tant, it was not struck nearer than 18 feet from the top. 
A neighbor on one side, on much higher ground, found it 
within 12 feet of the top ; while one in the opposite di¬ 
rection, on much lower ground, foii-nd it 27 feet 
down. Its surface forms fi equent basins, sometimes half 
a mile or more across, and sometimes only a rod o-r two. 
At different points on Long Island and New Jersey we 
have found the sand-bed running generally on or near the 
top, but with frequent depressions of from one to ten or 
fifteen feet. Wherever there is found, over this sand 
iayer, a depth of five or more feet of good, firm soil, it is 
worthy of cultivation. Three feet may answer in an 
ordinary season, but not in a very dry one. The trouble 
is, that this sand-bed carries off the water reaching it. 
There must be over it a sufficient depth of firm, water¬ 
holding soil to supply moisture to plants during dry sea¬ 
sons. It is this lack of moisture that proiluces the growth 
of shoit, stunted, dwarf forest trees and bushes on 
much of the land in question, even where there is a layer 
of good soil upon the surface. In examining these lands, 
the only safe rule is, to first find a goad surface soil, and 
then dig into it at several points, or examine cellars, 
wells, and other recent excavations, to ascertain the 
actual condition of the sub-stratum. Right in the midst 
of a wide biirren tract, one may find a small or large plot 
having a sufficient depth of good soil to make it valuable 
for cultivation. If there is not enough of this good land 
to make a farm, and if not near other good land, so as to 
form a neighborhood, it will be of little value. We advise 
any one prospecting or contemplating a purchase in any 
part of the regions leferred to, to make thorough ex¬ 
amination of the subsoil by digging into it four or five feet 
at different points. If there is found within five feet of 
Use surface a bed of gravel or sand, one may be cautious 
in making a purchase. It may be well for such persons to 
consult an article in the Agriculturist for May, I860, re¬ 
ferring to Long Island lands. The statements there ap¬ 
ply to a good deal of land along the Mid-Atlantic coast. 
----- 
To Advertisers, and to Our Readers. 
The business columns of this journal have become a 
very important department, both to the readers and to 
the advertisers. But for the additional income from this 
source, it would be utterly impossible to furnish, at the 
present subscription rates, so large and expensive a 
journal—one so carefully prepared, so well printed, and 
so fully illustrated. Further, the character of the adver¬ 
tisements makes them of great value as a reliable source 
of information, in regard to supplies of seeds, plants, 
trees, imp’ements, etc., etc. As our rules to advertisers 
are quite strict, we like to have our readers let them 
know that their adverusements are appreciated by 
noting where they were seen, when writing to them. 
That tills medium is valued by business men is abun¬ 
dantly shown, not only by the crowd of unsolicited good 
business cards, especially from those who have been the 
longest and largest advertisers, but also by numerous 
incidental statements that reach us. Here is one ex¬ 
ample; Mr. R. C. Browning writes, March 14,_“ The 
$600 paid the Agriculturist in 1864, brought me more an¬ 
swers to the advertisement of the ‘ Universal Clothes 
Wringer,' than were received from the $10,000 spent in ad¬ 
vertising the same article itt other papers," 
Messrs. Bliss, Parsons, and many others, speak similar 
ly. This is not at all surprising to us, as from the best 
information we could gather at the close of the year, the 
circulation of the Agriculturist prob;ibly exceeiled the 
combined circulation of all other agricultural and hor¬ 
ticultural papers in this country ; vsliile from the censor¬ 
ship exercised, the readers are the more ready patrons of 
those who are admitted to our business department. 
And here let us call the attention of advertisers to our 
rules: I. We want no patent medicines, and nothing of 
a secret character. No remedy, for man or beast, or 
other compound, can be admitted, until we know and ap¬ 
prove the ingredients.—II. Doubtful or suspicious enter¬ 
prises, involving much hazard, cannot he admitted.—III. 
Distant parties, or those unknown to the Editors per¬ 
sonally, or by good repute, are expected to furnish satis¬ 
factory references, or other evidence that they will 
honestly and promptly perform all they advertise to de. 
We do not of course undertake to decide that anything 
and every thing here advertised is worth the price asked 
for it, but we desire to have sufficient well-grounded con¬ 
fidence in every advertiser admitted, to warrant us in 
sending or advising our friends to send him orders or 
money, if we wanted his articles at the price asked. 
Containing a great variety of Hems, including many 
good Hints and Suggestions which we throw into small 
type and condensed form, for want of space elsewhere 
CE,TJBS c.an at any time be increased, by remitting, 
for e.ach addition, the price paid by the original members, 
if the subscriptions all date at the same starting point. 
The back numbers will of course be sent to added names. 
AaiotSacr Exti-n —Lest any ol 
our jealous contemporaries should not be so prompt, as 
they were last year, to inform the unobserving readers of 
any slight change in size of this journal, we would direct 
their attention to the fact that this number, like the pre 
vi'Mis one, contains 36 pages ! We add these extra pages 
in order to give the valuable prize Essay on Flax, with¬ 
out curtailing the usual variety. If any other journal 
furnishes an equal amount of valuable, original matter, 
lor the Siime money, we would be glad to see it. 
Cro’%vde4l Out.—Notwitlistanding the in¬ 
creased size of this number, the long Flax article crowds 
out a large number of “Basket” articles, already in 
type, which we will try to make loom for soon, if paper 
enough can be found in the market to print them on 
■^Vlien ?—All Snijscriptioaxs l>ate a.t 
the beginning of the volume (January), unless otherw'ise 
specially ordered, and the back numbers are forwaided. 
These are printed from stereotype plates as needed. 
Xlie CjJea"j«aa.aa Sedition of this Joair- 
nal, (Der Amerikanische Agriculturist,) contains all the 
principal articles and illustrations of the English edi 
tifMi, and. in addition, a Special Department edited by 
Hon. Frederick Muench, of Missouri, a well known and 
popular writer and cultivator. The paper ie of special 
value to all Germans who cannot read the English Ian 
guage, and particularly so to new comers from Germany. 
It is, we believe, the only such Agricultural and Horticul¬ 
tural paper published in this country. We shall be glad 
to have our readers call the attention of Germans to the 
matter. Many take this edition lor their German gar¬ 
deners and farmers. Price $2 a year; four copies $7. 
FI-iAX und Iso-^v to 
them !—We have in the printer’s hands two most 
valuable wo-rks on these subjects, giving full details of 
every part of the tieatment, from pi eparing the soil to 
harvesting and marketing the crop, being the practical 
directions of a large number of experienced cultiv.ators 
residing in different parts of the country. No equal 
works on these subjects have ever been issued. They 
will be in cheap form, on large octavo pages, with many 
illustrative engravings. Price of Flax Culture, 50 Cts. 
Hop Culture, 40. Cts. Sent post-paid, also, at these price*. 
