1865.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
159 
9&u.sl<is.—One pint milk, one enp yeast, one 
Clip sugar, one cup lard, one egg. Add the egg 
and sugar after raising once. 
S*op-C!orii F'oitltlimg'.—Soak 2 quarts of 
pop-corn, broken fine, in 3 pints of milk over night; 
in the morning add 3 beaten eggs and a little salt 
and nutmeg. Bake the same as a custard. 
'JTSie dood News. 
“Richmond Is Ours!”—“Lee has Surrendered!”— 
“ Peace is Near !” These welcome words still ring in 
the ears and gladden tlie hearts of all men, vromen, and 
children. April will henceforth be more than ever a his¬ 
toric month in the Republic. It saw the fall of Sumter, 
it now hails the fall of the Confederacy. The “boys” 
will come home again, and many a household will be 
made happy. These war-worn veterans will everywhere 
be honored ; under God they have saved the country from 
Rebellion and anarchy. What stories thev will have to 
tell of camp life, of weary marches, fierce battles, and 
glorious victories. Tens of thousands of our young 
readers will share the joy which our heroes will bring 
home. “ Father is aw.ay at the war,” has often been 
noticed in the letters sent to the Agriculturist, and we 
rejoice in the happiness in store for those who will ere 
long receive their loved ones. Some, alas ! will not re¬ 
turn. They sleep in southern soil, martyrs to their 
country’s cause. A terrible price has been paid for Union 
and Liberty, but the blessings bequeathed to their country 
by those who have fallen, are beyond price. All honor 
to those who have suffered more than death in the loss 
of their heart’s treasures. None love their country better 
than those who have given most for it. and they too re¬ 
joice to know that the sacrifice has not been in vain. 
Shall these be forgotten ? If there be a soldier’s widow 
or orphan in your neighborhood, see to it that they ever 
have special regard. We shall not deserve the blessings 
of peace, if we forget to care for those by whose anguish 
it was won. And let none neglect to praise the Ruler of 
Nations, for these days of joy. We can never forget the 
scene when news of the fall of Richmond was received 
in New-York, and thousands were g.athered in Wall 
Street, the great commercial heart of the nation. After 
singing patriotic songs, listening to stirring speeches and 
cheering for hours, the whoie assembly reverently remov¬ 
ed their hats, and joined in singing again and again 
“ Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” It was a 
fitting key note for the songs of the nation. 
tlie 
How many hairs on your head ? The number varies 
with different persons ; the average is stated on good au¬ 
thority to be 293 hairs to every quarter of a square inch ; 
fi om this each can calculate somewhere near the sum of 
his own. Flaxen hairs are finest, browm and red next, 
and black the coarsest. A space containing 147 black 
would be occupied by 162 brown, or 182 flaxen hairs. 
Each hairsprings from a root imbedded in the skin. The 
outside is composed of horny scales overlapping each 
other tike shingles on a roof, though not with the same 
regularity, and these scales form a tube enclosing a mar¬ 
rowy pith. The hair of different races of men, varies in 
structure as well as in color ; thus that of the negro may 
be felted, that is, formed into a solid compact mass like 
cloth. This property is owing to the prominence of the 
scales composing it. Straight hair is nearly round, curly 
hair is more flattened, the most so in the negro, whose 
hairs are nearly flat ribbons. The different colors de¬ 
pend on minute particles of coloring matter within the 
hair; age, sickness, severe mentai exercise, or sudden 
fright may destroy the coloring matter, and cause the 
hair to turn gray. In animals having “ whiskers.” as the 
cat, tiger, rat, etc., the hairs are, supplied with nerves, 
which render them very delicate “ feelers,” by which 
they are aided in stealing on their prey. In passing 
through narrow spaces, these give notice if the opening 
be not large enough to admit the animal’s body. In some 
forms of disease the human hair becomes extremeiy sen¬ 
sitive at the roots, and liable to bleed. Frequent cutting 
causes it to grow coarser, but not more thickly, and 
those who desire to retain soft silky beards should not 
shave at all. Oils, pomades, and such pr eparations clog 
the pores of the scalp and prevent the healthy growth of 
the hair; washing the scalp with water and thoroughly 
drying with a towel, will keep it in excellent condition. 
Human hair is an important article of trade, tons of it 
being sold every year. In large districts of Europe the 
peasant girls are shorn of their locks annually, receiving 
from two to twenty dollars each for the crop. Most of 
this is used by those who can not grow enough of their 
own, some of it for making jewelry and other ornaments. 
ISe Acquainted witli yonr Neiglibors. 
Thousands of carpenters, tailors, masons, spinners and 
weavers, diggers, and other mechanics are at work In the 
country, with whom only a few persons are well ac¬ 
quainted, yet they are next door neighbors to most of our 
young readers. This is the more strange because many 
of them have very mischievous habits. We have known 
a company of them enter an orchard, attack the best 
trees, bore them full of holes and entirely destroy them. 
Others dig around the choicest vegetables and so mutilate 
the roots that they are made worthless. Fruit, vegetables 
and flowers of every kind suffer from their operations; 
whole fields of wheat are stolen, and extensive forests 
are ruined by these marauders. Of course, insects are 
the neighbors we are writing about. Every one of them 
is a most interesting object of study, and if our young 
readers will take pains enough they may find almost all 
trades represented among these tiny creatures. One kind 
of wasp is a mason, that builds a very complete mud cell 
for its young, lays its eggs, and then packs it with spiders 
which it has stung enough to benumb but not kill them; 
so that they remain torpid until the following year, when 
the young wasps hatch out and find an abundant supply 
of ready prepared fresh spiders’ meat,—just the food they 
like. Another species of wasp is a paper maker ; so is 
the hornet. A kind of bee with its tiny shears cuts out 
circular bits of leaves as true as though they were mark¬ 
ed with a pair of compasses, and uses them in construct¬ 
ing its nest. Thousands of worms and caterpillars spin 
curious bed clothing in which they tuck themselves snug¬ 
ly and sleep through the coldest winters. The common¬ 
est insect, if watched day by day, will do many things that 
will surprise and interest the observer. Some repulsive 
looking bugs, that giris and boys would either kill outright 
or run away from, are real friends in the garden, where 
they feed upon other insects that would destroy plants. 
Begin with some one common insect, watch it through 
all its changes from craw'ling caterpillar to butterfly; 
notice what it eats, study its habits, and if possible at the 
same lime read some book describing what others have 
observed about it, and you may not only find great pleas¬ 
ure, but perhaps be able to tell the world something new. 
ScSIisSamcss B^voperly BEewarfled. 
It is related of an English Judge that being about to 
hold his court at a distant point, his wife desired to ac¬ 
company him. He gave permission, provided she would 
carry no band-boxes in the carriage, as he greatly disliked 
them. The day after starting, happening to place his 
foot under the opposite seat, it struck against one of the 
forbidden articles stowed there. Without a word the 
judge seized the offending bandbox and threw- it out of 
the window. The coachman seeing it fall, stopped, and 
the footman started to pick it up. “ Drive on” ' furiously 
shouted the judge, and the box was left by the roadside. 
When at their destination, the judge proceeded to array 
himself in his robes of office, and when nearly ready 
called out, impatiently, “Now then where’s my wig?” 
“ Your lordship threw it out of the window,” was the re¬ 
ply. Probably he was a little less hasty, if not less self¬ 
ish after this occurrence. 
Advice for Bovs. —“You are made to be kind, gener¬ 
ous and magnanimous,” says Horace Mann. “ If there 
is a boy in school who has a club-foot, don’t let him know 
you ever saw it. If there is a boy with ragged clothes, 
don’t talk about rags in his hearing. If there is a lame 
boy assign him some part of the game which does not 
require much running If there is a dull one, help him 
to get his lesson.” 
My Mother. —A Sunday-school teacher, speaking one 
day to his children upon the depravity of the human 
heart, asked them if they knew any one who was always 
good. One of the class, prompted by simple and child¬ 
like affection, instantly replied, “Yes, sir,—my mother.” 
Answers to ProlKlems nnsl I*nz*Ies. 
The following are answers to the puzzles, etc., in the 
April number, page 125. No. 135. Illustrated Rebus.-~ 
Play in D eel in g eyes a jew well ; or. Plain dealing is a 
jewel.... No. 136. French Riddle, —The translation is, I 
am captain of twenty four soldiers. Without me Paris 
would be taken. Answer, the letter A: without which 
Ports would be pris (taken)....No. 137. Latin Sentences, 
—I, The horse is in the stable, but he does not eat. 2, 
Hasten mother, the sow is eating apples. 3, He fights 
battles with the fist_No. 138. Illusdrated Rebuses, — 
Fig. 1, J'aime in six lances, or J'aime in silence, which 
signifies, I love in silence. Fig. 2, Little and often fills 
the purse_No. 139. C'Aorode.^The word co-nun-drum. 
No. 140. Conundrum, —The Israelite.No. 141. Word 
Puzzle. —Pox beheaded leaves ox _No. 142. Illustrated 
Rebus.—He hoo swim e in s in will s ink in s or row ; or 
He who swims in sin, will sink in sorrow_No. 143. 
Geographical Names. —1, Liverpool ; 2, Kingston ; 3, 
Warsaw; d, Mississippi _No. 144 and 145.—No answers 
received ; try again-No. 146. Planting Problem.—The 
accompanying figure gives 
the method of placing the 
trees. The following sent 
correct answers up to April 
10th. Samuel M. Hender¬ 
son, 124, 127, 128, 133, 134; 
George H. Ensign, 128, 130; 
“ P. J. E.,” 124, 127 (the sap 
runs up); C. J. Darrah, 125, 
131; W’m. Dale, 125, 131 ; 
M. E. Dale, 124, 127 ; Charles L. Spooner, 124, 126,127, 
128, 131, 132, 133; Wm. R. Butler, 124, 127, 128, 133, 134 
John J. Collins, 124, 127, 128 ; Fleming Ratcliff, 124, 127, 
128; “Harry,” 132; “ P. B. P. & Co.,” 124, 127, 128, 
Coidelia Baker, 126, 127; George Streunnell, 124 , 127 
J. H. Getty, 119, I3I; Bernard McGinity, 127, 128, 133 , 
“ L. G. IL,” 124, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131; Royal S. Owen, 
127; D. Griffith, 117, 119, 125, 126, 128; L. F. Beard, 121 , 
Wm. F. Harvey, 124,126, 127, 128, 133, 134 ; “ Boy Farm¬ 
er,” 124; “Wilkie,” 1.36; E. Prevost, 136, 138; Annette 
B. P. Taylor, 127 ; “ Little Boy,” 121, 137 ; Isaac C. Mar- 
tiiidale, 135, 137, 138, 141. 142, 143, 146 ; Herbert Walker, 
124, 128, 130 ; W. S. Scott, 139, 141 ; Wm. Nicholson, 141; 
Albert Whitehead, 135, 142, 143; “J. D. R.,” 136, 141: 
Hasty, 141, 143; Luman Sloan, 121 ; Capt. S. Whiting, 
27 C. B. Watson, 136 ; Henry Wheeler, 139, 141. 
New I^uzzle.s to Ije Aiaswei*e«l. 
No. 147. ProWem.—Proposed by A. S. Weeks. Draw a 
--- figure like the illustration, 
each division to be square, 
and the side of the smaller 
part to be just half the side 
- of the larger portion. How 
ean this figure be cut into 3 
_ pieces, which can be placed 
to form an exact square ? 
No. 148. Curious Sentences. —Construct a question and 
answer which together will contain thirty words, more 
than half of which shall be the same word repeated, and 
half the remainder, another word repeated. 
No. 149. Illustrated Rebus, —Good advice for all. 
No. 150. Word Puzzles. —1, Behead every thing, and 
leave nothing. 2, Behead a weapon, and leave a fruit. 
3, Behead a perfume, and leave a coin. 4. Behead a seed, 
and leave a grain. 
No. 151. Anagrams. —1,A dry toil. 2, To gain rules. 
8, I call my gin tea. 4, Lo ! I read it. 
No. 152. French Riddle. —Je suis la chose du monde 
la plus sainte ; otez inon cceur, et je suis le plus amere. 
No. 153. Illustrated Rebus. —Suited to the times. 
No. 154. Mathematical Problem. —Contributed by “ H. 
N. B.” A tin pail with sloping sides measures 14 inches 
in diameter across the top, 10 inches across the bottom, 
and is 12 inches deep (perpendicularly). If 2 gallons of 
water be poured into this pail, what will be the depth of 
the water? 
No. 155. Mathematical Problem. —At the beginning of 
winter a man’s stock of animals and his hay were of 
equal value. When two sevenths of the winter were 
gone, thiee-elghths of the hay were consumed. What 
portion of his stock should have been exchanged for hay 
at the commencement of winter, so that the increased 
hay would last the diminished stock the whole winter. 
