368 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Decbmbeb, 
/ TSie Publisliers’ Special Notice 
To All Subscribers. 
This paper fills out the subscription of a large num¬ 
ber of our readers. Several had previously paid for some 
time beyond this date, and many thousands have recent¬ 
ly subscribed for next year. Supposing that each one 
wilt remember the time his subscription ends, we do not 
incur the (now) very heavy expense of sending individ¬ 
ual notices of expiration. We believe that our past and 
future efforts to interest and instruct our readers will 
meet with a generous confidence, and that all will deem 
it profitable, and a pleasure, to renew tlieir subscriptions 
for another year, and 
joeg- AVc ask as a special favor that every 
one will attend to tlie matter promptly— now. -=©01 
X!®” We greatly desire to get the names all entered “®0l 
and regularly arranged on the different Mail “©a 
XSJS* books, ready to write the w'rappers in advance, “©a 
j(j@” preparatory to sending out the next number “©SC 
before the beginning of the year. To do this “©a 
carefully is a great work, and we desire to have “©a 
JBtg* as much as possible of it done by our old expe- “©a 
JO®* rienced clerks, who are familiar with (he books, “®a 
X)®* Post Offices, and names. It would greatly fa- “®a 
XJ®* cilitate our work if (lie names couhl all come in “©a 
XES“ at the beginning of the month, and it will usu- *©a 
XJ®- ally be just as convenient to the subscriber to “®a 
X!®“ renew when he reads this, as to defer it for a *©6. 
JO®* day, or a week, except when clubs are making “©a 
JO®- up, and oven then, additions to a club can be “®a 
XlS* sent at any time afterward at the same rales.“©a 
JO®* Will not each reader deem it a pleasure to for- “©a 
XJST ward anotlier name or two with his own ? The *©a 
Xigx. new readers thus secured will doubtless be ben- “®a 
1!!®=. efited, and we shall feel obliged by the act. “©a 
’CS=. Those not members of other Clubs can reduce “©a 
; the cost to lliernselves by making up a Club “©a 
HkS,, of four for $5; or, ten for $12, etc. “©a 
Never ISefore have we dared, or been able, to 
promise so much for a future volume, as we can now 
promise for the Agriculturist for 1866—the 2.3tli volume. 
We mean to make this Quarter-Century Volume one 
unequaled in value. Our advertising patronage is now 
so large that we are able to pay for the best help, the best 
information, the best engravings, etc., that can be ob¬ 
tained in the country. We expect to expend about $1000 
for every number of the paper on the reading matter alone, 
before it goes to the printers’ hands—in collecting, sifting, 
condensing, and preparing information, engravings, etc. 
The editorial force already engaged will equal inability 
and number tlrat of half a dozen or more other good 
Journals. Elsewhere we announce a valuable addition to 
our editorial force. The business is all systematized, and 
two heads instead of one will be employed in overseeing 
it, leaving the long-time Editor and Publisher much more 
leisure than in the past five years to devote to the editorial 
columns. Every subscriber will actually receive back 
what costs as much as his subscription money, that is, we 
shall expend in preparing and issuing the paper all the 
money received for subscriptions. We know the next 
volume will be an e.xceedingly valuable and interesting 
one, and we invite all our present readers not only to 
renew their subscriptions now, but also to make known 
its character and prospects to their friends and neighbors, 
and invite them to become readers. 
Respectfully, ORA3NGE JUDD & CO. 
------ 
Ssive tlie Siirtex—Stitcli tlie 
kci’M.—Every copy of this month’s p.aper contains a 
loose, four-page sheet, which gives a Title Page to the 
Volume, and a full Table of the Contents. We put in this 
extra sheet at a large expense (at present cost of paper), 
to save trenching upon the reading pages, which are 
thus left as full as ever. It is inserted unstitclicd, so as 
to be conveniently removed, and placed at the beginning 
of the volume, in binding or stitching, and should be 
carefully preserved, or }t may get lost. Tlioso w ho do 
fiot bind the volumes, n)ay preserve tiic jiymbers iii 
a convenient form for reference, by laying them to. 
gether in order, and after making a hole through the 
backs with an awl, or any sharp point, fasten them with 
strong thread, put through several times. Pieces of paste¬ 
board, or of any thick paper, may be used for a cover, if 
desired. A few moments work will fix up a valuable 
volume for reference, and prevent the loose numbers 
from being lost, or being used by Biddy for “kindlings.” 
See Publishers’ other Notices on page 364. 
Useliil Hooks. —Since writing tire above, we 
concluded to insert with the index a list of some of our 
good books, to which we invite attention. Farmers can 
not read too much about their business. If a book 
furnishes a single hint that saves an animal, that in¬ 
creases the product of a whole field by only a bushel or 
two per acre, that saves ten dSlars in building, or other¬ 
wise, of course it is a good investment, and there are few 
books that will not do so much. Besides, it adds to one’s 
satisfaction, and lightens his toil, if by reading he ac¬ 
quires more information, and a larger store of thoughts. 
He thus sees more in the rocks, the stones, the soil, and 
the plants he works among. Let the young people see 
and read books and papers on the business of the farm, 
and they will esteem it higher, and be more contented 
at home. Gifts for yie Holidays may well be selected 
from these books. 
Two Excellesat Annuals.—We are hap¬ 
py to announce in press, and to be published this month, 
two very valuable Annuals, both of which are worthy of 
a place in the hands of every cultivator in the country, 
viz: The Register of Rural Adairs,by John J. Thomas, 
Associate Editor of the Country Gentleman, and the 
Rural Annual, by Joseph Harris, hitherto Editor of the 
Genesee Farmer, but henceforth on (he American Agri¬ 
culturist, (as noticed on page 364). The two works are 
entirely different, and are both filled with excellent prac¬ 
tical matter. Editions of each are issued at the Agricul¬ 
turist Office. Rural Register, 30 cents ; Rural Annual, 
25 cents. Sent by mail post-paid at the same prices. 
^ I ' I 
The Agriculturist Strawberry. 
In sending out many tens of thousands of a new plantto 
as many different people, it was to be expected that some 
would be disappointed, either through their own want 
of skill, or from causes entirely beyond the control of 
any one. As some would never succeed with any 
kind of a plant, their failures are not surprising, but 
there are instances in which the plants sent out failed 
this year to multiply, and these deserve notice. We 
have for some time kept a file of all the favorable and 
unfavorable reports concerning the strawberry, and are 
glad to know that it has generally done so well. The 
following is selected as a specimen of the complaints : 
“ My strawberry plant was received about the middle of 
May, and it has grown to a large plant, covering nearly 
the space of a half bushel, but no runners have .appear¬ 
ed.” And of course the writer wishes to know what is 
the matter. Strawberries make two kinds of branches, 
short branches arising erect from the main stock, and 
long slender ones which lie upon the ground. In the 
first case the plant forms “ stools,’’ and in tire second, 
“runners.” Plants do not generally do both largely, and to 
induce them to stool, we clip off the runners. The 
“Agriculturist” has a remarkable tendency to form 
large stools, and though it usually makes abundant run¬ 
ners, there seems to have been some peculiarity .about 
the past season which directed its energies, in many pla¬ 
ces, to multiplying its upright rather than its running 
branches—to stool rather than to run. We ascribe this 
to season ratJier than to soil, for the reason that plants 
on tire same ground where they ran abundantly last 
year, have done nothing but stool. We know of no help 
in these cases but good culture and p.atience. That (hey 
are the exceptions, and not the general rule even this 
season, we are convinced. We give now' some instances 
in which the plant has multiplied abundantly; Mr. E. 
W. Clark called to say that he had one plant last fall, 
which produced 426 young ones, and in running covered 
a bed 4 feet by 2'2 feet, almost entirely. Mr. G. Herbert, 
a strawberry grower of Peekskill, N. Y., says : “ I con¬ 
sider it the most vigorous plant I ever saw.” H. G. Sa¬ 
bin, Milwaukie, Wis., put out tw'o plants last spring, 
and on Sept. 11th he writes: “they have now increased 
to 132, and before winter I think I shall have double the 
number.” Mr. G. L. Brunton, Centralia, Ill., set out 
one plant May Isl, and Sept. 10th had 140 young plants. 
Mr. Win. Parry, of Cinnaminson, N. J., well known ns 
a gentleman of largo experience in fruit culture, writes 
as follows I “The first plant we had was r.ither dry and 
unpromising when it arrived, and in order to promote a 
rapid grow th, it was treated to a double dose of guana, 
which completed the wprk, and tire plant failed tq make 
a start. Another lot of 300 were obtained in bad order^. 
many of them having but little, if any, vitalily w hen spti 
out; less tlian one-third of them survived, but those that 
lived are now making a fine growth and spreading well' 
on heavy loam land. Anotlier lot of 500 were received 
from Mr. Carpenter in good order, and planted on>. 
light sandy soil, four feet apart, in rows six feet from' 
eacli other, allowing 24 square feet for each plant. The 
whole surface is now literaly covered, so as to make it 
difficult to walk among them without treading on the 
plants. It far surpasses in vigorous growth any otlier 
strawberry we have similarly treated, except its parent, 
the Green Prolific. It promises to be well .adapted to 
our light sandy land, where most of the large fruited va¬ 
rieties, such as Triomphe de Gand and others, proved 
worthless — H. Johnson, Windham Co., Conn., reports 
250 plants from one plant received and set in open ground. 
Sept. 3d, 1864 Last spring 37 berries set on the original 
plant. Its crown (Nov. 6), started new flow ers and fruit, 
one berry as large as a walnut-Others report similar 
results, and we have received from different persons a 
number of specimens of autumnal fruit, the result doubt- 
les of the warm, dry season. 
History of a Loaf of Bread, (page 376.) 
We have the gratification of presenting to our readers 
the final picture of the series which we have named the 
“ Pictorial history of a loaf of bread.” Such a picture is 
the product of the combined talent and skill of artist, en¬ 
graver, and printer, each of whom owes to the others, we 
may say, everything of success. The artist, Mr. Gran¬ 
ville Perkins, faithfully studied his theme in all its de¬ 
tails, conceived the beautiful scene which he makes the 
centre piece, placed it upon the boxwood block, sur¬ 
rounding it by the frame work of appropriate vignettes, 
which illustrates the eventful history. He has managed 
his lights and shades so as not only to bring out the gen¬ 
eral features of the scene, but to impress every one with 
the cheerful warmth of the sun-shine, the coolness of 
the shadowy recesses of the brook, and (he babbling, 
dancing lightness of the liberated waters, which have- 
done their work and are free to play. This is what is; 
called “ feeling ” in a picture ; it is a reflex of the soul of 
the artist, and is by no means a purely mechanical art. 
The engraver takes the block, and he must c.atch the- 
feeling of the artist; he must know the style of engrav¬ 
ing which the paper will bear, how to produce his effects; 
with such lines as will print well, and with the very con¬ 
siderable rapidity necessary for us. Had he failed to 
catch the feeling, though he might have taken great pains, 
and placed his own name, as he has done on the cut, Mr. 
Perkins would very wisely have insisted that the initials 
“G. P.” should be taken off. Finally, the printer has to 
study every picture, to see which p.arts are intended to 
print heavy, and which light, and by what is called over¬ 
laying, so to regulate the pressure that more or less ink 
will be taken up by the different parts, that the lines shall 
not be hard and black, nor faint and imperfect, and so 
that the drawing, delicate shading, and the pervading 
feeling shall be preserved and placed upon the paper. 
In the October picture we left the corn threshed and in 
bags. If a grist is sent to mill direct from the farm, the 
good housewife may soon be kneading and moulding her 
white loaves from the new wheat; but the bread which 
most people eat lakes a longer course. There is an im¬ 
mense inland commerce which exists in a great measure 
solely to convey the western wheat to eastern markets. 
This is shown in the upper right-hand corner ; while in 
the opposite corner, the great foreign commerce in bread- 
stuffs is indicated, where the floating transfer Elevator is 
taking the cargo of a canal boat and placing it on board 
the ship at the wharf. All the various transferrences, 
storages, cleansings, kiln-dryings, etc., are managed by 
thousands of merchants, who employ millions of capital, 
and for their convenience, in the great cities, they asso¬ 
ciate themselves in so called produce exchange boards. 
In New York, they meet daily in the fine building on 
Whitehall-st., known as (he Produce Exchange, repre¬ 
sented on the right side of the page. Here transactions 
amounting to millions of dollars in a single day are made, 
the corn (wheat, barley, oats and Indian corn), flour, etc., 
being sold by sample. On the opposite side of the pic¬ 
ture, we see some of the great flour and grain stores, 
and below this, we look in upon the two floors of a city- 
bakery. The point which is of e.special interest to the 
printer, (who may be at the extreme end of this chain of 
events, the farmer being at the other,) is quaintly indica¬ 
ted by the youthful Franklin in Philadelphia, trudging 
along with his two loaves, taking his first breakfast in 
the Quaker City. Our artist appropriately crowns his 
picture with a group of fancy and substantial soi ls of 
bread, twists, rolls, brelzels, hard-bread, cake, etc., be¬ 
sides the queenly, frosted and ornamented bride’s cake. 
The ))icture in all its details furnishes a pleasing and 
instrucliye subject to study. * 
