1866.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
97 
$50 in Prizes for tlie Isag-esiioiis. 
The editor of the Puzzle Department believes some of 
the readers-of the .ds-ricu/tarist capable of solving every 
fair puzzle or probi.em, as none have yet been propound¬ 
ed to them, which they have not finally answered. 
^Among so many ingenious minds there are undoubtedly 
many capable of constructing interesting puzzles. To 
drow out this talent and make it available for our read¬ 
ers, we oifer the following 
CASM PRIZES; 
1. For the best Mechanical Puzzle, Twenty Dollars. 
The wire puzzle, Vol. XXIV, page 255, and the string puz¬ 
zle, Vol. XVIII, page 58, will give an idea of what is 
wanted. Let us see if an American Puzzle can not be 
Invented which .shall equal the celebrated Chinese Puz¬ 
zle of wires and rings. 
2. For the best Arithmetical Problem, Ten Dollars. 
3. For the best Hieroglyphical Rebus, Ten Dollars. 
4. For the best Riddle or Enigma, Five Dollars. 
5. For the best Conundrum, Five Dollars. 
N. B.—In all cases the name of the author and the 
answer must accompany each puzzle or problem. All 
contributions must be received before March 1st; and 
the sooner the better. A competent committee will de¬ 
cide on the merits of the contributions, and the winners 
of the prizes will be announced as soon as practicable. 
No prize Vvill be awarded, unless in the judgment of the 
committee the best contributions are worthy of publica¬ 
tion. The proprietors of the Agriculturist are to have 
the sole right to publish any or all of the matter contrib¬ 
uted. Now then, let us liave some productions that 
would have astonished even the ancient Sphynx. 
• Our Holiday — (See page 28.) 
Let us read and enjoy this beautiful picture together. 
First there is old Santa Claus, seated on his throne, the 
ruling spirit of the holidays. He visits most houses on 
Christmas eve, but we have sometimes known him to 
wait until New-Year’s—perhaps because he could not get 
around in time, for, you know, he has a world of work to 
do. How he gets through withjt all, we can not tell, but 
“ when there’s a will, there's a way,” and you can see 
from his jolly face in the picture, that he has the will to 
make all the children happy. How delighted are those 
two little chicks in the corner, who have started up at 
the first peep of daylight, and are rejoicing at the over¬ 
flow of good things from Santa Claus’ store, right into 
their bed-room. No yawning, and turning over, and rub¬ 
bing of eyes this morning, but they’ll be out of bed with 
a spring and a shout. Who's that haggard, care-stricken 
figure on the left? He looks as though he h.ad seen much 
trouble. And indeed he has. It is the Old Year, 1865. 
The small pictures in the corners near him show some 
of the sights he witnessed. . Many a family had to fly from 
their burning home, pursued by a foe as pitiless as the 
raging flame. Many a noble heart was stilled forever by 
the hot strife that treason had provoked, and thousands 
more languished in hospitals, suffering from wounds 
aimed at freedom. But that is all past now, and we 
gladly turn to the other side, of the picture, where the 
bright New Year comes with gladness in his face, to 
make the world happy. In New-York, and in most large 
cities in this country, New-Year’s Day is celebrated by 
gentlemen catling upon their friends, as tlie artist has 
represented. It is a pleasant custom, and would be still 
more so, if all would agree to have no intoxicating drink 
Upon their refreshment tables. We can’t make a hun¬ 
dred thousand and more calls upon our readers, so we 
send this our card, wishing them all a Happy New Year, 
and so far as possible, we shall help to make every home 
in the land as pleasant as that in the corner of the picture. 
Tlie Hear Tree aad 4lae Grape 'Wiae. 
A young pear tree and a grape vine were planted be¬ 
side a wall in a garden. Being in an’ out-of-the-way 
place, they were left to grow pretty much as they pleased, 
and according to its nature the grape vine sent out its 
branches in every direction, .md with its finger-like ten¬ 
drils grasped every object within its reach. Thus it soon 
looked wild and straggling, and perhaps merited ihe re¬ 
proach which the pear tree cast upon it one day. “See,” 
said the tree, “ How I am rising into the sunshine, while 
you grovel on the ground'among coarse low-bred w'qeds.” 
And the vine could hardly help admiring the tall slender 
shootsi straight as an arrow,.growing so vigorously upon 
ihe tree ; but it quickly replied, “ I am not too proud to 
associate with my neighbors.” The tree felt the im¬ 
plied rebuke, and said nothing more at that time. In the 
fall when frost came, the tree being more exposed, first 
felt its biting effects ; 'ils leaves quickly withered and fell, 
while the grape .vine being more sheltered, yet remained 
green. Then it taunted the pear tree’, “ Lowly comfort 
is better than miser.able pride,” it said—but its triumph 
was short, for soon it too was despoiled of beauty. ’ Win¬ 
ter came and the vine, protected by the wall, suffered lit¬ 
tle from cold, but the tender shootsiof the tree were se¬ 
verely nipped. One day, however, a terrible storm pros¬ 
trated part of the garden wall, and the grape vine was 
fearfully mangled by the falling rubbish. In spring both 
tree and vine felt humbled, and as they put forth their 
leaves they gladly greeted each other, and remained firm 
friends the whole season, so that a new shoot from the 
vine twined among the branches of the tree, and when 
autumn came, there hung a rich cluster of grapes beside 
a beautiful golden pear. One day the gardener noticed 
this, and calling his son, pointed out to him liow the 
partial freezing of the shoots of the pear and the injury- 
done by the wall to the vine had so pruned their exces¬ 
sive growth, that both had now for the first time borne 
fruit. Then as he worked with his pruning knife to 
bring them both to'better shape and greater fruitfulness 
he said, “ See how-seeming misfortune may prove a real 
blessing.” I was just thinking also replied the boy, how 
misfortunes will make friendships, for see how the new 
shoots that bore the fruit both came from the parts that 
liad been most injured ; and if some of our thoughtful 
boys and girls had been there, they would probably 
have said, that suffering may also teach forbearance 
and charity, and perhaps they would have thought of 
other good lessons which this short history conveys. 
A Tittle Boy Moves a Great Sliip. 
We have somewhere read thatat an English dockyard, 
a great ship was to be launched ; an immense multitude 
assembled to see it glide down the slides that were to 
carry it into the water. The blocks and wedges were 
knocked away, but the massive hull did not stir, and there 
was much disappointment. Just then a little boy ran 
forward and began to push the ship with all his might. 
The crowd broke out into a laugh of ridicule, but it so 
happened that the vessel was almost ready to move, the 
few pounds pushed by the lad were only needed to start it, 
and away it went into the water. This teaches an im¬ 
portant lesson to every boy and girl. You often think 
that the little you can do, is of no account. You don’t know 
that. A little word, a kind act, however small, may be, 
and often is, the turning period in one’s own history, and 
often of great importance in its influence upon others. A 
good deed, or the resistance of a .temptation, may start 
up good thoughts in the mind of a playmate, which may 
suggest other thoughts and deeds. The train of thought 
in one’s mind, is like a train of cars. The little frog or 
tongue on the track, no larger than your finger at its 
point, may direct the locomotive upon the right track, or 
if wrongly placed, it may turn the engine aside and hurl it 
down a steep bank to fearful destruction. So the smallest 
word or deed may start the mind on a right or wrong 
track. Dear young friends, your little words, little 
thoughts and little deeds are important. Strive earnestly 
to be right, noble, generous, at all times, in secret and in 
public. I^hen in the future we come to see the great 
map of human actions and influences spread out, it will 
then be foumi that you are d.aily and hourly exerting an 
influence that is telling upon the character of your 
brothers, sisters, playmates, upon your pa'ents, upon all 
you come in contact with. Give a good push at the ship, 
do a good deed, no matter how trifling, whenever and 
wherever you can, and trust to God for the result. 
Am Impromptu Imvemtiom. 
After Arkwright had invented the spinning jenny, he 
was much annoyed by the fibres of cotton slicking to 
the rollers, preventing" their running smoothly. Mr 
Strutt, inventor of the stocking frame, who was one of 
the first to properly appreciate the spinning frame, no¬ 
ticed this defect, and Arkwright confessed that he had 
tried in vain to remedy it. “ I think I can cure it,” said 
•Mr. Strutt, “but it must be on'condition of sharing the 
profits.” Arkwright at once agreed to the terms, and 
Strutt immediately took a piece of chalk from his pocket, 
rubbed the roller thoroughly, and asked his companion 
to try the effect. The success was comp'lete ; the cling¬ 
ing of the cotton fibre was-instantly at an end. The 
simple remedy had attained ,its object, the reward was 
earned, and thus Strutt became the partner of Arkwright. 
Grigim ol" Cast Iron Mamufactisres. 
It is related that about the year 1700, one Abraham 
Darby, the proprietor of a brass foundry at Bristol, Eng¬ 
land, experimented in trying to substitute cast iron for 
brass, but without success until the following incident 
occurred ; A tVelsh shepherd boy named John Thomas, 
rescued a flock of his master’s'sheep from a snow drift, 
and later in the same spring, during heavy rain and the 
melting of the snow, he swam a river to drive home a 
herd of mountain cattle. Having collected them, on his 
return he found the stream had increased to a boiling 
torrent. He nevertheless crossed it on the back of an 
ox and brought home the whole herd in safety. As a re¬ 
ward for his courage, his master gave him four of the 
sheep which he had saved. He sold the wool to buy bet¬ 
ter clothing, and with the money obtained for the sheep, 
traveled to Bristol to seek his fortune. To prevent being 
impressed as a soldier, he requested his ma.'ter to recom¬ 
mend him as an apprentice to a relative who was one of 
the partners of Abraham Darby, and he was accordingly 
sent into the brass works, until he could find J^etter em¬ 
ployment. As he was looking on while the workmen 
were trying to cast iron, he said to Darby, he thought he 
saw how they had missed it, and begged to try a method 
of his own. He and Mr. Darby remained alone in the 
shop that night, and before morning they had cast an 
iron pot. He was at once engaged to remain and keep 
the secret, which he did faithfully, although double wages 
were offered him by other parties. For .more than one 
hundred years after that night, the process of producing 
iron castings in a mould of fine sand with two wooden 
frames and airj holes, was practised and kept secret at 
that factory, with plugged key-holes and barred doors. 
IVitty Teisspes’aiice Men. 
Several clergymen traveling together, were much an¬ 
noyed by a fellow who 'had been drinking, but who 
feigned much of his drunkenness, that he might more 
readily attack the ministers. Standing near them he 
remarked, “ Well, it’s singular, yes it is, that I never get 
drunk only when in the comi>any of ministers.” He re¬ 
peated something like this, when one of the gentlemen 
turned upon him, asking “ Do you know the reason for 
it ?” “ No,” replied the fellow, “ perhaps you can tell 
me.” “ Because,” said the clergyman, “when with such 
company you get all the drink to yourself.’’—This recalls 
the anecdote of Horace Greeley, who was once met at 
a railroad depot by a red faced individual that shook 
him warmly by the hand. “ I don’t recognize you,” said 
Mr. Greele.y.—“ Why, yes, you must remember how we 
drank brandy and water together at a certain place.” 
This amused the bystanders who knew Mr. Greeley’s 
strong temperance principles. “ Oh, I see,” replied Mr. 
G., dryly. “ You drank the brandy, and I drank the 
water.” On another occasion th.e philosopher’s wit si¬ 
lenced some of his office associates. Mr. Greeley had 
given an account of a wine dinner, and wrote that the 
party had indulged in Heidseck and Champagne, these 
both being names for the same kind of wine. His asso¬ 
ciates laughed heartily at-his mistake, which they point¬ 
ed out to him. “Did I write it so,” said he, with a 
good natured smile, “ well I reckon I’m the only man 
in this office who could have made such a mistake.” 
A Sutl«lem Clwre. 
A professed thief named Dugald M’Caul, in the High¬ 
lands of Scotland, went out on an excursion one night 
accompanied by a young man who was learning the 
same trade. The latter was to take a sheep, while 
M’Caul was stealing kale, and both were to meet in a 
neighboring church yard, where they would not be likely 
to be molested, as the place was said to be haunted. 
M’Caul arrived first and sat upon one of Ihe gravestones 
waiting for his companion. In a neighboring farm-house 
a crippled tailor happened to be at work, and the conver¬ 
sation having turned upon the ch'urch yard being haunt¬ 
ed, he taunted some young men present with cowardice, 
saying that he would readily go if he were not lame. 
Upon this a young man offered to carry him there upon 
his back, which the tailor agreed to, and they were soon 
at the place, M’Caul heard them, and supposing his 
companion had arrived with the sheep, inquired, “ Is he 
fat?” “ Fat or lean, there he is for ye,” replied the ter¬ 
rified young man, throw ing down the tailor and running 
away at full speed. Upon his return at the farm house, 
to the astonishment of all, he found tlie tailor close at his 
heels—his fright had given him the use of his legs, and 
his lameness was permanently cured. 
“Hotr do Yom Tilce It?” 
This is a pleasant game for the fireside, and may be 
played by any number of persons. One is sent from the 
room, add the remainder of the company select some 
word. The absent one is then called in, and proceeds to 
discover the word by asking of each person these three 
questions : “ How do you like it ?” “When do you like 
it?” “Where will you put it?” The word- cliosen is 
usually one having two or more meanings, so that the 
answers may be made "as puzzling as possible. Thus : 
suppose the word to .be “ Butt," which may mean a 
hinge, a cask, or a stroke with the head. The questioner 
asks, how do you like it, “To turn easy,” replies one, 
“■Very large,” answers another, “ Not at all,” answers a 
third.—When do you like it ?—“ When I am building,” 
“When I am packing,” would be correct answers.— 
Where do you like it ?—“ On a trunk,” “ In the cellar,” 
etc. When the questioner discovers the word, the per¬ 
son whose answer revealed it, leaves the room, and be¬ 
comes questioner, and thus the game continues. 
