1866.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
3S9 
]2(DYS <k 
“Where «lo the Weeds Come From ?” 
Many a boy has asked this as, for the fourth or fifth 
time in the season, he has bent over the onion or straw¬ 
berry bed, ami taken out every one that sliowed its head 
above the surface. But they won’t stay pulled up. In a 
few days another crop is ready to try the industry and 
patience of the young gardener. No wonder many peo¬ 
ple have thought weeds were in some mysterious way cre¬ 
ated in the soil. But we know tliat every one comes from 
a seed wliicli in some manner has found its way into the 
eartli. and waited, sometimes for years, for a favorable 
time to sprout and send up a plant to provide anotlier sup- 
plyof seeds. It is wonderful how these inanimate things, 
having no power to carry tliemselves, manage to travel 
to new homes, even to emigrate to new countries. The 
dandelion, the tliistle, and other seeds furidshed wiih 
downy appenilages, ride upon the wind, and may be car¬ 
ried miles before finding a resting place. Sorne seeds, 
like those of the burdock, and cockle, have strong little 
hooks ready to lay hold of the first man or animal tliat 
brushes past them, and are thus transported to otiicr 
fields. Some seeds are good swimmers, or rather float¬ 
ers, and the currents in the streams and even of the 
ocean bear them safely to foreign lands. The seed pods 
or vessels of some plants are made so that they fly open 
■ with a snap when the seeds are fully ripe, and scatter 
them over the ground. The seed of«the Sand Box Tree, 
described in the Agriculturist of June, 18G.5, is contained 
in a sort of spring box, which explodes with a bang like 
a musket, and sends tlie seeds flying in every direction. 
Some seeds are strongly affected by moisture and dryness, 
when dry they are curled up, when wet, they straighten 
out; this gives them a rolling motion which moves them 
at almost every change of weather. The animated oat, 
and the species of geranium called “ Stork’s bill,” are 
examples of this kind. The birds swallow many seeds, 
and deposit tliem uninjured in new places; in tliis way 
some plants find their way to distant islands. When we 
find so many ways in which seeds may be carried about, 
and wlien it is remembered that many of them may be 
for years buried in the soil, and yet retain their life, we 
need not wonder that they spring up almost everywhere. 
If the boys will pull up all the weeds in the garden before 
they go to seed, they will not only keep their own prem¬ 
ises pretty clear, and have less such work to do each 
year, but they will also help their neighbors, and thus be 
doing some good in the world. 
One Way to get an Autograph. 
A correspondent of the Boston Advertiser tells the fol¬ 
lowing story : I have seen an album which contains tlie 
following inscription on one of its pages : “ Treason is 
the greatest crime .— Winfield Scott. Washington, D. 
C; August, 1861.” The name is written in the stiff char¬ 
acters so well known, but the motto is traced in a much 
bolder and more forcible liand. The album is the prop¬ 
erty of a New York lady, who visited the city at the ex¬ 
tra session of Congress in 1861. She w as very anxious 
to get the old General’s autograph, but soon learned that 
it was not an easy thing to do. She, however, hit upon 
the expedient of sending her little girl, of about ten years, 
right to his office during business hours. 
The child told the orderly that she must see General 
Scott-and she would not be put off with any plea of bus¬ 
iness but wailed half an hour, till her request was finally 
taken to the Adjutant, Of course, she was admitted to 
his presence, though he had no intention of allowing her 
to see the General, She persisted, however, and said 
she must see him. The officer finally pointed out the 
door which led to his room, and told her that she could 
go in if she dared, Slie took him at his word, and in an 
instant stood within the door. Speaking of it afterward, 
she said she was afraid when he first looked up, “but 
when he saw it was only me, he said right pleasant. 
‘ Well, little girl, w hat do you want V and I tohl him my 
ma wanted him to write his name in her book; and he 
looked sharp at me, and then smiled a little bit, and then 
shook hands with me, and asked me who my ma was, 
and told him, and I told him my pa was in the army, 
and my ma was all alone with me ; and then he just 
kissed my cheek and wrote in ina’s book, and said ‘Good 
morning,’ to me, and I came out, and nobody didn’t hurt 
me at all.” 
New and Fsefjsl Sport. 
A subscriber to the Agriculturist, Mr. Alexander Gor¬ 
don, Woodbury, Conn., has just described to us his way 
of catching flies, which we think may furnish lively 
sport to the children—almost as good as fishing or catch¬ 
ing butterflies. Make a bag of millinet or mosquito net¬ 
ting, .about three feet long, the upper part just wide 
enough to fit nicely to the flat hoop of a flour barrel; the 
lower part is narrowed down to a point, making the 
whole funnel shaped. Tack it it securely to a lioop, and 
fasten the hoop to an old broom handle or other conve¬ 
nient stick. Now you have a net whiclF you can sweep 
around in the rooms and take nearly every fly. When 
caught with .a rapid motion they wil fly to the narrow 
end, and when enough are taken, give it a twist to con¬ 
fine them, place them in a basin, and a little boiling wa¬ 
ter will instantly convert them into good chicken feed. 
An Amusing; Play. 
Let two or more boys each take a stick—an old broom¬ 
stick is just the thing, and place it under their knees, 
w ith their arms passed under it, and hands clasped in the 
position shown in the engraving. Each is then to try 
and push his neighbor off his feet, the hands remaining 
clasped. The effect is quite comical, and makes much 
sport. A clean grassy spot should be chosen for this. 
’Tlie “Crook.’’— “ My dear friends,’’ said a return¬ 
ed missionary at one of the late anniversary meetings, 
“ let us .avoid sectarian bitterness. The inhabitants of 
Hindoostan, where I have been laboring for many years, 
h.ave a proverb that ‘thougii you bathe a dog’s tail in oil, 
and bind it in splints, yet you cannot get the crook out of 
it.’ Now, a man's setdarian bias is simply the crook in 
the dog’s tail, which cannot be eradicated ; and I hold 
that everyone should be allowed to wag his own peculi¬ 
arity in peace !” 
A Pntcliman’s Temperance licctnre.— “ I 
shall tell you how it vas. I put mine hand on mine head, 
and there was von pig bain. Then I put mine hand on 
mine pody and there vas anoder. There vas very much 
pains in all mine pody. Then I put mine hand in mine 
pocket, and there vas noting. So I jined mit de temper¬ 
ance. Now there vas no more pain in mine head. The 
pains in mine pody was all gone away. I put mine hand 
in mine pocket, and there vas twenty dollars. So I shall 
shtay mit de temperance.” 
Puzzle ibr tlie Eyes. 
We present herewith another puzzle picture in which 
our young readers will be pleased to discover the differ¬ 
ent figures, and find out what they are doing. Those 
who have examined our previous pictures of this kind 
will probably readily see wh.at is intended, as the solu¬ 
tion of one is a key to all similar designs. As we only 
print the names of those sending answers to the prob¬ 
lems, etc., in the “ Puzzle Column,’’ our young friends 
need not tell us wlien thev succeed in making this out. 
An old ielloTV, who took part in the late great re¬ 
bellion, was one day tioasting in the village tavern to a 
crowd of admiring listeners, of his many bloody exploits, 
when he was interrapted by the question;—“I say, old 
Joe, how may rebs did you kill during the war?”- 
“ How many did I kill. Sir ? how many rebs did I kill ? 
Well I don't know just ’zactly how many ; but I know 
this much—I killed as many of them as they did ’o me 
Answers to Problems nnd Pnzzles. 
The following are answers to the Puzzles, etc., in the 
August number, I'age 295. No. ‘219. Scripture Riddle : 
Asa, Nun, Noon, Aziza, Anna.. No. 220. Illustrated 
Rebus: First in war, first in peace, and first in the 
hearts of his countrymen .No. 221. Mathematical 
Problem : 3 hours, 23 minutes too fast-No. 2'22. Illus¬ 
trated Rebus : Beware, indulge not over much in sleep, 
for fear penury over take you ... No. 223. Farmers' Enig¬ 
ma : The American Agriculturist _No. 224. Enigma: 
Wood-house — No. 218. Prize Problem, July number, 
page 263 ■ Answer. 13918 L-taa feet. 
‘ ° na? 
The following have sent in correct answers to puzzles : 
Daniel Frohman, Alattie Rankin, T. Spoon, Esq., Rufus 
H. Roys, Frank A. Lawrence, B. J. Hammer, B. Jones, 
J. C. Brantigam, C. E. Amidon, Harry J. Meixell, L. A. 
Dale, Levi Capp, Emily L. Adams, J. H. Barr, C. A. 
Hege, Carrie F. Hedges, E. L. Bouton, George M. Hun¬ 
ter, S. C. Ware, Herman, Lizzie and Jennie Cook, Hessie 
E. Reynolds, J. L. Purdy, Isaac F. Tillinghast. 
New Puzzles to be Answered. 
No. 225. Word Puzzle.—T\\e name of a distinguished 
rebel contains five letters. From the letters of his name 
may be formed. 1st, his occupation ; 2d, his character ; 
3d, his offspring ; 4th, his first victim . 5lh, how he ob¬ 
tained this victim , 6th, the sentence pronounced upon 
the victim and himself. Who was the rebel ? 
o 
No. 226. Illustrated Rebus. —A very popular proverb. 
No. 227. Word Puzzle. —Worth 20 shillings, I measure 
45 inches, and my name represents 500, What is the word? 
No, 228. Conundrum. —When is music like a vegetable ? 
PUZZLE PICTURE.—NO EARTHLY SWEET WITHOUT A STING. 
