4.20 
AMERICAN ^AG-RICULTURIST, 
[Decembek, 
they will need tbei’eafter. A good hive should last 
a life-time. If one intends to increase his bees, he 
should not forget to jirovide sufficient hives. In 
deciding tliis, let him consider if flowers are islenty 
yielding pollen during the season; if not, can they 
be sni5plied. If honey is his object (which also in¬ 
cludes an abundance of honey producing flowers), 
large boxes, without top or bottom, holding frames, 
called “ supers,” as well as boxes, will be neces¬ 
sary, though supers without boxes are often prefer¬ 
able. Non swarming hives have been patented to 
obtain large yields of surplus honej^, (still the bees 
do frequently and repeatedly swarm); their greatest 
fault is, that you lose the reproductive force of the 
hive. By using supers, into which you lift frames 
from belowg replacing them with empty ones, you 
avoid swarming and increase the working force. 
IIOMTICULTUML ANNUAL for 1861. 
An Important Work. 
This Annual is rapidly progressing, and will be ready 
before the opening of the New Year. Its phan wil! be 
different from any heretofore published in this country, 
and it will aim to be a 
B2ccor4l of llorticialtiirsii I®r®g’i’ess, 
for the year 1866, free from matters not legitimately be¬ 
longing to Horticulture. 
'File Material is all Wew, 
and not a i-eproduction of old articles that have served 
their turn elsewhere. The volume will be 
FditoeraUy Illsistratesl, 
with engravings made especially for the purpose. That 
a Year Book of Horticulture is needed, is shown by the 
readiness with wiiioh 
l>isliMg-*EisliC€l 
have contributed to its pages. Among otlier contribu¬ 
tions from experienced cultivators, there will be 
Tiic Apples of 1866, by Doct. John A. Warder, 
President of the Oiiio Slate Poniological Society, Author 
of American Pomology, etc. New Ohio Apples; New 
Indiana Varieties ; Southern Varieties fruited at the 
North, etc. Illustrated. 
New and. Notcwoi’tliy Pears, by P. Barry, 
autlior of the Fruit Garden, etc., giving descriptions of 
new varieties as well as of tlie less known ones that 
liave been fully tested. Illustrated. 
New Iledding and otliei" Plants of 1866, 
by Peter Henderson, Florist, etc. An account of the 
newer varieties of bedding and other flowering plants, and 
their success and failure during tlie past year, llltistrated. 
Tlie Kaver Pvcrgrcetis that Sia-ve Proved 
Valuable, by Tiioma.s Meehan, Editor of the Garden¬ 
er's Monthly and aullior of American Hand-book of 
Ornamental Trees. 
New Vegetables of S8G6, by Fearing Burr, Jr., 
author of American Field and Garden Vegetables ; giving 
the author’s experience with newer culinary vegetables. 
Small Fruits in 1860, by Andrew S. Fuller, 
nur.^erynian, author of tlie Grape Cullurist, Forest Tree 
Cnlturist, etc. A valuable summary of all the small fruits, 
excepting grapes. 
Mome ISecoration.s, by A. Bridgeman, Florist, 
lluvv to treat Ivy ; Hanging Baskets, Rustic Stands, etc. 
Illustrated, 
Nciv lEose.s of 1880, by John Saul, Florist, of 
Washinglon, D. C., and well known authority on Roses. 
TUc Cultivation of Slorse-ratlisll, by Peter 
Henderson, anihor of Gardening for Profit. Concise di¬ 
rections for growing this profitable crop. Illustrated. 
CJrapes in ISOO, From noles by Geo. W. Camp¬ 
bell, Delaware, Ohio, and other Grape Growers. 
Propastatinui Cirapes isi tlie Open Air, by 
'William Patrick, Terre Haute, Ind,, giving a meth¬ 
od by which tlie Delaware and oilier difficult varie¬ 
ties may be grown—without artificial heat. 
Useful Seed Table.s, by James Fleming, Seeds¬ 
man, New York, giving the amoniit of seed to the acre, 
to a given length of drill, etc. 
Oilier oonirnnnicalinns by well known aulliorilies, be- 
tsiJes a great amonnl of Editorial matter, including a 
Calendar for each month in the year, articles on Wine 
Grapes, Table Ornaments, Hodges, Farm Nurseries, Tree 
Labels, New Potatoes, List of Engravings of New Fruits 
and Flowers published in 1866. List of Works on Hor¬ 
ticulture for 1866. A Dictionary of Horticultural Terms, 
and a host of other matters of interest, both to the 
professional and amateur gardener.—Price 
Containing a great variety of Items, including many 
good Hints and Suggestiotis which loe throw into smaller 
type and condensed form, for want of space elsewhere. 
OTss-rls AH Subscriptions sent in as New, or Old. 
For Maricel; ISepoi-t, See I®age 4S1. 
—The report of the Live Stock Markets show unpre¬ 
cedented large receipts of cattle, sheep, and hogs, with a 
consequent lieavy decline in prices, though llie selling 
rates are still far above former times. Now, 15©16c. per 
lb. dressed weight for good cattle is considered very low ; 
it is not many years since 8®9c. was considered very 
high. Other farm products are even above the war prices. 
SsBEiclry ISiisitiess Stems, important this 
month, will be found on the mserted extra sheet, pages 425 
and 426.—The Title page, and Index to the volume are on 
a loose extra sheet, which should be preserved, as noted 
on page 425. These extra sheets each cost the price of 
quite a farm, on our enormous edition, at the present ex- 
horbitant prices of printing paper ; but with the generous 
patronage extended by oiir readers and advertisers, we 
can afford to make these additions instead of curtailing 
Hie reading matter in the least. 
Ifitk Kecipe — Correction.—Instead of 
the direclions on page 340 (Oct. No.) read, as corrected, 
Mr. Bull; In one gallon rain water put 2 ounces of ex¬ 
tract of logwood, and H ounce of bi-chromate of potassa. 
Heat, and when dissolved, strain, and add % ounce of 
aqua ammonia. The articles are kept by most druggists. 
'Flae Assuericasi Ag'ricsiltiiral Aiiiiiial 
will contain a brief review of the past year—notices of im¬ 
portant events, inventions, publications, etc., affecting 
the agricultural interests of the country, importations of 
Slock, introduction of new crops, etc. ; contributed ar¬ 
ticles ot an interesting and practical character, fully 
illustrated; practical iiints in regard to work, and ma¬ 
chinery, besides convenient tables, and a full almanac. 
The publication of this will be a few days later than that 
of tlie Horticultural Annual. tVe can promise articles 
from distinguished contributors, varied and practical in 
character, and a store of valuable facts for reference. 
for Profit., by Peter Hender¬ 
son. 'We hoped to be able to announce in this issue that 
this book was ready, but Hie crowd of work in Hie en¬ 
graving room has delayed the illustrations. The work is 
otherwise nearly ready, and we shall doubtless be able to 
fill Hie numerous orders by or sliortly before the new year. 
Steamiss"’ Fotlcler.—Coarse fodder maybe 
made to go a great way, with a little art. Cattle and 
horses refuse cornstalks, not. because they are not good 
feed, but because they are hard to chew, and they choose 
not to chew them. Cut up by a good stalk cutter that 
either outs them in half-inch pieces, or slices them very 
diagonally, and soaked 2i hours, wet willi hot water, 
meal and the hardest salt being added, will almost all be 
eaten. Still, steaming is better, for it does not necessitate 
keeping 24 hours’ slock of prepared feed on hand all the 
time. The most convenient steaming apparatus is prob¬ 
ably a hogshead hung in trunnions, the steam being 
passed to Hie bottom through a rubber hose from a boiler. 
With such an arrangement all kinds of fodder, straw, 
stalks, hay, roots, etc., may be cooked for cattle or swine, 
and the greatest possible economy in fodder attained. 
f>5s»asi.i"t«'%Tee«l for —A 'UTitei' in 
the Nov. Gardener’s Monthly has an article on the use of 
Smart-weed as fodder for horses. As Smart-weed is a 
very acrid plant, and will cause severe inflammations 
when applied to the skin, it struck us as rather strange 
horse food ; hut on reading the article, vve find the botani¬ 
cal name put down as Polygonum Persicaria, which is 
not Smart-weed at all, but is Lady’s-lliumb, which a 
horse might be ungallant enough to eat. Smart-weed is 
Polygonum Hydropiper. It is not often we catch oiir 
friend Meehan out in his botany, and tliis is really only a 
misapplication of common names, which aic quite apt to 
get mixed. We only picked him up for the sake of let¬ 
ting him down very gently, and congratulating him upon 
making so useful and excellent an horticultural journal. 
Its title indicates its real character as Gardener’s Monthly. 
'File CJoiMMioiB. Millcing' <H-oa.t.—“T. 
M.,” Alleghany Co., Pa., wishes information about the 
Common Goat. “How much milk will one give ? Are 
they notgood milk stock for those living near railroads 
Ans. : The quantity of milk varies greatly. There is 
a Maltese breed said to give 1 gallon per day ; 1 quart 
per day is, iiowever, not unusual, and considered a good 
quantity. Tlie goat is a very intelligent animal, and in 
little danger of harm from locomotives, boys, or dogs. 
The milk is held in Eastern countries to be better than 
cow’s milk for those affected by miasmatic diseases (chills 
and fever, etc.), probably a mere notion. Goals are great 
nuisances, getting very familiar, and pusliing themselves 
where they are not wanted, besides they will bark any 
fruit and shade tree they can get at. 
Cows for a Small IJairy.—“ G. W. A.,” 
Morgantown, West Va., asks “What breed of cows is 
best for a small butter dairy ?” Were we to stock a yard 
with dairy cows, they should be selected willioiit refer¬ 
ence to breed from some good dairy region ; if the object 
were butter especially, we would buy besides one or two 
good Alderney cows and an Alderney bull. 
Slaeep for a Simail Floclc.—Our ques¬ 
tioner, “ G. W. A.,” asks about slieep. 'We presume his 
wish is to raise mutton for liis own table, so without liesi- 
tation we recommend the South Down as the preferable 
breed. If, however, he wishes to raise mutton to sell, 
the Cotswolds, Leicesters, or some other large long wool 
sheep might be more profitable; depending on the market. 
Msasqiiasli Slcisis.— Dealers inform us that 
prices paid last year, when there was an unusual foreiga 
demand, form no criterion to judge of the prices this year, 
which will probably rule as low as 30 to 35 cents for 
prime skins, and perhaps less.—So the fashions vary. 
Tlie Ssal>l»atli Sclao©! €|*iestiost 
BooScs, entitled “ Lessons for Every Sunday in the 
Year,” are being rapidly adopted by schools of all Chris¬ 
tian denominations tliroughout the country. They seem 
to exactly meet the wants of teachers, judging from the 
fact that over half a million copies have already been 
called for. Tliey are supplied at about cost, viz., $12 
per hundred, or $1.50 per dozen. If by mail, 4c. per 
copy extra, or 3c. each if in parcels of ten or more copies. 
Four sample copies (Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4,) will be sent post 
paid for 65 cents. Superintendents and Teachers are in¬ 
vited to examine tliese books. 
Ijomg' Ssifoscripti®!! lL.ettei*s are not 
necessary or desirable. Here is a convenient short form ; 
Washington, Johnson Co., Iowa, Dec. 1, 1866. 
Messrs. Orange Judd ^ Co., New York City : 
Enclosed are Five Dollars for the American Agricul¬ 
turist for four subscribers, to begin January \st, 1807, viz.: 
John Doe, Washington, Johnson Co., Iowa, 
Richard Roe, do, do, do. 
Peter Smith, Webster, do. do. 
S, J. Karl, Freeport, Sioux Co., Wis. (Germati). 
Yours, respectfully, John Doe. 
Seal tiglitly, and address plainly lo Orange Judd <5- Co„ 
41 Park Roiv, New York City.—Let all matters referring 
to the reading columns only, such as information given, 
notes, queries, etc., (which are always welcomed,) be on 
Si separate piece of paper, marked “for Editors,” each piece 
containing the date, name and residence of the writer. 
Iona and I.sraella Cfrafses.—W. B. 
Waldo. Both these varieties grow from cuttings in the 
open ground, but the wood is as yet too valuable to 
use in this way. 
'Fi-side Sale of CJrape Tines.—The ex¬ 
periment of a regular Trade Sale of Grape 'Vines, at auc¬ 
tion, commenced by Farsons & Co., last year, is to be 
continued this season, as will be seen by their advertise¬ 
ment. There are many advantages in this method of sup¬ 
plying Hie wants of dealers, which should lead them to 
encourage the permanence of this arrangement. 
'File Knelceye Mower.—This implement 
was selected and placed in our Premium List last year, 
and again this year, before we had the least inkling of the 
probable decision at Hie great Auburn trial. We are, of 
course, liighly gratified, on finding the propriety of our se¬ 
lection confinnecl by the result of that trial, which w’as 
far more thorough and exlianstive than anything of the 
kind previously undertaken in this country. The award 
was announced in the October Agricullurist,HQ, 
Farmers will, of course, work all the harder now to se¬ 
cure this premium. Several obtained it last year, and 
many more can do so this year.—By Hie way, our atten- 
