8 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[January, 
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Aga*icialtsai*s&l Colleges do not stand 
very high in the esteem of the Western Rural. That very 
outspoken paper, in speaking of the lack of positive 
knowledge on the utility of giving salt to animals, pays 
its attention to the colleges in this manner: “What we 
want is accurate knowledge in this direction. If our 
miscalled agricultural colleges, when they do make ex¬ 
periments, would try something useful, instead of test¬ 
ing the lifting power of a growing squash when the sides 
are cramped in a box ; or instead of ‘proving’ that cat¬ 
tle winter better without than with shelter; or in lieu of 
demonstrating that wild cattle do not become reconciled 
to being stalled for three months, while with ordinary 
stock-feeders, five or six days are enough, then these 
asylums for classical idiots and political professors -would 
stave off the impending day of reckoning between them 
and the people whose trust they have so outrageously 
abused. Pending the contemplated ‘ grab,’ by these in¬ 
stitutions, of the balance of the public lands, they would 
be doing wisely if they would find ont something of 
practical benefit to the art they were appointed to foster.” 
Cwood News from Florida.—The Flor¬ 
ida fruit-growers have had a Convention at Palatka, and 
more than that, they have formed the Florida Fruit- 
Growers Association, which is now a regularly organized 
body; its president is P. P. Bishop, of San Mateo, and 
the Corresponding Secretary, C. Codrington, of Jackson¬ 
ville. Most of the prominent fruit-growers in the State 
are members, including our friend. Col. Hardee, and 
when he is present the meeting cannot be dull. Some 
very interesting addresses were made upon practical sub¬ 
jects, and altogether the Florida fruit-growers are fairly 
upon the right track. 
TTlie 4bIaio State Blorticwiltiiral §o. 
ciety held its last annual meeting at Akron, December 
9-11. An attractive programme was offered, and we 
should have been glad to announce the meeting had we 
received notice in time, but with that moderation which 
characterizes societies of this kind, its announcement 
came to us about a week after our December number 
went to press. While we are willing and desirous to 
give notice of all such gatherings, it is rare that we are 
able to do so, the Secretaries, or those whose business it 
is, seem to care much less about the matter than we do. 
28jni”E*<'ia §tra,wl»cirrles.— 1 “ R. M.,” Phil¬ 
adelphia. You do not say how old your plants are. The 
Wilson requires more frequent renewal than some others. 
Wag-iaos Ainnricaiiics, Par P. J. Bcrck- 
mans. Such is the present interest in American 
grape-vines in France, that everything in relation to 
them is eagerly watched there. Our friend, Mr. Berck- 
mans, sent a correspondent abroad a list of our varieties, 
classified according to their origin, and was quite sur¬ 
prised to find it issued in a pamphlet form. Though not 
intended for publication, Mr. B. has no reason to regret 
its appearance, as it is a useful list of American grapes. 
Clicks a-aa«l Wlacat.—“ J. W.,” Center 
County, Pa., sends us a bit of soil containing young 
wheat plants, and proposes to show that this wheat will 
turn to chess. The Philadelphia Academy of Natural 
Sciences is just now the headquarters of Brormis and 
Ilordeum science, and the New York Weekly Tribune its 
organ. So far as we are concerned, wo are ready to ex¬ 
amine any specimens that claim to bo part wheat and 
part chess, and will pay a handsome sum for the first 
specimen which proves to be a genuine mixture, or 
shows that a wheat plant produces chess, or vice-versa. 
—“C. B. EL,” Hobart, (No State.) 
Wild Sumach is gathered, (it would not pay to cultivate 
it,) dried in the sun and sold to the sumach mills. Unless 
you are nearamill or tannery it will be difficult to sell it. 
'Files sassd. S§H*ielc.—“ H. B. S.,” Rock- 
port, O. The red color of bricks and tiles when burned 
is due to the conversion of the oxide of iron which is 
black, and gives the gray color to the clay, into the per¬ 
oxide of iron, which is red. Some clays have but little 
iron, and do not burn red; the well-known Milwaukie 
bricks are this kind. Fire bricks are made of the purest 
kind of clay, usually found in coal formations, which is 
free from every other ingredient except silica and alumina. 
Mow to Feed Parrots .— 1 “ L. T.,” Bal¬ 
timore, Md., gives his method as follows: “ Parrots, 
being tropical birds, tropical fruits and nuts are their 
favorite diet; foremost among these ranks the banana. I 
would say give your parrot bananas, pineapples, oranges, 
apples, pears, grapes, blackberries, huckleberries, Eng¬ 
lish walnuts, sliellbarks, chestnuts, or peanuts. You can 
give them biscuits made without soda, and they will live 
on plain bread and water, or the time-honored cracker, 
but if you want them in good health and plumage, give 
a mixed diet such as I have stated. Give no animal fat; 
you may occasionally let them have a little raw beef, 
but it must be lean. Follow the above, and the bird will 
live nearly, if not quite one hundred years, and can be 
taught to talk plainly provided it is an African gray par¬ 
rot, as these learn much easier than the common green 
ones. We have a bird for which $100 has been offered 
several times ; don’t think $150 would buy it.” 
!Se«! Covei-HBag-.—An unusually cold snap 
reminds us of the often published fact, that newspapers 
placed between the ordinary bed comfort, are greatly 
conducive to warmth—useful to the poor, and the rich 
need not despise it. They can use U. S. bonds. 
of tlac l>epaiftsmen4 of 
Agriculture, for 18 73.— With so industrious a 
gentleman as Mr. Dodge for editor, the Report of the 
Department can not fail to have some value. The one 
recently issued, appears to be more confined to its proper 
sphere than previous volumes, and there is a notable 
absence of the job writing and axe grinding of some 
former reports. The entomologist and chemist make brief 
reports, and the “ microscopist ” presents more of those 
figures which are a wonder to the unscientific, and the 
laughing stock of mycologists at home and abroad. 
New Woi’Ss: E&afrymesni’s Associa¬ 
tion.—The annual meeting of the N. Y. State Dairy¬ 
men’s Association met at Binghamton, N. Y., on Dec. 
9th and 10th. The meetings were largely attended, and 
many valuable papers were read, and interesting discus¬ 
sions were held upon the subjects treated. The various 
methods of making butter and cheese, and of marketing 
these products, were the chief subjects of discussion. 
The manufacture of skim-milk cheese was denounced as 
dishonest and injurious, and a committee appointed to 
report on the practicability of an experimental farm and 
station for chemical investigations. 
ILetnters we emum snot Amswcr.-We 
receive many letters of the tenor of the following, which, 
being brief and to the point, is given as a sample of the 
unanswerable : “ I know where I can buy a good farm 
for five thousand dollars; my son-in-law and myself have 
about two thousand dollars. We can buy it by paying 
one thousand dollars down. We know something about 
farming, but not much ; we are both married, and all 
strong and healthy. Do you think it advisable or not ? 
Please answer in the next Agricullm'ist .”—On general 
principles we should answer “ No.” If the writer has 
not fully made up his mind that he knows how to carry 
on a farm, or if he does not know how, is determined to 
learn in spite of all obstacles, but goes to a perfect 
stranger, who never saw him, and knows nothing about 
him, his habits, intelligence, tact, perseverance—in short, 
his character, it would be our duty to say that ho had bet¬ 
ter not undertake farming.. On the other hand, did we 
give this advice, and it were followed, it might bo the 
means of diverting a man from the occupation for which 
of all others he was best fitted. Wc do not wish to as¬ 
sume the responsibility of giving advice in matters of 
this kind. It is impossible for any one to do justice in 
such a case. If we were to ask the writer of this letter 
if we had better raise a calf or kill it, he would decline 
to answer, unless he knew something about the calf. 
Advice of the kind asked' in this letter is perfectly 
worthless, unless the one who gives it has a thorough 
knowledge of the man, his antecedents, and how he 
manages his present business; if lie is unthrifty now, he 
is likely to be much more so on a farm. It is one of the 
peculiarities of human nature that it makes up its mind, 
and then asks advice. If the advice of a stranger will 
affect his decision in any way, this man is not likely to 
succeed as a farmer—for the next stranger may advise 
him to do some absurd thing with his farm. Of all men, 
the farmer needs to be self-reliant, and while he is ever 
ready to learn, he should be able to decide for himself. 
While some persons would live comfortably upon a desert 
island, others would be poor at the end of 10 years, if they 
had the best stocked farm in the country given to them 
free, and we must decline giving advice in all such cases. 
CeJitenmial dantes of American 
History and IBiograplty.— Mr. Treat, the pub¬ 
lisher, has admirably succeeded in devising a series of 
cards, constituting the “ Centennial Game,” that com¬ 
bine interest and instruction. No one can play them 
well, without becoming expert in American history. 
The games will be exceedingly attractive for amusement 
in the family circle those long winter evenings. 
A New Species of Coiffee.—The Colony 
of Liberia, of which little has been heard of late, is com¬ 
ing forward with a new staple product, Coffea Liberica, a 
new species of coffee. They are introducing it into Cey¬ 
lon, to take the place of the old species, which is sadly 
afflicted with various diseases and pests, so that it hardly 
pays any longer. The new species is said to be quite as 
good and prolific, and more hardy; but the principal ad¬ 
vantage is that it is free from all the maladies that the 
Arabian species is heir to. 
Cliacloclc.— “C. J. L.,” Maford. There are 
two distinct plants known as Charlock: the wild mustard, 
Brassica (or Sinajjis) arvensis, with a pod which splits 
open like the cabbage pod, and the wild radish, Eaphanus 
Raplianisirum , which has a pod with divisions between 
the seeds, and, like the cultivated radish pod, does not 
split. The last named is the one more generally called 
Charlock in England. The seeds of both are remarkably 
tenacious of life, and it is a question if their vitality will 
be destroyed in the manure heap. No weed seeds should 
ever go into the manure if it can be avoided. If a field 
is badly infested with this, it is better to summer-fallow 
it, or use it for a sheep pasture ; sheep will thrive on 
either kind of Charlock. The necessity of preventing 
weeds from seeding can not be too often repeated. 
IMsestses of Blorses asi«l Cattle.— 
Two of the best works upon the subjects of which they 
respectively treat, will hereafter be issued by the Orange 
Judd Company, to wit: The American Reformed Horse 
Book, and the American Cattle Doctor, both by Prof. 
Geo. H. Dadd, whose reputation is such as to need no 
special notice. The books are handsomely bound, gilt 
backs, in size, octavo. See advertising columns. 
iLarg-e Psai'diase of Slios-tSaoi-ms.— 
Fourteen head of choice Shorthorn cattle, six of them 
of the popular Duchess tribe, and eight of other popular 
families, have recently been purchased by Messrs. Coch¬ 
rane and Beattie, of Canada, from the herd of Mr. George 
Murray, of Racine, Wis. The price has not been made 
public, but is probably over $100,000. The six Duchesses 
of Slawsoudale which are included in this purchase 
could have been sold for $15,000 each not long ago, but 
the offer was then refused. This sale is of peculiar sig¬ 
nificance, as Mr. Cochrane is the leader amongst the 
“ Booth ” breeders, and these cattle he has now purchased 
are of the best of the “ Bates ” stock. 
TSie Medical ISecord.—Physicians will 
be glad to learn that the Medical Record will, with the 
first of the year, be published as a weekly. The well 
known publishers of medical books, William Wood & 
Co., 27 Great Jones St., N. Y., will continue to be the 
publishers of the Record. 
Catalogues Received. 
Root’s Garden Manual and Seed Catalogue: 
This is by our contributor, J. B. Root, Rockford. Ill., 
and besides being a price-list, it contains much useful 
information on gardening. 
Buist’s Almanac and Garden Manual, by Robt. 
Buist, Jr., Philadelphia: An illustrated catalogue of 
vegetable seeds, with full directions as to their culture. 
