1875.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
371 
pectation of hearing something about them; when they 
decayed and were thrown out, the letters relating to them 
were found at the bottom of the boxes, a place in which 
we did not think of looking for them, as it is so directly 
contrary to law that it did not occur to us that any one 
would do it. It is better to send fruit always by express. 
Not one parcel in five by mail comes in perfect order. 
Do not put fruit in cigar-boxes, or other boxes having an 
odor of their own, or use any odorous material for pack¬ 
ing. We have often received grapes packed in kinds of 
saw-dust, which absolutely ruined them. 
Exports of WSaeat asi«l Floss.!-.— 
The gradual growth of our export trade in bread-stuffs is 
shown by the following figures, which give the value of 
exports of wheat and flour from 1S30 up to last year: 
EXPORTS OP WHEAT AND FLOUR FE03I THE UNITED 
STATES. 
Yearly av’ge 
for 10 years 
Flour. 
Wheat. 
Total. 
ending 1830. 
.. $ 4,904,308 
$ 18,173 
$4,922,481 
1840. 
5,657,960 
255,443 
5.913,403 
1850. 
.. 10,043.189 
1,504,187 
11,007,376 
1860. 
.. 18,014,366 
7,502.808 
25,517,234 
1870. 
.. 22,571.364 
29,593,869 
52,165,233 
The yearl871. 
.. 24,093,184 
45,143.424 
69,236,008 
1872.. 
.. 17,955,684 
39,915,060 
50,870.744 
1873. 
.. 19,381,004 
51,452,254 
70,833,918 
1874. 
.. 29,258,094 
101,421,459 
130,079,553 
The average business for 20 years ending 1840 was about 
$5,500,000 yearly ; for the ten years ending 1860, the av¬ 
erage increased to $25,500,000. The continued growth of 
the business up to the vast total for 1874 of over $130,- 
000,000, or nearly twenty-four times that of less than 40 
years ago, shows distinctly that the raising of grain for 
export has become a staple business which must grow in 
the future as it has in the past. If the growth during 
the next 40 years should even approach that of the past 
40, some of us may yet live to see a thousand millions of 
dollars worth of wheat and flour exported to foreign 
countries. At any rate we need not be afraid of raising 
wheat or corn, nor of enlarging the borders of our agri¬ 
cultural domain. Fortunately there is room enough 
for it. 
A Fine Illustrate*! Catalogue. —We 
have received from Messrs. Mallory, Wheeler & Co., of 
New Haven, Conn., manufacturers of locks, etc., a very 
elaborate catalogue, which is worthy of a special 
notice. It is a folio volume of nearly 300 pages, ele¬ 
gantly bound in substantial leather, and contains over 
1,000 full size illustrations of locks and knobs of all sorts, 
and in fact everything pertaining to the securing of a 
door, from a bank door down to that of a closet. The 
illustrations are very finely executed in gold and silver 
bronze, to show the materials of which the locks are 
made, namely brass and iron or steel. Many of the larger 
door locks are very complicated in structure, some of 
them having as many as 600 changes, which will give some 
idea of their intricate construction. This catalogue, or 
more properly superb work of art, reflects great credit 
both upon the manufacturers and the engraver and prin¬ 
ter, for the manner in which it is prepared, and the typo¬ 
graphical beauty of its general arrangement. 
A Twin I>alilia. —The Cascade Nursery 
■Co., Richmond, Iud., send a specimen of a twin Dahlia, 
in which the flowers, of the variety, W. C. Bryant, are 
placed back to back upon the same stem. This phenom¬ 
enon, which is quite common in the cucumber and 
some other plants, is called fascialion, and is due to the 
growing together of parts that are usually distinct ; in 
this case the two Dahlia stems are more completely 
blended into one than is commonly seen. 
ISoses -rei-y Mucin toy Mail. —Mr. E. T. 
Teas, Pres, of Cascade Nursery Co., Richmond, Iud., 
where roses are a specialty, in a private note, mentions 
that in April last they sent roses by mail to Honolulu, 
Sandwich Islands, and that they arrived safely, and since 
have grown finely. This is a remarkable instance—and 
what a blessing to those who live at a great distance—to 
know that they can get plants in this manner. Mr. T. 
has carried the war (of roses) into Africa, having sent 
some to that country, and awaits the result. We hope 
for their safe arrival, and that, like some of the natives 
of that land, they may be “ stealing and giving odor.” 
Sowing 1 Grass Seed, an tlae Fall.— 
“M.,” Scotch Plains, N. J. There is no necessity to sow 
rye with grass seed in the fall, if the rye is not wanted. 
If the soil is made fine by repeated harrowing, and rich 
by fertilizing, the seed runs a better chance of taking 
well if the rye should not be sown. Leached ashes would 
make an excellent fertilizer for the grass, and nitrate of 
■soda would be a valuable help. We would apply 50 bush¬ 
els per acre of the ashes as soon as possible after the seed 
is sown, and would sow the seed without delay. The 
nitrate of soda should not be applied until spring, when 
100 pounds per acre may be sown. If more is used and a 
dry season occurs, damage may occur. Nitrate of soda may 
be procured of Geo. E. White & Co., 100 Front st., N. Y. 
Mulsicsituiie.—“G. C. W.” This word is 
spelled in a variety of ways, all of which are corruptions 
of Melocolon, one of the Spanish names for peach, (Durazus 
being the other). It is written, besides the manner you 
mention, Melacatune, Malocoton, and Malagatune. It is 
a handsome large yellow peach with a deep red cheek, 
and is the parent of Crawford’s Early and Crawford’s 
Late. The peaches in the market about Aug. 20tli, as 
“Malacatuues,” were no doubt Crawford’s Early. The 
dealers are not very particular about names, and are apt 
to call any high colored, yellow-fleshed variety a “ Mala¬ 
gatune,” as that is a popular market name. 
Hollow Celery.—“ W. F.,” of Southbridge, 
Mass., inquires why his celery grows hollow or pipey, 
and as Mr. Peter Henderson knows more about celery 
than most people, the question was referred to him. lie 
says: “ It is in all probability in consequence of having 
got some tall-growing poor variety. We have never seen 
the dwarf varieties become hollow. The quality of the 
soil has something to do with it. On one occasion we 
planted the ' Giant Solid ’ celery on three different soils, 
stiff clay, sandy loam, and muck ; on the first it was en¬ 
tirely solid, on the second partially hollow, while on the 
muck it was so pipey as almost to be useless, and yet all 
was from the same bag of seed sown and planted at the 
same time. Angle worms can best be destroyed by in¬ 
corporating lime well with the soil.” 
Tuberoses in. Winter.— “I. S.,” Oil 
City, Pa., asks what time during the winter Tuberoses, 
that were planted from sets in June and potted now, will 
flower if kept in a night temperature of 60° or 65°. Peter 
Henderson replies: “In our experience we find that 
Tuberoses so treated will not flower much before April. 
If the temperature at night in winter could be increased 
to 75°, they might then bloom in February, but not be¬ 
fore. One of our New York florists, with a view to over¬ 
come the difficulty that all have experienced in getting 
these flowers at the holidays, has had a large number 
grown in the extreme southern states, thereby getting 
the new crop of bulbs ripened sufficiently to plant in 
September. By this method it is expected that flowers 
can be had in December and January. The experiment 
has not been completed, but will be the coming winter, 
and if successful, the system will bo detailed at length.” 
Killed toy a Fiece oi* Wire.—The 
death of a noted and valuable cow of the herd recently 
sold by Col. L. G. Morris, to Messrs. Avery & Mur¬ 
phy, of Michigan, occurred a short time ago. The 
cause of death was a piece of wire, six inches long, 
such as is used to bale ha-y. penetrating the heart. She 
was the Twelfth Maid of Oxford, a highly bred Short- 
Horn. The wire must have been swallowed with the 
food, and have penetrated the coats of the stomach, 
passed into the chest and into the substance of the 
heart. Such accidents are by no means rare, and they 
prove very clearly the easy possibility of the penetration 
of parasitic animals to any part of the body, the lungs, 
heart, liver, brain, or muscles; if they once gain access 
to the stomach along with the food. 
flgooiaiag 1 Felt for Stacies.—“ W. B.,” 
Marion Co., Ohio. Roofing felt tvould not be strong 
enough to use as a cover for hay-stacks. It would be 
far the cheapest to provide roofs such as are described 
on page 381, than to use any kind of cloth or felt cover¬ 
ing, as these would last for 20 years or more, while water¬ 
proof sheets would be worn out in four or five years, and 
cost nearly as much as the sheds. For temporary cover¬ 
ings a sail or tent cloth may be used to turn the rain 
until the stack can be secured permanently. 
’Wire Her Meas«li*Eg- BEsirness. —“W. 
L. W.,” Pittsburg. The wire used for mending harness, 
as described heretofore in the Agriculturist , is No. 16 
copper wire. It can be purchased at any hardware store 
for about 20 cents per 100 feet. 
Is SlBSJEg'aciun CSrtisss Blnas-SUssl ?— 
“ J. C. B..” Tarrant Co., Texas. When Hungarian grass 
is allowed to ripen before it is cut, it sometimes causes 
irritation to the kidneys of horses, to which the hay is 
fed. The seed is surrounded by small stiff barbed bris¬ 
tles, and these have been known to form a kind of felted 
ball in the stomach and intestines, and death is said to 
have been caused by them. The crop should be cut when 
in blossom if it is to be made into hay and used for 
feeding horses, though in many cases no ill effects are 
experienced from its use when cut at maturity. 
Seeding- -wills <!>ec5a:ai-al CSrass.— 
“ E. N. C.,” Beloit, Wis. One bushel of orchard grass is 
not enough seed for an acre of ground. Two bushels at 
least should be used. Perhaps as good a way as any 
would be to wait until spring and sow 4 quarts of clover 
with half a bushel more orchard grass, harrowing th« 
surface lightly before sowing the seed. 
To lieuiove or Prevent figsist.— 
“ E. T. P.,” Suffolk Co., N. Y. Rust may be removed from 
tools or steel or iron implements, by rubbing with a mix¬ 
ture of emery powder and sweet oil, and a woolen cloth. 
To prevent rusting, the tools should be heated until the 
hand can not bear to touch them, and then rubbed with 
white wax or paraffine. They are then exposed to the 
heat again until the wax is all absorbed, and finally rub¬ 
bed with a piece of flannel. Iron implements, as plows, 
are preserved from rust by covering them with a coat of 
thick lime wash. 
'!'<> Fs-eventf, u Morse Troaei BSoHing- 
in Site Stall.— --J. F. S.,” New Canaan, Conn., ad¬ 
vises that a strap or rope be Listened to the roof or ceil¬ 
ing of the stall where the horse’s head will be when he 
lies down, and reaching only to within two feet of the 
ground. A snap should be attached to the end ®f the 
rope, which is to be fastened into the ring of the halter. 
When the horse lies down, he can not bring his head to 
the floor, and consequently can not roll over. This plan 
has cured a horse which was addicted to this habit. 
Basket Items cost® 
tinned ©it page 397. 
The Ruffed Grouse—Grouse, Partridge, 
or Pheasant. 
The engraving upon the first page represents a 
scene of which the reality may be witnessed in 
many parts of the country, during the present 
month ; the bird itself will be at once recognized, 
and at the head of this article are given the names 
by which it is known in different parts of the coun¬ 
try. Its scientific name is Bonasa umbellus, and 
ornithologists have fixed upon Ruffed Grouse as 
the correct common name, claiming that it is not a 
Partridge, as it is usually called in New England 
and the middle states, nor do they regard the term 
Pheasant, given it in the southern states, as any 
more appropriate. The bird has a wide range, and 
in some of its varieties is found quite across to 
the Pacific, and from Maine to Mexico. It is not a 
migratory bird, but winters in the northern states 
in thickets, and is said to have the peculiar habit 
of burying itself in deep snow to pass the cold 
nights; if a rain comes on followed by freezing, 
great numbers perish in their icy covering. They 
feed upon various kinds of berries, and other wild 
fruits, seeds, and insects, and in a time of great 
scarcity, eat the buds of trees, mosses, the leaves 
of various evergreens, including those of the com¬ 
mon Laurel, ( Kalmia ) ; the laurel-leaves are gener¬ 
ally thought to communicate a poisonous quality 
to the flesh of the birds which eat them ; but Mr. 
C. II. Hinkle, who engraved the picture, and is an 
authority in sporting matters, informs us that he 
has eaten birds the crops of which were full of 
laurel-leaves, without any inconvenience, and is 
of opinion that the alleged poisoning cases were 
due to leaving the birds undrawn for too long a 
time. The bird, in May, makes a very simple nest 
of dried leaves, at the foot of a tree, or near 6ome 
old logs, where 10 to 12 eggs of a dull-brown color 
are laid. The grouse are a favorite game with 
sportsmen, but the novice finds it a difficult bird to 
shoot; it rises with a great whirr, and unless one 
has his nerves under control, his hurried 6hot is 
quite as likely to miss as to hit. The true sports¬ 
man will only shoot the bird while on the wing, 
but the “pot-hunters,” as those who hunt for mar¬ 
ket are called, are in search of birds, and not of 
sport, and care little by what means they get them. 
Sometimes curs are trained to tree the birds, when 
they are shot down in a most unsportsman-like 
manner; their number is also greatly reduced by 
trapping and snaring, and they are by these de¬ 
structive methods quite exterminated, or driven 
away from localities where they were formerly 
found very abundant. 
