1875.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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437. 
Kcw Gardens, (near London', Eng.), as 
appears from a late annual report, was visited during the 
past year by 699,426 people, over 15,000 more than in the 
previous year. The range of daily attendance was from 
15 on December 8, to 50,739 on August 3. In the way of 
exchanges, 4,702 plants, and 2,656 packets of seeds have 
been received from 277 donors ; and 7,975 plants of all 
kinds, and 4,136 packets of seeds were sent out to 157 
recipients. The Herbarium has received 22,000 speci¬ 
mens. A new Herbarium building is to be erected ; and 
a laboratory for physiological botany attached, through 
the liberality of Mr. Todrell, who is to found and endow 
it. The system of evening lessons and lectures for the 
young gardeners on the establishment, is likely to be 
developed into a school of instruction. 
Prof. Morse’s First SSoolt of iZo- 
©logy? lately published by Appleton & Co., (190 pages, 
12 mo.), is one of the best books for any active-minded 
reader of the American Agriculturist to have, who is 
accumulating a small library of books for his own in¬ 
struction, or that of his children. It is a book of the 
proper sort to teach young people to see and to think— 
a part of education apt to be much neglected—and those 
who, with minds awakened, and curiosity stimulated by 
a glance at the Professor’s beautiful delineations and 
clear descriptions, “ wish to gain a general knowledge of 
the structure, habits, modes of growth, and other leading 
features of the common animals of the country,” it 
shows how to do it, how to collect, handle, and to pre¬ 
pare the specimens for study or preservation. The figures 
are new and original, made from the animal expressly 
for this book, with very few exceptions ; and those who 
have seen the author at the blackboard, need not be told 
that they are spirited and telling. The volume begins 
with fresh water shells, goes on to land snails and sea 
snails, muscles, clams, and oysters, thou devotes about 
half the pages to insects and spiders; craw-fish and 
lobsters, crabs and the crustaceans are then made to live 
before us; the earth-worm and its relatives are then 
described and illustrated; and finally the characters of 
vertebrates are sketched, and leading ideas of natural 
groups are briefly indicated. It is the book to begin 
zoology with, either with or without a teacher. In due 
season, we hope Prof. Morse will prepare another, to 
show the pupil how to go on further. 
The Value of Pedigrees.- 11 M. J.,” 
Chicago, Ill. The pedigree of an animal is not always 
to be taken as a criterion of its value. Still the fact that 
the sire and dam of an animal were known to be excel¬ 
lent animals, is to be held as a probability but not a 
proof that the progeny will inherit the parents’ excellen¬ 
cies. The fact that an animal is what is called a “ herd 
book animal,” and has a recorded pedigree, unless it 
comes of a well known strain or family, is not sufficient 
to indicate its value. The purchaser should always see 
what he is about to buy, or purchase from a breeder 
whose judgment and honesty are to be depended upon. 
Some promising bulls are getters of poor stock, and the 
reverse is equally true of some bulls that are not of prom¬ 
ising appearance. 
The .Il’ew York State S^air.— The 
thirty-fifth annual fair of the New York State Agricul¬ 
tural Society, held at Elmira, was the most successful 
one that has been held in many years. It had the merit 
of beiug purely and simply an agricultural fair, and its 
success, in spite of the fact that a driving park was in 
full operation near by at the same time, proves very 
clearly that farmers will support a fair at which the 
horse race is not offered as an attraction. There were 
nearly 4,000 entries ; 333 of horses, 331 of cattle, 251 of 
sheep, 147 of swine, 532 of poultry, 1,00S of farm produce, 
850 of fruit and flowers, and 374 of implements and 
machinery. Amongst the more noteworthy new things, 
were a herd of Norfolk red polled cattle, exhibited by 
Mr. G. F. Taber, of Patterson, N. Y. ; a collection of 
farm produce, consisting of 253 articles of fruit, grains, 
grasses, roots, cheese, butter, wine, vinegar, cider, jellies, 
preserves, and other productions of the farm, exhibited 
by M. C. Baldwin, of Chemung, in competition with 
other similar collections, for a premium of $100, offered 
by the Elmira Farmer’s Club ; also a self-binding attach¬ 
ment to a reaper exhibited by the Vi. A. Wood Company, 
which however uses wire, an objectionable material for 
the bands. The collections of fruit and flowers were very 
fine ; the first premiums for the former were taken by 
Ellwanger & Barry, and for the latter by James Vick, 
both of Rochester. The attendance was large, as many 
as 30,000 persons entering the gates on one day. 
Wliy (lie l®e»cli©s ilid aiot Sell.— 
“ A.” writes as follows: “ Allow me to give another rea¬ 
son besides that of a New Jerseyman in the October 
number of the American Agriculturist , and that is, be¬ 
cause they are often so small and so unripe , that no one 
with an appetite less fastidious than that of the pig, 
cares to eat them. If the peach growers would thin their 
fruit one-lialf to three-fourths of the peaches set, they 
would get more full baskets than they now do by letting 
all grow, because they would acquire so much huger size. 
If then they -would let the remaining- ones hang on the 
trees until nearly ripe, they could send an eatable article 
to the market, which would be readily purchased at an 
extra price. I have picked over 400 to 500 young peaches 
from single small trees in my orchard, and then I had 
left more fruit on them than they could grow to a good 
size and properly ripen. I have occasionally picked 
seven-eighths of the peaches set after blossoming, and 
found this onc-eightb of more value than if I had left 
any greater number on the trees.’- The foregoing is 
from a fruit grower of wide and long experience, and 
it is gratifying to see that one whose opinion is of so 
much value, takes precisely the same view that we ex¬ 
press in an article on another page. 
ISooliS idjioii S®oaill4i-y,—“ L. A. F.,” 
Fitchburg, Mass. To get a thorough understanding of 
poultry matters, one should read carefully all that has 
been published on this subject. There are several books 
upon poultry, written by experts at the business, and 
published or sold by the Orange Judd Co., and anyone 
of these will give a fair but not a complete idea of poultry 
keeping. If a more extended knowledge is desired, it 
would be as well to study as much of what has been 
written on the subject as one’s means will allow. 
An Ssaexjiericsiceil Poultry lFa.ii- 
cier.—“ C. M. K.,” Lynn, Mass. To see how an experi¬ 
enced poultry keeper manages his flocks, would be of 
more use than many pages of instruction's to a beginner. 
Mr. F. J. Kinney, of Worcester, Mass., raised over 1,000 
chickens last season, and a visit to his yards would 
doubtless be of great service to any one who is seeking 
information as to poultry keeping. The best time to 
begin is undoubtedly early in the spring, and with a 
small flock of the last year’s birds. 
As to Miacli.—The constant accession of 
new subscribers to our lists, makes it necessary, in reply 
to their inquiries, to repeat that muck is best used as a 
material for bedding in the stables or in the yards. Raw 
muck is of little use, but when mixed with manure and 
fermented, it is of great value. One load of good manure 
composted evenly with ten loads of air dried and season¬ 
ed muck will set the whole heap fermenting and de¬ 
composing. 
A I*rolilI« Cow. —A gentleman who lives 
at Tenafly, N. J., says he has an Ayrshire cow that has 
just given birth to triplets, (2 heifers and a bull). The 
same cow had twins about 2 years ago, both bulls. She 
was 7 years old last January, and has had 9 calves. 
Feedioag- Slieep lor —“ C. A. 
C.,” Orange Co., N. Y. It is impossible to say if any 
person could buy 100 sheep and all the requisite feed for 
them for one winter, and sell them in spring with a pro¬ 
fit on the operation. The profit depends wholly upon the 
individual. If he is not experienced with sheep, he 
would probaly fail to get his money back again without 
loss. If he knows his business, he can generally make a 
profit in such an operation as this. An inexperienced 
man should buy a small flock of 10 or 20 ewes, and one 
ram, and keep them for one season, raising the lambs, 
rather than try to do more than this at first. 
A “ I®a4enl Phosphate.” —''J. A. R.,” 
Columbia Co., Pa. The following mixture, viz., 600 lbs. 
bone-dust, 200 lbs. oil of vitriol, 150 lbs. sulphate of soda, 
(common glauber salts), 50 lbs. muriate of soda, (common 
salt), 300 lbs. gypsum, 7 bushels of earth, and 10 lbs. of 
nitrate of soda, is not a super-phosphate nor a bone- 
phosphate, but simply a mixture, which is an unfit 
thing to be protected by a patent, if it really is patent¬ 
ed, which we doubt. It would be cheaper to buy a 
genuine super-phosphate than to make this mixture. 
TTiiclc Sowing or Planting 1 .—“ R. H. 
B.,” Elkton, Md. It depends both upon the character of 
the soil and the kind of crop, whether the planting or 
sowing should be thick or thin. For wheat, oats, rye, 
buckwheat, and peas, the seed should be thinly sown 
upon rich soil, and thicker upon a poor one. These plants 
spread either greatly at the root or branch, when growing 
thinly upon rich soil. On poor soil they are unable to do 
this, and enough seed should be sown for the crop to 
cover the ground without spreading. Corn, potatoes, 
beaus, and other crops of similar growth, which do not 
spread, should be planted thickly on rich soil, to discour¬ 
age the growth of leaf and stalk, and encourage that of 
ear, root, or pods. On poor soils these crops should be 
planted widely apart, to enable the plants to find enough 
nutriment in the soil to live and produce a harvest. The 
proper limits of thin and thick sowing and planting, 
depend very largely on personal experience, they can 
not be learned from another person who does not know 
the character of the soil perfectly. 
Kcsudiisg- tlie Advertisements Fays, 
whether one wants to buy anything or not. Every busi¬ 
ness man has his own way of setting forth his goods or 
wares, and studying these business announcements 
awakens new ideas in the mind of the reader. We have 
had some of our most valuable new business thoughts 
start up when running over advertisements on entirely 
different subjects... .There is one satisfaction in reading 
the advertisements in this journal, that it affords in few 
other papers, viz., that the editors and publishers aim 
to shut out all unreliable and deceptive persons and 
things, so that one may read the business pages with 
confidence... .The advertising pages are in one sense a 
“GrandBazaar,” where sellers and customers may meet 
for mutual acquaintance, and consultation and discussion. 
We introduce the dealers to the readers, and whenever ad¬ 
dressing these dealers, please lcLthem know you formed 
their acquaintance in the American Agriculturist Bazaar. 
Speak a Word Tor tlie German 
American Agriculturist.— For 16 years past an 
edition of this journal has been issued in the German 
language for the benefit of the large number of our citi¬ 
zens who read only the language of Yaterland. It con¬ 
tains the engravings and all the principal reading of the 
English edition. Several pages devoted to the adver¬ 
tisements in the English edition, are in the German 
edition occupied by a special extra Department, edited by 
the Hon. Frederick Munch, a distinguished cultivator of 
Missouri, which gives it additional value to the German 
reader. The colored cover only is omitted from the 
German edition. Many of our subscribers take the Ger¬ 
man copy for their gardener or their workmen. Will our 
friends make this edition known to their German friends 
and neighbors ? Having the advantage of the engravings 
of the English edition, it is larger, better, and cheaper, 
than it could be if published independently. Both edi¬ 
tions are issued on the same terms, and clubs may con¬ 
sist. of either edition, or a part of both. 
Insects and Snuit and Potato 
Rot. —What has become of our friend A. S. Fuller? 
His name stands as one of the editors of the Rural New 
Yorker, and we supposed he looked out for the entomol¬ 
ogy in the pages of our esteemed cotemporary, but of 
late some very queer things have been published in the 
Rural, which lead us to suppose that Fuller must be 
away from his post. It recently published with some¬ 
thing like commendation, and with nothing like dissent, 
a report made to a Farmer’s Grange on the “Cause of 
Smut in Wheat,” which contains more absurdities than 
we often see in print. Notwithstanding the fact that the 
history of the minute fungus which produces the smut 
in wheat, is well known, this report ascribes ii to a 
“ small brownish bug,” which makes its appearance soon 
after harvest time, and “ deposits its eggs in the cleft of 
the wheat.” The eggs are sown with the grain, “and 
when germination takes place, these eggs are enveloped 
in the plume, and carried upward in the future growth of 
the stem.” Now as the “ cleft” is upon one side of the 
grain of wheat, and as the “plum.” starts from the 
other side, we should like to be informed how these eggs 
can possibly be “ enveloped in the plume.” According 
to this wonderful account, the eggs are hatched, and the 
resulting worms go to work on the joints of the stem. 
Just hero we are treated to a new wrinkle in vegetable 
physiology: “ These joints perform the important office 
in vegetable economy, of securing from the vegetable 
circulation the nutritive elements necessary to the proper 
development of the several parts,”—which is a very clev¬ 
er thing to do. But all along of these “ worms ” things 
goon from bad to worse, until “the grain has attained 
to very near its milk stage, and is full of high and 
delicate order of vegetable life.”—“High and delicate 
order of vegetable life ” is a very high sounding phrase, 
but what does it all mean? In what respect the “vege¬ 
table life” is there any more “high” or “delicate” 
than in any other part of the plant, we are not told. But 
the next, stage is thus given, “ Being now deprived of 
its life-blood by the little viper, [just now it was a worm], 
it has warmed into life in its bosom, [wheat bus a head, 
