1S70.J 
4,09 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Asparagus BBcal.—“Subscriber.” If your 
old bed is planted in the old way, with the plants a foot 
or so apart, all that you can do to renew it is to give 
heavy, surface manuring. If the plants are three feet 
apart, then trenches caiT he opened between the rows and 
manure placed in them. Asparagus beds are usually 
made in the spring, but there is no reason why they 
should not bo made in the fall. Abundant manure with 
plenty of room between the plants are necessary to the 
best results. Stable manure, bone-dust, and phosphate, 
are all used. Set the plants with the crown at least C 
inches below the surface. See article in Jan. last, p. 23. 
Moles — TEie I.iatest Caare.—A sub¬ 
scriber in Maryland, apparently in all seriousness, says : 
“Raise the ground in the center of 1 1 2 to 3 | 4 of an acre, 
one foot high and 5 feet in circumference, sloping, and 
put the head of a horse in the center of the mound, 3 1 4 of 
the head sticking out, nose down. You will not bo 
troubled with any more moles.”—Mr. Fuller is expected 
to try this before he awards that $ 100 . tVc can’t say 
whether the head should have a horse attached to it or 
not: better try both ways. 
Matlslljistrd.’s Early Catrlctl Leaf To- 
mato.-E, Hollister and D. L. Hull, in the report of the 
Alton (Ill.) Hort. Soc., speak in commendation of this 
variety. We have heard favorable reports from others. 
EScepSsag TTsaEseroses, CjalsscJimims, 
and Caautas.—“A. B. C. N.” Tuberoses may be 
kept too hot and dry, if such an atmosphere is main¬ 
tained as is common in some houses. To guard Tube¬ 
roses, Caladiums or Cannes, against shriveling, they may 
be wrapt up when dry, in cot-ton wadding, io the thick¬ 
ness of an inch, and placed in a drawer or upon a shelf. 
This will prevent the dry air from acting on them, and 
will keep them plump until spring. 
Osiers ona f§amly Soil.—Wc recently 
called upon Mr. Charles Clifton, a basket-maker, with 
horticultural tastes, who lives at Suffolk Station, on Long 
Island. The land at that place bears a natural growth of 
scrub-oaks and pines, and one would hardly seloctitas 
a suitable place for growing Osiers, which are generally 
thought to flourish only in a rich and moist soil. Wc 
were quite pleased to find a thrifty young plantation 
of willows which is already furnishing valuable basket 
material. A comparison of the rods with those from 
France and Belgium, confirmed Mr. Cliflon’s statement 
that those produced upon his own grounds were greatly 
superior to the imported ones. 
TITie Ag'a’icisltsirisift Stti"a''tTl»erry.— 
For the benefit of the editor of The Horticulturist, we 
quote the following from the Report of the Committee 
on Small Fruits of the Alton (Ill.) iforticnltural Society. 
“From M. W. Seaman, Shipman—very large and fine 
specimens of ‘Agriculturist.’ As a berry for the ama¬ 
teur wc consider it one of the best; requires high culti¬ 
vation and to bo grown in hills.” 
Bisaow yoan* Enemies. —The Alton (Ill.) 
Hort. Soc., which is always doing some sensible thing, 
has ordered a cabinet of insects injurious to the fruit 
grower. Every Horticultural Society should have a 
“rogues gallery” of this kind. 
B>o5n’tvarc Wrapcs.—TlicDehiwar.es have 
been a great success this year. The crops have been fine, 
and the fruit of excellent quality. On Sept. 15, they wore 
selling in tire N. Y. market for Sc. per lb., at retail. So 
abundant and cheap were they that wine-makers have 
bought them for pressing. The finest specimens we have 
seen were from Mr. Capron. Walden, Orange Co., N. Y., 
and were not open to the fault usually found with the 
Delaware—that of being too small. 
$jJa-<>c:s;e C«c2aias>» saiacl IPIymosaSla 
EEocls Howls. —Y. S. Sturgis, Boston, writes : “ Will 
you please describe the plumage of the ‘ Grouse Cochin ’ 
fowl in the Agriculturist. I saw the other day some fowls 
with plumage like the ‘ Dominique,’ and with feathered 
legs, and thought they might be ‘Grouse Cochins.’ If 
not, can you inform me what they were ? I also saw a hen 
ot the Brahma form, and with feathered legs, said to be 
a Dark Brahma, but I think she was not, as her plumage 
was not cloudy, but beautifully spangled like a Hamburg, 
Can you also tell mo of what breed she is?”—The fowls 
were probably what are called in Massachusetts, Plym¬ 
outh Rock Fowls. These, as we have seen them, are 
large Dominique-colored fowls, with single combs and 
yellow legs, more or less feathered. What the other 
fowls are we are at a loss to conjecture, unless, indeed, 
the tendency to spangled feathers often seen in Light 
Brahmas has been cultivated or has aceidcntally devel¬ 
oped. Grouse, or Partridge, Cochins are described in the 
“ Standard of Excellence,” of the London Poultry Club : 
The cock as having a red fape and deaf ear, a red head, 
red hackle and saddle with a black stripe down the mid¬ 
dle of each feather, rich, dark-red back, and shoulder 
coverts, wings, rich, dark-red; the greater and lesser 
coverts, metalic.,'greenish-black, forming a wide bar; 
breast, under parts and thighs, black; tail, black; legs, 
dusky yellow.--The Grouse hen as having, face and 
deaf ear, red; head, brown; neck, reddish gold color, 
with a broad, black stripe down the middle of the feath¬ 
er; the rest of the plumage, rich brown, with distinct 
pencilings of darker brown following the outline of the 
feathers; legs, dusky yellow, with feathers of the same 
color as the body.-—The Partridge hen is described as 
very similar to the Grouse hen, but having more brilliant 
contrasts of color, and having “ the shafts of the feath¬ 
ers on the back, shoulder coverts, bow of the wing, and 
sides, creamy white. There is no difference between 
Partridge and Grouse cocks. 
Smaaflty Coa-na.—G. Thompson, Lcclenaw 
Co., Mich. The spores of smut are so very minute that 
we know of no way to prevent their distribution, and 
thus prevent your having smutty corn another year. 
The best you can do is to cut away the smutty ears as 
soon as discovered and burn them. This will pre^bnt a 
scattering of spores (seed) from your own crop. Before 
planting next year thoroughly wet the seed in strong 
brine or solution of blue vitriol, and dry off in plaster or 
ashes, this will kill any smut that may be adhering to 
the seed. Of course you will not put corn next year upon 
the land where the crop was so badly affected this season. 
—'A S’ooel Avei'tig'c.— Mrs. I. J. B., 
of Angelica, N. Y., kept an account of the eggs laid by a 
lot of 1 | ,-blood Dorkings in 1SG9. She begun with 1-1 
hens, and ended with 0. The total number of eggs laid 
was 1,219. Had no hens been killed or sold, we calculate 
she would have had 1,517 eggs, which would make more 
than 108 eggs to each hen. They had only common care. 
'ITaoraa. Seeals.—A. TV. Comfort. The seeds 
do not germinate until the second year. Put them in a 
heap and cover with several inches of soil and let them 
remain a whole year ; tiicy may then be sown in the fall 
or in the spring, as may be most convenient. 
'I’Jac EtreessasnsoEi JPesacSa. — Messrs. 
Kemp Ss Kerr, nurserymen, Denton, Md., send us spec¬ 
imens of a ne\V variety called the Freemason, which 
originated with Mr. Nathan Todd, of Caroline Co., Md. 
It is a larg%, white free-stone, with a red cheek. It is of 
excellent quality, and very late, ripening after the Smock, 
and vastly superior to that variety. The tree is repre¬ 
sented as hardy and an abundant bearer. 
How to Sicep JSg’g’s.— “Subscriber,” of 
Plainfield, N. J., asks: “Can you inform me in what 
manner hens’ eggs can be laid down for winter use ?”— 
TVe have had tolerable success in keeping eggs when they 
were simply greased with sweet lard. Packed in crocks 
filled up with milk of lime and covered from the air, 
eggs will keep very well, but though sweet, are not like 
new-laid eggs. The nearest approach to perfect preser¬ 
vation of the eggs is accomplished by placing a few at a 
time in a wire basket (an ox muzzle will do), and plung¬ 
ing them into a kettle of actively boiling water for a few 
seconds, say while one can count 20 rapidly. It is well 
to raise the basket once or twice and lower it suddenly 
in the water so that the eggs shall float up and settle back 
again into a changed position. This surrounds the egg 
next the shell with a film of coagulated albumen, which 
is perfectly air tight. 
Seealliaag’ Feaela. — G. L. Osborn, Dobb’s 
Ferry, N. Y.. sends us a yellow-fleslicd Clingstone, 
weighing S 3 ( oz. It is from a tree which bore this year 
for the first time, and ripened 51 peaches nearly as large 
as the specimen sent. The fruit is beautiful in color, 
and of good quality. The variety, if it continues as it 
has begun, should be exhibited another year and brought 
to the notice of pomologists. 
'I’Sae Sylvester Apple. — Dr. E. Ware 
Sylvester, Lyons, >1. Y., sends us specimens of his seed¬ 
ling apple, which we figured in January last. Though 
not as high colored as the one we figured, their eating 
qualities showed that we did not overestimate the variety. 
Bone Msaaaiore. —“ S. 3. P.,” writes: “I 
have the bones of 2,000 sheep near here, and I think it pos¬ 
sible to convert them into manure. Please tell me how 
to do it through your valuable journal.”-Sheep bones 
may be ground in an ordinary bark mill, at least they 
may be cracked up tolerably fine. They may be cracked 
up in a corn and cob mill, without much risk, if it. is a 
strong one, especially if they are not fresh. They may 
be sledged upon a rock and so pounded quite fine. I 
they can be reduced to about the fineness of ground tan- 
bark, they may be laid up in layers with horse manure, 
hen dung, and other heating substances, and so subjected 
to the action of fermentation, they will decay. The heap 
will require to be frequently wetted to keep the fermen¬ 
tation within bounds; and it will probably be best to 
make it over with fresh manure after it has ceased to 
heat up readily. 
!St>saa-«l ffioofs,—W. M. Carr asks : “Will a 
roof made of 1-inch pine boards, well pitched with pine- 
tar or pitch and well sanded, cost more than a pine 
shingle roof ?”—Ans. No.—“Will it not last as long as any 
wooden roof? ”—Ans. No. The sun will wring and warp 
it all to pieces, the pitch will drip from the caves, and 
you will be sick enough of the job, no matter how well 
you rabbet or batten the edges. A well-made asplialtum 
or coal-tar roof, made with cheaper boards, covered with 
best quality roofing felt, would be cheaper than shingles 
and last with proper care nearly as long. A roof of good 
pine or spruce boards, planed on the under side, having 
a rather sharp pitch and covered with good, strong slate, 
will cost more than shingles, but will last a lifetime, and 
be a great safeguard against fire. 
ESa.jasiUIPcweir Mavialsae for sawing wood, 
etc., is inquired for. Manufacturers can answer profita¬ 
bly by advertising it. 
MoeauiisBag- Maws. — B. Plumstend. We 
hope you will not find it necessary to mount any maps of 
the “ scat of war” hereafter, but as the information may 
be useful for other maps, etc., we give it. The muslin, 
which should be an inch or two larger each way than the 
map, is to be tacked to a smooth board or table; then 
cover the back of the map with a good, smooth coat of 
boiled flour paste, made as stiff as it will work well 
with the brush, and place the map, paste side down, 
upon the muslin ; if the map is large, it will require two 
persons to do it well; and it must be handled very care¬ 
fully, as it will tear readily when wet with paste. When 
the map is properly laid down, smooth it with a soft 
cloth, rubbing gently from the center towards the edges, 
to remove all the air bubbles. Put down the edges 
securely, and let it dry. In drying it will wrinkle badly, 
but when perfectly dry, will bo quite smooth. As the 
paper dries it shrinks, and brings a powerful strain upon 
the tacks, which should not be more than an inch apart. 
They need not be driven down to the heads, as they 
would then be difficult to remove. When thoroughly 
dry, take out the tacks and trim the cloth. 
TEae (IS. I.) oBocas-rasal 
is so well known as one of the best journals in the coun¬ 
try, that it docs not need our praise, but we must say a 
word in commendation of its column of “ Rural Notes 
and Notions,” which show not only an excellent knowl¬ 
edge of rural affairs, but exhibit a pleasing fancy and 
genial spirit not often met with in writings of this kind. 
©M FEaaM ea*.—“ Wliat is the value of old 
plaster, taken from the walls of houses, used as a top- 
dressing?”—Old plaster contains lime and hair, both of 
which are useful upon the land ; besides, a considerable 
portion of plaster of Paris is often present. To use it as 
a top-dressing on grass, it should be beaten small and 
run through a coarse sieve. In fact, this should be done 
at any rate, if half its value is to be gained. 
llEarorfiEiJESste. — Many complaints have 
readied this office concerning the dealings of Thomas 
B. Smith & Co., of Plantsville, Conn., for whom a single 
advertisement was inserted in the American Agricultur¬ 
ist', several months since. Their method of doing busi¬ 
ness appears to be such that wc cannot advise parties to 
send orders to them. 
Expensive Processes.—A correspond¬ 
ent in Michigan complains that some of the operations 
we describe are too expensive to be followed in a new 
country, and cites the account we gave of maple sugar 
making last spring, as one of these. lie says: “The cost 
of sugar house and fixtures would be more than all the 
sugar we should make for years to come.” And farther 
along he says: “Here, everything is new; we have to 
chop and log, qrid burn the timber, and then work among 
the stumps for years.” Exactly so. You have started to 
make a farm in the wilderness, and are not ready for all 
the aids that machinery and inventive skill are ready to 
offer. The preliminary work must be done first, and in 
a few years you will be prepared to adopt improved pro¬ 
cesses which now appear, and really would be, expensive 
in your new surroundings. As far ns the maple sugar 
article goes, it contains suggestions which will materially 
aid those who, from necessity, are obliged to make sugar in 
the primitive way. The same may bo said of other articles. 
