154 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
such a thing is practicable, we promise to set forth, with 
pen and graver, any churn that will do the work. 
As'ency for Seeds.—M. M. Ferguson, William¬ 
son Co., Texas, and others. While we cheerfully en¬ 
deavor to do what we can for the introduction and dis¬ 
semination of valuable new seeds without charge, we can 
not think of entering upon the sale of seeds as a business 
as proposed. We have not the time ; neither do we 
think an agricultural paper should be connected with a 
trade of this kind or any other. An agricultural paper 
should be entirely independent of all individual interests 
in its teachings and recommendations. This we are en¬ 
deavoring to carry out, and therefore must decline the 
various tempting offers of good commissions which are 
so frequently opened to us. 
Hydraulic Cemcait Pipes.—T. Stowell, N. Y. 
Water pipes made of cement (water lime) answer a very 
good purpose if laid below the reach of frost; otherwise 
they are soon cracked and rendered worthless. 
4'ooking; ISjisjg’cs.—J. W.,York Co , Pa. These 
are usually constructed for burning coal only. They are 
convenient but not very economical of fuel, unless con¬ 
siderable cooking is done. They are especially adapted 
for hotels, large boarding houses, etc , though they are in¬ 
troduced into many private houses, because of their con¬ 
venience, and their occupying less room than stoves. 
They also facilitate the healing of water for distribution 
in pipes over the house. Baking is done very well by 
them. * 
Substitute for Peat or Sawdust.—L. D. 
Jared, III. Almost any waste or refuse vegetable matter 
may be used as an absorbent in the barn-yard, when peal 
or swamp muck can not be procured. Straw, if you have 
enough of it. is very valuable. It would hardly pay to 
cut it up for this purpose. 
Even in the Moon !—The Editor of the Planter 
and Mechanic, published at Jackson, Miss., in his March 
number says : “The American Agriculturist, published 
by O. Judd, in New-York, is one of the best papers we 
see. Many complain of northern papers not suiting the 
south. As to mere detail we would admit, but when we 
regard the drawing out thought, giving food to the mind, 
we beg to dissent. We want sucti papers, and tiiose who 
agree with us, will find the American Agriculturist a rich 
treat_The paper shows Mi>n. and energy, and labor, 
and if it wire published in the Moon we should prize it ”,. 
We thank our worthy cotemporary for this kind and 
hearty expression of appreciation and good will. The 
principles of soil culture are essentially the same, and 
human nature is the same, east, west, north and south, 
and we hope to make the Agriculturist of such a charac¬ 
ter that will meet some want of every man, woman and 
child in the land, no matter what the location. 
JPrcventiaig' effects off SfroiDEa.—M. A. Allen, 
Warren Co., N. Y. The best prevention is deep work¬ 
ing of the ground with subsoil plow or spade, so that the 
roots can go down into a prepared soil far enough to al¬ 
ways find moistuie, however dry and parched the surface 
may be. 
Artificial Honey.—F. Phillips, Crawford Co., 
Pa., will find an article on this subject in vol. 17, p. 164, 
which we can not reprint. Set it down as a sure thing, 
however, that bees alone can make good honey. 
Pumpkin Flour.-W. T. W., Queens Co., N.Y. 
Tills is made of either common or Bermuda pumpkins, 
cooked and evaporated until quite dry. It is then ground 
into a meal or flour, and after further drying put up in tin 
cans or boxes. 
Tall Fork Raising'.—E. B. Woodward, Ocean 
Co., N. J., gives us the follow ing weights of hogs, raised 
in the township of Plumstead. On one farm of 165 acres 
41 hogs w ere slaughtered, averaging 532 lbs. each. An¬ 
other farm of 150 acres raised 30 Ikies, averaging 537j lbs., 
and 56 pigs, each 212J lbs. On another farm of 160 acres 
there were raised 28 hogs of 537 tbs. each, and to finish 
Ibe list, a resident of that town raised one porker weigh¬ 
ing 1045 lbs. 
Corn Cobs for Manure.— Wm. McCullough, 
Shelby Co., O., and several others. We have delayed an 
answer to this question, because we have not had ex¬ 
perience enough to instruct olliers. Our opinion is, that 
corn cobs, like all other organic matters, are valuable for 
incorporating with the soil. They are valuable only in 
proportion to their weight, of course, We think the best 
disposal of them is, to plow them into heavy soils, which 
they will help lo lighten; or to place them around fruit 
trees a-s a mulch- If burned, their large amount of ashes 
would be usefully applied to cold, wet, sour land. 
To kill USce Mollis.—N. P. Hedges writes that 
vegetable acids of any kind, as sweetened vinegar, mashed 
currants or cherries, or any similar substance, w ill destroy 
this pest. He says it should be put on shallow plates or 
pans near the hives, where the moth will eat freely of it, 
and die in consequence. They will drown in open ves¬ 
sels containing sweetened liquids to attract them, but we 
hardly think they will eat enough to poison themselves. 
Clearing- Trees from Eicc, Moss, etc.— 
C. Smith, Westchester Co., recommends to take apiece 
of loose rope, wind it once around the tree or limb, and 
then holding one end in each hand, draw it back and forth 
rapidly. This will do for the main trunk and crotches. 
When to sow Turnips. —J. Pierce, Armstrong 
Co., Pa. Ashcroft’s Swedish and Long White French 
may be sown from the latter part of June till the middle 
of July, or even till the first of August, though we prefer 
the season first named. 
Ayreslsires and ISerefforils.— 0. H. Whitney, 
Oswego Co., N. Y. Each of these breeds has its superior 
points. Perhaps the Ayreshires excel for the dairy, and 
the Ilerefords for fattening. Very full descriptions of 
these and oilier breeds may be found in a series of articles 
extending through several numbers of the last vol. (XVII.) 
of the Agriculturist. 
King off Tompkins Co. Apple.—L. F.Pierce. 
Des Moines Co., Iowa. This fruit is described as a vig¬ 
orous grower and good bearer. Fruit large, skin yel¬ 
lowish shaded with red, flesh coarse, juicy, and tender, 
with an agreeable flavor. It was placed by the American 
Pomological Society on the list of fruits which promise 
well. Experiments alone can decide whether this va¬ 
riety will prove specially valuable in any particular loca¬ 
tion, distant from the place of its origin. 
Love off Flowers.— E. Dickinson, Mass., in an 
article for which we have not room, rightly urges parents 
to cultivate the love of flowers in their children as a 
means of refinement. 
-o-«- nna -Oc r »m > - 
NEW ROOKS. 
Sargent’s Edition of Downing’s Landscape Garden¬ 
ing. A. 0. Moore & Co., Publishers. New-York. 1859. 
We have already alluded to the publication of this 
book, but its importance will justify another notice. It is 
now eighteen years since the issue of the original work 
by Mr. Downing, and in that time considerable advance 
lias been made in the knowledge and practice of the art 
of which it treats. Of course, the general principles re¬ 
main essentially the same : but some progress has been 
made in their application. Mr. Sargent’s supplement, in 
this edition, exhibits that progress, and contains the latest 
and fullest information. 
The author commences with some general remarks on 
landscape gardening, and condenses into a few pages 
much useful matter. His second chapter is devoted to an 
exhibition of tw o common modes of making a country- 
place, viz. : one by planting on open ground, and the 
other by hewing one out of a wooded site with the axe, a 
little planting being added by way of finishing strokes. 
The residence of Mr. Hunnewell, near Boston, is de¬ 
scribed as illustrating the first method, and the author’s 
house on the Hudson, the other. In the remarks touch¬ 
ing the first, and in the engravings depicting it, we detect, 
what is also apparent in other quarters, a disposition to 
revive somewhat the old, artificial style of gardening, in 
which trees and shrubs are cut into all manner of fanci¬ 
ful shapes. In the chapteron the newer deciduous trees 
and shrubs, the reader will find much to interest him. It 
is truly surprising to observe what a w'ealth of materials 
the ornamental planter now has to draw upon. He ought 
to possess corresponding skill in using them. 
The fourtli chapter, occupied with the subject of plant¬ 
ing and acclimating tender trees, will arrest the attention 
both of practical men and of vegetable physiologists. We 
question w hether all readers will agree with the writer 
here. The latter part of this chapter, filled with descrip¬ 
tions of the newer evergreens, is perhaps the grand fea¬ 
ture of the supplement. It is evidently the favorite theme 
of the writer. Mr. Sargent has devoted his ample means 
and cultivated taste for many years to the testing of new¬ 
ly discovered trees from almost every part of the world. 
Japan, China, the Bliotan and Altai mountains, the 
Crimea, the hights of Lebanon, and the Alps, the isle of 
Corsica, Norway, Sweden, England, and Ireland, Cali¬ 
fornia, Oregon, Baffin’s Bay, Florida, and indeed almost 
every country, whose vegetation could reasonably be ex¬ 
pected to endure the climate of our Middle and Northern 
Slates, have furnished some specimens of trees for a trial 
of their hardihood on the shores of the Hudson. The re¬ 
sults thus far reached, are reported in the book before us. 
In addition to descriptive remarks upon trees, there is 
given a Tabular View, which exhibits their relative hardi¬ 
ness in different sections of the country. This we con¬ 
sider one of the most useful and interesting features of the 
work. 
The concluding chapters of Historical Notices show the 
great progress made during the pnst fifteen years, in the 
Construction of fine country seats, rural Cemeteries, and 
public and private parks. 
Thus much for the labors of the editor ; of which, in-' 
deed, much more might well be said. We should, how- ! 
ever, do but imperfect justice to the work as a whole, did 
we Alii to notice also the labors of the publisher in its pro¬ 
duction. Among the new and superb pictorial embellish¬ 
ments, we see that at least fourteen of them were drawn 
by the skillful pencil of A. O. Moore, Esq. In this and 
other ways he has bestowed many months’ labor, and has 
expended largely of his private means, in order to bring 
the workout in the best possible manner. We learn, also, 
that he has pledged a generous share of the profits of this 
edition to the widow of the lamented Downing. Thus, 
whether we consider the merits of the original work, or 
the supplement, or the labors of the publisher, it is ob¬ 
vious that this book is worthy of public favor and an 
extensive circulation. 
New American Encyclopedia, Vols. IV. and V — 
We have already spoken of this magnificent work as U A 
Whole Library in one Work," and we can hardly use any 
stronger terms. We have before us and have examined 
the IVth and Vlh volumes, which are now issued. They 
each contain 770 pages. Vol. 4lh extends in the alphabet 
from BRO. to CHA , and contains 1379 different subjects 
treated of, in articles averaging half a page each. Vol. 
5th extends from CHA. to COU., and contains 2059 ar¬ 
ticles, averaging over one-third page each; The space 
devoted to the different topics varies of course with their 
relative importance. Eveiy person, place, or thing named 
in History, Biography, Geography, Science, Art, Agricul¬ 
ture, etc., is treated of pretty fully, and, as we remarked 
in a former notice, not one person in a thousand will care 
to learn more on any subject, than will be found in this 
work. The volumes, neatly bound, are furnished at $3 
each, or $45 for the whole work. As the first five volumes 
go only part way through the letterC.it would hardlyseem 
possible to bring the entire work within 15 volumes. But 
should it not, this will be to the advantage of the purcha¬ 
ser, as the publishers engage to furnish any extra volumes 
to subscribers without additional charge. D. Apple- 
ton & Co., Publishers, 346 & 348 Broadway,New-York. 
The American Home Garden, By Alexander Watson 
We have had time for only a cursory glance at this work, 
and can not speak fully as to its merits. It appears to 
have been carefully written, and to contain much useful 
information relating to every department of the home 
garden including vegetables, fruits and flowers. The 
author writes from a practical experience of many years. 
Harper & Brothers, Publishers. Price $1 50. 
The Atlantic Monthly.— We heartily commend this 
magazine for uniform literary excellence of high order, 
the freshness and brilliancy of its articles arc une¬ 
qualled by any similar publication in this country. We 
are glad to know that it is enjoying the success it deserves. 
There has been at times a little outcropping of skepticism 
in some of its articles, but latterly there has been an im¬ 
provement in this respect. We always read the Profes¬ 
sor at the Breakfast table, even if we have time for no 
other part of its contents and should consider this alone 
worth the cost of the Magazine, $3 per year. Published 
by Phillips, Sampson & Co., Boston. 
The Bible Printed as it should be.— In the Bible 
as usually printed, great injury is done to the sense by the 
arbitrary arrangement into chapters and verses without 
regard to the proper connection. It was not so written 
originally, and there is no sacredness in these divisions. 
The chapter divisions were not made until the 13th cen¬ 
tury and the verse divisions, not until l he middle of the 16th 
century, when it was done for convenience of reference 
in making up a concordance. The belter arrangement is 
to divide it into paragraphs according lo the sentiments, 
with appropriate headings, quotation marks, etc, just as 
any other book is printed. We have for years used such 
an edition with decided pleasure and advantage, the 
words and language precisely the same as in the common 
edition, and the chapters and verses simply indicated by 
figures along tlie right and left margin. Tiie only objec¬ 
tion to our copy (printed by the American and Forrign 
Bible Society) is the smallness of the type. We have 
just received from Collins & Brother, Publishers, New- 
York, a copy of the New Testament, arranged in para¬ 
graphs, which is a desirable edition especially on account 
of the larger type. The chapters and verses beginning 
each page are indicated at the head of the page. Quota¬ 
tion marks are used whenever the sense demands it. 
We are only sorry that the usual chapter and verse di¬ 
visions are not indicated by side figures. But even with 
this defect, we consider this far preferable to the common 
edition for general reading. 
Our Musical Friend.— A weekly periodical which 
usually gives each week three or four pieces of popular 
music, and generally of very good character, so far. This 
is an excellent idea, as it brings a belter class of music 
within the reach of a large class unable to pay the sheet 
