18G7.] 
AMKHTGAN ACtRIC I' I.TURIST. 
9 
I*<>nltry — We 
art- j^TOtilU'd to Icam that a project Is sot on Toothy honor¬ 
able and responsible parties, well fitted for the under¬ 
taking, to test the que-tlou of the prollt of a lar;;e poultry 
farm. It Is proiroscd to he locate the fann near New 
York, and attention will ho given to raising pure breeds 
for sale, and also eggs and poultry for market. We think 
the success of this enterprise would jiut the tnide in 
fancy jmultry on a reliable basis. 
Slitlinpf or ll:iliiiico CiJifr**. — These 
pates made as described in the A'jiicuUurM for Juno last, 
|>ape 219, and in tlie number for Novemlrer, IStVt, p. 312, 
are so simple and excellent, tlmt many of our readers 
liave adopted them, and some are annoyed by persons 
who Imve jjatented ‘•improvements” upon the principle 
which consist in swivel rollers of difTerent patterns (wo 
know of three). The parties who sell those rollers, or 
the rights for their use, tell the public that their patent 
covers the use of Uio gale —which is not tnic. It only 
rovers the rollers, which are, perhaps, an Improvement 
for pates much used, but not for field pates opened no 
oftsucT than ordinary bars. We supposed that the prin¬ 
ciple of the pate itself was not patented mitil quite re¬ 
cently. Now it seems that it is one of those still-bora 
patents which are given and not used—no cflbrt being 
matle to InUtxluce it extensively. The Patentee is Ami 
C. Tell, of Galesburg, Ill., whoso patent covers the prin¬ 
ciple. The fact that this i)rlnciplo is intent should dis¬ 
courage no one who wishes to use it. The roller Paten¬ 
tees, however, should themselves make terms for the use 
of the principle. 
l*oluto«*H ill ii Wurm Ollar.—“J. 
W.,” Itehoboth, Mass. No vegetables will keep well 
in a wann cellar, except sweet potatoes. The tempera¬ 
ture should be as low as possible, and yet not freeze. A 
mild uniform temperature is better than a fluctuating one, 
averaging considerably lower. A cellar where the ther¬ 
mometer will stand between 4(P and 10“ in winter 
weather, will keep roots perfectly well. Keep the cellar 
well ventilated, the potatoes covered with straw, and 
watch the temperature to guard both against heat and cold. 
Kxpi'rioiioc -witli Sorgrlmm.—L. Graf¬ 
ton, of Pulaski Co., Ind., writes, giving his experience 
as a sorghum syrup Imiler. He says that tlfo old original 
black S', nded sort mak.‘s the best molasses. Tlio nicer it 
is stripped, the better, and green cane makes an Inferior 
product. He appears not to hold strongly to the theory, 
that preen cane makci sugar, while the ripe makes syrap. 
Cane cut when ripe, and worked up will make more sjrup 
than if stored a while, bnt it improves the quality of the 
pro<luct to store the cane. He planted the White African 
cane on g(M><l black soil, and expected to make sugar. A 
small quantity cut early and boiled down, tasted salty. 
This was accounted for by its having been evaporated in 
a meat jmt. A quantity of juice expressed with a light 
pressure, boiled down in an evaporating pan, had no 
such taste, but when a hanl pressure was given, the syrup 
had the same “ tang ” again. 
Ai-lM>r or TrclliH.— G. T. Tanner, Bristol 
Co Ma«« has his vines planted, and asks if ho shall put 
up an arbor or a trellis for them. A trellis by all m^ns, 
M the Tines have a much better exposure to light and air, 
are always accessible, and easily kept under control K an 
arbor is needed for a screen, we would cover it with vinos, 
but never build one on pun>o8C for vines. 
■%V«'ods Ilniis*’****^ -witU I’copfip. 
Is tha sub.stancc of a letter from a “ Doubter.’’ They do 
iust as f.ir as the people take the seeds of weeds along 
with them. The more civilized the people, the more 
.ngrlcnltural and other seeds they would take from the r 
obi home, and would thus sow many weeds with their 
first crop. Ilesides. the seeds of weeds will be taken in 
thJ wool of sheep, in packing straw and other material, 
and in a hundred nnlhought of ways. Some ««d* arc 
carried by the wiml.i. and others by streams, but the gieat 
cr numbir are taken to a n^country by human agency 
Tree :?f csH«*inc.-We have in general terms 
rxprcs-cd onr opinion, that no medicine would 
-r^d have refns-d the advertisernent of several of Uics 
tree mcdiclnrs. We find the following in the Country 
Oent'man of Nov.2‘2, in relation to one of these corn- 
rnmnds- “ J. D. Wlsener, West Dresden, wites us as 
follows- P. S. Sheldon’s patent composition for fruit 
Iraes las been terted in this vicinity, this season, on 
hundreds of trees. The result has been wo^e than f ^ 
lire, as it has killed quite a number of “ 
others are as pood ns dr-nd. It was removed a few weeks 
after it wa.s applied, or it would have been far 
the trees. Wherever It washes down the the ba 
dies and cracks open to the wood 'T'-J® 
in the trees now."-The advertisement of this stuff was 
offered to us, and when its composition was made knovra, 
we refused to publish it, on the ground that wc could not 
sec how a wi-ll known poison could kill the borers, unless 
actually placed in their holes, and that injury might result 
from Its use. The above shows that our view was correct, 
and all other persons having tree medicines for sale will 
please take notice. Wc have before us a circular of a 
“Patent Fruit Tree Invigorator,” which does still more 
wonders, and makes “ mineral gases,” and “ air gasses” 
fonn a strong bud, besides a lot more of “gas” about 
keeping worms, curculios and borers from the tree. 
Unnatural CjSrafling-.— “Inquirer” takes 
exception to our statement, that a common chestnut will 
not be converted into a Spanish chestnut by grafting on 
the Horse-chestnut. He cites the grafting of the pear 
upon tlie Ilawthora as an instance of the union of plants 
as dissimilar as the Chestnut and the Horse-chestnut. The 
best advice we can give our friend is, to study the structure 
of plants a little, and he will not he so apt to he misled 
by similarity of names. He has seen somewhere a draw¬ 
ing of a Horse-chestnut stock prepared for grafting with 
the Chestnut. We can heat that; we have seen a drawing 
of a peach not only grafted on, bnt growing on a willow 
tree 1 The value of a drawing depends upon its source. 
l>cntli of Siel»ot«l.— Perhaps no one else 
has so largely contributed to our knowledge of Japan and 
its productions, as Philippe Francois de Sicbold, who died 
at Munidi, the ISth of Oct. last, at about the age of TO. 
He accompanied the expedition sent by the Dutch Govern¬ 
ment to Japan about the year 182.3, and resided there for 
a number of years, iu the enjoyment of peculiar facilities 
for acquiring information about the country and for 
procuring plants. Of late years, introductions from Japan 
have been numerous, but horticulturists must ever be 
indebted to Siebold for some of their choicest plants. 
Salt as a illaiiarc. —“The reason why 
salt acts as a manure,” says the N. Y. Tribune, “ is be¬ 
cause it contains much of tlie quality of unleached ashes.” 
Shade of Solon l—Takedst thou thy mantle with thee 
when thou wentest at novel writing ?—In the same way 
a stone quarry ‘contains much of the quality of ’ a brick 
meeting house. Salt contains soda; ashes contain pot¬ 
ash Potash and soda are about as much alike, being 
alkalies, as brick and stone. Ashes arc alkaline, salt is 
not. Soluble potash (contained in ashes) is a rare, yet 
very desirable substance in most soils; soda (contained 
in salt) exists in abundance—more than the plants need. 
The uses of salt in agriculture are more discussed and 
less understood than almost cvciy thing else. Its action 
may be beneficial, or the reverse, and it is often neutral. 
I.oiiR Kcoplnp: Sqtisislics.— n. L. Loo¬ 
mis Westfield, Mass., writes, that a squash, a cross of 
the Hubbard with some other, raised in 1805, kept sound 
until the middle of Nov., 1860, and asks if we ever before 
knew a squash to keep 15 months. We have frequently 
known the old Winter Crookneck to keep until the same 
kind was ripe again, a year at least. 
Coal Tax* aad Uats.— A. Ransom, of 
Flster Co. N. Y., says that rats dislike coal tar very much, 
and that he is in the habit of daubing it about their holes 
and nins, with good results. Taking the hint from t le 
Bimgcstion to dip rats in red paint, he proposes to dip 
ome in coal tar and let them go. Mr. Gilbert J Green 
s^s: “Coal tar, mixed with sand, to the consistency of 
thfck mortar, is an effectual stopper to rat holes. The 
process is not patented, and a sure euro is warranted. 
Wonxlerfiil I’licxxomcxia.-Accoimts of 
phenomena are frequently sent to us for an 
which as they arc related, are inexplicable. Many pei 
sons, who woJld not for 
; S » — or . ,0.000 
BccdrSdch were planted and grew. It is 
IblTtliat a quince would ever petrify, and no one can tell 
fow ot ®ee<l® -ill -1-1- "S IMS 
Lv the influences that induce gemmation. 11-^ 
■K n. reallv iKtriJiccl quince, containing living scec . 
been a --1'^ ^ Lan-c, hut tlio probabilities arc all 
"I'inst its hciiu' such, mid tlie buried quince ceases to ho 
?™„derfol....A"noll.ot '“'““j”" l‘t 
ra„ck Corront bosh, In t.,0 7 “ a„ia. 
grew and produced u ^ ordlnai’y course 
whether this presents —^ j relation be- 
:;rs;ro™i=:,ni::ro.rro.oo..,b„o 
fonned a convenient depression to retain dust, decayed 
leaves, etc., and thus form a soil for the bush; the case 
would then be no more strange than if it grew in a flower 
pot. We notice, almost every season, Ailanthus trees, 
two feet or more high, growing upon the stone window 
caps of buildings iu New York City. Some plants, if 
shaded, will get along with an astonishingly small amount 
of soil, and the Ailanthus finds enough in the dust of the 
crevices of a stone or brick building to allow it to make 
a vigorous growth. A good observer puts objects through 
as searching a cross-questioning as a good lawyer does a 
witness. Every child should he taught some branch of 
natural science, if for no other purpose than to teach him 
how to observe accurately. The lack of this power gives 
rise to a large proportion of the wonderful stories that are 
spread abroad and handed down in print and by tradition. 
Is Show a, Fcrtilizei* ?—“ Farmer,” of 
Sullivan Co., N. Y., writes: “ I have frequently heard it 
said that snow is very beneficial to land, and hence it is 
sometimes called the ‘poor man’s manure.’ Although 
this is a commonly received opinion, I have hitherto 
failed to meet with any one who could explain it upon 
philosophical principles, and have been led to doubt 
the trath of the assertion. ^Vhy is it said to be so 
Armoer.—Snow absorbs from the atmosphere very con¬ 
siderable quantities of ammonia, which is especially 
abundant in the air near cities, as it is set free from coal 
and other fuel. It is a warn covering, protecting the 
plants covered by it, especially such as the grasses and 
winter grains, from the unfavorable action of frost, for it 
matters little how deeply the ground is frozen, a good bed 
of snow lying upon it several weeks will thaw it all, and 
even permit a growth of grain and grass to take place 
under it. ’VYlien it melts, the soil has the benefit of the 
ammonia, and any fertilizing dust that the snow may have 
caught, and the snow-water besides contains much 
oxygen—hence the effects are like those of manure, and 
the reason for the popular judgment, which is quite right. 
5®. I®, —Seedsmen and all others will 
please take notice. In August last, we published a note 
from a valued correspondent, to the effect that Carter s 
First Crop Pea, wa# a late one. Our friend, by some mis¬ 
take, had got the Avrong sort. In September, pages 311 
and 314, Ave gave testimony on the other side. These last 
articles’ seem to have been overlooked, as Ave still get 
many notes from Seedsmen and others, on the matter. 
Now be it understood that, as far as evidence can go, 
Carter’s First Crop Pea is a first-rate thing,_and please 
don’t Avrite us any more about that particular pea. 
I>illicx!ilt to Amswci*.—W. L. Lent, Seneca 
Co , Oliio, asks : “ Can grapes or Osage Orange be grown 
on a Olay side-hill, from which the surface sod has been 
removed by grading ?’’-Generally, no ; but there are 
some kinds of drift, often called clay, that are good grape 
lands. It is a local question, and difficult to answei. 
Ikixiac Wsxtei- aixtl Ci-casax of I'Htae.— 
T V Lime Avater is a saturated solution of lime. 
T ime is very little soluble in water, one part requiring 
aiS^t TOO plrts of water. A quantity of slacked ime is 
putinto a tight vessel of Avater and stirred up, and aftei 
S e rdissolved portion has settled, the c ear hqu.d is 
poured off. Cream of lime, or milk of lime, is water wi,h 
0 ^ undissolved lirne^to make a thick mixture. 
w A o ^emuket L. 1. One of the difficult cases to 
nn do not say whether it is in a dwelling or 
omw.r, as dUer ca«» pclargoalnm need to le 
S’lSrit/aad cool imtt! toward, sprios, and tied 
Slrt “d into StowU. ny «!>“*•. ■«“ ““ 
S<,aaa.3..-“ 
TM. .atletj w.U »”»'“77,r,e™c.. Ilk* tor e 
:r.i■croi‘',n\^',L;lt^n.rc.e,s„.e ..on- 
bard is its very hard shell. _ 
on “"t 
G. Tullar, Oswego Co., JN. i jg able to 
joi.rplonBand oheme. i pr„optIng 
Snails »» ***“ ®®““7t«ad Sil^o “ 
.?a 0 ° »c tfonbloaome, toon cll.po.c. o( them.-- 
iSSe’wHtoa that ho haa fon.d a l»d torto... o, tet- 
nplntopertomlheaame^eo- 
O.C 
to”!"h.unt7SraS.e od'.i'ug. ..i the cd.ar,.. a perfect 
no“o“m. II.h.»trfeditwl.h»cce.,. 
