352 
AMERICAN AG.RIGULTURIST. 
[October, 
'Fwelve More 'Fliasi We Promise. 
—The reader will notice that this month’s issue of the 
Agric/idturM contains 44 pages. In our prospectus -we 
offer a sheet of 33 pages, but in no month of this year 
have there been less than 36, and for a greater part of the 
time we have given 40 pages. This month we have so 
much reading and advertising matter that we increase 
the size as far as possible, and not exceed legal weight, 
Mellsiljle Aclvertlsememts. — From 
every quarter we receive commendation for the rule 
strictly and impartially adhered to of admitting “no adver 
tisements into our columns except from parties believed 
to be reliable and able, and willing to perform what they 
advertise to do.” During the present month several hun¬ 
dred dollars’ worth has been rejected, which we see ap¬ 
pearing conspicuously in the columns of otherwise re¬ 
spectable papers, both secular and religious. Our course 
; (1 this respect proves of great value to those who do ad¬ 
vertise in good faith, as the public are not afraid to send 
their orders to those admitted under this rule. Of course, 
mistakes will occur, and blame should not hastily be be 
‘stowed. Mail clerks and express agents are not infalli¬ 
ble, and failure to receive goods ordered is often charge¬ 
able to their account, if not to that of the person ordering 
A IV^arsery im e-rei*y T'owai.—The nit 
me.'ous offers made iii*our advertising columns of vines, 
plants, etc., to be forwarded by mail, in effect, bring the 
best nurseries almost to the door of every man. A very 
large business has been satisfactorily transacted in this 
way, since the reduction of postage to a point admitting 
of it. Every family, having the use of ground enough for 
the purpose, should avail themselves of these facilities 
to secure a good supply of fruit for home use. Send your 
orders early, that the nurserymen may provide in time for 
expeditiously forwarding the articles wanted. 
Tlae Amei'icaii I*omoIog-ical So¬ 
ciety,—The llth meeting of the Society commenced at 
St. Louis, on Wednesday, September llth, the President, 
Col. Marshall P. Wilder in the chair. Fourteen States 
were represented hj' delegates, and it was supposed that 
several other delegations would come in. Avery large 
show of fruit is upon the tables, grapes being especially 
numerous. The first day was occupied mainly with pre¬ 
liminary matters. Addresses of welcome were made by 
Mr. Mudd, President of the Missouri State Horticultural 
Society; Mr. Bryant, President of the Illinois State So¬ 
ciety, and by Doctor Spaulding, in behalf of the Grape 
Grower’s Association of the Mississippi Valley. Presi¬ 
dent Wilder briefly and feelingly responded to these salu¬ 
tations. In the afternoon, the President gave his address, 
and the election of officers was held. We regret that we 
have not space for the address. The remaining days will 
be given to discussions which are likely to be interesting, 
as such men as Wilder, Downing, Barry, Warder, Knox' 
Ellwangor, Meehan, Hussman, and a host of other well 
known pomologlsts will take part in them. New or in¬ 
teresting facts will be noted for the benefit of our readers. 
eSrapes at -visit to Mr. 
Knox’s vineyards shows a condition of the crop in mar¬ 
ked contrast with the reports from the grape region of 
the Lakes and other parts of the West. The main crop 
is, ol course, of the Concord, ivhich, for health of foliage 
and productiveness, is so much superior to all other va¬ 
rieties that we do not wonder at Mr. Knox's advocacy of 
it. ^ He Planted his vineyard for the purpose of gettino- 
fruit, and has it by the ton. Delaware has a good crorT 
but the leaves have suffered, though enough remain to 
ripen the fruit. Iona is fruiting, but the foliage in about 
the condition of the Delaware. Diana shows a good 
crop, with some rot. Catawba and Isabella very full and 
scarcely any trouble. Hartford Prolific and Crevelin- 
now, (Sept. -ith,) being marketed. These are two very 
prohfle grapes. The Hartford, as grown here, hangs to 
the bunch as wed as any other grape. The Crevelino- sur¬ 
prised us with its yield, and pleased us with its quHity. 
H has the fault of^ not making a compact bunch, but it 
Will noveltheless 00 a salable - 
_;n n , - -=■ uuuca, DllL 
will neveiiheless oe a salable grape when knowm. 
Tlae Aew Emg-laaicl Faii-.-Fine weather 
proximity to the second city of New Erxgland, unusually 
buildings, and the hearty enthusiasm 
’ivith wnich the people of Rhode Island welcomed the 
.OC. 01 , to Ihol, stole, ooltea 1,. making the Pai. TgraS 
success in a pecuniary point of view. The exhibition 
was well wortliy of the society. The show of AyrS“ 
cenViiT'and tlf numerous and ex- 
New ^ 
deserved SLlfol The Th! 
horn stables were graced by most excellent stock and bv 
hQpe superior to that noble animal, 6th |)iikp q|’T horn. 
dale. If His Grace is not the best bull in this country, 
we would be glad to see his better. The Lieut.-Gover¬ 
nor of Connecticut, Mr. E. H. Hyde, of Stafford, a promi¬ 
nent candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture, was 
present with the choice of his fine herd of Devons, and 
took the herd sweepstakes premium. The show of De¬ 
vons was good, better than can be made in this country, 
outside of New England. The Dutch cattle of Mr. Chenery, 
of Belmont, were also exhibited, and Burmese cattle by Mr. 
Clark of the same town. The horses did not equal those 
shown in Vermont last year, either in numbers or quality. 
Among the mutton sheep, Cotswolds were predominant, 
and very fine, but the fine wools did not make much 
show. The swine and poultry classes disappointed us, 
as did also the implements, though there was a good 
display of mowers and small tools. On the whole, 
the fair was a very gratifying one, and not by any means 
so given up to fast horses as was expected, nor as has 
been represented by the Associated Press’ dispatches. 
Iiavestuieiits of Money. — We advise 
farmers to invest their money in farm improvements, 
mechanics in better tools and facilities, merchants in ad¬ 
vertising. But there is much money which cannot be in¬ 
vested in those ways. Public improvements, really needed 
and of great utility next to securities for which the faith 
of the State or Nation is pledged, ought to be the safest 
and best paying investments. So they are, if well man¬ 
aged. The first mortgage bonds of the Central Pacific 
Railroad Co. are regarded as first class securities. These 
bonds are sold by our friends Fisk & Hatch, No. 6 Nassau 
st., whose representations are thoroughly reliable. 
Seed Store at tlse Ag'rieiiltHrist 
Office—or rather at the place where the Office of the 
Ag'i'icult'^iTist was. As announced elsewhere, we have en¬ 
tered onr new quarters, 245 Broadway. 41 Park Row, 
so long associated with Agricultural and Horticultural 
matters, is, however, to be most worthily filled. It has 
been rented by Mr. B. K. Bliss, of Springfield, Mass,, 
for a Seed and Horticultural Warehouse. Most, if not 
all, of onr readers have long known Mr. Bliss as a most 
enterprising, reliable and obliging dealer. By liberal ad¬ 
vertising, tliorough system, and indefatigable attention 
to the details of his work, lie has built up a business ex¬ 
tending all over the United States, and demanding larger 
facilities. To secure these, he has formed a partnership 
with his son, S. B. Bliss, under the firm of B. K. Bliss & 
Son, and made their headquarters here in the Metropolis. 
Their business at Springfield, Mass., will also be con 
ducted under the same firm. We are greatly^ pleased that 
one whom we knoiwto be fully worthy the'coiifidence of 
the public, which he has already largely secured, is to oc¬ 
cupy the premises so long devoted to kindred pursuits, 
and which otherwise we should more regret leaving. 
With the nnmerous friends of Mr. Bliss we wish him 
success commensurate with his increased facilities. 
Coria.— “H. G. C.,” Benning¬ 
ton, Vt.—The advertisement of F. E. G. Lindsey, of Vir¬ 
ginia, about Egyptian com which bears ears as large as 
maize, and yields 150 bushels to the acre weighing 65 
pounds to the bushel is, on the face of it, calculated to 
deceive. Nevertheless we have written to P. E. G. L. to 
send us some seeds, and receiving no answer, know what 
to conclude. Let it alone ; the story is better than the crop. 
Tile ISoailevartl SIcirt.— The ladies of 
the household are greatly pleased with this article just 
introduced into the fashionable world. It is made of all 
wool, without seam, is light, warm, and of every desira¬ 
ble color.^ The fabric resembles thick but light French 
cloth. It is a decided improvement over the “Balmoral.” 
Mraisafmg,- l»i-oiit.-Peter Henderson, 
Esq., the well-known market gardener, thus writes to the 
author of this recently published work on' Draining: 
“ There would have been no necessity for my tronbliuo' 
you with the draining queries if I had carefully read your 
work, as all my questions are there fully anticipated 
Allow me to most sincerely congratnlate you on your pro¬ 
duction. I never before picked up a book on drainino- that 
I could read with interest enough to keep me at it ten 
minutes. Business drives me so that I have little time to 
read anything; and to wade through a bushel of chaff to 
get at a gram of Mffieat is so discouraging that I rarelv 
make the attempt. But ‘ Draining for Profit ’ is straic^ht 
to the point, without a superfluous word.” See adver¬ 
tisement of this book on page 3T6. 
Aniericsim lustltiite.— 
the cifv oT Vin 
amed 0^0 certainly the best 
Tin fbe T particular as well 
t m of all large signs, the managers 
to be highly commejided,8ful the esbJbiUop rep'wdea' 
as an example to all industrial fairs. The rule which, 
rigidly enforced, secures this very desirable result, is 
this, that while the articles exhibited shall be confined 
to the allotted space, no sign shall appear oitor.e them. 
The result is that exhibitors are advertised by their 
wares, and not by flaming paint and canvas. The fair 
is a great success, being so systematized that any one 
can go directly to any Department, of which there are 
seven, viz.: 1. Fine Arts and Education ; 2. The Dwell¬ 
ing; 3. Dress and Handicraft; 4. Chemistry, etc.; 6. 
Machinery, etc.; 6. Intercommunication, (Carriages, Tele¬ 
graphs, Boats, etc.;) 7. Agriculture and Horticulture, 
each being divided into groups. 
Tlse Use of Flaster.— “W. W. Fuller,” 
of Michigan, proposes a practical question under cover of 
a theoretical one. Letting the theory go, he admits that 
by means of plaster he gets greatly increased crops. 
Those crops contain a proportionately increased quantity 
of ash constituents drawn from the soil, which, of course, 
is by just so much the poorer. Hence impoverishment 
of the soil is certain if the practice is continued long 
enough. How soon it will come depends on the richness 
of the soil, both in available plant food and in that which 
may be developed by tillage and the action of the weather. 
An equivalent must in some way be returned, if the soil 
be kept as it is. Plaster works good to the land in sever¬ 
al ways, and the wise ones cannot agree upon a theory. 
Apples in EiBg-lantl.— A recent Garden¬ 
er’s Chronicle gives a tabular report, occupying several 
pages, showing the state of the fruit crop in the various 
counties in England. 'While there is plenty of small fruits, 
there is a general scarcity of pears and apples, the latter 
crop being so bad that it may be set down as a total fail¬ 
ure. It is not unlikely that large shipments of apples 
will be made from this country; which, judging from tire 
appearance of the orchards in the Western States, wo 
shall be abundantly able to do. 
Have Hone Witla It.— Either the Farm¬ 
ers’ Club or the New York Weekly Tribune is giiiltv sf 
a disregard of the health of the community that deserves 
the severest reprobation. The two form a sort of recin- 
rocally irresponsible concern. Whenever we blame the 
clii we are told that they are not responsible for the re¬ 
ports and when the Tribune is called to account, it ssijs 
that 1 ' only reports the proceedings of the Club. In the 
re!)(..-t (if Mm meeting of August 20th, we find people en- 
cotirao-ed to tamper with so dangerous and fatal a disease 
as diptlieria. by the nse of a decoction of bark and roots, 
aiif] what Is worse, if possible, to try the cure of consunm- 
tion 'uy taking so violent a poison as Lobelia. Wo sise 
by the reports ol the Club that a large proportion of those 
who take part in the proceedings are Doctors. Can it be 
possible th.at they so disregard the safety of the commu¬ 
nity as to allow these things to go by without a protest ? 
Gentlemen of the Cinb, yon have it in your power to do 
mucli good when you stick to matters belonging to Agri¬ 
culture, but when yon meddle with medicine yon weaken 
your influence, and your p.^oceedings become dangerous. 
Feetl Cutters.— -Cutting or chaffing,' wet¬ 
ting, and flavoring with meal !,>r tiran. make good fodder 
go much farther than otherwise, ana even very poor fod¬ 
der palatable and useful. This involves no little labor, 
blit a good machine makes light work of it. compared 
with any other. We bought Gale’s Cojiper Strip Feed 
Cutter, made by the Peeksldll (N. Y.>F;ow Works, sev¬ 
eral months ago, and nse it with great s.arisi'acti'on. in 
cutting hay and cornstalks, knowing of none better. The 
past season has been so peculiar that many farmers, who 
rarely are so unlucky have this year damaged hay, aed 
that cut after having become old and wiry. The diligent 
nse of the hay cutter is the only alleviation of this state 
of tilings. Cut fine, wet down, and, at least, .flavor with 
oil or corn meal, bran, or some ground feed. 
Hocsoiiemts Acicnowlctlg-esl. — Onr 
list of these has been crowded out from month to month. 
If the friends who have favored us with Reports, Cat¬ 
alogues, and other documents, will for this once accept a 
general acknowledgment,we will try to do better in future. 
How 'to Coo Sc a Ham. —We dine occa¬ 
sionally at the table of Mrs. K., and until we tasted it 
there, we did not loiow what a liam was capable of. I{ 
being too nice to remain a family secret, we asked the 
recipe for the benefit of our readers. Boil a ham for three 
hours, remove the skin, and trim it nicely, and then rub 
into the fat a pound of powdered sugar, or as much as it 
will take up. The ham is then placed in a dripping pan, 
in which is put a pint of sherry, or otiifr good wine, and 
put into the oven, and baked very slowly for two hours. 
During the baking it is frequently basted with the wine. 
Try this, and 'we are confident you will say that you 
have never .before eaten bam in ifa greatest perfection. 
