46 
REVIEW OF THE NOVEMBER NtJMBER OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 
refrigerator , and get one of those turkeys killed 
last fall—and, mind, bring some of that three-year- 
old butter—these things are all better for age,” 
will soon get to be common expressions. And 
why not'? This is an age of wonders. And an 
improved refrigerator, with ice made on the spot, 
may yet serve to keep my South-Carolina friend 
cool. 
Apple Orchards. —So, so, I am to be set down 
as an ignoramus, ha ? because I continue to grow 
apples. Native fruit, of that universal variety 
known as “five to the pint '?” Well, I can tell 
you what it is, sir; the “ five to the pinters” are 
strongly in the majority. And nothing that you, 
or I can say, will change them. This sort of peo¬ 
ple never read. “ People who pay attention to 
their fruit trees are sure to make them bear.” 
That is the difficulty. Too many persons, par¬ 
ticularly in our new settlements, pay no attention 
to getting trees, and half those who do, pay no 
attention to them afterwards. They seem to im¬ 
agine that they must pay attention to everything 
else rather than the orchard. The best use that 
can be made of all the leached, or spare ashes, 
about the farmhouse is in the orchard. They 
contain a part of the natural aliment of trees, 
besides the benefit of preventing worms and insects 
harboring around the roots when they are freely 
used. “ Shrewd men, who raise fruit for sale, 
now generally select one, two, or, at most, three or 
four kinds, &c, and confine themselves entirely to 
these.” Just so do just such men who are raising 
apples for their own use. It is all well for ama¬ 
teurs, or nurserymen, who have time to devote to 
the business, to multiply varieties; but for the 
plain, small farmer, three or four kinds of good 
apples are sufficient, so that he has plenty of them. 
At any rate, an excellent assortment for family use 
can be had in seven or eight kinds. 
Ventilation Essential to Health—and Hints for 
the Preservation and Maintainance of Health — 
although from different pens, must have been 
operated by the same current of magnetic fluid. 
Reader, will you turn back and look at those 
articles again ? Read them once more and act upon 
them. 
Use for Corn Husks. —Why that is not half 
their uses. My grandmother knew of several 
others a hundred years ago. I can recollect in 
those days, when it was not so very convenient to 
run to the store and buy a scrubbing brush to 
scour the kitchen floor, that she had some auger 
holes bored through a block or board, and bunches 
of corn husks drawn in, and this being fastened to 
a long handle, made an excellent scrubbing brush. 
A bunch of husks, tied together neatly, makes a 
very nice hearth brush. And, certainly, a horse 
collar made of corn husks is cheaper and better 
than a leather one. I could go on for a long time, 
hut this will do for one husking. 
Texas Wheat.— Tfiere is no difficulty in raising 
wheat in Texas, nor any other southern state. It 
is more difficult to' preserve it after it is raised, 
from the weevil. If it were not for this pest, no 
doubt there would be much more wheat grown at 
the south. I should like to know if the wheat 
growers of Texas are not troubled with weevils. 
Agricultural Botany .—I am much pleased with 
the remarks of this writer upon Dr. Darlington’s 
excellent little work ; and as but few seem inclined 
to buy and read the volume, I don’t know of any¬ 
thing better that can be done than to make the 
extracts proposed. 
Adulteration of Food — Tea. —It is not very sur¬ 
prising that people will continue to drink this 
beverage. A good cup of tea is invigorating to the 
weary soul. But it is almost past belief that the 
American people will continue to pour down th§ir 
throats a vile decoction of such infamous drugs as 
are sold to them under the name of tea. It seems 
to me that the only sure way to avoid being poi¬ 
soned, is never to touch anything sold that goes 
by this name. But as people will continue to 
drink, and I among them, my advice is, to drink 
none but black teas. 
Chocolate. —As to this, the more grease and 
corn meal, the better ; for it never was fit for any¬ 
thing but the hogs. 
Rough Notes by the Way , No. 3.—The idea 
about laying boxes in a henhouse is well worth 
remembering. I shall surely profit by it. Reader, 
perhaps you might also. Pray turn to the article 
and see. 
Buckwheat Cakes. —“ The griddle should never be 
greased.” Your readers have been told that “long 
time ago.” And now the direction to use a little 
beeswax once a day, is better than all this soap, 
sand, and salt. 
Small Pox in Sheep. —I should like to know 
whether this small pox in sheep is of the same 
nature as that which afflicts the human family, 
and liable to become a human malady % [It is 
stated to be analogous to it, but whether it is con¬ 
tagious to man we have no means at present of 
knowing.] 
State of Agriculture in Morris County , N. J .— 
This is one of that class of plain, common-sense 
sort of articles that I always read with pleasure. 
But the greatest thing about it is, the plain man¬ 
ner that it shows the advantages of having facilities 
for the farmer to communicate with the city. The 
“ gude housewife” will, of course, send her milk 
to market whenever she can realize two cents a 
quart, because that is the most profitable disposi¬ 
tion that she can make of it. But if there were no 
railroad, how could Mr. Smith dispose of his milk 
as he does J And yet, notwithstanding the mani¬ 
fold advantages of these great channels of commu¬ 
nication, the farming community are the last per¬ 
sons to favor their construction, and in numerous 
cases they are the most strenuous opposers. They 
are not even willing to make good common wagon 
roads. Many of them seem to think that “ road 
tax” is little better than robbery. If not too late, I 
would say to W. D., that lime mixed with the 
earth he speaks of, would undoubtedly prove 
beneficial. In fact, wherever woody fibre abounds, 
or sourness, as is almost always the case in earth 
from swamps or ponds, lime will be found bene¬ 
ficial. Ashes mixed with such earth will also 
prove advantageous, though in a less degree. 
Write again, friend W. D. 
Which is the Most Profitable Breed of Sheep — 
is a question often proposed—never solved. This 
is from an English paper, but is as appropos to this 
as that country. And the reason that it cannot be 
