350 
X 0 JEUB 
them ready to take the wing on the 13th of July. 
From their formation I consider them to belong to 
this family. Home seasons these excrescences are 
exceedingly numerous. T am aware that these ex¬ 
crescences are usually made by Cynipidi*, Cecidomyia, 
&c., which may include a species or genus of the 
Thrips family. I am also aware that certain parasitic 
insects, like the Giortui, deposit their eggs in various 
kinds of galls, and that strange developments are 
sometimes made, for instance:—The development of 
these parasites within the bodies of other insects 
was for a long time a source of much speculation 
among the earlier philosophers, who conceived it 
possible that one animal had occasionally the power 
of being absolutely transformed into another. Thus 
Bwammkrpam records as a '• thing very wonderful ” 
that 545 Hies of the same specie* were produced from 
«four chrysalides of a butterfly,” so that the life and 
motion of these seem to have transmigrated into 
those of the 545 other*."-f Hill's Translation of 
the Bibl. Natur,, p. U‘l.) This should admonish us 
to caution in onr investigations and opinions. 
Lancaster, fa, 1861. . J. Stauffer. 
Perhaps this wastefulness is not so much to be won¬ 
dered at after all, when we remember that corn-fod¬ 
der goes to waste in the fields where it grew, by the 
hundreds of acres, and that prairie hay can be had 
for the cutting and hauling— costing say three dol¬ 
lars per ton. Not less than one thousand tons have 
gone into the city from the prairie, seven or eight 
miles out, since the first of July. 
But my notes are becoming too lengthy. If yon 
or your readers wish to hear further from this portion 
of the North-West Countrie, I may resume them here¬ 
after, Agricola. 
Ahwapctuk, III, Oct., 1861. 
I once, in searching for a young queen, placed the 
frame on which she was too near the next frame and 
not in the position I found it. The queen at the 
time had her head in ft cell. The comb at that point 
projected a good deal. "I wo days after this T 
searched again for the queen, to show her to a friend. 
I found her in the position in which I last saw her, 
nearly starved and past recovery. 
Colonics infested with worms are often seen carry¬ 
ing out imperfect and mutilated bees. Queen cells 
are frequently cut down by want of care in replacing 
Combs at the proper distance after examination.— 
E. 1*., in American Bee Journal. 
heart shingles of our former residence in Candia are 
tolerably sound now, at the expiration of toward 
forty years; but in these days lumber isn’t what it 
used to be, and preservatives are of interest. 
N EW A DV ERTISEMENTS. 
A Wonderful Little Microscope — M. S. Woodward. 
Ajrents Wanted —S. Madison. 
Patent Agency—J Fraser. 
SPECIAL. NOTICES. 
IMPROVED CATTLE STALLS. 
North-Western Correspondence of Moore's Kural New-Yorker. 
GEODES PROM MISSISSIPPI BLUFFS. 
PREFATORY. 
A dismal rainy day in the middle of October 
one of many that have visited this region since the 
10th of September—coniines nie to my house; so i 
conclude to delve for something to send to the 
Rural— the Family Journal for the denizens of the 
great North-West. 
I write from the North- West; but lest the reader 
shall deem that a rather indefinite locality, I will be 
a little more explicit. The center of this North-West 
is at the door of the shanty in which I sit, and from 
which I can see about, ten miles of one of the most 
noble rivers in the world, the mighty Mississippi; 
can see the brown forests on the borders of three of 
the greatest States on the American continent,— 
(I mean great as to geographical and physical advan¬ 
tages—for one of them is at this moment so borne 
down with Secession, that it will require a quarter 
of a century to regain the position she has lost 
within the present year,)—and can hear the hum of 
industry, as it floats on the breeze from four char¬ 
tered cities, while their windows and domes are 
gilded by the morning sun. This i* the center of 
the great North-West, and the locale of your humble 
correspondent, this rainy day in the month of October, 
“The dearest mouth of all to penrive minds,” 
GEODB-ALOGICAL. 
Speaking of Geodes, I may as well mention here 
that this region furnishes numerous specimens of 
them, and that the several deposits here are becoming 
famous among the cabinet-collectors. One geologist 
Bent away from this vicinity last summer, over a tun 
of these specimens many of them very fine and 
large. They may be found in the bluffs, between 
the layers of limestone formations, in large numbers, 
from th.; size of a robin’s egg up to the -weight of a 
hundred pounds. They are picked up mostly among 
the sand and gravel, in the beds of the small bluff 
streams, where they have been deposited by the 
action of the water upon thu bluffs. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker: —In your issue of 
August 31st I gave a plan for fastening and unfasten¬ 
ing cattle in stalls, such as are used by dairymen. I 
will now give my way of making the stall through¬ 
out. As there may be some that intend making 
stalls for the coming winter, this information would 
not be amiss. 
The bottom part should be made of a hewn stick of 
timber, 5 inches by 8. Take out of the manger side 
of this stick places for the slatB i! inch thick, and 5 
inches long, across the Btick for the movable slats, 
and half serosa for the others; allowing 3 feet in 
length for each cow, and 7 inches between the slats 
for the necks. Nail a strip of board over these 
places, 4 inches wide the whole length. This is 
easier than to mortice the slats in, and is just as 
good for the stationary ones and better for the 
others, hb the dirt and seed that gets in the joints 
works out beneath, and the slats always work loose. 
The slats should he 5 inches wide and 14 thick, 
and any height preferable, but 4 feet between the top 
and bottom is a good height. The top should be 4 
Inches wide and 3 inches thick. Take out of the 3 
inch side, places for the slats the same as the bottom, 
allowing 16 inches for the movable slats to open. 
Now pin on strips of board 11 inch thick and 3 inches 
wide the same a& the bottom, and have it as straight 
as possible on the top, then make a slide for the 
latehcB to be fastened to —3 indies wide, 14 thick, 
and the length of the stalls. This can be made of 
strips 10 or 12 feet long, hailed together at the ends, 
and pinned through with {-inch pins, iustcu the 
latches to this in their proper places with J inch pins, 
and put it on the top of the stalls on the strip pinned 
on. This slide is to be held in its place by the blind 
boards. Let every fourth one extend above the slide 
2 inches, und nail cleats to them over the slide. Let 
one of the blind boards extend above the slide far 
enough to fasten a pulley, ft inches in diameter, over 
the slide. Fasten a small chain 2 feet long to the top 
of the slide about 18 inches from the pulley when the 
stalls are all open; fetch the chain under the pulley 
and fasten the other end to a lever, the same as given 
in the Rural of August 31st. 
Any one can see the advantages these stalls have 
over those made in the old style. E. B. Tanner. 
Attica, Ohio, 1861. 
Age of Bees. 
Many people say bees only live six months; now 
I have two hives, to each of which I introduced a 
Ligurian queen, by fumigating them in July, 1880. 
In October T bought ft swarm that bad been already 
fumigated to take tbe honey; I fumigated it to take 
the queen away, and then added to it one of my 
Ligurian queens to strengthen her. Now this is the 
10th of September, and there is not only a large 
number of English bees ill the Ligurian swarms, but 
also a great number in the old stocks, the Ligurians 
having swarmed—one twice, and the other (that, from 
which I took the Ligurian queen to add to an English 
stock) three times. Now here is a large quantity of 
bees alive that must be more than a year old; and not 
only are they that age, lint many of them have been 
fumigated twice. Ab I am not clever enough with 
bees to take the queen away without fumigation, I 
generally use it, and have found, when carefully done, 
very little lose, and after a day or so the bees seem to 
have quite recovered.— London Field. 
Remedy for Bce-Stlngs. 
Three years ago one of my little ones poked his 
spade into a bee-hive. You may suppose he was 
severely stung. 1 immediately mixed with water 
some ipecacuanha powder and applied it to the places 
stung, (of coarse extracting the stings where visible,) 
and in ten minutes he was playing about and all 
irritation waB gone. The nurse was stung, too, in 
several places, and the same remedy was applied with 
equal success. The Indians use this remedy for the 
stings of scorpions, and a friend has (since my publi¬ 
cation of the cure in the West Sussex Gazette at the 
period) called my attention to the fact that Dr. Liv¬ 
ingstone states in his journal that the African tribes 
use ipecacuanha for snake bites. I have not the book 
to refer to, but I think they mix the powder with oil. 
I have used it for gnat bites. — Charles Hardy in 
London Field. 
$\\t eip**. 
Novel Experience. 
A young man named Hunter, living some six 
miles east of Polk City, on the prairie, where trees 
and fences were wanting, was the other day placed 
in a rather trying position. A large Bwann of bees 
seeking a resting place, settled upon his person, 
completely covering his legs and body. Ju this con¬ 
dition he walked to the house, some 100 rods distant, 
where, obtaining a box, the bees were successfully 
hived, without injuring him .—Des Moines Journal. 
Ou Harvesting Corn. 
In tbe Eoston Cultivator of Oct. 12 we find the - 
following upon this important topic: 
A farmer in Natick informed us a few days ago, 
that he believed the heaviest and beRt corn was pro- ; 
duced by letting it ripen untopped. A few years 
ago, he said, after beginning to cut his stalks on a i 
piece of corn, he was taken sick and thus the remain- : 
ing portion of the field remained untopped. On 
harvesting the corn, his attention was arrested by ( 
the noticeable difference in the quality and weight , 
of the corn on that part of the field where the stalks , 
were not cut, over that part where they were cut. , 
He was asked whether the corn was enough better to 1 
make up for the depreciation in value of the fodder, 
U8 compared witli that part of the field where the 
stalks were cut and cured. He said, probably not. 
There is little room to doubt that corn in unfrosty 
seasons, that is snffered to mature untopped, is haler 
and heavier than that which is topped, or ent close to 
the ground and shocked or stocked. But in econom¬ 
ical farming, this is not the only point to he con¬ 
sidered. It is said by some farmers, that the forage 
of an acre of corn when it is cut up, shocked and 
well-cured when the kernel is in full milk, is worth 
more than the hay which could be grown and made 
on the same area, were it seeded to clover or grass. 
Bnch farmers have two good reasons for cutting up 
and shocking their corn. Tbe first is, that they are 
safe against the chances of early frosts before the 
corn has time to ripen; the second is, the much 
greater value of the fodder. Sometimes the third 
reason presents itself, to wit, the farmer may desire 
to sow his ground to winter wheat or rye. The first 
two reasons are of themselves, however, sufficient 
with many farmers to decide the question with them 
as to which of the three methods of managing and 
harvesting a field of corn is best. Experience and 
observation have tanght us, that cutting up and 
shocking is the best method for making the most of 
the corn crop in New England. 
Those who maintain that corn grown without top¬ 
ping is haler and heavier than that ripened in any 
other way, are, undoubtedly, right; but this does not 
settle the question where forage is of as much value 
as it is iu the Eastern States, lienee, that that 
method of harvesting corn which shall secure the 
farmer against the hazard of early fall frosts, and at 
the same time make the fodder the most valuable, and 
guarantee to him meanwhile a good grain crop, must 
. be generally conceded to be the most economical, 
, and, therefore, the best, few can reasonably doubt. 
That cutting up and shocking while the corn is in 
. milk, secures these benefits, none, it seems to us, 
will deny. 
Hereford Cattle at Auction — M. C. Remington. 
Rural Notes cmi) Items. 
The Times Improving. — Judging from our receipts, and 
the many encouraging letters we are receiving from agents 
and others relative to the prospects of the ensuing volume 
of the Rural, we conclude that the times hare improved 
vastly within a few weeks all over the Free States and 
Canada. The ritnpln fact that our receipts on subscription 
for the past month hare been much greater than they were 
during the corresponding period of last year—while the 
offers of aid in circulating the paper aTe more numerous and 
cordial—indicates that money is plenty, and the people more 
confident in regard to the future, nB well as that the Rural 
New Yorker is increasing in public favor. We rejoice in 
the apparent prosperity and improved prospects of the people 
and country, and trust nothing will occur to check the 
improvement so generally manifested. 
McCormick's Reaper Patent. —The grain-growers of the 
country (and perhaps various manufacturers of agricultural 
machinery.) will not regret to learn that the application for 
an extension of McCokmick's reaper patent, bearing date 
IS47, has been refused. The patent is said to have covered 
alt that was peculiarly and intrinsically valuable in his old 
reaper. Mr. McC. has amassed an ample fortune, and will no 
doubt continue to accumulate from bis extensive manufactur¬ 
ing business, though refused the extension of a patent which 
was for n long time almost a monopoly. A Chicago paper 
well says that “the effect of the decision on other reaper 
manufacturers will be most salutary. They may now give 
the farmers a really better machine than they have ever 
before beeu able to do. By combining the patents of Mr. 
McCormick with their own Improvements, they will inaugu¬ 
rate a new era In reaper building. We may now look for the 
starting up of small reaper shop* along our rapid streams, 
for the supply of the demand in their immediate vicinity. 
The fanners, however, will derive the principal benefit. They 
will now get. better and cheaper reapers. This will diminish, 
in aH't.all degree, the cost of producing grain, so that they 
will either make more money from their labor, or be enabled 
to sell for lower prices without loss.” 
inquiries ami Answers. 
the weather and crops. 
In this region the summer has been a rlry one, 
though not remarkably so. August is generally a 
dry ami hot month ou these prairies, while July is 
often subject, to an interval of wet weather, lasting 
two or three weeks. The spring was unpropitious 
for getting in the crops hence corn and potatoes 
are not so good as last year. There will, however, 
he a flair supply, and there is a large amount of last 
year’s corn yet lying over. Spring wheat was almost 
a total failure; thousands oi acres of it were never 
cut at all. The ravages of the chinch bug were un¬ 
precedented; so much so that cultivators will sow 
but little spring wheat hereafter. The rains of Sep¬ 
tember have been favorable to tbe growth of late 
crops. Up to this writing (Oct. 15) thero have been 
hut one or two very slight frosts, and tbe weather is 
now warm and promises pleasant. The health of 
the country has been remarkably good. 
THE FRUIT CROP. ] 
Speaking of health, it may not bo amiss to say j 
that tbe extreme healthiness of the season may be , 
ascribed partly to tbe presence of ft large fruit crop. 
Most of the small wild fruits wero abundant in their 
season, and the cultivated sorts arc beginning to 
make quite a 6bow in onr markets. Indeed, many 
of our Western people, who have seemed ignorant 
of tbe fact heretofore, are now beginning to know 
that fruits can be made an article of food, as well as 
hog and hominy. And this knowledge is increasing 
rapidly; so that the everlasting bacon is fast giving 
way to baked apples and other dishes from the porno- 
nal kingdom. “ Egypt” is the great fruit garden of 
the West, though, in the lino of peaches, it has a 
strong rival In the region on the eastern shore of 
Lake Michigan. Chicago is perhaps the largest 
fruit market in the Union, as it is by far the greatest 
grain market in the world. In this region — this 
central portion—the peach crop was good, and there 
are now large quantities of apples in market, selling 
at low prices. At an exhibition of onr Horticultural 
Society in September, there was a fine show of 
peaches, mostly seedlings; of grapes, the Delaware, 
Diana, Concord and Rebecca were conspicuous, 
though there were several other sorts. The Cataw- 
bas and Isabellas are quite common. My Isabellas 
ripened about the 1st of September—the Catawbas 
and Concords on the 10th. 
THE SORGHUM CROP. 
Had it not been raini .■ to-day I should have been 
employed about my sugar-cane; so I may as well 
“ make a note of it.” There is yet a large portion of 
the cane grown this year not manufactured, and I 
much fear that the frost will catch some of it. The 
yield is thought uot. to be so great as iu former years. 
This is probably owing to the impurity of the seed, 
for, however careful cultivators may be, large quan¬ 
tities of cane do become mixed with broom-corn. 
Most of tbe mills used here — especially those where 
small lots only are grown—are made of wood. 
These will not express the juice equal to the iron 
ones. A few are of iron, doing good service; and 
as the cultivation of the cane increases, these mills— 
to run by steam power, and to evaporate also by steam 
—will become mere common. Of one thing the 
doubters everywhere may be assured,—the farmers 
of the North-West have fully demonstrated the practi¬ 
cability of cane culture for molasses. The manufac¬ 
ture of sugar is yet an experiment. 
In the cane culture, as in many other things, the 
proverbial carelessness and wastefulnes of Western 
people are apparent. Many strip and top their cane 
for the mills, leaving the blades and seed to lie on 
the ground and waste, when it is known that both 
make excellent food for cattle. The seed is also 
eaten with avidity by hogs. Of its fattening qoali- 
ties, my experience will not justify me in speaking. 
Bees Destroying their Brood. 
J. F. Martin, ou page 20!) of the Bee Journal, sut 
asks the cause of a colony of his killing its young ^ 
and removing them from the hive. He states lm has 
“examined the hive and found nothing the matter." 
It would have been more satisfactory if Mr. M. bad 1,11 
given tbe exact condition of the swarm—its strength, t0 
amount of stores accumulated, amount of brood, the 
state of honey resources at the time, and tbe weather. 
I have noticed this destruction in several instances, 
and attributed it to various cause*: L 
Last, September I removed a hybridized Italian 
queen from a Langstroth hive, and put her with the 
bees that, were upon the frame with tier, in a small n 
box holding ten frames five inches square, and win- 
tered them successfully in it. I filled the frames with “ 
empty worker comb, except two, which contained | ^ 
sealed brood, which I consider important, to give, to i 
maintain* the strength of the colony; without which 
a nucleus, (especially if engaged in raising a queen,) c ' 
unless very strong, will become too weak before it 
has hatched a brood of its own. This is more ini- ° 
portant late than early in the season. 1 fed them 
sparingly every day, and in a few days tbe combs si 
were mostly tilled with eggs. 1 then fod more o' 
lavishly, and the bees began displacing eggs and si 
larval to fill the brood cells with honey; showing p 
their instinct for storing honey to be greater than p 
their love of young. This would be a costly expert- n 
ment with a large colony. M. M. Baldridge, of si 
Niagara Co., N. Y., lutd this destruction of young o 
oceured early in the season last year, with a powerful a 
stock that he ueglected to supply with surplus t 
boxes; and sent an account of itto the American Agri- 13 
cuhuritt. Massacre from this cause must be of rare 
occurrence, for bees generally swarm when their t 
hive is well filled with stores, harvest good, and 
they are crowded for room. 1 
As bees do not leave tbe hive until a week old, i ’ 
and do not gather honey the first fortnight of their i 
life, the few old bees that remain after ft swarm has 
issued, generally do not much more than supply : 
the wants of the young bees and larvte for a fortnight i 
to come; which gives the young queen a favorable 1 
opportunity to increase her army of workers, by i 
depositing in the recently vacated cells. 
Bees, when on tbe brink of slmvation in spring, ! 
will sometimes destroy their brood, sucking dry tbe 
bodies of the larviv. The queen then almost ceases 
to lay, and desertion or starvation follows, unless 
they are assisted. 1 mention spring, being the only 
season I ever remarked it; but 1 see no reason why 
they may not do so at other times, if brought into 
: the same condition, which may happen at any sea¬ 
son by robbing. 
■ It sometimes occurs that a weak colony extends its 
brood over more comb than it can cover and keep 
warm, when surprised by a sudden change of temper- 
- ature, which, when it lasts for several days, is sure to 
kill tbe brood in the unprotected combs. The same 
j thing sometimes occurs when a colony is placed in 
. too large a hive for its strength. Also, if, in rernov- 
! ing frames containing brood, they are not replaced 
] as found, but store-combs placed between. Thus 
- isolated, if the colony is too weak to cover them all, 
i the eggs and larvte will be either neglected or 
e removed from the unprotected comb or combs. 
a When neglected, an intolerable stench arises from | 
. dead brood, which infects the hive for some time. 
Bees so build their comb that they can command 
every cell; and if, in removing comb, it is not 
e replaced in its original position, wherever it is wind- 
n ing and comes in unnatural dontact or nearness to 
e the next, the workers will cut a passage so that they 
n can command every cell, generally leaving some 
h poiuts or lineB of attachment. If the cells thus out 
o of line contain egg3 or brood iu any stage off 
i- development, they are sacrificed to the science of 
t. I bee-architecture. 
Red Clover — Italian Bees. 
Eds. Rural Nkw-Yorkbb:— Can you. or any of your 
subscribers, tell me whether the famed Italian bee ran gather 
honey from the common red clover or not?—Jos. C. Haskell, 
Ferry, Luke Co , Ohio, 1861 
The Italian bee, it Is said, can obtain honey from 
many flowers from wlHch the common bee is unable 
to extract it, but not !rom the red clover. 
Plan for a Milking Shed Wanted —Will you, or some of 
your subscribers, please give, through tbe Rural, a good 
plan for a milking -tied to accommodate twenty-five or thirty 
cows.—W. D. Roihhnb, Copenhagen , ,V, V., 1861. 
gural Spirit of iUc gmo. 
Lows of Cnd. 
A correspondent of the Prairie Farmer says his 
method of curing loss of end is this:—Give a healthy 
cow a small quantity of oats or barley in the straw 
to cat, and when she begins to raise her cud take a 
handful of it, or the masticated food from her mouth, 
and while warm, put it into the moutli of the one 
that has lost the cud. This has proved an effectual 
cure iu all instances where I have known it tried. 
Out Straw as Food for Sick Animals. 
“I have often noticed,” says Dr. Dadd, “that 
What is the Matter with the Hogs? —Will the Rural’s 
editors permit tne to Inquire for a remedy for a very fetal mal- 
fc.Jv nbieh for sometime past ha*prevailed extensively among 
svrine in this section? it prevails among all cIossch and con 
ditlonn of hoc*. killing alike fat hogs, store bog*, breeding 
,„»> „ue kin a pigs, and nhr.U-m wtieUi»r rotmiog At .urge or 
confined in pens’, either alone or in herds. In some ini-Uncus, 
all tbe bog* on a farm have died, und again a limited number, 
Bometimes four or five dying, while tbe remainder ‘how no 
feign-, of the d»*etiM5. Small p'g* urually (.ill sick and die in 
a |, w hours after they are discovered to lie nick Hog* appear 
rather dull and stupid, incline to lie still, and will move but 
little ir undisturbed. Sonic purge and vomit profusely, whl e 
Others evince no such symptom*- The excrement i*. usually 
verv black The dl»ea*u runs from four days to ten before 
producing death. 8ml wtmi equally violent, whether the 
feud haa been mostly coru or slop* from the milk room or 
kitchen. We liars tried bleed ng. tmlphur soft soap, eop- 
iicra- gunpowder, suit petrv. alcohol, and a-afix'te.a, (not all 
on one hog, of course.) hut have failed to discover ft remedy. 
Post mortem examinations hare been Instituted, which 
revealed no appearance of disease In any part of the system, 
except Iu one inatuuce where the liver wax almost w holly 
consumed. Th# brain, the lung*- the heart, the liver, the 
stomach, the kidneys, and the bowel*, were, to a' appear- 
unefc, in good uumlitJuu, l.rut Ihe blndder wits*, 1 think, always 
very full, though thH in not unusual In sound hugs when 
slaughtered. Many hog* have already died, and ax the dis¬ 
ease is increasing, scores more will doutitlus. die, if we cannot 
find a cure, if tiic Rcrai.. or its readers, will but Inform us 
of the remedy, we will prize it more than ever, if that be 
possible.—W». 1’. Trim in.*, Erie. Penn.. 1861. 
To Patentees of New Inventions, kv .— We are almost 
daily in receipt of polite, and often pressing invitations, to 
notice at length inventions recently patented — our corres¬ 
pondents usually claiming that a proper commendation of 
their improvements would greatly redound to the. benefit of 
community. Such appeals to our generosity and patriotism 
are complimentary, but Inasmuch ax tbe parties have not 
themselves exhibited the virtues commended, we purpose to 
follow their practice instead of their preaching. If they will 
give the public the benefit of their invention?, “without 
mosey or price,” we will cheerfully notice and commend the 
same, bo far as consistent, on like terms. Rut those who 
patent their inventions, and seek to secure fortunes thereby, 
are as frigid as the 31st day- of December in thus asking u» to 
fill their purses. They need not tell us of the “superior 
advantages ” the Rural New-Yorker possesses for intro- 
during such inventions to the public; we know that already— 
and we are moreover aware that such superiority has only 
been obtained by expending a fortune iu establishing said 
paper, and making It the best advertising medinm of its class 
in America. And if they wish to avail themselves of said 
advantages, onr advertising columns are open to their 
announcements on the terms stated at the head thereof. 
We are disposed t« do a good deal fur the public welfare, but 
submit that it is no part of our duty as a journalist to furnish 
a griudatone, and turn it al*o, for the benefit of monopolists, 
even though many of our readers may thereby he incidentally 
benefited. This “Vermillion edict” is intended for the 
special information of all patentees who solicit our aid in 
the manner above indicated. 
TurU. S. Commissioners to the World’s Fair (a list of 
whom was given in a late Rural,) met in Washington some 
days ago. Hon. Wm. If. Skward was chosen Chairman, and 
J. C. G. Kennedy .Secretary. A Committee of five—Col. BJ 
P. Johnson, of New York, being Chairman—was appointed 
to solicit of the President a Government vessel to transport 
American contributions to the lair. At a subsequent meet¬ 
ing, “ an Executive Committee was appointed, consisting of 
it. J’. Johnson, of N. Y., Chairman; J C. G. Kennedy, W 
W, Heaton, of Washington; uud James R. Partridge, of 
Md., the last named Secretary. It ia their duty to make all 
necessary preparations for the exhibition. An office la to be 
established at Washington, and a description of all articles 
intended for exhibition, submitted to the Committee for 
their action. Inventors, or other exhibitors, can apply to 
any one of the Commissioners or Executive Committee.” 
sick kotses will eat oat straw in preference to any 
other kind of fodder; as a matter of course, however, 
some will refu-e to eat it. Oat, straw contains a large 
proportion of nutrimental mutter and some phos¬ 
phates, and when converted into a sort of bran by 
means of mill-stones, is a very nourishing diet. This 
sort of aliment is useful when combined with ground 
oats, for animals whose systems lack the requisite 
amount of phosphates. A milch cow, for example, 
the subject of prostrating disease, is very much bene¬ 
fited by food of this kind.” 
Wauts ON Cows Teats.— 1 have a nice Durham cow, five 
years old, which was all right until within the year past, 
During that, period her tents have become nearly covered 
with long, dry. hard warts What will cur# them without 
injury to the cow?—B. D., North Cluli, A. 1 , 18111. 
Washing iu slum water is strongly recommended. Another 
remedy is composed of equal parts of neat’s toot oil, beef's 
gall, spirits of turpentine, and old brandy—shake well before 
I using, and apply once each day. 
Signs of a Good Ox. 
At a recent Legislative Agricultural meeting 
held at the State House, in Boston, Mr. Sheldon, of 
Wilmington, gave the following as his rale of judg¬ 
ing of a good ox: 
“t oo should stand before him and be sure he has 
a fine hazel eye, large nostrils, broad at and above 
the eyes, rather slim horns, toes straight out before 
him, straight in the knees, bosom lull, back straight, 
and wide at bis hips. If yon find these points, said 
the speaker, you need not ask of what breed he is, 
hut if you want one, buy him. Ho said that he had 
found that a black-eyed ox was not to he depended 
on, as he will kick and be ugly, while a short-headed 
ox will start quick from the whip, but he will soon 
forget it. 
SPROUTED Wrhat tor Skbd.— 1 wish to inquire through 
your excellent paper if sprouted, or grown, wheat may be 
considered safe to so#* .Some of my neighbors have sown 
of it., and consider it good seed. Now will you, or some of 
vour numerous subscribers, iufortr one that is anxious to 
know?—D. W. Harrison, Tuscola, III,, 1861. 
One of tile oldest wheat-growers in this section maintains 
(and hie experience upholds him,) that sprouted wheat is 
good for seed. There are two sides to this question here, 
however, as well as In the vicinity of onr correspondent. 
Bit Kind and Gknti.b to yoiir Horses. — The following 
remarks by Mr. Karev are worthy the consideration of every 
man who has anything to do with horses:—“AlmoBt every 
wroDg act the horse commits ia from mismanagement, fear, 
or excitement; one harsh word will so excite a nervous home 
as to increase his pulse ten beats in a minute. When we 
remember that we are dealing with dumb brutes, and reflect 
how difficult it most bo for them to understand our motions, 
signs, and language, we should never get out of patience 
with them because they do not uuserstand us, or wonder at 
their doing things wrong. With all our intellect, if we were 
placed in the hort-o's situation, It would be difficult for us to 
understand the driving of some foreigner, of foreign w»?« 
and foreign language. We should always recollect that our 
ways and language are just an foreign and unknown to the 
horse as any language in the world ia to us, and ehould try to 
practice what we could understand were we a horse, endeavor¬ 
ing by more simple means to work on his understanding 
rather than ou the different parts of hie body.” 
Catarrh in Sheep.—I wish to inquire for a remedy for 
a disease among sheep. Being inexperienced iu eheep hus¬ 
bandry. I don't know what to name it. It commences among 
them like a cold — they cough, run at the none, and sneeze 
verv badly. Have had them ( the sheep) on the place hut one 
season. Was told that a change of pasture would cure them, 
but they have grown worse instead of better. Have tried 
salt and’wood ashes, but without auy apparent improvement. 
Now, if you, or anv of vour contributors, can give me a cer¬ 
tain cure, you will Oblige—A SUBiFCiunmi, Sparta. III. 
Whitewash for Itools. 
In the Rural for Sept. 28th, we gave an article 
from the Boston Cultivator recommending limewash 
as a preservative for shingles, and we now clip the 
following corroborative testimony from the New 
Hampshire Journal of Agriculture : 
Farmers who are about to new shingle their 
houses, sheds, or barns, will do well to have the 
shingles dipped iu whitewash with a little salt put 
in. Let the mixture be hot,—that is to say, make 
your wash with boiling water, dip immediately, and 
lay the shingles the next day, or after drying a little. 
Tbe Hon. Frederick Smytb, of this city (Manchester), 
bought hemlock shingles fourteen years ago, at a 
cost of $1.50 per thousand, treated them ia this way, 
and tho roof is tight now, no moss having accumu¬ 
lated on them, while neighbors in the same time 
have re-shingled where the first quality of pine was 
used without any preparation. Probably a better 
quality of material so treated would last much longer 
than hemlock, but whether long enough to cover tbe 
extra cost is doubtful. This wash is also a prevent¬ 
ive against fire. To do any great good it shonld be 
used in the manner described, rather than put on 
after the roof is covered. This may not seem of 
great importance in the country, where wood seems 
to keep well many years; as, for instance, the shaven 
When the weather has been cold or wet, aud tbe sheep 
have been exposed thereto, they are apt to be troubled with 
colds. These colds need attention, aR repeated inflammation 
of the nasal passages will extend to the bronchial tubes, 
thence to the lungs, and ending in pulmonary consumption. 
Remove to warm shelter, aud » dose of purgative medicine 
will generally prove effectual. The preventive—good shelter 
and wholeBOioe food—will, with your sheep, as iu all other 
cases, prove worth the pound of cure. 
Flax Cotton vs. “ King Cotton.”—A lute number of the 
N. F. Evening Post says:—“If King Cotton is not likely to 
be dethroned by bin uncrowned rival, Flax, he is destined to 
get a severe poke in the ribs, which will make his seat 
uneasy. We have seen several specimens of the new com¬ 
modity to-day, which come nearer to the genuine article than 
any that have yet fallen under our notice. Flannel, calico, 
drilling, and thread, have all been made of the new dax fiber, 
and with a remarkable degree of perfection. New processes 
for preparing the fiber give great encouragement to those 
who are embaiked in the business. Mills for the manufac¬ 
ture have already been erected in New York and in Ne» 
England, and will soon be iu operation, not only working tl<# 
flax by itself into fabrics, but working it iu connection with 
wool ami cotton. American ingenuity is about to succeed m 
a line in which the English and French have hitherto failed. ’ 
noRSKs Over-Reaching.—W ill any one who knows of a 
remedy for over reaching in horses, make an early communi¬ 
cation through the Rural, and obligo a constant reader ot 
that paper?—R. K. S., Bloomfield, Conn., 1861. 
Over reach is generally confined to fast horses, it happens 
most to those known as “good steppers. When tired, the 
feet are apt to move irregularly, ami one foot is put out to 
its place before the other ia lifted. We are not aivare of any 
certain preventive, but where injury has happened, the 
wouuds should be washed daily with tepid water, and well 
fomented, if there be much swelling. Hot oils, astringents, 
or stimulants, should be avoided. When, sloughing euBues, 
feed well with good, nutritious food, aud water regularly 
Youatt says the preventive treatment is the bevelling, or 
rounding off, of the inside edge or rim of the hind shoes. 
The cure ia the cutting away of the loose parts, the applica¬ 
tion of Friar’s balsam, and protection from the dirt. Some 
horses, particularly young ones, over reach so as to strike 
the toes of the hind shoes against the fore ones, which ia 
termed ilinking. Keeping up the head of the horse dots 
something to prevent this; hut the smith may do more by 
shortening the toe of the hind shoes, and having the web 
broad. When they are t*o long, they are apt to he torn off 
_when too narrow, the hind foot may bruise the sole of the 
I rule one, or m&v be locked fast between tbe branches of the 
' fore shoe. 
The Rural on Election Day.—A request from a subscriber 
“for specimens of the Rural to be shown on Election day 
—when he purposes. “ after voting for men who will mam 
tain the Union, the Constitution, and the Laws,’to invite 
his friends aud fellow townsmen to subscribe for the mo-c 
paper”—constrains us to suggest that other friendly leaders 
may materially aid our circulation by similar action. Many 
of our agents have procured hamdsome lists in this manner, 
aforetime, and we hope their example will be emulated by 
scores of others who feel an interest iu the paper. * W1 
cheerfully replace auy papers which may be lost or worn ou 
in canvassing at the Election, so that you, Reader, can ea e > 
pocket one or two numbers for use in canvassiugon the occa¬ 
sion. “ A word to the wise,” &c. 
Orleans Co. Ag. Society.— The annual meetmg of tin* 
Society was held at Albion on Monday week-the 
being larger than at any meeting for several year s^ ^i be^ - 
lowing officers were elected: Prcnd&tt—A’ - 
Presidenl-VnuX Pratt. Secretory— L- C. Paine. Treasure* 
David Bettis. . ___ 
An Acction Salk of Mr. Remington s herd of Herefor 
cattle is announced in a Special Notice on the adverts g 
page of this number. 
I 1 : 
lA 'v 
