H^Mp ||nsi>a:n?bm 
II. S. 11ANDALL, LL. D., EDITOR, 
Or Cortland Village, Cortland County, New Yontc.l 
ADVICE TO NEW BEGINNERS. 
“ E. M. B.of New York City, asks our 
advice on tlie subject of engaging in sheep 
husbandry in Southwestern Missouri or 
Texas. lie says he lias a few thousand dol¬ 
lars, acquired as a clerk, but that the con¬ 
finement does not agree with his health; 
that he desires to lead an active out-door 
life, and Hint, although he “ never worked a 
day or resided on a farm in his life, he feels 
that he should enjoy farm labor, and particu¬ 
larly taking care of sheep.” He asks “ Is 
it difficult to learn the business ? Arc sheep 
as healthy us other animals? Would it be 
a good investment for, say, $0,000 or $7,000 ? 
Would It be best for mo to go on myself, on 
the start, or send on a man to procure land 
and sheep, and set the thing a going ? My 
family Is small, but I should want respecta¬ 
ble accommodations made for them in ad¬ 
vance.” 
The above comprises the substance of a 
letter which is a sample of many we have 
received from New York and other cities. 
They were very abundant during the high 
prices of wool in the war, though then the 
proposed points of emigration were further 
North. We have also received similar in¬ 
quiries from the country—from clergymen, 
teachers and others unversed in the busi¬ 
ness. Tim following answers will apply 
equally to several of these communications. 
It is not difficult to learn how to manage 
and take care of sheep, for the ordinary ob¬ 
jects of wool growing. We have known 
many men to commence on a moderate 
scale, without a particle of previous experi¬ 
ence, and with the aid of an ordinary hired 
man, possessing some but not special ac¬ 
quaintance wilb the business,get along well, 
and by practice, observation and reading, 
soon make first rate shepherds. Many of 
the most skillful flock masters in this country, 
Buenos Ayres and Australia, started in the 
business with little or no previous experi¬ 
ence. The aid of professional shepherds in 
such cases is well, hut by no means as indis¬ 
pensable as those unversed in sheep man¬ 
agement suppose. The whole essence of 
that management can be embraced in a few 
simple rulu-a which every man of sense can 
understand and readily learn to apply. It 
requires skill, doubtless, to combat di-vase— 
but the only successful mode is prevention. 
In nine cases out of ten, hi ordinary years, 
disease is the result of some kind of misman¬ 
agement. Even when it does come, and in 
a serious form, those who are cailed profes¬ 
sional shepherds nstiully can treat it with 
their traditionary nostrums nn better, if as 
well, as intelligent men who have carefully 
read themselves up on the subject. 
bheep arc not, all things considered, more 
precarious property, in proportion to num¬ 
bers or value, than other farm stock; and in 
one poiut of view they are. far less so. Die 
at what age they will they never die in debt: 
that is to say, their wool always pays for 
what they have consumed. If horses, neat 
stock or swine die before they have begun to 
work or to breed, the loss is nearly total. 
In answer to our correspondent's next in¬ 
quiry, wo repeat what wc have already de¬ 
clared lu these columns, that wc regard the 
present as a highly favorable period to invest 
in slice]), either coarse or line. Coarse wool 
sheep, in their appropriate situations, have 
not been doiugns well before in years. Fine 
wool sheep have doubledin value since No¬ 
vember. Duriug the acme of that miserable 
panic which pervaded the country last fall, 
multitudes of good store sheep were slaught¬ 
ered for their pelts uud tallow, and any 
number of good grade flocks, producing four 
pounds of fine washed wool per head, cotdd 
be purchased in Illinois and other Western 
States, nt one dollar per head! Even now 
they can probably be purchased in consider¬ 
able numbers at a price but little above what 
then- fleeces and next dr-op of lambs will be 
worth. We speak, of course, of grade 
flocks. For full blood and well-bred Me¬ 
rinos, of known purity of blood , there has 
been a much duller sale than usual; but we 
have not learned that any such have been 
sacrified at low prices. The real breeders 
have held on and waited for better times. 
But the painted sheep which were hawked 
round the country a few years since—with 
pedigrees as fictitious as their color — gen¬ 
erally went down with the grade sheep. "We 
would not advise “ E- 31. B.” to invest his 
entire capital in lands, the necessary struc¬ 
tures and sheep. Having never tried farm¬ 
ing life, he might not be suited with it, his 
family might not be suited with it. and if he 
(lid not like it, he would not be likely to suc¬ 
ceed in it. 
We should by all means advise him to 
“ go on himself on the start,” rather than to 
send any one else to “procure land and 
sheep, and set the thing a going.” Good ad¬ 
vice is very essential to a new beginner; but 
in choosing a home every man should con¬ 
sult not only utility but his own taste, and, 
as far as it can be practically done In ad¬ 
vance, the taste of his wife and family. 
This would contribute essentially to his and 
their contentedness, and without obtaining 
contentedness this change of life would 
prove a mistake and a failure. 
We would advise our correspondent to be 
his own buyer; but not to act entirely on his 
own unaided judgment; and, by all means, 
not. to act hastily. Under all the circum¬ 
stances, we counsel him to repair to sonic 
point in Southwestern Missoiu'i—say Neo¬ 
sho, Mount Vernon, or Cartilage—and com¬ 
mence prospecting what is termed the 
“ Spring River country,” and examining the 
incipient sheep establishments of that splen¬ 
did region. Letters of introduction are not 
important. Let lfim avoid all pretence—all 
“ city airs”—in his communications; and by 
no means let the impression get out that he 
is an ignorant pigeon, worth plucking. 
Land speculators lie in wait for such victims 
everywhere. Let him sec and hoar much 
and say little. Lot him find out who are 
the upright, sensible, and reliable men of 
the region, (a fact which can always be ob¬ 
tained by a. person of judgment,) and learn 
from them, so far as he can, the advantages 
and disadvantages of particular localities. 
Let him travel over the recommended lo¬ 
calities on foot, cat and sleep in the farm 
bouses of the people, and draw out from the 
latter and from his own observations all . the 
necessary facts. An astute man, without 
practical experience, but with all these aids, 
would be likely to form correct conclusions, 
and he could hardly be cheated in a region 
where good lands arc the rule and poor 
ones the exception. 
While looking for his site, let him also be 
looking out for sheep. Good grade flocks 
owned by gentlemen residing in Illinois are 
pastured in that region, and were for sale 
last fall at low figures. Probably they can 
still be obtained low, and quite low after 
shearing. 
SHEEP IMPORTATIONS. 
Under this head, and under the head of 
“ Early Importations of Merino Sheep into 
Connecticut ,” appeared in the Rural of 
March 13, a part of the proceedings of the 
Connecticut Board of Agriculture, contain¬ 
ing the following statements: 
“In 1810. Puck & Atwater of New Haven, Im¬ 
ported u flock of Infunlmlo MuriuOa. In 1811, 
Abraham Eaton & Co. of Now Haven, under the 
ean> of John Do Forrest, supercargo, Imported 
another flock of I ho name breed. They were 
both similar lu Ajipwintmc, «u that as a breed 
they could notbu disflrqriilHh^sdfroni each other. 
Doth had the^imubrand, via., u letter V brooded 
upon the nose, so that the hair was completely 
removed. Mr. Peek positively OBBortuctuiat lib 
shcop were of the pure Infuntndo breed. Messr*. 
Peek Atwater let their imported Hook to Jacob 
N. Illake/doyof Watertown, Cl., for ono year, be 
taking one-naif of the in urease as a compensa¬ 
tion for his care and feed. The next year Messrs, 
P. A A.’»sheep wore sold and stint, hi Ohio. Mr. 
Woodward of New llaven, owned a part of the 
Importation of Abraham Eaton A Co. He lot Mr. 
BbikeSkiy huvo them on the same terms. Mr. 
Blakosloy had bred from these importations pure 
ever since, and now Ita.s ono hundred and Ilf tv 
sheep of unadulterated blood. ***♦*'♦ 
“In tboImportationol' Peek A Atwater them 
was one ram .superior to all the rest lu the divi¬ 
sion of the Intuits. Mr, Iflakesiey had a ram from 
this animal which was yenned by the best ewe. 
Mr. B.’s best stock comes from this ram. One of 
Ills descendants was let in the years lKffl and 1810 
to Mr. Aiwoud. Mr. Atwood's Mock were do 
seendod from Mr. Humphrey's original Importa¬ 
tion. lint had been crossed with .Saxonsand other 
Merinos. In 1811 and line this book wua let to 
Mr. Dayton MatOon of Watertown, ft., who is 
now living. The first purchases of Mr. Ham¬ 
mond of Vermont, were mucin of Mr. Atwood at 
a low prioo. The mound purchase was made 
ubouttlm year 1849, and all of sheep which were 
descended from Mr. Blakesloy's buck, for which 
Mr. Hammond paid lit l.y dollars per head.’’ 
As the above statements were avowedly 
inserted in this department without being 
submitted to vs, wc arc not called to dis¬ 
claim thorn; but justice to Stephen At¬ 
wood and other persons whose pedigrees are 
assaulted by Blakesley, requires that we 
give equal publicity to the following facts. 
In Mon kell’s American Shepherd, pub¬ 
lished In 18-15, is a letter from this same Ja¬ 
cob N. Blakesley of Watertown, Ct., con¬ 
taining the following, declarations: 
f t’egan a dock of sheep 1n 1815. that were im¬ 
pel ud by Peck & A twato r, New Haven. A part 
of them wen: the Nepo'etl.i and a part Moutureo. 
I lot them run together until 1,823. J then pro- 
cured tho uso of a liuek for throe seasons, bred 
by Uaniei Uiiemi fromhisRsuiiriul buck. ♦ ♦ * 
1 purchased a buck that was raised by 
Daniel Bnapn. I- rum that time down to the pres¬ 
ent I have kept that blood pure; thlaflock 1* now 
a crossot three aorta of Spanish sheep, and per- 
toclly clear from native or Saxony blood. * + 
Samuel Lawrence of Lowell, who has Imd 
thm wool for four seasons post, has given his 
opinion that, them no Merino wool that com¬ 
pares with It. this improvement has been mode 
by a er» *s of the different breeds.” [See A mcri- 
cun Shepherd, p. 431.J 1 
Jacob N. Blakesley wrote to us, Jau. IS, 
1802, in regard to Mr. Atwood's flock, that, 
prior to about the year 1822, they were Ne- 
grettis—“the hardest kind of Spanish 
sheep:” that Atwood then bought of him 
(Blakesley) a ram got by a ram “ bred by 
Daniel Bacon, out of his imported Eseu- 
rial buck.;” that some years afterwards Mr. 
Atwood hired a buck of-(name il¬ 
legible) that was got by his (Blakesley’ a) 
“ best Eseurial buck;” that from these two 
bucks he (Atwood) has obtained his great 
credit. Mr. Blakesley said his own ewes 
were Infautados. [See Fine Wool Hus¬ 
bandry, Saxton’s edition, p. 74. J 
The development of Mr. Blakesley’s 
flock of cross bred Negrettis, Montarcos, and 
Escurials, first into Escurials and Infanta- 
dos, and finally into “unadulterated” In- 
fantados, would, we suspect, astonish the 
author of the Darwinian theory himself! 3lr. 
Atwood’s pedigrees are made to march 
about as briskly. In 1862 they were Ne¬ 
grettis crossed with Escurials. In 1860, in 
tile proceedings of the Connecticut Board of 
Agriculture, they have become descendants 
of “ Humphrey's original importation,” 
“ crossed with Saxons and other 3Iermos,” 
and, finally, with Escurials. 
It will be observed that in this last publi¬ 
cation it is distinctly asserted that Ann a ham 
Eaton & Co.'s importation in 1S11 consisted 
of Infautados. This is undoubtedly a misprint., 
for Abraham Heaton, who made an im¬ 
portation at New Haven — and wo are en¬ 
tirely confident there was no importer of 
Merinos of the former namo in that City. 
Before? us lies a letter from Abraham Hea¬ 
ton, dated January 20th 1860. It appears 
from it. that he made bat one importation of 
Merinos, and lie says of it. 
“ J bavo no Invoice ot the particular breed of 
theshoop at this time. * * * I well recollect 
that a part of t ho cargo was composed or wlmt 
is called tbo (Jaudaloune brood, probably the 
best breed of sheep ever Imported from Europe.’’ 
It is possible that 3tr. Blakesley has be¬ 
fore claimed that Mr. Heaton’9 sheep were 
Infantados — but wc do not remember ever 
before to have seen such a claim by him or 
any other person. On the contrary we have 
not a doubt, that an importation of “ Gaucla- 
loupe" sheep in 1811, referred to by Mr. 
Blakesley in his letter to Mr. Morrell, (in 
a part which wo have not here published,) 
was the Heaton importation, and that the 
sheep were then pronounced Oaudaloupes by 
I ’.lakesley. There, are various circumstan¬ 
tial evidences of this fact, hut. the point at 
issue is not of sufficient importance to take 
ii]) room with them. It would only estab¬ 
lish another case of development, 
Wc have not seen the proceedings of the 
Connecticut Board uf Agriculture, and know 
not whether it in any way endorses Mr. 
Blakesley's statements. Hit does, it. is a pity 
that it did not make some previous investi¬ 
gations as to their truthfulness. And it is 
a pity that the friends of that poor old man 
do not prevent him from continuing to ex¬ 
pose himself to the derision of all Merino 
breeders. 
fjfrhsman. 
a tj 
RAISING CALVES. 
It is said to be important,always, to begin 
at, the “ root of the matterand in discus¬ 
sing the cattle question, if we begin with 
culthood, avc shall get very near the right 
starling point. One who can raise a good 
calf has only t.y continue in well doing to 
produce a finely developed mature animal. 
Farmers are often heard to say, “ Well, I 
have not done by my calves as I should, but 
I shall have to increase their feed by-and-by 
and make up for it.” No, my good man, 
you cannot do that. Nothing will make up 
for lack of proper food and care in calf hood. 
You may improve the animal, but you can¬ 
not make one so good as if you had begun 
with Hie calf. If any man believes he can 
take sharp-backed, peaked-rumped, straw- 
stacked, sorrowful-looking yearlings, and 
make fine cows and oxen of them, let him 
try it and report. Wc have tried the exper¬ 
iment several times, and become entirely 
satisfied on that point. A young animal 
reared in that way is not worth more than 
two thirds as much, per weight, as one well 
bred; for it will cost from one-thinl to one- 
half of its value to put it In thrifty condition. 
The loss, then, to the careless limner who 
thus rears his stock is two fold:—First, loss 
in size and weight of animal, and, second, 
equal loss in quality according to weight. 
How to Fatten a Calf Without New Milk. 
Ottr principal object in this article is to 
show the fanner the varied resources ho 
possesses for fattening and rearing his calves 
without giving them whole milk. It has 
usually been thought impracticable to fatten 
a calf properly without giving him miLk 
fresh from the cow. But this is one of those 
errors very common among farmers. Milk 
is the best type of food for the young- animal, 
because it possesses all the constituents ne¬ 
cessary to build up eveiy part of its system, 
and in the most soluble and digestible con¬ 
dition. Now, any food containing the re¬ 
quisite constituents, in a soluble condition, 
easily given in a liquid state, may be substitu¬ 
ted for the new milk. Hay tea is sometimes 
used to bring up a calf. This is the soluble 
constituents of the hay obtained by cooking. 
But the best food to fatten a calf, without 
whole milk, is oil meal, molasses and skim 
milk for the first two weeks, after which a 
lit tle oat or bailey meal may be added. We 
have often made calves weigh one hundred 
and twenty to one hundred and forty pounds 
at four Aveeks old on this food. We have 
one now that Avejghs one hundred and 
twenty-five pounds at that age, never having 
had any ucav milk after the second day. 
3Iolasses may, perhaps, be considered a new 
[ food for this purpose, but, Avhen fully under¬ 
stood, must be regarded aa an important 
one. It is very soluble and easily assimi¬ 
lated by the young animal. Lehhg is of 
opinion that starchy food is first converted 
into sugar before being assimilated by the 
animal. We all know how rapidly sugar 
enters Into the circulation of the system. 
Sugar Is found to take the place of animal 
fats in cold climates in keeping up the heat 
of the body. It may be considered as a sub¬ 
stitute for the oil of the milk used in making 
butter. Oil meal is rich in muscle-forming 
food and phosphates, with some remaining 
oil. Its constituents are mostly soluble aucl 
easily assimilated as food. Oil meal should 
be scalded, and allowed to form a thick 
mucilage before being mixed Avitli the skim¬ 
med milk. The molasses may be added 
directly to the milk, and the whole should 
be blood Avarm when given. The proper 
quantity for a young calf is a tablespoonful 
of oil and meal and the same of molasses, 
divided into throe parts, for ono day’s feed, 
added to the refuse milk. At the end of the 
first week each may he increased, and at ton 
days a spoonful of molasses and the same of 
oil meal may be given at each feed. At the 
commencement of the third week a spoon¬ 
ful of oat or barley meal may bo added to 
each feed, but this should be cooked. This 
food, together Avilh the skimmed milk of 
the mother, v\ ill make an excellent calf for 
the butcher at five Aveeks old, Now the 
Avhole expense of this extra food is not more 
than one-tenth of the value of the butter 
made from the milk, saA’Cd. At present 
prices it Avill cost loss than one dollar for 
live Aveeks; and an early calf of the weight 
mentioned will bring from ten to fourteen 
dollars. The molasses may be of the cheap¬ 
est sort, but there is none better than 6oig- 
lium for this purpose. 
Roaring Calven for teiock. 
If farmers avcU understood and appreciated 
this way of raising calves, there would bo 
many more of them raised and much better 
animals. The same method may be fol¬ 
lowed in raising for stock as for the butcher, 
unless they are intended for bleeding, in 
which case they should be fed a very small 
quantity of molasses or sweet, for this Avhen 
fed in excess aviII render females barren and 
males impotent, the reasons for which have 
been often given. But in animals intended 
for fattening, sweet foods will strongly de¬ 
velop this quality. Bean or pea meal will 
be found an excellent addition to the oil 
meal for stock calves after three wooks old, 
but this should always be cooked. This 
made into a porridge and mixed Avith oil 
meal will be found very nutritious and pos¬ 
sessing just the qualitioB desired to develop 
the frame and muscle ol’ the young animal. 
Pen. meal is also slightly constipating, just, 
the counterpart of oil meal. It Avill be 
found that one dollar and fifty cents thus 
expended in feeding a stock calf w ill make 
it worth double at six months old. Fine 
calves may also he raised upon whey with 
this addition of oil meal, pea, oat or liorley 
meal. The whey is principally composed 
of sugar, and needs, to make it a well bal¬ 
anced food, some others containing muscle- 
forming ami Ijone-building elements. There 
is no policy so short-sighted in the former as 
that of raising pinched and stunted animals. 
Twenty-live per cent, added to the cost of 
raising a Avrrthlcss calf would develop a fine 
animal.— e. av. b. 
-- -» ♦ »-- 
FOOD FOR COWS. 
A correspondent of the Ohio Farmer 
furnishes that paper with his experience in 
feeding cows, which we give herewith, Avith 
the hint that such experiences from our 
readers Avill be of far less value to us person¬ 
ally, than they will to those Avho read the 
Rural — hence Ave shall always be glad to 
receive and publish them. He says: 
“ I have had twenty-five cows to milk, and 
found timothy and wild grass the best. To 
feed in winter,use shorts, ground oats, shorts 
and corn meal; shorts make more milk than 
clear meal; oats ground do better than 
either; but com meal Avith shorts makes 
richer milk, but no more of it. I have fed 
potatoes largely; they do tolerably Avell.but 
milk a day or tAVO old gets strong. Rut,a 
bagas, turnips and carrots would not do for 
me to make butter from the milk; but ot all 
the roots I ever tried sugar beet is the best. 
I heard pumpkins were good to make milk, 
and tried them. I had twelve milkers; I di¬ 
vided them; fed six with pumpkins three 
weeks, and all run on grass alike. Those 
that had pumpkins gave not a gill more milk 
than the others, but I believe it Avas a little 
richer.” 
- „ 
To Destroy Lice on Cattle—I have tried many 
remedies, yet I have found none which effects a 
cure so quickly and thoroughly as to make a 
strong suds of soft soap and rain water, adding 
a handful or so of common salt, which forms a 
thick, paste-like substance. Apply this by rub¬ 
bing it thoroughly over the animal. If using It 
upon colts, blanket them well to prevent their 
catching cold. I have known one application to 
entirely obliterate all traces of these pests, leav¬ 
ing the akin in a natural and healthy state.—A 
Farmer, Deamvttle , IV. F., Feb. 1800. 
.I . „ 
0:1)c ||ulunilr$t. 
- — — A ■■■ . - ■ ■ ■, - „„ ... 
■ ■ . «x-.—-, -- - i «rr-i 
A MEASLY WILD DUCK. 
It is avuII known that, under certain cir¬ 
cumstances, the (lush of the hog becomes foil 
of white bladder-like substances, about, the 
size of a large pea, and that the pork is then 
said to bo “ measly ” These little bladders 
are in reality living animals, belonging to the 
same order fEntozoa') of the great class of 
33 orms, as the various species of Avortns 
found In the boAA'els of man. Formerly they 
were called cystadkls, aud supposed to bo 
perfect, animals, and hoAv they got into the 
flesh of the hog was a mystery. Of laic years, 
However, it has been clearly ascertained that 
they are merely the larva slate of the well 
known Tape-Avonn ; and that, when measly 
pork is eaten raAv, the bladder-like creating 
sometimes passes alive into the human 
intestines, aud there gradually develops mto 
the tape-worm. Knowing what we do of tho 
lilthy habits of the hog.it Is not difficult for us 
to understand how tho minute eggs of the 
tape-worm may occasionally pass, in jou 
siderable numbers, from the human body into 
the body of a hug, and there generate the 
bladder-like substances spoken of above. 
3Ve have recently been shown the body of 
a male wild duck, or Mallard, which was so 
full of a new and undescrlbeil kind of 
cystadid, that you could not put your finger 
upon any portion of tho flesh without touch¬ 
ing some. At first sight they had the 
appearance of a number of very elongato 
kernels of Avliuat imbedded in the muscles. 
But on a closer examination they proved to 
be bladder-like sacks, Avithout any external 
articulations whatever, from one-fifth to one- 
fourth of an inch long, about four times as 
long as Avide, of a cylindrical shape, tapered 
a little at each end, and filled Internally with 
a viscid yellowish substance. If introduced, 
along with a portion of the ra w flush of tho 
duck, into the human stomach, they would 
probably have developed into somo kind or 
other of intestinal worm; but avc Avero by no 
means desirous of ascertaining tho particular 
species of worm, by personally experimenting 
on this very interesting, but ticklish subject. 
In all such cases ns these, perfect, security 
from infection is attained by thoroughly 
cooking the measly meat before It is eaten. 
This kills the obnoxious cystadids, ancl of 
course prevents them from subsequently 
developing into their ulterior stages Avithlu 
the human body. 
The history of the notorious Trichina 
spiralis—an almost microscopic worm which 
is sometimes found in the muscles of the hog 
—differs somewhat ft-om that of the abovo 
creatures, inasmuch as this species does not. 
pass through two distinct stages of existence. 
But the same Iuav prevails in all such cases 
ns these, namely, that there is no fear Avhat- 
ever of these animals being introduced alive 
into the human body, except through the 
dangerous and every way exceptionable 
practice of eating raw meat. Neither, as is 
plainly shown from the example quoted 
above, are avc safe by simply abstaining 
altogether from pork. The flesh of the wild 
duck, and probably that of many other 
animals hitherto unsuspected, and supposed 
to be peculiarly cleanly, may prove to be ns 
dangerous as that of (ho hog, provided it bo 
oaten raw or only partially cooked. 
3Ve repeat once more to all our readers — 
cook all kinds of flesh before you eat it. Of 
the many scores of persons Avho have died of 
Trichina spiralis in this country, every ono 
had eaten either raw ham, or raw sausage, 
or some other uncooked or partially cooked 
preparation of pork. Accmn, tho English 
chemist, wrote a book long ago which ho 
entitled “ Death in the Pot.” But tho dentil 
that he spoke of arose from the adulteration 
of culinary articles before they Avcnt into tho 
pot. We say most emplnUioally that there 
is “ life in the pot ."—American Entomologist, 
■ -— — -4 » 1 
Hnaila and Strawberries. — Herewith I send 
you some specimens or the PupllU falax of Say. 
There is nothing remarkable about the shells 
themselves, but I Aviah them to bear testimony 
to an Interesting fact In rolatlou to their habits, 
which Is new to me. Writers on agriculture 
have studied and written much about insects 
thut aro Injurious to vegetation, and wo have 
hoard of the ravages of tho garden snail, IJ. 
sptendida Drap, of Europe; also of the garden 
slug; but up to this tone I do not. know that the 
little mollusks now arraigned have over been 
suspected as garden depredators. Mr. and Mm. 
Chap pel Ism 1th of our town, both students of 
nature, and Intelligent observers, found their 
strawberry plants dying rapidly, and on search- 
lng for the cause, discovered these mollusks at 
work upon the stems and crowns of the plants, 
rasping off the outer coating, and .Hacking their 
juices in such a _raanner as to cause them to 
deoay. Mr. C. found as many as forty upon on© 
plant, and thinks they have killed several thou¬ 
sands upon the different beds. Though more 
abundant on the strawberry, ho has found t hem 
on ri variety of plants. Since attention has boon 
called to the depredations of those minute mol¬ 
lusks, they have boon found at work upon tho 
strawberry plants In all the gardens examined. 
For a number of years I have noticed HcMxaltcr- 
rutia Say, in our gardens, and they are becoming 
more and more abundant; but. wo have never 
detected them In doing any mischief. — E. T. 
Cox, in the American Naturalist. 
