I 
OES.  23 
decayed  portion  and  scarf  witli  sound.  Should 
this  not  bo  practicable,  the  wood  should  he 
scraped  and  cleaned  of  all  fungus  or  extraneous 
matter,  and  then  impregnated  with  any  of  the 
oils,  or  some  of  the  patent  methods  referred  to 
above. 
- - 
COMMERCE  IN  DATES. 
Mk.  WiTnERBv,  111  his  “Deport  on  Dried 
Fruits  ”  shown  in  the  food  collection  at  the 
London  Exhibition,  187:1,  obaorvoa— “  The  date 
is  sent  to  us  by  thousands  of  tons,  supplying 
material  for  food,  for  distilling,  and  for  confec- 
tioucry  jiurposcM.  It  is  tlio  delight  of  the  school¬ 
boy,  tiio  comiHJtitor  of  nuts  at  country  fairs,  and 
the  idea’  dr  rrsinUtnrr  of  the  Loudon  street  stall 
in  the  winter  and  spring,  when  iiu  fresh  fruits 
are  attainable.  Dates  prove  what  can  be  done 
with  a  fruit  free  from  all  Custom's  restrictions, 
for  they  aio  froo,  nntaxed  produce  of  the  earth, 
delivered  to  our  consuraers  with  no  charges  on 
them  beyond  freight  and  a  moderate  profit  to 
merchantii.” 
The  date  id  the  special  tree  of  the  H.aharan 
regions.  Its  consUtntion  temperament,  and 
habits  particularly  suit  it  to  the  African  climate, 
which  is  especially  characterized  by  the  defi¬ 
ciency  of  rain  and  the  digrossious  of  teinperatiiro. 
Its  fruit  is  the  source  of  snstenance  for  the 
nomad  or  sedontary  i>eople,  white  or  black,  scat¬ 
tered  over  its  iimuense  countries.  The  dates, 
after  having  been  gathered,  are  dried  in  thosun, 
and  when  quite  hard,  buried  in  the  sand.  Tliey 
may  Urns  bo  preserved  about  two  yoars ;  but 
gouerally  after  cightcou  monUis  they  are  attacked 
by  worms,  and  in  the  iMJginning  of  tho  third 
year  notliing  romaitis  of  them  save  the  stones. 
As  an  every-day  food,  dates  are  considered  very 
heating,  in  consequeneo  of  which  they  are  not 
much  used  on  journeys,  as  causing  great  thirst. 
The  most  relishing  and  wholesome  way  to  eat 
them  is  when  made  into  a  paste  mixed  witli 
barley. 
Tho  date  palm,  cnltivatoil  and  attended  l<> 
from  time  immemorial,  has  jiroduced  in  tho 
hands  of  the  natives  as  many  varieties  as  our 
most  carefully  cultivated  fruit-trees.  There  are 
reckoned  not  less  than  ninety  varieties  of  dates 
in  tho  Zibans.  Tho  different  dales  are  of  almost 
every  color  except  puce  wtiilo  and  black.  There 
are  not,  as  is  tho  case  with  our  apples  and  pears, 
early  and  late  sorts,  but  all  arrive  at  maturity 
alxmt  tho  same  period  (restricted  to  within  a 
fortnight),  which  falls  in  Fezzan  about  tho  lat¬ 
ter  part  of  August.  Tho  fruit  is  tho  common 
food  of  both  man  and  beast;  camels,  horses, 
Jogs — all  eat  dalca.  Besides  the  dates  destined 
homo  consumption  in  the  country,  dates  of  a 
superior  quality  aro  gathered,  and,  being  pre¬ 
pared  with  great  care,  fetch  a  higher  price  in 
tho  markets  of  Europe. 
- - - - - 
ARTIFICIAL  DIAMONDS. 
M.\ny  pastes  have  been  devised  for  the  pre¬ 
paration  of  those  beautiful  stones.  None  have 
been  able  in  their  products  to  equal  the  natural 
diamond  In  hardness  and  brilliancy ;  but  never¬ 
theless,  to  an  nnpracticed  eye,  the  imitation  is  so 
perfect  that  the  fhfferonce  cannot  be  distin¬ 
guished.  Tlie  following  formula  for  making  a 
diamond  paste  is  said  to  bo  one  that  gives  the 
most  satisfactory  result.  It  is  called  Loysel’s 
paste: 
Take  pure  *)llc.a... . 100  parts. 
lle<l  oxide  of  loafl . IM 
Potash,  calcined . -lO  “ 
Boriix,  calemed  10  “ 
Arse II ions  arad .  I  '* 
This  produces  a  paste  which  has  great  bril¬ 
liancy  and  refractive  and  dispersive  powers,  and 
also  a  apecitio  gravity  similar  to  that  of  the 
oriental  diamond.  It  fuses  at  a  moderate  heat, 
and  acquires  the  greatest  lirilliancy  when  re¬ 
melted  and  kept  for  two  or  three  days  in  a  fused 
state,  in  order  to  expel  the  superabundant  alkali 
and  perfect  the  refining.  This  paste  is  used  not 
only  to  produce  facUlious  ihanionds,  but  other 
•factitious  gems  besides,  of  which  it  forms  the 
basis. 
foraging  or  in  opening  passages,  except  tho 
largest,  which  appeal’  to  be  overseers  or  task- 
masters,  for  when  the  smaller  ants  are  foraging, 
they  (the  larger  ones)  aro  continually  hurrying 
up  tho  hearers  of  bm’dons.  I  have  on  several 
oceasiouK  siHin  tho  larger  ants  cai-ry  large  grams 
of  corn,  hut  this  was  only  because  the  burden 
was  too  heavy  for  tho  smaller  ones  to  carry. 
Homctiuios  they  work  only  in  tho  day-timo,  and 
then  again  only  in  tho  night.  I  have  a  largo 
OJiina  tree  in  my  yard,  and  two  years  ago  they 
stripped  it  of  all  its  leaves,  commencing  work  at 
LEAF-EATING  ANTS  OF  TEXAS. 
Haviko  received  some  time  since  specimens 
of  a  iieculiar-loolung  ant  from  one  of  our  es¬ 
teemed  correspondents  in  Comal  Co.,  Texas,  we 
wrote  him,  asking  for  notes  on  their  habits,  and 
the  following  is  his  reply,  which  we  thhik  will 
interest  our  readers  as  it  has  oursolvos : 
As  it  is  your  wish  that  I  should  relate  what  1 
know  of  the  Loaf-eating  Ants,  I  shall  do  so. 
These  ants  differ  from  all  others  that  1  have 
seen,  in  that  there  is  such  a  differoneo  in  their 
size.  I  have  seen  them  from  an  eighth  of  an 
inch  to  nearly  three  -  quarters  of  an  inch  in 
length.  The  latter  have  a  horny  substance  on 
their  heads,  which,  if  one  trios  to  kill  them  with 
the  fingers,  is  sure  to  prick  the  skin  and  give  a 
sharp  pain. 
All  the  ants,  ev  en  the  least,  are  engaged  in 
Stasdard  Ccrrast. 
dusk  and  quitting  at  breali  of  day.  They  are 
particularly  fond  of  peach  leaves.  1  have  seen 
them  on  oak,  pecan,  hacUherry.  etc.  They  aro 
also  very  fond  of  lunks,  aiul  will  shear  a  plant 
in  a  very  short  time.  Wheat  is  also  a  desirable 
ai’tiole  of  food  with  them.  1  had  some  in  a  box 
in  the  upper  part  of  my  house.  They  found  it 
out  and  soon  had  a  largo  force  at  work,  but  I 
stopped  it  by  devoting  an  hour’s  time  to  them, 
kilhng  all  goers  and  comers. 
These  ants  are  numerous  along  the  river,  in 
places  where  the  subsoil  consists  of  yellow  clay. 
Thoir  nests  can  be  seen  at  a  considerable  dis¬ 
tance.  The  little  hillocks  of  yellow  clay  atti’act 
tho  attention  of  even  a  careless  passer-by, 
Thoro  are  two  nests  in  my  field — ono  an  old 
one,  the  otber  now.  They  are,  together,  tiih-ty 
feet  in  diameter.  The  heap  of  clay  that  the 
ants  have  brought  to  the  surl'aca  ia  a  l  oot  and 
over  in  bight.  When  it  i»  nut  raining,  there  is 
constant  work  going  on  at  the  munerous  holes 
in  the  mounds,  thousands  of  ants  being  on  the 
run  carrj’ing  out  littio  lumps  of  clay  and  depos- 
itiug  them  a  few  inches  from  tho  holes.  Those 
who  go  foraging  neither  go  out  nor  come  in  at 
tho  holes  over  the  mound,  hut  at  holes  home 
lUstanco  from  it.  Those  aio  openings  alxmt  tho 
size  of  a  dime  and  have  no  clay  about  them.  I 
have  seen  such  hoios  more  than  a  hundred 
yards  from  the  mound.  What  tho  depth  and 
extent  of  these  nests  may  be,  I  luave  no  idea, 
but.  judging  by  the  mass  of  clay  that  lies  on  the 
surface,  they  must  be  of  considerable  extent. 
The  crust  on  the  surfaee  is  about  two  feet  tliick, 
as  is  shown  by  old  neats  that  have  caved  in. 
Such  a  nest  caved  in  in  my  pasture,  and  fearing 
that  some  animal  might  in  tho  night  fall  in  and 
break  its  leg  or  neck,  I  had  it  ftlleii  up  with 
stonoH.  It  took  a  load  and  a  half  to  Ihl  the 
cavity. 
Another  ant  that  wo  have  hero  does  not  iujme 
trees,  bnt  everything  in  tho  plant  line  is  care¬ 
fully  removed  for  some  distance  around  its  hole. 
No  grass,  grain,  cotton,  or  corn  is  suffered  to 
grow.  These  spots  vary  in  size,  being  from 
tlu'ee  feet  to  eight  feet  in  diameter.  Tho  ants, 
old  and  young,  aro  nearly  all  of  ono  size.  I 
have  tried  various  means  to  rid  myself  of  those 
jmsts,  but  thus  far  boiUng  water  is  the  best. 
For  want  of  the  right  name,  I  shall  call  these 
“  The  Shavers.”  Johx  A.  Frichei.e. 
THE  STANDARD  GOOSEBERRIES  AND 
CURRANTS, 
It  is  now  about  twelve  years  since  the  method 
of  grafting  (iooseberries  and  Cmrants  as  stand¬ 
ards  has  eomo  into  general  use  in  Europe,  simw 
which  lime  these  have  boon  steadily  increasing 
in  tmhlio  favor. 
Those  standards  have  been  tested  in  this 
country  for  the  last  fseven  years,  in 
cliffei'ont  jiarts  of  Kiidson  County, 
"ith  the  most  satisfactory  re- 
^ suits,  not  a  single  case  of  mildew 
having  occurred  during  tho  time 
*  Tho  first  plants  of  these  standards, 
as  tho  Kitrai,  has  already  stated, 
imported  to  this  connti’y  by 
Dr.  CnAs.  SiKniioK  of  North  Hobo- 
creased  the  original  six  to  fifty. 
j  In  T)9  I  wont  to  Germany  to  attend 
tho  Domological  Institute  of  Dr.  Im- 
CAS,  at  Ibjutlingon,  and  thoro  saw 
these  standards  for  tho  first  time. 
^  Hliowiiig  tho  interest  Dr.  S.  took  in 
such  matters,  1  immediately  wrote) 
him  about  them,  tho  result  being  an 
immediate  order  from  Dr.  S.  for 
half-a-dozon  of  them. 
The  advantages  of  growing  the  Goosoborry 
and  Currant  as  a  standard  are  munerous  and  of 
considerable  importance. 
1.  Tho  extraordinary  and  early-bearing  qual¬ 
ities  of  the  plants,  they  very  often  hearing  the 
same  soason  they  are  act  out. 
By  judidons  treatment,  pruning  especially, 
witli  an  eye  to  keeping  the  heads  well  open  to 
light  and  air,  tho  cropa  may  ho  materially  in¬ 
creased  annually. 
The  year  after  planting  they  yield  a  good  crop 
of  largo  and  showy  fruit,  fully  equal  in  size  and 
quality  to  tho  famed  berries  of  England,  for  in 
fact  only  Hie  host  and  finest  varieties  of  the 
Lancashire  Goosoborrios  arc  selected  for  graft¬ 
ing. 
2.  Tho  perfect  iinmiuiity  from  mildew  when 
grafted  on  the  Hto<'k  employed  by  ns  for  this 
purpose.  These  *' Standards”  have  been  per¬ 
fectly  free  from  mildew,  while  plants  of  tho 
large  English  Goosoborrios  grown  low  as  bushes 
in  the  same  garden— in  fact,  on  the  same  bor¬ 
der— have  been  badly  affected  by  it. 
3.  Tho  extraordinary  size  and  beauty  of  the 
fruit,  and  the  excellent  quality  of  the  same. 
4.  Tlie  beauty  and  iisefuhiesa  of  the  plants  as 
ornaments  for  garden  or  lawn. 
5.  Tho  absolute  cleanliness  of  tho  fruit,  it  be¬ 
ing  grown  so  high  above  tho  gi’ound  and  its 
immunity  from  sunscald  when  grown  in  this 
man  tier. 
G.  Tho  perfect  immunity  of  tho  stock  used  for 
grafting  from  tho  attacks  of  tho  borer. 
Tho  iijotliod  of  grafting  high  as  a  standard, 
say  from  4  to  6  feet,  does  away  with  and  entirely 
suporsodea  tlie  old  method  of  training  up  a  shoot 
to  tho  desired  bight  to  form  a  small  standard, 
and  then,  when  you  think  you  h.avo  succeeded 
at  last,  have  all  your  labor  and  care  lost  through 
the  ravages  of  tho  borer,  as  the  latter  attacks 
tho  current  btom  especially,  and  thus,  of  course, 
niins  (ho  tree. 
The  stock  employed  for  grafting  is  JtiWa  au~ 
reutii,  the  Missouri  Currant.  Tho  stocks  aro 
grown  by  steoling,  and  at  two  years’  of  ago  they 
are  fit  for  grafting.  They  are  removed  from  tho 
stools,  potted,  or  wrapped  in  balls  of  moss,  fast¬ 
ened  with  wire,  and  kept  in  a  cold-frame  till 
about  the  holidays,  when  they  are  removed  to  a 
cool  house,  and  then  forced  very  gradually,  be- 
iug  kept  rather  darli. 
As  soon  as  they  start  readily  they  aro  ready  for 
grafting,  and  then  aro  given  full  light  and  a  lit¬ 
tle  more  heat. 
At  this  time,  and  ospeoially  as  the  grafts  start, 
a  sprinkling  with  te|)id  water  proves  beneficial 
in  fact,  it  is  necessary-  -but  at  no  time  should 
tho  plants  bo  kept  too  moist. 
Tho  meUiod  of  grafting  employed  is  the 
American  whip-graft,  and  for  heavy  stocks,  the 
ordinary  clefL-graft. 
By  pinching  tho  stocks  in  season  when  they 
have  acipiircd  tiie  noeessary  bight,  wo  obtain 
branched  heads,  and  so  are  enabled  to  set  several 
grafts  on  ono  plant;  for  instance,  both  Our- 
rants  and  Gooseberries,  or  several  varieties  of 
either. 
As  soon  as  they  havo  made  a  good  growth, 
they  aro  again  removed  to  a  cool  house  and 
gradually  hardened  off.  By  spring  they  aro 
either  plunged  or  planted  in  nursery  rooms,  be¬ 
ing  salable  by  tho  ensuing  fall. 
Tho  ease  with  which  tho  fniit  can  bo  picked 
and  iiaiidleii  from  those  standards  is  a  very 
groat  aiivantago,  the  disagreeable  labor  of  pick¬ 
ing  tho  fruit  fc’om  tho  low  hushes  having  until 
now  been  a  groat  drawback  in  tho  culture  of  tho 
Gooseberry.  | 
Wo  have  a  border  planted  with  these  stand¬ 
ards  which  at  the  same  time  does  duty  as  a 
strawberry  liorder  with  excellent  results.  So 
there  is  a  chance  of  two  crops  at  the  same  time. 
They  rcquu’o  good  land,  liberal  miiniKing 
(top-dressing),  and  a  cool  or  not  too  hot  situa¬ 
tion.  Mulching  would  prove  of  groat  benefit. 
Wo  have  grown  and  exhibited  Gooseberries  on 
these  standards  .Sj.^  to  '6%  Inches  iii  cirenmfor- 
encp,  weighing  !!(  to  Ij.i  onnehos  each,  not 
‘•strawberries,"  as ‘grown  In  England,  for  tho 
plants  were  liberally  lomled  with  fruit. 
The  standard  should,  of  course,  lio  well  staked 
and  tied,  tho  stakes  reacliing  well  up  to  tlio 
head,  tho  ties  to  ho  strong  and  sotuire  to  prevent 
chafing. 
The  plants  (standards,  thirty  in  all)  that  we 
exhibited  at  the  Centennial  in  the  rear  of  Horti¬ 
cultural  Hall,  were  planted  on  the  10th  of  April, 
grew  well  in  every  iuetance,  and  ripened  lino 
crops  of  largo  aiuI  showy  fruit,  without  receiving 
any  siiecial  care  whatever,  as  regards  watering 
or  mulcWng. 
N.  B. — The  grafts  are  wrapped  with  waxed 
paper,  which  wo  prefer  to  any  other  material  in 
this  instance.  Albert  Kuiik. 
Hoboken,  N.  J. 
[An  engraving  of  ^theXStandard  Gooselierry 
has  already  been  published,  The  accompanyhig 
sketch  of  tho  Standard  Currant  appears  for  the 
first  time. — Ed.] 
- - — ■4->4- - - 
The  Wild  and  Cultivated  Carrot. — Mr.  H. 
HoFrMAN,  a  Gorman  experimenter,  among  trials 
to  show  tho  constancy  of  certain  oharaotorlstics 
of  plants  found  that  the  cultivated  carrot  and 
the  wild  form  fully  oslahlishod  thoir  identity, 
which,  however,  few  people,  we  imagine,  would 
have  disputed. 
NORTH  CAROLINA  NOTES. 
In  a  country  where  more  dogs  than  sheep  are 
kept  it  seems  (iresmnptuous  to  attempt  tho 
brooding  of  tho  latter  for  profit,  still  I  have  a 
plan  which  I  ollor  for  tho  consideration  of 
Southern  farmers: 
First.  Tliero  can,  as  I  believe,  bo  no  stock  bei- 
ter  adapted  to  tho  improvement  of  those  lauds ; 
basidos  enriching  the  soil  they  provo  thomsolves 
efilcient  aids  in  the  subjugation  of  blackberry 
bushes  %nd  tho  many  other  trouhlosomo  plants 
which  HO  so^n  take  possession  of  tlie  old  fields 
when  tlirown  out  of  ouUivation,  wiiother  seeded 
to  grass  and  clover  or  not,  while  at  tho  same 
time  they  are  paying  thoir  way  In  wool  and 
lambs.  The  climate  is  such  that  very  littio  feed¬ 
ing  is  required  except  when  fattening  for  mar¬ 
ket  in  tho  winter.  Also  lambs  dropped  two 
months  earlier  than  they  usually  aro  five  Imn- 
drod  miles  farther  north,  would  bo  In  condition 
for  market  oorrosponcUngly  early  when  prices 
usually  are  bettor. 
AVithiii  the  circle  of  my  limited  aequaintanco 
can  bo  counted  scores  of  farms  on  which  from 
one  to  a  dozen  worthless  cur-dogs  are  support¬ 
ed  but  not  one  sheep.  Those  few  farmers  who 
do  keep  sheep  tell  me  Uie  doga  seldom  trouble 
them,  am!  that  the  percentage  of  loss  from  that 
cause  is  verj’  light.  No  doubt  If  theru  were  more 
sheep,  tho  loss  would  bo  heavier.  As  a  reoiody 
for  this  difficulty  the  sheop  should  bo  enclosed 
at  night  inside  a  dog-proof  fence,  which  may  bo 
made  of  po^ts  and  boards  4J^  or  5  foot  high  let¬ 
ting  tho  posts  project  4  inches  above  the  board¬ 
ing.  fipiko  to  top  of  eaeh  post,  at  an  angle  of  45 
degrees,  a  piisjo  of  2  by  4  scantling  about  2)^  feet 
long,  extending  outward.  Board  these  up  tho 
same  as  tho  posts,  then  with  a  lock  on  tho  gate 
it  would  bo  tliiof-proof  too.  Could  such  a  fence 
bo  made  portable  the  additional  advantage  of 
enriching  several  plots  of  ground  in  one  season 
would  bo  gained.  Will  you  or  some  of  your 
readers  anggest  sonicthing  bettor  ? 
Nearly  all  tho  skoep  that  I  liavo  seen  hero  are 
such  as  were  found  in  all  parts  of  tho  country 
thirty  yoars  ago,  coai’se,  light  wool,  none  on  the 
face  or  legs  and  very  little  on  the  belly,  long- 
leggCMl  and  good  jumpers.  Now  1  would  like  the 
iqiliiionB  of  some  of  your  old  and  experienced 
hreeilers  as  to  tho  policy  of  brooding  ewes  of 
the  progeny  of  this  description  to  pare  breed 
Merino  rama  until  tho  flock  Is  hrod  up  to  a  grade 
of  say  three-fourths  Merino,  thereby  getting  a 
good  carcass,  sti’ong  constitution  and  more  and 
better  wool;  then,  providing  the  demand  for 
mutton  and  long  wool  continues  as  it  has  been 
for  a  few  yoars  past,  discard  the  Merino  rams 
and  use  CotswoUls  or  bliropshlros. 
Snow  fell  hero  all  Thanksgiving  day  bnt  melted 
BO  fast  that  it  only  aoonmulated  about  two  inches. 
Hinco  then  until  to-day,  (Dec.  7),  we  have  had 
what  is  considered  very  cold  weather  here,  the 
thermometer  indicating  19^  above  Zero  on  the 
morning  of  tlio  second,  which  is  said  by  old  resi¬ 
dents,  not  to  have  occurred  so  early  in  the  sea¬ 
son  before  in  fifteen  years,  M.  B.  Prince. 
Ridgeway,  N.  c. 
