32 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January* 
Tli© Us© of Poisons as Insecticides.—Ono 
•of the moat interesting and profitable discussions at the 
recent meeting of the Society for the Promotion of 
Agricultural Science (S. P. A. S.),was that upon the use of 
arsenites, and other deadly poisons, for the destruction 
of insect pests. The advocates of the arsenites, etc, 
■claimed that the quantity necessary to be effective in 
killing insects, was so small, that there was little or no 
danger in their use. Two ounces of Paris Green or 
London Purple, to a gallon of water, made a mixture of 
sufficient strength. A brisk shower will remove all the 
poison from the foliage or fruit, and in most cases it 
will be carried away by the winds in a very few days 
after being applied. Among the main points made on 
the other side, were the serious results that have already 
been obtained from the application of arsenites to plants, 
especially cabbage, strawberries, etc, and the danger 
that always comes with the careless handling, and storing 
of such deadly substances. Pyrethrum was highly com¬ 
mended as being an effective insecticide, and without 
The serious properties of the compounds of arsenic. 
Wlieat Screenings and Weed Seeds.— 
“ D. N. L.,” of Erie Co., sends a sample of wheat screen¬ 
ings, containing various weed seeds, chiefly a black 
seed like “Cockle,” aud llic seed of some kind of Bind¬ 
weed. or other Polygonum, looking like small grains of 
buckwheat. Both these seeds when crushed are mealy, 
that is, starchy, and have no disagreeable taste. So, in 
answer to our correspondent’s question, if it would pay 
to grind the screenings for feed for pigs and poultry, we 
reply that no doubt it would. 
“A Vigorous Mushroom ” is the title of an 
article which started in a Buffalo, N. Y., paper, and is 
now going the rounds of the journals. The statement 
is to this effect: One of the elevators of that city has 
an asphalt flooring; a bulge in this was observed: some 
time later a square foot or so of the pavement was 
pushed upwards and flaked off. Cause, a “ mushroom,” 
•(moaning, no doubt, a fungus or toadstool of the gen¬ 
eral appearance of the mushroom,) which had started 
beneath the pavement, and in its upward growth had 
lifted aud broken up a large piece of a pavement, suf¬ 
ficiently firm to endure the daily tramping of many men 
and the passage of wheels, without breaking. That a 
plant, the texture of which is so soft that it may be 
crushed between the fingers, should by its increase in 
size exercise a force sufficient to break up through a 
■•solid pavement, is something really wonderful, but not 
more so than that the particles of water, in arranging 
themselves to become ice, a very brittle solid, should 
rend the hardest granite or other rocks. Both, the 
breaking up of the walk by the fungus, and the splitting 
of rocks by the freezing of a small quantity of water, 
are striking illustrations of what may result from the 
united action of forces, each insignificant in itself. The 
power exerted by the change of a particle (did we know 
what it was) of water in changing to ice, and that put 
.forth by the growth of a single cell of the fungus, is in 
each case so infinitessimally small, as to be beneath all 
our methods of measurement. But multiply these 
forces by millions and millions of millions, a power is 
manifested that neither natural or artificial rock can 
withstand. While this Buffalo case is interesting, it is 
by no means new. About 12 years ago, our correspond¬ 
ent at “ The Pines ” reported one precisely similar. A 
neighbor of his called his attention to an uplifting of a 
spot in an otherwise perfect asphalt walk. Our Pines 
man lifted up the piece, and found the trouble to be 
due to an innocent looking and soft, but rapidly grow¬ 
ing fungus, and the writer has later observed another 
and similar occurrence in an asphalt walk. However 
frequent they may be, such fractures can not cease to 
excite our wonder that so hard a substance can be bro¬ 
ken by such growths. 
Worms in lieet Leaves.-In May last, we 
stated that the larva of the Beet-fiy had been noticed in 
Clinton, N. Y., and doubted if it had been before ob¬ 
served. Mrs. “P. P.,” writes us from Michigan, that 
when she lived in New Hampshire, nearly 30 years ago, 
she knew the insect there, as its presence prevented her 
from eating her favorite beet greens. She says that she 
has seen them since in Michigan. 
Anti-Vermin White-Wash.— ^“ G. E. ft.” 
Crude Petroleum is better than kerosene to mix with 
white-wash for your poultry house, and gas-tar better 
than either. Add about half a pint of either to a 
pailful of white-wash, and stir well, while the slaking is 
still active, and of course while the mass is still hot. The 
gas-tar gives the lime an agreeable brown tint, which is 
not streaky if well mixed and kept stirred. 
Kladcler Plums.— With reference to these, fig¬ 
ured in the American Agriculturist for October last, 
“ F. W. S.” writes us from Waldrip, Tex., that when 
he lived in Germany, he knew of a large orchard of 
plums, in which nearly all the fruit appeared in this 
useless, bladdery form. Mr. S. says, that the reason 
assigned there is much rain at the time the trees blos¬ 
som, this preventing the pollen from reaching the pis¬ 
tils to fertilize them. This looks plausible, and we hope 
that observations will be made on the weather at the 
time our plum trees are in blossom, to see if the above 
view is correct. 
A Fin© Pile of Asltes.— “A. H. W.,” R. I., 
writes: “ I recently made a heap of stump, brush, pond 
mud, etc., and a ton of bones, burned the heap, and 
have a fine pile of ashes and bones. Will the burnt 
bones have any bad effect upon hen manure if com¬ 
posted with it.”—If you mix hen manure with the ashes 
the potash in the ashes will liberate the ammonia in the 
dung. It is better to break up the bones, and apply the 
ashes either alone or composted with swamp muck. 
A Problem.— “ P. H. B.,” of Rhode Island, writes: 
“ I have land which I wish to get into condition to raise 
vegetables of all kinds. It has been used as a pasture. 
The soil is a black loam, with a subsoil of sand, or gravel. 
About half of it is moist, and does not suffer from the 
drouth when the higher portion dries completely up.” 
— As soon as the low ground is well underdrained, the 
bogs removed and burned, and the surface worked into 
a fine tilth, a moderate dressing of barn-yard manure, 
together with ashes, and almost any good commercial 
fertilizer, will bring satisfactory crops of most garden 
vegetables, especially onions, cabbages and cauliflowers. 
The treatment of the dry knoll is much more difficult. 
It will need heavy dressings of manure, best composted 
with swamp muck, which should be applied year after 
year, until the soil loses in great measure its inability to 
stand the drouth. Practice keeping a crop always on the 
upland, to be turned under if not wanted for other pur¬ 
poses. Oats, rye, and turnips will be found very con¬ 
venient, aud where these are plowed in, unleached 
ashes, or lime, should be applied as a top-dressing. — 
Remember that the deeper a soil is worked into good 
condition, the deeper will the plant-roots penetrate and 
find moisture during a drouth. 
Cow Stables. — “R. S. L.,” of Washington, writes 
us, that the American Agriculturist advocates cow stables 
having one feeding alley, and two rows of cows, and sug¬ 
gests as a better plan, two alleys, and four rows of 
cows, as indicated in the following diagram. Allowing 
-II 1HH-i—I-(—1-l-H-1—t-H—1—•—H 
L 
15 feet to each row of stalls, including both passages, 
the building will be CO feet wide,—allowing 3} feet to 
each stall, and 22J feet for preparing feed, and other 
uses at the end, the whole stable will be 90 feet. The 
whole room, 00 by 90, even if 9 feet high, would be 
too dark for health in the center. Yet, with good venti¬ 
lation, and by turning the cows out daily in good 
weather, they would no doubt do very well. A barn of 
these dimensions would be less costly than one with 
cattle wings, and only two rows of stalls. 
The New York Horticultural Society.— 
New York is the first horticultural State in the country, 
regarding horticulture as a business. But when we 
look upon it as an art, and consider it in its higher as¬ 
pects, of beautifying, refining, civilizing, and educating 
the community, the State can not claim to have accom¬ 
plished much. About forty years ago a Horticultural 
Society was incorporated; this flourished for a few 
years, then went inlo a decline. Later, the Western 
New York Horticultural Society was formed, and is 
still in vigorous life. Though it meets but once a year, 
its proceedings are of high character and real value. 
Under the name of the New York Horticultural Associa¬ 
tion, a new society was afterwards formed. It soon being 
found that the charter of the original New York Society 
could be revived, the association took up with the old 
Charter, and changed its name to Society, and has, on 
the whole, been fairly prosperous. Some exhibitions 
held at Madison Square Garden, were of high order of 
merit. It being impracticable to find a suitable hall, 
the large exhibitions were given up, and monthly meet¬ 
ings and shows were held, in a place which in its loca¬ 
tion, and in its cheerless interior, was quite unfit for 
the purpose. The strenuous efforts that have been 
kept up for a long time are at last crowned with suc¬ 
cess, and the Society will soon have a hall and rooms 
suited to its purposes. This makes a long step for¬ 
ward, not only in the career of the Society, but iu that 
of horticulture. All experience shows that such objects 
do not make progress without an organization, and that 
an organization must have a location—a home. This is 
a matter of interest, not only to New York, but from 
its position and mercantile relations, to every other 
State, and to most other countries. 
'File Pea-Weevil.— F. S. Bond, Clay Co., Minn., 
writes us that he keeps the Pea-weevil in subjection, 
by soaking the seed-peas in strong ley, almost boiling 
hot, until they begin to burst, and then sows at once. 
This will no doubt kill the insect, but a better plan is 
that of the late Mr. White, of Georgia. He put the peas, 
as soon as gathered for seed, in jars or fruit cans, adding 
a teaspooonful of turpentine to each jar. This will kill 
the insect very soon after the seed-peas are gathered, 
while by the other method, the insects have all winter 
in which to complete their growth. Unless Mr. B. can 
induce his neighbors to cooperate with him, he can do 
but little in suppressing the weevil if he works alone. 
Iowa and Nebraska Intelligence. According 
to the recent Census returns, these two States have the 
smallest percentage of persons, 10 years old and up¬ 
ward, who can not read and write, of all the 47 States 
and Territories. In Iowa, only 24 out of every 1,000 
can not read, and 39 of each 1,000 can not write. In 
Nebraska, in each 1,000, only 25 can not read, and 30 can 
not write. In Wyoming, in each 1,000, only 20 can not 
read, and 34 can not write. Of the New England States, 
Maine has the fewest illiterate persons over 10 years 
old, 35 in every 1,000 being unable to read, and 43 can 
not write. 
Self-Sown ISyo Among Clover.— “A Sub¬ 
scriber ” has a field from which a heavy crop of rye was 
harvested, and the ground has become seeded with the 
grain that fell off while being cradled. The land is thor¬ 
oughly seeded with clover and timothy, and the owner 
is at a loss what to do. It is best to cut the clover in 
June, when it begins to blossom. The rye will make 
good hay at that time, as the grain will hardly have be¬ 
gun to form. The clover will make a fresh growth, and 
give a fine rowen crop, or perhaps a crop of seed. The 
timothy does not make a great growth the first season. 
Catalogues Keceived. 
IMPLEMENTS AND MACHINES. 
Belcher & Taylor, Chicopee Falls. Mass. This 
well known firm illustrates their useful implements for 
farmers. 
Blymyer Manufacturing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. 
This long-established firm issue a remarkable series of 
catalogues, covering Steam Engines and Boilers. Sugar 
Machinery, Evaporators. Mills, Saws, Presses; in fact, 
nearly every Agricultural Machine. Illustrated. 
American Manufacturing Co., Waynesboro, Pa., 
illustrate and describe the American Fruit Dryer. 
Bradley & Company, Syracuse, N. Y., illustrate and 
describe their various styles of Carts. 
Burrell & Whitman, Little Falls, N. Y. Dairy ap¬ 
pliances, from the building itself down to a Cheese 
Cloth. An inspection of this catalogue shows to what 
wonderful perfection the factory methods of making 
cheese and butter has reached. 
H. V. Fltckenger, Bucyrus, Ohio, illustrates his 
Iron Fence Post. 
Edward Harrison Mill Co., New Haven, Conn., 
describe in full Mills and Flouring Machinery and Mo¬ 
tive Powers. 
The Penn Harrow Co., Camden, N. J., describe and 
illustrate their narrow in its many modifications. 
The U. S. Engine and Pump Co. give numerous 
testimonials as to the value of their Wind Engine. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
A. B. Cohu & Co., 197 Water SI., New York. Farm 
implements. 
Nordyke and Malm on Co., Indianapolis, Ind. Flour 
Mill Machinery. 
C. R. Quinby, Plcasantville, New York. Shirts. 
Remington Agri’l Co., Dion, N. Y. The Carbon 
Plows. 
Russell & Co., Massillon, Ohio. Hand-book of Farm 
Machinery. 
Twombly Knitting Machine Co., Boston, Mass. 
Zimmerman Fruit Drying Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. 
