AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
515 
Pullman, of palace-car fame. A few years ago he was 
a poor mechanic; now his daily income is among the 
thousands. He has colossal car-shops at Pullman, Phila¬ 
delphia, Detroit, and Troy, and one of his assistants in¬ 
forms us that still another big manufatory is to be erected 
at Washington. Mr. Pullman exercises a superintending 
care over all the different establishments. Last year, 
Robert Caird, a son of the noted Scotch shipbuilder, 
came over to this country to examine his investments in 
Pullman stock and in a Mexican railway. Mr. Pullman 
was so pleased with him in an interview, that he per¬ 
suaded Mr. Caird, though only thirty years old, to remain 
and take charge of the shops at Pullman. Caird has 
shown that he is a wonderful manager, inasmuch as he 
is now, with the same force of men, turning out two and 
one-half cars a day, when before only two a week were 
constructed. He has sent for his family to come over to 
this country and reside permanently. Pullman City num¬ 
bers 1,500 houses, built after modern designs, and mostly 
brick. Some new patterns of cars are now being made 
with changeable partitions. Perhaps the most elegant 
car yet constructed was recently completed for Mr. Vil- 
lard, of the Northern Pacific Road. While the Pullman 
cars are very comfortable for travellers, the scale of 
charges should be regulated, if necessary, by legislation, 
so as not to be excessive. As a general thing, the charges 
now are excessive on most routes.. 
Surveying Public Lands. —So great has been 
the emigration to the new Territories, that the Govern¬ 
ment at times has found difficulty in surveying land fast 
enough. There are now, for example, whole counties in 
Dakota yet to be surveyed and laid out. All this 
work is under the general charge of the Surveyor 
General of the Government. The work is generally 
given out by contract. It now costs about eight 
hundred dollars to survey a township and lay it out in 
sections of six hundred and forty acres each. Stones, 
wooden posts, or mounds, as the case may be, are em¬ 
ployed to designate the Section Divisions, together 
with four “Proving Holes.” For example, the cut 
represents four sections of six hundred and forty acres 
each. The dot where the lines cross indicates the sec¬ 
tion post or mound, and the smaller dots the “ proving 
holes.” There is wonderful skill displayed by those 
accustomed to the prairies, in finding these mounds and 
proving holes. They readily detect them in the long 
prairie grass, where the inexperienced eye and foot fails 
to find them. Your admiration is excited as your prairie 
guide drives or walks right up to these sectional marks, 
which you, yourself, are unable to discover until 
they are pointed out. The contractors under the Sur¬ 
veyor General generally perform their work in a very 
satisfactory manner. They are closely watched and the 
landmarks are carefully saved by the incoming settlers 
who wish to keep them preserved, in order to avoid the 
expensive suits which are so often had over farm boun¬ 
daries in both the new and older regions of country. 
The Nebraska State Fair, held at Omaha, Sept. 
10 to 16, was one of the most successful in the history of 
the State. In three important departments, namely, stock, 
farm machinery, and county displays, the exhibits were 
greatly in advance of any previous fair. Some three hun¬ 
dred cattle, including representatives of several breeds, 
were in the stalls. Sheep and swine w'ere out in force, 
and all breeds of draught horses were well represented. 
Seven counties competed in exhibits of agricultural and 
horticultural products ; Hall, a county situated one hun¬ 
dred and fifty miles west of Omaha, in the Platte Valley, 
taking the first premium. The attendance was large, 
though somewhat diminished during two days by rain. 
This fair was notable for the little interest taken in the 
races; at no time was the race-track the center of attrac¬ 
tion for more than a small fraction of the great crowd 
present. The eighteen cattle of several fine breeds ex¬ 
hibited by the State Agricultural College took fifiecn pre¬ 
miums, eleven of them first, and four second premiums. 
Chat with Readers. 
Bikd’s-Nest Fungus.— “/. A. A.”—The curious plant 
found in your berry plantations Is, as you suppose, a fun¬ 
gus. It is the “ Bird’s-nest ” Fungus, figured on page 5S3. 
Percheron Makes.— R. R. Teller , North Park, Colorado. 
—You should write to M. W. Dunham, Wayne, Du Page 
County, Illinois, for Information regarding half-breed Per- 
cheron mares. 
Concrete Houses. -Mr. John Wood, Raxtor Falls, Que¬ 
bec.—You will find a long and fully illustrated article on 
“Concrete Houses and other Buildings,” in the American 
Agriculturist for February, 1881. 
Premium Articles.— L. Francis, Minneapolis, Minn.— 
All the articles -offered In our Premium List are specially 
manufactured by us, or are specially selected by us. We 
intend to offer nothing but the very best, in every case. 
Lucerne.— T, Cartes, Steuben Co., N. Y.—You can find 
the seed at any of the principal seed stores. It is usually 
given in the catalogues under the name of Lucerne. Al¬ 
falfa is a Spanish name, in general use in California, for 
Lucerne. 
Peaches for Plum Stock.—/. A. Armstrong, Monroe 
Co., N. Y.—Nothing is gained by using the peach as a stock 
for the plum. The reverse, working the peach upon the 
plum, is thought to be useful, if the trees are to be planted 
on stiff clay soils. 
Sportsman’s Gazetteer.— Sportsman, New Orleans, 
La.—Mr. Hallock himself revised the “ Sportsman's Ga¬ 
zetteer,” which is the only book of the kind in the United 
StateB. He spent two or three months in New York last 
summer, overhauling the volume, and he is now at the 
West. Address him at St. Paul, Minn. 
Mr. Parsons.— J. H., Putnam, New York.—Mr. Samuel 
Parsons, Jr„ the able Superintendent of Planting, who is 
making such a vigorous fight for the trees in Central Park, 
is a graduate of Yale College, is a son of the eminent 
Flushing nurseryman, a contributor to the columns of 
the American Agriculturist. 
Sheep in the Orchard.— J. Raab, Rockland Co., N. Y., 
asks if it would be well to pasture sheep in his orchard, the 
trees being about twenty years old. While sheep are not 
so useful in an orchard as swine, it will be safe to pasture 
them where the trees are not young, provided the heads 
are not so low that the animals can reach them. 
The Bean-Weevil.— A. B. Frazier, Litchfield, Conn.— 
The Bean-weevil sometimes comes from the beans in 
autumn, but generally it remains within the bean during 
the winter, and comes out in the perfect state in the spring. 
It is important that farmers plant only sound beans, and 
thus endeavor to keep the pest in subjection. 
Ants on Pear Tree.— “ <7. ij.,” Hartford Co., Conn., has 
noticed large black ants upon a large Bartlett pear tree, 
“ which is slowly dying.” Some ants are vegetable feed¬ 
ers, while others only visit fruit trees for the sake of the 
honey-dew they get from the Aphides or plant-lice. It will 
be well to watch the ants and see if they really do injure 
the trees. 
Japan Clover.— Thos. Sadler, Clinton, La.—The plant 
you refer to is, no doubt, Lespedeza striata, generally 
called Japan Clover. It has spread throughout the South¬ 
ern States, since the war, in a most remarkable manner, 
and its general introduction is supposed to be due to the 
movements of the armies. It is regarded with favor as a 
valuable forage plant. 
Growing Peppermint.— S. B., Rye,N. 7.—We would not 
advise any one to undertake the culture of Peppermint 
without fully investigating the matter. The crop can only 
be disposed of in the shape of oil, and to prepare it, of the 
best quality, requires skill and experience. Speculation 
causes the price of oil to fluctuate greatly, and in the long 
run the profits are not large. 
President Greenough.— D. M., Salem, Mass.—J. C. 
Greenough, the new President of the Massachusetts Agri¬ 
cultural College, graduated from William College, Mass., in 
1860, and was a classmate of Mr. David W. Judd, of this 
Journal. President Greenough was a most thorough 
scholar, and possessed traits of character which peculiarly 
fitted him for his new sphere of usefulness. 
Crab-grass in Lawns. — J. Tyron, Baltimore, Md.— 
Crab-grass (Panicum sanguinale > is an annual. In our hot 
weather, it is customary to leave the clippings upon the 
lawn ; if Crab-grass is present, this aids in the distribution 
of its seeds. Frequent mowing and sweeping up the clip¬ 
pings will no doubt diminish the nuisance. Seeding, to 
occupy the ground with useful grasses, will help by crowd¬ 
ing the other out. 
Peach Yellows.— Several Subscribers .—Recent investi¬ 
gators claim that the “yellows "in the peach tree is due 
to a lack of potash in the soil. They advise the application 
of one to four pounds of muriate of potash, according to 
the extent of the disease, to each tree. This is to be dis¬ 
tributed over the surface as far as the roots extend, and 
spaded or plowed in. Those who try this, whether success¬ 
fully or not, will please report results. 
Transplanting Large Trees.— E. L. Johnson, Lake 
View, Mich.—Trees of considerable size may be trans¬ 
planted with success either in late autumn or early spring. 
The work may be done so soon as the leaves are through 
with their work in autumn. The tops of the trees should 
be cut back to correspond with the great reduction of the 
root system. Trucks are sometimes arranged for carrying 
a large part of the earth witli the transplanted tree. 
Chess and Wheat.— J. B. Gillespie.— Johnson Co., Ill. 
Revives the old question of the change of wheat into chess, 
and says : “ If you have any doubts on this, I think I can 
verify it by the evidence of as good men as we have in 
this country.” We have doubts, and do not wish the evi¬ 
dence of any men. Send us the plant itself—when we see a 
plant that is part wheat and part chess, we shall say so. 
All former specimens have failed to show the change of 
wheat into chess. It is an impossibility. 
Pleasant Words.-M r. F. S. Reeves, Wayne Co., N. 
Y., writes us to this eflect: “ When I was a boy, a 
friend induced me to subscribe for the American Agri¬ 
culturist. What 1 am, and have, I owe largely to your 
paper. From a very small beginning, I have now a good 
flock of registered sheep, a herd of good cows, and other 
stock. Subscribing for the American Agriculturist was 
the starting point.” 
Fruit by Mail.—J. M., Aurora, Ill., and others have sent 
pears and other fruit by mail for our inspection. Some 
specimens have never reached us at all; others have come 
to hand in such a crushed and “ leaky ” condition, that we 
wonder they were not thrown out as injurious to mall 
matter. Those who send fruit by mail should pack it in 
a box that will stand all the rough usage it is likely to re¬ 
ceive. A pasteboard box is rarely safe. Always use one 
of tin or of wood, and even then envelope the fruit in an 
abundance of soft paper. 
Device for Sucking Cow.— Mr. J. W. Johnson.— Cam- 
bellford, Ont., sends us a description of a device for pre¬ 
venting cows from sucking themselves. Take two pieces 
of board two feet long and three inches wide, and bore 
two inch auger holes through each far enough apart to 
receive the cow’s neck. Place stout pins through the holes, 
and let them project six inches, with sharpened ends. 
These pins prick the side of the cow whenever she tries to 
draw her own milk. After wearing this device for a few 
weeks the habit will be given up. 
Fungi.— B. C., Lodi, N. J. — A recent “ Gardener’s 
Chronicle ” gives the announcement of the annual meetings 
of four different societies devoted to the study of the fungi. 
These meetings last for three or four days at some favor¬ 
able locality. On one of the days is a “ foray,” on which 
the members collect specimens. This is followed by a fun¬ 
gus banquet, at which the various edible species are served 
in various forms. Such societies might do much good work 
in this country, in extending a knowledge of our edible 
fungi, of which we have many delicious species going to 
waste, on account of the popular notion that all “toad¬ 
stools ” are poisonous. 
Learning Floriculture.— L. II. C— Basking Ridge, N. 
J. That young ladies, without previous experience call 
take up floriculture and make it profitable, is very improba¬ 
ble. Learning by experience is very expensive. It would 
be much better for one of the sisters to apprentice herself 
to a florist, for at least a year. You complain that the 
books do not give all the needed information. This is not 
from a desire to conceal anything, but there are many 
points, such as just the proper condition of the stem in mak¬ 
ing some cuttings, which are not readily described, but 
which can be shown in an instant. As with some kinds of 
cookery, one must have experience. “ Mrs. Gilman.” is a 
man, and we do not know how much of his work is fiction. 
Petroleum not a Paint.— S. II. Hagerman, Kent Co., 
Del.—No better application can be made to fences and 
other wood-work exposed to weather than crude petro¬ 
leum, as it renders it durable when exposed to the ele¬ 
ments. It has not enough body to allow it to be used as a 
substitute for oil in mixing paints, nor can paint be applied 
to wood that has been saturated with it. Petroleum leaves 
the wood of a pleasing light-brown color, not objection¬ 
able for farm buildings, etc. We would not advise you 
to “ soak” the boards in petroleum, but to apply it with a 
brush, coat after coat, so long as it is readily absorbed. 
When first applied, before the volatile portions have evap¬ 
orated, every precaution should be taken to keep fire at a 
distance. 
Thunderstones.— T. II. Read, Colt’s Neck, N. J.—The 
cylindrical stone sent through the Messrs. Ward Is a Belem - 
nite (named from the Greek word for dart), a very com- 
mon New Jersey fossil. The specimen is, in size and shape, 
much like a thick, short cigar. It once belonged to an ani¬ 
mal related to the squid and cuttle-fish. The perfect 
specimens have a broad, thin portion, like cuttle-fish bone, 
but this is usually broken off. Belemnites are sometimes 
called “ Thunderstones,” as there is a popular notion that 
they are caused by the lightning striking and melting the 
sand. In some places they are called “ Picks,” “ Petrified 
Fingers,” and “ Spectre Candles.” Of course the original 
bone-like character is lost, and it has become petrified or 
turned into stone. 
Pigeon Tremex.— Mr. C. W. Costellow, Waterboro, York 
Co., Me.— 1 The insect you sent us is the Pigeon Tremex 
(Tremex Columba), which was described, with an engrav¬ 
ing, in the American Agriculturist, January, 1881. This 
insect bores into the wood of forest and fruit trees, placing 
an egg in each hole. The grub, hatchi g from the egg, 
feeds upon the surrounding wood until it changes into the 
chrysalis, after which the mature insect comes from the 
tree, and the cycle of changes is complete. When in abun¬ 
dance, the Tremex greatly injures the infested tree. One 
of its natural enemies is the large Ichneumon Fly, which 
bores into the tree and deposits its eggs in the body of the 
Tremex. How the Ichneumon is able to locate the position 
of the deeply-buried Tremex is a puzzle to every one 
