1874] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
•447 
Hurdles for Sheep.—“T. G.,” Kittrel, 
N. C. Iron hurdles for folding sheep, may be procured 
of Yarnall & Trimble, 147 Front St., Philadelphia. These 
are very much more durable than wooden hurdles or 
netting:, and can be as readily set up. Five-barred 
hurdles of this kind, would also be perfectly secure 
against cattle or horses, and would serve as good a pur¬ 
pose as any of the portable fences. 
fiSust on Wheat or Oats.— “T. S. C.” 
There is no known remedy against rust, when it has 
once attacked a crop of wheat or oats. The only 
probable preventive is to sow a variety that is hardy 
and sufficiently vigorous to resist the attack of the rust 
fungus. There are ” rust proof ” oats, commonly sown 
in the Southern States, where this crop is subject to 
attack ; and the hardier red and amber wheats do not 
suffer so frequently as the white varieties. The use of 
lime or salt as fertilizers, tends to prevent rust; but 
excessive heat, and a moist atmosphere just at the sea¬ 
son when the grain is filling, appears to be a frequent 
cause against which no preventive or remedy is known. 
Don’t fail to Read what is 
said about Light Work: and Good Pay for 
December, on page 469. 
i'o Make Timber Durable.—“ W. 
V. S.,” Lebanon, Tenn. The durability of timber is 
much increased, by soaking it in strong limewater for a 
few weeks, and then exposing it to the air under coves, 
to be seasoned. Fence posts should be stripped of their 
bark before steeping them. 
Tice on Poultry.— “T. S. C.” There is 
nothing in the feed either to cause or to prevent lice on 
fowls. Lice will only breed where fowls are not kept 
clean, or where they are neglected. A very effective 
remedy is to clean the houses thoroughly, and to apply 
lard or linseed oil to the perches, and beneath the wings 
of the fowls. 
The Fair e :i Indian Territory.— 
The first fair of the Territorial Agricultural Association 
was held at Muskogee, the last week in October. It was 
a combined effort on the part of the civilized tribes, and 
brought out a fine show of horses, hogs, and poultry, 
with a limited display of farm utensils of native manu¬ 
facture. The attendance was very good, and addresses 
were made by prominent Indians, as well as by persons 
from other States. As there is included within the Ter¬ 
ritory a large extent of the finest farming lands in the 
West, this fair cannot fail to exercise a good influence in 
having these lands improved. We congratulate the 
managers on the success of this, their first exhibition. 
Sowing €ni*ass Seed. — “ T. S. C.” 
Grass seed may be sown at any time during winter, 
upon the snow or frozen ground, if that is more con¬ 
venient than sowing it upon the soil in spring. The 
seed lies uninjured uiitil spring, and falling into the 
minute cracks maker by "the frost in the ground, it be¬ 
comes well covered when the soil thaws. 
A D’iided Carpet. —“A Young Housekeep¬ 
er,” Chicago, Ill., experimented in cleaning her carpet 
with damp salt. The carpet is ingrain, drab and green, 
and the salt was dampened and sprinkled over it, as saw¬ 
dust is used in sweeping carpets. At first glance the car¬ 
pet was, in appearance, clean, fresh, and new, but as the 
dampness left it, the bright green changed to a dull dark 
shade, and no amount of sweeping could change it. The 
present color is not pleasing, and she asks what she can 
do.—Whether anything can be done to restore the color, 
will depend upon the character of the original dye. She 
had better consult some competent dyer. 
Time to ffiill BEsisItcs. —“ T. S. C.” 
The best time to cut brush, is when in full leaf. At that 
time the shock is often sufficient to kill the plants. If 
cut now, the roots will sprout in the spring, and be¬ 
come even more trouble to destroy than before cutting. 
A Vea»eval>lc USortlcailtJirist doae. 
—The Gardener’s Chronicle, of Oct. 3d, contains an in¬ 
teresting obituary of one of the best of the nurserymen 
of the old school, in England, (the father of the editor, 
although that is not alluded to), viz: the venerable Wil¬ 
liam Masters, of Canterbury. He had reached the age of 
78 years, and as the nursery and garden was that of his 
father before him, he must have been one of the very- 
oldest of English nurserymen, as he certainly was one of 
the most scientific. He was an accomplished landscape 
gardener in earlier days, and an ardent lover of the nat¬ 
ural history sciences and geology, at a time when they 
were not so popular as they are now; he exerted himself 
vigorously to form a museum in his native city, and for 
years acted as its curator, delivering lectures on botany 
and geology, and making his nursery a supplementary 
feature, by arranging it in part as a botanic garden. In 
former years he was a frequent and valued contributor to 
the natural history and horticultural magazines and trans¬ 
actions, was an esteemed citizen and magistrate, and had 
been the mayor of his native city. The writer of this 
notice retains a delightful memory of the great and un¬ 
affected intelligence, active kindness, and urbanity of the 
excellent old man who has now gone to his rest at a good 
old age. A. G. 
In addition to the above appreciative note by Prof. 
Gray, we may say that at the time of his death, Mr. Mas¬ 
ters was the oldest member of the Royal Horticultural 
Society. 
Time to Cut Timber.- “T. S. C.” 
Timber, when its durability is the chief consideration, 
is generally cut in midsummer or in midwinter; cut then 
the seasoning process in more rapid and perfect. 
TIse Mass. BSoi-tlcallaral Society 
has recently elected Mr. Francis Parkman, Jr., as its 
President. Mr. Parkman is a worthy successor in the 
line of distinguished horticulturists who have held this 
office, and it is one of those rare cases in which the giver 
and recipient are both honored. Mr. Parkman has made 
for himself so honorable a name in literature, that we 
are accustomed to look upon him as the brilliant author, 
rather than as a quiet practical horticulturist, who finds 
relaxation from the labors of the study in those of the 
garden. This election is a proper tribute to the worth of 
one of the most modest of the many cultivators who 
have made Boston the horticultural center that it is. 
Government Lands in Iowa. —“ J. 
W. C.,” Jersey City, N. J. The few lands belonging to 
the U. S. Government left in Iowa, are located in the 
north-western portion, and are situated far from railroads 
and towns. These are not by any means the cheapest 
lands for a settler, even when he gets them for nothing. 
The time lost in going back and forth to a depot, or 
town, 10 miles distant, every year, will easily pay the in¬ 
terest upon the cost of a farm at $10 per acre ; and the 
choice lands near towns can be bought from railroad 
companies for that price, on long time. The Burlington 
and Missouri Railroad Co. have some choice land in Iowa. 
The Ghrisliitit Advocate, also offers 
a premium of “ Mercy Knocking at the Wicket Gate.” 
It has been highly commended as a work of art. A 
subscription to the Christian Advocate will be a cheap 
mode of securing a beautiful picture. 
ll®oi*Itry for the N. A. Market.— 
Unless those who send poultry to the New York market, 
comply with its customs, they had better send it else¬ 
where. In former years we have given full directions for 
preparing poultry, and now remind readers of the 
essential points, by publishing the following condensed 
directions, which come to us in a timely circular, from 
the old poultry house of E. & O. Ward, 270 Washington 
street. “ To insure highest market prices, poultry must 
be well fattened; crops empty when killed; kill by 
bleeding, but do not remove the head. Have them nicely 
and well picked; skin not broken or torn; entrails 
should not be removed ; thoroughly cooled, but not fro¬ 
zen. Pack in boxes, with a layer of clean straw (rye 
straw the best) between the layers of Poultry, in the 
same posture in which they roost. Mark each box, 
specifying what it contains. Send invoice by mail. 
Ship to reach us about the middle of the week—should 
never reach us so late in the week as Saturday_Great¬ 
est demand on special occasions. Fine fat turkeys for 
Thanksgiving. Prime and nice geese for Christmas. 
Extra large and nice turkeys for New Year’s day. On 
all these occasions shipments should reach dealers two 
to five days in advance... If you cannot find any profit 
in sending prime quality and well prepared, you need 
not look for any in ordinary or poor qualities.” 
Tlie Use of Taris CSreen.—At the 
meeting of the Academy of Science, held early in No¬ 
vember, Dr. John J. Le Conte read a paper upon the use 
of Paris Green for killing injurious insects, especially the 
Colorado potato-beetle, and presented the subject in a 
manner calculated to create alarm. Dr. Le Conte is a 
high authority in his specialty, entomology, and admits 
that the chemical aspect of the subject must be developed 
by his colleagues. The paper itself, and the discussion 
which followed it, show that really learned men, such as 
compose the Academy, do not know everything. This, 
which may be considered our highest scientific body, is 
gravely told—what every farmer who reads the papers 
knows—that Paris Green is sold by the ton. One mem¬ 
ber had heard of the loss of human life from its use to 
kill cockroaches, another announced the fact, which has 
been in all the papers for these many years, that poison¬ 
ing had resulted from using wall paper colored with 
Paris Green. The use of strychnine to kill crows, was 
thought wrong by another member, and the whole dis¬ 
cussion was more befitting the N. Y. Farmer’s Club, than 
the Academy of Science. Not one of the learned gentle¬ 
men present, seemed to know of the experiments of 
Prof. Kedzie, of the Michigan-Agricultural College, and 
none of the eminent chemists of the Academy explained 
what changes the poison underwent in the soil, but after 
wasting time in censuring the Agricultural Bureau at 
Washington—by which we suppose the Department of 
Agriculture was intended, and that is past all censure— 
the Academy adopted a resolution, appointing a com¬ 
mittee to investigate and report upon the use of this and 
other poisons to kill insects and other animals, for the 
ornamentation of articles of food, coloring of paper, etc. 
We shall gladly welcome any addition to our knowledge 
in this direction, but as this matter of use of poisonous 
colors in confectionery and 911 wall paper, has been 
done over and over again, it seems very funny to see 
our savans taking it up as something new. 
Tine A erada Tail*. —The first exhibition 
of the Nevada State Agricultural and Mechanical Socie¬ 
ty, held at Beco, during the third week in October, was 
entirely successful. There was a show of good stock, 
and the exhibition of fruit, grain, and vegetables, shows 
that the new State so celebrated for mineral wealth, can 
take fair rank as an agricultural State. 
Til am"' tlae Ag'i*iciilt«irisa.— “D. E. 
C.,” Traverse City, Mich. On reference to almost any 
volume of the Agriculturist , the estimate for the cubic 
measure of the ton of hay might be found. For timothy 
well pressed down, 500 cubic feet is allowed, and when 
not solidly packed, 600 feet is generally taken. A large 
number of requests come to us for information or advice, 
which could be easily procured by consulting the index 
of any volume of the Agriculturist. 
Sick Fowls.— “H. P.,” Clinton Co., Iowa. 
When fowls appear out of order and lose appetite, a 
change of food is often sufficient to restore them. The 
food should be mixed with a little linseed meal, and a 
small quantity of pepper and a small piece of copperas 
dissolved in their drinking-water would be useful. Fowls 
suffer more from want of clean water, and from badly 
ventilated and unclean roosting places, than from any 
other cause. 
Tlie Me*Iio«list ami its IPremiiaias. 
—The Methodist offers as premiums for new subscribers, 
the portraits of the late Dr. T. M. Eddy and the Rev. Al¬ 
fred Cookmnn. An interest in these notable ministers is 
felt not only by Methodists, but by persons of other de¬ 
nominations, who were permitted to listen to their elo¬ 
quence, and mark their pure and noble characters. The 
portraits themselves are fine specimens of the engraver’s 
art, and can not fail to be acceptable and popular. 
jgp* Don’t Fail to Read what is 
said about Light Work and Good Pay for 
December, on page 469. 
Small Steam Engines.—“V. A. W.,” 
Forsythe Co., N. C. The most compact, best finished, 
and safest engine we know, is the Baxter Engine, made 
by the Colt’s Arms Co., Hartford, Ct. A cheaper engine, 
made by Whitman & Burrell, of Little Falls, N. Y., was 
described and illustrated in the Agriculturist, of June, 
page 212,1874. 
Many Foil* Due.—Mr. W. R. Pease, showed 
us five ears of pop-corn from one stalk, which in the 
whole contained 3,454 grains. A goodly number to be 
produced from a single seed. • 
5nFoi*matio»a as to Jersey Cattle.— 
“I. M.,” West Farmington. It is very strange that you 
have not found information as to the Jersey cows in the 
Agriculturist any time these few years past. Very many 
numbers will tell you that they are most valuable for a 
butter dairy. They are not the cows for cheese making. 
For that purpose the Ayrshire are preferable, or else 
the Dutch cattle. 
l®lawt Named. —“C. P.” The plant found 
in your cranberry plantation, is Lycopus Virginicus , the 
Bugle-weed. Quite common. 
S'rcmatnrc BSIoomiiig-.— Maj. John W. 
Becks, Galena, Kas., sends specimens of cherry blossoms 
which were picked in the middle of October. He states 
that the warm weather and the showers, make the season 
like the month of June, and that many fruit-trees are in 
flower. This is bad for next year’s crop. 
