282 
AM ERI CAN AGERIO U LT UR 1ST. 
[August, 
pandurata), lias an enormous root, weighing from 10 to 
12 ills., and is capable of standing a long siege. The 
Hedge Bindweed,( Calysteyiasepium),\s much like the com¬ 
mon Morning Glory in its flower, lint is a perennial; it is 
very common in low grounds. The Bindweed of Europe, 
(Convolvulus arvensis ), is an introduced and small-flower¬ 
ed plant, but one of the most obstinate of weeds. W. 
II. Parkin, Henry Co., Ill., gives us his method of dealing 
with the Wild Morning Glory, which would probably ap¬ 
ply to the first two sorts mentioned: “The more the 
ground is stirred, where they are, the more they will 
spread, and as for choking them it cannot be done here. 
But they can bo got rid of very easily: stock the ground 
to clover, and turn on cattle or hogs. Cattle and hogs 
will eat the vines in preference to anything else. Hogs, 
particularly, are death to the Morning Glory vines. It is 
a very troublesome weed here, but I have learned by ex¬ 
perience that live stock will clean it out.” 
Willow feelers.—“N. M. R.,” Yancey- 
ville, N. C., suggests that in an article on “ Willows and 
Their Uses,” in May last, we gave no information about 
willow peelers. We know that there are patented ma¬ 
chines for peeling willows, but we do not know who 
makes them. With regard to patented articles which no 
one has a right to make or use without the consent of the 
patentee, weassumo that the thing, if good for anything, 
will be advertised. It is not the duty of a journal to ad¬ 
vertise articles, the exclusive owners of which do not 
care to bring them properly before the public. 
Strawberry for a, Name.—“ W. M. 
M.,” New Brunswick, N. J.—The plant is one of our na¬ 
tive strawberries, Fragaria vesca, and is also found in 
Europe. It is the parent of.thc many Alpine strawber¬ 
ries. It differs from our more common varieties in hav¬ 
ing the “seeds” (akencs) upon the surface of the fleshy 
mass which forms the berry, instead of buried in it. 
There is also a difference in the plant’s foliage and habit. 
Striped EStmfj- Ossete More. —This season 
we have given a long list of proposed remedies. We 
hear from several that the paper hung from a stick has 
been perfectly successful. Mr. C. W. Heaton, Fulton Co., 
III. , sends us still another method of driving them off; 
he shakes calomel over the vines from a pepper box. 
The insects go oil' humming.—Isn’t this classing calomel 
among the humbugs ? 
iLate CbieleeHss—Bttjitsisas.—Chickens 
must have very good care to get much size if hatched in 
August. They generally do well but rarely get their full 
growth, being checked by the cold weather. August and 
September are the most favorable months for raising 
bantams. The value and intcrestof these minute breeds 
depends upon their littleness, and the same causes oper¬ 
ating as in case of other breeds, we get very minute and 
perfectly formed specimens. This fact it is well for ban¬ 
tam fanciers to remember and profit by. 
TEH*' Wild CjIoonc B d Ssissii. —Messrs. Mun¬ 
son & Wiley, Murfreesboro, Tenn., send us specimens of 
the “ Wild-goose Plum.” It appears to be an improved 
variety of wild plum, but the specimens failed to reach 
us in sufficiently good condition to judge of their quality. 
Messrs. M. and W. say it “ ranks among plums as the 
Concord among grapes and the Wilson among strawber¬ 
ries—the best to be had without great trouble.” The 
tree is said to be healthy and a great and regular bearer; 
the trait is not attacked by curculio. early, and maybe 
picked green and ripens on its way to market. 
TPlatiitw Gained. — First one word to our 
friends. It is with pleasure that we name plants for cor¬ 
respondents if they will only give us good materials. We 
cannot undertake to name plants from a leaf only, nor 
from small seedlings, neither can we bother with several 
specimens put together without numbers; if we were 
to give a list of names, the sender would be no wiser, fin¬ 
ite would not know to which plants to apply them, and 
we cannot afford to describe each one so that he may 
know. Such things we must pass by. Neither can flor¬ 
ists’ flowers bo named, generally, from dried specimens, 
i. e.. to give the florists’ or catalogue name of a rose, or 
pelargonium, or a verbena. Leaves and flowers, and if 
possible, the fruit or seed pod, should be sent. Dried 
specimens are, as a general thing, more easily determined 
than those sent fresh. The latter usually reach us in a 
wilted or a decayed state. Dry the specimen in a large 
book or between papers, and send it, if small, m an ordi¬ 
nary letter, and if large, between thin pasteboards. . 
Mrs. A. Bowen. Loami, Ill. A Syringa, or Mock Orange, 
PhihuMph but too much broken to tell which. ..“II 
L..“ Memphis. Tenn. The Chick-Pea. Cicer Ariel inum , one 
of the oldest cultivated plants, and was a few years ago 
sold at a high price under various names as a substitute 
for coffee. The separate flower is some kind of mallow ; 
cannot tell which without the loaves... .Mrs. M. Treat, 
N. J. We have not before seen the Elder, and would 
like to know more about it_“ J. E. M.,” Holyoke, 
Mass. The Alleghany Vine, Adlvmia cirrhosci , a fine bi¬ 
ennial to cultivate_“ Subscriber,” Martha’s Vineyard. 
Golden Aster, Chiysopsisfalcata _W. C. Gault, Ashland 
Co., 0. The seed of a Puccoon, some species of Litho- 
spermum , which one is not to be told from the seed alone. 
_“ N. D. W.,” Waverley Place, N. Y. Tecoma jasmin- 
oides , a favorite plant to train along the rafters of green¬ 
houses and conservatories; requires a light, rich soil. 
— Mrs. M. F., Canandaigua, N. Y. The plant that 
produces buds on the edges of its leaves is Bryophyl- 
lum calycinum. The flowers are purple, and are not 
likely to be produced when grown as a room plant. It 
needs bottom heat, and to be kept rather dry to make it 
flower. Please send another leaf_T. C. McCalla, 
Ky. Buffalo-berry, Shephardia, as near as can be told 
from the leaves.“P. L. C.,” Dracut, Mass. Enonymus 
Japonic us, the variegated form; flowers small and green¬ 
ish, not showy ; cultivated for the beauty of its foliage .. 
A number of specimens which require study are omitted. 
Loss 1»y BIsease Among Animals 
in tlie United States.— Professor Gamgee has been 
carefully looking into this subject and we condense some 
of his statements in regard to the estimated value of the 
principal live stock of the country, the percentage of loss 
by disease during the last year, and the loss in money. 
Value Loss per cent Loss in money. 
Horses.$743,463,S00 
Mules . 98,845,050 
Cattle. 721,075.700 
Sheep. 71.931,255 
Swine . 184,903.865 
Total . $1,823,224,070. 
.6 .. . 
.$ 44.608.128— 
.5 ... 
_ 4.942.252.50 
.10 ... 
... . 72.407.570 — 
.8 ... 
.... 5.754.500.40 
10 ... 
.... 18,490.386.50 
. .$102,188,295.40 
A Brace of Failures. —“Mc.K.,” Jef¬ 
fersonville, Ind., writes: “Last year I raised a single 
plant of the Long-Podded Radish, (Raphanus caudatus). 
It grew about 30 inches high, and produced 15 or 20 pend¬ 
ent pods, varying in length from 18 to 34 inches. These 
pods, which were exceedingly tender, pungent, and agree¬ 
able to the taste, were of a brownish-purple color, many 
of them curiously curled or kinked, and all having a gen¬ 
eral resemblance to rats’ tails. From seeds of this spec¬ 
imen I raised, the present season, some twenty plants, 
which are entirely destitute of merit. They arc of vigor¬ 
ous growth, and literally bristle with pods, which, how¬ 
ever, do not possess, even remotely, the rat-tailed appear¬ 
ance of their predecessors. They arc pale green, stiff, 
sharply pointed, mostly about 8 inches long, tough, and 
with very little pungency. Evidently this is the result of 
crossing with the common radish. I conclude, therefore, 
that the Raphanus caudatus will not preserve its char¬ 
acter in gardens where the common radish is cultivated. 
The Striped Japanese Maize. ( Zea Japonica). which, as 
an ornamental plant, with beautifully striped foliage, was 
much admired last year, has also failed to maintain its 
reputation. In the specimens now growing in my gar¬ 
den only about one leaf in five is striped. In fact, it has 
so much deteriorated that, like the Raphanus caudatus, 
I do not regard it as worthy of further cultivation.”— 
[We cultivated the Radish in 1890, and when a year or 
two ago it was lauded as a novelty, gave our experience— 
which was that it, with us. was a worthless thing. As to 
the Striped Maize, that depends upon how pure the 
seed is kept. We have seen it this year with as well 
marked leaves as when it was first introduced. Eds.] 
Wheat Screenings for Cbiolteii 
Feed. —The screenings of winter wheat, which consists 
in great part of broken and small grains and may be ob 
tained at most flouring mills, are the best chicken feed 
we know of. This article is generally worked into in¬ 
ferior qualities of flour, and ought always to be sold or 
used as chicken feed. It goes further and is much better 
than corn or meal for young chickens or laying fowls. 
Canning IPeaclies. —“ J. AV. H.,” a deal¬ 
er in preserved fruits in Boston, writes a strong protest 
against the way in which this fruit is put up for market,and 
asks us to request our friends in the Middle States to put 
up none but perfectly ripe fruit. To this we cordially say 
amen, not only with regard to peaches, but tomatoes and 
other canned fruit. The public cannot be imposed upon 
a great while. Canned fruit is just now popular, but if 
such unripe fruit as was generally put up last year is to 
be the rule, we shall advise our readers not to touch it, 
and as far as New York, the great market, is concerned, 
shall set the Board of Health on the track of the un¬ 
wholesome stuff. Now, here is a chance for honest men 
to make a good thing. Let it be understood that a cer¬ 
tain label on a can is a guarantee that the contents arc 
just as good as can be, and that brand will in a year or 
two run all the trash out of the market. A showy label 
will sell the fruit, but not to the same customer twice. 
©Id Postage Stamps. —“ Inquirer.”— 
The Government has no use for them. If the “ young 
lady” wishes to collect a million, she can only sell them 
for waste paper. She is a humbug, and is imitating an 
English girl who played the same game a few years ago. 
Unme of :i Tree. —E. Marcy, Kendall Co. 
The tree seeds you collected in N. Y. City were doubtless 
those of the Ailanthus. Some notes on this tree will be 
found in the Agriculturist for May and November, 1867. 
Crops in a Young- Orchard.— “S. L. 
G.,” Jasper, Tenn., asks: “What is the best grass to 
plant in a young orchard ? Is clover or other grass' inju¬ 
rious to young trees ? If so, what is the best crop to 
plant in an orchard?" Do not plant any grass or clover 
in a young orchard. The trees need to grow well until 
they reach maturity, or the age at which they should bear. 
Plant such crops as require manure and thorough culti¬ 
vation, such as Indian corn, potatoes, squashes and all of 
their family, and root crops. Doall for the trees and take 
no more from the soil than is returned to it After the 
trees have reached the bearing age, clover is the best crop. 
ILocusts. —“ T. AY.,” Xenia, Ill., and “ R. L. 
B ,” Hooversvillc, Md., will find the Locust described 
and figured in Oct., 1866, and wo cannot, comply with 
their request to describe it at the present time. 
Maay-1-.eaved Clover. —Several have 
sent us specimens of 4 and 5-leaved clovers, but Mrs. 
Chas. Morse, of So. Natick, Mass., outdoes all the rest 
in forwarding 5, 6, and 7-leaved specimens. AYhat is 
called a 4 or more leaved clover is not properly so. The 
ordinary clover leaf is regarded as a simple leaf, the 
blade of which is split up into three parts, and it is no 
more strange that it should divide into an unusual num¬ 
ber of parts than that parsley should become curled, or 
that certain trees, as the beech, birch, and horse-chest¬ 
nut, should have cut-leaved or skeleton-leaved varieties. 
The College Conran!, published week¬ 
ly at New Haven, is a beautifully printed and well-con¬ 
ducted sheet, which is of great interest to all college 
students and graduates, especially to those of Yale. 
Ah Karly Tom»4o. —C. T. Crolie, Plain- 
field, N. J., sent us on June 22d a specimen of ripe toma¬ 
toes, which he thinks is a cross between the French 
Tree tomato, and the Early Round variety, and claims 
that it is earlier than Keyes’. Mr. C. does not tell us 
anything of the treatment of his plants. We could form 
an opinion of its earliness if we knew when the seed was 
sown, and the time when the plants wore set out. Will 
friends who send us specimens of tomatoes, or other 
fruits, tell ns all that is necessary to know about them? 
Salting' Cattle.— 11 J. A. S.,” Dutchess Co. 
There is no doubt of the usefulness of the practice. It 
increases their consumption of food and water, and their 
thrift. The better way is to let them have access to salt 
in their pastures and eat what they like. 
Several Thousand Bushels of 
Corn Cobs.— A. Wilmot. Ill. If the cobsaredry, burn 
them and «nve the ashes. They make a tolerable good 
fuel. Thrown into the barn-yard, or upon the compost 
heap, they will decay but slowly, and there is a positive 
excellence about ashes which we • rize very much. 
A Good Mans'le. — Mrs. J. Thompson, 
Concord, N. II. Ironing by machinery is liot yet an 
entire success. The most complete mangle we have seen 
only proposes to assist the laundress in the plainer part 
of her work. Towels, napkins, sheets, pillow cases, 
and all plain articles without buttons, are passed between 
two smooth wooden rollers under a pressure. The work 
is done very rapidly, and is neat enough to meet the 
taste of most housekeepers. The article is sold at the 
house furnishing stores in the cities, for about $25.00. 
Carbolic Acid for S B i»i-asites.— S. 
Flint, Minn. This article, in the form of soap, is a sure 
and safe destroyer of all vermin upon sheep and cattle. 
It is for sale at this office, with directions for use—10 
cents per lb.; or in boxes, 3 doz. tablets, $3.60. 
Blade fayusa I>«idcs.—“ M. R.,” Troy. 
These ducks stand high with breeders. They have a few 
white feathers about the belly, and grow to a large size. 
