1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



227 



For the New England Farmer. 



A RASCALLY IMPOSITION. 



Mr. Editor : — About three years since I bought 

 a piece of "worn-out land," rather light and dry, but 

 easy of cultivation, and making as surely a quick 

 and ample return, for the skilful application of ma- 

 nures and labor expended upon it, as any land. 

 Last year was the third that I had been endeavor- 

 ing, with the aid of the weekly Farmer, Johnston's 

 Agricultural Chemistry, the American Muck Book 

 by Browne, and some other works of less note, to 

 improve the condition of the soil, and render it 

 more productive. I had succeeded beyond my first 

 anticipations, though not fully satisfied with what 

 I had attained unto, for you know, that in the hu- 

 man breast, success begets hope, and a desire for 

 greater attainments, in any worthy pursuit. On the 

 26th of August last, as I was cutting Indi& wheat 

 by the road side, on the jjoorest part of the above 

 named land, and revolving in my mind the ways of 

 proceeding to enrich this barren part, and like Or- 

 tugrul, wishing the golden stream quick and violent, 

 a man, or perhaps I should say gentleman, for so he 

 appeared, came along the road with a respectable 

 carriage and horse, and seeing the circumstances 

 in which I was at work, hitched his horse to the 

 fence, and came over to me. After some little 

 preliminaries he introduced his business, by saying 

 that he was the first partner in the firm of Whit- 

 ney, Shaw, Lent & Howes, wholesale dealers in 

 flour, &c., Ill Main Street, Eastport, Maine, and 

 16 Long Wharf, Boston, and that he was out tak- 

 ing orders for goods, and also that the company 

 were proprietors of Homer P. Vanamburg's Pa- 

 tent for Tafeu, for New England, and that he, with 

 his other business, was making agents, for making 

 and vending the Tafeu, or selling the proprietor- 

 ship of small sections, where he could. He told 

 me of some sections that, he said, he had sold, and 

 left some of his advertisments with me, some of 

 which I send you with this, for your own "edifica- 

 tion," and I have quite a bundle left for my own. 

 Well, after discoursing sometime on the invaluable 

 virtues, the cheapness and ease with which it could 

 be made, on every man's farm, the only foreign in- 

 gredients needed being of small cost in market 

 and light of transportation, &c., &c., I ventured to 

 take the agency for Lamoille County, as /thought, 

 on very flattering terms, the whole particulars of 

 which I cannot now enter into. Suffice it to say, 

 that I almost thought that I had got the "quick and 

 ■violent" "golden stream" in my possession, and 

 could soon have it running right on to the spot 

 where I then stood, and which so much needs it, 

 and which, by the way, was the best spot for him to 

 sell his wares on. All he asked of me, was to pay 

 one-half the expense of advertising for the county, 

 the whole of which he thought would be about 

 eighteen dollars, the half of which he said he would 

 take my note for, in thirty days, if not convenient 

 to pay it then. But as I go in for l)aying little 

 things as I go along, especially when I am getting 

 a good deal for the money, I poked along the nine 

 dollars, and took his receipt for the same, and also 

 a deed for the agency of the county, and to be 

 sure of no humbug, I also Jook a written obligation 

 of him, that, if I should be dissatisfied with the 

 thing, at the end of the first year, he will pay me 

 back the nine dollars, and also a fair compensation 

 for any trouble or expense that I may be at during 



the year, in consequence of the operation. I have 

 got all these papers duly signed, and executed, and 

 in full force as ever. He was also to send me in 

 ten days, or less, all the books for directions, and 

 all the blank books and blanks for doing a large 

 business for the year, free of charge. 



Well, now comes the sticking point; but when 

 a man is fairly "treed," he may as well own up as 

 any other way, and more, I think he will get down 

 sooner, and with less bruises than he will to stick 

 to it that he is not up. I own up ; now for the 

 getting down, I have not heard from Mr. Whit- 

 ney, received books, or blanks, or anything of the 

 sort in relation to the matter, since the memorable 

 26th of August last, nor do I want to, for I had, in 

 the works above alluded to, all that was absolutely 

 necessary, in order to do a fair and remunerative 

 business at reclaiming the worn-out land alluded to 

 above, and if I had had my eye-teeth cut I should 

 have let Homer P. Vanamburg's patent Tafeu alone. 

 But as they were not, it was very necessary they 

 should be, and I think nine dollars a low price for 

 doing it, and if Mr. Whitney would call on me 

 again 1 would thank him kindly, and possibly 

 might make him some present more. 



You will see, Mr. Editor, by the hand bills 1 

 herewith send you, that there may be others in the 

 same predicament with me. If there are, they are 

 probably feeling some as I did about it, for awhile, 

 and our case must have been very similar to that 

 of the "green ones" who went in singly to see (for 

 a sixpence) the animal that looked like a horse, 

 whose head was where the tail should be. When 

 they come to find the curious animal to be an old 

 mare backed up to the rack, each sneaked off to 

 let the others find out for themselves. Now I am 

 green, and I know it, and am willing to confess it, 

 and would "forsake" it, if I could, but the prospect 

 is very poor that I shall ever get far from it. If 

 there are no other ones in this matter with me, 

 then I shall have to own that I am the veriest 

 Johnny raw, in all New England. If there are 

 others, up the same "saplin," do let me know it, 

 some way, either through the Farmer or some other 

 way, and if we can do anything to stop this itching 

 after patent manures, to the neglect 6'l the, gener- 

 ally, ample means we have on our own farms, we 

 shall do a great favor to the public generally, and 

 get back our nine dollars with a profit. 



Jehnson, Ft., Feb., 1857. C. Whiting. 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE HORN AIL-OBSTRUCTED MILK. 



Me. Editor : — I have seen in the Farmer pre- 

 scriptions for a cure of the horn ail in cattle ; also 

 an inquiry as to the cause, and a cure, for a cow 

 whose teat had become very hard to milk. When 

 reading them, I felt a strong inclination to give you 

 the remedy I have always used in such cases, with 

 entire success, and which is very simple and easy of 

 application. 



For the horn ail, (which may always be known 

 by the horn becoming cold, with entire loss of ap- 

 petite,) I take one tablespoon full of saltpetre, 

 (about one ounce,) one of ground black pepper, and 

 one of common soot ; when well pulverized and 

 mixed, divide into three doses, giving one per da/. 

 By placing it on the root of the tongue, it may be 

 given with a very little trouble ; at the same time, 



