168 
AMERIOATST A&l^ICULTXJRIST. 
[May, 
— among the thousands, and the other at 234 Broadway. 
If one would look up 234 Broadway, he would find that 
Uncle Sam has gone and set the immense pile of granite 
he uses for a Post-office, squat upon the very place, and 
the shop can not be found so long as that building 
stands in the way. Of course, these and others who have 
sent money for melodeons, have placed it beyond recov- 
ery, but if it will teach them to let alone hereafter all 
lotteries, by whatever name they may be called, it cannot 
be regarded as altogether lost. But how about the ex- 
press companies who play into the hands of these swin- 
dlers—are they altogether blameless?— — While there 
are some schools for teaching telegraphy, or in which it 
is taught with other branches that have an excellent 
standing, there is no doubt but 
INSTRUCTION IN TELEGRAPHT 
is made the medium of swindling operations. We have 
during the past few years had a number of complaints of 
these " Telegraph Institutes,"" that seem to bear every 
mark of truthfulness, but as they rest solely upon the 
assertion of unknown individuals, we cannot make them 
the basis of a specific charge. The most recent com- 
plaint comes from Freeport, 111., in which a young man 
states that one of these Institutes opened in that place, 
that he, among others, including several young ladies, 
paid their fee, S40, in advance, and then the xnstmctor, 
claiming that he had a rit^ht to do so, moved his " Insti- 
tute "to a place in Wisconsin, whither his students, 
having paid all their money for tuition, were unable to 
follow him, and lost both their money and the time they 
had spent in getting partial instruction, while the teacher 
had put himself beyond the reach of legal proceed- 
ings. The complainant sends his " Certificate of Mem- 
bership," upon the back of which are the "Rules and 
Regulations." The 9th of these reads: "It is further 
understood and agreed to by the person holding this 
scholarship," that the managers of the Institute " are at 
liberty any time to move their school to a point more 
convenient.". . . " Said change to be made at the discre- 
tion of the managers."— This looks very much as if in- 
troduced for no good purpose, and we advise all who are 
tempted to join any such school, to look closely into all 
the conditions before paying their money in advance 
Onr caution to farmers to 
BE CAREFUL WHAT TOU SIGN, 
should be printed in large letters and put up in every farm 
house. Indeed it is not needed by farmers only, but 
should be observed by all. We repeat it now because 
the sharpers are likely to be on the road more thickly 
than ever. The counties of Putnam and Rensselaer, N. 
Y., have been in a state of excitement over patent corn- 
shellers— or rather over notes given for the same. Men 
who have been regarded as shrewd, have been taken in 
by still shrewder agents. It is not necessary to slate de- 
tails, further than to say that in some cases the agent 
wanted a note for the shellers, to show " the company " 
that they had been properly placed. The note should not 
go out of his, the agent's, hands, and to show how safe 
it would be, it was written on the note " Not Transfera- 
ble." Others signed a paper, ''just for form's sake," you 
know, accepting the agency. All was lovely for a while, 
but in time the "Not Transferable" notes turned up; 
they had been transferred— as why should they not be? 
Did each one not plainly read '' Note Transferable ! " It 
was so e-asy to add an e. Then tlie papers accepting the 
agencies, turned out to be notes pleasantly disguised. It 
is some comfort to know that at last accounts one of these 
chaps was in jail, and it is a pleasant reflection that in 
these counties, there being several shellers to one corn, 
farmers "have discovered that they can be converted into 
capital feed-boses for cows. Beware of signing any pa- 
per whatever for any lightning-rod, corn-sheller, patent 
medicine, or other vender. It is not safe to write down 
your name and address in a book for some of these chaps. 
llffEDIOAL MATTERS 
are unusually without novelty. There is a good deal of 
small-fry advertising in the papers ; but the real touch- 
ing, heart-rending pamphlet-account of miraculous cures 
is quite scarce. One thing, however, is quite too fre- 
quent. We have tried to state plainly and explicitly, 
that it is of no use to write to us, asking about adver- 
tising doctors. There are now some 20 letters or more, 
each containing an advertisement cut from some news- 
paper, asking what we know about the person, or what is 
our opinion of their medicine. Many would save them- 
selves the trouble of writing, it they would recollect 
that we know nothing whatever— at least nothing good, 
01" ANT ADVERTISING DOCTORS, 
and our only opinion of their medicine is that it should 
be let alone most severely. We can not answer such in- 
quiries individually, we have not the time, and we hope 
that this general answer may give us freedom from 
Buch applications for a while. We make no exceptions 
whatever, no matter how many titles the advertiser 
claims, how many cures he has made, or how many or 
what kind of certificates he prints. Have nothing what- 
ever to do with them. We wish we could write a little 
plain language to young men, that we could show them 
how needlessly they were frightened into employing 
quacks. Be careful how you put your name or your 
money into their hands We thought that the Saw- 
bones at their surgical shop in Indiana were ahead of all 
similar ''Institutes" in the repulsiveness cf their circu- 
lars, but here is another "■ Institute," this time in Kansas 
City, which "piles up the agony" mudi higher. Such a 
lot of figures, with limbs and bodies distorted in every 
possible form— all in a row, looking like a set of Cran- 
dalls " Acrobats " struck by lightning ; such portraits of 
women with faces eaten by cancer ; such wens, such dis- 
eased eyes, and almost every deformity and disfigure- 
ment that can befall poor male and female humanity, we 
have rarely seen. Nervous people should not look at 
this circular, and all others should let it alone, lest they 
become nervous. The people at this "Institute" war- 
rant cures, like other quacks. This concern goes sys- 
tematically into business. It sends out circulars which 
contain a list of all sorts of diseases, and the one who 
receives it is requested to give the names of all his 
friends and neighbors who are afflicted with a mark to 
indicate the disease. Moreover, there is a blank on the 
other side, with a request to "give here the names and 
post-office addresses of all the school teachers you know 
of." People wonder how the humbugging chaps get 
their names 1 As we opened one circular, there met 
our eye in large type, 
" DIKECTIONS HOW TO GAIN "WEALTH I HOW TO KEEP IT 1 
HOW TO ENJOT IT ! " 
Here was something worth while— not only to gain 
wealth, but to keep it, and enjoy it — to eat your cake, 
and have it, too ! What wonder that we looked at-it with 
interest. We read: ''To gain wealth that will last, it 
must be earned." — We agreed to that. Further we read : 
" I would enjoy myself more in giving a dollar, than de- 
prive any one of a cent."— We began to feel a respect 
for this man. Glenn it is his name. Slightly crooked as 
to grammar— but one can't expect high moral qualities, 
faultless grammar, and be set out on the road to wealth, 
all at once. But we grew impatient as to the wealth. 
We read— and, at last, there it was : To gain wealth, one 
must fleU— groceries ? No. Dry-goods ? No I Attle- 
borongh jewelry ? Still no I Nothing less than 
"PBACE IN THE FAMILY I " 
The same old story, to get wealth, one must give up 
something— not only his own peace, but, alas, " Peace 
in the Family I " We would have no more of it— better 
be poor with "peace in the family," than wealthy with- 
out it, thought we, as we wers about to throw the cir- 
cular aside— when our eye caught the words: "Peace in 
the Family is put up in three sizes— oval-shaped bot- 
tles" — and, after all, it was only a miserable quack-medi- 
cine—and making, keeping, and enjoying a fortune, all 
vanished. But the ihings this stuff is good for : from a 
jumping toothache to the most dangerous diseases of 
females I Glenn, you are a genius I We agree with you in 
one statement, though not in the sense you intend it : 
"No family of Children is safe without Peace inHhe 
Family I" — "Let us have peace." 
Tlie Coloi-a,do Potato Beetle. — 
Unfortunately, but few readers in the Northern States 
need be told of this insect and its work. Still, there are 
localities which it has not reached, but where it may be 
expected, and while we give those to whom it is new 
something of its history, we may also remind others 
to be on their guard. The insect is in shape like a 
large lady-bug, of a tawny yellow color, with 12 black 
lines on its back. It^suallyhas three broods, the last 
wintering iu the ground, as " seed " for next year's crop. 
They come out of the ground as soon as the potato 
sprouts do. and lay eggs on the under side of the leaves ; 
they hatch in a week ; in the larva, or grub stage, they are 
reddish, and very small, grow rapidly, and soon become 
fat, repulsive-looking gmhs, of a reddish yellow, with 
black spots ; when full-£rrown, they enter the ground, 
become pupas, and in a week came out as perfect bee- 
tles. These provide at once for another crop. The per- 
fect insect flies, and thus spreads from place to place. 
Both the perfect beetle and the grubs eat, and so vora- 
ciously that, unless checked, they will completely destroy 
the potato vine. When the vines are small and the bee- 
tles few, much may be done by hand-picking, and at the 
same time crushing the eg^s, which are small and yellow 
and upon the under-snrface of the leaves. 
Later, when the insects come from elsewhere, and get 
too numerous, apply Paris green. Get the pure article 
and mix thoroufjly with 20 parts of flour or plaster, and 
sprinkle it by means of a perforated tin-box or other 
contrivance, upon the vines, using very little — only so 
much as can be seen. Or the Paris green may be mixed, 
one tablespoonful to a pailful of water, stirred thorough- 
ly, and the vines sprinkled with it, using a watering pot, 
Byi'inge, or even a whisk broom. The poison does not 
dissolve, but must be kept suspended in water by stift 
ring. There are numerous contrivances, patented and 
unpatented, for applying Paris green in the dry state and 
mixed with water ; one of the most recent of these is the 
"Liquid Atomizer," made by the New York Plow Co., 
No. 55 Beekman street. New York, which it is claimed 
will distribute the poison with great thoroughness. 
Those who have last year's volume (1876) will find in July 
and August very full accounts of the insect, and useful 
suggestions for applying the poison. The most complete 
history of the insect is given in a work by Clias. V. Ri- 
ley," entitled "Potato Pests," and published by the 
Orange Judd Co. (50c., paper covers; 75c., cloth). Other 
insects injurious to the potato are also described, and the 
natural enemies and methods of destruction are given, 
and all fully illustrated. It is a work which every potato 
grower should have and study. 
** Home JBiaildirag: " is the title of anew 
work on architecture, with 45 designs of various styles. 
A distinguishing feature of the work is its specifications, 
its elaborate table of the cost of materials in different 
parts of the country, and descriptions of over 250 cities, 
towns, and villages, from New York to San Francisco. 
The book embodies a vast amount of information of a 
kind not readily to be found elsewhere. Sold by the 
Orange Judd Co. $5.00. 
T^lie l^andaitd <^ame Birdl£j OiT Ne'w 
England, by H. D. Minot. This is a popular work, 
intended for young persons who would like to know 
something about birds, and care but little for ornithology 
as a science. The descriptions are divested as much as 
possible from technicalities and the work largely devoted 
to that in which most other works are deficient— an ac- 
count of the habits of the birds, which are given in a fa- 
miliar style. It gives a key by means of which a given 
kind may be identified by its color alone. As the birds 
inclnded in it have generally a wide range, the work will 
be found useful outside of New England. Published by 
the Naturalists' Agency, Salem, Mass ; post-paid for $3. 
Iflaking: tlie Most of a Potato, — 
Last month, on p. 127, we gave an engraving showing 
how to cut a potato in such a manner that each eye will 
make a " set," with sufficient of the tuber attached to it 
to nourish the young plant. It should have been stated 
that this engraving was reduced from a larger one in the 
Blustrated Potato Catalogue of B. K. Bliss & Sons, 
34 Barclay St., N. Y., which contains much useful in- 
formation about potatoes and their cultivation. 
^^AslKton Factory niled," is a brand 
of salt in the highest repute among dairymen and others. 
Liquirers for this are referred to the advertising columns. 
Ashes for Apple Trees.— "S. L. B.," 
Tompkins Co., N. Y. Ashes are an excellent fertilizer 
for a young orchard. It is not advisable " to apply them 
close around the trunks to prevent worms from injuring 
them." — Their effect in keeping off the parent insect of 
the borer, which is no doubt what you mean by " worms " 
would be only mechanical, and it may be accomplished 
much more surely by a strip of tarred or other paper. 
Strong unleached ashes might injure the bark of a young 
tree ; at all events, applied just there, they would do very 
little good, as the feeding roots are at a distance, and the 
best use of ashes will be to spread them, if in abundance, 
all over the orchard, or if the supply is limited, around 
each tree as far as its branches extend. 
Xlie 'l\>l>acco Xrade Oirectory, 
just issued from the office of '' The Tobacco Leaf," a 
trade journal edited by Edward Burke, 142 Fulton street, 
New York, is a curiosity in the way of a special Direc- 
tory. It claims to give the name of every person con- 
nected with the tobacco trade in the United States, Can- 
ada, and the city of Havana, and while it is a wonder to 
outsiders, must be very useful to those interested. 
Xhe American Veterinary Re- 
view, — The first number of the first volume of the sec- 
ond edition of the "American Veterinary Review," is 
received. It is edited by Dr. A. Liantard, and is issued 
in accordance with a resolution passed at the last meeting 
of the United States Veterinary Association. The num- 
ber before us contains papers by Dr. Liautard, Prof. 
James Law, Prof. Very, and others, upon subjects of im- 
portance to the owners of horses, cattle, sheep, and 
swine. Unfortunately, capable veterinarians are very 
scarce where they are most needed, and the immense 
numbers of live stock, which reach a value of not far from 
two thousand millions of dollars, are either helpless in 
the owner's hands, or are submitted in great part to the 
treatment of quacks and cow-doctors. In the hands of an 
intelligent farmer, a veterinary work of this character 
will be valuable, and when helped out with some stand- 
ard works, may greatly aid him in rationally treating his 
own ani^*lB in the absence of proper professional help. 
