6 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
any wonder, then, that there arc so many complaints of 
losses by mail ? And is it not evident that in 09 eases in 
100 the fault is with the writers? Yet some people com- 
plain if publishers and others do not assume all losses of 
money said to have been properly mailed to them. No- 
body is willing to believe that he could have made any 
mistake, yet somebody must make these millions of mis- 
takes, and the responsibility fur them is pretty well distrib- 
uted among all classes. We have heard parties assert 
that, on such and such day- they positively mailed us sub- 
scription money "all right," when we had in possession 
the very letters referred to, and they had no signature 
or other marks to show when- they came from. We thiuk 
our correspondents must be unusually accurate, how- 
ever, for of the mure than 100,000 letters annually sent to 
us, there cannot be anywhere near 1,333 defective ones ; 
yet there are some, and the lesson to be learned from the 
above notes, by every one, is : Be very careful, 1st, to di- 
rect every letter fully and plainly: 2nd, to sign it \ 3d, to 
give it the proper date, with, 4th, your owu Post-Office, 
County, and State, and, 5th, seal it strongly after every- 
thing to be enclosed is surely put in ! Write mailers re- 
lating to business, and to the editors, on separate pieces 
of paper, with name, date, and place on each paper Just 
as we close this, a well written letter comes in from Ohio, 
part of it to one person, and part tons in a postscript to the 
other letter. It has money enclosed, about which noth- 
ing is said; and there is no signature to show from whom it 
comes. What shall we do with it— and with others like it ? 
Tlio Amt'i-icau Horticultural An- 
nual for IS68.— This record of the year just passed 
is now ready, and will be found full of useful references 
in all departments of horticulture. Besides being a com- 
pendium of the new fruits, flowers, vegetables, etc., pub- 
lished during the year, it contains original articles of 
permanent value, by well known writers on horticultural 
subjects. The editor has had the collaboration of the 
Hon. M. P. Wilder, Dr. J. A. Warder, Peter Hendei son, 
Saml. B. Parsons, J. J. II. Gregory, Josiah Hoopee. 
Geo. W. Campbell, James Vick, F. R. Elliott, A. S. Ful- 
ler, Thomas Meehan, and others. An Almanac, a care- 
fully prepared Calendar fur each mouth, several handy 
tables, lists of publications aud of nurserymen, are to be 
found in its varied contents. The illustrations are of 
great beauty, and arc all prepared expressly for the work, 
which we trust will prove as acceptable and popular a 
hand-book as its predecessor. 
E3as3&&3>u£^. — Happily for own comfort and 
convenience, we are, this month, relieved from the 
necessity of making a long lisl of exposures of Humbugs, 
though, we fear, the respite will be a short one, and that 
we shall have to continue to sweep at the Augean stables. 
The subject cannot be dropped until the vile race of 
swindlers is exterminated or starved out by the thorough 
diffusion of knowledge of theiroperationsand subterfuges. 
We have the usual supply of letters concerning the opera- 
tions of the swindling gentry, but they happen to be sim- 
ilar to the operations we have recently exposed. And, 
then, a special relief to our labors just now is found in 
the help from Congress and the Tribune, both having 
come to our aid. Hon. Mr. Van Wyck offered and se- 
cured the passage of a resolution in Congress, demanding 
of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, why he ex- 
empted from the special lottery tax the s< heme known as 
the " Gettysburg Asylum for Invalid Soldi* rs" Mr. Van 
Wyck stated that the farm, offered as a $60,000 prize, was 
in his district, and was not worth §00110. He said, he 
understood that the diamonds offered were worthless 
stones, and he blamed the P. M. General for having re- 
quested all postmasters to aid the enterprise. The Trib- 
une, which has, in times past, published so many adver- 
tisements of various parties, whom we have denounced, 
has recently given the Humbugs some hard knocks. 
With these efficient helpers in the work, we are quite glad 
i.o take a month's respite. We simply add here, beware 
of certain new newspaper enterprises just now. There 
are quite a number of these started, under various names, 
and with great pretensions and " enormous ci eolation," 
but really to further swindling enterprises. Some pre- 
tend to send by mail $100 bills in copies of the paper, 
which is both unlawful and improbable ; some, like the 
•■World of Plenty,*' show their character on their face. 
An Excellent Ointment for chipped 
lips aud hands, for dry sure--, for burns, for sure nose, fin- 
softening corns on the feet, for piles, in short fur any 
diseased surface where a soft protecting coating is re- 
quired, is what is called " Glycerine Ointment." This can 
be readily prepared by any druggist, by simply rubbing 
into what is termed " cold cream "' a liltle glycerine— just 
enough to give it a soft, lard-like consistency. Mure 
glycerine can be added in winter than iu summer! A 
drop or two of oil of roses stirred in, gives it an agreeable 
p 'vfume. It should be kept well corked, and be made fresh 
every month or two. When the hands become chapped 
or roughened by cold weather, smear them with a little 
of the glycerine ointment at night, rubbing it in, and 
then wipe oh" all that will soil the clothing, and the 
skin will usually be soft and pliable in the morning. 
"ISaggage Smashers."— To B£. K. 
Managers.— A species of downright robbery is now 
practiced upon travelers on very many of the public con- 
veyances in this country. We assert as a fact from our own 
observation, that many men employed to handle baggage 
take a special delight in seeing how hard they can pitch 
a trunk about. We h&vescen them use extra exertions to 
give a large trunk a hard thump, and to sec how far they 
could throw a lighter one— as if trying to earn the name of 
a kt baggage- t vmas//<r,'''' instead of that of careful bagg.'tg- 1 - 
men. Letauy ofourK.R.Mauagers stand where they will not 
themselves be seen, and note the handling of the luggage 
at, a station. They will usually see the trunks thrown ou1 , 
or in, without the least care to save them— the corner of 
oue pitched with force into the side of another— in short, 
no care is used to spare them in any way, but everything 
done to injure them that can be done. Probably forty 
thousand travelers' trunks are daily handled upon our 
railroads, in the aggregate, and the unnecessary hard usage 
they receive amounts to 23 cents each, or $10,000 a day 1 
Judging from our own past experience, if setting out upon 
a journey, in this country, we would willingly give 25 
cents a day in advance, to have our trunks handled with 
the same care that is exercised on the European railroads. 
Here, 100 days' traveling and stopping will thoroughly use 
lip a $23 trunk.no matter bow strongly made. After a 
six months' tour iu Europe, including 12,000 miles by 
railroad, with our baggage taken off and carried to sixty 
different hotels, and returned to the cars, the trunks came 
back in a condition suitable for another trip of equal 
length. In but few of the railroads waa any charge made 
for carrying the baggage. A traveling companion, who 
also brought his trunk in perfect condition to New York, 
had it jammed, broken, and the contents injured badly, 
in going barely 150 miles from the city. Will not 
our R. R. Managers do a great favor to the public, by 
looking into this matter— giving a word of caution to the 
careless or mischievous, and dismissing the incorrigible 
baggage-smashers? 
Water-proof Leather Presena- 
tive.— It. J. Smith, of Ulster Co., recommends the fol- 
lowing, which is said to have been in use among New 
England fishermen for 100 years, when it was published 
in an almanac for 1794. "Take oue pint boiled linseed 
oil, half a pound mutton suet, sis ounces clean bees-wax, 
aud four ounces rosin ; melt and mix over a fire, and ap- 
ply while warm, but not hot enough to burn the leather. 
Lay it ou plentifully with a brush, and warm it in." 
The Illustrated Annual SSeg-ister 
of Rural Affairs for 1S68.— This little annual, 
by John J. Thomas, is published by Luther Tucker & 
Son, Albany, N. V., and contains the usual amount of in- 
teresting matter. The leading articles are upon the 
Rotation of Crops, Small Fruit Culture upon the Hndson, 
Shrubs and Shrubberies, etc. This is the fourteenth 
annual volume, aud the whole set, neatly bound, forms a 
valuable addition to any agricultural library, whether 
public, or private. Price by mail. 30 cents. 
The Practical I^ntomolog-ist. This 
periodical, which was too good for the price, stopped 
at the close of its second volume. The American Ento- 
mological Society, by whom it was published, lost money 
in the attempt to disseminate a popular knowledge of 
insects, but they doubtless did much good in the publi- 
cation of even two volumes. These are full of Interesting 
and practical matter, relating to insects, written in an 
attractive and popular style. The two volumes have been 
bound in one, aud are sold (by mail) at $2.25. They may 
b i had of E. T. Cresson, 518 South 13th Street, Philadel- 
phia, or by sending to the office of the Agriculturist. 
Dwarf Pear Trees. — "New Subscriber," 
Mansfield, 0. If we infer rightly, from your letter, your 
question is with reference to fruit for market. If so, we 
should plant trees on pear roots, by all means.— Answers 
to the remaining questions require too much space fur a 
basket item ; will try to reply to them iu a general article 
on the subject. 
Criticism. — ''Subscriber." We cannot un- 
dertake to keep other journals from publishing nonsense. 
It is only when their teachings are positively injurious 
that it is worth while to criticise. We must therefore 
decline your article. 
Rose Leaves. — ''Virginia Lady." "We 
cannot tell what causes the trouble— whether insects or 
fungus — from the description. Pie 
by mail, njxt spring. 
send fresh leaves 
Ferns and other Wild Plants.— 
" L. C. F. W.," South Orange, X. J. Gray's Manual of 
Botany gives descriptions of all the wild plants east of 
the Mississippi and north of Virginia. II lustrations arc 
given of the genera of the ferns. The queries relating to 
exotic ferns we will bear in mind. 
Huckleberry Tomato.— Last year a 
friend in California sent us some seeds under this name, 
stating that the fruit was used there to make pies, w r hich 
resembled those made of huckleberries. This year the 
seed appears in the catalogues. Mr. A. F. Knoblock 
writes from Louisiana that he has bought the seeds, and 
that the plants are the same as the Wild Nightshade, 
which the Creoles call MbreUe. The same was tried at 
the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens, at Cbiswick 
(Eng.,) and is stated in the last Florist and Nomologist to 
he " one of the forms of the little, black fruited Solatium 
nigrum" This plant has a rather had reputation, and we 
should rather not have our pies made from its fruit, 
though cooking may destroy any poisonous properties. 
IHedusas and Rotifers.— " J. M. S.," 
Jackson Hall, Pa. Medusas are jelly fishes that live in 
saltwater. Rotifers are microscopic crustaceans.- Tenny's 
Natural History will give a good general idea of these, 
and other less known forms of animal life. 
floruit in Nebraska. — A correspondent 
writes : " There is beginning to be much interest in the 
subject of fruit growing all over the State. An agent for 
a single nursery-East, told me that he had, within two 
months time, obtained orders for $10,000 worth of fruit 
trees. Hardy grapes can be cultivated with success." 
Fine Premiums for dr rapes, — The 
Longworth Wine House offer a silver pitcher, waiter, and 
goblets of the value of $350, as a first premium, and second 
and third premiums of the value of $100 and $50. " The 
first premium to be given to the best general wine grape 
of our whole country. The second premium to be given 
to the best variety of grapes for wine purposes iu tin- 
State of Ohio, provided it is not awarded to the grape that 
receives the first premium, in which case it will be given 
to the second best wine grape in the country. The third 
premium is to be given to the best table grape, for gen- 
eral purposes, in the country. Our requirements are that 
the plants, when generally cultivated, shall be perfectly 
healthy, hardy, aud productive, and the fruit shall pro- 
duce a wine of good quality as to flavor, strength, and 
quantity. The fruit shall be shown at the coming Fall 
Consolidated Exhibition of the American Wine Growers 1 
Association of Ohio, and Cincinnati Horticultural Society, 
in quantities often pounds or more, with samples of the 
wines from the competitors for the first two premiums, if 
practicable." The exhibition will take place at Cincin- 
nati, ou September 23d, 1868. The silver ware lias al- 
ready been made, expressly for this award, and is beauti- 
ful in design and workmanship. 
Are Plants detrimental to tbe 
Health f— Some time ago, the Journal of Botany, (En- 
glish,) published the statement that four assistants in the. 
Kcw Herbarium resigned on account of ill health, three, 
of whom died, etc. This was copied in various papers, 
with such additions and improvements that made it ap- 
ply to the Kew Gardens, aud to plant culture generally. 
The article in its latest form is quite a bugbear, and has 
been sent us by a correspondent, who is evidently con- 
cerned at the statement that " In all gardens the health of 
practical cultivators is exposed to a certain degree of 
risk. 1 ' So is the health of everybody everywhere. It may 
satisfy our friend "J" to know that the stoiy has just 
this foundation. Of the assistants in the Kew Herbarium* 
not gardens, "Two, unfortunately, succumbed to consti- 
tutional ailments ; of these one, at least, was seriously ill 
before he entered upon his duties ; the other died in 
India; while a third was 'tomahawked' in Australia." 
A String of Queries.— "J. H, P.," 
Geauga County, Ohio. Your letter is interesting, but 
another time have the kindness not to put such widely 
different subjects on one sheet. 1. One hundred and 
twenty-two and a half pounds of squashes to one vine is 
large, but it has been much exceeded. 2. The value of 
stable manure can be increased by composting with muck 
and leaves — do not use lime. 3. It is best to plow in the 
garden manure. 4. Fall setting, except in severe climates, 
is best for blackberries and raspberries, aud then they 
should be cut back to a few inches. 5^ The lecturer who 
told you that small fruits did best en poor soil, didn't 
know much about it. 6. Studjr any standard work on 
