1868.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
581 
this month, and prices abont %c. lower. Sales, how- 
ever, have been steady, and the supply has all been taken 
up. Nothing is selling above 9 cts. per pound, and really 
good hogs may he had for S% cts. Prices range from 8® 
$% per pound. But few dressed hogs are in market, and 
sell for 12@12!4 cts. per pound. The market days in and 
about N. Y. City are : Communipaw and Hudson City, 
N. J., on Mondays and Thursdays ; at the National Drove 
Yard, 100th St., on "Wednesdays ; Ilog and Sheep Market, 
40th St. and 11th Avenue, Wednesdays and Saturdays. 
containing a great variety of Items, including many 
f/txnl Hints and Suggestion* which wt throw into smaller 
<ype and. comb n*ed form, for want of space elsewhere. 
How to Remit : — Checks on I% T ew- 
York Ranks or Rankers are best for large sums ; 
made payable to the order of Orange Judd & <'o. 
Posl-Offlee Money Orders may be obtain- 
ed at nearly every county seat, in all the cities, and in 
many of the large towns. Wc consider them perfectly 
safe, and the best means of remitting fifty dollars or less, 
«ts thousands have been sent to us without any loss. 
Registered Letters, under the new system, 
which went into effect June 1st, are a very safe 
means of sending small sums of money where P. O. Mon- 
ey Orders cannot be easily obtained. Observe, the Reg- 
istry fee, as well as postage, muttbeptrid in stamps at 
the office where the letter is mailed, or it will be liable 
to be sent to the Dead Letter Office. Buy and affix the 
stamps both forjwstage and registry, pat in the money and 
seal the letter in the presence of (lie postmaster, and take his 
•receipt for it. Letters sent in this way to us are at our risk. 
l*ostn*»*e. — To our published terms for the 
American. Agriculturist, postage must in all cases be ad- 
ded when ordered to go out of the United States. For 
Canada, send twelve cents besides the subscription money 
with each subscriber. Everywhere in the United States, 
thtW center each quarter, or twelve cents, yearly, must be 
pre-paid at the Post-office where the paper is received. 
The Weather and the Crops.— 
The wet season at the East happily let up towards the 
last of June and farmers profited by several days of in- 
tensely hot weather early in July. Haying was com- 
menced under favorable auspices, and though storms 
and summer rains followed, we have strong hopes that 
the season will not be a wet one. The backward corn 
crop is beginning to pick up on dry land, but a large 
portion of it may never glaze properly. It is a saying as 
true as old, however, that July and August make the 
corn crop. Winter grains, where not winter-killed, are at 
the time wc write filling well, and will come up to the 
(hi I average. Spring grains, oats particularly, though 
backward, promise fairly. From what we sec and hear 
We think an unusually large breadth of oats has been sown. 
The bet that a short corn crop may be reasonably antici- 
pated at the East, and will surely come in case frosts do 
not hold off longer than usual, should load farmers to put 
In as many turnips as they can as a substitute. The re- 
ports from the great corn growing sections are decidedly 
favorable, and farmers expecting a very large crop are 
already buying beeves in anticipation. Spring wheat 
does not look well as a rule ; winter grain is more prom- 
ising as it approaches the harvest. High winds, hail 
storms, and violent rains with sodden changes of temper- 
attire, have been quite prevalent in many sections, and 
there is considerable complaint of badly lodged grass 
and grain. From Kentucky there come complaints of the 
midge damaging the wheat. The Potato bug continues 
its depredations west of the Mississippi and at certain 
spots eastward, in which direction it is steadily migrat- 
ing. Grasshoppers are doing their share of damage also, 
but so far, apparently not so much as last year. 
Unanswered Letters.— Some of the 
publishers and editors are off for their summer vacation, 
leaving a reduced office force. This will account for the 
delay in answering those correspondents whose letters 
fall into the departments of the absentees. 
Sundry Humbug. — Several correspond- 
ents inform us that Hallet, Moore & Co., are still opera- 
ting on the five percent plan. The unclaimed prize-* of 
J. R. Hawley «fc Co.'s prize lottery are for sale by them, 
at five per cent, on the valuation. J. R. Hawley in a reply 
t<» a letter says that. H. If. ft Co., have no authority to 
act for him, and he knows nothing about them. We say 
don't trust either of them with any money We have a 
list of names of firms, not to be found at the numbers 
given. Among the more prominent ones arc: Harper, 
Wilson & Co., or the "Metropolitan Gift Co.," offering 
pianos, melodeons, jewelry, etc., arc not to be found at 
the number named, Thenewfeature presented by them is 
a long list of names of persons, who, they say, have drawn 
prizes. Perhaps by addressing some of these, a reply may 
be had, but we doubt it. The fact that they are not to 
be found at the number is enough for us to pronounce 
them unsafe. Sanford, Frazer & Co., belong to the Kcl- 
ley tribe of *' Kelley's Weekly." They want $3 to tell 
what the prize is in the drawing of Kelley & Co., and aid 
in getting it. They do not appear at the address given. 
Gumbridge & Co. send out villainous and absurd read- 
ing in the shape of pamphlets, and we don't wonder that 
they are not to be found. Do not confound J. T. Stewart, 
jewelry and watch lottery, with A. T. Stewart, the mer- 
chant. Wc called at the number of the former, and of 
course could not, find him. Look out for the so-called 
"Improved French Alloide Watch," Brainard, Le Seur 
& Co., 44 Broad-st. Their circulars are very presentable 
and modest, and well calculated to deceive the unwary. 
We warn all against them, no matter how plausible their 
advertisements. They, too, are not discoverable at the 
number given, which is a suspicious circumstance. 
Vincent, Branch & Co., watches, jewelry, etc., are not to 
be found at the address named in their circular. Persons 
of course will be careful not to send money to them for 
any purpose whatever J. Lyon, 174 Hndson-st., is evi- 
dently " on the make." What did he pay Westbrook & 
Co., for all right, title, plates, and the " good will " of the 
business ? At whatever price he got them, he was pretty 
effectually " sold," for they are well known to be worth- 
less things by a very large class of our readers ...We 
wish the proprietor of that Drug Store on the Bowery, 
who has been in the habit of getting "Madams Beach 
and Putney's" letters, would ask the Madams to send 
us their book of "Private Instructions." Perhaps we 
would give both him and them a notice... Reed & Co. 
have a new dodge. They propose to those who have 
drawn prizes and are dissatisfied with their luck, to 
pay them the full value in money, less 12 per cent. 
We "can't see it," Mr. Reed. Try again D. McDowell, 
907 Broadway, is on the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan 
Enterprise. This is also on the per cent plan. He 
claims to be Secretary for the committee, etc. The prizes 
run about $200 each, 5 per cent is $10, and that is what 
he is after. This is just now a very popular way of 
swindling. We have letters of at least six different firms 
now in operation in this city, all pretending to aid sol- 
diers or sailors, but each taking precious good care that 
such worthy charities never get one dollar of the thous- 
ands they have induced the people to entrust them with. 
We warn our readers against any and all of them. Don't 
confound the above D. McDowell and his enterprise with 
the "National Home for Destitute Widows and Orphans 
of Soldiers and Sailors, No. 691 Broadway," which has the 
confidence of honorable people, and is a worthy charity. 
The Pennsylvania Ag-1 College. — 
We gave due notice of the reorganization of this college 
and hoped that it would, from being a disgrace, become a 
first class institntion. A letter received from an officer 
of the college a few weeks ago informed us that affairs 
there were " all in a muddle " and now we learn from 
the daily papers that there has been a general resignation 
of President and Faculty. What is the matter with this 
college? Perhaps setting it down in the back woods 
away from the lines of travel has something to do with 
its want of success, and probably its failure is not unas- 
sociated with incompetence in the management. It 
looks very much like a case for legislative investigation. 
The Illinois State Fair takes place 
this year at Quincy, Sept. 21st to 26th. Upwards of $10,000 
are offered in premiums, of which $9,000 are in money. 
John P. Reynolds, of Springfield, is the Secretary. 
Hedge Convention.— Hedges are an in- 
stitution in the West, the importance of which may be 
judged by the formation of a Hedge Plant Growers' Con- 
vention. Judging from the report, its object is mainly 
to agree upon the manner of conducting the business of 
raising hedge plants and selling them. The Secretary 
and Treasurer is H. N. Pearse, Bloomington, 111. 
Grape Exhibitions. — The importance 
of grape culture in this country is shown by the existence 
of several associations composed entirely of grape grow- 
ers and the announcement of exhibitions devoted to the 
grape alone. Wc give the dates of these exhibitions as 
far as received, and shall probably hear of others. The 
N. Y. State Grape Growers Association will hold its an- 
nual Fair at Canandaigna, Oct. 7th and Sth. G. F. Wil- 
cox, Fairport, is Secretary. The Pleasant Valley Grape 
Growers Association's annual Fair will be at Hammonds- 
port on Sept. 23d, 24th and 25th, and at the same place on 
Oct. 28th there will be held a critical trial of grapes to 
test their wine producing qualities. The liberal premi- 
ums oftered by the Longworth Wine House for the best 
wine grape for general cultivation will be competed for 
at the exhibition of the Cincinnati Hort. Soc, Sept. 23d. 
The "Oranffe •Tutlu Wheat Prizes.** 
$ 1 OO for the best two barrels of white Winter Wheat. 
$1 OO for the best two barrels of red Winter Wheat. 
$100 for the best two barrels of Spring Wheat. 
Attention is called to the fact, that Mr. Orange Judd 
offers $300.00 through the N. Y. State Agricultural Society, 
distributed in three prizes as above shown, for samples of 
wheat. Open to the U. S. and Canada. See p. 87, March No, 
The Wheat Crop. — As we go to press the 
reports coming in are more and more assuring in regard 
to the prospect of a wonderful yield of wheat. Much, of 
course, depends upon the harvest, but an unusual breadth 
has been sown. It has, on the whole, looked well and 
done well all the time except over limited areas of pre- 
vailingly wetland, which has not been underdrained,and 
where the grain has been exposed to winter-killing. 
The harvest, so far as it has progressed, has been success- 
ful, and the new wheat in market is good. Spring wheat 
is improving and earing finely, both East and West. 
Peat Analysis. — Two samples of peat from 
C. IV Williams farm, atCharlestown, R. I., have been an- 
alyzed at the Harvard Scientific School with the following 
results. 
Sample No. 1. No. 2. 
Moisture '. 26.00 20.05 
Organic Matter 4S.09 4H.07 
Ammonia 3.12 3.15 
Chloride of Sodium 16 .24 
Lime 1.48 1.56 
Silica, Alumina, Magnesia, Iron, & Loss 20.34 21.8 5 
100.00 100.00 
The analysis shows about six times the amount of am- 
monia found in common yard manure, and only needs 
the addition of wood-ashes and hone-dust to make it an 
exceedingly valuable fertilizer. It is strange that farm- 
ers will let such mines of wealth lie unused upon their 
farms. Mr. W. uses about a thousand loads a year, and 
is bringing up a run-down farm to a high state of fertility. 
The Kentucky State Fail" is to bo 
held at Louisville, Sept. 15th to 19th. 
The ^fen Hampshire State Fair 
takes place this year at Manchester, Sept. 15th to 17tb. 
Turnip* Among" Corn. — Between the 
first and tenth of August, turnips may be sowed broad- 
cast among Indian corn. Even if not covered, many seeds 
will grow ; but it is much better to go through the piece 
rapidly with potato hooks or pronged hoes, breaking tho 
surface uniformly, and pulling all large weeds at the same 
time. The corn should be cut up at the ground and stack- 
ed as soon as glazed, and the turnips will then have two 
months' occupation of the soil. This will do much to- 
wards helping out a short corn crop. 
Yonr Patent. — "S. D. J.," Ohio, sends us 
specimens of a bent-up wire for supporting plants, says 
he is negotiating for a patent, and asks our opinion. We 
think that for many things the contrivance will work 
well. But why patent it? It is strange that men who 
are freely using all of the contrivances of those who have 
preceded them, are unwilling to add to Jhe common 
stock of knowledge, bnt the moment they hit upon a sim- 
ple expedient must go and patent it. If a thing has cost 
time and inventive thought, wc think it should be pat- 
ented, but when one has something as simple as a bow 
knot, a mere twist in a wire, we think it folly to patent 
it. If one has a wire and chooses to twist It up in the way 
our friend has done, we don't think there arc twelve men 
in the country who, on a jury* would award him damages. 
This patent business has been, to use a vulgarians, " run 
into the ground," and unless something like sense can 
prevail at the patent office, the people will insist upon its 
abolishment. Persons claiming to hold patents for the 
simplest, contrivances given in Ihe journals are constant- 
ly annoying farmers with threats of prosecution. Have a 
Fanners' Club in every neighborhood ; tell these fellows 
to prosecute, and make a common cause for the defence. 
Very few suits will ever come to trial when it is found 
that the game of "bluff" will not work. 
Wil«l Morning: Glory. — Our friends 
write abont a troublesome plant under this name, but as 
they do not send specimens, wc do not know which of 
three plants, which may well hear the name, they mean. 
One, the Wild Potato Vine, or Man of the Earth, (Iporruea 
