1866.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
389 
l*oetry not I>esirefl- — Oocixsioually a 
contiibutof sends us poetical contributions. Some of 
these are of sufficient merit to publish, h;ul we room for 
such :iiiicie5t. As it is, we are obIii;ed to decline them, 
and as this is a general rule, no one will feel slighted. 
KiOSt Parentage, or ** Credit*** — 
Tliough sometimes gratifying to one's vanity*, it is often 
vexatious to see bis literary offspring wan lering around 
the world ia a state of orphanage — or even worse, as the 
legitimate oflspringof others in whose company they are 
found. Owing to the unpardonable habit certain editors 
have, of appropriating others' brains, with scissors and 
paste, we every month see hundreds of items and longer 
articles, of course our best, printed and re-printed, either 
with no credit, or wilh an eniirc-ly wrong credit. One 
paper is more quoted than almost any other, because, 
though proviiling very readable columns, it atlopts as 
ITS OWN, the gems of our periodical literature. ^^The 
Agriculturist, because almost entirely original, suffers 
quite as much as any other journal, in respect to the pla- 
giaiism complained of. Take a single example out of 
thousands, as an illustration: The Central Christian 
Advocate, of June 20, contains a beautiful piece entitled 
"A Free Concert," or the Singing of Birds, anl places 
before it, ' From the Heiigious TdrscopeJ' The fact is, 
that article was written fi>r the Agriculturist, June 1857, 
(Vol. XVI, p. '226). Where;ilie Telescope got it, or what 
paper first deprived it of its parentage, we do not know. 
Root Cutters. — Roots arc cut up for stock 
in many ways. We have used wilh satisfaction a sharp 
sjiade, cutting perpendicularly, or slid back and forth 
against one end of a strong box. The other end of the 
box is taken out, and tliis end raised up a few feet. An- 
other good way is to mash the roots with a heavy mall. 
Root cutters are sold at various prices— $22 to $65. Al- 
len's ($66), made according to an English pattern, cutting 
them either in slices or narrow strips— is strong and good. 
*' Cattle Food." — "We have refused ad- 
vertisements from many parties offering various prepared 
"foods" for cattle, horses, etc. Some of these are, un- 
doubtedly, useful to animals in a weak or low condition, 
as tonics. After being made acquainted wilh its com- 
position we have now admitted an ncivertisement of 
one of them which is highly commended by parties of 
our acquauitance wlio have used it, and tiie composition 
of which is not objectionable. The oidy exception we 
would lake to it is, thte lecommendation to feed it to ani- 
mals aftrr they are brought into good condition. Men 
slick to tonics from habit; we would not let animals do so. 
** I*rei>are«l Plioto^'rapla I*aper, 
•which requires no instruments, l)ut is all ready to take 
excellent pictures,' is adverlised in Western city papers. 
Is it not a humbug?" Thus writes Nellie Smith. Wal- 
worth Co., Wis., and we ansv\er. Yes, and No. Yes, iu 
so far as it conveys tlie impression that pictures can be 
taken upon it. No, when it is considered as an amusing 
and lalher expensive toy. The paper is of two kinds, 
one has a picture alieady taken upon it, but invisible; the 
other is impregnated with a chemical solution. When 
this last paper is wetted and laid upon the first, the pic- 
ture already there is brought out. 
AnsT^eriii to Qm^ries. — The Agnculturist 
has a serious fault in not affording its editors 100 pages 
per number to answer all the questions proposed to them. 
-Many letters receive personal answers where such aie 
not requested; others are answered in the "Basket" 
whose writers desired personal responses; for many 
others, answers are wrilten, put in type, and crowded 
along fiom one month to another, until they finally get a 
place, or until It is too late for them U) appear at all, and 
so our readers think Iheir (letters are over-looked. We 
answer all tliat we can and as soon as we can. Still, 
many are crowded over every month, and we see no help 
for it. Send in the queries if you can be patient, and we 
will continue to do the best we can. . 
E:ven-ISIa<xt Fan 31X11.— "A. R." If you 
make a fan on Mr. Leach's plan, you of course infringe 
his patent. The honest way is to conununicatu with him. 
** CUarles Rea<le " — *' Prurient 
Pi'Udes," — What singular notions some foreigners 
have of ihe American peojde and their tastes. A marked 
case of this misconception has just occurred. Charles 
Reade, a writer of some note, v\ho dales from *' No. 5 
Albert Terrace, Hyde Park, London," has been supplying 
a story to an American Journal. A paper or two look 
occasion to criticise llie story rather sharply on the score 
of morality, etc. — Whereupon iMr. Reade sends over a 
letter, headed "'Prurient Prudes," which he expects, al- 
most demands, that "all editors of American journals 
who have any justice, fair play, or common humanity 
to spare," will print. After seeing Mr. Reade's bombas- 
tic, ill-natured, seif-conceited letter, in wliich lie shows 
out his real nature, we have no desire to ever read 
another book of his, an<l we a<lvi5e every American to 
give a severe go by to any thing written by Charles 
Reade of Hyde Park. The Evening Post well calls his 
letter, *' a bucket of dirty water." No man who could 
w rite and sign such a letter is fitted to furnish proper or 
acceptable mental diet for enlightened Americans. 
'* lIoTV it IVorK.s.- ' — A gentlemati ia Beud- 
ing $20 for twenty copies of the Agriculturist to be dis- 
tributed in his neighborhood, writes "... Aside from 
the good I may do to olhers by this expenditure. I expect 
to receive it back, ten, if not a ' hundredfold.' Twenty of 
my neighbors reading the paper for a year will be led, 
insensibly, to brush up their farms, and improve llie 
general look of things ; they will plant more shade and 
fruit trees from simply having their attention called to 
the subject; they will talk about and put in practice 
impioved modes of cultivation — in short, the lesnll will 
eventually be to so change ttie tone and look of things 
in the neighborhood, tliat my whole farm will sell for at 
least $5 or $10 an acre more than it would otherwise. 
That's the way it works " No doubt of it. No 
family can read the AsricuHurist resularly \^ithout in- 
sensibly acquiring an improved taste, from its engravings 
alone, while its hints and suggestions have set tens of 
thousands of people to thinking, inquiring, comparing 
vie\^'s, and making improvements, no matter whether 
they have followed out its direct teaciungs or not. The 
results have been far more valuable than the small coPt. 
Then, in the present year, this journal has saved to 
honest people millions of dollars by its exposure of hum- 
bugs alone. — We hope every reailer will see that some 
one :s making up a premium club at his Post-OfHce. The 
premiums are too good not to have at least one of them 
go to every town, and the wide circulation of the Agri- 
culturist is of too much imporlance to be nmitfed. Those 
who will be least likely to take it without being urged to 
do so, are just the ones who need it most. 
Siimclry Sliinttoags.— We report n. gratify- 
ing decrease in the letters respecting attempts at swind- 
ling. Instead of the bushel or two that came wtien we 
commenced a new and vigorous onslaught and exposure, 
we have this month but 66 such letters, and these refer to 
only 19 swindlers, mainly parties already shown up by us. 
We intend to follow up and expose these s\\indlers until 
their operations shall entiiely cease to be renumerative, 
if they are not wholly made so now. The wi<ie circula- 
tion of the Agriculturist, amounting to an average of half 
a dozen regulai" copies to every Post-Office in the United 
States and British America, makes it a formidable stum- 
bling block in the way of those whose deceptive schemes 
are exposed in its columns. Numerous threats and at- 
tempts at prosecution will only stimulate its efforts. No 
one doing a legitimate business, in alegilirnate way, need 
fear injury. If in exposing more than a hundred and 
fifty opeiators, as we have done this year, we should by 
any chance do the remotest injustice to a single per- 
son, (which we do not believe has been done,) our col- 
umns are always gladly opened for correction. We oidy 
aim to guard our readers and the community against the 
wilyschemes of those who, byplausible circulais, adver- 
tisements, etc., deceive the trusting and ignorant. The 
honest people are least suspicious of wrong in oihers, 
and are therefore the most likely to be imposed upon. 
The country, from Maine to OregoTi, has been privately 
canvassed, and the names and address of almost every 
person is recorded in some of the numerous swindling 
establishments. Tliese play into each other's hands, by 
exchanging lists of names, and thus it happens that the 
same person receives " private " and " confidential" cir- 
culars from many conceflis. Our readers will please 
promptly send us every ww circular that comes to hand. 
Never mind the 20 or 25 days, or other limited time al- 
lowed to secure some wonderful prize for a very small 
investment. If anybody wants one of the $no watches 
offered for $5 (after paying $5 for the ticket), we can sup- 
ply one, which we purchased at one of the most plausible 
and close mouthed ticket operators, for the sake of in- 
vestigation. It cost us an $X, but after trying it two 
months, and calling in the aid of a good watch-maker, 
the beautiful tiling don't •'go"except as we carry it. . .. 
Harris Brothers were duly exposed last month. Many 
generous persons, wishing to aid the soldiers in every 
possil)le way, have unwittingly sent their $5 each to 
ihem. and received and forwariled the " subscription cer- 
tificates" to us, whicli have of course been promptly le- 
turned. We have not learned whether or not the "Rural 
American" accepts the bribe of "an immense increase in 
circulation," and winks at the operations of Hai i is 
Brothers. Nothing is said about it in that paper. Has 
any one obtained that, or any other journal, for one of 
Harris Brothers' "certificates." It was a gross imposi- 
tion upon us for them to attempt to make us even appear 
to countenance their " Lrittery," for their Kclieme at best 
is no better than any other lottery, while they attempt to 
take advantage of people's kind feeliniiS towards disabled 
solilier.s. We are giad to learn that in sundry places 
where the scheme " took '• at first, the people decided to 
wait until the October Agriculturist came to hand T, 
D. Miller still carries on his " Depository of Merchants' 
Manufacturers" swindle, but of course not among tho 
readers of the Agriculturist. The latest letter of his 
sending out which we have received, he dated Sept. 29th. 
...-Nine parcels of tickets before us, of recent issue, 
show that Mackty S[ Co. still operate under the old name. 
See September Agriculturist, \i:i%e 311, for exposure of 
this concern and others U'. 2". Orton, for Wood, Ellis 
&. Co., dating at Progress, N. J., continues his swindling 
schemes, making offers calculated to lead green "agents" 
to help him sell bogus tickets. . ..Lor/cri/ dealers have 
been rather quiet since the " Mas-^achusetts Decision" 
about U. S. Licenses, but we find before us the circulars 
of Murray, Eddy & Co., Box -1304, N. Y. City, which 
will of course be taken from them. See about Lotteries 
page 172, March Agncuturist Dr. Ogden should go 
into partnership with the (Rev.) Edward Wilson. See 
page 211, June Asiriculturist. They loth optuate in the 
same way, if not the same party, and aie to be avoiiled. 
Edgar Tremain, also " L. C. W.," also Mrs. M. Merritt 
are all of the same class. Don't touch their "benevolent'' 
metiicines *' The Great American Paint Company,"'' so 
called, charges a dollar to tell you to make a mixture 
mainly of lime with some sugar and salt in it. and adding 
whiting or other coloring materials. A Big company 
that! We paid a dollar for the prescription, which being 
of no value we have temporarily mislaid, or we would 
print it here None but very foolbh people will 
spend their money for the "Magic Wand," "Perfume 
of Love," and a lot of things sold with them 
Madam Hf.ntzelmaJi, a professed " soldier's widow," is 
smait enough to take care of herself (/(///(-self ?). She 
(he?) has tried t'> get even editoi s to help \\e\- sell the 
people without charge. . ..The Nassau Street Gift Asso- 
ciations are all frauds Notes on several other humbugs 
must go over to next month, for want of room. 
l^ook: Oiit tor tlie Meteors. — Scien- 
tific men predict a large meteoric shower about Nov, 13 
— perhaps on the 12th or ]4th. and probably a cfui-'^iLier- 
able number on each of the three evenings. The show 
will be fiee to all who are wide awake— especially those , 
who are out on those evenings making up their premium 
clubs of subscribers fur the Agriculturtst. December 
number free to all new subscribers received in November. 
Addresses at Fairs — A ]\ovelty. — 
At the Queens County Show this year a plan was adopt- 
ed, which we think may often be pursued wilh profit, 
especially when it is impossible to secure the presence of 
some distinguished pul)lic man who will, by his reputa- 
tion, draw a large crowd of paying visitors, that would 
not otherwise come out. Instead of one address, there 
was half a dozen short talks, by as many practical men 
from different localities, each one of whom discussed 
his favorite subject or mode of practice. In this way va- 
riety is secured, and more of general interest learned, 
than if one man does all the talking. 
** f Jsefml Every^vlaere." — *' Western 
Farmer " writes ; " I was glad to notice your remarks in 
October number about the general utility of the Agricul- 
turist. We have a local agricultural paper that has 
harped much upon our 'sustaining our own home journal' 
which would be all very well if it said less about it. and 
did not say so much against all otheis. Why, it has 23 sub- 
scribers at our r. O.. every one of whom was first lead lo 
read anyihing about his business by the sorchum seed 
and other premiutns given by the Agriculturist, and this 
is largely the case in the West.— Last year I tried to raise 
a premium club for you here, urging people that they 
would find it pay to take both that and their home paper. 
They said *no, we want no distant papers— they are not 
adapted to our culture.' 1 loaned my Agriculturist to one 
of them regularly, and asked him to compare that with 
the ' home paper.* To-day he joined the club I send you, 
saying * that three-fourths of all in the home paper was 
copied from the Agriculturist directly or indirectly, and 
the latter paper contained many other things he wanted 
to see.'— I have found dozens of hints in the Agriculturist 
that have each been useful beyond the cost of the paper. 
You have some matters, like manures, adapted to parti- 
cular localities, but how could the paper be of general 
vahie everywhere, if it did not refer to these things pecuii- 
arto limitedareas. for there aresuch peculiarities in all 
parts nf the country. This attention both to tctpics of gen- 
eral interest, and to local matters as well, is in my opinion 
what gives the greatgeneral value to the Agriculturist,.."- 
