88 
AMERICAN* AaiiLOULTURlST. 
[M Alton, 
including residents una non-residents and instructors, 
numbers nearly fifty, and includes some gentlemen 
especially eminent in their specialties. We find the 
professorship of Agriculture vacant, which perhaps it 
might as well be, as to be filled by a freBh importation 
from a country so unlike ours as England. A r.i more- 
over, in the whole 4f>l students there are only seven re- 
corded as in the course of agriculture. It is quite fair to 
say that the sinking of the Congressional agricultural 
college grant in this university was a great mistake. 
So far as agriculture is concerned the income of nine 
hundred and ninety thousand acres of land educates just 
seven students. It takes 'the income of 141,428 acres of 
the land granted to the State of New York, which, at the 
government price of $1.25 an acre— and we are informed 
that much of the land is worth much more— should at 
six per cent yield over $10,600. It may be said that 
here arc the opportunities, and it is the fault of those 
who wish to study agriculture if they do not avail them- 
selves of them. We are not of those who charge the 
management and especially Mr. Cornell with improper 
discharge of their trust. We have seen nothing in the 
recent reports of the investigation of the affaire of the 
university to show that thus late in life Mr. Cornell has 
changed his character for benevolence and honorable 
dealing. The whole matter is simply a mistake on the 
part of both the New York Legislature and Mr. Cornell 
—a huge blunder which both parties should set about 
repairing as soon as possible. Ilad cither of them known 
ttae simple horticultural fact that many plants, in them- 
selves of the most robust nature, will not live under the 
shade and drip of other plants, they would hare never 
made the mistake of exposing an agricultural school to 
the adverse influences of an academic one. No matter if 
there be no outward assumption of authority on the part 
of those in the academic courses, farmers' boys do not 
like to be even in contact with those who are pursuing 
branches to which they can never hope to aspire, and 
they will not go where they will be looked upon as in a 
lower grade of scholarship. The huge mistake of trying 
to do too much at Cornell with the national grant, has 
resulted, so far as agriculture is concerned, in doing bo 
little that it may be called nothing. Unless some plan 
can be devised for making the grant more useful to agri- 
culture where it now is, it were better that the contract 
be annulled and the fund placed where the rising genera- 
tion of farmers may receive some benefit from it. 
We are glad to observe that in the present Register the 
pedantic " trimester" is abandoned and the generally ac- 
cepted word term is used to designate the division of the 
year. 
Our Responsibility for Advertisements. 
An individual in Michigan bought some corn that was 
advertised in the Agriculturist, and because the corn did 
not turn out as he expected, he thinks he has a claim 
upon us for damages, and threatens if we do not pay 
them that he will advertise us. As we believe in adver- 
tising, we shall not make it " write " with our Michigan 
friend, but hope he will proceed to carry his threat into 
execution, even to the extent of not taking the paper 
" enny more." We wish to say a word to this irate gen- 
tleman from Michigan as well as to other readers. We 
do not allow persons of known disreputable character, or 
even of doubtful reputation, to advertise. All the seeds- 
men who advertise are such as we believe will send ex- 
actly what they offer. Our directions to the advertising 
department are to receive no advertisement whatever of 
a doubtful or suspicions character. The corn complained 
of was the Sanford corn, advertised from Jamesport, 
Long Island. The purchaser docs not complain that ho 
did not get Sunford corn, but that it did not ripen 
as soon or yield as much as he expected. We know of 
no process by which we can supply people with brains. 
If this Michigan gentleman had seen an advertisement 
of a particularly productive pineapple or banana, he 
would probably have ordered it, and then complained 
that it did iiul give him any fruit. Now, any one who 
has sense enough to grow corn at all, knows, or ought to 
know, that there is no plant more affected by the condi- 
tions of climate and soil. In Canada they have a variety 
of corn that will perfect itself even as far north as Hud- 
sou*? Bay; yet if a Canada planter were to get his seed- 
corn from Virginia, and make a failure, it would not bo 
due to the poot quality of corn, but to bis own ignorance. 
Our Michigan friend, who lives 50 miles north-west of a 
part of Michigan in which we have seen frost every 
month iu the year, and the corn-fields blackened on the 
5th day of July, gets a corn from Long Inland, where 
they have the mildest winters and the longest growing 
seasons of any part of New York state, and expects it to 
be suited to his climate. He may, after several such 
blunder-, learn that there are certain varieties of corn 
suited to his climate and others that are not. Then 
again, after all that has been said about novelties in the 
Agriculturist, we have not the least sympathy for a man 
who relies for his main crop opon a new and untried 
thing; for we have given so many warnings against it 
that whoever does so can not blame us. One who has 
a new variety advertises it at a high price. It is well 
that new varieties should be introduced, and it is well 
that those who offer them should get a good price ; for 
once out of their hands they lose all control over them. 
A sensible man in seeing a new thing, corn, for in- 
stance, advertised, will order enough to test and, if it is 
found valuable, furnish him with a supply of Beed for 
another year. He invests a sum the loss of which he 
will not feel should bis new corn prove a total failure, for 
like a wise man he has depended upon a well tried kind 
for his main crop. Now we have no doubt that with the 
advertiser on Long Island, the Sanford corn " in many 
instances has ripened in 85 days from planting, 1 ' any 
more than we doubt that in some other localities it is as 
useless a variety as can be planted. Would this Michi- 
gan man have us put under the advertisement of Sanford 
Corn— "N. B. People who live in Central Michigan 
must not try this corn ? " We assume that our readers 
have common-seuse and some knowledge of geography 
and climate, and that a man, if he is a corn-grower in 
Michigan, will not be foolish enough to depend upon 
seed from Florida or any other place where the climate 
is different from his own. So with other seeds of novel- 
ties, We have a tolerably wide acquaintance with seeds- 
men, and we know that as a class they are exceedingly 
careful and conscientious. They know too well the 
money value of a good business reputation to risk it 
by offering anything that they know or suspect to be 
a humbug. They must offer novelties, for the public ex- 
pect and demand them, and they must in all new things 
depend upon the statements of others, but they do not 
warrant onion seed to produce onions in Georgia, or 
cotton-seed to give a paying crop in Minnesota. They 
send out their catalogues supposing people of intelligence 
enough to read them have some knowledge of the capa- 
bilities of the country in which they live. Michigan 
man will please take notice that while his concluding 
threat has no terrors for us we give it for the benefit of 
the school authorities of his state : "if you don't do 
ennything about this i don't think i shall take it enny- 
more, and I will adveretise it to." Advertise us by all 
means. 
The Patrons of Husbandry 
The annual meeting of the National Grange is in 
session at the time we go to press. Such portions of its 
proceedings as are allowed to be made public have been 
given in the daily papers all over the country. This 
meeting has been looked forward to, not only by the 
patrons themselves, but by all who have from one interest 
or another watched the movement, as one which will 
have an important bearing upon the future of the order. 
Those who wished it well hoped that this meeting would 
so act as to give the order strength and permanence, 
while those who had a political interest in the matter 
looked for some action that should make it useful as a 
political machine. The opening address of Grand- 
Master Adams as well as the action of the Grange thus far 
can have given very little hope to the politicians, while 
all that has been made public of their transactions has 
been marked by a moderation and thoughtfulness that 
must commend it to all, whether friends or opponents. 
There never was a stronger illustration of building "better 
than he knew " than is presented by the Patrons of Hus- 
bandry. For years of an insignificance almost ridiculous 
it began to grow, and when the general agricultural mind 
was in that state that it needed a nucleus around which 
it could crystallize, in order to give force and embodi- 
ment to its thought, the organization was ready at its 
hand with sufficient machinery to bring farmers together 
and give expression to their wishes. There are now 
over 0,000 granges with a membership of over a million. 
That unforeseen difficulties should arise from a growth 
so unlooked for, and that an organization which antici- 
pated a limited membership, should be embarrassed by 
new questions, is not to be wondered at, nor is it strange 
that now and then a grange should withdraw from the 
organization. We may trust that difficulties, as they 
arise, will be met with the discreet decision that has thus 
far marked the action of the National Grange. The " de- 
claration of purposes " by the National Grange comes just 
as we are closing these pages. It is o document thai we 
should gladly publish in full were not our columns 
already closed. So well considered, so clear, and alto- 
gether so admirable a document, In sentiment and pur- 
pose, docs not often emanate from any organization. 
While we commend it as a whole to all who wish to 
know about the Patrons of Husbandry as the latest expo- 
nent of their principles, we can not refrain from publish- 
ing an extract which is n part of the second article:— 
"We heartily indorse the motto: • Tn essentials, 
unity ; in non-essentials, liberty ; in all things, charity ; ' 
We shall endeavor to advance our cause by labormc to 
accomplish the following objects : 
" To develop a better and higher manhood and woman 
hood among ourselves. To enhance the comforts and 
attractions of our homes, and strengthen our attachments 
to our.pursuits. To foster mutual understanding and co- 
operation. To maintain inviolate our laws, and lo emu- 
late each other in labor. To reduce our expenses, h#th 
individual and corporate. To buy less and produce more, 
in order to make our farms self-sustaining. To diversify 
our crops, and crop no more than we can cultivate. To 
systematize our work, and calculate intelligently on 
probabilities. To discountenance the credit system, the 
mortgage system, the fashion system, and every other 
system tending to prodigality and bankruptcy." 
Catalogues Eeceived. 
So many catalogues are at hand that our nonce of each 
must necessarily be brief. They arc named in the order 
of receipt. We must request our friends not to writ. 
asking which nurseryman or seedsman they should pur- 
chase of. We do not notice the catalogues of or admit 
the advertisements of any who we have reason to believe 
will do other than fairly by their custonur- Onr advice 
always is to purchase— other things being equal— of the 
dealer nearest home, for the reasons that it is advisable 
to encourage local trade, and especially in the case of 
trees, one is likely to receive the articles in better order. 
The present mail facilities allow one to procure seeds 
and small plants from any dealer he prefers. We would 
add the often repeated advice to order early, whether 
seeds, plants, or trees. 
SEED CATALOGUES. 
Washburn & Co., Boston, Mass.— A large descriptive 
volume of about 130 pages, including Beveral specialties, 
and embellished with a handsome colored plate of a 
bouqnet of flowers. 
Alfred Bridgman. 876 Broadway, N. T., sends two 
compact catalogues, one for vegetables and the otfier for 
flowers. This old establishment is quite up to the newer 
ones in presenting the novelties of the season. 
Yanderbilt Brothers, i3 Fulton street. N. Y., offer 
the standard vegetable and flower seeds, fertilizers and 
agricultural implements. Many of these last are illus- 
trated. 
G. A. Law (Dudley Seed-farm), Boslindulc, near Bos- 
ton, Mass., has an "advance catalogue of flower and 
vegetable seeds of his own raising and importation.'' 
Peter Hekbersox & Co., 35 Cortlandt street, N. Y. 
send a very full and exceedingly neat illustrated cata- 
logue, which, besides the usual varieties, hat numerous 
novelties in both vegetables and flowers. This is ac- 
companied by a fine colored plate of a group of pinks. 
Wood & Hall, Geneva, N. Y., offer a haudaorae list 
of seeds and garden requisites, prefaced by useful in- 
structions and offers of premiums to purchasers. 
J. M. Thorbttrn & Co., 15 John street, N. Y.— This 
old and well-known establishment does not send out 
such showy catalogues as some others, but their exceed- 
ingly neat and compact vegetable and flower lists, which 
are published separately, show that they are as wide 
awake for novelties as their competitors. 
Chase Bros. & Woodward.— This comparatively new 
firm adds another to the list of Rochester, N". Y,, seeds- 
men. Their catalogue is not behind the rest in showing 
a well considered selection of flower and vegetable 
seeds, many of which are raised on their own grounds. 
R. D. IIawley. Hartford, Ct., has a neat illustrated 
catalogue of garden seeds and agricultural implements. 
Nicholas Cole. Pella, Iowa, grows all the seeds that 
can be raised in his locality, and claims that Iowa-grown 
seeds are of superior quality. His list includes the 
standard van ies of vegetables and flowers and the 
novelties. 
Crosman I js.. Rochester, N. Y.— The CrosmOins, 
father and son have long been known as reliable seed 
growers. Their catalogue gives home-grown and im- 
ported varieties, with some specialties of their own, 
Kern. Sthbei: & Co., St. Louis. Bio.— St. Louis shows 
her metropolitan character iu various ways, in this seed 
catalogue we have a list quite as large as thai sent out by 
any New York establishment. It is surprisingly full in 
every department, and contains several varieties that, 
have a peculiar Western reputation. 
Brigqs & Brother. Rochester, X. Y., like some other 
dealers, publish their catalogue a- a quarterly. They 
have adopted the title. "Illustrated Floral Work," and 
the number for January contains their full seed cata- 
logue. In elegance of illustration and style in paper and 
print, this is a wonder iu the way of catalogues. It is 
