366 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
unused to traveling we would say, be careful of showing 
your money. Only take out enough at stations to pay 
for tickets, keep sufficient loose change for incidental 
expenses in a handy pocket, and have the rest securely 
placed in some inside pocket. Having disposed of your 
money, don't fuss about it and every now and then feel 
to ascertain if it is safe, as there is no surer way of 
directing a pick-pocket than this. It is a safe rule to 
treat traveling companions with politeness, and nothing 
more : allow no sudden intimacies ; if one persists iu 
taking you into his confidence, the chances are that he 
has some end to serve. Don't change any large bills for 
any one, and do not tell any stranger what your business 
is, or whore you are going to "stop." Those who have 
traveled much, and are good judges of characters, have 
no need of these cautions, but those who have had little 
or no experience, should be careful how they make 
chance acquaintances. Whatever you may do at home, 
by all means avoid 
CARD PLAYING WHILE TRAVELING. 
When wearied with a long journey, the temptation with 
some is very strong, to accept the invitation to make the 
fourth hand at a game of cards. It is safe always to 
decline, and often highly dangerous to accept. The 
"social" game is readily turned iuto a gambling one. 
" Only 25 cents a side to make it interesting," this point 
passed the end is not far. It is well known that certain 
lines leading from the city, are infested by well dressed 
"gentlemanly " gamblers, who " travel on the make," and 
we have seen persons stripped by them of eveiy dollar, 
the conductor apparently knowing all about the little 
game Within the city the traps that await the stranger 
are numerous. One of the common tricks of the street 
" bummers," is to run up to a stranger with open hand, 
pretending to be very glad to meet him, asking when he 
came to town, how he left the folks, where he is stopping, 
and all that ; if the stranger does not know the chap, he 
Bays, " Oh ! here comes Charlie," and Charlie is sure to 
know the stranger twice as well as the first one. It often 
happens that a good natured person, feeling the loneliness 
of a large city, thinks he might have known these per- 
sons at some time or somewhere. If he hesitates or 
stops to explain, he is quite likely to be taken possession 
of by his newly found friends, who will not leave him so 
long as he has a dollar. Thi« thing happens almost every 
day directly in front of our office, and our young men, 
when they see it going on, do not hesitate to step out and 
inform the stranger of the character of his "friends." 
Another game is for these chaps to get names from the 
hotel register, and then call upon the guest with some 
story of being related, or other appeal to his sympathy. 
The only safe way for an entire stranger in New York, is 
to absolutely repel all advances of whatever kind from un- 
known persons. Let him make up his mind what points 
he wishes to visit during the day, and learn from the 
hotel clerk how to reach them. If he wishes information 
while on the streets, ask it of a policeman, and of no one 
elBe. Avoid auctions, "great sacrifices," "dollar," and 
other cheap stores of all kinds. If he wishes to make 
purchases, and has no friend to advise with, ask the ho- 
tel people for the names of respectable dealers, or con- 
sult the advertisements of the daily papers. Much more 
might be said in the way of advice to strangers in New 
York, and the same applies to other large cities, but we 
have touched upon those which our observation shows 
are most needed. Eemember that money is the first 
requisite in traveling, and that next in importance is 
" common sense," which, among other things, will lead 
to the proper care and expenditure of it So much 
space has been given to those swindlers to whom the 
victims come, that we have but little left for those who 
spread themselves over the country through the agency 
of the mail, but though our budget for the mouth is a 
" sizable " one, it is mainly a repetition of the old 
stories — We have frequently advised our readers to 
exercise cautiou in regard to the 
CHEAP SEWING MACHINES 
advertised so freely everywhere, except in New York. 
We have before shown that some of the machines were 
absolutely worthless, and o: late complaints have come 
that money had been sent and no returns made. While 
we could not declare these sewing machine chaps 
swindlers, upon the unsupported assertion of persons not 
personally known to us, there was evidently abundant 
reason why we should put onr readers on their guard. 
On the day we go to press, the morning papers announce 
the arrest of E. J. Mulligan, one of the parties against 
whom frequent complaints have been made. We are 
unable to give the result of the matter in the present 
issue. Probably those agricultural and i rticultural 
journals, which advertised this concern so extensively, 
will be looking around for their advertising bills Here 
is a circular of a grand gift concert, of the 
yaNTPELIER FEMALE HUMANE ASSOCIATION, 
which ci: ^ns to be a home for old, infirm, and destitute 
ladies, at., '.exandria, Va. We have also letters asking 
whether it is a humbug or not. Here is a most worthy 
purpose, that of providing needy women with a home, 
and it is endorsed and supported by gentlemen of the 
highest respectability, several of whom occupy distin- 
guished positions in the State and National Government. 
Yet, notwithstanding all this, we place the scheme among 
the humbugs. That the lottery, for it is that and nothing 
more, will be fairly drawn, and that the funds received 
will be properly appropriated, we have not the least 
doubt. Indeed we have never seen a scheme of the kind, 
that was more thoroughly respectable, and on that 
account we regard it as one of the very worst. When we 
set this down among the humbr. rrc , we do not imply that 
there will be any humbug in carrying cu k .. : programme, 
but our objection reaches back of that— to the character 
of the scheme itself. If we analyze it, we find that it is 
proposed to give " cash gifts," the modern name for 
lottery prizes, to the amount of $1,000,000. (one million). 
There are 22,178 "gifts" offered, ranging from $20 to 
$100,000 each. To raise the money there are 100,000 
tickets offered at $20 each, wholes, halves, etc., in pro- 
portion. Suppose all the tickets to be sold, and all the 
prizes to be drawn, a thing by no means likely to hap- 
pen, the tickets will bring in $2,000,000. Of this $1,000,000 
must go for prizes, and that will leave $1,000,000, out of 
which must come cost of advertising and circulars, dis- 
count to agents, pay of officers, and every other expense, 
and we think it not unfair to estimate, that under the 
most favorable circumstances can more than half a mil- 
lion finally go to the Association. Here, supposing each 
purchaser to invest in one whole ticket, one hundred thou- 
sand people will have engaged in this kind of gambling, in 
order that they may put five dollars each into the hands of 
the charity. The circular does not appeal to the benevo- 
lence of the community, but holds out the hope of gain 
as the motive Tor investment ; governors, senators, and 
other dignitaries, give their names to a scheme which 
encourages the hope that by investing a little one may, 
by chance, get much. Now, we have no doubt that these 
very gentlemen are trying their best to shut up the 
policy shops in Richmond, Alexandria, and other Vir- 
ginia cities, where the negroes squander their dimes 
upon just such a game of chance. Gentlemen, you have 
made a mistake 1 With your object we are in full sym- 
pathy, but your scheme is actually not better than 
"policy" gambling, and bowevcr distasteful it may 
seem, we must record you as responsible for a danger- 
ous and immoral humbug. We notice that postmasters 
are solicited to act as agents for this and similar lotteries. 
Perhaps Postmaster-General Jewell will have a word to 
say on this. 
WALL STREET GAMBLING. 
Some parties who have no reputation at the Stock- 
board, but are known as " curb-stone brokers," send out 
very "promising" circulars, with a view tu tempt per- 
sons at a distance to put money into their hands. If 
our Connecticut correspondent, who sends one of these 
circulars, knows so little about " put and call," " strad- 
dles," and other gambling farrago, that he must send to 
us to find out about them, his very safest way is to keep 
out of "the street," both in person or by proxy. Still, 
if he wishes to " know how it is himself," we can sug- 
gest no quicker way of finding out than to send a few 
hundreds to one of the chaps who issue these very tak- 
ing circulars. 
MEDICAL HUMBUGS 
may be reported as rather quiet, the " fall styles " have 
not, at the early time at which we write, made their ap- 
pearance. They will no doubt come next month almost 
as thick as the leaves which then fall— and not half so 
valuable Our humbug correspondence brings us some 
strange confidences, but we have had nothing more 
touching than a letter from a gentleman in Pennsylvania 
in relation to the doings of an " oxygenated air " quack. 
This is a case, in which all feelings of delicacy should 
be put aside, and our correspondent owes it to the com- 
munity that he should publish the whole affair over his 
own name .. . We have before stated that a proper regard 
for decency prevents us from publishing some of the 
worst quacks, who profess to be medical men. There 
are some things which we can not even mention in our 
pages, where the whole family must see them, but which 
ought to be exposed. The richest thing in the way of a 
circular, when we consider its English, which has a 
strong Eddie Eastman flavor, and the nastiest in respect 
to its object, professes to come from Trowland & Co., of 
London, who also have a branch-office in New York ; we 
are sorry to deprive our readers of much fun, but decency 
demands Rhode Island is not a very large State, but 
we think she can show more quacks to the acre than any 
other. The newspapers of Providence have a wide re- 
putation for ability, yet their advertising pages are filled 
with quackery, and in a recent visit to that prosperous 
city, we noticed that quacks of all kinds had established 
themselves in respectable quarters : the number of 
"Chinese Doctors." "Catarrh Curcrs," "Readers of 
Mind and Soul," and all that sort of thing, were in moBt 
appalling array. Providence presents an unusually in- 
telligent community, its school system is almost perfect ; 
that ancient seat of learning, Brown University, over- 
looks the city, and yet quackery flourishes there, as it 
rarely can elsewhere. We do not understand it. 
Crnslier for Bone or Plaster.— 
"J. A. B.," Utica, N. Y. The Blake stone crusher is 
well adapted for crushing bones or plaster. This power 
fill machine reduces the hardest substances to small frag- 
ments, and bones and plaster can easily be made fit for 
the mill stones by it. It is made by the Blake Crusher 
Co., New Haven, Ct 
Yield from Two Potatoes.— Charles 
Schultz, C'anajoharie, N. Y. writes us that he planted 
two Early Rose potatoes on the 5th of May, and dug the 
produce, which was iy 2 pecks, on the 25th of July. 
Coinx>osting' manure. — "H. C," Brad- 
ford Co., Pa. Manure may be composted with muck, in 
proportion of 1 load of manure to 5 or of muck. No 
lime is needed in the compost, nor is water necessary to 
keep it moist. This mixture will not heat injurously. 
If it is evenly made it will not need turning. The muck 
alone is of very little use. Compost so made ia a 
good dressing for meadows upon all sorts of soils. 
Xo Improve a 9£ong;h Meadow.— 
" A Reader," Ramsey Co., Minn. There is no machine 
that will cut off the tussocks or rouud bunches of sedge 
or grass roots, which grow upon wet meadows. They 
must be cut off level with the surface, with a broad 
sharp adze-shaped tool, or with a prairie-breaking plow, 
having a broad sharp share. They should then be 
gathered and burned. But the removal of these tussocks 
will he only a temporary expedient, unless the meadow 
is drained iu some manner, as they will gradually grow 
in again and displace the cultivated grasses. Redtop is 
the only grass that will thrive upon such a wet meadow. 
Yalne of Wood Ashes.— "M. F. Van 
G. B.," Rondout, N. Y. Wood ashes are worth about 
75 cents a barrel... There are 20 blocks to the mile in 
the avenues of New York City. 
Garget.-" M. F. Van G. B.," Rondout, N. T. 
When cows have once been attacked with garget or 
inflammation of the udder, they are very apt to become 
permanently subject to it. and at every calving or change 
of health, the trouble will return. Much may be done 
by watchful care, in the way of prevention. When the 
udder is hard and swollen, and the milk is clotted and 
drawn with difficulty, a pound of Epsom salts should be 
administered to the cow, the udder should be bathed 
with cold water and greased with lard, and the milk should 
be drawn frequently. 
Dysentery in a Calf. — "C. A. N.," 
Morristown, N. J. Dysentery is a difficult disease to 
cure in a young animal. It is generally due to some irri- 
tating cause, which needs to be removed by a cathartic. 
For a three mouths' old calf two ounces of Epsom salts 
might be given, with half an ounce of ground ginger. 
If the discharges continue to be watery, cold rice water 
should be mixed with the milk, and a tea-spoonful of 
laudanum may be given daily. The greatest danger in 
cases of dysentery, arises from the want of prompt treat- 
ment of the previously occurring diarrhea.. Diarrhea is 
readily cured by the above treatment, but when dysen- 
tery occurs the animal is generally much weakened, and 
the difficulty is complicated greatly in consequence. 
Value of Merino Ranis.— "J. C. deW.," 
Albany Co., N. Y. We can not give the name of any par- 
ticular breeder of sheep, who could supply Merino rams 
for $25 each. No doubt by reference to the advertising 
columns the names of parties will be found, to whom you 
could write. The fancy prices for Merinos, which were 
current some years ago, have passed away, and by look- 
ing out for chances, fair sheep may be purchased very 
reasonably. We were offered a small flock of the best 
Vermont blood not long since, for $10 per head. This 
was a somewhat exceptional case, but such cases are al- 
ways happening. 
See Pages 393 to 396. 
George Sucii's Catalogue.— Last year 
we published some account of Mr. Such's collection of 
plants at South Amboy, and we now have his catalogue — 
a very model of neatness and good taste, which he mod- 
estly styles a "Catalogue of $ome Stove and Greenhouse 
Plants, including Orchids, Palms, Ferns, etc. 11 — " Some 1" 
We should gay so 1— Here is this catalogue, over which 
we have pored aud pondered, have read by day, and 
