IS7&] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTUEIST. 
129 
Our Great Libel Suit. 
£ud of a Four- Year I A li^; at ion— 
Patent Medicines, Quack Nos- 
trums, Doctors, ami our Hum- 
bug < , oliiinn.«, in Court — Import- 
ant Leg-al Opinion by Judge 
Brady, of tlic Supreme Court — 
manufacturers and Venders of* 
Patent or Specific Medicines 
responsible for tlie Positive and 
Negative Results of* their Use- 
Interesting- to all Physicians, 
to "Lawyers, to Newspapers, to 
Healers in Medicines, and to 
Buyers and Users of" Medicines. 
The American Agriculturist has for many years pub- 
lished exposures of various humbugs, and warned its 
readers against the operations of a great multitude of in- 
genious swindlers. While this has been of great benefit 
to the country, and saved millions of dollars from going 
into the pockets of 6harpers, it has cost a world of work 
■and investigation, and much legal expense. Libel suits 
have been frequently begun for intimidation, or to obtain 
ltotoriety. Our readers well know how little the intimi- 
dation has benefited the operators, and the silence we 
have maintained about the lawsuits has deprived them 
of the notoriety they thus sought. Though preparation 
for defense has been expensive, in no case has a cent 
heen awarded against us for damages or costs, as we have 
always been ready to prove our charges, and, with a 
single exception, every suit has been dropped before final 
trial, and this, too, without a word of concession or tak- 
ing back on our part. We have been ready lo "face the 
music," every tini?. 
The exception referred to is the libel suit begun against 
us by Dr. M. L. Byrn, in the spring of 1S68, which has 
"been in Court ever since, and has recently occupied a 
'week and a half before Judge Brady, of the Supreme 
•Court, and a jury — ending in a complete verdict in our 
'favor. We depart from our usual course of silence, in 
this case, because the legal opinions brought out and the 
testimony introduced, are of very general interest. Though 
this suit has been a long one, and taking into account our 
own expenses for legal fees, analyses, investigations, in- 
terruption to business, loss of time, etc., it has cost us 
more than Two Thousand Dollars, we think the sura 
would have been well expended, had it only brought out 
the authoritative opinions of the court, and the testimony 
given by the highest medical authority. During some of 
the interlocutory proceedings Judge Brady gave an opin- 
ion, which will be hereafter quoted as authority, that in 
effect makes the manufacturers and venders of nearly all 
advertised medicines responsible in damages, not only for 
any direct ill effects produced by their use, but also for 
the indirect injury resulting from delay in the use of 
proper medicines by those who trust to the claims put 
forth for these nostrums. 
There were many other interesting points brought out, 
of general interest. We regret not having space in this 
journal to give a full report. (We can not insert extra 
pages without increasing the weight beyond % lb., and 
doubling the cost of postage for the entire paper.) We 
have decided, however, to use several pages in our weekly 
journal, Hearth and Homeland give a pretty full report 
of the more important features, rulings, and testimony. 
This will be given in the number of Hearth and 
Home for April 20th (Vol. IV, No. 16), which will be 
ready by Friday, April 12. It can be had for a dime of 
any newsdealer. Those remote from newsmen can have 
a copy forwarded post-paid by sending 10 cents to this 
office, giving their post-office address plainly. We hope 
every reader will manage to see a copy of that number 
and read the account of the trial. The information 
should be read by every person in the country. It will 
be a favor to every Physician, Surgeon, and Druggist, to 
call their special attention to it. 
Draining- a Flat on IligU Land.- 
Mr. J. H. Cook, of Knox Co., Ill , says he has read the 
American Agriculturist till he has caught the draining 
fever. He wishes " to lay a drain on land that has a 
fall of about one foot in sixteen for half or two thirds 
the distance, and the rest of the way is quite flat and 
wet. 1 ' " Will it do," he asks, " to lay the tiles according 
to the lay of the land, or must I dig down where the flat 
and sloping lands meet, so as to make a uniform grade 
from end.to end of the drain f " — This is not at all neces- 
sary. The writer has drained just such a piece of land 
ou his own farm. The only point to be observed is 
that the drain is cut deep enough through the brow of 
the hill to afford sufficient fall to drain the flat perfectly. 
As the flat is wet, there will be sufficfent water in the 
drains to enable you to level by. If the water runs off 
freely in the drains before the tiles are laid, and the tiles 
are laid properly, you may be Burc you are all right. A 
little practice in laying the tilea will teach you more than 
a long article. If you meet with any difficulty, write us, 
and we will reply immediately. 
Measurement of Poland - China 
Hogs, — J. M. Tubbs, of Ohio, sends us the dimensions, 
but not the weight, of a pair of Poland-China or Magie 
hogs. Boar, nine months old, measures from snout to 
root of tail 5 feet 5'/J inches, and girth, just back of the 
shoulder, 4 feet 1 inch. Sow, one week older, 5 feet 1 
inch in length, and girth 4 feet 4 inches. 
Essex or Berkshire I*igs. — Lewis 
Owen writes : " I have the White Chester hogs. Wish to 
cross with Essex or Berkshire. Which would you prefer? 
Where can I get a genuine 4 or G months old pig, and at 
what price f I am willing to pay for what I get, but do 
not always get what I pay for, except in grass and clover 
seed, then I get more than I want— weed seed."— We must 
refer you to our advertising columns. Either the Essex or 
Berkshire, if pure, will refine the ordinary Chester 
Whites. Tou should read "Harris on the Pig,'* where 
this subject is fully and fairly discussed. 
Roup or Cholera ? — A correspondent in 
Onarga, III., says : " I am losing about two fowls per day 
out of a flock of sixty Light Brahmas. The discharges 
become yellow and watery, the chicken droops and soon 
dies, and just before or soon after death a large quantity 
of a yellow fluid is discharged from the beak. What is 
the matter? "— Aus. The description is not sufficiently 
full to enable us to determine whether the disease is roup 
or chicken cholera, but the latter is probable. Our object 
in mentioning the case is to show the importance of 
thoroughness and minuteness when ailments of live- 
stock are described by mail. Some symptoms are com- 
mon to several disorders, and it will not do to base judg- 
ment upon a fewjfacts only. 
Berkshire and Essex Pigs. — " J. G. 
B., 1 ' of Wisconsin, asks : "Do you regard the Essex a 
good breed to cross with Berkshire, Chester, and Poland- 
China sows for fattening, and are the Essex enough better 
than the Berkshire, to make them preferable for a farmer 
to raise?"— The most distinguishing characteristic of 
the Essex, when well-bred, is its remarkable docility of 
disposition. It is also highly refined. Some of the 
modern Berkshires approximate closely to it in the latter 
respect, and are in every way a very superior breed. But 
we think, as a general rule, the Berkshires are, as com- 
pared with the Essex, much more active and restless. If 
a farmer intends to keep a pure-bred race of pigs for 
raising pork, we think the Berkshire better than the 
Essex, as they are not so refined, and can stand rough 
treatment with less injury. But for crossing with com- 
mon sows, or with Chesters, or China-Polands, we prefer 
the Essex. Ton will get a most marked and decided im- 
provement at once. But recollect, that no breed will 
afford good satisfaction without good care. The better 
the breed, the better must be the treatment. For Bome 
farmers the worst breed is the best. 
Cily Boys that Want to Learn 
Farming,— We are constantly in receipt of letters 
from boys who want to go on to a farm, to study agricul- 
ture and work at the same time. In England, farmers 
advertise to take boys and teach them farming, but ex- 
pect from $500 to $1,000 a year with them. Occasionally, 
there are farmers in this country who do the same thing. 
But this is not what onr American boys want. They very 
properly expect to work and pay their way. There is 
work enough for such boya on the farm, if they could 
only find the right kind of farmers. As a rule the better 
plan for such boys is to go to some of their relatives or 
friends who are farmers, rather than to strangers. Tney 
will learn more and fare better with some plain fanner, 
who feels an interest in them, than with that class ,oJ 
farmers whose names frequently appear in the papers. 
A New Story Coming;. 
Edwakd Eggleston's story of the "Hoosier 
School-Master," first published in Hearth and Hoine 1 
has achieved an extraordinary success. The lead- 
ing journals and magaziues have devoted "whole 
columns to reviewing it, and are almost unanimous- 
ly enthusiastic in their praises of it, several of 
them pronouncing' it one of the most remarkable 
American stones ever written. The Pittsburgh 
Christian Advocate says : 
"Since Uncle Tom's Cabin, we have seen no tale 
that so entirely absorbed us It is American 
throughout, and full of quaint humor and most de- 
lightful character sketches. The author (Dr. Eg- 
gleston) is a superior limner of character, and 
makes all his sketches with a flowing pen." The 
New York Independent, in a column review, says : 
"This story shows the author to be a keen ob-, 
server, a hearty lover of the things that are true 
and honest, and a skillful story-teller Indeed, 
we have rarely read any story whose truthfulness 
as a picture of life was more apparent.'* The N. T. 
Tribune devotes over a column to " Hoosier School- 
Master," awarding it a very high meed of praise ; 
and the same may be said of the press generally, 
including those of all shades of opinion. 
Though copied more widely by the press of this 
country than any previous story, the demand for it 
has been so great that it has been issued in book 
form, and is having an immense sale. It is also re- 
published in London, and is meeting with the most 
commendatory notices from the English press. 
We take pleasure in announcing that Mr. Eg- 
gleston has nearly completed another Story, which 
will excite even more interest than the "Hoosier 
School-Master." It is entitled 
" The Eud of the World," 
A LOVE STOKY, 
and will be illustrative of Life in the West thirty 
years ago. " The End of the World" will begin 
to appear in Hearth and Home the middle of April, 
This Story will alone be worth far more than the 
subscription price of the paper, but Hearth and Home 
contains besides a large amount of excellent reading 
matter, articles, editorial and contributed, on the 
greatest variety of -topics, and from the best pens of 
the country. One of the most eminent of American 
critics pronounces it, as it is now, "Number 1 
among the weeklies." It has an admirable House- 
hold Department, and a Children's Depai*tment,pro- 
fusely illustrated, of surpassing interest both to the 
little people and to children of a larger growth. The 
News Department gives a full and capital digest of 
current events throughout the world, enabling 
busy men and women to keep up with the times — 
to be intelligent, without having to wade through 
a large amount of printed matter. 
Very great improvements have been recently 
made in Hearth and Home, and it is now doubtless 
the best Illustrated Home Journal in the world. 
Though each weekly number contains SO pages as 
large as the largest illustrated weeklies, and averag- 
ing over $500 worth of fine Engrav- 
ings per week, Hearth and Home is supplied tc* 
subscribers for only $3 a year, or with the American. 
Agriculturist for $4 a year. Subscriptions may 
begin with any week. 
Special. — Hearth and Home will be sent from 
the beginning of Mr. Eggleston's new story to the 
end of 1872 (over eight months) for $3, but oulj 
to those who order it during April. 
