206 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
scarcely a dozen years old A Bwindler, calling him- 
self Thomas B. Thorp, 737 Broadway, New York, is 
sending pretended notes for $965 each to multitudes of 
parlies at the South and West, with neatly lithographed 
letters, stating that he has failed, and wishes to sell these 
notes out of the State before he is examined by his 
creditors. He offers a large discount, and only wants the 
money when the notes are paid at the Park Bank, New 
Orleans, except $5 down, to make the sale good. This $5 
is of course all he expects to get. It would seem that 
anybody having "gumption " enough to accumulate $5, 
and to know what a note is, ought to be wise enough to 
escape this swindle. Yet wc suppose there arc people 
unsophisticated enough to bite the bait, or the enterprise 
would not be carried on. The small print, on what ap- 
pears to be an Internal Revenue Stamp on the note, shows 
that it is not euch a stamp at all Itinerant, doctors 
circulate in many sections of the country, stop here a 
few days and there a few days, put out flaming circulars 
and advertisements, heralding their wonderfifl pedigree, 
antecedents, and superhuman skill ; they eclipse all slow- 
going regular physicians, draw around them ignorant, 
trusting people with imaginary diseases which are cured 
by faith and gammon, and then they disappear for a sea- 
son, to reappear in the same role again, if they have not 
killed too many people in a previous round. Every such 
itinerant "doctor" is a quack of the first water 
Those who have read our previous cautious, will not lose 
their money by sending $5 to "T. Williams, M.D.," 
5 Clinton place, New York, for his recipe for " nervous 
debility " and , etc. There is no chartered Medical 
and Surgical "Institute" having any such agent as T. 
Williams, or any other J. H. Reeves, of 78 Nassau 
street, is too well known to our old readers to need any 
further showing up, under whatever guise he operates 
with this name. At one time he offers love powders 
(cantharides) to awaken illicit desires, and follows with 
offers of remedies for the effects of excesses — a banc ami 
antidote 1 J. T. Norris, whose name appears o» a 
large catalogue as "proprietor" of the "Mohawk Small 
Fruit Farm," Springfield, Ohio, is so much in favor of 
one " woman's rights," that he vests hie property in bis 
wife, and after himself ordering goods and chattels of 
various kinds from various places, fails to pay for them, 
and has no property of his oion. Nurserymen and other 
dealers who may receive his orders will do well to make 
a note of this. If the statements furnished to us be facts, 
the laws of Ohio ought to be full enough and stringent 
enough to incarcerate him as a swindler The "Na- 
tional Benefit, in Aid of Needy Families of Soldiers and 
Sailors," etc., at 207 Broadway, is another of the plausi- 
ble lotteries that all good people should shun, no matter 
how many U. S, Senators may be represented as indorsers 
of the scheme. This appears to be an individual affair, 
ostensibly gotten up in aid of another bona fide movement 
for a like object, and the indorsements for that appro- 
priated for this one Pity it is that there should be 
people ignorant enough to read and believe Mrs. Vcr 
Plank's story about " Vinegar of Iridin," so ingeniously 
illustrated and set forth by A. J. White, of 310 Pearl et., 
New York, who tries to dodge Judge Brady's decision by 
saying he does not sell this stuff as a specific, though his 
medical sheet asserts it to be almost a specific for sundry 
diseases The Queer, or Sawdust, or pretended 
counterfeit money dealers still operate, the largest nest 
being at 10 S nih Fifth avenue, ostensibly under such 
names as M. W. Austin, alias W. E. Raymond, alias Geo. 
Danvcrs, ah' as Evan Green, alias James Price, alias Earn- 
est Hines ; C. A. Williams, corner Broadway and Fulton 
street; B. B. Wells, 2S Bowery, who implores you to 
come on and count out the money yourself, and will pay 
half your expenses. These fellows like to get a green- 
horn iuto their dens, where they can, by aid of bogus 
policemen, strip him of his last dollar. James Price, 23 
West 4th St., advertises (and several otherwise respectable 
newspapers admit him) " $1,000 aWcek, and an Immense 
Fortune," etc., all of which is to get names of parties to 
be swindled bypretending to send them good counterfeit 
money which is never sent. Turner & Wells mail letters 
in New York to be answered at 220 Chestnut st., Phila- 
delphia, offering $5,000 in perfect counterfeit for $.35. Of 
course, like all others of this class, they pocket the $35, 
and send nothing, unless it be a box of sawdust or old 
paper, with a C. O. D. bill for more money, and a letter in 
advance describing the fine money in the box, so as to 
allure the victim to take it out of the Express office and 
pay the bill. Among the names of these operators we 
have Geo. Harrington, Monument square, Baltimore, Mil., 
alias Sidney Messenger, corner John st. and Broadway, 
New York If any of our readers risk their time and 
money (a little money is always required in advance) in 
the great offers for employment, agencies, etc., emanating 
from three or four towns and cities in Maine, they will 
have to "learn wisdom by experience." The Young 
Men's Christian Associations of that State are doing 
something at investigating these concern". We hope 
they will hurry up and expose the whole tribe, as they 
have done with some of thorn. 
Knitting Machine.— R. Sproull, Texas, 
wants to know which is the best knitting machine for 
ordinary use.— Wc prefer the "Bickford" machine. 
Fodder Crop.— "N." is going to be short 
of hay. What is the best crop he can sow for fodder, 
and how should it be sown ?— Corn will give the greatest 
yield of any knowu fodder crop. Sow at once in drills 
three feet apart, grains about an inch apart in the drill, 
on rich ground, and cultivate until it completely shades 
the ground. Four tons of dry fodder, at the least, may 
be expected per acre. 
Spinning; Wool.— "S.," Velasco Co., Tex- 
as, asks for the most useful home machine for spinning 
wool, and the cost. — The simplest, and probably the best, 
is the common spinning-wheel; it costs from $5 to $10. 
Living Fence-Posts.—" C. E. K.," Olni- 
stead Co., Minn., having found that fence-posts rot at the 
longest in ten years, asks if it would injure trees to have 
wires fastened to them or go through a hole in the cen- 
ter, and thus have living fence posts. If trees were 
planted in rows at proper distances, the fence wires 
might be fastened to them with staples without any in- 
jury. A hole bored through the tree would in a short 
time close on the wire, and hold it fast if it did not 
injure the tree. 
Gutter in Cow-Sheds.— ll G. C. B.," 
North Platte, Mo., asks what should be the width and 
depth of a gutter behind the cows in a stable. — It may be 
eighteen inches wide and six inches deep. This will be 
deep enough to prevent the cows from standing in it. 
Square words and answers to puzzles should be sent 
direct to Aunt Sue, P. O. Box 111, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
ftlaniiBioth Chester Co. Corn. — 
Thos. Wood, Doc Run, Pa., says the Mammoth Chester 
Co. Corn is nothing but the common corn of that locality. 
It is no new variety, but corn has been a little better fer- 
tilized and grown in that county than elsewhere, and 
consequently has improved. There is no advantage 
gained by purchasing it for seed over any other com. 
which might be equally good if as well cultivated. 
Kagweeu. — "Win. McM.," Venango Co., 
Pa., asks how to destroy Ragweed.— Ragweed is one of 
the easiest weeds to destroy. It is an annual, and if pre- 
vented from seeding can be overcome. If the soil is very 
foul, it would be well to summer-fallow it. 
Snusoiling.— G. W. Houck, Ralls Co., Mo., 
writes that he has tried running a suhsoil plow in the 
rows where corn or potatoes were to be plauted, and 
gained an astonishing increase iu the crop. This is the 
general testimony in regard to snbsoiling. No soil cau 
be injured by the deepest snbsoiling, which merely 
loosenB the deeper soil without burying the surface soil. 
White-lVBsastara Seed. — "Walks and 
Talks" wishes to say to the scores of correspondents 
who have written to him in regard to white-mustard 
that he has no seed to sell. It can be obtained from any 
of the seed stores. They must excuse him for not reply- 
ing to their letters privately. He thinks he has told 
all he knows about Mustard iu the Agriculturist. 
A GJood Chester "White Pig'. — 
" W. P. T.," of Penusylvania, sends us the weight and 
measurement of his Chester White boar, one year old. 
From snout to root of tail, 5 ft. 3% in. (He does not give 
the length of the snout.) Girth, behind fore-shoulders, 
4 ft. 6>4 in. Hight from floor to middle of back, 2 ft. 
VA in. Weight, 401 V^ lbs. 
Manure for Potatoes in Califor- 
nia.— Mr. A. T. Smith, of Sierra Co., Cal., writes : " I 
am an old subscriber to the Agriculturist, and the infor- 
mation derived from it has been hundreds of dollars in 
my pocket, and as I know of no one else capable of giv- 
ing me the information, I take the liberty of asking you 
the following questions: I have a small ranch up here in 
the mountains, raise principally potatoes, and the laud 
is getting pretty well run down by frequent cropping, 
and as manure is not to be had at any price, I have been 
corresponding with parties in San Francisco about get- 
ting guano. I can get Pacific Island guano containing 65 
per cent of phosphate of lime, but Permian guano is not 
to be had. Will it pay to use the former on potatoes f I 
plant Early Rose and Peerless. Price in fall five cents 
per pound ; in spring, seven cents." — As a rule, phos- 
phatic manures have little direct effect on potatoes. You 
need ammonia as well. They are excellent for clover or 
mustard, and when these crops are grown and turned 
under, or eaten by stock and the manure applied, you get 
the ammonia and every other element of plant-food that 
the potatoes require. Can not you keep pigs with ad- 
vantage, and thus make manure ? California needs some 
of the improved breeds, like the Essex or Berkshire. 
There is no reason why California Bhould have to send 
to Chicago for good hams and pork. If you act on this 
suggestion, we think the Agriculturist will put several 
more " hundreds of dollars in your pocket " — which iB pre- 
cisely what we like to do for all our subscribers. Do not 
think you are taking a " liberty " in asking for informa- 
tion. It is always a pleasure to hear from our readers. 
Lice osi Cattle.—" C. D. W.," Coos, N. 
H., has his cattle troubled with lice, which carbolic soap 
docs not seem to destroy. Has tried tobacco- water, which 
killed the lice on a calf, but also killed the calf. Tobacco- 
water should be used very cautiously on young animals, 
better not at all. Carbolic soap should be effective, but 
probably has not been used with sufficient perseverance. 
It must be remembered that the " nits " are very tenacious 
of life, and the young growing crop has to be cared for. 
It is best to persevere with the soap ; also feed sulphur, 
a teaspoonful daily, until the cattle smell of it, when the 
lice will leave ; at least, such has beeu our experience. 
IHustaru after Early Potatoes. — 
"Subscriber," Cook Co., 111., asks if Mustard would be 
a good crop to sow on light, sandy land, in good condi- 
tion, after taking off a crop of early potatoes, for the pur- 
pose ©f plowing it in for manure. — Yes. Sow as soon as 
the potatoes are dug on the fresh earth. Plow under 
when in blossom, or before. Bo not let any seed form, 
or the Mustard plants will prove troublesome as a weed. 
What ASls the Pig ?— u T. G.," Kitt- 
rells, N. C, has a young Chester boar which eats well, 
but cau not retain its food on its stomach. If he will give 
a haudful or two of charcoal or of chalk, it will probably 
remedy this complaint. Pigs need something of this 
kind ; in fact, a variety of such matter as charcoal, salt, 
ashes, ground bone, chalk, or earth, when they are closely 
penned up, is absolutely necessary to their health. 
To Polish a Floor.- u F. L.," Williams- 
town, Mass., asks how to dress a floor of black walnut or 
yellow piue. A floor of any kind of wood may be polished 
by first smoothing with sand-paper, then rubbing with 
pumice-stone and water, until a good surface is made, then, 
polished with boiled oil and tripoli, made into a paste. 
Take apiece of old felt hat, dip it into boUed linseed-oil, 
and rub the floor with it, then with another piece, dipped 
into the paste, rub until polished. If a very fine polish is 
desired, a paste of beeswax and spirits of turpentine may 
be used to finish. Some elbow-grease is needed. Ifaflooris 
intended to be polished, it should be laid in narrow strips, 
very accurately jointed, and of well-seasoned lumber. 
Thick or Thin Sowing of Oats. 
—A correspondent at Alton, Maine, writes: "In the 
April number of the Agriculturist, in 'Hints about 
Work,' you say in regard to sowing oats, 'the richer the 
soil the less seed required.' My experience has been, 
the richer the soil the more seed it would bear." — Both 
these statements are correct. It depends on what iB 
meant by rich or poor laud. If land is so poor that it 
has not available plant-food sufficient to produce more 
than 20 bushels of oats per acre, it would be foolish to 
sow thick. Two bushels of seed per acre would proba- 
bly produce as good a crop as if six bushels were sown. 
If rich enough to produce 50 bushels, three bushels of 
seed would be better than two bushels. If rich enough 
to produce 75 bushels, it might be well to sow four bush- 
els of seed ; but if rich enough to produce 85 bushels, we 
would not sow more than Z\ ' 2 bushels; and if rich enough 
to produce 100 bushels, three bushels would probably be 
thick enough. On rich land, sown early, the plants stool 
more, and consequently less seed is required. As a rule, 
we seldom sow oats thick enough on good land. It 
should be observed, however, that the season has much 
to do with the question. Other things being equal, an 
excessively thick seeded crop is more apt to suffer from 
drouth than one sown thinner. 
Ringing Hogs.—" J. B.," Winona, Minn., 
asks which is the best method of preventing hogs from 
rooting. A ring in the nose is the best method. All cut- 
ting of the cartilage of the Biiout is useless, as the wound 
heals very soon and the method is only temporary. 
Steaming Feed.— A " Farmer " writes us 
that he has steamed feed for his stock for three years 
with very good effects, and could tell us a good deal about 
the business, but he is not a good hand at writing, though 
he understands farming well. He asks what we do with 
such letters. Such letters from farmers who know what 
tin y are writing about, are gladly received and well appre- 
ciated. A farmer who knows his business can very often 
give valuable hiuts to his brother-farmers, although his 
