246 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[July, 
New York City, and instead of the seeds received some 
tickets and circulars of L. T. Pardee & Co., the watch 
and jewelry operator of Binghaniton, N. Y., who pre- 
1ends to give you $-25 watches, etc., fur $'2.24, which he 
don't We would gladly believe that every postmaster 
in all the country was too much of a man (or woman, as 
the case may be) to give any response to the solicitations 
of the Pittsburg man who offers such glowing financial 
returns to each one who will aid him in'* dosing" the 
people with n new medicine. Every person who in any 
way, directly or indirectly, aids in the distribution of 
any patent, or specific, or secret remedies, is an enemy 
1o his race All "" Surgical and Medical Institutes" 
at New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and 
elsewhere, which advertise medicines, books, prescrip- 
tions, recipes, marriage guides, cures for private diseases, 
etc., are humbugs, and should be let alone Z^~ PUT 
NO CONFIDENCE in any one of the hundreds of thou- 
sands of certificates of cures effected by this, that, or the 
other medicine. A large part of them are manufactured; 
another part conic from persons who imagined them- 
6elves sick, and having recovered while taking some 
medicine, and in spite of it, are ready to praise it as their 
preserver or curer ; and perhaps in one case iu a hundred 
thousand some simple remedy happened to meet an in- 
dividual want. But, eveu were all genuine and true, it 
would be no guarantee at all that the same medicine 
would not be even harmful to you . .The million peo- 
ple, more or less, who are looking for fortune from some 
deceased relative in England, and spending their mom-y 
in advertisements and agencies, would be far more likely 
of success iu life if they eschewed these hopes, and fol- 
lowed their honest callings. We have heard a great deal 
about expected fortunes from wealthy deceased relatives 
abroad, but can not recall a single iustauce where any- 
thing substantial was ever received The '"Spanish 
Policy " at 22 West 4th St., alias 10 South 5th ave., New 
York, conducted by a chap under the name of A. B. 
Norton, alias Isaac Winchell, alias N. A. Personia, alias 
James Allen, is a pure, unmitigated swindle The 
" Queer," or pretended sellers of counterfeit money, 
still work vigorously. The safety of this Bwindle, because 
those who hold correspondence with operators cau not 
appear against them without 6elf-crimiuation, makes it 
more attractive than any other. The operators pocket 
all the money sent them, and have no expenses except 
for circulars. When theycan get a line from any person. 
even of inquiry, they pursue a system of terrorism and 
threats of exposure, often getting hush-money in this 
way. We have before us an amusing assortment of such 
letters from one of these swindlers, who calls himself E. 
C. Haines, 6S8 Broadway, to a subscriber at Whitehall, 
Mich., and others. Of course, no one needs to heed the 
raving, scolding, or coaxing of such villains. As the 
N. Y. P. O. delivers no letters to swindlers, and is pretty 
sharp in discovering them, one operator (Elias) sends out 
slips under many names, such as John II. Kinkhead, 
David Curran, llenry Oatman, Lemuel Haines, Joseph 
Hoffman, E.W. Tarrant, Herman Andrews, James Moore, 
Ezra Whitcomb, Martin Bowker, Eollin Burdick, Darius 
Driscoll, etc., all at No. 22 West 4th st.. New York ; alias 
M. Keating, No. 10 South 5th ave., alias James Moore, 
305 W. 20th st. All the above fifteen different names 
arc appended to the same circular offering counterfeit 
money, and each claiming that he had sole charge of en- 
graving the plates on which the Government greenbacks 
were printed I 
lioclc for ISou-Sleds. — "A Subscriber" 
wants a description of the best lock for bob-sleds. — This 
will be timely a month or two hence, and possibly before 
then some of our readers will give us sketches or draw- 
ings of some new kinds which wo can publish. There 
is a great variety of them iu use. 
To Keep Cistern-Water Pure.— 
'* A Reader" asks how to keep cistern water from be- 
coming stagnant (or impure) during the dry summer 
weather. We never found any difficulty in keeping water 
eweet during the summer months in a cistern to which 
a filter was attached similar to that described in March, 
page %. If there is no filter, put into the cistern a 
bushel of fresh pouuded charcoal, inclosed in a clean bag. 
QjiB'HBis of a. Thousand Acres in 
New York.—" G. E. M." wishes to know if there are 
twenty-five fanners in the State of New Y«rk, each pos- 
sessing a thousand acres of tillable land. According to 
the census of 1870 (advanced sheets of which have been 
published) there are 36 farms of 1.000 acres and over in 
that State. If this does not fully answer the question, it 
is all the information we have on the subject. 
Maw or Hooks,— ""W. L. II.," Elizabeth- 
town. Ky., has some valuable cows troubled with haw 
or hooks, which is an inflammation of the membrane 
which sweeps aud clears the eyeball. Some of his valuable 
cows have died. — It is doubtful whether this is the sole 
cause of the trouble ; very probably there is general dis- 
turbance of the health, and the help of a good veterinary 
surgeon should be sought. Generally bathing with cold 
water, in which a dram of sulphate of zinc to a piut is 
dissolved, with a dose of cooling medicine, as a pound of 
Glauber's-salt, is sufficient to reduce the inflammation. 
The membrane, though much swollen, should no, be cut 
off, as is sometimes done. 
Poke.Root.-C. L. Hill, Glasgow, Fin. (?j, 
asks if garget or pokeweed, mentioned in the Agriculturist 
of July, 1ST1, is what is generally called poke-root. — Yes. 
It has a long, thick, fleshy root, and is a tall, branch- 
ing plant, bearing clusters of dark purple berries. 
Castings.— " X. Y. Z.," Elizabethtowu, Ky., 
wants to know where he can get some small castings 
made.— At Louisville, Ky., which is in his neighborhood. 
How to Warm Cream Tor Churn- 
ing. — " Reader," Theresa, N. Y., wants to know how to 
warm his cream for churning, and what temperature is 
best for it, and what temperature is best for setting milk 
for cream to rise ?— As good a way as any, where there 
are no other conveniences, is to have a shelf near the 
stove, and a few hours before churning set the cream-jar 
on it, and stir repeatedly uutil it is of the same tempera- 
ture as the room, or about 62 degrees. Milk should be 
kept at about 55 degrees when Bet for cream, and the tem- 
perature should be uniform. 
I*otrifie« Squash, — J. T. Ewbank sends 
us from Salado, Texas, a fossil known in that country as 
a "petrified squash." It, however, belongs to the animal 
kingdom, and is a very beautiful fossil Echinus, living 
forms of which arc found upon our coasts, and are known 
as Sea-urchins and Sea-hedgehogs. 
Walnuts.— "E. N. N.,'! Mount Joy, Pa.— 
Plant the walnuts in the fall where they are to grow, or 
keep the nuts iu saud until spring. 
Changing; the Color of Hair. — "I. 
C," Aikeu, S. C., wants a method of changing the color 
of white spots of hair which grow over healed sores ou 
his horse. We know of none, although wc have heard 
of several, one <>f which is to rub hot, melted lard on the 
spots, but we have no confidence in it. If there are any 
effectual methods, we should be glad to hear of them. 
Why Ilutter won't Come.— "J. M. 
B.," Quasqueton, Iowa, says his experience is, that if 
cows go too long without salt, the churning takes more 
than twice as long, and when this happens with him, the 
boys are scolded and sent for the salt-box, and next lime 
the butter comes iu reasonable time. 
< lark's Compost. — F. Hunt, Manchester, 
N. II., writes about a notice of Clark's Compost in the 
Agriculturist for May, and states that he believes Mr. 
Clark to be an honest man. Wc readily believe in the 
honesty of this opinion, as a man may sell a poor compost 
at a high price and yet honestly believe he is doing no 
wrong. Cut having paid Mr. Clark his price forthe secret, 
aud also having strictly kept the engagement made in 
purchasing it. we do not see there is anything to prevent 
us from considering it not worth the money asked for it, 
or from advising others to lay out #ve dollars iu a more 
profitable manner. 
Hay Conveyer. — "A Subscriber," Seneca 
Co., Ohio, asks if there is any better hay-conveyer for 
unloading in the barn than that figured in the AgiHcultur- 
istot 1S65, page 212. This was the Halstead hay-fork 
attachment. Since then the Hinman Conveyer has been 
introduced, which sejms to us to be an improvement in 
Borne respects. 
Sandford Corn. — "Northern New York " 
asks if we would recommend the Sandford Corn for that lo- 
cality. Generally th«re is no good done by going from home 
for seed corn. It is the easiest crop to improve by select- 
ing seed and good cultivation. We don't like the Sandford 
corn much. 
American Fruii-B^eserving; Pow- 
der.— In answer to inquiries regarding this article ad- 
vertised in American Agriculturist, we will say that we 
have advertised it each year for the past four years ; and, 
before inserting the first advertisement, we investigated 
the matter, and satisfied ourselves that it was harmless 
and efficient. Since that time, and during the past three 
years, some of our associates have used the Preserving 
Powder, with satisfactory results, and esteem it a very 
valuable and praiseworthy article. As to keeping fruit 
iu wooden kegs aud barrels, that ie a new feature, aud 
claimed for the first time iu our last issue. Wc have not 
so tested it ourselves, but have every assuranco of its 
truthfulness. As to the healthfulness of the powder— it 
is as healthful as common table-salt. 
Refuse Hops.— ' H. AV.," Lafayette, Ind. 
These are considered by our niarket-gardenwrs as equal in 
value, load for load, to the best stable manure for :ill 
gardening purposes. We do not know that they have 
been used for potatoes. 
Peas and Oats. — "F. S.," Akron, Pu., 
asks some questions about peas and oats as a mixed crop, 
to which we reply that they may be sown as late as Juno 
or even July, aud make a good crop of fudder which may 
be cut and cured like hay. Two and a half bushels of 
oats and one and a half of peas of the earliest kinds, if 
sown late, are sufficient seed for an acre. If ripened, the 
grain may be threshed together aud either chopped fin- 
feed, for which it is excellent, or separated, if desired, iu 
the fanning mill. This mixed crop is nothing new, hav- 
ing been grown in Canada and in Scotland for years. 
Personal. — People do make some odd 
queries ; the following will serve as a specimen : " Will 
you please inform your readers what sound Col. Waring 
gives the a in bis name, whether that of a in ivar, or a in 
ware; also, whence the title 'Colonel '?"— Just for the 
fun of the thing we will answer that the Colonel's name 
is pronounced as if it were spelled Warcing, and the 
" whence " of the title Colonel is four years' hard service 
in the army. lie is married and has been vaccinated. 
American Horticulturists Tor 
Karope.- Our contributor, Peter Henderson, Esq., 
tailed for Europe on the 22d ult. lie proposes to pass 
a few mouths in Great Britain and on the Continent, 
where he hopes to ohtain a respite from business and 
the correspondence with which he is overwhelmed. 
On the same date there sailed by another steamship 
line, B. K. BHbs, P. T. Quiun, and Josiah Iloopes, all 
well known in the horticultural world. These gen- 
tlemen go upon a tour ©f observation and pleasure, and 
will no doubt bring back some interesting experiences. 
Callage-Flics. — A correspondent in 
Brampton, Ontario, writes : " I saw to-day a (to me) novel 
method of getting ahead of, or rather getting over, the Cab- 
bage-fly. The seed-bed was made on a scaffold raised on 
posts about five feet from the ground. The plants were 
about one and a half or two inches high fthis is not New 
York latitude), and were absolutely untouched by the fly, 
while others, sown at the same time on the ground, 
within a short distance, and otherwise treated exactly the 
same, were nearly destroyed. I do not know how to 
account for it, unless the jumps of the insect are limited 
to a certain bight, and these plants were beyond its 
reach." — This is not a new device, and our correspondent 
has suggested the cause of its success. 
Camellias.— "E. C. B.," Beaufort, S. C.— 
Camellias can be grown from seed. There is no proba- 
bility that the produce will be like the varieties from 
which the seed was taken, any more than with roses or 
other plants far removed from their natural state. 
The l>rive- Well.— "Farmer," Lexington, 
Tenn., asks if this is a humbug. He wants a well, but is 
afraid to try one of these until he knows something 
about it. It is no humbug, but a very useful thing under 
some circumstances. Where the water is within twenty 
feet of the surface, it is a cheap and convenient well. 
We have used oue and know. It is patented. 
Insects.— U E. P. S.," Clinton, N. Y. To 
answer your queries in full would require a treatise. 
Briefly, then. Air-slaked lime is the best thing we have 
tried for the green cabbage-worm The insect which 
bores into the stem of the cucumber is not the oue that 
feeds on the leaves. It is the grub of a moth. We know 
of no remedy after the grub is in the vine. The parent 
insect may probably be kept away by sawdust, wet in 
carbolic soap-suds, but we have not had occasion to try 
it... .Frequent washing, particularly of the uudur-sideof 
the leaves, will driveoffred spiders We never tried 
introducing a remedy into the body of a tree. Have no 
belief iu its utility. Borers in apple-trees can be probed 
out. Open a hole by means of a knife or gouge, and run 
in a wire probe. 
machine for making; I^'ets. — John 
Gordon, Oregon, wants a machine for making " seines " 
and other nets. — There are machines of this kind, but we 
do not know who makes them. Makers should adver- 
tise, as doubtless there would be a demand for them. 
Other Basket Items on page 273. 
