1872.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
285 
meeting was appointed for San Francisco, but for some 
reason of which we have not been informed the execu- 
tive officers have changed it as above. We may add that 
the meetings of this association with the abominable 
name are roost charming re-unions, and we advise all 
lovers of science to attend the coming one. 
Post-Mole Augers.— "J.M. J.," Halifax, 
N. S., asks if post-hole augers can be used on other than 
soft soils.— Yes; they can be used anywhere iu the ab- 
sence of large stones. Clay, gravel with stones no larger 
than hen's eggs, sand, and peat can be bored with them. 
Grass-Ralce.— " J. M. J.," Halifax, N. S., 
■wants a machine for collecting grass and weeds after 
arrowing, so as to burn them.— The common spring- 
tooth hay-rake does this work excellently. A very useful 
Take can be made with a piece of 4 X 4 oak scantling, 
ten feet long, armed with teeth of half-inch round iron a 
foot long, and slightly curved forwards, furnished with a 
tongue to draw by, and a pair of stilts by which it may 
be lifted to release the load when gathered. 
Patent Rights.— " J. N. S.," Oconee Co., 
S. C, is about to organize a tile manufacturing company, 
and asks if he purchases a tile machine will he have to 
pay for a right to use it?— The purchase of a machine 
does not always include the right except for private 
use. If tiles are made for sale It is a matter for agree- 
ment if any royalty is to be paid on what arc sold. 
Syrup from Cane.— "N. S.," Bounty 
Land, S. C, writes us that a neighbor made very fine 
syrup from cane cut before it headed out. If he will send 
an account of the process, from and including the cut- 
ting of the cane to the clearing of the syrup, it may bo 
of interest to many of our readers. 
Rape-Seed in the South.— " E. B. S.," 
Virginia, asks if rape-seed will succeed in the South. — 
Yes ; wherever the soil is in good heart, and if it be 
sown in the early part of the fall, so as to get well started 
before winter. Rape, turnips, and cabbages grow well 
with proper care as far south as Florida. 
Sulphur for Idee.— J. Ferry, Sonoma 
Co., Cal., says if " C. D. W." would rub sulphur into the 
skin of his cattle it will clear them of lice. lie has used 
it several years with complete success. 
Reans with Sunflowers.-" G.W.W.," 
Greencastlo, Ind., asks if it will do to plant beans with 
sunflowers. One of his neighbors Is making the experi- 
ment.— With a good rich soil, beans arc often planted 
with corn and potatoes, and make a very fair additional 
crop. There is no reason why they Bhould not succeed 
as well with sunflowers. Let us know the result of the 
experiment when complete. 
Subsoil Plow.— "J. M, J.," Nova Scotia, 
wants the best subsoil plow for breaking up light sandy 
ground filled with roots of trees and shrubs.— The plow 
figured in American Agriculturist of June, 1813 (page 216), 
made with a sharp edge on the front, which might be 
steeled if necessary, would be as effectual an implement 
as any we know or could devise. 
The Rest Force-Pump.— " J. M. J."— 
44 The best force-pump to be used in a cemented cistern " 
that we know of is the American Submerged Pump, 
often of late referred to in the Agricultural. It may be 
set either in or out of the water. 
Moles and their "Bark Ways." 
—Valentine P. Hoffman, Egg Harbor, N. J., asks what 
he shall do with a species of mice which make under- 
ground ways like moles, and injure the roots of his trees 
and vegetables. — These are the American moles, which 
are much smaller than some of the European ones, and 
not mice, an.l the best way perhaps to get rid of them 
is to trap them in their holes, which is difficult, or to 
poison them with pieces of apple covered with arsenic 
dropped iu their holes, which often is of no use. A 
great many folks would like to know just how to get rid 
of them. A new mole-trap is advertised in the Agricul- 
turist, which he might try. 
Rennet. — G. L. Porter, Cedar Mountain, 
N. C, asks if cheese can be made without rennet, and if 
rennet, can be procured at the North.— Cheese can be and 
is made by usiug acetic acid to procure the curd ; but it 
is hard, and has not a good flavor. Rennet can be bought 
at or procured by almost any of the Northern seed-stores ; 
but it can very easily be made by taking the stomach of 
a sucking calf, and, without emptying the contents, fill- 
ing it with salt, allowing it to remain for two days, and 
then stretching It on a hoop of stout twig and drying it. 
Composting.—" H. R. McC," Clarksburgh, 
W. Va., asks if it would be proper to compost hog-pen 
manure with stable manure.— This would not be com. 
posting at all, but mixing, and nothing would be gained 
by the labor (or lost, except the labor). A compost is a 
mixture of fermenting substances with earth or other 
inert matter, which serves to dilute the rlche- materials, 
and they in their turn by their chemical activity render 
the added matter more soluble or more immediately 
available as fertilizers. 
Rutter- Worker.— "Thos. C. S.," Mount 
Auburn, N. Y., wants a butter-worker to put up butter 
taken in at stores into " straight lots."— We know of 
nothing better than the Eureka butter-worker. 
A Good Native Cow.- J. W. Moore, 
Augusta, Ga., sends us the record of his native cow, 
which with her third calf, twenty-eight days old, gives 
five gallons of milk per day, besides feeding her calf. 
The cream of three days' milk yielded five and three 
quarter pounds of butter. The cow is fed on two quarts 
of cracked peas boiled with kitchen slops at a feed, and 
hay. nis wife is not satisfied with her churn. She should 
get a ' 4 Blanchard.'' 
Cliiua White PiK». — " N.," New Albany, 
Ind., asks, u What kind of breed are the China White 
pigs ? " — We would suggest that this conundrum be pro- 
pounded to the Swine Breeders' Convention, which will 
probably meet in Indiana next fall, and at which a com- 
mittee on 4l breeds " will be prepared to entertain it. 
Circumventing the Cutworm. — 
44 D. S. K.," Fort Plain, N. Y., has a plan to save his corn 
from the cutworm. He plants ten grains in a hill an inch 
apart, in a direct row, and not dropped promiscuously. 
Then, when the cutworm attacks the corn, it leaves suffi- 
cient untouched to make a crop where, if the plants were 
all in a bunch, they would be all destroyed. It is also 
easier to hoe a crop thus planted. 
Fence 'Wire. — Chas. E. Whitcombe, An- 
caster, Can., wants to know the best-sized wire for a fence 
to turn stock. We have used No. 9, one rod of which 
weighs one pound ; we believe this size is in general UBe. 
•Grades and Crosses. — "A Farmer," 
Bloomlngton, 111., asks what is the difference between 
grades and crosses. — A grade is the offspring of native or 
grade and thorough-bred parents ; a cross is the offspring 
of two thorough-bred parents of different breeds. 
A Series of Questions. —" T. W. S.," 
Ripley Co., Ind., asks a batch of questions as follows : 
44 Which is the best book on raising Shorthorn bulls T " 
44 Does the American Agriculturist publish 4 pieces' sent 
by others than those employed to write for it ? " 44 Does 
the Agnculturist insert pieces on all parts of agriculture ?" 
—Replies : We know of no book specially devoted to 
Shorthorn bulls. If the 44 piece" is of sufficient interest 
to our readers and sufficiently condensed for our crowded 
columns, we are always happy to receive the ideas of 
those who are interested in agriculture, and publish 
them ; a reference to the contents of the various numbers 
of the Agriculturist will answer this question fully. 
Mange.— " J. A. 0.," Elkhart Co., Ind., has a 
horse which is always rubbing his neck when in the 
stable, and seems to be very itchy beneath the mane ; 
what is the cause and remedy ?— It is probably mange, 
or an Irritation of the skin which may develop into 
mange. Sulphur should be given to the horse In his 
feed— a teaspoonful in each feed would be a proper quan- 
tity during a week or ten days. The neck should be 
washed with carbolic soapsuds, and sulphur and lard 
rubbed into an ointment be applied to the parts affected. 
Cashmere Goats' Wool.— " J. W. M.," 
Mount Vernon, Tenn., has a quantity of Cashmere goats' 
wool, and wants to know its value and where there is a 
market for it. There is no market for the wool in NewYork. 
We have seen it stated that there is a demand for it in 
Philadelphia. But with the present insignificant produc- 
tion of this material there can he no regular market for 
it. The uushorn pelts can be Bold in New York, where 
they are made into rugs and trimmings for ladies' sacks. 
Write to some of the commission agents who advertise. 
Soap-Scraps. — " Subscriber," East Provi- 
dence, R. I., has a quantity of soap-scraps, and asks ad- 
vice as to the best mode of using them and for what crops. 
One of the best ways of using them is to spread lightly 
on a clover sod and plow them iu for corn. Another but 
more laborious method is to compost them with earth, 
lime, and ashes, until they are all reduced to a fine mass, 
and then spread at the rate of a two-horse load per acre 
on a newly-mown meadow, or harrow the Bame quantity 
in with the seed of fall wheat, or put a small shovelful 
into the hill with corn or potatoes. It is not lasting, 
but quick In its effects and good for grass or corn or roots. 
Kerosene and Lice. — Wm. King, Green 
Bay, Wis., 44 kas tried kerosene oil as an application to 
kill lice on calves, but their backs became sore ; was it 
the kerosene that caused it?" — We suppose he means 
the calves' backs became sore, and do not wonder, for 
kerosene oil will readily inflame the skin. Crude petro- 
leum should have been used in small quantities, or tho 
kerosene should have been mixed with lard. 
Running at the Nose. — "0," Elk- 
hart, Ind., wants a remedy for a horse troubled with run- 
ning at the nose. — It is quite impossible to answer such 
ill-defiued questions. The complaint may be catarrh, 
the result of a cold merely, or it may have progressed 
into a confirmed nasal gleet or glanders, in which 
case the disease would be either too serious or danger- 
ous to trifle with. Better take advice from a vet- 
erinary surgeon, A catarrh may generally be cured by 
giving warm bran-mashes with a teaspoonful of salt- 
peter added, and a bag of scalded bran hung so that the 
nose can be steamed for a few minutes daily. 
Clover-Seed. — "A Subscriber," Hopkins- 
ville, Ky., asks which is the best method of saving clover- 
seed, the best machine for hulling the same, its cost, and 
where it is to be procured. — Clover-seed should be saved 
by cutting the second crop when the Beed is ripe, gene- 
rally about September. The crop should be stacked or 
put away until cold frosty weather, when it should be 
thrashed and hulled. Hulling machines may be bought 
at any large agricultural implement Btore ; price about $55. 
Warbles.- "L. W. B." eays if "A. B. F.," 
44 or any other man," will brine the backB of his cattle 
once every week during the summer months they will 
not be troubled with warbles or grabs.— We notice in a 
44 journal " devoted to stock the ridiculous statement that 
these grubs are the larvse of the sheep-fly {(Estrus ovis) \ 
that they will kill small cattle, and squirrels and rabbits. 
This is quite wrong. The parent fly is one of the gad- 
flies, the (Estnis bonis, and no other animals but horned 
stock are troubled by them, and although there are few 
cattle altogether free from these grabs, we never heard or 
read of a case in which an animal was seriously injured 
or killed by them, 
For other Items see page 313, 
SCNDRT HlFJIBUGS.-Ife. 
Nailed.— Several readers inform us that when we de- 
nounce medicines and other humbugs, and country agents 
write to the head-quarters of these operators, they are 
told that the reason for our denouncing them is, because 
they do not advertise with us, or because we have tried 
and failed to get the printing of their circulars, etc. 
This dodge was tried also before the jury in the Byra 
libel suit. Two simple statements will squelch these 
dastardly falsehoods. First: We have no job printing- 
office ; we do no printing for others, but even hire our 
own circulars and job-work done in other offices. Second: 
We never admit medical advertisements, nor any others, 
except from good, reliable parties, doing a fair square 
business in a fair way, though tens of thousands— yes, 
hundreds of thousands of dollars have been offered ns 
to advertise these things. We could get rich in a year if 
we admitted the advertisements of these medicine-sellera 
and of others who give little or nothing, or worse than 
nothing, for the money they receive, and who can there- 
fore pay largely for advertising. The 44 Queer" ope- 
rators are shown up in another article, giving an interest- 
ing account of their mode of reaching people. Brown & 
Billings, 20-3 CheBtnut street, Philadelphia, Geo. Har- 
rington, Monument square, Baltimore, Arthur Deban- 
ham, 1!)0 Broadway, N. Y., and others, are in the same 
line, with the Masonic and I. O. O. F. dodge. They 
operate iu Ontario as well aB in the United States 
The " Queer" operators at 22 West 4th street, NewYork, 
have carried on tho 44 Spanish Policy " dodge, with new 
features, under many names, Buck as Edward Barnes, 
Martin Ellenwood, etc., to confuse the Post-Office clerks. 
He sends out gilded certificates, pretended to be signed 
by N. A. Personia, Madrid, Spain, which state that the 
recipient has drawn a $200 gold watch, or other valuable 
article, that will be forwarded to him on receipt of the 
usual five per cent ($10)— and some ignorant people bite 
the bait and lose their money I 44 Constant Readers " 
and others will be worse than foolish if they give the 
slightest credence to those advertising doctors with high- 
sounding names and positions A Connecticut reader 
gives us an account of a visit to an Ann.street swindling 
shop of the envelope order. We have often shown these 
ur. The only safe rule is to avoid all those 6h0ps (and 
