126 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
stamps both for postage and registry, put in the money, and 
seal the letter in t/ie presence of the postmaster, and take his 
receipt for it. Letters thus sent to us are at our risk. 
riub*. can at any time be increased by remitting 
for each addition the price paid by the original members, 
if the subscriptions all date at the same starting point. 
The back numbers will, of course, be sent to added names. 
Bound Copies of Volume XXVIII 
(1S09) arc now ready. Price, $2, at our office ; or $2.50 
eacli, if sent by mail. Any of the previous twelve volumes 
(16 to 2$) will be forwarded at the same price. Sets of 
numbers sent to our office will be neatly bound in our 
regular style at 75 cents per vol., (50 cents extra, if return- 
ed by mail.) Missing numbers supplied at 12 cents each. 
Tlie Chesapeake an<1 Ohio R, R. 
Bonds.— Several years ago we became so well satis- 
fied with the reliability, integrity, aud good judgment of 
Messrs. Fisk & Hatch, that we have since then usually 
referred to them any questions of finance of our own, or 
coming from our readers, and followed their advice. 
When Ave see their names and credit connected with 
an enterprise, we take it for granted that it is a good 
thing, and on this ground alone we should have great 
confidence in the Bonds of the Chesapeake and Ohio 
Railroad, which they offer through our advertising 
columns. But, a little study of the road shows it to be 
one of great importance, and one most promising for 
financial success. The opening of a through route direct 
from the magnificent Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio River, 
at a point to which it is almost always navigable, will sup- 
ply a main artery through the whole range of the South 
Middle States, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River. 
It is worth while to send to Messrs. Fisk & Hatch and 
get a descriptive pamphlet, furnished free, and at least 
become acquainted with the route. 
Ohio, Fruit and " Bugs. "—The Ohio 
State Hort. Society memorializes the Legislature, setting 
forth that the orchard crops of the State are valued at 
over seven millions of dollars annually, and asks the ap- 
pointment of a State Entomologist We hope to hear of 
the appointment of one. Missouri take6 the lead in the 
war against insects. Illinois has lost her most efficient 
entomologist. New York has an entomologist whose 
reports, buried in those of the ponderous Agricultural 
Society might as well never have been printed, so far as 
benefiting the public is concerned. 
Sundry Humbugs. — The counterfeit, or 
Facsimile, money operators are increasing in number, 
or, the old operators are working under many new names. 
They have to change names often ; for as soon as they be- 
come known, Mr. Gayler pounces on their letters at the 
P. O.— Every honest person receiving any of these swin- 
dling circulars of any kind, at any time, will do well to 
send them at once to Mr. James Gaj^ler, Special Agent N. 
Y. P. O. Dept., or to us. This dodge is as follows : 
Private, "very confidential*' lithographic letters are 
sent out, saying that the parties have a stock of ''exact 
imitations of United States Treasury Notes, executed by 
the most skillful engravers, etc.,"' which they offer to 
sell in sums of $500 and upwards, for 2 to 3 cents on the 
dollar, more or less, intimating in many ways, but not 
exactly saying, that these can be used as currency for their 
full face. Various statements are made, fictitious news- 
paper items arc enclosed, a great deal said about secrecy, 
etc., etc. In this way they dupe multitudes of dishonest 
people to invest with them. When they send anything 
in answer, it is a reduced photograph of unsigned genu- 
ine notes, which latter, are, of course, "executed by the 
most skillful engravers," though the wording of the cir- 
culars is not thus understood by those who get them. It 
is a pretty safe business, for those who get Wins swindled 
are not likely to publicly complain, and thus criminate 
themselves by making known their attempts to be coun- 
terfeit money purchasers. Then, again, when those 
swindlers do get brought up, a careful examination of 
their circulars shows that they have really only offered to 
enpply pictures of money. This game has been very ex- 
tensively carried on, but it is a satisfaction to know that 
none lose money but those willing to use and expecting 
to pass counterfeits. It is "rogue cheat rogue. 1 ' — Among 
the new operators, or new names, in this line, arc W. 
M. Martin c, 75 Nassau St.; Daily & Co.. 73 Nassau St.; I. 
W. Smith &■ Co., 30 Nassau St.,N. Y. ; Wm. Arnold, No. 1 
Bond St., N. Y., alias James Arnold, Jr., St. Charles 
Hotel, N. Y., who uses manifold paper, and sends several 
manufactured newspaper items to give plausibility to his 
pretension; A. L. Harratt, Box 21, Hudson City, N. J., 
who locates over the river to dodge Mr. Gayler. Another 
suppresses his name, but a different hand writing on the 
book says "address A. J. IHtcheock, lis Fulton St.;" 
cic» etc. etc A "Grand Presentation Enterprise," 
ostensibly on Broadway, is one of the new schemes cir- 
culated by mail. The operator attempts to make it ap- 
pear that he is favored by the respectable Commercial 
Agencies of Messrs. McKillop, Sprague & Co., J. M. 
Bradstrect & Son, and Dun. Barlow & Co., by saying he 
was "influenced" 1 by them, etc. He probably got the 
names from their printed books, or from them for a pro- 
fessedly legitimate object. The whole thing is no more 
than a lottery, a downright swindle, giving nothing in 
return for money sent ''Sunlight Oil," is noticed 
elsewhere (page 145). A correspondent at Marathon, 
N. Y., describes the operations of a fellow there selling 
recipes at $5.00 each, for " making Kerosene at 12 cents 
a gallon." From the descriptions, it is similar to the 
"Sunlight" affair. J^" Beware of all these cheap, or 
manufactured oils. Don't let them try them in one of 
your buildings. One of these peddlers came into our 
own town with some " non-explosive, cheap oil, and 
while exhibiting it, it "went off,'" and produced a fire 
that destroyed a whole block of stores, entailing great 
disaster npon several parties! Against low-priced 
Sewing Machines, for $5, etc., we are again compelled to 
warn our readers, by the receipt of a fearful lot of com- 
plaints, from those who have sent money and can 
get no response to the original money letter, and 
others following it ; and from others who have learned by 
experience that these $5 machines are nothing but a 
bother. Some of those advertising them appear to exist 
only in un-come-at-able circular and envelope shops 
If people will send money and clubs of subscribers to 
obsenre towns, expecting to get three or four times their 
money's worth in watches, cheap sewing machines, etc., 
they must expect to be cheated. It is very easy to get up 
one taking number of a paper, printed in New York or 
other large city, date it at some out-of-the-way place, of- 
fer immense premiums forclubs, and pocket all the monej 1 " 
sent in. A swindler in New Jersey has made a fortune in 
this way ; changing the name of his ss-called firm when 
the former one gets iu too bad odor. For special reasons 
in this case we omit the name for the time being. The 
same trick is frequently played in this and other cities 
A vile villain calling himself "Mrs. It. S. Godfrey," 
sends murderous, infanticide circulars of the whining be- 
nevolent order, from a Long Island Post Office. We wish 
all such fellows had but one neck, and we had a rope 
around it ; we should practically disagree with Mr. Gree- 
ley for the space of 30 minutes at least More hum- 
bug " Receivers " for Reed & Co's Swindle alias " River- 
side." appear under the names of J. J. Dodd & Co., and 
John W. Ames Reinersville, Morgan Co.. Ohio, has 
a "Gift Enterprise" man, who promises a newspaper 
and throws in a "ticket" for i chance in So, 628 for 
$500 in gold, provided 25.623 tickets are sold, and a few 
chances at some other prizes. Those who want newspa- 
pers will be wise enough, we hop?, to send to the proper 
publishers, and know who is responsible for the money. 
None bnt foolish people will invest in any Gift enter- 
prise, alias lottery We are sorry for the boy who 
lost his 25 cents, sent for a " Mocking bird whistle." It 
may be a useful investment. The writer lost his first 25 
cents by a N. Y. numbug, and it has, perhaps, saved him 
many dollars, and waked him up to saving a great many 
other people from being swindled A shrewd Nassau 
Street Swindler s«atters advertisements in South Carolina 
and elsewhere that a " 4-months old, healthy child " will 
be given to any one who will adopt it. and that £5.000 will 
be given to the benevolent individual who will take it, 
with good promises for its care. The swindle comes in just 
here : those writing about said child must enclose a post- 
age Etamp for reply ;— and many thousands do send them ! 
The M'eiglrts of tlte Ayrasilt Os^n 
which were withheld from the public in order to give 
the butchers time to adjust their bets, are given as fol- 
lows: Live weight, 3.300 lbs., and 3,320 lbs., making 
6,620 lbs. for one pair ; 3,406 lbs., and 3,440 lbs., making 
6,R46 ll.s. for the other— said to be the heaviest weight 
ever attained by a pair of oxen bred and fed together. 
Hair for Mattrass.— "T. D. P.," New- 
ark. O. The hair for mattrasses is curled by first spinning 
it to make a hard-twisted rope; it is then boiled or 
baked, and afterwards the rope is picked to pieces by 
hand. It then retains the springiness imparted to it by 
the twisting and heating. 
The American ISotanist ami Flor- 
ist—By Alphonso Wood, A. M. New York: A. S. 
Barnes & Co. The work consists of two parts, element- 
ary lessons, of 172 pages, and a descriptive borany, of 392 
pages, including index. By the use of analytical tables, 
Figns and abbreviations, the author lias condensed de- 
scriptions of the native plants of the Atlantic division 
of the country, as well as the more generally cultivated 
ones. In doing this the author has shown great industry 
in reducing the descriptive matter to the briefest, pos*:.- 
ble space. W« must admit that we arc not admirers of 
the condensed and meagre descriptions which botanists 
have of late given us. While, as in the case of the pres- 
ent work, they lead us to the name and botanical family 
of a plant by ihe shortest possible route, they fail to tell . 
the young student all he would like to know about it. 
If some one of the present day would write such popular 
descriptions as did Dr. Bigelow in his Plants of Boston, 
botany would find many more students than at present. 
^"amc Your Slate. — Several letters, some 
of them containing money, have no mention of the State. 
The Montgomery Co. Horticultural Society sends us re- 
ports of their meetings, but there is nothing in the report 
that enables us to guess in what State the meetings are 
held. A good share of the notices of County Fairs have 
no State mentioned. — Name the State ! Name the State ! ! 
Cabbages — How to Grow Them — 
Br James J. H. Gregory, Introducer of the Marblehead 
Cabbage. — We always snpposed that Mr. Gregory's hor- 
ticultural title was "Introducer of the Hubbard Squash," 
but this work informs us that he is not only "I. H. S./'but 
"I. M. C." The work on the cabbage is uniform with that 
on the squash, and gives details of culture, method of 
wintering cabbages, varieties, etc. Much of the practice 
will be found new to many growers of cabbages, espe- 
cially the recommendation to sow the seed where the 
cabbages are to stand. If Marblchcad were not famons 
for its squashes it would be renowned for its cabbages, 
as, thanks to Mr. Gregory's care in seed-growing, the ex- 
cellent character and wonderful size of some of the local 
varieties are strictly maintained. Sent by mail by 
Orange Judd & Co. on receipt of price — 30c. 
Feeding- Jersey Cattle.-Mr. Wm. T. 
Hughes writes: "In answer to an inquiry as to what he con- 
sidered the best-feed for Jersey cows, Mr. Fowler gives the 
following answer ' I recommendthe followingnrixture. it 
having given the best result in an experience of 50 years 
in a dairy of Jersey cows :2 quarts of the best ground (not 
crushed) oats, 4 quarts of bran and 1 peck of cut hay, mixed 
with 20 lbs. of sliced mangels. Divide into two meals, and 
feedmorning and evening while milking. They should 
also have as much hay as they can eatnp clean. The great- 
est care should be taken that none is left before them, as 
no more should be given than the}' can consume at once. 
This for winter feeding in stall. I give my dairy cows 
the oats, bran and cut hay through the summer when they 
come out of the pasture for milking. When dry, give no 
forcing foods.' " 
Corn Stalks for Mulch. — J. H. W. 
Husman. iu an essay read before the Montgomery Co. 
(State?) Hort. Soc. says that he has a power machine 
which cuts and grinds stalks very fine. He finds the 
ground material admirably suited for a mulch around 
strawberry plants. 
Setting: Trees- — "A. B.," West Branch. — 
Tour plan is "Quincunx." Illustrated in March, 1S6S. 
Tree Pedlers-— ' ; S. T.," Orange county, 
sends us a strong complaint against tree pedlers, which 
is too long for our columns this month. It is the old 
story. Pear trees bought of pedlers bore fruit the size of 
crab-apples, and all alike, and the blackberries and rasp- 
berries were wild stock. Tears of waiting and poor fruit 
as a reward. Mr. T. proposes that farmers who wish to 
purchase, to club together and send one of their number 
to a reliable nursery and procure the trees. He truly 
says, that farmers have a hard lime of it with tree ped- 
lers, patent fork venders, lightning-rod men, and the like. 
Strait in Iowa. — A. E. Rich, West Union, 
says : " I was much interested in the article on fmit 
from your ' special contributor' in our State. The article 
is most excellent, but for this, the extreme northerly 
part of the State, needs a little amending. So far as ex- 
periments have been tried, trees set 14 feet apart, north 
and south, by 20 east and west, have done better than 
with more room : the object, of course, being self-protec- 
tion. Tort correspondent recommends protection on the 
north and west. Our prevailing winds arc south and 
west All old orchards exposed on the prairies in our 
part of the Stare lean to the north-east at an angle of 
from 30' to 45* in consequence of the prevailing south- 
west winds, and fruit half grown is blown from the trees 
universally by storms from that direction. The bodies of 
trees exposed by their inclination to the direct rays of the 
sun become diseased, the bark cleans off on the side thus 
exposed, and many valuable orchards are destroyed 
with ns, for the want of a perfect south-west protection."' 
35;si-ii Iteli. — Eben Wight, Dedliam, Mass., 
speaks in the highest terms of Buchan's Cresylic soup 
for exterminating the "barn itch" and lice on cattle. 
