166 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, 
containing a great variety of Items, including many 
good Hints and Suggestions which we throw into smaller 
type and condensed for?n, for want of sjiace elseivliere. 
Postage 13 Cents a. Tear in Ad- 
vance. —The postage on the American Agriculturist 
anywhere in the United States and Territories, paid in 
advance, is 3 cents a quarter, 12 cents a year. If not paid 
in advance, twice these rates may be charged. 
How to Remit :— Checks on New 
York. Banks or Bankers are best for large sums ; 
made payable to the order of Orange Judd & Co. 
I*ost-Offlce Money Orders may be obtain- 
ed at nearly every county seat, in nil the cities, and in 
many of the large towns. We consider them perfectly 
safe, and the best means of remitting fifty dollars or less, 
as thousands have been sent to us without any loss. 
US egistered Letters, under the new 
system, which went into effect Oct. 1, 1808, are a very 
safe means of sending small sums of money where P. O. 
Money Orders cannot be easily obtained. Observe, the 
Begistryfee, as well as postage, must be paid in stamps at 
the office where the letter is mailed, or it will be liable 
to be sent to the Dead Letter Office. Buy and affix the 
stamps both for postage and registry, put in the money, and 
seal Vie letter in the presence of the postmaster, and take his 
receipt for it. Letters thus sent to us are at our risk. 
CIul>scan 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 
(1869) are now ready. Price, $2, at our office ; or $2.50 
each, if sent by mail. Any of the previous twelve volumes 
(16 to 28) 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 bv mail.) Missing numbers supplied at 12 cents each. 
l.OOO Eumelan Vines.— Any subscriber 
to the American Agriculturist may order of us one or 
more of these remarkable grape-vines before the 15th 
inst. at the 1,000 price, viz. : No. 1 Vines, $1 each ; 
Extra, $1.75 each. Post-paid by mail, or by express, the 
receiver paying express charges. 
Letters Without Sanies Signed. — 
It is useless to send these ; we can not give them atten- 
tion. Here are a lot of anonymous inquiries about Kan- 
sas lands, White Wire, sundry Doctors, various imple- 
ments, Dealers, etc., several of which would be answered 
by letter if we knew just where to direct. If we answered 
all such questions in the paper, it would contain little 
else ; and if we answered all by letter, we could do little 
else. Better save your time, paper, and postage, than to 
write anything whatever without giving your true name 
and address. These are not uublishcd when the writer 
desires them withheld. 
TAUJABLE BOOK-FREE !— The 
Publishers of this Journal issue, every year, two Volumes, 
prepared with great labor and care, containing a large 
amount of valuable information, finely illustrated, in 
neat illuminated covers. These volumes should be in 
every household. They also contain very complete Al- 
manacs, with calendar of work to be done each month, on 
the Farm, in the Garden, etc. One is the " Agricul- 
tural Annual," and the other the 6S Horticul- 
tural Annual, 99 — entirely distinct in matter, illus- 
trations, etc. Each volume contains 152 12mo pages. 
They are of permanent value, and every one should have 
each year's issue. There are now Nos. 1 9 2, 3, and 4, 
(for 1867, 1S6S, 1869, and 1370,) of each work To 
make these more widely known, and as a premium, also, 
the Publishers offer to send any one of these eight vol- 
umes, post-paid, to any person who will, during Mat or 
Jpne, forward a subscriber for the current volume of the 
American Agriculturist (that is, for 1S70), at the regular 
subscription price of $1.50. One copy of any volume of 
the Annuals desired, will be presented for each subscriber 
thus sent between May 1st and June 30. (Such names 
will not, of course, be counted in lists for the general 
premiums described, on page 165.) 
Ouf-of>cloor WliUc^rasJi. — Chas. Sticr- 
Jin, of Washington, D. C, asks us " to publish in the 
May issue of the American Agriculturist a recipe for a 
good whitewash for fences and out-buildings, that will 
not be washed off by a few rain showers. 1 ' — Here it is. 
Take good quick-lime, in lumps, slake it with hot water, 
and while slaking add, to what will make a pailful, a 
pound of tallow, or any grease free from dirt. It may be 
rancid, smoked, or otherwise unfit for kitchen use. As 
soon as the violent slaking is over, stir thoroughly. All 
the water should be added before the slaking'ceases, and 
the mixture should be very complete. This forms in the 
whitewash an insoluble lime soap, which, if the white- 
wash is diluted with cold water, often separates in mi- 
nute clots. If the mixture be well made, it will be very 
smooth, and is little affected by rains. 
Man-is on the Pig--— A. slight delay oc- 
curred in the issuing of this work, owing to the inability 
of the author to furnish the final pages, on account of 
illness. The work is now ready, and will commend it- 
self to all who take an interest in the improvement of 
swine, as well as in breeding and rearing them in the 
best and mosi profitable manner. The advertised table 
of contents will show how full of information it is. 
Every Saturday.— Fields, Osgood & Co. 
have made a hit. with this journal in its new form. It 
gives the best foreign engravings, and excellent selec- 
tions from English magazines, at a very popular price. 
Admirers of Dickens— and that includes almost every- 
body— will be glad to kuow that he has begun a new 
story, which is published in Every Saturday from the 
author's advanced sheets. 
IVIarlc Twain has been engaged to edit an 
agricultural department in the Galaxy Magazine. Mark 
is a humorist by profession, but we doubt if he will suc- 
ceed in doing anything as funny as the reports of what 
is done at the Farmers' Club in earnest. 
The Handy-Book of Husbandry, 
is the title of a work *>y Col. George E. Waring, Jr., 
which E.B. Treat & Co. announce as in preparation, and 
of which they send us specimen sheets. In accordance 
with our custom, we defer any extended comments until 
the complete work is received. 
Slaying; and Harvesting 1 Machines. 
Mowers and Reapers, Tedders, and Horse-rakes, of the 
best kinds, must be ordered early, in order to be reasona- 
bly sure of getting much use out of them this year. 
Thousands of farmers are disappointed every year, and 
some, strange to say, year after year, because they want 
the best, and order too late. 
Pleasant Valley Cilrape Growers' 
Association. — At a recent election, C. D. Champlin 
was chosen President, and H. Gardener, Secretary of this 
Association. The 11th Annual Fair will be held at Ham- 
mondsport, Steuben Co., N. T., Sept. 25th, 26th and 27th. 
Cement for a Manure I*it. — H. F. 
Goodbau, Erie Co.. Pa., asks— "Will water-lime answer 
for laying the wall of a manure pit ? " and adds, " I want 
to make a cheap, durable cement, that will not spoil by 
freezing." — Hydraulic lime occurs in market in two 
principal forms — "Water-lime 1 ' and "Cement." The 
cement is ground, aud is the superior article. The water- 
Hme, however, is of fair quality, answers for all coarse 
purposes, and would, we think, make an excelhsnt mortar 
for such a wall, and for the grouting aud cementing of 
the bottom. If, on trial, the sample is found to make a 
close, firm mortar, none other need be used, even for tho 
top, which will be exposed to freezing. This portion 
might be laid in cement. Walls laid early in the season 
will not be injured by frost if the surfaces be smooth. 
Pear B>ncnesse de Bordeaux. — We 
have before spoken of the excellence of this winter 
pear. Messrs. Smith, Clark & Powell, of Syracuse, N. 
Y., send us a colored plate, which is a very good repre- 
sentation of this large and fine variety. 
Plovr I>eep, but not too deep at one time. 
F. B. Minch is right. He writes: "I sometimes feel 
like writing after reading the New York Farmers 1 Club 
reports about shallow culture. I have a little over 100 
acres under cultivation, and my motto is, 'Plow deep, 
and manure as you go.'' It does best, for me. I think 
that the teaching of the shallow culture theory is pro- 
ductive of much error in the community.' 1 
Death of Seth 3Boyden„— Mr. Seth 
Boyden died on March 31st, at the advanced age of 82, in 
the City of Newark. Mr. B. was the pioneer in many of 
those branches of business to which Newark owes a large 
share of its prosperity, and by his inventions, contrib- 
uted much to the wealth of others, though he acquired 
little himself. It is on account of his labors in horticul- 
ture that we notice his demise. He was particularly suc- 
cessful in raising seedling strawberries, several of which 
maintain a rank among the valuable varieties. The 
Agriculturist, Green Prolific, and Boyderfs No. 30, are 
among Mr. Boyden's contributions to our list of varieties. 
Croquet, — B. Brown. This game is not 
patented. A particular Btyle may be. 
A Suggestion to Farmers' Clubs. 
— "D. R.," Beverly, Mass., suggests that Farmers' Clubs 
make their President a member of their State Agricul- 
tural Society. This would connect the State with the 
local organizations, and be a proper acknowledgment of 
services which are not often requited. 
Cement for a Cellar Bottom.— We 
are asked what kind of cement should be used for a cel- 
lar floor, and how much surface will be covered by one 
barrel There are several good kinds of water cement. 
In the vicinity of New York, builders give preference to 
tho "Rosedale." If tho cellar bottom is firm and level, 
especially if it be stony or gravelly, the cement need not 
be more than an inch or an inch and a half thick, if 
mixed with sharp sand or screened gravel ; a barrel 
will cover about one hundred square feet — what the 
builders call a "square. 11 If the ground is soft, and a 
grouting of broken stones is necessary, it takes more. 
In this case, the floor should be covered with stones of 
the size of an egg, to the depth of three inches, at least, 
well pounded down to a level surface. The mortar is 
spread upon this, and worked down into the grouting, 
and when set, but still moist, the top coat is applied. 
Slugs.— B. Thornton, Tioga Co., Pa. The 
specimens are common garden slugs. Ducks will de- 
stroy them in large numbers. Lime-water, or dusting 
with dry lime, may be used. Another plan is to lay 
cabbage or lettuce leaves on the ground ; early in the 
morning the slugs will be found gathered under them. 
Osiers. — " Subscriber." Osiers are cut "when 
vegetation is at rest. Machines have been invented for 
peeling them, which the makers should advertise. For 
home use upon the farm, there is no necessity for peeling. 
Sundry Humnsigs. — We have quite an 
assortment of circulars, etc., pufling "electrical appara- 
tus," and various "electrical" appliances for curing all 
sorts of diseases. There arc a few cases where galvanic 
electricity, properly applied, may be useful, aud these 
are understood and used by all skillful, well educated, 
regular physicians. But nine-tenths of all the mass of 
printed stuff"— if not ten-tenths,— are sheer humbugs, only 
useful to work upon the hopes and fears of the people, 
aud get their money. Give all these special electrical 
doctors a wide berth, aud save your money Beware 
of all associations, professingto cure " private diseases, 1 ' 
"errors of j'outh," etc. They are invariably catch-pen- 
nies, or catch-dollars, each run by one scheming man, 
who does a pretty safe business, because his fleeced 
victims are not likely to expose him. Wc have had many 
cases reported to us, where these fellows have drained 
the last hard-earned or borrowed dolhir they could get from 
their victims, and left them in the end worse off, after 
having their hopes excited temporarily by the use of 
stimulants. These operators are chiefly skillful in writ- 
ing plausible letters, when" they can get hold of victims 
asking, or desiring aid. Let those iiftllcted apply to 
some known and reliable physician The spurious 
money operators are as thick as "toads after a shower." 
In addition to the many before referred to, we have before 
us the circulars of J. W. Smith & Co., Win. Andrews, C. 
L. Wilson, C. J. Crandell, Daily & Co. (multitudinous, and 
ingenious), Armstrong & Co. (Daily & Co. we suppose); 
W. M. Martiue, an "attorney," who sends printed circu- 
lars — but the record is long enough. Most of these so-called 
firms send the same circnlars,names, newspaper slips,etc M 
and the variety of names assumed is only to mislead the 
Post-office authorities— a new name being taken as soon 
as the old ones become known, and their letters are 
stopped. They now, as a blind, generally put their 
names and address on a separate card, or write them in a 
different hand on the back of their documents As 
we expected, Messr§. McKillop, Sprague & Co., pro-i 
nouncc the "Grand Presentation Enterprise " of H. P. 
Jones, noticed by us last month, an entire fraud." 
The "Metropolitan Jeweler's Association,"' of New 
York, is a humbug, and the statement about crown 
watches sent here is an entire falsehood No sane man 
will trust a $5 bill to the "Eureka Gift Company," of 
Saratoga Springs. Better hold up a hat, and wait until a 
"$40,000 hotel" drops into it from the moon To sev- 
eral inquirers. Music Boxes, playing four or five tunes, 
and costing $12 to $15 each, are sold by some regular 
dealers. Those advertised by circulars, at $1 to $3 
each, are usually swindles. If anything is returned for 
the money, it is a little hand or reed instrument, to be 
