a 
17 
Time and Harvest and we are glad to see 
such evidences of prosperity in his special¬ 
ty as is shown in his new catalogue. 
We desire to call especial attention 
to the large advertisement of the Chicago 
Scale Co., to be found on page 8.2, as this is 
the last time it is to appear. This company 
is perfectly reliable and is turning out im¬ 
mense quantities of scales of all sizes, to 
weigh from 5 lbs. to as many tons, at as¬ 
tonishingly low prices. Their Forges and 
Blacksmith's tools are also leading the mar¬ 
ket. We earnestly request all who are in 
want of this class of goods to send for their 
circulars and price lists. This request is 
made by the publishers, without the knowl¬ 
edge of the above company, and must not 
be looked upon as a blind advertising puff. 
Mr. A. B. Farquhar, of York, Pa., is 
proprietor of the largest establishment in 
this State, if not in the Union, for the man¬ 
ufacture of all classes of Agricultural Im¬ 
plements of the most approved patterns, 
and his immense catalogue recently re¬ 
ceived shows the greatest variety from a 
hoe to a steam-engine, or steam saw-mill. 
As Seed-Time and Harvest has for the 
past year been printed by the power sup¬ 
plied by a Farquhar engine, which has 
given the most complete satisfaction, we 
take pleasure in voluntarily calling the at¬ 
tention of our readers to Mr. Farquhar’s 
advertisement on page 29, and invite all 
who are interested to write at once for his 
catalogue, in which the greatest variety of 
well made implements will be found. 
OUR POSTAGE LAWS. 
It is strange how hard it is for many peo¬ 
ple to properly understand our postal laws. 
When any changes are made it seems to 
take years for the public to get entirely ac¬ 
customed to them and not make continued 
blunders. One popular error, still running 
at large, is the supposition that a person 
has the right to mail a written letter for 
one cent if left unsealed, and we very fre¬ 
quently receive such open letters. There is 
no such law or right, and if the Post Master 
discovers such a letter at the office where 
it is mailed it is his duty to hold it for poet- 
age, and if not fully paid to send it to the 
dead letter office, or, if sent through un¬ 
observed, it is the duty of the Post Master 
at its destination to collect before de¬ 
livering. The only allowable written mes¬ 
sage which can lawfully be forwarded for 
one cent, is that written on a postal card. 
The recent change in letter postage, so 
much talked of, is simply a reduction of 
single rate letter postage from 8 cents to 2 
cents. There is no change, whatever, in 
the value of stamps. Any of the old stamps 
are worth as much now as ever they were, 
but the old three-cent stamps will not be so 
much needed now as formerly, yet they 
can be used on merchandise, books, pack¬ 
ages, etc., or a three and a one will carry 
an overweight or one ounce letter, which 
will now require four cents instead of six 
as formerly. 
A Boston paper is responsible for the 
following which is an illustration of the 
prevailing ignorance in regard to the new 
postal law: “We saw, one day this week, 
three whole sheets of the long familiar 
green stamps, three hundred stamps in all, 
pasted up on the wall in a certain country 
store not twenty-five miles from Boston. 
In answer to our query 1 Why is this ?’ the 
storekeeper replied, “Well, I got kinder 
stuck on those; I didn’t know the law was 
going to be changed, and I took those 
stamps at face value frpm a cigar peddler 
six weeks ago. Now they ain’t worth 
anything, and our Post Master wffll not 
change them for two cents, so I’ve stuck 
them up there to remind me what a darned 
fool I am.” We fully coincided with him 
in his conclusion, but were at some pains 
to convince him that the process by which 
he reached it was wrong, and we finally 
left him trying to soak his $9 worth of 
stamps off the wall by means of a wet 
sponge.” 
The new Postal Notes are a convenience 
so far as they go, but as their use is con¬ 
fined entirely to Money Order Offices, and 
as but about six thousand out of nearly 
fifty thousand Post Offices in this country 
are Money Order Offices, it will be seen 
that but comparatively few country people 
are benefitted by them. If these could be 
obtained at any Post Office they would 
satisfy the people, but until then nothing 
but the old fractional currency will fill the 
requirements of the great public who wish 
to send small amounts by mail. 
