208 
AME LUCAN AG-RIC ULTURIST 
(June, 
distant from that place ; yet with all this (lodging his 
mail lias been stopped at different times. We have a 
pretty full history of this young man's career, which 
may be useful If he starts anew. 
HUMBUGS FOR FARMERS AND GARDENERS 
are still extant in the offer of most wonderful seeds and 
plants. If any one wishes to try any of the new and as- 
stoundingly prolific kinds of corn, offered from some 
before unheard of, tar-off town, let him go slow ; if the 
corn prove half as valuable as advertised, a small sum 
invested should produce enough to furnish seed for next 
year—but let no one risk his crop by sowing any new 
thing to (he neglect of old and tested kinds... .Some 
chaps have been taking orders in Pulaski Co., Ill., for 
‘‘Thornless Gooseberries,” and when the plants were 
found to have the usual number of thorns, the pt^a was 
made that it was the berry only that was “ thornless.” 
_A certain lawyer appears to be actively engaged in 
WRITING THREATENING I.ETTERS 
to various parties on behalf of makers of quack medi¬ 
cines, and these parties write to ask our advice. We do 
not keep a “ Law-shop,” and our advice can only be giv 
en on common-sense principles. If these parties have 
agreed to do a certain thing, we think that an average 
jury will decide that they must conform to their agree¬ 
ment, even if the stuff in question is merely a quack- 
medicine. Unless they are prepared to stand a suit, and 
are able to show that false representations were made, 
when they agreed to do certain things, and can show 
fraud, our advice is, to settle as they best can, and regard 
the co9t of settlement as the price paid for a lesson 
which teaches them not to 
“ TOUCH, TASTE., OR HANDLE,” 
or have anything to do with any secret medical com¬ 
pound whatever. This is to be said, however, that most 
of these threatening letters are from “ barking dogs that 
never bite;” they get what they can by threatening a 
few times with increasing vehemence, and stop short of 
actual law-suits. If w r e had been duped into an unin¬ 
tentional agreement about a quack medicine, we would 
stand a good deal of threatening and a little lawing, 
if it came.For many years the American Agri¬ 
culturist fought the war against Humbugs not only un¬ 
aided, but without the least glimmer of sympathy from 
any journal whatever, whether “ agricultural ” or secular 
—indeed at the present day a journal that claims a lead¬ 
ing position in agriculture, and is in some respects en¬ 
titled to it—persists in the weekly publication of the 
most evident frauds. If it receives as many complaints 
of its course as come to us, it must be well paid to allow 
it to defy the protests of its readers. Just now a word 
of encouragement comes in 
TIIE CniCAGO EVENING JOURNAL, 
which congratulates itself that the laws of Illinois, which 
make every one who proposes to practise medicine, show 
a regular diploma, or pass an examination before the 
Board of Health, have had a most excellent effect; “ over 
1/100 medical humbugs have been obliged to shut up or 
leave the State.” Elated by this sweep, the “ Journal” 
proposes to go further ; it holds that charlatancy and 
quackery do not attach themselves to medicine only, 
and proposes a law which shall free the State of 
SIITSTER LAWYERS AND CLERICAL PRETENDERS, 
and thus purify two other worthy professions.—Go on, 
brother of the Journal, we are with you in every good 
work .. We have had frequent occasion te say that these 
columns can not be used for personal ends, and if any 
one wishes to “ get even ” with, or expose another, the 
very place he can not do it in, is the Humbug column of 
the American Agriculturist , which is solely devoted to 
the public good, and has never, so far as we are aware, 
been used as a medium for the redressing of private 
grievances. As these general warnings have not had 
their full effect, we are obliged to make an example of 
A. B. PATTEN, OF GREELEY, COLORADO, 
Patten, we have before us your letter to one C. D. P., 
in Chicago, Ill., in which you complain that some kind 
of a gimcrack, which you purchased for Hoc., is not worth 
the money. With that we have nothing to do. You say; 
‘‘This and others of your advertisements are regu¬ 
lar swindles, and I am prepared to make you smart 
for it. * * * One of our papers offers five dollars for 
every swindle or humbug exposed by its subscribers. 
Now, unless in ten days I receive $10, your name goes 
into that paper. Orange Judd will hear from me, besides 
others, and you will be exposed. Don't think I am fool¬ 
ing. I mean business. Send me the money, or you will 
be exposed.”—There, Mr. A. B. Patten, how do you like 
the look of that in print? You have laid yourself open 
to a suit for “ blackmailing.’’ The courts in the Eastern 
States are jii9tiy severe upon the writers of threatening 
letters, and would make short work of you by giving you 
long work on behalf of the State. We hope that the 
Western courts arc equally severe, and that “ C. D. P.” 
may test the matter. Patten, you are a high old reformer. 
You feel that you have been swindled, but can be bought 
off for $10. You “ mean business.” but what very small, 
sneaking “business” it is. You would not be worth 
the prominence we have given you, were it not as 
A WARNING TO OTHERS, 
against using the name of Mr. Judd, or any other pub¬ 
lisher or editor of this paper, or that of the American 
Agriculturist itself in ar.y such manner. We have tried 
to stop this by giving general caution—hereafter we shall 
take a more direct method, and name persons and places. 
3>ocks. —“B.” The only thing to be done 
with docks, is to pull them. This is not difficult when 
the land is moist, and if the roots are large, a bar or lever 
of some kind may be needed. It is desirable to get the 
roots out entire, or they will start anew. 
Tomatoes stud dunce rs.— The story has 
gone the rounds of the papers, that the use of tomatoes 
tends to cause cancer, and some persons, actually alarmed, 
write to ask if it is so. Tomatoes are eaten and 
cancers occur (though very rarely), and we can not prove 
that the one has no relation to the other, any more than 
we can not prove that they do not cause baldness, squint- 
eyes, corns, and crooked little-fingers, but we think they 
are quite as likely to cause any of these as cancers. 
The Cooley System of Setting’ 
Cream.— The advantages of a method of setting milk 
for cream by which the temperature may be kept steady 
and as low as possible, and access of air to the cream be 
prevented, are now fully recognized by dairymen. ’There 
are several devices for the deep setting of the milk, but 
only one for the submersion of the deep cans of milk in 
the ice cold water, which is the most effective. This is 
known as the “ Cooley System,” the apparatus for which 
has been advertised in our pages. We have bad their 
apparatus in use for some mouths, with very satisfactory 
success. A report of a meeting of the Chatham, N. Y., 
Farmers’ Club, held January 5th, mentions the exhibition 
of samples of butter made by a member who had set some 
milk in open pans, and in the Cooley deep cans. The 
butter from the deep cans was of very superior quality. 
A similar report comes trom Iowa, where, at the Buchanan 
County fair a diploma was given for the best creamery 
butter made by the Cooley process. At this fair, creamery 
buttery is not permitted to compete with dairy butter, 
else the first premium would have been awarded. 
Selling’ or Using ESones.—“ Q. T. G.,” 
Morrow Co., Ohio. Unless there is a bone mill near by, 
where bones can be ground fine, it is better to sell them 
at 50 cents per hundred, and buy superphosphate ready 
made at $35 per ton. It is a dangerous and troublesome 
job for persons unused to such work as handling and 
mixing acids to make superphosphate at home. 
Mushrooms. —“ J. P.,” Ohio. You could 
hardly raise mushrooms in the open ground during 
either of the summer months, and it would be difficult to 
do so anywhere, unless in n cave or cellar, so situated 
that it would keep at a low and even temperature. 
6i-ish .Ifuiiipcr.— “Postmaster,” PotterCo., 
Pa. The Irish is only a very erect and compact variety 
of the common Juniper, and it is not possible to say, 
from a mere bit, what the tree is. It is certainly neither 
a Hemlock nor a Red Cedar. 
White - Crested, White - i'olisli 
Fowls, were illustrated and described last month—Mr. 
Sperry, their owner, writes that he is so overwhelmned 
with letters that he can not answer them, and wishes us 
to announce that he has no eggs for sale or to give away. 
Grass for Winter Graziiiff.-“B. 
W.,” Highlands, N. C. The best grass for winter graz¬ 
ing is Kentucky blue grass. This pasture must be kept 
solely for this use, and not grazed at any other season. 
It will grow well in deadened timber. 
Paris Green forthe IPotato BSeeale. 
—Abundant experience has shown that there is no known 
effective remedy against the potato beetle, except Paris 
green. All other applications have failed, while this is 
effective, and at once. There arc a few important pre¬ 
cautions to observe in procuring and using it. The first 
is, to purchase only a really pure article; an adulterated 
and cheap one may cause the loss of a crop. F. W. 
Devoe & Co., Fulton and William Streets, New York, 
have for some years past given special attention to the 
manufacturing of pure Paris green, and their packages 
contain an article that is really pure. Next, an adequate 
supply should be procured at once, because the price in¬ 
creases with the demaud, and at the same time the sup¬ 
ply decreases, as the manufacture can not well be carried 
on in hot weather. The poison should be kept in the 
most secure manner, and used without waste. Messrs. 
Devoe & Co. send to applicants a circular with plain and 
practical directions for using the poison.—And we will 
add that with proper care, Paris green is a safe article to 
use ; that it is the great, remedy against this Potato pest 
—that a tablespoonful of it in a watering-pot full of 
water, and having a sprinkling nozzle, can be readily and 
easily carried and applied to the potato vines affected, 
with a certainty of killing the beetles. The Paris green 
does not dissolve ; hence the need of keeping it con¬ 
stantly stirred or shaken up in the water, as it is applied. 
We have tried this with gratifying results. There are 
various useful contrivances for applying the green as 
dry powder mixed with flour or other divisor. 
What is a Hone.— “D. C. C.,” Roselle,. 
N. J. A road scraper or leveler would hardly be recog¬ 
nized under the name of “ hone.” The use of the word 
“hone” for this implement on Long Island, must be 
local only. It is always best to call a thing by its com¬ 
monly known name, as this saves much explanation. 
Everybody would know what a “ road-leveler ” is. 
Tree Roses.-“F, A. B.,” Mercer Co., Pa. 
These can not be classed as humbugs, although the re¬ 
presentations made concerning them may be fraudulent. 
There is no special variety known as the Tree Rose, as 
almost any rose may be made into a “ tree ” by budding 
it upon the stem of a Dog-rose, at the hight of three to 
five feet. If “ thousands of dollars ” have been expended 
for these roses in your county, it is quite time that the 
people knew that they are quite unsuited to our climate. 
The hot sun scorches the tall naked stock, and the top is- 
killed by the winter; they seldom last more than two 
years, while the majority are finished the first winter, 
Kiducy Worm in Hogs.—“ F. H. N.,” 
Rowsburg, Ohio. When a pig is paralyzed in the hind¬ 
quarters, it is not always the effect of worms in the kid¬ 
neys or in the loins; worms are very rarely found in the 
kidneys, but more frequently infest the muscles and fatty 
tissues of the loins. In the majority of cases, however,, 
the paralysis is caused by a disease of the covering mem¬ 
brane of the spinal marrow,and consequent effusion which 
interferes with the operation of the nerves of the locomo¬ 
tive and digestive apparatus. The remedy is a counter 
irritant, such as turpentine or mustard applied to the 
loins, and a diuretic which relieves the pressure of the 
effused serum. One ounce of turpentine maybe given in 
two ounces of linseed oil every second day, or one dram 
of saltpeter maybe given every day. The turpentine will 
be useful in case worms should be the cause of the trouble. 
Feeding Cows for Milk.—“ N. P. M., ,r 
Columbus, Ohio, writes:—What is the most profitable 
way to feed cows; to give the meal dry, wet with cold 
water, or wet with hot water; with labor at $20 per 
month, corn worth 40 cts., oats 25 cts., and 7 cts. a bushel 
for grinding ? My present practice is to haul out the ma¬ 
nure as fast as made, returning with a load of fodder. 
The manure is spread as hauled. The meal I feed dry. 
I have just commenced a milk dairy, and desire to get 
the largest amount of good milk at least cost. My prac¬ 
tice is to feed one-half basket of fodder at 5.45 A. m. to 
each cow; milk at 6, at 7 turn out to freshly-pumped 
well water. While cows are out the stable and mangers- 
are thoroughly cleaned; then 6 quarts of meal given to 
each cow, and one basket of corn fodder. The cows are 
then allowed to come to their stanchions, and at 12 m. 
have one to one and a half basket of fodder. At 4 p. n. 
the cows are again turned out to fresh water, while the 
stables and mangers are cleaned ; then feed 6 quarts of 
meal and ^-basket of fodder, and the cows returned to' 
the stable. At 5.45 p.m. fed one basket of fodder. At 
G, milk, and close up the stable for the night.—[We can 
not see that the above practice can be improved upon.] 
Swine, Figs, and Fork.— It is not 
surprising that there should be a large demand for works 
upon swine, when we consider that these animals—tak¬ 
ing the country through, and at a low valuation—are es¬ 
timated as worth about $70,000,000. Swine are so rapid¬ 
ly multiplied, and so easily raised, that in some parts of 
the country—even where they are most valuable as a 
farm product—they have been sadly neglected. The 
idea that “ one hog is as good as another,” has prevented 
proper attention to the breeds, and the treatment indi¬ 
cated by “ root hog or die,” however it may have result¬ 
ed as to looting, has led to dying by wholesale. The re¬ 
sults of this management, or no management, have had 
their proper effect. When a farmer who has depended 
upon his pork for a large share of the ready money that 
comes to him in the course of the year, finds his swine 
suddenly swept off by hundreds, and he stands helpless 
and without remedy, it is a blow heavy enough to make 
him stop and inquire “ why is this ? ” The best answer 
that we can make to all who have suffered similar losses, 
or who fear such, is, get Coburn’s “ Swine Husbandry,” 
and study it carefully. This work, while full in other 
matters, gives special attention to the diseases of swine,. 
