1878 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
247 
■either by parsnip (cow-bane), laurel, or other injurious 
kerbs—in which the symptoms arc generally as above 
noted—the immediate use of half a pint of sweet or 
linseed-oil will generally bring about a cure. 
Harvesting Stoclt-I*cas.—“ J. H. C., 
Jr.,’’ West Point, Arkansas. There is no difficulty in 
thrashing stock-peas. As harvested, they may be thrown 
on to a barn floor or a cleanly swept yard, and trampled 
■out by horses ; or they may be thrashed with the flail. 
Large Yield of SSsitter.—“D, W. M. 
J.,” Delaware Co., N.'Y. 200 pounds of butter per year 
is a very fair yield for an ordinary cow. Many dairies do 
better than that by keeping selected animals and feeding 
high. A dairy in Illinois produces an average of 300 lbs. 
per cow, yearly, but each cow consumes 12 quarts of corn 
meal daily. It is not always that the high yields report¬ 
ed are profitable, but if we can turn 100 bushels of corn, 
costing about $35 in Illinois, into 300 lbs. of butter, 
worth $75 or more, there is profit in that. When much 
corn-meal is consumed,there is less hay eaten; the dairy¬ 
man endeavors to induce his cows to eat all the food 
that can be turned into butter. Grade Jersey cows 
are the best butter dairy cows, especially for quality. 
Leprosy in Poultry.— “J. F. S.” The 
symptoms of this disease are as you describe them : a 
dry scale appears on the legs and spreads over the body; 
the fowls die in a short time, exhibiting dullness and 
mopishness daring the sickness. We know of no remedy. 
It may he prevented by careful feeding and giving the 
fowls, at frequent intervals, some such alterative and 
tonic as “ Imperial Egg Food.” Fowls require not only 
grain, but some animal food, plenty of green vegetables, 
sulphur, lime, and abundance of gravel or coarse sand; 
and last, but not least, plenty of pure water. Cleanliness 
is also absolutely necessary to health. 
Bony Tumor ou a Horse’s Uej”.— 
“C.,” Lake Crystal, Minn. When the periosteum or cover¬ 
ing membrane of the bone is bruised or injured, and in¬ 
flammation is set up, there is an increased circulation in 
the part, which often developes a deposit of bony matter. 
This causes an enlargement of the bone, which is incura¬ 
ble. The only remedy is to prevent the deposit by draw¬ 
ing off the products of inflammation to the surface by 
stimulating applications which produce suppuration. As 
soon as hone is formed, nothing can he done, but to 
leave the blemish, as lameness rarely results unless the 
seat of the injury be the interior of a joint. 
Farming in California. —“J. W. W.,” 
Henry Clay, Del. The methods of farming in Califor¬ 
nia are different from those usual in the East. The cli¬ 
mate and other circumstances of that State make it 
necessary to adopt special ways of doing things which 
are described in no book upon agriculture. Of course the 
principles of the art are the same there as everywhere, 
but there are few people able to carry into practice any 
special method of farming, from a knowledge only of 
principles. To farm in California, or any other peculiar 
location, one must see for himself how it is done. 
A Malformed Udder.—“ C. W. C.,” Blue 
Earth Co., Minn. Unless the malformation of the udder 
interferes with the milking, we would leave it as it is. A 
communication might easily be made between the for¬ 
ward teats and the quarters of the udder to which they 
belong, by means of a probe, and inserting a long tube 
to keep it free until the walls of the new opening were 
healed; hut as the milk is all drawn off by the hind teat, 
there is no need for the operation 
Tobacco Stems.— “C. F. W.,” Louisville, 
Ky. The ash is almost one-fourth potash. They also 
contain a large percentage of nitrogen, and are valuable as 
a fertilizer. The best way to use them is in the manure 
heap, where they quickly decompose. They are also 
cut into bits six inches or so long, and placed in the 
hill, where they are speedily converted into plant-food. 
©il Stoves for Summer Use.— When 
living temporarily in the city many years ago, we found it 
very convenient to have a gas-stove. In hot days it often 
happens that fire is only needed to “boil the tea-kettle,” 
and perhaps a single hot dish of vegetables, both of which 
can be easily accomplished with the gas-stove, and the 
fire in the range allowed to go out—to the saving of coal 
and the comfort of the household. Whether the gas-stove 
is economical or not, no one having to do with gas-bills 
can ever find out. When we moved to the country, be¬ 
yond the reach of gas-pipes, we attempted to find the 
same convenience in oil-stoves that we formerly had in 
gas-stoves, but soon gave them lip. The oil-stoves of 
that day were crude affairs; they would smoke and give 
off disagreeable odors, unless constantly watched, and al¬ 
lowed but one article to be cooked at a time. Finding 
them unsatisfactory, oil-stoves were abandoned as more 
“ plague than profit.” But fifteen years bring changes ill 
oil-stoves, as in other matters, and this summer a new 
trial was made. Noticing the advertisement of the “ Hot 
Blast Oil Stove,” in our columns, one was procured and 
put into service. For an oil-stove there are two essen¬ 
tials—safety is the first to be regarded—next, efficiency, 
or a sufficient supply of heat. So far as safety is con¬ 
cerned, we can only judge on general principles, and from 
the structure of this stove we do not see how with safe 
oil—and only such should bo used for any purpose—an 
accident can occur. During the short time it has been in 
use, the stove in its simplest form has been found to both 
boil and bake in a satisfactory manner, and it promises 
to be a useful substitute for the range in disposing of a 
large share of summer cooking. 
Basket Items continued on page 273. 
Sundry Humbugs. 
Wo sometimes wonder if 
it is possible to state a mat¬ 
ter so positively and em¬ 
phatically as to preclude all 
further questioning. If we 
have endeavored to do this 
with any one thing, it has 
been the Wall Street busi¬ 
ness; if there is any virtue 
in “line upon line,” it 
should be manifest here; 
for we have said our say 
over and again, month after 
month. Notwithstanding all 
that has been said, letters 
continue to come, inclosing 
circulars, and making in¬ 
quiries, some asking if we 
include the sender of that 
particular circular in our 
general cantion. For obvi¬ 
ous reasons we cannot par¬ 
ticularize in this matter. We have taken considerable 
pains to look into this Wall Street matter, and have in¬ 
variably found that the senders of these circulars were 
not known to the regular business men of the Street, and 
were in no case members of the Stock Board. We advise 
onr friends, and this advice is that of men who have 
passed their business lives in Wall Street, 
TO LET ALL BUCIT SCHEMES ALONE. 
Inquirers seem to be equally persistent concerning a 
Secret Service concern in Cincinnati. It seems rather 
strange that any one could seriously consider such a 
scheme at all. Do those who propose to enter the em¬ 
ploy of such a concern—provided it were all that it pre¬ 
tends to be—reflect that they are placing themselves in 
the position of paid spies? In most communities, if a man 
were known to be a “ detective,” lie would be so thor¬ 
oughly despised and shunned by his neighbors that the 
small salary he might (?) receive would be a poor com¬ 
pensation for being an object of public detestation, and 
pointed to as a paid spy I 
Inquiries concerning the 
U. s. SECRET SERVICE COMPANY 
came to the Police Department of Cincinnati in such num¬ 
bers, that it was found necessary to have a printed reply. 
One before us, hears the signature of the Secretary of the 
Police Department, and says: “ the U. S. Secret Service 
Company is regarded in Police circles as a fraud, and is 
one of several such that have been established here 
under the guise of legitimate business, and which, un¬ 
fortunately, through defects in onr laws, we cannot 
reach.”—This will be a sufficient answer to the many in¬ 
quiries about the U. S. S.S. Co., received from all over the 
country, even so faraway as Oregon. Lately the inquiries 
come concerning the “American and European S. S. 
Co.,” of the same city. Upon investigating this, we re¬ 
ceived word from one of the officials that the police au¬ 
thorities would print their opinion in the form of a circu¬ 
lar, which would be sent us in a few days. It will be safe 
for anxious inquirers to wait awhile... .In April last we 
devoted a large space to setting forth the operations of 
CLARK & CO., “ADJUSTERS OE CLAIMS.” 
It will be r collected that the dodge was to send to the 
person addressed a slip of paper containing his name, 
and inquiring if the signature was his; with this show of 
care in identifying the person, was the announcement 
that he was “ entitled to a certificate of gold mining stock 
valued at $500,” etc. The full particulars of the operation 
will be found on p. 127 (April), with an account of what 
befell Clark & Co. These “adjusters” and truth have 
just one quality in common ; both, though 
“crush’d to earth, will rise again,” 
and the adjusters have “riz,” and are dispensing that 
“ mining stock,” in blocks of $500. as impartially as ever. 
It probably occnrred to Clark & Co. that every one might 
not want mining stock, even if it were that of the cele¬ 
brated—not to say notorious—“ Silver Mountain Co." 
Being “ adjusters,” they could adjust one thing ns well 
as another, bo they add another branch to their business, 
and pass around jewelry, “assorted,” mind you, in nice 
little $240 lots. But does any one suppose that Clark & 
Co. would send jewelry to the wrong man ? Not much, 
for are they not adjustors 1 And they add just a small slip 
with a name upon it to the letter, and say, so cautiously, 
“ We find the jewelry to be lawfully yours, if this is your 
signature.” As we gave the mining stock letter in full, 
we will place on record this other choice specimen of 
THE EFI3TOLOGRAPHY op adjustment. 
Dear Sir— A claim for $240 worth of assorted Gold 
Jewelry has been placed in our hands for adjustment. 
From investigation, we find the Jewelry to be lawfully 
yours, if this is your signature on the enclosed slip of 
paper. Return the slip to us, so we can compare it with 
your signature, and if found to be the same, we will send 
yon the Jewelry. The money yon sent was invested on 
the general average plan with the Manufacturing Jewel¬ 
ers’ Association, which resulted in seeming for you the 
Jewelry referred to. Our charge for adjusting the matter 
is 5 percent, which is $12. Please send us that amount, 
or, if preferred, you can pay it at the Express Office, after 
you have examined the Jewelry. 
Resp’y Clark & Co. 
There may be people who will be caught in such a 
trap; but they will find very little sympathy, as,to get 
what is alleged to be worth $240 for $12, they become 
partners in a lie by assuming as true, the assertion that 
they had sent money, while they Jciww it to be false. 
What a very crooked and dirty business it all is, isn’t it, 
Clark & Co., for you, and also that for the great instiga¬ 
tor and prime mover behind you. In the Article in April 
last, we stated, that Clark & Co., and their twin brothers, 
Keyes & Co., and Russell & Co.—what a co-operative con¬ 
cern it is—could receive 
NO MORE MONEY THROUGH THE MAILS, 
except at a risk; it was somewhat surprising to see them 
starting up afresh within a few weeks. Upon inquiry at 
the proper quarters, we learn that the exclusion still con¬ 
tinues, and that the few simpletons, or knaves, who for¬ 
ward them money, must do it through the Express. At 
least one reader is disposed to heed our injunction. 
“FARMERS, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SIGN.” 
A farmer in Bergen Co., N. J., asks advice about invest¬ 
ing in an invention, which will, among other remarkable 
things, “enable anyone to produce New Potatoes, ripe 
Fruits, Berries, etc , all through the wiutermonths.”— 1 The 
probability or possibility of the process, we do not now 
discuss; the point is, shall the farmer sign the contract? 
We say most decidedly not, as it binds him to grow “ not 
less than three acres of potatoes, according to the process 
of the invention, each year for seven years in succession,” 
to sell the potatoes, and to pay over to tho inventor one- 
fourth of the proceeds, without deducting for expenses. 
It is safe to say lhat no possible advantage to be gained 
by the use of any process or invention can warrant the 
making of any such contract. In the agreement, the in¬ 
vention is spoken of more than once as a “ patent.” if a 
“patent,” why the solemn agreement ns to secrecy? as 
one can always get a copy of any patent for 50 cents 1.... 
The Editor of a flourishing paper in Illinois, sends us one 
of the many sheets or catalogues devoted to advertising 
what they call “ Novelties,” but which arc mainly 
TRASHY AND FLASHY ARTICLES, 
many of which are worthless, and others worse than 
worthless, as they are absolutely pernicious. This Ed- 
itoris startled at the abundance and wide dissemination of 
the “ cursed advertisements,” as he properly calls them, 
and the fact that mere children of both sexes, of unsus¬ 
pecting parents are known to have concealed in their 
pockets the vile articles advertised. He brings these to 
our notice, and hopes we will “ devote a little attention 
to the matter.” “A little attention 1 ” good friend; we 
have devoted much “attention” to it these many years, 
and could tell more about it in ten minutes than you are 
likely to learn in a year. Wc have considered it in all its 
bearings, and are thoroughly impressed with its import¬ 
ance ; but the trouble is, that it does little good to de¬ 
nounce such things on general principles; to be effective, 
we must name the man who offers corrupting books, 
devices, and appliances, and this would be the very thing 
that these chaps would have us do. They would get ad¬ 
vertised in the very quarters, in the virtuous families of 
the rural population, the very places which they can but 
occasionally reach by their ordinary methods. So long as 
professedly decent papers publish such adverlisements as 
the “ Toll-gate,” without learning upon what kind of a 
road that Toll-gate stands (it leads directly dowmvards, 
and is very miry), and other such traps for the unwary, 
stuff of this kind will get sufficient publicity without aid 
from us. 
THERE IS BUT ONE SAFEGUARD 
against this evil, and that rests with the parents. How 
many parents so treat their children as to have their per 
