1881.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
313 
Our Special Contributors. 
The reader will find interesting and instructive 
■articles from no less than ten special contributors, 
written for this number of the American Agricul¬ 
turist, from various States, and embracing a wide 
range of Subjects. 
Dr. J. B. Lawes, of Rothamsted (Eng.), gives 
some notes on Nitrogen in Soils-Prof. C. V. 
Rilet, of the U. S. Entomological Commission 
describes and furnishes valuable information on the 
Periodical Cicada, or “ Seventeen and Thirteen- 
Year Locusts.”_Prof. Bascom, Presidentof Wis¬ 
consin University, supplies good advice concerning 
Art in common farming_Prof. Shelton, of Kan¬ 
sas Agricultural College, details experiments in 
Eeeding Swine, that are important, and the prin¬ 
ciple developed applies to other domestic animals 
as well_Prof. Warfield, of Maryland Agricul¬ 
tural College, gives a very roseate view of the 
prospects of the “ New South.”.. .Prof. McBryde, 
of the University of Tennessee, describes a series 
-of experiments in Feeding Ensilage_ Edwin 
Atkinson presents some thoughts on the Relation of 
Railroads to Farmers.. ..Col. Weld advocates the 
omission of Shoes from Horses, with illustrations. 
....Db. F. S. Billings, Boston, Mass., writes of 
the care of domestic animals under Farm Hygiene. 
_Mr. Nevill’s Prize Essay on “Keeping One 
Horse,” is concluded... .Many other chapters and 
items of interest and practical value will be found 
in our well-filled pages. 
Sundry Humbugs. 
extent. As whoever entertains the proposition of 
one of these swindlers shows his willingness to 
Become a Partner in a Crime, 
it may be asked why we present this matter to our 
readers, as if we suspected that any of them were 
liable to be this. We do not give this warning to 
our readers for themselves, but it is usually the 
case that thoughtless persons, those who are 
simple enough to be taken by such schemes, are 
usually simple enough to confide in and ask the 
advice of others, and that our readers may be pre¬ 
pared to warn such, we give the machinery of the 
fraud. Circulars are sent out, far and wide, making 
offers, such as “ One thousand dollars in my goods 
for $150,” and so on, larger lots cheaper in propor¬ 
tion. The victim must come to the city, but not to 
the address given, as “I only receive my mail 
through a friend who knows nothing of my busi¬ 
ness.” If a simpleton bites, he gets a minute letter 
of instructions. He must write when he will leave 
for New York, and the name of his hotel. When 
he starts, he must telegraph the fact. Arrived at 
the city, he must be careful to speak to no one, but 
go to his hotel, and at once to his room, there to 
await the arrival of the swindler, who will assure 
victim of his identity by showing him one of his 
own letters, and saluting him as number 26—or 
whatever it may be. There is a vast amount of 
warning and precaution, quite enough to put the 
poor victim in a nervous state, and when the swind¬ 
ler appears he has an easy task to get the poor fel¬ 
low’s money, and frighten him into leaving by the 
first conveyance. It is gratifying to know that 
one of these swindlers recently 
“Woke up the Wrong Passenger.” 
We have recently 
referred to the fact 
that a swindle which 
was very prosperous 
towards and after the 
close of the war, was 
being gradually re¬ 
vived—namely, that 
of selling counterfeit 
■! money, or, in the 
slang of the police, “ Shoving 
~~ the queer.” Our readers would 
jjH be astonished at the number of 
these schemes that are being 
quietly, but industriously pre¬ 
sented at the present time. 
This is one of those swindles that, fortunately, need 
not touch any honest person. Only those who are 
willing to engage in the crime of passing counter¬ 
feit money are to be caught by it. It is true that 
these swindlers present their schemes in such a 
plausible manner, and show that the profits on a 
small investment are so large that a simple-minded 
person, who has no thought of a criminal act, may 
be drawn into the trap. The circulars are careful 
to show that the imitations of greenbacks are so 
close that they cannot be detected from the real, 
and are therefore just as good—for at present it is 
not sought to disguise the traffic by use of such 
terms as “goods,” “cigars,” and others. We have 
before stated that 
No Counterfeit Money Whatever 
is concerned in these transactions. By the offer of 
•counterfeit bills in large sums for real money in 
much smaller sums, it is the aim of the swindler 
to get an interview with his victim, and to get hold 
of his good money by pretending to give him a par¬ 
cel of counterfeit bills; but before these bills can 
be examined the victim is hurried off by acting on 
his fears, and he is hastily started on his way 
home by suggestions of possible arrest. The victim, 
knowing that he is guilty, is very willing to be 
shown the quickest way out of the city. It is only 
when far enough on his road home to feel that it is 
safe to do so, that the purchaser opens his parcel 
and, of course, finds it valueless. Such a person 
has no redress; to make a complaint, he must ad¬ 
mit he intended to buy aud circulate counterfeit 
money. Hence such cases are rarely heard of, yet 
we have reason to know that this swindle has, 
within the past year or so, increased to an alarming 
Correspondence passed between one of these chaps 
and a person in a New England city. All the details 
of the meeting were arranged and the appointment 
kept. In due time the New England man was in 
his room at the designated hotel; the sender of the 
circular called, showed N. E. man^his own letter, 
and saluted him as No. 18, or the number fixed 
upon. Down East man presented his hand, but it 
had a revolver in it, and assured his caller that he 
was of the U. S. Post-office Department, and he 
would thank his friend to walk to Ludlow Street 
Jail! Probably all that can come of it will be a 
charge of using the mails for fraudulent purposes. 
New York is the “ Head Center” of this particular 
swindle, aud the officials do all in their power to 
cheek its now rapid increase.While some 
swindles make New York their center, for real 
“out-and-outers” Cincinnati, O., takes the lead. 
In the fine arts, especially, some of the Cincinnati 
offers are far ahead of anything poor Gotham has 
to show. There is to be a paper and it is to be 
“ The Hearthstone,” 
and whoever will send a dollar is to receive, not a 
“machine-made engraving or chromo,” but “gen¬ 
uine oil paintings” on canvas, painted by hand by 
the same process and with the same tools that a 
Meissonier or a Church or a Vincent or a Colby 
would use !” “ Same tools ” is good. A common 
grave-stone cutter uses the “same tools” as did 
Canova or Powers, but the work may be slightly 
different. What is very funny in the matter is, that 
in the list of paintings several are said to be by one 
“ Dusseldorf ” !... .The increased immigration from 
Europe seems to be made use of by speculators, 
who send circulars, especially throughout the 
Western States, asking farmers to give the price 
they will sell their farms for, and also to get their 
Neighbors to Pledge to Sell their Farms 
at a certain price. There is too much circumlocu¬ 
tion about the circulars, that we have seen for a 
square trade, and it is well to repeat a word of 
warning :—Do not pledge yourself to a stranger to 
do anything in the future, and above all things, do 
not agree to sell your farm. The sale of one’s 
home is a serious matter, and should never occur 
unless for the best of reasons—never in a spirit of 
speculation. With regard to this and other similar 
schemes our advice is to 
Be Cautious of all Unusual Methods 
of doing business.The Battery business appears 
under new forms. The advertisements of some are 
amusing reading, or would be so, did we not know 
that they must impose upon the credulous and un¬ 
suspecting. One of the new humbugs starts out 
with the statement that “The Germ of all life is 
Electricity,” and goes on to show that the elec¬ 
tricity of this “battery” is essential to preserving 
life. We are informed that “as lightning purifies 
the air, so must electricity purify the blood,” and 
a vast amount of similar nonsense. We see no 
reason to modify our statement made many months 
ago that these advertised “ batteries ” sold for a 
dollar or less, to be worn against the breast, or else¬ 
where on the body as a sort of pad or medal, are, 
so far as we have seen them, one and all absolutely 
useless.The latest development in the way of 
Medical Electrical Appliances 
is not a “battery,” or pads, but a sort of clothing 
to cover different parts of the body. The material is 
very much perforated with eyelets, some of the affairs 
being crooked for the shoulders, straight to serve as 
belts and insoles, and made up in the form of corsets, 
etc., to apply to a large 6hare of the chest. We are 
told in regard to these affairs that “ each eyelet is a 
galvanic cell attached to a series of powerful mag¬ 
nets.” When we consider the number of these 
eyelets in every part of this clothing, and consider 
that each eyelet is connected with a series of some¬ 
thing powerful, we shudder to think what the com¬ 
bined power might be, if it had any. We are shown 
pictures of persons of both sexes with these won¬ 
derful appliances worn over the under-clothing. 
Those who know anything about galvanic or mag¬ 
netic action, are aware that there must be actual 
contact before these forms of electricity can be 
conveyed from one substance to another, and that 
the thinnest under-clothing would shut off all elec¬ 
tricity from the body, provided any were present. 
One of the circulars advertising this clothing seems 
to be quite out with the physicians of Brooklyn, as 
it informs us that “nine-tenths of the medical men 
of Brooklyn are nothing less than murderers ”—a 
statement that is quite important if true, and should 
receive the attention of the police at once. 
Bliss’ American Wonder Pea. 
We intended to plant this pea alongside of and 
in direct contrast with early dwarf peas, but over¬ 
looked the matter at planting time. It was planted 
at various times by itself, and each crop in earli¬ 
ness, productiveness, and excellence, fully sus¬ 
tained all that had been claimed for the variety. 
As to quality, it is not too much to say that it is 
superlatively fine. If any pea is better (we. admit 
that the later “ Champion of England ” is as good), 
we wish to see and grow that pea. But among its 
other excellent qualities, earliness is claimed for 
this new variety. Knowing that a neighbor, a few 
miles away, Mr. L. B. Stone, had sown “Bliss’ 
American Wonder” side by side with “Little 
Gem,” heretofore our best Early Dwarf pea, we re¬ 
quested him to make a comparison of the two. Mr. 
S. planted both varieties in the same soil on April 
24th, and both had in all respects the same treat¬ 
ment. The vines of “Little Gem” averaged 15 
inches in hight, while those of the “ Wonder ” were 
only about 10 inches. Mr. Stone says: “ I pulled 
up 35 vines of each variety, and picked all the pods 
from each. There were 107 pods on the ‘ Gems,’ 
and 111 on the ‘ Wonders.’ When shelled, the 
‘Gems’ produced a little more than a gill, and 
the ‘ Wonders’ a little over half a pint.” Mr. Stone 
adds: “The 35 vines of both varieties occupied 
about three feet of row, or one vine to the inch, 
which I think is too close. The ‘ Wonder ’ was to 
all appearances a few days in advance of the ‘ Gem,’ 
aud gave more large shelled peas ; in some pods 
there were eight large peas, nearly all full-grown, 
and the thoroughly grown pods nearly all averaged 
six peas, while the ‘ Gems ’ would not average four 
well grown peas to the pod.”—We thank Mr. Stone 
for these facts, which quite confirm our impressions. 
Both here and in Europe, in England as well as on 
the Continent, the new variety has taken its place 
in the front rank. We can safely commend “Bliss’ 
American Wonder” as the very best of all the early 
dwarf varieties in cultivation. 
