1879.] 
175 
AMERICAN AG-RIOIjX,TIJRIST. 
if possible, before he can frighten the women and child¬ 
ren, by an account of their daily and hourly danger, and 
persuade them that without his rod, life is doubly uncer¬ 
tain. Rods put up by these travelling chaps are very 
sure to cost several times more than the unfortunate 
purchaser supposes they will, but more than this, the 
lightning-rod business is frequently made the medium of 
MOST RASCALLY SWINDLING. 
Every year we get several complaints, and one has al¬ 
ready come from Nebraska, a brief account of which may 
put farmers and others on their guard. A young lady 
was killed by lightning in Boone Co. last summer, and 
this made that county a harvest field for the rodders. 
Last fall a chap, claiming to represent Reyburn, Hunter & 
Co., of Philadelphia, victimized a large number of the 
“ hardworking, unsuspecting pioneers of Boone Co.” 
The death of the young woman afforded the chap a strong 
point, and he did not want ready money, but would 
take notes to run from one to five years, with interest not 
to commence until June. As usual, there was a gang of 
them. He of the glib-tongue came and took the orders; 
then came men to put up the rods ; then came another 
and took the notes. Here was the worst mistake of all. 
“farmers be careful what you sign,” 
the injunction which we have so often repeated, and shall 
have to repeat so many times hereafter, was forgotten, or 
at any rate, not heeded. The notes were signed, but the 
farmers were not “careful.” They have been reminded 
of their want of care in a most positive manner. A law¬ 
yer in Marshalltown, Iowa, has notified the several sign¬ 
ers that he has purchased their notes, and that they are 
due on the first day of next June! No such concern as 
Reyburn, Hunter & Co., is to be found in Philadelphia, 
and our correspondent asks what these givers of notes 
shall do. We do not know what is the law in the case, 
but we should advise all who have given these notes 
to unite and make common cause to resist the payment 
of them. If the facts are as stated, it should not be 
difficult to prove that they were 
obtained under false pretences. 
There is no doubt, justice to be had, if the Boone County 
people show a united front, but if each one is left to be 
threatened and frightened individually, without the sup¬ 
port and sympathy of others, he will make the best of a 
bad bargain, and get out of it as well as he can. Our cor¬ 
respondent thinks lhat the publication of this case will 
“ put people on their guard,” and so it will, with a 
great many, but we are less sanguine in that respect 
than formerly. We have published, year after year, 
case after case, in which farmers have come to grief 
through want of care in signing their names ; we have 
printed in small type and in large type : 
“FARMERS, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SIGN 1 ” 
until the repetition has seemed irksome. Yet each year 
brings many new illustrations of the need of forcibly 
repeating the caution. It is not only Lightning-rod men 
who prey upon the farmer, but all sorts of devices are re¬ 
sorted to, to get somehow, by hook or by crook, the 
farmer’s name.—He thinks he is merely giving his ad¬ 
dress, is showing the stranger how to spell it correctly, 
is giving an order for certain goods to be delivered at a 
future time, or in some other manner the name is ob¬ 
tained, and the next he hears of it is at the bottom of a 
note that some neighbor has bought, or the bank in the 
next town has discounted....An old swindle has been 
revived in some of the New England towns. It is to 
advertise for a party to act as agent for the sale of 
some quack medicine; in this case it was 
“rocky mountain bitters,” 
but the agent must have a few hundred dollars to advance 
for an “ interest in the business.” The “ Doctor ” who 
represents himself as proprietor of the “ Bitters,” hires a 
store, sets mechanics to fitting it up in good style, and 
gets the money the agent is to pay; he gives the agent 
possession of the store, and goes off to send on the “ Bit¬ 
ters.” Agent waits, and if the “ Rocky Mountain ” sort- 
does not come he has no lack of “ bitters” of his own, in 
the shape of rent, and the bills of carpenters and painters 
to pay, and the bitter consciousness that the other chap 
has got his money. 
Fairs for 1879.—Time and Place Want¬ 
ed.— Several announcements of fairs and premium 
lists have already come to hand, and we make our 
usual request to the secretaries, or executive officers 
of the various societies, to inform us of the fair as 
soon as its date is determined. It may seem a strange 
request, but we ask them to be particular to name the 
State , in their announcements. A large share of the 
premium lists, show bills, etc., of county and smaller 
fairs fail to say in what State the fair will be held. As 
counties go, Washington, Jefferson, and some other 
counties, are far from definite. We would suggest to 
societies the importance of fixing upon the date early in 
the season and issuing the schedule of prizes; if this is 
left until within a few weeks of the fair, the work is 
often hurriedly done, and those who would compete for 
those premiums that require preparation in advance, are 
deprived of the opportunity for doing so. 
An Improved Enpatented Milk Pail.— 
“J. P. M.,” Alleghany Co., N. Y., sends the accompany¬ 
ing sketch of a milk-pail 
which he uses. It is an 
ordinary milk-pail (a), 
with a cover (6). made to 
fit the pail; the bight of 
the conical part should be 
one inch less than half the 
diameter. The cover has 
a round mouth (c); the 
bight of the collar (c), 
should be 1% inches or 2 
inches, measured at the 
upper or lower side; the 
diameter may be made to 
suit the fancy; mine is 6 
inches, being about % inch 
less than the length of 
the side of cone, and is 
perfectly satisfactory. The collar should be wired around 
the top ; at (d), is a handle. Tie a cloth strainer over the 
collar (c), letting it hang down 3 or 4 inches, put a sauce 
plate or small saucer in the strainer, and milk away. 
There won’t be any specks on cream from that milk. 
Jersey Red Hogs,- 1 “H. W.,” Newbern, N. C. 
We do not consider Jersey red hogs an improvement ou 
the Berkshire, except as a means of producing lard or 
clear mess pork. For bacon or hams, they are very inferior 
to the Berkshire, which is the best for hams, shoulders, 
and bacon, of all the breeds we have. 
A Cistern for 30 Head of Cattle.—“J. J. L.,” 
Gallia Co., Ohio. To supply 30 cattle with water, a cis¬ 
tern should hold at least 300 barrels, which would be 
only a month’s consumption, allowing 10 gallons a day for 
each animal,'or 10 barrels in all for one day. 1,260 cubic 
feet capacity would be required, or a round cistern 12 
feet in diameter, and 12 feet deep, with perpendicular 
sides, allowing the water to be 11 feet deep. 
Irritation from Teething.—“ L. J. W.,” 
Davenport, Fla. Young horses, when changing their 
teeth, are frequently troubled with inflammation of the 
eyes. This cannot be prevented, but maybe relieved by 
giving a dose of 8 ounces of Epsom salts to cool the sys¬ 
tem. It may be necessary to repeat this, and half an 
ounce of saltpeter given daily for three or four days may 
be helpful. It will do no good to knock out the animal’s 
old teeth, as often advised, while it may possibly do harm. 
Sharpening Mowing Machines. -That one 
invention begets anotjier is strikingly illustrated in the 
case of mowers and reapers. The value of these im¬ 
portant machines has been greatly enhanced by the in¬ 
vention of other machines for pntting them in order. A 
dull mower is a disappointment, and a minor invention 
was needed to make the greater one complete. Machine 
knife-grinders of various styles have been produced; 
that known as the Farmer's Favorite Emery Grinder has 
received special commendations. The arrangements for 
holding the knife-bar and the mounting of the grinder 
are such that one person can operate it, and secure prop¬ 
er bevels and edges to the sections. It needs no argu¬ 
ment to show that the durability of a mower, reaper, or 
harvester is largely dependent upon the ease with which 
the knives do their work, anil blunt edges here mean wear 
and tear elsewhere. The makers of the Farmer’s Favor¬ 
ite also offer a sharpener for lawn-mowers, for which 
similar excellence is claimed. 
Bees and Fruit.— Every season we have letters 
asking how bees can be prevented from injuring grapes, 
peaches, and other fruit. There is no evidence that 
honey-bees do injure these fruits. The mouth parts of 
the bee are not strong enough to penetrate their tough 
skins. The most careful observations of such men 
as Langstroth, Quinby, Root, and others, have not found 
the honey-bee to be the aggressor. But when the skin 
of the fruit is once pierced by wasps, hornets, or birds, 
then the honey-bee comes for a share of the juices thus 
exposed ; and while it is often the receiver, it is never 
the real thief—or rather burglar. This is a matter of 
great importance to fruit growers ; but before they com¬ 
plain of the bee-keepers, let them examine the matter and 
see how far their losses are due to the honey-bee, and how 
far to their wild relatives, the various wasps and hornets. 
Moles. —If any one has successfully exterminated 
moles by the use of any trap, will he please tell us what 
trap, and if a non-patented one, give us a sketch and 
description? If any have succeeded by using poison, 
will they tell us what poison, and how applied ? In¬ 
quiries continue to come as to moles, and we would like 
to be able to give a satisfactory answer. We have not 
yet seen a trap that was worth more than its weight as 
old iron. Our only help is a cat: she is not patented, 
and is not for sale. She has not exterminated the moles, 
but has kept them in such subjection that they are not 
the pest that they were. We wish others’ experience on 
the mole question, which is often an important one. 
Lawn-Mowers-Tlie Excelsior.— “G. W 
C.” We would no more undertake to decide as to which 
Is “the best” lawn-mower than we would indicate 
which is the best sewing-machine or field mowing- 
machine. There are several styles of all of these ma¬ 
chines so nearly perfect that each one thinks the 
one he happens to have is the best. But after several 
years’ experience with the Excelsior Lawn-Mower, we 
can commend it as thoroughly satisfactory in the char¬ 
acter of the work and the ease of doing it. The large 
demand for the Excelsior abroad shows its superiority 
over the clumsy machines made in Europe, and we are 
informed that the foreign trade is increasing in a man¬ 
ner most gratifying to the makers. 
The Winchester Repeating; Fire Arms 
deserve the very high estimation in which they are held 
by experienced riflemen. We have used them on many 
hunting trips over the plains and through the parks of 
Colorado and Wyoming, and found them very accurate 
and reliable. They are specially valuable in hunting 
antelope at long or short range. We have frequently 
been able to discharge a dozen or more shots at a band be¬ 
fore they could get out of reach. The heavy calibre Win. 
Chester brings down our largest game at long distances. 
Cement Floor for a Stable.—“J. P.,” La¬ 
grange Co., Ind. A cement floor for a stable should be 
made strong. Concrete of stone and cement, well 
rammed down and soaked with hot gas tar would be best 
for a cow stable. A horse stable should be paved with 
cobble stones, well rammed down and filled in with ce¬ 
ment worked in among the stones with a stiff broom. 
Gas tar will then make it water-proof and harden it. 
Cosiuoline. —This, not as some have supposed, 
some secret compound, but is the trade name for one of 
the articles obtained from petroleum. Crude petroleum 
is a wonderful natural compound of a number of well 
marked substances, among which are the very light and 
exceeding imflammable liquids, gasoline, naphtha, etc., a 
heavier liquid which we know as kerosene, still heavier 
oils, and finally some solid substances, one of which, 
much like wax, is called paraffin. Of late the medicinal 
qualities and the uses in pharmacy of these petroleum 
products have been investigated, especially in Europe. 
So far as the solid products go, paraffin and similar sub¬ 
stances, their resistance to all change when exposed to 
the air makes them especially suitable to external appli¬ 
cations, and they probably will supersede the Various 
animal and vegetable fats now used in ointments. Cos- 
moline is the trade name for one of the nearly solid 
petroleum compounds, as kerosene is for one of the 
liquids. The use of this and similar preparations de¬ 
rived from petroleum, is commended in a recent “Medi¬ 
cal and Surgical Reporter)” and those of our associates 
who have used it speak in high terms of its efficacy as 
an external application to raw surfaces, burns, and 
wherever a soothing ointment is desirable. 
To Prevent Wheat Lodging on Mucky 
Soil.—“A. J. A.,” Goodhue Co., Minn. Lime may be 
usefully applied upon mucky soils to prevent wheat lodg¬ 
ing. Wood ashes are useful on such soils. 
The Shaker Separator and Engine.— We 
are so accustomed to associate the name of Blymyer 
with sugar and syrup machinery that it seems rather 
strange to receive from the Blymyer Manufacturing Co. 
a neat and handsomely illustrated pamphlet, that says 
nothing about sugar or any other form of sweetness, but 
is solely devoted to the merits of the Shaker Separator, 
and the motive powers for working it. It may be neces¬ 
sary to tell some old-fashioned farmers that a “ sepa¬ 
rator ” is a threshing-machine; the use of that name is 
now becoming very general, and has the advantage, if no 
other, of making one word serve instead of two. From 
the well-known thoroughness of the Blymyer Co. in 
other manufactures, we have no doubt of the excellence 
of the Shaker Separator. The machine as compared with 
the old style of thresher appears ridiculously small, yet 
when we are assured that it will thresh and clean from 
20 to 50 bushels of wheat, according to the power used, 
in an hour, it is evidently large enough. The makers 
claim to have produced a machine which can be sold at a 
price that will allow a farmer to have his own thresher, 
and of a size that can be worked in the barn, enabling 
him to thresh his grain when convenient. Horse powers 
of different styles are made by the Company, who also 
make the “ Queen City,” a portable farm steam-engine, 
which we described and figured in October, 1877. 
