436 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[OCTOBER, 
Wonderful Growth of the American 
Agriculturist. 
The wonderful progress of the American 
Agriculturist during the past twenty years of 
its existence, is well known—how its circu¬ 
lation has at times run up toward One Hun¬ 
dred and Fifty Thousand, and how its read¬ 
ers have averaged for the whole time over 
One Hundred Thousand; how it has absorbed 
twenty-three other newspapers, extended its 
circulation through other lands as well as 
our own, (now counting, for example, its 
subscribers in far off Australia by the thou¬ 
sand,) and becoming the recognized leading 
Journal of the world, for the Farm, the Gar¬ 
den, and the Household. 
Secret of Success. 
The explanation of the success of the 
paper is to be found in a rigid adherence to 
the following code of principles or rules of 
conduct which the Managers at first laid 
down for themselves and their associates. 
lsf. —To make every line reliable. 
2d.—To get the best reading matter at any expense 
of time, labor, and money. 
3d.—To engage upon the Editorial staff, and as Con¬ 
tributors, the best men anywhere to be found—those of 
practical experience and wide information. 
4 th.—To always look after the wants and circum¬ 
stances of those struggling with limited means. 
5th.—To exclude from its business pages all adver¬ 
tisements of quackery, medicines, and unreliable adver¬ 
tisers. (Probably not three other Journals in the whole 
country, admitting advertisements at all, have laid down 
and persistently and consistently adhered to, as strict 
rules in regard to inserting only good advertisements.) 
6 th .— To make the paper known to the whole country, 
and adapt its pages to all sections. 
7th.—To make its teachings plain and practical 
as well as reliable, and use the engraver’s skill wherever 
it will add to the value of the articles an.I to the pleasure 
and interests of the readers. 
8th.— To devote much attention to protecting its readers 
from swindling schemes. Feu• numbers have been 
issued in a score of years, and more, that have not had 
exposures of “ Sundry Humbugs .’ ’ There is abundant 
evidence that in this way alone the American Agricul¬ 
turist has saved to its readers, in the aggregate, at 
least five times as many dollars as they (the 
readers ) have ever paid into the subscription fund. 
The American Agriculturist During 1883. 
From this time forward the paper will 
embrace all the excellent features of the 
past, and a good deal more. The rules of 
conduct, given above, will continue to be 
strictly adhered to. Large plans for im¬ 
provements are already perfected, such as 
beautifying the pages with superior engrav¬ 
ings, rendering its reading matter of still 
higher practical value, the introduction of 
new writers and artists in the Household 
and Young People’s Departments, etc., etc. 
The Editorial, Corps comprises writers 
of large experience, who have a national 
reputation in connection with the paper. 
Besides the constant gatherings from the 
correspondence of our readers in all parts of 
the country, our Stated and Special Contribu¬ 
tors embrace, among others, the following ; 
American Agriculturist Contributors. 
Professors in Agricultural Colleges. 
Pres’tJoHN Bascom, LL.D.. Wisconsin University. 
“ A. S. Welsh, LL.D., Iowa Agricultural College. 
“ A. Liautard, New York Veterinary College. 
Prof. F. H. Stores, Harvard University Agr. Dep’t. 
“ D. D. Slade, do. do. do. 
“ G. C. Caldwell, Cornell University Agr. Dep’t. 
“ J. B. Roberts, do. do. do. 
“ James Law, do. do. Vet. Dep’t. 
“ W. J. Beal, Michigan Agricultural College. 
“ A. J. Cook, do do. do. 
“ W. O. Atwater, Wesleyan University. 
“ C. E. Besses', Iowa State Agricultural College. 
“ S. A. Knapp, do. do. do. 
“ E. M. Shelton, Kansas State Agricultural Col. 
“ G. C. Swallow, Agricultural Dep’t Missouri Uui. 
“ C. L. Ingersoll, Prest. Colorado Agr. College. 
“ J. M. McBryde, Tennessee Univer’ty Agr. Dep’t. 
“ N. S. Townshend, Ohio University Agr. Dep't. 
“ W. H. Jordan. Pennsylvania Agricultural Col. 
“ Wm. A. Buckhodt, do. do. do. 
“ W. A. Henry, Agricultural Dep’t Wisconsin Uni. 
“ J. W. Chickering. Washington, D. C. 
“ C. C. Georgeson, Texas Agricultural College. 
“ W. W. Tracy, Detroit, Michigan. 
“ J. W. Sanborn, Agr Dep’t, Hanover, N. H. 
“ J. D. Warfield. Maryland Agricultural College. 
Prominent Investigators and Writers. 
J. B. Lawes, LL.D., Rotbamsted, England. 
Prof. C. V. Riley, United States Entomologist. 
“ S. A. Forbes, Curator, Illinois Museum. 
Hon. Edward Atkinson, Boston, Mass. 
II. E. Alvord, “Houghton Farm,” New York. 
Hon. Geo. Geddes, New York. 
L. B. Arnold, President National Dairy Association. 
Hon. X. A. Willard, on Dairying. 
Prof. Manly Miles, Author of “ Stock Breeding,” etc. 
“ Cyrus Thomas, Illinois, U. S. Entomological Com. 
“Timothy Bunker, Esq.,” Hookertown, Connecticut. 
F. S. Billings, Veterinary Surgeon, Boston, 
D. E. Salmon, do. do. Atlanta, Georgia. 
M. C. Weld, “Among the Farmers.” 
Peter Henderson, “ Gardening for Profit.” 
S- B. Parsons, Jr., Flushing, New York. 
R. W. Furnas, Ex-Governor, Nebraska. 
Mr. L. C. Root, Mohawk, N. Y. 
F. D. Coburn, Secretary Kansas Board of Agriculture. 
H. A. Haigf LL.B., Michigan, on Farm Law. 
F. D. Curtis, on Swine, etc. 
J. M. Hubbard, Middletown, Connecticut. 
L. D. Snook, Barrington, New York. 
Dr. E. H. Jenkins, Connecticut Experiment Station. 
D. Z. Evans, Jr., Germantown, Pennsylvania. 
Mr. E. P. Roe, Cornwall-on-Hudsou, N. Y. 
Hon. J. S. Newman, State Agr. Dep’t, Atlanta, Ga. 
Mr. W. C. Barry, Rochester, N. Y. 
Waldo F. Brown, Oxford, Ohio. 
Mrs. C. A. Runkle, New Jersey. 
Mrs. I. B Roberts, Flatbush, New York. 
Miss Agnes Carr, Brooklyn, New York. 
E. H. Leland, Author of “ Farm Homes.” 
“Faith Rochester,” Minnesota. 
Mrs. L. A. Beatty, Illinois. 
1858..German Agriculturist— 1883. 
The American Agriculturist is now, as for 25 
years past, issued in separate ENGLISH and 
GERMAN Editions, both every way alike as 
to then- Engravings and principal Reading 
Matter, and both equally valuable. This is 
the Chief German Agricultural and Horti¬ 
cultural Journal in the United States. It is 
of inestimable value to all German cultivators 
who do not read English as yet, and especially 
so to the Hundreds of Thousands who have 
recently come and are now coming from 
Europe to make their future homes in this 
agricultural country.—Many copies are sent 
regularly to Germany by those having friends 
there. The reading of it is a good preparation 
for those intending to come hither at some 
future time. This edition has many regular 
readers all over Europe wherever the German 
language is spoken—in Germany, Holland, 
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and especially in 
Western Russia where the people are ac¬ 
quainted with the dialect of bordering German 
States; Also in Northeastern Switzerland, 
where German is the general language of the 
people. The Amerikanischer Agriculturist is 
supplied at the same low price as the English, 
and may be united with it in making up clubs. 
The Cheapest Journal in the World. 
Notwithstanding the size of the American 
Agriculturist has more than doubled that of 
earlier years, and the scope enlarged to take 
in all the wants of Outdoor and Indoor life, 
notwithstanding all the matter is entirely 
original, written and prepared expressly for 
the columns of the paper, notwithstanding, 
beautiful illustrations have been and are to 
continue a distinguishing feature—a thousand 
or so of original engravings and sketches 
appearing in each volume—the price of the 
paper is to continue as heretofore, $1.50 a 
year, post-paid ; Ten Subscriptions for $10 
single copies, 15 cents. 
Farm Experiments.. 
Many farmers can recollect the first appear¬ 
ance of the wonderful contributions of Liebig 
to agriculture. The inference from these 
was, that we only needed an analysis of our 
farm crops and analysis of the soil, to be able 
to add to the soil such elements as were 
needed by the crops. We hear but little at 
the present time of chemical analysis of soils, 
with a view to ascertain what they lack. 
A more rational system has been adopted, 
which is, to make the plant perform the 
necessary questioning of the soil, and by 
direct experiment with various fertilizers as¬ 
certain what the soil needs. This question¬ 
ing of the soil can be done by any intelligent 
farmer if provided with fertilizing materials 
of known quality and purity. 
For the past five years the American Agri¬ 
culturist has given special attention to this 
form of Farm Experiments. Arrangements 
were made to supply the needed materials at 
small cost, with plain directions for their use, 
and for reporting the results. These results, 
which have been from time to time given in 
these pages, have been of such value that we 
hope to do still more in the way of field and 
feeding experiments in the future. 
Besides these experiments made by the 
farmers upon their own soils, there are here 
and abroad a number of farms and stations 
devoted exclusively or largely to Experimen¬ 
tal Agriculture. The pioneers in this useful 
field were Messrs. Lawes & Gilbert, upon the 
renowned farms at Rothamsted, England. 
This country is making advances in this di¬ 
rection, several of the States, notably Con¬ 
necticut, New Jersey, Michigan, and New 
York, having established Experiment Sta¬ 
tions. Besides these, Mr. Lawson Valentine, 
one of the proprietors of the American 
Agriculturist,has devoted “Houghton Farm,” 
Orange Co., N. Y., to Experimental Agri¬ 
culture, and instituted such experiments as 
will aid not only the farmers of his neigh¬ 
borhood, but those of the country at large. 
We shall endeavor to give our readers early 
information in a condensed and useful form as 
to whatever of interest or of value may result 
from the operations at these various points. 
See succeeding pages for Descriptions of Valuable Premiums given for Subscribers to the American Agriculturist. 
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