AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
129 
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a few hundred dollars. Not satisfied with this venture, 
he put all the ready money he possessed and a consider¬ 
able sum he borrowed into the February drawing, but 
every ticket proved a blank. The infatuated man, firm 
in the belief that he will yet draw another big prize, 
came into our office the first part of last week and bought 
an unusually large supply of tickets with money he had 
raised by mortgaging his farm.” 
MEDICAL MATTERS 
seem to be a little livelier just now, and appear to be 
ready to take advantage of that revival of business that 
all so hopefully wait for. We have even an occasional 
new nostrum, not very stunning, but still enough to 
show that the spirit of ''Mother Noble,” “Eddie East¬ 
man,” “Uncle Joe,” and all the rest still lives. When we 
take up a new contribution to the literature of quackery, 
we know about what to expect, as they are formed upon 
ESSENTIALLY THE SAME MODEL. 
In the first place some one has to be very sick and 
given up by the physicians, and generally sent off to 
some far-away place, in search of health. Then the sick 
man must, in some out-of-the-way place, come across 
a person to take his case in hand—this is usually a 
medicine-man of the Indians, or a remarkable squaw, or 
it may be some very old woman or old man ; but it is 
necessary that the deliverer be savage and dirty, or very 
old and ignorant, and if very “ pious,” all the better. 
Sick man takes medicine, and gets well; Indian or old 
person tells him the secret, the man who is cured feels 
it his duty to suffering humanity to sell the stuff at so 
much a box or bottle, with special terms to agents. This 
is the skeleton, which may be built upon and ornament¬ 
ed in various ways, but the ground-work is the same. 
Therefore, when we took up the document describing 
“UNOKA’S PILINDIAS,” 
we were not disappointed. The bill is headed, “ Narrow 
Escape from Death “Truth Stranger than Fiction,” a 
remark that, if we mistake not, we have heard some¬ 
where before. Jasper Z. Gordon was his name; he ar¬ 
rived at Rio do Janeiro, Brazil. Apparently in the last 
stages of consumption, old colored woman nursed him, 
and insisted on bringing in a squaw, who was a remark¬ 
able “ medicine ” woman ; her name it was Unoka; her 
father was a great medicine man,'probably old Tapioka , 
though his name is lost to history. In less than a week 
under Unoka s treatment with her pellets, Jasper became 
“a new man,” and if anyone doesn’t believe it, why, 
there is’Unoka’s portrait. Of course, Jasper procured 
the secret from Unoka, but he does not go into the busi¬ 
ness—he sends the recipe to a New York friend, “ to 
benefit mankind and yourself greatly by having the pel¬ 
lets made up and sold at a moderate price.” But why 
did not Jasper return ? He shall tell it in his own words, 
as he puts it, as a sweet ending to a sweet story: “I 
have fallen head over ears in love with the beautiful 
daughter of a rich old Don, and she returns my love 
with interest; and I have about made up my mind to 
live, love, and die here.”—Jasper you are a brick!.. . 
The next story we take up is 
DOCTOR UNCAS BRANT’S INDIAN ELIXIR OP LIFE, 
and it runneth in brief thus: Unk (short for Uncas) was 
a missionary—Black-feet Indians—son had consumption 
—awful sick—gave up hope—Big Injun visits Unk’s tent 
—Big Injun up and spoke, “ Pale-face no die—my squaw 
cure him”—squaw comes, brings leaves, grinds between 
stones, feeds Unk’s son on juice—But why tell the rest 
—of course, the son got well; of course, they found out 
about the plant; of course, the stuff is put up in bot¬ 
tles, with a discount to those who buy to sell again. So 
we might go on, filling page after page with variations of 
the same old story. The melancholy thing about it is 
that there are people who read and believe these yarns— 
and even swallow the stuff 1... We can not give farmers, 
and indeed others as well, any more useful caution than : 
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SIGN ! 
We have in former volumes shown how a document 
agreeing to take certain articles at a certain price, could 
be, by cutting off an inch or so from one end, converted 
into a promissory note. Some of this kind has been prac¬ 
ticed in Rhode Island, by the most persistent of all nui- 
| sances, the “ Lightning-rod Man.” A citizen was snr- 
i prised to find that his note for $60 was due at a Rhode 
Island bank. Some time previous a “ rodist ” had agreed 
| to “ rod” his house for $15, and asked for his name and 
address, as a guide for the one who would follow and do 
the work. The name was signed in a book, apparently 
kept for the purpose, and turns up on a note for $60. We 
have not much sympathy for those who will deal with 
these lightning-rod chaps, but this case serves to add 
force to our caution : “Be careful what you sign.” 
Every Grower of Potatoes, on a 
large or small scale, ought to have a copy of “ Riley’s Po¬ 
tato Pests.” This book gives not only full information 
about the Colorado Beetle, which will cover nearly the 
whole country this year, and tells clearly the best modes 
of successfully resisting its attacks, but it also describes 
numerous other pests of this important crop, and methods 
of avoiding them. The work is not only instructive, but 
highly interesting, even to those who do not grow pota¬ 
toes. Neatly bound copies are sent post-paid for 75 cts. 
An edition every way the same, except being bound in 
paper covers, is supplied at 50 cts. The book is worth 
its weight in silver, or gold even, to every one growing 
potatoes to the extent of half an acre or more, and is 
worth more than its cost to those having only a garden 
plot, or even no ground, for its interesting information. 
The Importance of the potato crop is shown by the fol¬ 
lowing figures giving the production in the United States: 
1850 _ 65,797,896 bushels. 11871.120,461,700 bushels. 
I860.111,148,867 bushels. 1872.113,516,000 bushels. 
1870.114,775,000 bushels. 11875.166,877,000 bushels. 
Wheat for Northern Iowa.— “ G. W. 
R.,” Butler Co., Iowa. Clawson wheat is a winter varie¬ 
ty, and cannot be sown in the spring. Northern Iowa is 
a spring wheat section. The varieties most suitable there 
wonld be the Scotch Fife or the Canada Club wheats. 
Essays on Gardening. —The prizes of 
fifty dollars each for the best Essays on the Cultivation 
of Cauliflower and Celery, offered by Peter Henderson 
as a Bpecial premium to the Centennial Commission, 
have just been awarded. That upon Cauliflower to Wil¬ 
liam H. White, Westborough, Mass., and that upon Cel¬ 
ery to William Frost, Jersey City Hights, N. J. 
Hardy Herbaceous Plants. —The 
American Agriculturist has for several years endeavored 
to rescue these plants from the neglect into which they 
had fallen, since the introduction of newer styles in gar¬ 
dening. Holding that all plants have their proper places, 
we have advocated hardy plants in their place. In our 
endeavors to popularize these plants, we were met by 
the difficulty that those we recommended very frequently 
could not be procured. This state of affairs is, however, 
improving; we find that nurserymen and florists, gener¬ 
ally, offer more hardy plants than heretofore, and last 
year we had occasion to notice a special catalogue by 
Hoopes, Brother & Thomas, Westchester, Pa., solely de¬ 
voted to a large collection of plants of this class. This 
year we have the catalogue ofWoolson & Co., Passaic, 
N. J., who propose to devote themselves solely to her¬ 
baceous and other hardy flowers. Mr.Woolson was former¬ 
ly connected with our editorial department, and we can 
cheerfully testify to his competent knowledge and ability. 
About Investing' in Alines.— Anew 
mining speculation is being actively prosecuted at pres¬ 
ent ; as its headquarters are in New York, we re¬ 
ceive inquiries about it from all parts of the country. 
These are so numerous that we must be excused from 
answering by mail, and we reply to those received, and 
endeavor to anticinate others, by telling what we know 
about the scheme here—and it will be perceived that this is 
very little. From inquiries of well-informed parties, we 
have no reason to suppose that the mining scheme re¬ 
ferred to involves intentional fraud, but that, like many 
other things of the kind, it is put upon the market as a 
speculation, of which those who invest in it must take 
the risks. The affair is a speculation into which money 
can be put with the greatest ease; whether any money 
can ever be taken out, will depend upon future develop¬ 
ments. Admitting that the affair is managed upon strict 
business principles, the risk and uncertainty remain. 
Animal Poke. —F. M. Moulton, the pat¬ 
entee of an animal poke, writes, claiming that the poke 
illustrated in the American Agriculturist of January last, 
is an infringement of his patent. As no description of 
the patent poke is sent, we can not form any opinion of 
the justice of the claim, but give the caution as it is sent. 
How to Choose and Work a Farm. 
—“W. B.,” Bermuda. Allen’s New Farm Book, (price 
$2.50), contains much practical information needed in 
choosing and working a farm, also description and man¬ 
agement of stock, poultry, etc. Dwyer’s Immigrant 
Builder, (price $1.50), contains valuable information as 
to the construction of the buildings needed on farms. 
Quantity of Manure per Acre.— 
“T. W. E.,” Hondo Valley, Texas. Very different quan¬ 
tities of manure are applied for different purposes. Thus 
100 tons of barn-yard manure, or a ton of guano, may be 
used in a garden, and less than a tenth as much in 
farm culture, and each be right in its place. 
Bit for Self>Sucking Cows—Saw¬ 
ing machines, etc.— “M. J. A. C„” New Madrid, 
Mo. We neither make nor sell any of the contrivances 
described in the American Agriculturist. These are either 
the inventions of the editors, or of correspondents, who 
have no patents on them, and give them to the public for 
the general benefit. They are so clearly described that 
any mechanic can make them. Very full directions were 
given for making the bit for self-sucking cows in the 
American Agriculturist for July, 1876, which any black¬ 
smith can follow, also for making the sawing machine, 
described on page 181 of American Agriculturist for 1875. 
Averill’s Chemical Paints. —In apply¬ 
ing ordinary paint, it is well known that the oil sinks at 
once into the pores of the wood, leaving the lead, or 
other color, dead and barely adhering to the surface, and 
it requires at least two coats before a fair surface is pro¬ 
duced. The “ chemical paints ” are so prepared that the 
wood does not take the oil away from the color, but even 
a single coat will dry with a good surface, and look quite 
as well as two coats of paint, mixed in the ordinary 
manner. We have outside work that was done some 
seven years ago with these paints, and it has worn in a 
most satisfactory manner. The colors, in a great variety 
of tasteful shades, for outside and inside work, are 
mixed ready for use. 
Haling Manure.—“D. T.,” Washington, 
D. 0. Mr. Ackerman is not the inventor of the machine 
for baling manure. That is the ordinary Ingersoll hay, 
straw, or cotton press, sold by R. H. Allen & Co., 189 
Water St., N. Y. It is now stated that the process of 
baling manure is no new invention, but has been in 
use many years. It seems strange that aDy person could 
receive a patent for baling manure in another person’s 
straw press, but mysterious are the ways of patents. 
Oats In Mary land. — “X.,” Eastern 
Shore, Md. Ground for oats in your locality, and others 
similarly situated, should be plowed in the fall and left 
in ridges. The oats may then be sown in the spring, as 
soon as the ground is dry enough, and harrowed in im¬ 
mediately. There would then be no delay. It is very 
probable that the fall or winter oats, commonly sown in 
Virginia, would be better for your locality than spring 
sown. The seed of the fall oats can be procured ofMessrs. 
Landreth & Sons, of Philadelphia. 
Eeatlier Eating- liens .— 1h C. F. H.,” 
Bethlehem, Pa. The vice of feather eating is very fre¬ 
quent amongst fowls that are confined. To cure it under 
these circumstances is impossible. It is due to a per¬ 
verted taste, caused by want of something, as well as 
to idleness, which is always productive of mischief. 
To Prevent Mens Eating their 
Eggs.— “F. M. H.” When a hen acquires a habit of 
breaking and eating eggs, there is no remedy. The only 
thing to do is to prevent the evil by killing the hen, or 
having the nest so arranged that the egg, as soon as laid, 
rolls away out of her reach. 
Basket Items continued 
on page 153 . 
Horticultural Brevities. 
The New Japanese Maples.— Those who 
have not seen these charming little trees, can have any 
idea of the exquisite beauty of their delicately cut foliage 
of a great variety of beautiful tints. Though some are of 
a feathery lightness, they are as hardy as a common Ma¬ 
ple. These choice plants are now offered at reduced 
rates by S. B. Parsons & Sons, Flushing, (L. I.) N. Y ... 
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society 
offers prizes to the amount of $6,100, for the current year. 
Competition open to all. Send for schedule to the Secre¬ 
tary, Robert Manning, Boston.... The Japanese 
Persimmon, now attracting deserved attention in 
California, is a distinct species, Diospyros kaki , a large 
and very delicious fruit. It first fruited in this country 
in the garden of Mr. James Hogg, in New York city. It 
may be had, on the Atlantic side, of S. B. Parsons & Sons, 
Flushing, N. Y. John Saul, Washington, D. C., and P. 
J. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga ... The N. Y. Horti¬ 
cultural Society publishes a tempting schedule of 
Premiums for its spring and fall exhibitions, and for 
monthly shows. To be had of the Secretary, W. J. David¬ 
son, Box 191, Brooklyn, N. Y_ Catalogues liow-a- 
days are often useful horticultural treatises; an example 
in illustration of this is Ellwaneer & Barry’s special cat¬ 
alogue of Roses_ Vick’s Flower and Vegeta¬ 
ble Garden is not a catalogue in disguise, but a trea¬ 
tise on gardening, in which the author does himself credit, 
gives sensible talk, an abundance of excellent pictures, 
and all for 50 cents. It may be mentioned that Mr. Vick’a 
address is Rochester, N. Y. 
