1877.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
167 
back five, ten, twenty-fold, the cost of the hooks. We 
wish every farmer could see, as we see it, of how much, 
value it would he to invest $5, $10, or better, $20 in se¬ 
curing a small library, no matter how great a sacrifice in 
some other direction, or how great the effort it may cost. 
The mail now brings hooks to every man’s door. We 
know that every man who will follow our advice, and get 
such a library now, will in less than three years warmly 
thank us for urging him to do so. There are many good 
books advertised now. To any one desiring it, we will 
be happy to offer advice as to a selection, if he will state 
his circumstances, what he has read, etc. 
War—Push in One Acre More.— 
At this writing (April 16) every indication points to a 
great war in Europe, to commence between Russia and 
Turkey, but likely to extend to other nations. This will 
involve the great granery of the lower Danube, and lead 
to a much larger demand upon this country for many farm 
products. While we deplore war, it is well for our far¬ 
mers to push their productions to the highest point, not 
only by careful cultivation to increase the yield, but 
by getting in every additional acre possible this spring. 
The Grasshopper Commission.— 
Congress made an appropriation, and commissioners 
have been appointed for a thorough investigation of the 
Locusts, or grasshoppers, and the means of preventing 
their devastations. The gentlemen appointed are Prof. 
C. V. Riley, of Mo.; Prof. Cyrus Thomas, of Ills.; and 
Doct. A. S. Packard, Jr., of Mass. These gentlemen 
have already taken the field in different parts of the far 
West, and will no doubt get at the “ bottom facts ” con¬ 
cerning this scourge. The question naturally suggests 
itself, What is our Department of Agriculture for ? Here 
is a work that belongs eminently to that Department, 
put in the hands of others. Is not the present Commis¬ 
sioner competent to direct such an undertaking, or is he 
so busy in sending out seed that he has not heard of the 
grasshoppers ? 
Special—'The “Kook Acre.”— Know¬ 
ing, as we do, the great advantage of good books to 
every farmer, we offer the following suggestion: Select 
one acre in addition to what is now planned for, label it 
the 11 BOOK ACRE ;” cultivate it at odd hours, and re¬ 
solve to invest the proceeds in good books on farming. 
It will be the best paying acre, on many farms, that was 
ever grown. Try it this year. 
A Thing Worth Doing.—If any farmer 
will get five of his neighbors to join him in subscribing 
for the American Agriculturist for the present year, at the 
regular rates of $1.60 each, (or six others if he is him¬ 
self a subscriber now), the Publishers will send as a 
present a copy of Allen’s “ New American Farm Book,” 
(price $2.50), post-paid. This valuable book is full of 
useful information, and it can be passed around ami con¬ 
sulted and read by all of the six or seven persons, and 
make a good beginning for a farmers’ Circulating Library. 
The cost to each, at $1.60 a year, which pays for postage 
also, will be only 3 cents a week. Surely a copy of the 
American Agriculturist in each household a whole year, 
and the use of this large instructive book, will richly re¬ 
pay so small an investment. It will pay. 
OR.— If impossible to get the six subscribers named 
above, let four subscriptions be made up, and select one 
of the $1.50 books from the list on third cover page of 
this number, say Henderson’s “ Gardening for Profit,” or 
“Harrison the Pig,” or Stewart’s “Shepherds’ Manual,” 
or Thomas’ “Farm Implements,” or Waring’s “Drain¬ 
ing for Profit.” Any-one of these books circulated and 
read, will be of great usefulness. 
Wide-a-Wake In Australia, New 
Zealand, Bermuda, etc.—The following pleas¬ 
ant bit of commendation comes in a letter from a gen¬ 
tleman well known in the scientific world, who is passing 
the winter and spring in the Island of Bermuda: “ I was 
riding, the ether day, with a well known English natur¬ 
alist, along a quiet country road. We were passing one 
of the pretty little cottages peculiar to Bermuda, but which 
showed more than ordinary taste in its surroundings. 
The snow-white limestone walls were covered with vines, 
a graceful hedge of pigeon-bush concealed the out-houses 
from sight, while between the cottage and the road was 
a level well kept lawn with neat borders, dotted with 
choice shrubs: the gorgeous scarlet-bracted Poinsettia, 
the elegant “ Flambeau,” (Poincianapulcherrima), cycads, 
shell-plants, and such a profusion of roses as only Ber¬ 
muda or South Carolina can show. My friend exclaimed : 
‘ What a neat little place ; those people must surely take 
in the American Agriculturist.' —I asked him why he 
thought so, and he replied, ‘Why anywhere in Nova 
Scotia or New Brunswick, where you see a house the 
clean and neat appearance of which shows that the own- 
ere take pride in having a pretty place, you may be fill re 
that they take in the Ameiican Agriculturist. I have re¬ 
marked it very often in driving through the country. It 
is a most wonderful paper. I never read a number with¬ 
out getting several useful ideas, and it has put us up to 
no end of new contrivances. I send it occasionally to 
friends in England, who are greatly pleased with it; they 
say there is nothing like it in Europe.’—So you see the 
American Agriculturist is appreciated abroad as well as at 
home.”_This Journal is the Agricultural paper of Aus¬ 
tralia. —It would be almost a novelty for a mail to arrive 
from that country that did not bring us a considerable 
batch of subscribers.— New Zealand seems determined 
not to be behind her neighbors in securing the benefit of 
Yankee ideas and improvements. Yesterday came a re¬ 
mittance for 92 subscribers, which follow hard after pre¬ 
vious orders for 66 copies, 21, 30, 34, etc. 
Pota.sk as a Fertilizer.— The last of 
the series of useful circulars sent out by the “ Mapes For¬ 
mula and Peruvian Guano Co.” is devoted to a discus¬ 
sion of Potash in its relation to agriculture. This circu¬ 
lar is none the less valuable from the fact that it is largely 
made up of extracts from Prof. Atwater’s articles, which 
appeared in the American Agriculturist , due credit, of 
course, being given. The matter relating to potash, which 
the reader would have to hunt up through many months, 
is here brought together in a compact, useful form, from 
which one can learn more about the uses of potash and 
its cheapest sources than he is likely to find elsewhere. 
The Uses of Rhubarb.—“T.” says: 
Having an abundance of rhubarb as one will have who 
has any plants at all, we in former years noticed that after 
a few pies in early spring, the novelty having worn off, the 
rhubarb was rarely used. An inquiry at “ headquarters ” 
revealed the fact that rhubarb was so juicy that the pies 
would “ stew over ” into the oven, that the juice pre¬ 
vented the “bottom crust” from baking properly; “no 
one cared for the pies after the first ones,” “ so much 
sugar,” and other things, which we do not now recollect, 
but to all of which we made answer—” Brown Betty.” 
The suggestion was followed, and thereafter a rhubarb 
Brown Betty became one of the institutions of the 
family. To “B. B.” you need breadcrumbs, rolled, but 
not fine, the size of split peas, more or less ; rhubarb, 
cut small; sugar, cinnamon, or other spice. Put a layer 
of crumbs in a pudding dish; a layer of rhubarb, some 
sugar, spice, more breadcrumbs, and continue alternate 
layers of rhubarb and crumbs, sweeting and spicing 
each, until the dish is full, or the material used up, fin¬ 
ishing at the top with crumbs. Bake until the rhubarb 
is done and the top well browned. Following this hint, 
sufficient crumbs were added to the rhubarb to absorb 
the juice in making pies,, to their great improvement. 
The rhubarb now gets used—if any doubt it, let them 
look at the grocer’s bill for sugar 1 
Street Potato-“llarly Peabody.” 
—The description of this new sweet potato in March last, 
has called out inquiries as to where it could be procured. 
Mr. Peabody informs us that he has sent a stock of seed 
potatoes to Messrs. James M. Thorburn & Co., 15 John 
St„ N. Y., who will, no doubt, be able to furnish plants 
at the proper time. Our experience shows that near 
New York the first week in June is quite early enough to 
set the plants ; those put out earlier may live, but they 
make little growth until the weather gets “ settled warm.” 
The National Repository, “ A Chris¬ 
tian Magazine,” devoted to “ general and religious litera¬ 
ture, biographies and travels, criticism and art,” is one 
of the best family magazines that comes to our table—94 
pages per number, beautifully printed, and well illus¬ 
trated. Edited by Dr. Curry, formerly editor of the 
“ Christian Advocate.” Published by Hitchcock & Wal¬ 
den, of Cincinnati. $3 per annum. Those desiring a 
first-class magazine—and what family does not?—will 
find this a safe, instructive, high-toned periodical. 
Sundry Poultry Mutters.—Health 
of Fowls.—“ Subscriber,” Ironton, Mo. To preserve 
a flock of fowls in robust health, it is advisable to change 
the male every year. This is easily done by procuring a 
change of eggs, and raising a brood of chicks of other 
stock_Crossing Breeds.—To cross a Light Brah¬ 
ma with a White Leghorn would be undesirable. There 
is nothing about the Leghorn that can improve the Brah¬ 
ma, and if the Brahma improves the Leghorns, it can on¬ 
ly be by adding size, and producing a mongrel which will 
probably be quite unsatisfactory... .Turkeys.—To 
have two broods of turkeys in one season, take the poults 
from the hen turkey as soon as they are hatched, and give 
them to a hen with a brood, or take the eggs from the hen 
turkey after she has set upon them for a few days, and 
put them under a hen. The turkey will then lay another 
litter of eggs, and needs no visit from the male turkey to 
fertilize them... Incubation of Eggs by Ma¬ 
nure,—In reply to a number of enquiries, we would 
say that unless a person has practical knowledge of the 
behavior of fermenting manure, and how to so manage it 
as to keep a steady heat, it is more than probable that an 
attempt to hatch eggs in this way would fail. We would 
not advise any lady to undertake this business, unless it 
be done very cautiously, and with a few eggs at a time. 
To risk a hundred eggs, without having experience, is 
unwise, and would almost certainly lead to failure. 
Sundry Humbugs. 
Very few who read the 
articles with the above head¬ 
ing are aware of the difficul¬ 
ties attending the prepara¬ 
tion of them. It often re¬ 
quires a great deal of corre¬ 
spondence, or much time to 
be spent in investigation by 
trustworthy parties, before 
we can be sure of a state¬ 
ment which, in the giving, 
may occupy but a few lines. 
In conforming to the rules 
we long ago established for 
our guidance—to spare no 
one, no matter wbat his po¬ 
sition, whom we know to be 
a swindler, and at the same 
time to place no one in the 
select company of Hum¬ 
bugs, without being morally 
certain of his right to this 
distinction—we must, of course, spend a great deal of 
time in investigating the cases which appear here, but 
still more on those against whom the evidence is insuffi¬ 
cient. There are many schemes which we feel quite sure 
are fraudulent, and persons whom we believe to be swin¬ 
dlers, that escape simply because we are unable to con¬ 
firm our suspicions. A marked illustration of the diffi¬ 
culties attending such investigations is the case of 
“the silver mountain mining company,” 
the circulars and pamphlets of which were a short time 
ago scattered broadcast over the country. The pamphlet 
was no more objectionable than such things often are, 
but the circular sent with it was too much after the style 
of some bogus concerns, to pass unsuspected. As the 
Company had its headquarters in New York, inquiry was 
made of parties who should know all about it. The in¬ 
formation received was embodied in an item given last 
month on p. 129, which, while it did not put the concern 
down as fraudulent, should have caused any thinking 
person to hesitate before risking his money in if. Soon 
after the April number was out, numerous inquiries 
moved the police authorities to investigate the matter, 
and they ascertained that the names which our informant 
regarded as sound, were fictitious, and that the affair 
was for the purpose of “defrauding easily deceived 
people.” It is very certain that any 
PROBABLY PROFITABLE ENTERPRISES 
have no need to resort to any such methods, to enablo 
them to start operations. There is money enough at all 
commercial centres awaiting investment, and any enter¬ 
prise that promises fair returns without unusual risks, 
can easily command capital.... Lotteries and the various 
tricks and games connected therewith, appear to have 
subsided somewhat since the arrests mentioned in our 
last, but the business is too profitable, and there are too 
many heavy capitalists engaged in it, for it to be aban¬ 
doned. That form of lottery, in which articles, such as 
musical instruments, jewelry, etc., are offered, instead 
of money, are still operating. 
“THE MERCANTILE PRIZE ASSOCIATION” 
is one of these about which there are serious complaints, 
and is a good (or rather bad) specimen of the lot. We 
sometimes think that we have little pity to waste upon 
those who are simple enough, after all the warnings that 
we have given, to be caught by these games, but every 
now and then there occurs a case in which the losers are 
so much in earnest, and to whom the loss seems such a 
hardship, that, while we are disposed, from principle, to 
say, “sarved ’em right,” we are, at the same time, sorry 
we can not help them. Here are two letters, both from 
Indiana, one from a German who understands no English, 
and the other from the father of a young lady, both per¬ 
sons being victimized to the same amount, viz., $7.50. 
The plan is to send a ticket informing the recipient that 
the ticket has drawn a prize, in both these cases a Melo- 
deon ; the price of the ticket is $1, and the one to whom 
it is sent is informed that by forwarding this and $6.50 
for “expressage and packing,” the ticket “entitles the 
holder toaMelodeon valued at $125.” In both these cases 
the money was sent, and in both, of course, the melo- 
deon wasn’t. This “ Prize Association ” has as many 
names and addresses for its officers as a dealer in coun¬ 
terfeit money. One circular Is dated far np |n Broadway 
