334 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
Our Exhibition Tables. 
As announced last month, wc have provided at 
the office of the Agriculturist ample tables for the 
free exhibition of noteworthy products from the 
Field, Orchard, Garden, etc. The design is to 
keep open a perpetual Show, where at all times of 
the year, vegetables, fruits, and flowers, in their 
several seasons, together with novel useful imple¬ 
ments may be placed for public examination. Dur¬ 
ing the past month, our tables have presented a 
most attractive display, and at this date (Oct. 18.) 
they arc covered with a show which would do 
credit to a town or county fair. Our thanks are 
especially due to the several contributors. Thou¬ 
sands of visitors, both residents and strangers, have 
expressed their gratification with this new and ap¬ 
propriate feature of the Agriculturist establishment. 
As before stated, our accomodations are ample, 
and the invitation is repeated to all who choose, to 
exhibit, free of charge, whatever appropriately be¬ 
longs to this department, if of interest to the public. 
In addition to sundry agricultural and horticul¬ 
tural curiosities, prepared birds, etc., and the articles 
alluded to in our last, the following are among 
the specimens shown during t '.e-past month. 
Vegetables, etc.—A large mountain Sweet Wa¬ 
termelon, 3 ft. in circumference,20 in. long, wt. 43 lbs., 
from (label lost) Westchester Co. N. Y., .... Mam¬ 
moth Beet, weighing 24 lbs., Rev. W. W. Howard, 
Kings Co., L. I.—Also Mammoth Beet Jr., 14)4 
lbs., from Westchester Co., N. Y., .... Large Cu¬ 
cumber, from Wm. M. Robbins, Suffolk Co., L. I.... 
Honolulu Squash, W. A. F., Kings Co., L. I., .... 
Fig Tomatoes—beautiful clusters, W. F. Heins .... 
White Egg Plants , fine specimens , W. F. 
Heins .... Japanese Egg Plants, named Chinese by 
others, a very showy ornamental vegetable some¬ 
what resembling the Tomato in growth, W. S. 
Carpenter, and R. L. Allen-Kohl Rabi, very 
fine gro wth, W. Darmstadt, N. J.Mottled Corn, 
very singularly marked, from seed obtained of the 
Iroquois indians in Western New-York, W. S. Car¬ 
penter.... Fine ears Yellow Corn, planted May 
24tli, harvested Sept. 15th, Chs. E. Parker, Queens 
Co., N. Y.Dent Corn, excellent specimens, 
Gov. A. J. Rush, Iowa.... Devereux, Improved 
King Philip and Golden Drop Corn, W. S. Carpen¬ 
ter.... New California Squash, (77 lbs,); New 
Cuba Squash, of about the same weight, W. F. 
Heins, N. Y., also Honolulu and Golden Japan 
Squashes, and fancy Gourds, by same.... Lot of 
Peach Blow Potatoes, 19)4 to 24)4 ounces, averag¬ 
ing 21)4 ounces each, S. B. Conover, West Washing¬ 
ton Market, raised in Monmouth Co., N. J.... 
Long White French Turnip, Improved Long Orange 
Carrot, and Blood Red Onions, J. E. Macomber, R. I. 
Fruits.—A pples, 60 named varieties including 
very fine specimens, W. S. Carpenter.Pound 
Sweet Apples from a full bearing tree, over 30 years 
old, J. M. Gardner, Westchester Co., N. Y.,.... 
Porter and Russet Apples, G. Banks, Queens Co., 
N. Y., . ... Russet Apples, very line, A. P. Cum¬ 
mings, (Ed. N. Y. Observer) Westchester Co., 
N. Y .... Gloria Mundi Apple, weight 3)4 lbs., W. 
S. Carpenter. Pears, a fine collection, 15 varieties, 
Thomas W. Field, Queens Co., N. Y., also 20 va¬ 
rieties by W. S. Carpenter.... Grapes, Child’s 
Superb, grown at Hastings, Oneida Co., Dr. S. S. 
Fitch .... Diana and Concord, W. S. Carpenter .... 
Syrian, a magnificent cluster, weighing 7)4 lbs., 
grown by Lathrop & Munson, Bridgeport. They 
were afterwards taken to the table of the Prince of 
Wales, who was at that time in this city. In ad¬ 
dition to these, a cluster from the same vine, weigh¬ 
ing 5 lbs., is now on exhibition. The vine is 3)4 
years old, and has this year borne 13 clusters, the 
largest weighing 7)4 lbs., as noted above, the small¬ 
est 3)4 lbs .... A magnificent Quince, 11 inches in 
circumference, W. T. Ilommenway, Flushing, N. Y. 
Flowers.—A fine display of cut flowers from 
the proprietor’s grounds at Flushing. Also beauti¬ 
ful bouquets brought in by E. A. Wright, Queens 
Co., N. Y-Dahlias, very perfect specimens, some 
20 varieties, A. P. Cummings, Westchester Co., N. 
J. Also a beautiful collection of Dahlias, many of 
them new, H. F. Krause, (of N. Y. Central Park) 
N. Y.... Glass Flowers, and Fruits, a splendid vase 
filled with a beautiful collection of flowers and 
small fruits, made entirely of glass—a rare parlor 
ornament, J. F. Bode, N. Y. 
Miscellaneous.—A pair of living Humming 
Birds in a glass cage, J. Bode, N. Y. 
Improving Prospects for Farmers. 
We are happy to report that the present pros¬ 
pect of good prices for farm produce is exceed¬ 
ingly favorable. The harvests in Great Britain 
have turned out poorly, and the export of wheat, 
flour and corn, is now very large. For further 
items see our market review, which is prepared 
by a competent reporter, who spends his whole 
time in watching the leading produce markets. 
--- 
Look out for Humbugs. 
We have good reasons for offering a word of 
special caution to our readers, ‘ about these days.’ 
At least half a dozen schemes for extensive 
swindling have come to our knowledge during 
the past month. “ Private ” and “ Confidential ” 
circulars by the million, are now being manu¬ 
factured in this city. Great numbers of these 
are daily sent off, but the business is to be large¬ 
ly increased as soon as the excitement of the 
Presidential election is over. There is scarcely 
a family in the United States or British Prov¬ 
inces, whose Post office address is not recorded in 
from one to a dozen establishments in some of 
our large cities, and tempting, plausible circu¬ 
lars will be sent through the mails to them, 
offering all sorts of inducements to get their 
money. 
In lottery and gift enterprises there is noth¬ 
ing new to be specially noted—each scheme, no 
matter how tempting, is so much of the charac¬ 
ter of a hundred others that have gone before, 
that it is surprising how there can be found 
foolish persons enough to keep these humbugs 
alive. 
One of the most wily schemes to be pushed 
this Autumn and Winter, is the offer of so-called 
gold articles, such as magnificent “ gold pencils,” 
pens, etc. A few statistics obtained at one of 
the manufactories of these articles, show that 
they are being turned out by the ten thousand. 
A “ gold pen and magnificent case,” is stamped 
out of some cheap metal, and then galvanized 
over with the thinnest possible film of gold. 
The whole is done so skillfully, that the com¬ 
mon observer will find it utterly impossible to 
distinguish between a bona fide article worth $3 
to $6, and the bogus one costing 6 to 15 cents! 
The outside film of gold, though less than the 
two-liundred-tliousandth part of an inch in thick¬ 
ness, is yet enough to cover up the inside base 
metal, and protect it from the usual acid test, 
while the filling of cheap metal prevents de¬ 
tecting the deception by the weight. We have 
seen a pen and case that cost 16 cents to manu¬ 
facture, that was offered as a $3 premium or 
“ gift ” and no one but a practical goldsmith or 
jeweller could detect the deception. The same 
remark applies to various other gilded (not 
gold) articles. 
These humbugs and many others were so 
thoroughly exposed in our previous volume that 
we have deemed little on this topic to be needed 
during the present year. It now looks as if it 
would be soon necessary to again go into a reg¬ 
ular overhauling and exposure of a lot of new 
“ humbug enterprises.” 
Let it be remembered, first, that the more 
splendid and plausible the scheme held out tc 
the public, the greater is the concealed decep¬ 
tion ; and second, that if one is led to open a cor¬ 
respondence with these humbug operators, even 
out of curiosity only, there are ten chances to 
one that the “ wool will be pulled over his eyes ” 
and that in the end, he will be “ taken in and 
done for.” 
Sewing Machine and other “Agencies.”— 
Since writing the above, a gentleman from Penn¬ 
sylvania called with one of the circular's alluded 
to, asking him to act as agent for a new Sew¬ 
ing Machine, to be sold at $16 each, and offer¬ 
ing him $6 profit on each machine. He was re¬ 
quested to send $10 for a sample to show. Hap¬ 
pening to be just coming here, he called on us, 
and learned that the machine was just like oth¬ 
ers formerly sold under another name, for 
$5 each, and good for nothing at that. It is 
doubtful also, if anything would have been heard 
from the $10 had it been forwarded. There are 
several such agencies offered, for sewing ma¬ 
chines and other articles. 
---- — » — -—•-- 
Warming Dwellings, School-Rooms, 
Churches, etc.—An Important Hint or Two. 
A world of comfort, to say nothing of health, 
would be saved to the great mass of people, if 
they understood one simple pliilosopHical prin¬ 
ciple, and applied that knowledge to the warm¬ 
ing of their dwellings. Let us examine the mat¬ 
ter a moment, now that all are providing 
for the approaching cold weather. We will 
try to explain the principle referred to, so as to 
be understood by the unscientific reader. 
Common air has the property of absorbing a 
certain amount of moisture or water, which it 
secretes or hides, and it becomes insensible, 
so to speak. The amount of water, which a 
cubic foot, or a room full of air can thus secrete 
depends upon the temperature of the air , that is upon 
how hot or cold it may be. Thus, at the com¬ 
mon Summer temperature, say 70°, a hundred 
cubic feet of air absorbs or renders insensible to 
sight and feeling, about 794 grains of water. 
Reduce the temperature of this air to the freez¬ 
ing point, 32°, and it will hold only 235 grains 
of water—the rest will be deposited on the cold¬ 
er surfaces. On the contrary, raise the tempera¬ 
ture of the air to 100°, and it will then absorb 
1912 grains of water. 
Illustration .—A room, 15 feet square and 10 
feet high, contains 2250 cubic feet. Therefore, 
in such a room the air at the freezing point 
(32°) would contain 5288 grains of water, or a 
little more than three-fourths of a pint. Raise 
the heat to a comfortable warmth, say 70°, and 
the air will absorb and secrete 17,865 grains of 
water, or over 2) pounds (2) pints.) At 100° 
it would absorb 43,020 grains, or over 3 quarts. 
More than this must be provided for, or the air 
will be dry and disagreeable. On a warm Autumn 
or Spring day, the air will appear dry and clear, 
though it contains a large amount of moisture. 
But at night the cold ground reduces the tem¬ 
perature of the lower stratum of air, and the re- • 
suit is that the moisture,‘which during the day 
was insensible, is now sensible. The air is damp, 
and the moisture is frequently visible in the 
form of fog. There is really no more moisture 
in the air, but what was concealed when it was 
warm during the day, is now made sensible. % 
As soon as the sun heats up the air sufficiently, 
it again conceals the moisture, and the at¬ 
mosphere is clear. On a hot day tho air is 
dry and clear above us, aud not a cloud is to be 
