AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
37 
put in to the craoks will at least save a 
quarter of the fuel. The two cords of wood 
are worth ten dollars, and that I am to have 
for the missionary box. That you see makes 
a pound of cotton, with a little calculation, 
worth ten dollars, besides keeping the whole 
familv a great deal more comfortable. 1 
should not have thought it would have made 
so much difference unless I had tried it. E ven 
Esq. Bunker, the next morning, wanted to 
know if the weather had not moderated 1” 
vv r e took the hint upon our return home, 
and used batting with the best results. We 
have not a doubt that Mrs. Bunker is right. 
Cotton in certain places at this season of 
the year is worth ten dollars a pound. 
POOR MANURES—PAY EuR TEEM NOT COL¬ 
LECTABLE. 
A recent legal decision in England would 
be of special application in this country 
also, but from the fact that here the dealers 
in useless manures are careful to collect 
their pay in advance. The case referred to 
was as follows : An agent of “ Rolland’s Bri¬ 
tish Economical Manure” sold a considera¬ 
ble quantity to farmers in St. Martins, rep¬ 
resenting it to be equal in effect to twice the 
same quantity of guano, and presenting cer¬ 
tificates in its favor as being much cheaper 
than guano. But wherever it was tried it 
turned out a total failure, and, so far as could 
be discovered, no effect whatever was pro¬ 
duced by it as a manure. 
Two of the purchasers refused payment, 
and were served with a “ debt complaint.” 
They replied to the complaint that they 
were led by representations and certificates 
to expect certain results, and as it was 
clearly proved that these results were not 
realized, they were not .bound to pay for the 
article. The sellers pleaded that their pros¬ 
pectus was correct, and the certificates of 
recommendation genuine, and this proved, 
they were not bound to guarantee a crop. 
The Court held that it was proved that the 
manure was of no use whatever in the de¬ 
fendants’ district, and as the purchasers had 
bought it for their own district, upon the 
recommendation of the seller that it would 
produce certain results, he was to be held 
as guaranteeing that those results should be 
obtained. 
The farmers were of course released, 
under this decision, from paying for the ma¬ 
nure. A counter suit, if terminating rightly, 
would have accorded damages to the pur¬ 
chasers from the sellers, for time and other 
expenses lost in using a worthless article. 
We doubt not but many farmers in this 
country could collect damages for the impo¬ 
sitions practised upon them. How many 
have paid out their fifties and hundreds of 
dollars for articles wholly or nearly worth¬ 
less, and known so to be by the seller. If 
false or discolored statements are made as to 
the composition of a manure, or of its actual 
benefits ; or if certificates are put forth that 
such and such results have been obtained by 
a fertilizer under a certain name, while a dif¬ 
ferent article (under the same name) is sold 
upon the certificates offered, what is it but 
swindling, but taking money under false 
pretenses'? We think there is no doubt but 
a court of justice would so decide. Those 
who have grown fat upon swindling farm¬ 
ers who have trusted to their representa¬ 
tions, may yet find an uneasy berth. 
THE NEW SUGAR CANE. 
W T e have seen a number of engravings of 
this plant, in the Patent Office Report and 
elsewhere, all of which appear to be copied 
from a French Horticultural Journal. Above 
we present an original engraving from a 
sketch of a stalk taken from our own experi¬ 
mental plot. We planted thickly in the drill, 
cutting out the stalks, four to six inches 
apart. The cane here represented is four¬ 
teen feet high, with thirteen joints. This 
was about the average of our late planted 
plot. The engravings we have thus far 
seen represent half a dozen canes growing 
from one root. Ours sent up but one in 
most cases, though two or three occasion¬ 
ally appeared, as shown in the side figure. 
CULTIVATION. 
This may be very similar to that of Indian 
corn. For small experiments, we recom¬ 
mend planting in drills, north and south, 
dropping the seeds two to three inches apart, 
and then cutting out the alternate plants, if 
all the seeds germinate ; or they may be 
transplanted, if desirable. For culture on a 
large scale, where the plow or cultivator is 
to be used, planting may be in hills three to 
four feet apart, each way, so that the plow 
may be run both ways between the hills. 
The preparation of the soil and manures 
may be the same as for corn. When ripen¬ 
ing of the seed is a special object, the ear¬ 
lier it can be got into the ground and escape 
spring frosts the better. With us the seed 
ripened the past season in about one hun¬ 
dred and forty five days from planting. At 
the far North, we recommend starting a few 
seeds about April 1st, in a box which can 
be moved in doors during freezing nights. 
When all danger of frosty nights is past, 
carefully transfer the plants and adhering 
soil to the open ground. In this way a sup¬ 
ply of home-raised seed will most likely be 
secured. As a general thing, however, 
should this plant be found worthy of culti¬ 
vation in the colder regions, it will probably 
be cheaper to obtain seed from warmer 
localities. 
Half or more of the subscribers to the Agri¬ 
culturist. are intending to experiment next 
summer, and we shall therefore take occa¬ 
sion to refer to the subject frequently, and 
furnish information as to testing it for sugar¬ 
making, as well as feeding. Up to this date 
we have distributed to our subscribers be¬ 
tween five and six thousand parcels of seed, 
averaging full three hundred seeds in each. 
(The seed is measured out, and may some¬ 
times exceed, and sometimes fall a little be¬ 
low this number.) We are preparing some 
eight to nine thousand more packages, with 
the expectation of mailing them all this 
month (February). If more than this num¬ 
ber is called for, we shall furnish them, if 
the seed can be obtained at any price. At 
the timeof this writing (Jan. 20), there is only 
a small amount of seed to be purchased 
in this city, but we have several packages 
on the way here, and several dealers are 
expecting immediate supplies, which they 
are now advertising, at much lower rates 
than we have paid for most of that obtained 
so far. We have no hesitation in promising 
a small parcel to all our subscribers who 
apply previous to February 15th or 20th, and 
perhaps later. The applications are usually 
filled in the order of reception, and those 
who applied previous to January 10th, who 
do not receive the package by the time this 
number arrives, may consider that it has 
been lost by mail. In such cases we shall 
be happy to send a new package. 
Nearly a hundred persons have asked us 
to supply them with a larger quantity. We 
repeat, we have none to sell. We say again, 
to all our readers, do not be carried away 
with the present mania. Try a small plot, 
and wait the developments of another sea¬ 
son. If you succeed well with the amount 
we furnish free of cost, you will have an 
abundance of seed next year. If, however, 
you can get seed at a reasonable pfice, there 
will be little risk in planting an acfe or so, 
to be used as fodder, if not for syrup mak¬ 
ing. In a month or two we will give a plain 
description, with the cost, of a cheap mill 
for grinding or crushing the canes. Plans 
and estimates are in the hands of manufac¬ 
turers. Where several persons in a neigh 
borhood are determined to try their hand at 
making syrup the coming season, they can 
club together and get a cheap mill, which 
will do the work for all 
