1869.] 
7 
planning like operations in other parts. Look out for 
travelling advertising doctors.A few old offenders 
in the “gift enterprise business” are evidently trying 
to sell out. We give them the benefit of a notice, 
viz: W. J.Wheeler & Co., alias L. S. Todd, alias Hayward 
<fcCo., alias C. II. Garland & Co. ; Hunt, Anthony & Co., 
who may be the same as Gains W. Hubbord, Jun. ; 
that old offender Westbrook, and Harper, Wilson & Co., 
arc the most prominent among the operators just now. 
They offer for sale at greatly reduced prices “large im¬ 
portations of watches, jewelry, &c.” Beware of them. 
Cheap jewelry is dear at any price. The old “ ticket 
dodge,” which some still try. is well known by our read¬ 
ers. Unless the “ Rural American ” can look a little more 
closely to the character of advertisements admitted to 
its columns, it had better stop business. Advertising 
“patent medicines” is bad enough, but licentiousness is 
little less than criminal...“ One dollar ” stores are on 
the increase ; we repeat, we see no advantage in them. 
In our November No., p. 399,1S6S, we called attention to 
the “ Patent Butter Association.” ThSy claim that by 
dissolving a certain powder in the milk before churning 
they are able to get a pound of butter from a pint of milk. 
We mention the subject again to class it with the hum¬ 
bugs. The stuff obtained from churning together one 
pint of milk, a teaspoonful of this powder, and half a 
pound of butter, (the added butter said to be essential 
“to coax the milk”) and which they call “butter,” is a 
whitish, odorless, almost tasteless mass of grease and 
water. That the fresh wet mass will weigh a pound and 
a half we do not know. To get a pound of solid matter 
of any sort from a pint of liquid weighing a little over 17 
oz., 70 per cent of which is water, is impossible. 
The Royal Havana Lottery makes an enormous spread 
just now. There are no less than half a dozen “special 
agents ” for this grand humbug in this city. Some are 
old and well-known names ; a few are new. Of course, 
our readers will not trust money in any lottery whatever, 
even if it bea “Royal ” one. D. A. Smytlic, C. A. Tay¬ 
lor & Co., W. O. Smith & Co., Lloj'd, Semmes & Co., are 
the more prominent “special agents.” Any person send¬ 
ing money to these parties subjects His letters to confis¬ 
cation by the P. O. Department, and must not complain 
if he loses his money_Mr. D. R., Jun., you will get 
that “grand piano” “in a horn.” We know of no such 
institution as the “New York City Charity Mission,” 
and no such “grand distribution of premiums” ever 
came off at Cooper Institute or any where else, except in 
the fertile brains of II. Clay Horn and his “Rev.” friend, 
J. E. Woolwer. Charity missions do not operate in the 
way this H. Clay Horn would have people suppose. 
A BSeunarkable Eittle CSiot is offered 
as Premium No. 106. It has shown some excellent 
performances in the hands of our senior Publisher and 
his friends, and is worth looking after. A full descrip¬ 
tion with illustrations will be found in the advertising 
columns in the latter part of the paper. We hope some 
hundreds or thousands of our readers will be the happy 
recipients of one of these weapons as a premium. 
ISeport on tlie Utica IPIow Trial.— 
We have received the report of this famous trial. It is a 
volume of 2SS octavo pages, full of illustrations. It is 
prefaced by a History of the Plow and several other im¬ 
portant chapters. Though, on the whole, a most valu¬ 
able contribution to agricultural literature, on some 
points it is criticisable. Lack of space prevents our in¬ 
sertion of an extended notice prepared for this number. 
It is issued by the New York State Agricultural Soci¬ 
ety, under whose auspices the trials were made. 
Early BItose B®ot;ito JPs*ciHiiwm.— 
We shall send no more of this premium until April, un¬ 
less by special request and at the risk of the party order¬ 
ing, as there is danger from frost. All orders will be 
received and the potatoes forwarded in the spring. 
MassacBitisetts Ag-ricaltaral Col¬ 
lege is located at Amherst, Mass. Previous to 1S67, but 
little had been done except to purchase four hundred 
acres of land about a mile from the village. Since then, 
seven large buildings have been erected — a Botanic 
Museum and Lecture room, a Chemical Laboratory, 
two Dormitories and Boarding-houses, and the Durfee 
Plant-house, covering 10,000 square feet, with ail the 
best appliances for growing tropical and other plants 
of our own climate. There are ninety or more young 
men who are now in the institution. The aver¬ 
age age is eighteen years, and about three-fourths of 
them are from the farm. Over a third of them have de¬ 
clared their purpose to become farmers, while the rest 
have not decided upon their calling in life. Six hours of 
labor each week is the maximum required. Some of the 
students, whose necessities require it, labor more, and 
are paid 1214 ceuts an hour for it» A few who are skilled 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
in special labors are paid more, and nearly defray their col¬ 
lege expenses by their work. Funds are wanted to fur¬ 
nish good stock of all the improved breeds. Ton acres 
of land have been underdrained and seeded with the 
best grasses. This is designed for the Botanic garden, 
and will be planted as it is needed. The Institution is 
so prosperous that the new Dormitories are filled as fast 
as they are built, and they are nowin as much need of 
a third Dormitory, as they were of a second a year ago. 
The faculty are doing their work well, and have the con¬ 
fidence of the students, and of the farmers of the State. 
Beside the studies appropriate to such an Institution, the 
classes go through a course of military tactics, and are so 
thoroughly drilled, that the State will have good soldiers 
as well as farmers for its future defenders. Wo congratu¬ 
late the gentlemen who have labored so long and faith¬ 
fully for this institution, upon their great success. 
Ibj I&mssIm.—O ur correspondent at 
Moscow is informed that his queries are referred to the 
editor who is best qualified to answer, and he will reply 
by letter. Within a few days we have had queries from 
Japan, New South Wales, and Russia. Africa sends us 
quite a number of subscribers, and there are but few 
countries not on our mail books. We shall be obliged to 
address our correspondents as Webster (we think it was), 
called an immense mass meeting to order—“Attention, 
the Universe '.—Advance by Nations.” 
Maaox’s Seeal Store. — If Mr. J. Knox 
had not acquired so wide a reputation as a successful 
grower of grapes, strawberries, etc., he would probably 
have been celebrated as a seedsman. While carrying on 
his fruit farm, he has been building up the most exten¬ 
sive seed and implement business in Pittsburgh. This 
branch of his business now passes into the hands of his 
son, Mr. W. W. Knox, who has heretofore had the chief 
management of it. Mr. Knox the younger has abundant 
energy and enterprise to make his establishment the 
leading one upon the western side of the Alleghanies. 
He will keep all the novelties in the way of seeds and 
implements, as well as the standard articles, in large or 
small quantities. 
IPost-otfBlce EMrectory. —A new edition, 
containing a list of all post-offices, etc., useful to all who 
have much correspondence, is advertised in this paper. 
B'lesise SjseMlk of St.—M’Bie Agri« 
culturist in German contains the same illustra¬ 
tions and mainly the same reading matter as the English 
edition. It has a large circulation among the Ger¬ 
man population of the West and elsewhere, and it 
is made more acceptable to them by having each 
month contributions from the Hon. F. Muench, one 
of the most experienced agriculturists in Missouri, in 
addition to what is given in our English edition. Many 
who take the English edition find that a copy of the 
translation for the use of their German workmen is a 
good investment. This German edition is of great value 
to the large number of German cultivators living in our 
country, and especially to those constantly arriving. AVill 
our readers please speak of it to their German friends ? 
A Few worth of books pertaining 
to the farm will give the boys new ideas, set them to 
thinking and observing, and thus enable them to make 
their heads help their hands. Any good book will, in the 
end, be of far more value to a youth than to have an ex¬ 
tra acre of land on coming to manhood. The thinking, 
reasoning, observing man, will certainly make more off 
from 49 acres than he would ofTfrom 50acres withontthc 
mental ability which reading will give him. Far better 
to sell the acre of land than do without the books. 
Several good books are announced in the Advertising 
columns, and in the list on page 5. The Publishers’ 
premium offers, on the same page, open a way to get 
books without expense. The farmers of any neighbor¬ 
hood may put their heads together and raise a club of 
subscribers, receive the books, and hold them for gener¬ 
al use by all. 
BBejinirt o4" tlie CoMiuniissiosaer oi’ 
Agriculture. — General Capron’s report of the 
seventh year’s doings of the Department of Agriculture 
is one calculated to secure for him and his associates the 
confidence and co-operation of the agriculturists of the 
whole country. His deprecation of a renewal of the 
Canadian reciprocity treaty or any thing like it, and his 
appeal to Congress for means to prosecute further inves¬ 
tigations into the diseases threatening or attacking oitr 
farm stock, and to publish the report made by Professor 
Gamgee on the Texas fever, come directly home to our 
farmers. We arc so thoroughly with General Capron in 
his desire to spread reliable information on the subject 
of the diseases of farm stock before the public, that we 
earnestly appeal to Congress, assuring our Representa¬ 
tives that, so far as we can judge, they can hardly 
make more useful or more popular appropriations. 
IF mi its.—“A subscriber” sends us 
specimens of oranges, lemons, etc., grown at San Augus¬ 
tin, Fla. We do not know “ Subscriber's ” name, but 
the fruit was very fine, and we thank him all the same. 
Massa.clansetts EBosii'd. ©F Aii'B-I©Bai= 
t«re. —This body met at Amherst the second week in 
December, and devoted three days to lectures, and dis¬ 
cussions on agricultural and horticultural topics. Lec¬ 
tures were delivered by J. F. C. Hyde on “Fruit Culture,” 
by Prof. John Gamgee, by Prof. Louis Agassiz, by Mr. 
X. A. Willard on Dairy Farming, and by Dr. G. B. Loring 
on Agricultural Progress. Discussions were held upon 
“ Commercial Fertilizers,” “ IIow to Make Farming 
Profitable,” “ The Art of Agriculture,” “ The Hay Crop,” 
and other subjects. There was a large attendance of the 
Board and of the friends of improved husbandry, from all 
parts of the State, and some from abroad. Farmers from 
the neighborhood flocked to the meetings, and the large 
hall devoted to them was well filled. We have rarely at¬ 
tended a more enthusiastic agricultural meeting. A 
large class of the farmers of Massachusetts are wide 
awake to the interests of their calling. The arrange¬ 
ments for the meetings were good, and the hospitalities 
of the citizens were liberally bestowed. Full reports 
of these meetings are given, not only in the papers, but 
in the Annual Report of Secretary Flint. The example 
of the Board in holding their sessions in the midst of a 
fine farming district, and thus commanding a full house, 
is worthy of imitation. These discussions and lectures 
cannot fail to quicken the minds and improve the farm 
practice of all who had the privilege of attending them. 
Tlie CnriBeli llMivcjrsifly.—The open¬ 
ing of this institution occurring just at the time of the 
numerous fairs, we were unable to be present. We are 
glad to learn from those capable of judging, that, for so 
large and new an organization, it is working satisfac¬ 
torily. The faculty, so far as we know them, are emi¬ 
nently qualified for their work, and the students are said 
to be a remarkably intelligent and enthusiastic body of 
young men. Munificently endowed by Mr. Cornell and 
tlie State, this University ought to realize all that its 
founder intends it should, and all that its friends hope. 
Inasect ExSiiiS’JiIwliei* is the quaint title 
of a lecture given by Joseph Treat before the people of 
Vineland, and which he has printed for distribution. It 
brings together the various modes that are in use for de¬ 
stroying insects. Whether we should be the gainers by 
the indiscriminate slaughter of useful and injurious in¬ 
sects is a matter upon which all are not agreed. 
“ EsarSla Closets ; and how to make and 
use them,” is a little 12mo volume, by Col. Geo. E. War¬ 
ing, Jr., published by the Tribune Association. Very 
good, very useful, well worth its cost—25 cents—but un¬ 
satisfactorily brief. Our own faith in dry earth is in¬ 
creasing month by month. It is a wonderful and inex¬ 
pensive article, the best disinfectant,deodorizer, and puri¬ 
fier known wherever it can be applied. Col. Waring 
gives accurate drawings of earth closets, chamber com¬ 
modes, etc., from which others may be constructed. 
Sent by mail from the office of the Agriculturist. 
Am BIxjM-riMtemtal Eiarm. —Some one 
writes to us to offer, for a consideration, his farm for ex¬ 
perimental purposes to “ carry out the views given in 
the Agriculturist , and report the results.” Wo allude to 
this matter, as there may be others who think our teach¬ 
ings are merely abstract views, which yet need to be ver¬ 
ified by practice. We believe there is no paper that 
“smells of the soil” more distinctly than the Agri¬ 
culturist, while as to farms, there are three managed by 
different editors of the paper, and instead of our need¬ 
ing a place to carry out the views given in the paper, 
our “views” are the result of actual experience. 
IBasket Faill and running over, and many 
items intended for this month are left out until the next. 
A'cw Aorlc State Toailltry Society. 
—The Poultry breeders and fanciers who met at the last 
Fair of the New York State Agricultural Society then 
and there associated themselves under the title above 
given. The “Annual meeting” has just been held, 
officers elected, and an exhibition of poultry provided 
for, which is to take place late in the winter or early in 
the spring, ill New York City. G. II. Warner, New 
York Mills, Oneida County, N. Y., is President, and 
Daniel B. Oavit, New York City, is Correa. Secretary. 
