48 
AMERICAN AG-RICULTURIST 
[February, 
Impleineut Trials, imtlcr tlie »irec- 
tion of tUe N. Y. S. Agricultural Society.— 
A real stride foru-.ard.—The Secrelary of the N. Y. S. 
Agricultui iil Society has issued a schedule for a trial of 
mowers and reapers, to take place at some time and 
place during the coming summer, to be decided upon at 
the time of the annual meeting (14th of February). The 
circular, which we have received, gives evidence that 
the effort will be made to secure as full justice, and as 
complete a test of all the qualities of each machine as 
possible. We hope, liowever, it will not be settled upon 
as the absolute guide of the committees of judges, with¬ 
out essential modifications. Any one applying to Col. B. 
P. Johnson, Albany, will receive this circular. (Send 
postage.) Besides the mower and reaper trial, it is also 
proposed to try, at the same time, hay rakes, hay tedders, 
hay presses, threshing machines, fan mills, etc., hay cut¬ 
ters. arrangements for loading and unloading hay, bind¬ 
ing grain, also horse powers, and portable engines. 
It is intended, also, to hold early in the season a trial 
of Plows, together with harrows, cultivators, spaders, 
clod crushers, rollers, drills, horse hoes, etc., for which 
.schedules will be submitted at the time of the annual 
meeting at .Albany, at the date above given. 
©rag'-Saw CJiiestioiis.—C. T. Logan, 
Fulton Co., Pa. The drag-saw teeth should be filed to 
cut in draggiing, and not in shoving ; for thus the saw is 
in no danger of bending, it clears better, and in sawing 
large logs cuts faster, and with less strain to the ma¬ 
chinery A 20-inch stroke is rather short for logs more 
than 2 feet in diameter , an adjustable crank-pin is often 
a convenience. You will find 130 pounds rather a light 
weight for your fly or driving wheel; 200 to 300 would 
probably be better. 
Tlie CattSe Plague.—The most recent ac¬ 
counts from Great Britain seem a little more favorable, 
yet the great distress and still greater danger is not abat¬ 
ed. Tile shutting off of Canadian sheep and beeves from 
our markets by the recent law seems at present product¬ 
ive of no good, though it is a wise precaution to make 
perfectly sure that neither sheep nor neat stock should be 
allowed to enter this country which by any possibility 
might bring the seeds of the disease. A fine lot of long 
wool sheep, imported for breeding purposes, arrived in 
the harbor in the midst of the cold snap and were refus¬ 
ed permission to land. Eight of them died from exposure, 
and the rest we presume have been reshipped. The gov¬ 
ernment will doubtless make good the loss, for it is quite 
the same as taking private property for public use. 
The Coun. State Ag’l. Society held 
its annual meeting at Hartford, on the 10th ultimo. The 
report of the corresponding Secretary is interesting and 
valuable for the review of the agricultural and stock pros¬ 
pects of the State ; and the notice it takes of the Rin- ! 
derpest, as it exists in Europe and England. The old 
oflicers were re-elected, viz.; E. H. Hyde, of Stafford, 
Pres’t. ; T. S. Gold, of W. Cornwall, Cor. Sec’y.; Bur- 
dett Loomis, Windsor Locks, Recording Sec’y. The N. 
E. Society is invited to hold its next fair in Connecticut. 
The ©epartmesit of Agriculture.— 
The Commissioner of Agriculture, not having made 
much by threatening the Agricultural papers, has turned 
the batteries of his wrath towards his subordinates, whom 
he suspects of being in league with us, and of supplying 
us with facts in regard to the affairs of that blundersome 
concern. As usual, Isaac Newton is on the wrong track. 
Had we any communications from them, which we have 
not, we should not make use of them, knowing it would 
place them in an unpleasant relation to the head of the 
Department. We seldom see any of the gentlemen con¬ 
nected with the Department, and when we do, we have 
more pleasant subjects of conversation tlian Mr. Isaac 
Newton. More than all this, there is not the least need 
of going to any one in the Department for knowledge of 
its doings. There are several persons in Washington, 
outside of his subterranean dominions. If the Commis¬ 
sioner doesn’t know that when he visits tlie other Depart¬ 
ments, it is a signal for all the clerks to look out for fun, 
we will let him know it. We don’t propose to let the 
Commissioner know how we learn about his official do¬ 
ings, hut we have a plenty that are not in his report; 
suffice it to say, they do not come from any one over 
whom he has any control. For instance, when we won¬ 
der at the small results of the propagating garden, which 
being a government establishment with a most capable 
horticulturist in cliarge of it, we know that the fault is 
not the Superintendent’s, but that gentleman does not in¬ 
form us that his work is all for nought. Other people 
tell us, that every pear, grape, and other fruit as soon as j 
it shows any signs of ripeness, is picked by the Commis- ; 
sione'r or by his orders, an l sent to some Senator or other I 
''public functionary, and the whole purposes of the gard¬ 
en, that of testing and comparing fruits, etc., is pervert- ' 
ed. When we have a laugh over the hydraulic. press 
blunder, we merely repeat what is told in the Wasliington 
circles as “ Old Peanut's last.” And when we say, that 
the Department is frittering away the valuable time of the 
entomologist on work of little use, while his valuable 
book on insects lies neglecled, we only use our own eyes. 
This much injustice to the gentlemen above alluded to. 
Almost daily we see in some paper some expression of 
the contempt in which the head of the Department is 
held, of which, this from the Washington correspondence 
of a morning paper will serve as a specimen: 
“ Among the visitors recently at the White House was 
the Commissioner of Agriculture, who made a brave 
speech to the President, assuring him of his sanguine ex¬ 
pectation for the early conglomeration of the States 
through the efforts of the Department of Agriculture :— 
“ The people has laid down their spears and is beginning 
to take pruning hooks ; and although the fields is wasted 
and the land mourns,” quoth Isaac, placing one hand 
patronizingly on the President’s shoulder, “ yet we will 
distribute the seeds of harmony, the fruits of concord and 
garden sass generally, so as to let the South see the effects 
of good government and the wisdom of your administra¬ 
tion.” Upon concluding his remarks a copious dew was 
observed to be shed over the beaming countenance of 
Uncle Isaac; but the President preserved his usual 
equanimity and made no effort at reply. The employes 
of the department breathed easier upon the Commis¬ 
sioner’s report of the effect of his address upon the Pres¬ 
ident, and their appreciation of his abilities experienced 
no diminution.” 
TUe A. State CUcese WlaUers’ 
Association met at Utica, on the 10th and 11th of Jan. 
The meeting was rendered particularly interesting by 
tile addresses of the President, and of Mr. X. A. AVil- 
lard, and by the reports of members of the association, 
who had been investigating the English cheese markets! 
The quality, size, and color of cheese adapted to foreign 
markets were discussed. The proposition to establish 
an American Dairyman’s Journal, to be the organ of the 
society, received some encouragement and some dashes 
of cold water, and the matter is left pretty much with 
the secretary. The name of the society was changed, 
on account of its national character, to 
“ TUe AaaiericaBa Clieese MaMMfa,c- 
tiirers Association,” and officers for the coming 
year were elected. Win. II. Comstock, of Utica, is Presi¬ 
dent, with ten Vice Presidents from different States and 
the'Canadas, and Geo. Williams, of Utica, Secretary, 
TUe Wool Interest.— There was au im¬ 
portant meeting of wool growers and woolen manufac¬ 
turers held at Syracuse, in December last, which was 
convened on this wise. The U. S. Revenue Commis¬ 
sion called upon the National Manufacturers’ Associa¬ 
tion for information in regard to the action of the present 
tariff on the wool interests. This body invited the differ¬ 
ent wool growers’ associations to send delegates to meet 
their executive committee to confer upon the matter. 
The wool growers it seems did not like this quiet’■ con¬ 
ference meeting,” and so proposed t.i send as large a 
number of delegates as would attend from each society, 
and the manufacturers (in self-defence) called also for 
delegates from different parts of the country. Thus a 
very considerable body of substantial and influential men, 
representing the wool growing and the wool manufac¬ 
turing interests, w.ere assembled. The only result of the 
discussion, which is of immediate moment, appears to 
be that these gentlemen agree and urge upon the Revenue 
Commission that both these interests should liave ‘'equal 
encouragement and protection" on the part of the Govern¬ 
ment. Sundry matters relating to the intercourse be¬ 
tween wool buyers and users, and wool growers and sel¬ 
lers were made the subjects of the discussion, it is to be 
hoped, to the mutual benefit of the two parties. This 
we hope wiil result in bringing wool growers and manu¬ 
facturers into more immediate connection, establish fairer 
rates in the wool market, and fairer practices on both 
sides. The opportunity thus afforded by the meeting at 
Syracuse of delegates from so many of the States, was 
embraced to form a 
IVational Wool <j«rowers’ Associa¬ 
tion.— This society it seems was born entirely unex¬ 
pectedly (to outsiders at least) when the wool growers 
were “ caucusing” and planning their mode of procedure 
before going into convention with the ^nanufacturers. 
Rather, we may say, as Minerva sprang full armed from 
thebrainofJove.it was brought into existence by the 
felicitous thought of the master spirit of the occasion. 
Of course it elected officers, (it couhl do no less). lion. 
II. S. Randall, of Cortland Co., N. Y., is President; VVm. 
F. Green is Secretary • and Vice Presidents and an 
Executive Committee are elected. We hope iirosperity 
and usefulness will attend the new Society, and that 
it ’/ ill receive fully, as it has already to some extent, the 
endorsement of the wool growers’ associations.-Was 
it to prevent any similar precipitate action on the part of 
cheese makers and mongers, that the N. V. Cheese Mak¬ 
ers Society changed its name and style to the “American 
Cheese Manufacturers’ Association ?” 
S5»i-ing' Wlieat—Wlaat is tlie Best 
K.ind to Sow?—We wili publish the votes each kind 
gets, if we receive them before the 10th of February. 
Please mention post-office, county and state, and if 
business letters are written, put the ballot on a separate 
slip_ of paper, with or without reasons of preference. 
Slieep Ejaliels.—We are much pleased with 
Dana’s sheep labels, which are advertised in this number- 
The danger of tearing out is very slight, and they are 
easily inserted. The position of labels in the ears, to¬ 
gether with the lettering and numbers may be made to 
convey much information about a sheep or lamb. If the 
rams are lettered instead of numbered, the letter of the 
ram on any label will indicate the sire, while the dam’s 
number and her sire, may be indicated by a label in the 
other car. Every sheep breeder should have some 
systematic way of labeling his sheep, in addition to very 
accurate flock records, with full memoranda. 
Tile “‘Wine I*lasat” Agaiai. —The ac¬ 
cession of many new subscribers brings us numerous in¬ 
quiries about the so-called wine plant, wliich we wilt 
endeavor to dispose of briefly. Common garden Rhubarb 
is sold at a very high price under the name of English 
and Myatt’s wine plant, Linnaeus Plant, Turkish Rhubarb, 
etc., for the purpose of wine making. The venders have 
circulars giving directions for making the so-called wine, 
stating the number of gallons yielded per acre, and show¬ 
ing how much profit can be made at so much per gallon. 
Our position in regard to the matter is this ; Wine cannot 
be made from the plant, but a sort of poor liquor can, 
and that it is a fraud to sell a common and well known 
plant under a false name. If people wish to grow 
riiubarb for any purpose, let them do it, knowing that it is 
rhubarb. One concern in Ohio sends us a sample of their 
product and intimates, that they shall not get up a club 
for the paper until they hear a report on their “wine.” 
Our report necessarily is, that it is about as vile a liquid 
as ever disgraced the name of wine, and if, as is stated, 
there is a ready sale for it at $3.50 per gallon, it enly 
shows that some people have very queer tastes. 
“ Hos’se ©octoring' ” Boole.—A man 
in Maine advertises a book to “cure ail the diseases 
that the horse is heir to.” It is by one who calls himself 
the ” Old English Mysterious Horse Farrier ” (who ever 
heard of a cow Farrier), and •“ the Distinguished Veteri¬ 
nary Surgeon, Dr. Tidball,” who gives the “experience of 
a life-time in the treatment of diseases of horses."’ This is 
all In 16 small pages, and consists of rank quackery and 
unreliable knavish jockeyism. It is a fraud upon the com¬ 
munity to publish such a book. Besides the language and 
punctuation are so poor, one can hardly understand [it. 
Miimliiags—Infbi'iiiiitioii !/¥ anted.— 
Few days in the year pass, without our hearing from some 
part of the country about persons losing money sent to 
this City in reply to somebody’s plausible advertisements 
or private circulars. We have, in the agregate, traveled 
scores of miles in trying to help these parties out of their 
difficulties. We have “ shut up ” many a swindling 
concern by aid of the police, and have uttered hundreds 
of warnings on the subject. If everybody had read this 
journal for a year or two, the business would be at an 
end. But this being far from the case, we must keep on 
with the warnings.—Here is a letter from a town in Mis- 
sour, from a man who must know something about the 
paper, or he would not have written us, though there is 
no subscriber on our books at his post-office. He says, 
he and many of his neighbors had been induced to send 
their money to Hayward & Co., 229 Broadway, and get 
no return. The last November’s Agriculturist would 
have saved tliem their money, had they read it. We see 
by tlie Tribune that a clergyman of Vermont sent $56 to 
the same party, who acknowledged receiving the letter, 
but claimed that the money had been abstracted from it. 
By such subterfuges, and other means, these various 
swindlers manage to evade the law, and the police are 
unable to convict (hem for want of direct, positive evi¬ 
dence. We have thought of another plan : If we could 
get from 15 or 20 persons a statement that they had each 
been defrauded by any one of these rascals, it would 
probably be considered ns sufficient evidence to convict 
him. We therefore ask, in behalf of the public, that 
every one who has sent money to any Ne'A-York con¬ 
cern, and received no proper return, will send us im¬ 
mediately a full account of it, in as few words as pos¬ 
sible, but giving names, dates, etc., fully. We don't 
want these for publication, but to use as privately as may 
be, to further the ends of justice. Let no one hesitate 
