1866 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
309 
chasing miscellaneous seeds by the ton, and forcing mem¬ 
bers of Congress to act as seedsmen in general to their 
constituency, is a nuisance which oaljs for abatement. 
“ Members of Congress are sent here to deliberate and 
iegislate for the best interests of the country. But the 
amount of work they are called upon to perform, as claim 
agents, seedsmen, gift-book agents, and showmen to 
sight-seers, surpasses belief. And in some cases the 
amount thrown upon members by their constituencies, is 
sufficient to employ constantly four or five active business 
men. Some of our members receive as many as WO let¬ 
ters per day, requesting all sorts of favors, from a gold pen 
up to a library, completely overwhelming tlie unfortunate 
recipients, ieaving them actually no time for legislation. 
“But,” says one, “it rests with Congress itself to 
change all this.” Not at all. No member likes to be 
considered churlish and indifferent to the wishes of the 
people; and though greatly overworked, he is the last to 
complain. Thus it is left with the people themselves to 
consider well the legitimate du.ties of their representa¬ 
tives in Congress, and having done so, cease at once to re¬ 
gard them as claim agents, seedsmen, clothiers, or gift- 
book agents. —If thought necessary that the national Gov¬ 
ernment should continue to transact a general retail busi¬ 
ness, let us by all means have a department created for 
the purpose, called, say, ‘ The Department of the Retail 
Trade,’ with a commissioner and force sufficient to at¬ 
tend to the business, and take a burden off the shoulders 
of Congress that it may attend to legitimate duties — ” 
“ The abuses flourish, however, and will continue so to 
do, so long as Congress continues to approphiate money 
for the purposes of purchasing seeds, printing books, or 
making clothing even,for free distribution among the thou¬ 
sands ready to take whatever they can get at others’ cost. 
“ I am in favor of judicious expenditure of money in 
public printing, but am eftirely opposed to the publica¬ 
tion of expensive books for indiscriminate distribution as 
at present carried on. For instance, the Report of the 
Census of 1860 is published in four volumes, the last 
volume being now nearly ready for the binder. These 
volumes cost, so I am informed by the officer in charge 
at the Interior Department, about $12 each, and are cir¬ 
culated free by the tens of thousands. 7 have seen these 
$12 volumes for sale at paper rag stores in this city, at 
seven cents per pound, before they had been from the press 
a month ! I may almost say they went direct from the Gov¬ 
ernment press back to the paper-mill. Millions of dollars 
of the people’s money are thus absolutely thrown away. 
“Another instance is the seedsman’s division of the 
Department of Agriculture, the original intention of 
which was to distribute a few samples of choice seeds of 
rare production to different parts of the country, to in¬ 
troduce and foster the cultivation of new productions, 
but which has grown into an erroneous abuse, a mere 
machine for the free distribution of tons and tons of mis¬ 
cellaneous seeds, purchased with the people’s mmiey in 
every direction. I have received 10 packages oTthese 
seeds, which I forward to you, as samples, by express, 
the mails being too much encumbered by franked matter 
to render it certain you will get them by that convey¬ 
ance. Though immense amounts have already been 
distributed, I see that the Department has a ‘ few more 
left.’ A morning paper stales that: 
‘ On Wljinesday, at 1 o’clock, the first floor of the agri¬ 
cultural seed-room on F-st., between Sixth and Seventh, 
gave way, letting down about three tons of seed to the 
basement. Mr. McDonald, one of the employees, went 
down with the floor, and received a few bruises. The 
seed being in bags, the damage was only to the building.’ 
“An additional appropriation will doubtless be needed 
to procure a store-house sufficiently strong to hold the 
‘tons of seed’ sufficient to supply a constantly increas¬ 
ing demand. I am well aware that our present Congress 
is immaculate ; but it must bear the sole responsibility of 
these abuses. So long as that body appropriates the peo¬ 
ple’s money for useless expenditure, it will be expended. 
---— a —--- 
A Show of all Kinds of Wheat.—An Im¬ 
portant Request. 
There is a great lack of accurate knowledge about the 
various kinds of wheat which are cultivated in different 
sections of our country. M.any of these are introduced 
varieties, which may have maintained to a considerable de- 
greethe characteristics known where they originated, or 
their characters may have been greatly modified by our 
soil and climate. Besides, distinct varieties have probably 
originated in this country ; the same variety is known by 
different names in various localities, and one name is 
applied to very diverse kinds. We propose therefore to 
the readers of tlie Agriculturist to join with its Editors 
in collecting and classifying our wheats. The present 
postal regulations offer great facilities for so doing, and 
the result will, we hope, be of very great value to each 
contributor and to the whole country ; but this can only 
be if our suggestion meets with the hearty co-operation of 
our readers who are wheat growers all over the country. 
Please send to the American Agriculturist, 41 Park 
Row, New York, by mail, marked “Plants only”—or 
“ Seeds only,” as the case may be, the following • 
1st.—1 doz. heads large and small as they run, cut when 
just out of blossom, and dried in the shade, (best in the 
house, but not near the fire.) 
2d.—A stool or two with the stubble 6 inches long—or 
better the whole plant, pulled up by the roots with the 
straw broken as little as possible in bending for packing. 
3d.—A quart of the grain—being a good average sample. 
Accompanying these the name in every case written 
clearly, and the name of the sender with P. 0., County 
and State. Postage prepaid is 2 cents for each 4 ounces. 
4th.—By letter at the same time, a concise history and 
description of each variety, especially time of flowering 
in comparison with several other kinds, the time of ripen¬ 
ing, liability to winter kill, to be injured by the midge or 
fly, or by rust; its tendency to shell out, or not to shell; 
also the stiffness, length and general cliaracter of the 
straw', the amount of leaf, and other peculiarities ; also 
the different names the variety is known by, and any 
other facts which may be deemed of interest. 
We will see to it that samples are sown side by side 
under good circumstances, and so try to ourselves make 
fair comparisons between them, and of course report 
from time to lime. Should it be too late, or inconvenient 
to send the samples of heads, or of the whole mature 
plants, we hope the sample of grain with the description 
may still be sent, as the importance of a tliorough in¬ 
vestigation of this kind can hardly be over-estimated. 
The samples of the heads and of tlie grain will be kept 
on exhibition and for reference, at the Agriculturist office. 
Married. 
At Palisades, Rockland County, N. Y., Thursday, April 
26, by Rev. S. Hitchcock, Mason Cogswell Weld, Asso¬ 
ciate Editor of the American Agriculturist, of New-York, 
and Martha M., daughter of Henry Coles, of Palisades. 
Containing a great variety of Items, including many 
good Hints and Suggestions which we throw into smaller 
type and condensed form, for want of space elsewhere. 
TAKE j\®T0.EE! — AH §nl»sci*ip» 
tions begiu witli tUe Volume, unless other¬ 
wise desired and specified when subscribing. All sub¬ 
scriptions received up to June 25th are entered down for 
the entire volume, and the numbers from January 1st are 
forwarded. We keep on hand, or print as needed from 
our stereotype plates, the entire numbers of the volume, 
to supply to subscribers, and to others desiring them. Sub¬ 
scriptions received after June 25th, begin at the mid¬ 
dle of the volume, unless otherwise desired or specified. 
ClMbs can always be increased at the original 
club price, if the subscriptions begin at the same lime. 
Tlie back numbers are sent to the new names added. 
Tlie Tostagie on tliiti* Paper is posi¬ 
tively only 3 cents per quarter, or 12 cents per year, 
when paid quarterly in advance at the office where re¬ 
ceived. The law fixes this rate definitely on monthly 
journals weighing not over 4 ounces, and we carefully 
keep within this weight, having all our paper specially 
manufactured with this end in view. 
Kooks.—Several valuable new books are being 
issued the present season, some of which are referred to 
in “ Basket items,” and a full list of those regularly 
supplied, is given on page 233. 
Those Premitims—East Call.—On 
page 232 we publish the lists of general and special 
premiums, which we propose to close up at the end of 
the half year (June 30), allowing sufficient time thereafter 
for names to come in from the Pacific Coast and other- 
distant points. These premiums are certainly valuable, 
and worth all the effort required to get them. Every 
Present Subscriber can readily get one or more of the 
“ One Subscriber Premiums.” The books are valuable, 
ranging in price from 30 to 50 cents each. No books, 
however large, have ever been issued on Flax, Hop, 
Tobacco, and Onion Culture, which are so valuable, as 
those named in the list. None of the works offered are 
“ old stoek,” but they are all newly printed, and most of 
them are just from the press. 
Missing Nninbea's.—The mails seem to 
have been unusually irregular lately. In several in¬ 
stances, papers that we positively know were mailed, 
have failed to reaqh their destination. Though it is 
hardly just that we should make up all the dificiences of 
the Government agents, we cheerfully send duplicates of 
numbers lost by mail, without charge—not of course for 
such as are lost or torn after their reception, 
93® Strawberry Plants from One. 
—F. A. Rich, Wallingford, Conn., writes, that from one 
“ Agriculturist” plant, received from this office the pre¬ 
vious autumn, he last season obtained 930 plants, and 
“thinks that doing pretty well for one plant in one 
season in the open ground.” So do we; and we 
hope the fruit will be proportionally productive, which, 
of cour.se, can only be looked for this year on the first 
formed and most fully developed plants. 
AlSread. Kacading* Macluine 
ed.— M. B. Rodman, speaking in behalf of the New 
Bedford Orphans’ Home particularly, and of house¬ 
keepers generally we suppose, asks if we can not have 
a small handy machine for mixing and kneading bread, 
the staple food, which requires so much hard woman’s 
work. We know of no such machine of practical utility. 
Here is an unoccupied field for clever inventors. 
Tbe Advei'tisements are curtailed this 
month, to make room on pages 232 and 233, for some 
matters usually pl.aced in the first pages, so as to leave 
more space here for basket items, which many consider 
the best part of the paper. Several interesting announce¬ 
ments of implements, plants, etc., etc., will be found in 
the advertising pages, which will no doubt attract atten¬ 
tion. We repeat the usual suggestion, tliat those wrib 
ing to advertisers for circulars, for information, or order? 
ing of them, will confer a double favor, by letting them 
know where their advertisements were seen. 
Siiiitlry IIiianibMg-s. —We have not space to 
describe each of tlie scores of swindling operations that 
Imve come to our knowledge within a month past. A 
large proportion of these are so similar to those previous¬ 
ly described, that nothing further need be said of them. 
Most of the operators in gift enterprises, prize jewelry 
schemes, w.atches, lockets, chains, sewing machines, to 
be given by tickets, etc., etc., have changed their names 
and places of business. To-day we dropped into a new 
swindling shop, as we know it to be, (though it is difficult 
to prove it so, without calling sundry witnesses here from 
Iowa,) and we found precisely the s.ame parties operating, 
that last month were at another place under a different 
name. There are still thirty to forty of these swindling 
shops here, operating only at distant points, through the 
mails ; but we are happy to learn that the aggregate re¬ 
ceipts of letters by these cheats are not half what they 
were before the Agriculturist began its fresh warfare 
upon them the present year—a saving to the people of 
at least $5000 a day! We add a few notes: Jno. H. 
Bancker, of Schenectady Co., N. Y., sends a circular 
left at the houses there by a set of sharpers, who called 
themselves agents of a failed New York house, (never in 
existence,) and promised to be along in three or four 
days with an immense slock of goods, at far below half 
price. This was a blind. They merely “sold” a few 
samples of cloth they “ happened” to have along, which, 
after they were gone, proved to be worthless shoddy, well 
glazed over. The throngs of people who came together 
to get a chance at the promised sale of cheap goods, went 
home with the countenances of two-year-old lambs.... 
Mitchell, Arrandale A Co., (one of them, if there be more 
than one) a long time operator in New York, has opened 
a swindling address at Plaistow, N. H., and sends out 
tickets, pretending to have been paid for them, offering 
an immense number of things “worth” $6 to $350, on 
receipt of $5. These, like fifty other similar operators, 
are the veriest swindlers. They do not send watches 
worth $50 for only $5. L. A. Kirkwood, Bentonvilla, 
Ind., sends word to them that he has read the Agricul¬ 
turist too long, and has too much else to do, to attend to 
the agency of such rascals. Many others send us tickets 
from the same concern_ Wm. J. Elliott <j- Co., Lottery 
dealers, with no advertised place of business except a 
P. O. box, are 0 |>erating on eloquence or highfalutin. 
On the back of their schemes they go into extasies over 
the details of numerous prizes they claim to have dis¬ 
tributed to “ factory girls,” to “ bed-ridden old ladies,” , 
to sundry “ farmers,” etc., etc. Why don’t they give the ( 
names of these lucky people, for they ask the privilege 
of sending just such prizes on purpose to be able to 
publish their names, and to have them “make it generally 
known where they got the money,” as an advertisement. 
Oh! Mr. Elliott, why are you so partial? Why don’t 
you give us your place of business, so that we can call in 
and get one of them are $40,000 prizes you profess to 
be scattering round so freely? Pray cpme out of that 
little P. O. Box and let us find you ; we ache to get 
$40,000 for only $10 invested. It now costs $1 to get $1.07 
