210 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[June, 
in", or for pursuing their journey westward or southward. 
The fare is only $1.25, including sleeping-berth, or $1 
extra for a stateroom for one or two persons, while $2 is 
saved in car-fare, and as much more in hotel and carriage 
expense in the city. One can also remain in the city until 
11 p. m., have a night-ride and sleep on the fine steamer 
Continental, and leave New Haven by an early morning- 
train. It is thus practicable for those living 30 to 60 
miles beyond New Haven, to leave home after tea, lose 
no day-time in coming and going, and have the whole 
day in New York from 7 a. m. to 10 p. m. 
The Ames Plow Company.—This olcl 
establishment does not, as one might suppose from its 
name, by any means confine itself to the manufacture of 
plows. It is largely engaged in the production of haying 
implements, especially Burt’s norse Hay Rake, and the 
American Hay Tedder. These implements enable the 
farmer to work his hay rapidly, but at such a slight cost 
that the expenses of the hay crop are materially reduced, 
and he is rendered almost independent of the weather. 
Cranberry CiilSaare.—“ J. F. Z.,” Minn. 
If you propose to try to grow cranberries, the best in¬ 
vestment you can make is $1.25 in “ White's Cranberry 
Culturist,” published by the Orange Judd Company— 
which is full and practical—indeed a book that one who 
wishes to undertake cranberry culture cannot afford to 
do without. 
Horticultural IPi-isscs.—The Mass. Hor¬ 
ticultural Society', which is always doing something for 
the benefit of the cause, offers Special Prizes for Essays 
upon various horticultural subjects—that on Roses is to 
be decided early this month, but later there come three 
chances—all open to general competition. Twenty-five 
dollars each is offered for the best Essay upon Grape 
Culture in gardens and on buildings, with a list of varie¬ 
ties best adapted to such purposes ; the essay to be read 
on Saturday, Oct. 9_For the best Essay upon the Cul¬ 
ture of the Cauliflower and other vegetables of the Cab¬ 
bage family, ( Brassica oleracea ) ; the essay to be read on 
Saturday, November 6... .For the best Essay upon the 
Principles of Landscape Gardening as applied to small 
suburban estates; the essay to be read on Saturday, No¬ 
vember 27... .The Essays must be submitted at least one 
month before the day of reading, and the name of the 
writer sent in a sealed envelope. For next year we would 
suggest a botanical subject: what is the “ cabbage fam¬ 
ily ”—and so near Cambridge too. 
Central Park. —It has been a subject of 
general remark among persons of taste, especially those 
who have seen what is done in public parks abroad, 
that ornamental planting of flowers, and sub-tropical 
gardening are almost entirely neglected in our 1 much 
praised Central Park. This neglect is likely to be 
still more marked. The latest act of the politicians who 
now control matters, is to abolish the office of Land¬ 
scape Gardener altogether, and thus remove Mr. Robert 
Demcker, the gardener, to whom the public have been 
indebted for what little gardening has been done during 
the past few years—and accomplished too in the face of 
great obstacles. The removal is claimed to be in the 
interest of economy; it is that kind of economy we 
often see in political affairs; he is removed, and three 
others engaged to do his work. We hope Mr. D. may 
soon find a position where his accomplishments will be 
better appreciated, than they wore by the political gentle¬ 
men who now mismanage the park. 
to Csat Hay.—Valuable practical 
hints on this topic, will be found in Prof. Atwater’s arti¬ 
cle, on page 213. The reader should become familiar 
with the principles there enunciated. Some careful re¬ 
reading of the previous chapters of these articles, may 
be useful to those who have not thoroughly mastered 
them as they have appeared. 
Condition of Winter Wlneat.—The 
returns from .300 principal winter wheat growing coun¬ 
ties in the Lmitcd States, to the Agricultural Department 
at Washington indicate that the damage by unfavorable 
weather the past winter, has reduced the average condi¬ 
tion of the crop 37 per cent. Unless favorable weather 
occurs, not more than five-eighths of a full crop will be 
harvested. It is estimated that over one million acres 
have been replanted. The most extensive damage has 
occurred in Missouri and Hlinois, and the least in Kansas. 
Potato Hug's. — A daily paper says : “Asa 
sensible safeguard against the introduction within her 
borders of the Colorado potato beetle, Germany has 
furnished illustrated descriptions of the insect to all ves¬ 
sels plying between that country and American ports, 
and passengers and sailors are earnestly besought to 
destroy any stray specimen they may detect.’’—Good, 
temper paratus ! And let them not bn particular about 
the likeness or the stripe of the bug, but, whether they 
are like the illustrated descriptions or not, smash them 
all flat, and the flat ones flatter ; and very thankful will 
all sea-goers be to “ Germany.” 
Immigration, to Slexico.— “Geo 4 M. 
W.,” Plainfield, N. J. We should not advise any person 
to emigrate to Mexico, whatever inducements may be 
offered by that government to attract persons thither. 
Is tlrere-not room and variety enough at home from 
Maine to Florida, and from Oregon to California ? Be¬ 
sides, it is unsafe to believe the reports of appropriations 
made by Mexico for the benefit of immigrants, and more 
unsafe to depend upon them. We have had a rather ex¬ 
tended experience with Mexicans, and would not live 
there if the whole country were given us, provided we 
had to take the people too. 
Product of omc Rosc-Xmsdt. — Mr. 
Thos. Broderick, gardener for Jas. D. Smith, Esq., Stam¬ 
ford, Conn., sends an account of the daily yield of a 
Lamarque rose during the month of April. The bush is 
five years old, and is planted out in the ground of the 
greenhouse. The number of roses cut ranged from 20 to 
200 daily, making for the whole month a total of 2,012. 
fistula, is* si SEorse. —“J. D. A.,” North 
Stonington, Conn. Fistula is generally the result of a 
bruise of the shoulder or withers, which forms a running 
sore with several pipes or sinuses, pointing in differ¬ 
ent directions, from the walls of which pus is secreted. 
The remedy is to destroy these pipes and remove them, 
and produce an open wound which must be healed from 
the bottom. The treatment is to inject with a syringe, 
half a teaspoonful of tincture of iodine once a day, for a 
few days, until the pipes are destroyed and sloughed 
away. The sore is then kept open by a plug of lint 
smeared with simple ointment, until it heals from the 
bottom. A little compound tincture of benzoin, injected 
occasionally, will assist the healing. 
Plant Gained.—“ Amelia E. F.,” M3. The 
common Bloodroot, SangWiaria Canadensis. Though 
the flower is of short duration, this is w'orth transferring 
to the garden on account of its earliness. 
Btccpisig Soft Soap.—“ P. A. V.,” Flan- 
derm, D. T. Soft soap can be kept very well in a pine 
or oaken barrel. A fish or pork barrel will answer, the 
salt in the wood will not hurt the soap. A kerosene oil 
barrel will give a strong smell to the soap, which will 
make it disagreeable for some purposes, but will not 
injure it for use. 
Hardiness of Silver Thorn.- Steele 
Bros,, Ind. The Eleagnns has endured the winter on our 
grounds, a little north of New York, not only last winter, 
but during the much more destructive winter of 1872-’73. 
To Itiiig a Hull. — “ G. K. M.,” Bucks Co., 
Pa. A bull should be ringed when a year old ; earlier, if 
he shows any turbulence or vice, but never later. 
Some Questions as to Sliee|».—“ K.,” 
Delaware. No one should attempt to keep more sheep 
than can be well fed and housed. Three pounds of hay, 
and one pound of bran or meal per day, is a fair average 
allowance per head. It is not profitable to purchase 
wethers for feeding; ewes only should be kept, as the 
lambs are the profit, the wool and increase in weight 
going to pay expenses. Ewes may be bought in the fall, 
and if well fed, may be sold fat after rearing a lamb, 
within a year, and pay 100 per cent profit on their cost. 
Pure Merino ewes can not be bought for $3 a head. 
Common grades with some Merino blood, are worth that 
price. These sheep, however, with a pure Cotswohl ram, 
will produce first-rate market lambs, or good sheep for 
wool or breeding. Corn fodder and straw arc poor feed 
for sheep. The wool is rich in nitrogen and potash, and 
food that will furnish these is absolutely necessary. 
Clover hay, bran, corn, oats, rye, and buckwheat, are 
appropriate food. Some straw may be given occasionally 
to pick over, and some roots will bo useful with the dry 
feed, as a corrective. But sheep may be kept successfully 
without roots, if given other food of a laxative char¬ 
acter. Cotton seed or linseed oilcake meal is useful. 
Insects on Flowers.— “Flora,” Green 
Co., O. The black beetle which troubles your Asters 
and other flowers, is, to judge from your description, 
Lytta atrata , or some closely related species. The only 
remedy we know is hand-picking and killing them. 
Profit in Poultry.—“ E. W. A.,” Rogers- 
ville, East Tennessee. Poultry-keeping is not profitable, 
unless followed with great perseverance, skill, and ex¬ 
perience—nor even then, if there is not a good market 
near by for eggs and fowls. Grass fields are necessary 
for a range, unless fancy fowls are kept, and eggs or birds 
are sold at high prices. A considerable portion of the 
profit of fancy poultry keepers is from premiums at 
poultry shows, and to succeed as an exhibitor or breeder 
of fancy poultry, one must have long experience, tact, 
taste, and skill, and an established reputation. A young 
man, who knows nothing of poultry-keeping, would be 
almost sure to lose his money, by going into the business. 
Where fowls can be kept on a farm at little or no ex¬ 
pense, there they are profitable, but rarely elsewhere. 
Miichine to Sow and Cultivate 
Turnips.--'“R. D.,” Winnebago, Ill. Allen’s Planet 
Seed Drill and Hoe Combined, sows turnips or any other 
small seeds, and by making the necessary changes, culti¬ 
vates and hoes the rows. It is made by S. L. Allen & 
Co., 119 South Fourth St., Philadelphia. It is a light 
machine, and can be used by a woman in the garden, or 
a boy or man in the field. 
SUNHBY HUMBUGS.—Many persons 
who are victimized by swindlers, or have attempts made 
upon them, think they have done their whole duty in 
the matter if they report the case to us. We have no 
power to suppress humbugs, except that which accom¬ 
panies our ability to expose them; and there are many 
cases in which exposure does b,ut little good. As an il¬ 
lustration of this: we not long ago received a note stat¬ 
ing that three licensed venders—giving their numbers— 
were selling from their carts a few blocks below our 
office. The writer stated that he had examined their 
measures, and found all had false bottoms ; one tin 
quart measure having two bottoms over an inch apart. 
This gentlemen writes us a note asking us to expose the 
swindle under “Sundry Humbugs” and then to com¬ 
pletely throw the matter upon our shoulders, omits to 
sign his name. This gentleman’s duty in the case was 
very plain ; he should have bought a quart of what the 
vender was selling, as evidence that the measure had 
been used, and then called upon the nearest policeman 
to make the arrest, and should then have gone with him 
as witness. Our exposure of a street-vender, who is here 
to-day and there to-morrow, a month after the occurrence, 
would do no good whatever, while one single arrest 
would carry consternation to the whole crew. It is the 
same with many other cases we are called upon to ex¬ 
pose. There is a live-stock concern in Pennsylvania 
about which we have almost weekly complaints, which 
are apparently getting considerable sums of money with¬ 
out making any returns. We have no proof of this, 
other than the assurance of a number of persons in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the country, but which is really no legal 
proof. If facts are as stated, about this Pennsylvania 
concern, why do not those who have lost their money 
take legal steps to recover ? Writing to us will not get 
the money back, nor can wc publish the concern as 
swindlers unless we have the proofs which will convince 
twelve men that we were right in doing so. Law-suits 
are a natural consequence of our course in exposing hum¬ 
bugs, and the expense of time and money in defending 
suits where we have abundant proof of the accuracy of 
our statements, give us all the amusement of that kind 
we care for, and we do not propose in any case to ba 
called into court without being able to fully substantiate 
our assertions. We have done in the past, as we expect 
to do in the future, our full share in exposing swindlers, 
and this with no other object than to protect the public, 
and we think we have a right to ask that those who have 
the opportunity, should help in the work. But to re¬ 
turn to this matter of 
FALSE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, 
the loss to the community from this source is much 
greater than is supposed. Aside from the cases of in¬ 
tentional fraud, there is much inaccuracy in the scales 
and weights of presumably honest dealers. We cannot 
here point out the inaccuracies that may occur with an 
honest dealer. Spring-balances are always to be looked 
at with suspicion ; at best they are liable to vary, and 
a dishonest vender can make them tell heavily against 
the purchaser. The only safeguard against inten¬ 
tional and accidental short weight is to have a pair of 
accurate scales or a well-tested balance of some kind, 
and weigh every article that comes home. 
CATCHING VAIN PREACHERS. 
There is a new dodge reported by a Virginia correspon¬ 
dent. The Rev. So-and-So is a good man who has been 
quietly discharging his duties in some obscure town in 
Virginia, without thought of anything beyond his own 
proper work. He gets a letter from a person in N. Y. 
lie knows no one in that city, and wondering, opens the 
letter; he finds it dated No. 000 5th Avenue ; he has 
heard of that as the place where the “ nabobs ” live ; 
great is his astonishment to find that it is a gratuitous 
letter from Mr. Whats-his-namc, praising a beautiful ex¬ 
tract from one of his sermons. Oh 1 this was a lovely 
sermon, it did Whats-his-name so much good ; he only 
paid $2 for the “ Rambuleer ” published by Art & Co., 
