1873.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
165 
DON’T FORGKET 
THE PREMIUMS! 
2 
Months More. 
Two IUoutli!) Yet Remain—May and June— 
(luring which any person who wishes to obtain one 
or more of the useful and valuable articles offered 
in our Premium List (of which a copy will be sent 
free to any applicant, see page IDS) can easily get 
them. This has already'been done by snore than 14,000 
persons, who during years past have tried with success 
the raising of Clubs of Subscribers for our papers, and 
availed themselves of the liberal offers of Premiums 
made by the Publishers. 
We invite all our Subscribers to take hold of this 
work and secure a Premium while the offer is open. 
Specimen copies of both papers will be sent to any wish¬ 
ing to show them for this purpose. 
containing a great variety of Items, including many 
good Hints and Suggestion 's ir/iich we throw into smaller 
type and condensed fom , for want of space elsewhere. 
Remitting Money % — Checks on 
New York City Ranks or Rankers are best 
for large sums ; make payable to the order of Orange 
Jii(Id & Co..Post-Office Money Orders, 
for $50 or less, are cheap and safe also. When these are not 
obtainable, register letters, affixing stamps for post¬ 
age and registry ; put in the money and seal the letter in 
the presence of the postmaster, and take his receipt for it. 
Money sent in the above three methods is safe against loss. 
I*ost&j»-e ; On American Agriculturist , 3 cents 
a quarter, in advance ; on Hearth and Home, 5 cents per 
quarter. Double rates if not paid in advance at the 
office where the papers are received. For subscribers in 
British America, the postage must be sent to this office 
for prepayment here. Also 20 cents for delivery of 
Hearth and Home in New York City. 
BSoinaac! Copies off Tolsmoae TThlrty- 
one arc now ready. Price, $2, at our office; or $2.50 
each, if sent by mail. Any of the last sixteen volumes 
(16 to 31) will also be forwarded at same price. Sets of 
numbers sent to our office will be neatly bound in our 
regular style, at 75 cents pervol. (50 cents extra, if return¬ 
ed by mail.) Missing numbers supplied at 12 cents each. 
Clsih.s can at any time be increased by remitting 
for each addition the price paid by the original members; 
or a small club may be increased to a larger one; thus: 
a person having sent 10 subscribers and $12, may after¬ 
ward send 10 more subscribers with only $8 ; making a 
club of 20 at $1 each; and so of the other club rates. 
Ibelivery of Cha-osaaos. — AVe have de¬ 
livered all the Chromos due to subscribers to the Ameri¬ 
can Agriculturist up to January 31st, 1873. We shall 
continue the delivery with the utmost dispatch. 
IV© Anonymous JLettes-s.— 1 Those who 
write us asking information or making statements of ex¬ 
perience can not ex*poct to havo their letters noticed if 
they omit their proper names. No one would think of 
writing to a lawyer, banker, or merchant, without giving 
his name, and we do not see why it should be considered 
proper to address editors anonymously. If a person asks 
information he can not want it very earnestly if he does 
not care to sign his request, and if one gives information 
it is worthless unless it has the writer’s signature. Take 
notice-we do not publish names where a desire is indi¬ 
cated that we should not do so. Sign the article what 
you please, hut give the real name besides. We shall 
hereafter notioe no anonymous letters. 
fl>» Snakes Swallow their Young ? 
At the request of a professor of natural history in one of 
our colleges, we asked in February last for evidence 
upon this disputed point. In response, we have received 
69 letters, varying in length from a few lines to several 
pages, all giving the testimony of the writers that they 
have witnessed the act of snakes swallowing their young. 
Some of the variety stores have a sign reading, “ If you 
don’t see what you want, ask for it,” and we have found 
the best way to get information upon any obscure point 
is to “ask for it.” The Agriculturist reaches such a 
great variety of readers, that we rarely ask for experience 
upon any point that wo do not receive a reply from some 
quarter. Of these letters, 40 had distinct post-marks, 
and of 29 the post-marks were perfectly illegible. Of the 
whole 69 there were five in which there was no clue to 
the address of the writer upon the inside or outside of 
the letter. Arranged by States, there were from Mass. 4, 
N. H. 2, Ct. 6, K. I. 1, N. Y. 10, N. J. 7, Pa. 6, Ohio 7, 
Inch 1, Ill. 1, Mich. 2, Iowa 2, Minn. 2, Wis. 3, Kansas2, 
Tenu. 1, Ya. 1, W. Ya. 1, S. C. 1, Ga. 1, Miss. 1, La. 2. 
As we have now all the replies we are likely to receive, 
we shall transfer them to the professor in whose behalf 
the request was made, thanking the writers for the in¬ 
teresting contributions they have made towards clearing 
up an obscure point in the history of our reptiles. 
An Enraged Editor.—Some correspon¬ 
dent wrote about an ailing dog, and the letter was hand¬ 
ed to one of our associates who is wise in such matters. 
The editor in question carefully read the account of the 
dog’s case, carefully considered the whole matter, and 
then carefully wrote a long letter giving his view of the 
case and suggesting the proper treatment. The letter 
being at length finished, the whole affair occupying half 
an hour or more, he put it in an envelope and turned to 
find the address. The correspondent had not signed his 
letter 1 This editor is generally a very mild man, but we 
do not think it would have been safe for the correspon¬ 
dent to have met him just then. The man with the sick 
dog will know why he received no reply. Moral: always 
sign your letters. 
A Contemporary's) Opinion. —“ The 
Watchman and Keflector” has the following, which we 
give as a specimen of the many commendatory notices we 
receive from our friends of the press: A few evenings 
ago we read through consecutively the January, Febru¬ 
ary, and March numbers of the American Agriculturist , 
and learned enough of farm-work, household-work, valu¬ 
able recipes, and iuterestiug facts and suggestions, to 
last us the remainder of our natural life, if we could put 
it into practice 1 It is one of the very best family papers 
published: sprightly, entertaining, instructive, and prac¬ 
tical, and edited with great tact. 
“ JPaat it isa. tike April Niamtoer,” 
writes “ A Subscriber,” who dated his letter of inquiry 
March 27th, a day upon which many of the readers had 
the April No. in hand, and one upon which it was 
going to all of them outside of the city. “ A Subscriber ” 
should remember that anything that reaches us on the 
12th of March (not to mention the 27th), stands but a 
shadow of a chance of being replied to before May. If 
subscriber had signed his name he would probably havo 
had a reply by mail; but if people do not care to put their 
own names to what they write the matter can not be of 
much importance to them. 
No Wasne.—When a correspondent writes to 
ask what we think of Messrs. Boans & Co.’s or any other 
superphosphate, and if it is a good fertilizer for early 
cabbages, etc., he should remember to put his name to his 
letter, and inclose a stamped envelope, as we generally re¬ 
ply to such inquiries by mail. 
National Coiiiinbai-iim Society.— 
Agreeably to previous public advertisement, a meeting 
was held on Wednesday the 9th inst., at 14 Murray St., 
for the purpose of formiug a National Pigeon Association, 
at which Mr. Wm. Simpson, Jr., of West Farms, N. Y., 
was chosen permanent President; Mr. A. B. Estes, 
Corresponding Secretary; with Vice-Presidents and 
other officers in many of the States of the Union. Any 
information pertaining to the objects and interests of the 
Society may be obtained by addressing the Secretary, 
P. O. Box 316, Now York City. 
Red-Top for May.—'“F. R. W.,” St. 
Pauls. Ked-top is not the best grass for hay, except in 
moist, undrained soils liable to be occasionally over¬ 
flowed. Then, if cut early, it lias a thick bottom, and 
makes a heavy crop of second-rate hay. Timothy en 
moist, drained soils is far preferable, or on uplands of 
fair character. If red-top is chosen, there should be 
about two bushels, or 28 pounds, sown per aere. 
STOSJRY MajMBS&JCiS.— The tempta¬ 
tion is sometimes strong to refer our readers to any num¬ 
ber for the past few months for “ Ilumbug ” intelligence; 
but this would hardly be right, as these swindling chaps 
arc smart enough to know that if they keep at one thing 
long they will be found out; so they assume new changes 
frequently, just as certain birds change their plumago 
with the season. 
COLLECTING, NAMES. 
The success of a majority of the swindles is due to 
personal and confidential appeals by letter. A person, 
not familiar with engraving and printing mutters, receives 
by mail what appears to him like an autograph letter; 
and if lie he a simple-hearted and withal rather vain per¬ 
son, he is so much flattered at being taken into the con 
Science of one who will show him how to make money, 
that he fails to see that the letter is a lithographic repro¬ 
duction, and that thousands just like his have gone to 
thousands of people all over the country. It is too much 
for him. “ The people think him a simple kind of chap, 
hut here is a merchant in the great city of New York who 
found out that he is somebody. He’ll show them a thing 
or two ’’—and bites at the bait. AVe know the rest, for it 
is told in these frequent letters of complaint. In Febru¬ 
ary last we showed the various methods resorted to by 
swindlers to procure names. AVe give here a case illus¬ 
trating one method in which many names are obtained. 
The following letter was sent to a highly respectable 
florist’s establishment in Maryland : 
“ I am about issuing a new pamphlet, for which I wish a 
large number of addresses of persons in different sections 
of the country. I would like to buy your original letters re¬ 
ceived in answer to your advertisements. 1 will pay you 
$15 per M., and guarantee to return them after copying 
the addresses. Please send at once what you have on 
hand by express, C. O. D., $15 per thousand, and oblige, 
yours respectfully, etc.” 
An offer like this made to a thoughtless or an avaricious 
man, or falling into the hands of a dishonest clerk, is 
quite as likely to bo accepted as to be refused. The ad¬ 
dress of this letter was Amity street, New York, in just 
that part of the street where dealers in the queer, and 
other swindlers, abound. 
COMPLAINTS OF PROBABLE SWINDLERS. 
A\ r e have frequent letters which state that the writers 
have ordered such and such tilings from persons who 
have advertised, and as they have received no returns 
ask us to denounce the advertisers as swindlers and 
humbugs. Sometimes a person is complained of in the 
strongest terms, and the complainant does not sign his 
letter! If we were to act upon these unsubstantiated 
statements of grievances we might injure an honest per¬ 
son—as we have too much experience of the 'uncertainty 
of mails to allow us to put down one as dishonest be¬ 
cause an expected reply does not come from him. Before 
a person can iiavc the distinction of a place in this 
column, we must bo ourselves thoroughly convinced that 
he is a humbug, and must have such evidence as will 
convince a jury that we were fairly warranted in exposing 
him as such. AVe do not give time and money to this 
humbug business for tiie amusement of ourselves or out 
readers, but solely to save unsuspecting persons from the 
hands of sharpers. AA T c have complaints which make it 
necessary to advise caution in dealing with certain $5 
sewing-machines. A person in Virginia lias advertised 
one of these concerns as a swindle, and we have com¬ 
plaints that money has been sent and no machine re¬ 
ceived. There are small machines at the place adver¬ 
tised, but there seem to bo two agencies for the same 
machine at one place, and agricultural implements “and 
all articles needed for farm work ” are offered in the same 
circular with the sewing-machines.Serious complaint 
is made of a dealer in needle-books and other fancy arti¬ 
cles at Paterson, N. J.luquiries come from Oregon 
about a Philadelphia pen concern, who have received 
money and send neither pens nor reply. AA r e can not un¬ 
derstand how a person in Oregon or elsewhere can send 
$10 to an unknown party in Philadelphia or elsewhere 
for pens or anything else. 
BOGUS COMMISSION ^MERCHANTS. 
A printed circular in the form of a regular prices cur¬ 
rent is sent us from Danbury, Ct., with the statement 
that it has been widely circulated in Vermont, and that 
by reason of it large amounts of butter, maple sugar, and 
other produce have been sent to Danbury. Upon the 
arrival of the produce at Danbury, letters were received 
directing it to be forwarded to New York and elsewhere. 
The Danbury people saw the swindle, and held on to a 
large share of the goods, and kept it until the shippers 
could be heard from. 
USELESS INQUIRIES. 
It is supposed that every reader of the Agriculturist 
has at least the numbers of the present year. If those 
who make inquiries about this or that scheme will look 
over these few back numbers they would see that their 
