>66 
[Mat, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
questions are in many cases already answered. We have 
said all that is needful about $-1 watches, doubtful tea 
enterprises, distribution of watches and jewelry by 
ticket, and many other worn-out games. Here is one 
who inquires if so and so are “the only agents of the 
.(loyal Havana Lottery or not,” We do not advertise 
this kind of thing. 
THE TEA, COFFEE, AND SPICE DODGE. 
W. T. Mason & Co. have been sending out circulars 
offering great, inducements in the way of tea and coffee 
bargains. We have been convinced that the concern was 
bogus, but. had no positive proof of it. We huve sent 
several times to their place of business, but could find no 
one in, and the neighbors seemed to know but little 
about them. A recent issue of the “ American Grocer” 
says , “ Tiie firm of Win. T. Mason & Co. belongs to that 
species of black-legs known as ' Sawdust Swindlers,’ as 
the samples they send arc nothing but a box of that ar¬ 
ticle.” It seems that they had an office over a large, re¬ 
spectable wholesale grocery store, and called for their 
letters, which were received in a box, twice a day. The 
concern lias been broken up. 
IN THE MEDICAL LINE. 
We have some few new names, but they sing the same 
old tune—“ take our stuff or die.”.A person in In¬ 
diana sends us several of the worst kind of quack adver¬ 
tisements, cut from papers, and says: “What do you 
know about the inclosed advertisements? Will look for 
answer in American Agriculturist." We think that those 
who published the advertisements are scoundrels, and 
those who will be taken in by them are fools, but wo 
don’t “know” anything about it.The “National 
Surgical Institute” at Indianapolis sends out a small cir¬ 
cular upon which are pictured deformities more repul¬ 
sive, if possible, than are shown upon the large sheet. 
.A citizen of Rahway, N. J., is in trouble. lie en¬ 
gaged in the sale of a quack medicine, but found that 
the people there read the Agriculturist , and would not 
buy. He thinks we have damaged his sales to the amount 
of one hundred dollars, and would like to have us make 
good his loss. It consoles us when we are reminded 
of this unfortunate individual’s loss to think of what the 
people of Rahway have gained. One reading the cir¬ 
cular of “Seven Barks” could feci very sure that he had 
found a cure-all, did not the circular of “ Mountain Herb 
Syrup ” profess to cure quite as much. The discovery of 
each is equally wonderful, but the circular of the last- 
named is a little the more pious. These things come up, 
a new crop every year, flourish for a short time, and die 
away, and we suppose will do so as long as there are 
weak-minded people to try them. Almost anything put 
up in a bottle with a showy label will sell, provided the 
claims as to its curative qualities are made strong enough 
to act upon the hopes and fears of people who think they 
are sick.The “Journal of Applied Chemistry” 
translates from “Jacobsen’s Industrial Journal," pub¬ 
lished at Berlin, tlie following: 
“ FIVE-MINUTE FRAGRANT PAIN EXTRACTOR. 
“This preparation, which is warranted to cure every 
pain in five minutes, is manufactured by Prof. Dr. Walter 
Scott, New York Medical University, No. 8 University 
place, New York City, and sold for $1. The wrapper on 
the bottle contains the vignette of a man’s head with the 
hands clasping his temples. A list of 22 diseases is 
given, which this medicine will cure. The label on the 
bottle gives directions for use, viz. : 1. Rubbing the 
remedy into the afflicted part with the hare hand. 2. 
Moistening a cloth or flannel with it, and binding it on 
the part. 3. Rubbing it on with a brush until all pain 
disappears. 
“ In a wide, four-sided bottle is about 200 grams of a 
clear, colorless liquid, which smells of ether, and 
consists of 
Ether. 6.0 grams. 
Glycerine. 21.0 grams. 
Common satt. 3.4 grams. 
Distilled water.170.0 grams. 
“ Any apothecary in Germany would put up this mix¬ 
ture for one-sixtli of that price. It is plain that this Pro¬ 
fessor and Doctor Scott belong to the money-makers. 
In North America, where there is no official medical in¬ 
spector, the price of $1 is considered very reasonable. 
That a University Professor should prolong his existence 
in this manner seems to us here in Germany a high de¬ 
gree of moral turpitude. Not so in North Amerita, 
where people take different, views in this respect.” 
It never entered into the mind of the German editor 
that one man or a few men could assume the name of a 
university, and publish their quackery without being 
stopped by law. We have often stated there was not in 
any proper or legal sense any snch institution as this 
“ University.” 
A LOAN SWINDLE. 
J. J. Wells, Greenville, Pa., advertises to loan $200,000 
on goot’. security. Correspondents must send description 
of security, and " $2 to pay for examining securities.” 
One of our correspondents lias investigated the matter, 
amt finds that Wells docs not advertise in the paper in 
bis own town, where he could loan more than the named 
amount on real estate security at ten per cent. The $2 
for examining explains the whole thing.Chaps who 
are known as 
DEALERS IN THE QUEER 
seem to have found some other occupation. The only 
new names we have are C. E. Ruh and J. E. Naylor, who 
modestly give no address, but hail from New York in 
general. Theodore G. Chambers may be found at C09 
Broadway, as may another who does not give his name, 
but says James Watson is on the door. In language 
more forcible than elegant he cautions his customers 
against swindlers on the street, and says, “You must 
bring every dollar you can raise,” and adds, “ I will 
guarantee that you will be a rich man in 30 days.” And 
some will be fools enough to do it. 
Alsilce (Ciover.—“ G. E. S.,” Lima Center, 
Wis. The seed or' aisike clover must be gathered from 
the first crop. It will not seed again the same season, as 
red clover will. 
Cribbing,— “H. E. L.,” East St. Johnsbury, 
Vt. Cribbing is a vice, and not an unsoundness. The 
colt of a cribbing mare may not necessarily be a cribber. 
The vice often springs from indigestion, and this being 
often a hereditary complaint, such a colt should be care¬ 
fully guarded against acquiring the vice. 
Slarrowing. — “ W. M. H.,” Watertown, 
Tenn. Two horses are abundantly able to draw a forty- 
tooth harrow covering thirty square feet of ground, made 
with two wings, hinged together in the center, of oak- 
timber bars 3x4 inches square, witfr %-inch teeth, kept 
sharp, and placed so as to draw cornerwisc to the earth. 
A team traveling two miles an hour for ten hours, and 
passing twice over the ground with a six-foot harrow— 
that is, taking three feet of fresh ground at each bout, 
and going over the other three feet the second time—will 
harrow about seven acres in a day. A team, however, 
should move at least three miles an hour when harrow¬ 
ing, and should take occasional rests. 
Milk.Pails. - "L. W.,” Crisfield, Md. 
Wooden milk-pails should never be used; it is next to 
impossible to keep them sweet. Tin pails are easily 
kept clean, but soon wear out. The best milk-pail we 
know of is the Iron-clad Milk-pail, which is easily 
cleaned, and is strong and durable. 
124) fiSushels of Corn per Acre.— 
“ J. W. N.,” Galloway, Arkansas. The majority of the 
reports about such crops of corn as 100 or 120 bushels 
per acre are only believed by credulous persons. Never¬ 
theless, such crops are raised occasionally, but only by 
the best farmers. They never grow by chance. IIow a 
crop of over 100 bushels of shelled corn (nothing allowed 
for shrinkage, however) was raised last season by one of 
the best farmers in the country was told in the Agricul¬ 
turist for April. 
Swivel-Plows. —“A. C. G.,” St. Louis, 
Mo. Holbrook’s Swivel-plow is, we believe, undergoing 
improvements, and for that reason is not advertised. 
When the manufacturers are prepared to supply the de¬ 
mand for this much-needed implement, they will proba¬ 
bly take means to inform the public. 
Culture of Oow-SVas. —A “Subscriber,” 
Knoxville, Tenn., sends us his experience in raising 
cow-peas. He has raised them for several seasons, but 
has not been able to make them a really paying crop 
when sown by themselves. The chief difficulty met with 
is in harvesting them. He has sown them in drills along 
with the corn crop, in the furrow made by the shovel- 
plow the last time of cultivating the corn, in June or 
early in July. The furrow is made near the corn, and five 
or six peas are dropped between the corn-hills. When 
the “ middles ” are split by the shovel-plow, the peas are 
covered, and that is the end of the p'anting. The corn 
is cut late in August, and then the peas make a rapid 
growth until early in October. They are pulled before 
frost, stacked in small cocks with the roots outwards, 
and left to cure for two,or three weeks. They stand any 
amount of rain without injury. For a soiling crop, or 
for plowing under, they are equally valuable. They stand 
drouth remarkably well, by reason of their habit, of deep 
rooting; anil this peculiarity gives them a power of de¬ 
riving a largo portion of their nutriment from the sub¬ 
soil, and of growing luxuriantly on soil that has been 
badly worn and shallow plowed ; and this tends to make 
them very valuable for plowing under to improve the 
surface soil. The difficulty of mowing and drying them 
when the crop is rank and heavy is a serious drawback, 
aud information as to the practicability of using a mow¬ 
ing-machine to cut them when sown broadcast is re¬ 
quested. Possibly, some of our Southe rn readers who 
have tried this method will communicate it for the bene¬ 
fit, of “A Subscriber” and others interested. We have 
mowed peas (common peas, not cow-peas, which, by the 
way, are not peas, but a speifles of bean) with the mower 
without any trouble, by lowering the points of the cutting- 
bar, as in mowing lodged clover. Peas generally are 
mowed with the scythe by making a straight drawing- 
cut towards the mower, and thus gathering them into 
bunches, in which they are left to dry. We can not see 
why the cow-pea could not be harvested in either of 
these manners. 
St a siafl iiimI BSnsliclL— “Subscriber,” How¬ 
ard Co., Md., asks the following questions : “ (1st) What 
is the standard bushel of mangels? (2d) How many 
bushels of mangels is a fair crop? (3d) Will land that 
has been ten years in clover produce a fair crop of late 
cabbage without other manure than the sod ? (4th) Will 
refuse salt composted with stable manure and plaster 
make a good manure for cabbage, egg-plants, and other 
garden crops?—(1st) The heaped bushel of 2,750 cubic 
inches is the customary bushel. There is no legal standard 
for these roots. (2d) 600 to 800 bushels. (3d) No. (4th) 
If the salt and plaster are used in small quantities and the 
stable manure used abundantly, yes ; if otherwise, no. 
<Siirg , et.—“H. E. L.” A cow that has had 
garget two or three times will probably have a swollen 
ttdder every time she calves. Such a cow should be 
watched very narrowly, be fed very sparingly before she 
calves, and if her bag becomes. filled up she should be 
milked a week previously if necessary. Such cows should 
go to the butcher. . 
Seeding - 43rngs in Hie Spring.— 
“ S. S.,” Shelburne Falls, Mass. Grass and clover may 
be seeded in the spring, if sown early, without any pro¬ 
tecting crop. The ground should be well prepared, made 
very fine, and the seed either brushed in with a bush- 
barrow or covered by rolling. A dressing of stimulating 
fertilizer, as guano or wood-ashes, would be useful. As 
it is now too late for such a seeding, a crop of late oats 
cut for fodder might be sown with the grass seeds. We 
have succeeded in getting a good stand of grass and 
clover with buckwheat sown on the 25th of June. 
Engine lor 'TUrasbing-JIacliin<‘.— 
“ S. P. A.,” Newark, N. J. To run a thrashing-machine 
a four-horse engine would bo advisable, as it is more 
economical to have power to spare than to run up to the 
full capacity of an engine. Any force-putnp would an¬ 
swer to raise water 150 feet to a tank; the American Sub¬ 
merged Pump is as good a one as we know of. 
SSsslicsg - Sa Manure, —The waste 
of fertilizing matter produced in large cities is enor¬ 
mous; and the cost of carriage on that portion which is 
utilized is so great as to largely restrict its use. A pro¬ 
cess of drying, compressing, and packing the stable 
manure made in cities lias been invented and patented. 
If it should tnrn out to be feasible, it will undoubtedly 
have the effect of cheapening the cost of manure to 
farmers at a distance from cities, and to the utilizing 
of a much larger proportion, if not the whole of it. 
Hay -without IJarn.yavd Manure, 
—“A. S. K.,” Ct. Hay may bo grown without stable 
manure if other fertilizers are judiciously used. Plaster, 
wood-ashes, muck composted with lime and a small por¬ 
tion of salt, and about 250 to 300 pounds per acre of 
some of the ammoniacal manures, of which the best 
probably is fish guano or dried blood-and-flesli manure, 
are all valuable for grass crops. The meadow should 
not be pastured in the fall, and if it can be irrigated from 
a well or spring success will be certain. 
(lows tfba* Draft Purposes.—“L. L.,” 
Prince William Co., Va., writes that as an old English 
farmer he begs to correct the statement in the Agricul¬ 
turist that cows are used for draft purposes in England. 
“ L. L.” probably refers to the statement in “Ogden 
Farm Papers” of February, that “many a farmer in 
Europe does all his plowing with his cows.” This is 
true of continental Europe, which is what was meant, 
England was not referred to. 
4)ru«lc fl*<;4B*oleuin.—“J. C.W.,” Harford 
Co.. Md. Crude petroleum is a very excellent applica¬ 
tion for wooden out-buildings or a picket-fence. The 
first coat will be rapidly absorbed, and a second ona may 
then be given. Its preservative effect is very consider¬ 
able. If desired, a coating of some of the chemical 
paints may be put on over the petroleum. 
