246 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[July, 
“ are now making an unjust use of a dead man’s name to 
sell the identical instrument that wasfound defective years 
ago ; ” while Dr. J. Ball & Co., in their circular, caution 
against counterfeiters, and say, “ They sometimes go 
utidei the name of a ‘College,’ when no such medical 
college exists in our city.” To those disposed to try 
Eye Cups we say, Don’t.We have also rival “ Moun¬ 
tain Herb ” medicines, one in New York and the other 
in Chicago. If obliged to decide between them, we 
should go for the Chicago “ Herb,” as that has a circular 
giving a pathetic account of “ Uow I found Aunt Mary,” 
and it was “ Aunt Mary” who found the “ Herb.” It is 
all very touching, especially the “religious” part of it. 
.We are informed that a “medicine” advertised 
largely from Jersey city is only one of our well kuown 
New York dealers in this line with another string to his 
bow, over in Jarsey, and that he sends over for his letters. 
We shall have to look this up. 
ANATOMICAL MUSEUMS. 
A Boston subscriber sends ns a pamphlet concerning a 
“Gallery of Anatomy,” and asks “Is this quackery?” 
There are in most large cities one or more “ anatomical 
museums.” There are so many who know but little 
about the structure of their own bodies, in whom there 
is a strong desire to know more, that these exhibitions 
are well patronized, especially by the young. Very ex¬ 
cellent models of all parts of the human body in health 
and disease, made in wax or papier-mache, maybe bought 
in Paris for a moderate sum. These, with a few skele¬ 
tons and preparations in alcohol, usually make up the 
sto k of these exhibitions. They may be made instructive 
or not, as they are managed. So far as our personal 
knowledge of them goes, they have merely served as a 
sort of advertisement to those who treat private diseases. 
RECIPES FOR FERTILIZERS. 
A chap is around in Maryland, and probably elsewhere, 
selling a recipe for making a fertilizer. The pr’ce of the 
recipe is $10, and the purchaser binds himself in a 
penalty of $500 not to divulge the secret. We have seen 
one of these recipes, and can not advise any one to in¬ 
vest in such stock. Things that are of real value are not 
hawked about the country in this manner. 
“the queer.” 
The dealers in counterfeit money are unusually scarce. 
The unusual efforts of the police, backed by the courts 
and the city officials, have made dealers in “sawdust” 
refreshingly scarce at least in New York City. C. 
Alland has moved West, and dates his taking, confi¬ 
dential letters from Louisiana, Mo.; It. S. Nixon may he 
found at 34 Amity st.; J. M. Ward <fc Co., 34 Grand st. 
Size of a, EStisDel. —“Rural.” A struck 
bushel O'" .ains 2,150 cubic inches in round numbers (ex¬ 
actly 2,150 4 / 10 ). Any box or vessel whose length, width, 
and depth, multiplied together, equals 2,150 inches, holds 
a bushel. Thus a box 13 inches long, 13 inches wide, 
and 12% inches deep, contains 2,154 cubic inches, which 
will be nearly enough correct for home use. A heaped 
bushel is 2,750 cubic inches in most places, at least 
charcoal, coal, and lime are everywhere measured by 
this bushel ; and a box or other measure, or a heap or 
corn-crib needs to have its contents reduced to cubic 
inches and divided by 2,750 to find the quantity ®on- 
tained in heaped bushels. 
Sawdust as a IVIulcli.— “F. W. W.” 
Sawdust, in decaying, is often infested with fungus, and 
this has been found injurious to plants. As a mulch for 
strawberries it is useless, as the fine particles are thrown 
upon the berries by the rain. 
Frcnok Stoclis.—W. D. Baker, Fayette 
Co., Pa. A “ French stock ” is, of necessity, no better 
than any other stock. Some stocks can be more certainly 
and more cheapl v raised abroad than here, and our nur¬ 
serymen often find it to their advantage to use imported 
stocks. If any one has charged you 75 cents to $1.50 for 
pear, plum, and quince trees of ordinary nursery size, 
for the reason that they were worked on French stock, 
you had next time better buy of some other dealer. 
1{o3c>l>uga on Grape-vines. — “ M. 
D. B.” The only remedy we know of is to shake them 
off early in the morning, when they do not fly readily, 
and catch them in a pan of water. 
Sowing Grass and Clover in the 
Fall.—“B. D.,” Noll Co., Ohio (and several others). 
The question of success or failure in sowing timothy and 
clover immediately after harvest depends on the quality 
of the ground and the weather. With good, rich soil, 
grass and clover will take in spite of Vory dry weather; 
b it with an average amount of rain, they will be suffi¬ 
cient y advanced to resist the winter on moderately good 
soils. Wc would, on etich ground, sow twelve quarts of 
timothy and six of clover, harrowir/g the ground well 
before and after sowing. The last harrowing should he 
light. We, on one occasion, succeeded in getting an ex¬ 
cellent stand by sowing, after a crop of wheat was har¬ 
vested, a bushel of buckwheat with the grass seed, and 
leaving the buckwheat to he cut down by the frost. It 
was a protection to the grass both from heat and frost, 
^ummer'Priiniug tlie Grape.— “M. 
D. B.” We do not know in what sense you use the term 
“ summer-pruning.” If you mean the pinching of later¬ 
als, it should be continued as long as they push. There 
should be no other summer-pruning than that which can 
be done by the thumb and finger. 
^team-plow.—“ B. B.,” Plymouth, N. II. 
The various experiments in steam-plowing have not, as 
yet, progressed so far as to warrant any person in saying 
definitely whether it is to be a success or a failure in this 
country during ttiis century. That it will succeed and 
be largely used, we do not doubt—in time—hut only in 
level districts and on large farms. We would recom¬ 
mend no one to experiment except some public-spirited 
person who could afford to lose $10,000. 
Skin Diseases in Dogs.— Prof. Williams, 
veterinary surgeon, is quoted by the Medical and Surgical 
Reporter as saying that skin diseases in dogs require to 
he treated with great care. Applications that may be 
used upon other animals with safety will upon the dog 
produce great disturbance, and even death. For this 
reason he has abandoned carbolic acid, no matter how 
dilute, in canine skin diseases, as the effect is sometimes 
deleterious and fatal. He finds the best application as a 
stimulant, to the skin in dogs to he sublimed sulphur and 
carbonate of potash, each a drachm, made into an oint¬ 
ment with one onnee of lard. 
-Agricsaltursil Colleges. —Last month 
we referred to the trouble that had attended the disposi¬ 
tion of the national land grant by the different states. 
There has long been much dissatisfaction in Illinois, and 
now the papers talk about a Credit Mobilier as connected 
with the college — we beg pardon, University — at 
Champlain. 
The Sheep-Tick. —“W. L. L.,” Wash¬ 
ington Co., Pa. The sheep-tick may easily he extirpated 
by dipping the lambs after the sheep have been sheared. 
While the wool of the sheep is short, the ticks, to escape 
the light, go upon the lambs and accumulate in such 
numbers as to greatly annoy them and interfere with 
their growth, and often kill them. If the lambs at this 
time are dipped in a solution of carbolic sheep-dip, the 
ticks will be killed, and the flock freed for this season 
from their persecutions. A barrel sawn in halves or a 
large wash-tub or a watering-trough may be used for the 
purpose, and a five-pound can of the dip will make fifty 
gallons of the solution. It will cost $1.75, and maybe 
had of Orange Judd & Co., 245 Broadway, New York. 
FiSirge Hogs.— “H. T. S.,” Unionsville, 
Ct.„ sends us the following weights of some Chester Co. 
hogs ns follows: One nearly two years and a half old 
dressed 818 pounds. One pig nine months and twenty- 
five days old dressed 510 pounds. This was fed by a 
neighbor of “II. T. S.,” and was sired by the first- 
mentioned hog. 
Value <r>5' Coal-aslses.—“A Farmer.” 
Coal-ashes are useful on all soils mechanically, loosening 
a heavy clay and improving sandy loams. They contain 
lime, alumina or clay, silica or sand, and sometimes 
notable quantities of potash and phosphoric acid. 
Scanning and Hunting-.—A “ Young- 
Man," Mount Vernon, Ill., who wants to go where man¬ 
ure is not needed (at least at present), and where he can 
get some hunting to rest him occasionally, should go to 
Western Kansas, where buffalo and antelope are plentiful, 
and where he will have an excellent chance for sheep or 
cattle grazing. There he will have also* good air, good 
water, grass, and game, which he is in search of. 
Keeping THilk Sweet In Summer. 
—“ A Subscriber ” can only keop hi* milk sweet in hot 
weather liy the use of ice, or placing the pans in a stream 
of cold spring water; attention to cleanliness of the pan 9 
is absolutely necessary. 
Cheese Factories in Kansas,— 
“Farmers’ Club.” Farmers in Kansas are acting wisely in 
looking to the establishment of cheese factories* This 
is one of the met hods of manufacturing produce whereby 
the raw material which will not bear transportation is 
changed into an article of much higher value on t which 
the freight bears proportionately very much less. Kansas 
is Yory well adapted for dairying and clrCcSC-niaklng, and 
farmers’ clubs can not do better than gather and spread 
information upon this subject. The cost of erecting 
buildings and furnishing them will be somewhat higher 
than in the East, but an advantage will be gained in the 
less cost of land, labor, feed, etc., and the consequent 
less cost of the finished product., The cheese eaten in 
the West is from New York factories chiefly, and there 
will he another advantage gained in the saving of the 
freight now paid on this cheese. The building needed 
for the milk of 600 cows might be put up for $3,000. even 
in Kansas, if of wood. Brick would be preferable, al¬ 
though it would cost possibly 50 per cent more than this. 
The fittings would cost $1,500 or $1,600. The associated 
principle works as well as any other. The yield of cheese 
is at the rate of one pound from ten pounds of milk. We 
believe there is a factory in operation in Kansas, or at 
least there was, with what success we have not learned. 
There are over 50 in Illinois, and 30 or 40 in Wisconsin, 
many of which use the milk of 200 cows or less. 
Vine IPnaiettas-ecl !>y Insects.—“ J. C.,” 
Royalton, O., sends ns grape canes which are punctured 
sometimes for the entire length of a joint so as to split 
the twig quite down to the pith. Small overlapping eggs 
are laid in the fissure. The eggs are evidently those of a 
tree-cricket, probably the Snowy Tree-cricket ((Ecanthus 
niveus) which, according to Mr. Riley (in Am. Entomolo¬ 
gist), is often very destructive in the far West, not only 
to the grape-vine b*t fruit trees and even willows. If J. 
C. hatches out tho eggs in a bottle as he proposes he 
will probably get a small cricket less than an inch long, 
the male of which is ivory white. 
CompostSing-.— “ J. J. S.,” who writes from 
Columbus, but which one is not stated, asks if he should 
mix any fertilizer with a compost of marl and manure. 
No; such a plan is not to he recommended. It would 
not be what is understood as a compost. That, is a mix¬ 
ture of such matters as swamp-muck, leaves, refuse vege¬ 
table matter, sods, lime, or plaster together in such a 
way that fermentation may take place, and the materials 
become welUrotted and broken down. Stable manure 
may be used In such a mixture to start the fermentation 
as a sort of leaven. But the mixture of concentrated 
fertilizers, which are of themselves sufficiently fine and 
soluble, with stable manure and other coarse materials is 
not, advisable. It is better to apply them to the soil 
separately. The bone-dust referred to is probably ns it 
is represented to be. The parties have a reputation for 
respectability, and that is all that purchasers of commer¬ 
cial fertilizers have to rely upon. 
Wool Hots.— “ J. D ,” Rock Co., Wis. The 
wool box described in the American Agriculturist of May, 
1872, 1 b not patented. 
torus iu EBoi-ses’ Feet.—A “Horse¬ 
man,” Orange Co., N. Y. Corns are not a disease, but 
result from injuries to the sole of the foot. When the 
sole is pared thin, a blow from a stone which strikes it 
injures the sensitive portion of the foot which should be 
protected by the sole, and an effusion of blood or serum 
occurs, which presses upon the bruised part mid causes 
lameness. A red or discolored spot is seen. This is 
supposed to be a corn, and is pared away mitil it bleeds, 
and instead of good being done there is much evil. If 
the shoe is also improperly put. on, so that the bearing is 
unequal," parts of the solo become bruised with the same 
result. A remedy is to foment the sole with hot water, 
or to stuff the foot with tow, which should he soaked in 
hot water repeatedly. If a badly-fitting shoe is the cause, 
it should be removed before the fomentations are applied, 
and refitted with an even liearingall round, hut especially 
at the heel, when the lameness will soon disappear. If 
the shoes were always well fitted, and made long at the 
heel, and the sole and frog not pared down until no pro¬ 
tection to the foot is left, there would be many fewer 
lame horses. 
About WEsililetrees. — “ W. II. M.,” 
Montgomery Co., Ta. The length of the whiflletree' has 
no effect whatever on the draft of a team. One of three 
feet will he eqnally effective as one four feet or five, and 
vice versa. 
Etsrtle-CJoset J9Iannre.— “ L. B. Y.,” 
Meriden, Ct. The doubt, thrown upon the value of earth- 
closet manure by a distinguished agricultural chemist re¬ 
lates to the supposed loss of ammonia in the mixture of 
refuse and earth after a lapse of time, This view is not 
accepts,, by come other chemists whose analyses go to 
show that tho ammonia or nitrogen does not. disappear. 
Practically, however, it )b not of much importance, for If 
some of the ammonia is necessarily lost we can not help 
it, and mnet accept, what we can save on the principle of 
“ half a Jobf rather than no bmul,” 
