236 
APRIL 42 
Pages, 64. Illustrated. The object of this 
little work is to give the public the benefit 
of the 20 years' experience and observation 
of the author. The book is very practical, 
sensible, and condensed. We regret to say 
that this work has no index—a very necessary 
part when many subjects are treated. As it 
is, the reader is subject to inconvenience in 
looking up desired information, unless he 
knows just 'where to look. 
Thtrd Report of the Unite® States 
Entomological COMMISSION. —Washi ngton, 
Government Printing Office. This report re¬ 
lates to the Rocky Mountain Locust, Western 
Cricket, Army Worm, Canker Worms, and 
the Hessian Fly, together with descriptions of 
larvm of injurious forest insects, studies on the 
emhryological development of the locust and 
of other insects, and on the systematic posi¬ 
tion of the Ortboptera in relation to other 
orders of insects. There is an excellent front¬ 
ispiece, two geographical maps of North Ame¬ 
rica, by A 8. Packard, Jr. , and the volume is 
also well illustrated with other maps and 
plates. 
Transactions of the Wisconsin State 
Horticultural Society, for the year 1882-3. 
William Trelease, Secretary, Madison, Wis. 
One of the admirable features of this report 
is that it gives a list of the fruits and decid¬ 
uous trees valuable for propogatiou in Wis¬ 
consin, making this portion of the report a 
valuable reference for the fanners of the State. 
For strawberries, Wilson, Boyden’s No. 30, 
Green Prolific, Crescent, Sharpless, Charles 
Downing and Captain Jack are recommended 
for genera] cultivation, while the Worden, 
Concord, Delaware, Janesville, Brighton and 
Moore’s Early Grapes are recommended for 
the same purpose. Flemish Beauty Pear and 
De Soto Plum are thought most Likely to suc¬ 
ceed best for general cultivation. Fifty-three 
pages are devoted to an excellent article 
upon “Insects Afflicting the Strawberry,” by 
Prof. S. A. Forbes, the Illinois State Ento¬ 
mologist. The balance of this volume, of 182 
pages, is devoted to the proceedings of the so¬ 
ciety at its various meetings. 
Every week we receive several inquiries 
about the character of persons or firms whose 
names have already appeared in this depart¬ 
ment, and to ans wer all such inquiries as well as 
to warn new readers and forgetful old ones, we 
here give a list of the parties against whom we 
have cautioned our friends since November 10 
last, when our present campaign against hum¬ 
bugs and swindlers opened:—The Reliable 
Manufacturing Co., 311* 2 Walnut St., Phila¬ 
delphia, Pa , advertisers of electrotypes, photo¬ 
graphs, etc. F. Mallard & Co,, Boston, Mass., 
engaged in the same sort of business. Wil¬ 
liams & Bro., alias Ellsworth & Co., Detroit, 
Mich., publishers of the “ Scout and Western 
Story Teller,” and barefaced swindlers in seve¬ 
ral other lines. Rutland & Co., and Hopkins 
& Co., both of Boston, Mass., and both dealers 
in photographers’ supplies and photographs. 
The Hope Manufacturing Co., Providence, R. 
I., advertisers of dolls, which turn out to be 
paper cuts. Union Detective Agency, of this 
city and Detective Agency swindlers in gene¬ 
ral. Campbell & Co., of New Orleans, La., 
swindling advertisers for male help. "Wild- 
Cat” Mine Swindles. Grave yard Insurance 
Swindles. Robei*ts, the Cincinnati four-per¬ 
cent-loan “philanthropist.” The Henry Col¬ 
lege Lottery swindle, of Louisville, Kentucky. 
Marriage Irisurauce humbugs. T. M. Hayes 
& Co., and J. M, Hayes, seedsmen, of Cincin¬ 
nati, Ohio, and swindling commission firms. 
A. J. Bell, New York City, and counterfeit 
currency swindles. Tbe Monarch Lightning 
Sfcwing Machine. E. V. Tiffany* Co., New 
STork City, advertisers of jewelry, etc. Mrs. 
Lizzie E, Cotton aud N. C. Mitchell, bee and 
hive advertising humbugs. J. M. Bain, and 
the nest of poultry swindlers, of Zanesville 
and New Concord, Ohio, known as the 
“ North American Poultry Association,” who 
advertise “Vaccine for Chicken Cholera,” 
the “Common Sense Incubator,” etc. The 
Royal New Brunswick Cash Distribution 
swindle of St. Stephens, N. B. The Mutual 
Improvement Company and the Household 
Magazine, New York City. The Rochester 
Publishing Company, of Rochester, N. Y., 
and swindling publishers of bogus papers 
generally. The Galvanic Girdle Company, 
of this city. The “Trunk Game” swindle. 
The “Carpenter Syndicate” aud bogus “es¬ 
tate” humbugs. Miss Carrie Cook, of Hous¬ 
ton, Texas, and her bogus “butter recipe.” 
The Standard Silver-ware Company, of 
Batterymarch Street, Boston. Mass. The 
Farm, Field and Fireside monthly, and the 
Chicago Arms Co„ of Chicago, III, and 
“small arms Cheap Jacks” generally. D. C. 
Thompson & Co., of New York City, adver¬ 
tisers of “Brabmo Yau” the Hindoo Deafness 
Cure.” H, C. Guerney and his Sheffield 
Cutlery Co., of Boston, Mass. Tbe “Rev.” 
Jos. T. Inman, of this city, medical charlatan. 
Davidson & Co., or “Churchill’s Restorative 
Remedy,” of this city. Babcock & Co., Cen- 
terbrook, Conn., book aud doll humbugs. P. 
W. Sizer, of this city, brazen gold ring adver¬ 
tizes The Royal Manufacturing Co., of 
Rhode Island, photograph swindle. The Bo¬ 
hemian Oats, $10 a-bushel swindle. The Phcn- 
nix Fruit Tree Invigorator humbug. “Miss 
M. Casey,” Oberlin, Ohio, oue of the Ohio 
nest of sharpers of whom J. M. Bain is the 
head. J. E. Forest, Brooklyn. N. Y., adver¬ 
tiser of the German Electro-Medical Belt hum¬ 
bug. The Stem-Winding Musical Watch hum¬ 
bug and its puffers, H. M. Pope & Co., A. E. 
Pratt & Co.; tbe Home Manufacturing Co. 
and the Social Visitor. The New York Paint 
and Roofing Co., and swindling by securing 
signatures under mistaken impressions. Swin¬ 
dling money-lenders. 
A number of other humbugs and swindles 
have also been denounced; but as they have 
ceased to operate (under their old names at 
auy rate) we do not think it worth while to 
waste space on them here. Most, if not all, 
of those named above are still profiting by 
public ignorance, simplicity, gullibility or 
greed, and we warn all our friends against 
dealing with any of them. It is the design 
of the Rural in this department, not only to 
give the names and addresses of humbugs and 
swindlers and doubtful concerns, that may be 
attempting to defraud its friends, but also, 
whenever possible, to expose the methods by 
which they cheat the public. By this 
means the exposure of one swindler will en¬ 
able our readers to detect all others who try 
to bamboozle them in the same way. 
Country Dwellings and Grounds.— 
Prof. W. J. Beal, of Michigan,in his horticul- 
;ural report, an advance copy of which is 
jrinted in the Michigan Farmer, says many 
things worthy to be remembered. He thinks 
; he majority of farm-houses are too near the 
-oad, and that many make a mistake in plae- 
ng tbe barn across the road, in front of the 
3 avlor window, it may be. Have the vegeta- 
ale and fruit garden as near the house as con¬ 
venient. About one-tenth of the cost of build¬ 
ups should be set down for the improvement 
if grounds. Dispense with walks and drives, 
except where they are required for daily use. 
Study the matter a long time before locating 
the walks, but get trees started with little de¬ 
lay. It is a mistaken notion to think that 
trees and flowers are the only ornaments of a 
place. A smooth, well kept lawn of fine grass 
ls of the greatest importance in ornamenting 
1 place. It is tbe foundation or the ground¬ 
work. and is folly equal in importance to 
trees and shrubs. Conceal wood piles and 
autbuildings with irregular groups of ever¬ 
greens. A few trees in tbe right place, will 
soon add much to the value of the farm, 
whether it be to use as a borne or to sell for 
cash. Trees shelter the dwelling and the 
barns from piercing winds; the} add comfort 
and joy to man and boast; they economize the 
food of animals; they save fuel in the sitting- 
room; they harbor birds; they afford shade 
in Summer. Beautiful trees will serve to con¬ 
stantly remind every one of the thoughtful 
and generous hand that planted them. 
In locating trees there are a great many 
things to be considered. They should not be 
planted in straight rows, neither should they 
be planted at great distances from each other, 
except possibly along the road or along some 
fence. A lawn may be frittered away and too 
much broken up by scattering trees all over it. 
Trees are very often planted too near the 
house, the owner not realizing that they are 
destined to grow upward and extend their 
long branches in every direction. It is very 
seldom best to set a tree nearer than 40 to 60 
feet of a house. Hundreds of ins-fauces can 
be pointed out where trees were planted 
nearer the house than 40 feet. They shade 
tbe house, scatter leaves on the roof, rot shin¬ 
gles aud spoil the water in the cistern; they 
kill the grass, keep paths damp; they crowd 
each other so the lower limbs die or become 
unsightly; they shutout the view from the 
windows. After they have been planted and 
have made a good growth, the owner has be¬ 
come attached to them. He hesitates to take 
them out; he trims them up and leaves them, 
but they are far from satisfactory, because 
they are not planted in the right place. 
Do not set trees in circles, squares, stars or 
in any other formal way. Do not trim the 
trees so as to form grotesque shapes. Many 
a small yard is spoiled by an overgrown 
cherry tree or a ’arge Norway Spruce. Where 
the space does not exceed half an acre, employ 
shrubbery, small kinds of trees, with a very 
few single specimens of large kinds of trees. 
Avoid the Lombardy Poplar, it is short¬ 
lived; the Mountain Ash, it is subject to 
borers, aud such evergreens as tbe Balsam 
Fir, which soon loses its lower branches. Do 
not plant too many evergreens; they will, 
give a somber look iu Summer. If you plaut 
too few, the place will look naked in Winter. 
For roadside planting in the country. Prof. 
Beal prefers the American Elm. Sugar Maple, 
Silver Maple, Norway Maple, Sycamore 
Maple, White Pine, and the birches. But we 
should never select the Silver Maple or any of 
the birches for this purpose. 
Shrubbery is especially suited to small places, 
and some shrubs should find room in all door- 
yards. It is a common mistake to scatter 
shrubs about the lawn, settiug each oue by it¬ 
self. This cuts up the lawn too much, and the 
shrubs require more labor for their care. 
Mass your shrubbery where it can be cultivat¬ 
ed and enriched together. Shrubs need shift¬ 
ing into new places or need the soil changed 
about them oftener than trees. Their roots 
do not spread so far or run so deep. 
Roses require considerable care: in most 
cases they are neglected by busy people and 
present a sorry appearance. 
Much may be done by way of exchanging 
plants, shrubs, and trees. Thus they bring up 
many pleasant associations every time we see 
them. In this way, also, oue person stimulates 
his neighbors and friends, and may do much 
to improve the surrounding country and make 
it the admiration of all who pass that way. 
Cross of Buffalo and Cow.—The Breed¬ 
ers’ Gazette says that every few years there 
are many people who become greatly con¬ 
cerned about the cross of the buffalo on the 
cow, wondering whether such a cross has 
ever been made, wbat its effects were, and 
expressive of great fear lest the buffalo be¬ 
come extinct before a sufficient number of 
crosses have been made. Such a cross has 
certainly been made, but what earthly good 
can auy one hope to accomplish from it? It 
does not make a buffalo fit for an Indian to 
eat, or beef fit for a white man, and scarcely 
a carcass fit for wolves. It destroys all the 
virtues of the one race, without modifying 
with certainty any of the vices of the other. 
Through ages untold cattle and men gradu¬ 
ally emerged from barbarism: and there is no 
more reason in going back to the wild state 
for a cross on cattle, aud no more advantage 
to be derived from it, than there would be in 
setting mankind back eight or ten centuries. 
If any are afflicted with an irrisistible mania 
for debasing some good cattle stock, let them 
cross with the scrub everywhere abounding. 
The typical scrub is bad enough, but it is a 
thousand years in advance of the buffalo. 
Shelter for Stock in the West.— It 
is a sad commentary on the farming of 
Illinois which B. F. J. makes, in the Country 
Gentleman, when he says from 85 to 90 per 
cent, of the entire live stock is without ade¬ 
quate shelter; probably none of the Western 
States could make a better showing tbuu Illi¬ 
nois Duriug the past Winter the thermome¬ 
ter has often been down from 20° to 40“ below 
zero, and the poor animals have been com¬ 
pelled to endure the marrow-piercing cold 
when, last Fall and every Fall, the evening 
skies have for weeks been lighted by the burn¬ 
ing of abundance of straw to have provided 
good shelter for all. A little foresight and en¬ 
ergy would enable the farmers to place a few 
posts and poles in such a position that the 
straw could be stocked on aud over them in 
such a maun H'as to save much suffering to the 
stock aud much feed to their owners. 
experience of many years, we must say it is 
only a temporary cure and sooner or later the 
trees decay aud become worthless. A better 
way is to remove the injured tree at once aud 
plant a new one—or a better still is to see to 
it that the trees are not girdled. 
PITHS AND SUGGESTIONS. 
The Kansas City Live Stock Indicator says 
that an English flock-master prefers to cas 
trate when the lambs are about a month old, 
because when treated in this way they be 
come fuller in the leg and more fleshy in the 
buck as they grow up. This is an important 
consideration, as it gives a more valuable leg 
of mutton for roasting or boiling, and a fuller, 
more tender and juicy saddle. He also keeps 
his nursing ewes in rtitber high condition, 
contending that fat dams make lat lambs. 
Thus treated, the ewes not only give u larger 
quantity of milk for their offspring, but it is 
also of a more nourishing quality. This ren¬ 
ders the u-eatmeut better all round. 
In.ui ry to Trees Girdled by Mice bridge 
over with a suitable number of twigs a fourth 
to a half inch in diameter—a little longer than 
the girdled place is wide. The ends should be 
cut with a wedged-shaped slope from oue side, 
and inserted under the bark above and below 
the girdle and waxed, as described iu the Coun¬ 
ty Gentleman several years ago; but from an 
E. & J. C. Williams say that the Crescent 
Strawberry is the earliest of all, and that 
when established it will cover the ground and 
exclude weeds. The Crescent certainly is 
very productive. Its quality is not of the first. 
They prouounce Moore’s Early the best early 
black grape iu existence. Of Worden they 
say it closely resembles Concord in appear¬ 
ance, but it is several days earlier and vastly 
superior in quality. They regard it as one of 
the most desirable in tbe whole list. 
The shocking lunacy of rampant American 
civilization, says the Connecticut. Courant, 
may be better understood by considei ing how 
the steady old laud-holders of Europe—whom 
we are just now despising—have been plant¬ 
ing forests ail their lives. The foreign travels 
of a former Secretary of Education, with his 
tree-planting schemes and studies of forestry, 
etc., will occur to the genius of Connecticut if 
she finds herself waist-deep in artificial floods. 
The New York Times agricultural editor 
thinks that there is more reason for a Trea¬ 
sury Commission to stamp out hydrophobia 
than for one to exterminate pleuro-pneumonia, 
of which no traces exist... 
Landreth & Sons say that of all the new 
peas tested by them the past two years, none 
approach tbe Pride of the Market, Stratagem 
and Telephone. That is what we have told 
our readers since their introduction. 
Sow asparagus seeds; sow lettuce, turnips, 
salsify, radish, peas, parsley, parsnips, beans, 
beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery. 
Plant potatoes. Prepare the land for cucum¬ 
bers and melons... 
Prof. Budd, of Ames, Iowa, expresses the 
opinion, in the Iowa Homestead, that the 
Kieffer Pear will not stand his climate, hut 
may thrive in the Southern part of the State. 
We are having mauy inquiries as to which 
is the earliest potato. Joseph Breck & Sons, 
of Bostou, Mass., claim that, tbe Pearl of Sa¬ 
voy is from 15 to 20 days earlier than Early 
Rose. Some claim that Early Vermont is 
two weeks earlier than Early Rose. 
Price & Knickerbocker, Albany, N. Y., 
claim that the Early Sunrise has proven itself 
the earliest of all. William Rennie, of Toron¬ 
to, Can., claims that his new potato, Halton 
Seedling, is from in days to two weeks earlier 
than Early Rose..... 
Aaron Low, Essex, Mass., deems the New 
Early Essex, Early Suurise and Early Gem, 
the three earliest aud best. Mr. J. J. H. 
Gregory claims for his new potato, the Early 
Maine, that it is earlier than Early Rose and 
far more prolific. Frank Ford, of Ravenna, 
O., claims that Lee's Favorite is two week’s 
earlier than Early Rose. I>. M. Ferry & Co. 
claim that the Early Mayflower is as early as, 
or earlier than,any other sort. Thorburn & Co. , 
of N. Y., claim that it is as early as the Ear¬ 
ly Rose and the best keeper ever introduced. 
James Vick claims that Vick’s Extra Early is 
the eartiest potato in cultivation. Peter Hen¬ 
derson & Co. claim for the Vanguard that it 
has In every instance, when grown beside the 
earliest potatoes, proven never less than 10, 
and often 12 aud 14 days earlier than the 
others... 
Many other seedsmen, as will be seen by 
reference to their catalogues, offer long lists 
of potatoes, but no claims are made as to the 
earliest. 
Ensilage, properly made, says Dr. Hos¬ 
kins, is as good a feed, when properly used, 
as any that was ever devised for feeding dairj 
cows—as good as roots, and far less costly and 
difficult to produce iu large quantities upon 
our American farms.. 
Prof. Budd mentions in the Prairie Farmer 
that there are many fruit trees in Iowa 
mulched with sand. Not far from Moscow 
(Russia) every tree in the profitable commer¬ 
cial orchards is mulched with pure river sand. 
Thus a more evou temperature is maintained, 
while rapid evaporation is prevented. The 
soil will not freeze so deeply beneath the 
sand.... ..... 
Cbfn)iul)ex'v\ 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
California. 
Modesto, Stanislaus Co,, March 18.—We 
have had plenty of rain; prospects fair for 
more at this time. Outlook fine for large 
crops. Some esti mate the eo uuty w i 11 produce 
8,000,000 bushels of wheat this season. J. L. c. 
