426 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[September, 
cure in the world for weakness of the hack and limbs,” 
we are curious to know if he is an “M. D.,” and if so, 
what College made such a mistake as to grant him a di¬ 
ploma. Beware of the travelling Doctor I 
Cautionary Signals. 
Monarch Lig'litning Potato Digger. 
Eternal vigilance is the price of security. We always 
endeavor to exercise this vigilance. In the haste of 
going to press with the August American Agriculturist, 
however, an advertisement of the “ Monarch Lightning 
Potato Digger” was admitted to our columns without 
receiving the proper scrutiny. We do not say that this 
Potato Digger is unworthy of consideration, but the fact 
that it is manufactured by the same parties who make 
“ Lightning Saw,” impels us to exclude it from further 
appearance in our columns, and also to advise every 
body to carefully investigate the same before investing. 
CONTRIBUTIONS SOLICITED. 
We extend an invitation to all those who may have 
anything of interest pertaining to the Farm, Garden, 
or Household, to forward it to the Agriculturist. De¬ 
scriptions of new farm implements or contrivances 
which may prove of value and interest to the general 
public, we shall be glad to receive and pay for. Al¬ 
though you may not be accustomed to drawing, send on 
such sketches as you are able to make, and our artists 
will catch the ideas from them and put them into shape. 
-- 
Our Great Fair List. 
Our Fair List (see pages 428-29) this year is by far the 
most complete thing of the kind ever gotten up. It has 
been prepared expressly for the American Agriculturist, 
at great labor and expense—involving correspondence 
with parties in every County, and in every State in the 
Union. To thousands of individuals it will prove of great 
value and service, worth far more than the price of many 
years subscription to the this paper. 
Magnetic Insoles. — T. F. Yannedom, 
Marshfield, Wis., inquires about “Magnetic Insoles,” 
which it is claimed will cure rheumatism, “kidney 
ache,” and various other troubles. Every one who 
has looked into the medical application of electricity, 
is aware, that to have any effect, it must pass through 
the part of the body that is affected. If these insoles 
have any electrical power at all, it must be confined 
entirely to the skin of the sole of the foot. That 
they can cure any trouble in the back, kidneys, or else¬ 
where, is simply ridiculous. 
Australian Notes.— Mr. JohnL. Dow, of 
the “Leader,” and Mr. T. K. Dow, of the “Australian and 
Argus,” Melbourne, Victoria, long-time friends of the 
American Agriculturist, have made a pleasant call upon us. 
They are both largely interested in Australian Agriculture, 
and visit this country on a tour of observation. They have, 
one or both of them, spent some time among the fruit¬ 
growers of California; studied the methods of irrigation 
in Utaii; have been among the herders of Colorado, and are 
now continuing their tour among Eastern tamers. The 
agriculture of Australia has much more in common with 
our own than with that of England, and not only do our 
implements and machines find favor in that country, but 
our agricultural journals meet the wants of the colonists 
much better than do those of the mother country. Messrs. 
Dow speak encouragingly of the future of Australia. 
The great exhibition in 18S0 brought many strangers, and 
did much towards supplying the greatest want of the 
colony—population. Sheep-raising is the leading branch 
of agriculture in the country, and now that the new 
method of cooling the meat without ice has been adopted, 
the shipments of meat will largely increase. Within a 
few years, between three hundred and four hundred of 
the best Vermont Merino rams have been imported into 
the colony, for the purpose of improving its flocks. 
Wheat of late years has fallen off to about nine bushels 
to the acre, while the cultivation of Indian corn has 
much increased. Sugar and cotton are becoming im¬ 
portant crops in Queensland, the production of sugar in¬ 
creasing rapidly. The country is well adapted to fruits, 
and all those of temperate regions succeed, as well as 
many others belonging to tropical and subtropical 
countries. The country appears to abound in everything 
but people, and inducements are offered to immigrants. 
A settler is entitled to three hundred and twenty acres of 
land; upon this he pays an annual rent of one shilling 
per acre, and at the end of twenty years he becomes the 
owner of the land. 
The Crops—Present and Prospective. 
The crop year now closing has been marked by ma¬ 
terial changes in prospects and prices. The delivery of 
new wheat is beginning, and the fate of the crop of 
1883 is largely settled for a considerable portion of the 
wheat-growing territory, though there is still room 
for much injury by rust, imperfect filling out, and 
long, heavy rains, during harvesting and threshing, 
in the large North-western wheat regions. We can,’ 
however, reckon pretty certainly upon a stock of nearly 
500,000,000 bushels of wheat, including the reserves 
still remaining in the graneries of producers, at the grain 
centers, and in transit... Corn is doing well up to tbis 
date, the average condition improving with each gen¬ 
eral report. Cold, tvet weather, and an early frost may 
possibly yet diminish the yield of sound corn by a hun¬ 
dred million bushels from what is now promised, but it 
is well advanced in the regions producing the bulk of 
this crop, and where frosts that will be greatly harmful 
are unusual. It is pretty safe to reckon upon a stock of 
2,000,000,000 bushels, including the reserves, which are 
still quite large, the comparatively low prices having 
led many producers to hold on to their stock, while there 
has been a scarcity of hogs to consume last year's supply. 
We may therefore calculate upon having a total of 
2,500.000,000 bushels of wheal and corn, to begin the 
current market year with. There is also a large crop of 
oats, mainly secured, with a good yield of barley and 
rye, and in many parts of the country the yield of pota¬ 
toes is almost unprecedented. With no serious disaster 
before the middle of September, the country will be 
literally overflowing with food. Unless pestilence and 
other causes make a large foreign demand, prices will 
be moderate, but there is this important fact to be con¬ 
sidered: the farmer who has a hundred bushels of 
wheat, for example, to sell at $1, or even at 75c. or 50c. 
a bushel, is a great deal better off than if he had hardly 
enough to supply his own consumption and seed, and 
none to sell, if the price were $5 a bushel 1 Applying 
this illustration to the great mass of the farming popu¬ 
lation, and taking into account wheat, corn, indeed all 
crops, we may well say that the farming interests are 
now highly prosperous. Abundant food at moderate 
prices means prosperity to all other classes. 
WHAT ONE CENT A BUSHEL DOES I 
A change up or down of a single cent a bushel in the 
price of any leading product may seem a small matter, 
but this trifling variat on in the price of the current 
stock of wheat and corn, above referred to. means a 
difference of twrnty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) to 
the producers, or the consumers, or partly to both. In 
this view of the subject, the ups and downs in the 
grain and provision markets during the market year we 
are now entering upon, will be matters of great inter¬ 
est to everybody the country over. Limiting it to our 
two great cereals, only four cents a bushel more for 
wheat and corn realized by the farmers, means an in¬ 
creased ability of $100,003.000—one hundred million 
dollars—to pay for merchandise, for manufactures, for 
visiting, and thus for travelling on our railroads, for 
paying off mortgages and other debts, etc., etc. 
New Farm Implements and Appliances. 
A New Meat Chopper. 
The new meatchopper, of which we present an illustra¬ 
tion, claims to chop meat “ finer, faster, and nicer than 
any others in the world.” We havegiven this meatchop¬ 
per a thorough trial, with most satisfactory results. 
Keeping Cider Sweet. 
We know of no better preparation for preventing 
fermentation in Cider than the Zinsser Preserving 
Powder, heretofore favorably spoken of by us, and warm¬ 
ly recommended by those who are using it. One of 
the leading contributors of the Amtiican Agricutlurist 
informs us that he likewise employs this powder in pre¬ 
serving canned fruits, as well as cider. 
SUBSCRIBERS. 
Special Offer 
FOR 30 BAYS. 
Every new Subscriber for one year, at $1.50, 
whose subscription arrives before September 20th, 
will be PRESENTED with one copy of the valua¬ 
ble Book described below. 
(The above applies to ALL NEW Subscribers sent in 
before September 20 tli, from all sources.) 
A Most Valuable Volume 
FREE. 
The New American Dictionary 
Available to every Reader of 
The American Agriculturist. 
This book, which is a Concentrated collection of 
most useful information, including a Pro¬ 
nouncing- DK’TIO^AItY, of upwards 
of 50,000 WORDS, with their Definitions 
and accurate Pronunciation, a Beautifully Bound 
Volume, of 
600 PAGES, 
has proved so popular as a Premium, that we make 
a special offer of it for this month. 
See what it contains. 
1st.—The Dictionary itself, given in 300 pages 
(3 columns in each page,) supplies all the ordinary 
wants of a Family or Personal Dictionary, and is 
fully worth the price of the'whole book. 
* 2nd.—The next 300 pages contain 841 Sub¬ 
jects, Interesting and Useful Information, valuable 
for constant reference, and affording much pleasure 
to every reader, old or young. 
Our FREE Offer!! 
The above most valuable Volume will be 
PRESENTED and sent, post-paid, any¬ 
where in the United States or British America, to 
any person who will send one Aew subscriber 
to the American Agriculturist, at the regular rate of 
$1.50 per year. (This Offer is good only between 
August 20 and September 20, 1883.) 
a. as., l sfAny person sending more than 
one Aew subscriber, as above, will he presented 
with one book for each .New subscriber he sends. 
N. IS., 2nd.— Any person sending Ten or 
more New subscribers, as above, will be present¬ 
ed with Eleven Copies of the Book. Igp If he 
choose, he can then present each INievr subscriber 
he obtains with the Book, and have a free copy 
left for himself. 
