166 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[May, 
Hgo®5iE5g Material. —“Inquirer” wants 
a roofing material in place of shingles, one which is 
fire-proof and durable. H. W. Johns’s Asbestos Roofing 
is probably as good as any, where the roof is flat cr of 
low pitch. It is easily applied—any farmer or workman 
of ordinary intelligence can pat it on. 
RSsaiasn-e for ■•.aistces.—A Germantown, 
Pa., correspondent obtn.ns good results from hog manure 
spaded in and a top-dressing of salt. 
Aves'is.g'e Cs'ojs ©fl'SEesamfi per Acre.— 
“ D. H. P.,” Leavenworth, Kan., wants to know bow 
many beans can be raised per acre, on the average. We 
have generally raised twenty to twenty-five bushels, but 
the average is probably not over fifteen. Few farmers 
do justice to this crop. 
Am Ssrapertfectt Ice^Meiase.—“L. L. S.,” 
Newburgh, finds the ice in his ice-house has begun to 
melt rapidly. He states there is a ditch communicating 
with the bottom of the house which probably admits 
air, and if so, it is doubtless the cause of the trouble. 
If any current of air is permitted to enter the bottom of 
the house, it rapidly raises the temperature and the ice 
melts. There should be a trap in all drains from ice¬ 
houses to prevent air from entering. 
Sowliag' IPSaster.—“D. B.,” Manalapau, 
N. J., wants to know how much plaster should be ap¬ 
plied per acre on clover, and when. One bushel should 
be spread evenly early in May, or when the clover has 
got a good start. Guano will be found a better applica¬ 
tion to strawberries than flour of bone, spread about the 
roots and raked in as early as possible. 
Clark’s Compost. —“Subscriber” asks 
for our opinion about Clark’s compost from Man¬ 
chester, N. H. We advise him to keep his five dollars 
and lay it out in ashes and plaster nearer home. 
—“ Ignoramus ” is referred 
to article on page 183. As to land, rich light loam and 
plenty of manure will give the best returns. At the 
distances given in the article, it will take 14,496 sets to 
the acre. The roots are dug the fall after planting. 
Under the best cultivation, the yield is about five tons 
to the acre. Grinding is done upon revolving graters. 
R. II. Allen & Co., New York, make them. We can not 
tell about price—it is very variable. 
AlsSlfe Clover.— Wm. H. Joy, Muscatine, 
Iowa, wishes to sow some Alsike clover ( Trifolium 
hybridum) for forage and as food for bees, and wants 
to know something about it. It is said to be adapted 
to moist soils, to grow rapidly, make good hay, and 
to be relished by cattle, but ns far as we can speak 
from actual experience in one season it has no espe¬ 
cial advantage over red clover as a forage crop, except 
that it will glow on moist soils, where red clover is 
subject to be heaved out by the frost. As bee pasture, 
it is recommended by some who have tried it; others 
again do not think much of it. The seed may be 
purchased at the seed stores, at 80 cents per pound, 
and four or five pounds are sufficient for an acre. It 
should be sown similarly to red clover. 
A Tasteless —“ P.” asks what sort 
of a pump he shall use to avoid the unpleasant taste often 
given to the water. Cucumber wood (Magnolia) gives no 
taste, hemlock gives little or none, iron pipes, even 
when rusty, only flavor the water which stands in them ; 
if that is pumped out, the fresh water is tasteless. 
Where t!»c Fashions cosaae from.— 
Wherever the court of Fashion may bo, her prime minis¬ 
ters areE. Butterick & Co., of New York, who “receive ” 
in a fine structure at 555 Broadway. The building is 200 
feet long and seven stories high, and is all occupied by 
their subordinates. Messrs. Butterick & Co. deserve the 
thanks of the community for demonstrating that in 
dress, as in other things, simplicity and utility are first 
principles in esthetics. In the sanctum where the fash¬ 
ions are made , are a number of women intently studying 
the outlines of magnificent garments of—tissue-paper. 
They imagine and then embody new effects in form, 
style, color, and arrangement. The fashion of a gar¬ 
ment having been decided on by the designer, the con¬ 
ception finds form in paper, and if accepted, a duplicate 
is made in cloth and fitted to a living model, and its 
merit proved by actual trial. 
Other departments are devoted to different branches 
of the business, such as sketching and drawing, engrav¬ 
ing for publication, editing, making up, and printingthe 
Metropolitan,” the fashion magazine published by this 
house. The mechanical part of the work is completed 
in Brooklyn, in a separate factory, a building 50 X 100 
' feet, three stories high, and all occupied with the peculiar 
details of grading, cutting, arranging, folding, and pre¬ 
paring the patterns for the salesrooms. One hundred and 
fifty persons find constant emjfloyment in this depart¬ 
ment, but the total number of employes of the house is 
about 330. 
The whole is completely systematized, and so confi¬ 
dent are the proprietors of the exactness of their work 
that, though they cheerfully pay for all material spoiled 
in cutting through fault of the pattern, they have had 
but two such cases occur in the many millions of pat¬ 
terns they have sent out. Their arrangements enable 
lames in all parts of the country to obtain, at very 
moderate cost, patterns for any garment, in the best 
styles, which may be relied on. It gives ns pleasure to 
say that the cardinal principles which form the ground¬ 
work of the fashions of this house are neatness, feasi¬ 
bility, cheapness, and, above all, harmony ; and as a 
consequence they have become the dictators of the 
modes for our country. 
To StEj-ssrovc n 3Iea«l®w.—“ J. W. S.” 
lias a field in pasture, which needs renovation ; he pro¬ 
poses to plow it and sow to rye, and seed with timothy, 
and pasture the rye with sheep, early next spring. This 
may do, if the field is plowed and harrowed twice during 
the summer, but it would be preferable to dress the field 
with manure, sow six quarts of timothy and clover, and 
harrow it well, without plowing. 
LkI’mDs iu Cattle.—“ A. M. K.,” Mansfield, 
Ohio, can expel the grubs from his cattle by pressing the 
lumps on their backs between the finger and thumb, 
when the grubs will be forced out. They should not be 
killed in the skin, or they will make sores. Turpentine 
will have no effect but to irritate the cattle. 
Harrowing Winter Graiii.-“R. \V. 
B.,” Victor, N. Y., asks if harrowing his winter wheat 
will injure the young grass (timothy), and whether once 
harrowing is sufficient. One harrowing is sufficient; we 
have for several years harrowed our winter grain in the 
spring, and never found the timothy injured by it. Spread 
plaster about May 1st; it should be kept on the surface. 
Time for Corn in tlie Mill. —J. P. 
Johnston, Wilmington, Pa., asks if it will pay to put limo 
in the hill when planting corn. No. The great benefit 
of lime is to help decompose the sod, and it needs to bo 
applied as soon as the ground is plowed, and as long 
before the corn is planted as possible. A more stimulat¬ 
ing manure would be preferable at planting time, as hen 
or hog manure, superphosphate or guano. 
Tobacco Steins. — J. B. Schneider, Kan¬ 
kakee, Ill., asks if it will pay to use tobacco stems for 
manure. In New England the stems are carefully col¬ 
lected, and composted as manure, and if it pays there, it 
ought to in Illinois. 
Cost of Teiice Wire. —“E. D. C.,” North 
Star, Pa., wants to ascertain the cost of a wire fence. As 
he does not state what sort of a fence he proposes to 
build, we give him the price of the wire, when he can 
figure out the cost of the fence he needs. No. 9 wire is 
10 cents per pound, and weighs one pound per rod. 
Staples are about 12 cents a pound. 
Ituckwheat IFallow. — II. B. Cameron, 
Bealton, Va., asks if it would benefit “ their cornland ” 
to plow in two crops of buckwheat before seeding to 
wheat. Yes, the effect would be to add some fertilizing 
matter—although it is not very much—clean the land, 
and improve its texture. 
Cotton-seed. Meal. — Mrs. “ IV. B. K.,” 
Illawara, La., writes her experience about cotton-seed 
meal for cows. She has used it for one year, and finds it 
makes rich milk and sweet, yellow butter. Mixed with 
wheat-bran the cows will eat more of it than alone. 
Buffalo Bull-Tali". —“ P. B. B.” wishes 
to procure a buffalo bull-calf, if he knew where to get 
one. Unfortunately we can not help him, and, except as 
a curiosity, would not advise him to go to much trouble 
or expense, to get one. 
Plowing New Ground. — “S. B. S.,” 
Patterson, Mo., asks if lie should plow newly cleared 
ground before growinggrass seed. By all means, get the 
ground into as mellow a state as possible, if you desire 
the grass to succeed well. 
Devon Cattle. —“ C. B. S.,” Wayne Co., 
Mo., asks the price of Devon cattle. The general price is 
about $100 per head for young stock, and $250 to $300 
for mature animals, unless of superior character, when 
the value is dictated by the estimation iii which the owner 
holds them. For prices of fowls write to any of those 
who advertise in our columns. 
JEiitiJIoresccsjtee on ISa-iclcs.—“ M. A. H.” 
Little York, Washington Co., Ind., sends a sample of a 
substance with which in that vicinity bricks made of clay 
become incrusted. The sample sent is an impure nitrate 
of potash, and is doubtless due to the presence of potash 
and some organic matter in the clay. Clay, when pro¬ 
duced from feldspathic rocks, often contains free soda or 
potash, and the efflorescence sometimes seen on bricks is 
thus occasioned. 
Leached Ashes and Meit-Ilannre. 
—“ W. II. W.,” Evansville, Ill., has thrown leached ashes 
into his chicken-house, where they have become well 
mixed with the manure; he asks, if the mixture will be 
good for cabbages. Yes, or for any other crop. 
Mow muck Ilauui'c to the Acre ? 
—“ S. J.” asks how much stable manure, at $1.53 per 
load, lie shall apply to the acre. It depends on the crop. 
Twenty loads for grain or potatoes, while corn, turnips, 
grass, or cabbages will bear double that quantity. Ma¬ 
nure in too great abundance often causes grain crops to 
lodge or rust, and potatoes or peas to run t.o stalks. 
I*fiaster on a Headow.—“F.” asks if 
it would benefit his meadow to sow plaster on it, enough 
io pay him for drawing the plaster twenty miles. If the 
time can he spared as well as not, tlie advantage gained 
would repay for the trouble. A bushel of plaster per 
acre has sometimes doubled the crop of hay, and almost 
always has proved very useful. 
Cure for Cribbing. —“ W. E. H.,” Dim- 
ieith, N. Y., sends ihe following cure forcribbiug—viz.: 
Take one pound of common soap when soft, and work 
it up with the hands with two ounces of cayenne pepper, 
and rub the manger, neck-yoke, etc., with tlie mixture. 
This cured his horses. 
SIJA’BKY MUJ1BEJCJS.— The “Electro- 
Magnetic Curling Comb ” swindle, denounced in these 
columns twice before this, lias bad an extensive run, and 
multitudes have been cheated out of $1 .25 each—because 
religious and other respectable journals have given it 
tlie use of their columns, often in editorial items. False 
engravings and false statements have been widely issued, 
and the rascal, hailing from Garrettsville, Ohio, has by 
these means coined money rapidly. Samples of these 
combs are before us—cheap little common horn combs, 
3 inches long, worth a few cents only, having a bit of zinc 
and copper bound upon tlie sides with a small copper 
wire, and of no utility whatever. Alineatthe end of the 
“directions for use” says: “The Electro-Magnetic 
Curling Comb must be used only on false hair,” though 
nothing of this is hinted in the showy, taking advertise¬ 
ments. Those journals which have unwittingly or care¬ 
lessly (and therefore reprehensibly) helped on this swin¬ 
dle, should make all amends possible by promptly de¬ 
nouncing the cheat— stealing is tlie proper word—and 
thus help stop it.A standing caution : C2&’"’ Beware 
of “Sunlight Oil,” “French Burning Oil,” and of 
“ rights” to make them, and of the other things adver¬ 
tised along with them. This caution applies to all 
cheaply manufactured, so-called burning oils or com¬ 
pounds. You will be burned W yon touch them. 
Wood & Co., Mt. Vernon, N. J., ought to he avoided by 
everybody having an ounce of brains. There must be a 
good many having less than this amount, or he would not 
continue to get money enough from his offered vile aucl 
nonsensical wares, to keep him going as he does. 
J. II. Reeves, 18 Nassau street, is trying the confession 
and affectionate dodge, and pretended exposure of other 
lmmhngs, to work himself into the confidence of ner¬ 
vous people and get their money. He changes his opera¬ 
tions and tactics ofteu, but clings to his old name, that 
was long since synonymous with humbug.The 
“College of Health” is a name adopted by a swindler. 
.Only poor deluded people will trust their health 
and lives to the medicines of “ Dr. F. E. Andrews, 3(i0 Lex¬ 
ington avenue, N. Y.,” “ Edward P. lluylar, M.D., Thomp¬ 
son street, N. Y.” “Dr. Abel King, Broadway, N. 
Y.,” or any single one of tlie advertising “doc¬ 
tors” and medicine-makers whose circulars, advertise¬ 
ments, 20 to 90-page pamphlets, etc., with pretended 
recommendations of high personages, have been sent to 
us by the score,with inquiries as to their reliability. They 
are to be avoided without exception .Is it cheap? A 
nice-looking paper sent a whole year for ten cents, and 
to large clubs for five cents! The big band-bill says so. 
An examinat ion reveals t he fact that it is published once a 
quarter, and that it is really an advertisement of a plas¬ 
ter that, will cure all the ills that flesh is “ air to.”. 
The “ Dollar Stores,” when not swindles, as are most of 
