1868 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
301 
Own* ^'nv PoliceniOH. 
They are wiry, spry little fellows, not so big as “ Tom 
Thumb,” but they are the most,cspert thief takers in the 
city. Tltey are dressed in a neat uniform of gray and 
brown, each with feathers in his cap, and armed with a 
sharp instrument formed something like a pair of nip¬ 
pers, with which they seize maurauders, and they seldom 
fail to make a capture when once they give chase. Our 
parks, especially, have for years been infested with hordes 
of lawless characters, that defaced the public ornaments, 
disgusted the people with their vile practices, and made 
themselves an intolerable nuisance. Scarcely a tree or 
shrub was left uninjured, the walks were disfigured, and 
passers in their vicinity seldom escaped being pounced 
upon by one or more of the uncleanly tribe. Many plans 
were tried to repel and destroy them. Cunning traps 
were set to catch them; poisonous mixtures were pre¬ 
pared to mix with their food, and rewards were given for 
their capture; still they seemed to thrive and increase. 
At last, some one suggested that a family named Spar¬ 
row lived in England, noted for their success in dealing 
with such ugly customers, and some of them were in¬ 
duced to emigrate here and practice their profession. 
Their success is most gratifying. Those pests, the Mil¬ 
lers, Moths, Canker-worms, Caterpillars, Measure worms, 
etc., as these thieves were named, arc rapidly disappear¬ 
ing, and the new policemen are petted by every body. 
Commodious houses have been put up for them, the chil¬ 
dren divide their bread and cake with those friends, and 
by the help of these and other benefactors there is a 
prospect that the shade trees of our cities will hereafter 
be ornaments instead of wormeries. Now the next time 
you go out to try your skill as a marksman, please don’t 
murder any of our friends who are trying their hand at 
thief catching in your neighborhood. Otherwise, may 
the whole brood of unclean and rapacious insects and 
vermin torment you by day and haunt you by night, until 
you are reclaimed from thoughtlessness and ingratitude. 
Ways of CSetSiaag - a S-iivinig - —ESI. 
TRY YOUR WEIGHT, SIR? 
The man with the weighing machine is well known in 
the neighborhood of New York, and some other large 
cities. lie may be found wherever a large number of 
people gather, especially on any holiday occasion. His 
apparatus is usually a frame of three upright poles, with 
a spring balance hung from the top, and a chair swung 
front the balance, for the convenience of customers. It 
is amusing to notice that in most cases people weigh 
more on these machines than when standing on Fair¬ 
banks’ Standard Scales. The proprietor of the establish¬ 
ment knows something of human nature. Most persons 
like to weigh well, in body as well as character. We 
have seen a man pull down two hundred pounds on the 
scales, and get off with an air that said, “ There’s a feat 
for you.” Thin men looked pleased when their weight 
was given at five to ten pounds more than they expected. 
Thus the operator worked upon the vanity of his custom¬ 
ers and sent them off well' pleased with themselves. In 
this, as in many other ways of gotting a living, curiosity 
is principally appealed to, and there is enough of it in 
every large community to enable those who gratify it to 
“turn a penny” often, and thus gain a livelihood. 
^cw leascet.— “ Mother,” exclaimed an 
affected young lady, just home from boarding school, 
“ mother, here is a grammatical error in the Bible 1” 
“Lawsakcs!” replied the old lady, adjusting her spec¬ 
tacles, “ Kill it! kill it right off, for I do believe it’s the 
pesky thing that’s been eatin’ up all the bookmarks.” 
Casriosities at Stee Mtaseatsaa. 
Among the curiosities exhibited at Barnum’s Museum 
before its destruction by fire were many tilings which a 
casual observer would not be likely to notice. Our artist 
has sketched a few of these for the amusement of the boys 
and girls who have eyes sharp enough to sec what can 
be found by looking carefully. If the curious figure be¬ 
hind the visitor in the picture could have been kept there, 
its exhibition might have made a fortune for Barnttm. 
BSceoIHectlofiis. 
“Uncle Jim” writes to the American Agriculturist: 
“ I am yet a young man, and it seems but yesterday when 
I was raising my little crop. I well remember how 
father and mother were imitated in the cultivation, gath¬ 
ering, and marketing of the same, and what an interest 
they took in advising me so as to prevent a failure. 
Then they pointed out a place where I could loan my 
money to a good reliable man, and receive interest at the 
rate of six per cent per annum. A note was given, and 
how carefully it was stored away among my treasures 1 
At the appointed time I received all the principal and the 
interest, and at the suggestion made by mother I bought 
a young colt. That colt was well cared for, and when 
grown, what a handsome price it brought 1 Oh, I was 
rich enough I ‘ But no,’ said father, ‘ if you buy a lot,’ 
showing where it was, ‘ some day you can put a house 
on it, and then you will have a home of your own.’ New 
aspirations flitted o’er my mind; the lot was purchased, 
and strange to say, since I began this epistle, a little 
boy entered and paid me a month’s rent, an income on 
this same investment. And now, upon the same farm, I 
too am raising a boy who is receiving encouragement in 
a like manner, and to see how he is striving to outstrip 
me repays me for all my trouble. A finer house, a finer 
lot, are his aspirations, and the chances are for his suc¬ 
cess. This little boy, who is twelve years old, has attended 
to his horse, and helped milk three cows, and carried one 
gallon of milk one half mile distant each day, besides at¬ 
tending school and receiving the highest percentage for 
good scholarship. Farm life for him will be among the 
cherished memories. Two more subscribers to the list 
previously sent you are monitors of his perseverance.” 
Answers to E D a*®I>Ies&RS asm! IPtazzles. 
The following are the answers to the puzzles, etc., in 
the July number, page 2(55. No. 310. Metagram. —Zone, 
Bone, Tone, None....No. 311. Illustrated Selnis.— Quota¬ 
tion from Pope's Essay on Man.— 2 P R in ce apples in 
lut man gnat ewer rein s elf love two urge, rca sun toe 
rest rain : or, Two principles in human nature reign ; self- 
love to urge, and reason to restrain... No. 312. Mathe¬ 
matical Problem.— 2,001,599,83-1+farms of 300 acres each. 
_No. 313. Conundrum .—She has a tail in pi'ess. 
The following have sent correct answers to puzzles pre¬ 
viously published. Eva Gray, Henry A. Drury, Levi 
Capp, Aaron B. Leach, Stanhope E. Leach, J. West 
Homer, Marius Heighton, James A. Baxter, It. Hervard 
Millar, N. E. Melick, Charlie Weber, J. F. Webber, 
Clara T. Shannon, Addie A. Hadley, E. P. Washburn, J. 
A. Littell, Sallie J. Work, A. P. Henry, Thos. C. Hughes, 
“C. L. B.,” H. Elliott, W. Shelly, Sarah Emma Horton. 
5few Frizzles to tee Answered. 
No. 314. Logogriph .—(The word “ logogriph ” means a 
“word net,” that is, a word enclosing others like a net.) 
My home is a cold, damp, uninviting place. When taken 
from it, I repay the service with cheerfulness and com¬ 
fort, and I have added to the fortunes of many. I con¬ 
tain 1st, the name of one of my greatest friends. 2d. 
Half of a beautiful bird. 3d. Everybody’s favorite. 4th. 
The head of Benjamin Franklin. 5th. An engineer’s 
and lady’s assistant. 6th. Something often put on a 
drum, on a shoe, also found in barrels. What is the word ? 
No. • 315. Mathematical 
Problem .—I have a lot of 
ground 100 feet long and SO 
feet wide. I wish to make a 
ditch inside of the boundary 
of said lot, so that the ground 
taken out of the ditch may 
raise the balance of the sur¬ 
face of lot one foot higher. 
The breadth and depth of 
ditch are to be made equal; 
what ought they to be? 
No. 316. Picture Puzzle.— 
Why does this picture repre¬ 
sent the office of the Pope ? 
No. 31?. Metagram .—A word of four letters feeds mil¬ 
lions of human beings. Change the first letter and it 
warms millions. Change the first letter again and you 
have a wonderful performance. Another change gives a 
place to rest. What are the words of the metagram ? 
No. 31S. Puzzle Picture. What common mathemati¬ 
cal instrument is represented by the above figures ? 
No. 310. Pizzle Picture .—What common mode of 
punishment is represented in the above picture? 
No. 320. French Pizzle .—How do these two letters, J a, 
very well describe the feelings of a hungry person ? 
