ISOS.] 
AMERICAN A dll CIJ LTU RIS T. 
399 
is the same everywhere. What was clone in 3.000 to 4.000 
places last year, can be clone in 25,000 places this year. 
The work will pay well, and do good besides. Every one 
read through the premium sheet. 
Tlie Departnient of Agriculture. 
—There is every prospect that those who have been look¬ 
ing fora change in the condition of affairs at the Depart¬ 
ment will not be disappointed. The Commissioner, Col. 
Horace Capron, evidently intends to make it both useful 
and creditable to the country. The offices have been re¬ 
moved from the crypt of the Patent Office building to a 
spacious new structure erected for their accommodation. 
Prof. Glover, who has already clone so much under the 
most untoward circumstances, will here have ample room 
for his agricultural museum. The old propagating garden 
is to be given up, and Mr. Saunders will have abundant 
space in the grounds about the new building, not only 
for experimental work, but for a display of his taste in 
ornamental and landscape gardening. A number of acres 
have been laid out in the style of a park, which are to be 
planted as an arboretum which shall contain specimens 
of all trees hardy in the locality. These grounds are 
what under the name of an “ Experimental Farm ” were 
formerly so justly ridiculed. The chemist, Dr. Antisell, 
has a convenient and well-appointed laboratory. In the 
working force great changes have been made ; a large 
number of hangers-on have been discharged, and these are 
of course opposed to the Department and its present ad¬ 
ministration. Every thing about the Department shows 
marks of energy and judgment, and we feel warranted in 
hoping that when the Commissioner and his assistants 
have become fairly settled in their new quarters, they will 
be able to do good work for the agriculture of the country. 
Two Very Complete Country BSesl- 
<lences are now being finished by Mr. Judd, near his 
own Homestead, in Flushing. They have been erected 
partly as a source of amusement, and to exercise his own 
taste, and to show how many conveniences can be intro¬ 
duced into one’s house with a moderate outlay; and 
partly to prepare houses inviting to good neighbors. 
They have all the conveniences of first-class city dwell¬ 
ings, and some not usually found there—especially coun¬ 
try air and space, with churches and schools within 
walking distance; and though ten miles away, they are 
now quite as accessible to the business centre of New 
York by means of two railroads and ferries, as are most 
of the better dwelling houses on Manhattan Island. They 
will be shown with pleasure after Nov. 10th to any who 
may contemplate building and may wish to examine 
them. They will be sold on easy terms of payment. Price 
with lot, (125x140ft.,) on a fine avenue, about $14,000. 
Sundry Humhngs.—Unsafe Oils.— 
For many year's the Agriculturist has alone fought the 
legions of fraud and humbug. We, however, stood our 
ground, and when visibly gaining upon the enemy, aid 
came in the form of a law of Congress, late, to be sure, but 
welcome, in which sending forth gift concert circulars 
and all similar matters through the mails was made a 
penal offence. This law has been a severe check to oper¬ 
ators in the gift line, and though they will probably find 
some way to get around toe law, for the present they are 
on the retreat. These chaps will soon break out in a new 
place, but we shall try to follow them up, whatever colors 
they may fly. The gift-enterprise business is so far de¬ 
feated that for a whole month we have seen no new phase 
of it. It is probably only a lull in the fight, but “for this 
relief much thanks.’’ And Congress has our gratitude, 
as it should have that of the whole community of our 
readers, for the help it has afforded us and them. Villany 
assumes many shapes, of which the gift-enterprise is 
only one... .Are the “ One dollar ” concerns, now becom¬ 
ing so plenty in N. Y. City and elsewhere, the honest, 
straightforward thing? Our readers must judge for 
themselves, and we trust that they will not be over-san¬ 
guine in rushing after these people of large promises. 
Van Allen and his Eureka Oil need to be again mention¬ 
ed. We call attention to this subject for a double pur¬ 
pose. First, to denounce most strongly the use of a 
mixture of camphor and benzine, because it is dangerous 
in the extreme. Both of the articles are volatile, and one 
forms a very explosive vapor. Why people will buy 
such stuff and burn it is beyond our comprehension, but 
they do so, and both life and property are sacrificed by 
their use. Secondly, we wish to bring to mind the law 
in the matter of dangerous oils. Congress has tried to 
protect the people in this respect by striking at the root 
of the evil. The law is found in Sec. 29 of Amendments 
to the Internal Revenue Laws, approved March 2d, 1867. 
(See March, 1868, p. 88.) This act provides severe penal¬ 
ties for mixing for sale, or for selling any oil or burning 
fluid that will not stand the “fire test,” as it is called. 
So little seems to be known about this very important 
subject that yve will explain. The “fire test ” is simply 
this. Place a vessel of Water on the stove and heat it to 
the temperature of 110° F.; put in another vessel 
(say a tin hasin) some of the oil to be tested, and place 
this dish so it will float on the water, and let the whole 
remain a few minutes until the oil has been brought up to 
the temperature of the water. Now thrust a lighted stick 
into the oil; if the flame on the slick is extinguished, 
the oil is safe from explosion. If it burn, however, it is 
a dangerous oil, and its sale is prohibited by the law. 
Any person may find plenty of bad oil in his own town, 
but the U. S. Courts are not within the reach of the 
majority of sufferers, as time and money are necessary to 
get a case before those tribunals. Evil-disposed people 
are aware of this fact, and offer their vile compounds for 
sale regardless of the law. Rhode Island is first in sup¬ 
plying a much needed adjunct to this national law. In a 
code of State laws, she provides for appointing Inspec¬ 
tors of Kerosene with full power to prosecute any viola¬ 
tion of the State law passed March 12th, 1S67, almost im¬ 
mediately after the passage of the act of Congress. We 
have it from good authority that in the city of Providence 
there has not been a single accident from the explosion 
of kerosene since these laws went into operation, and 
that not a gallon of burning oil of any sort can be found 
on sale that will not stand the “ fire test.” So much for 
what good legislation will do for the protection of life 
and property. We entreat the authorities of every State 
so to supplement this act of Congress by State laws, and 
a system of inspection so rigid, that explosive oils of 
every sort may be completely banished from use. 
A Bi'.ixen Swimlle. —One of the most 
brazen swindles we ever heard of is the one perpetrated 
by the “ Patent Butter Association ,” 234 Broadway. This 
party actually had an office at the number given on Broad¬ 
way, a little obscure room on one of the upper floors. 
They advertised to sell a powder,with directions for using, 
which would make one pound of butter from one pint of 
milk. They did sell a powder, which looks and tastes 
like cooking soda mixed with salt. The directions re¬ 
quire that a pound of butter to each pint of new milk 
used should be placed together in a churn with some of 
the powder and churned until the butter comes. The 
result is that the good butter comes out white and almost 
spoiled, and weighs no more than when it went in. A 
moment’s thought will show any one how impossible the 
claim is ; for a pint of milk weighs only a pound, and it 
consists of more than 75 per cent of water to begin with. 
Blorticailture sit Siie A. A. State 
Fair. —An immense tent served as the Floral Hall, which 
was all too small for the crowds which were attracted to 
it. Mr. Jas. Yick, who superintended the department, 
deserves much credit for the substantial and proper 
arrangements for showing the fruits and flowers, as well 
as for a display of taste in such ornamentation as the 
tent allowed. The fruit occupied tables against the wall 
of the tent, and flowers were arranged upon an inner 
circle. The show of fruit was very fine, and, of course, 
Ellwanger & Barry were preeminent in this department. 
E. Ware Sylvester, of Lyons, N. Y.. had some notably 
fine plates, though not as many as E. & B. The show 
of grapes was very good, and some exotic grapes of John 
Fisher, Batavia, N. Y., deserve special notice. The 
finest pears of any single variety were the specimens of 
Duchesse, from C. M. Bowen, Vineland, N. J. In flowers, 
Mr. Vick was resplendent; Frost & Co. had a valuable 
collection, and Mrs. Van Namee, without whom a State 
Fair would not seem half complete, was present from 
Chambersburgh, Ra., with her favorites, which took 
several premiums. Vegetables, as usual at the New 1 ork 
Fair, had a poor place. They were in a dark building, 
among cooking stoves and other things, and had to take 
their chances. The show was interesting, but we cannot 
commend it as being particularly fine. The chief attrac¬ 
tion was the 150 varieties of potatoes exhibited by Reisig 
& Hexamer, Newcastle. Westchester Co., N. Y. Whether 
it was the potatoes or Doctor Hexamer himself, we can¬ 
not say, but the two together always had a crowd about 
them. C. F. Crossman, seed-grower, of Rochester, had 
a noticeably fine collection of garden vegetables, in¬ 
cluding many things not often seen on exhibition. 
T5ie Orange .Fsb« 1«I WSieat 3*rizes. 
.—Feeling that wheat had not hitherto received that at¬ 
tention at the N. Y. State Fair that its importance demand¬ 
ed, Mr. Judd placed at the disposal of the N. Y. State 
Agricultural Society, $300, to be offered as special premi¬ 
ums for wheat. It was hoped that this offer would bring 
out a fine display of grain and allow the many farmers 
who would visit the fair to see what could be done in the 
way of wheat culture. Two of the editorial staff of the 
Agriculturist were at the Fair, and each, without the 
knowledge of the other and without consultation with 
him, wrote down the wheat affair as a failure. Mr. Judd 
paid $300, and no ono save the recipients is in the least 
benefited. He will probably never enquire who engi¬ 
neered the matter, and we will simply state what was done, 
to show what should not have been done. The premiums 
were coupled with such conditions that only thirteen 
entries were made, and of these only three exhibitors 
complied with all of the requirements. The premiums 
were awarded to these three, while there was vastly bet¬ 
ter grain present, but the exhibitors of it failed to show 
•the stalks as required by the conditions. The premiums 
were not awarded until the last day of the fair, and the 
general public could not know which were the prize 
samples. Had tile premiums been awarded earlier, the 
arrangements were such as to prevent any one from see¬ 
ing the grain. A large pen was railed off, at the further 
side of which the barrels were placed, and the grand 
crowd which poured by were treated to a view of a very 
nice looking lot of barrels, headed and unheaded. There 
was no wheat to be seen at all. Mr. Dietz, the celebrated 
grower of seed wheat,made a more useful show outside the 
railing than the Society allowed the Judd wheat to make. 
This is what was done, and our readers will agree with 
us that if this is the way in which special premiums arc 
to be managed hereafter, there is not a very strong in¬ 
ducement held out to any one to offer them. 
Ohti FS B-4sfiSa«‘rs, of Springfield, Mass., have 
a very fine collection of plants. In July.last we figured 
some rare Begonias from their collection, and specimens 
of green-house plants we have received from them since 
show that they have all the new and choice things ns 
soon as any one. We congratulate the citizens of Spring- 
field upon having a first class horticultural establishment 
in their beautiful city, and hope the Brothers Olm will 
meet with t he success that their skill and enterprise merit. 
'I'lie iVew .Berscy asa«l Cen fil’Jil 
Fairs. —The agriculturists of New Jersey are unfor¬ 
tunate in not being able thoroughly to co-operate in one 
organization. There are several county agricultural 
Societies which make very creditable shows every year, 
and promote, so far as they can, improvement in agricul¬ 
ture. The New Jersey State Society is such only in name, 
and while it has the most attractive location we perhaps 
ever saw, puts forth an excellent-premium list, and its 
officers make judicious efforts to have it take a high rank, 
it makes really but little more than a good county show. 
The N. J. Central Society was established, we believe, 
during a period of suspended animation on the part of 
the State Society, and this too has fine grounds and build¬ 
ings, a good mile track, etc., pleasantly situated near the 
State capital. The offer of premiums was liberal, but 
the exhibition just about what would have been a credit 
to a good populous county. The subject requires legis¬ 
lation, we should say, for a State of such varied and in¬ 
teresting agricultural products, and so situated that every 
partis easily communicated with, ought to have an agri¬ 
cultural Head Center, and this individual or organization. 
Board or Society, should enjoy the hearty co-operation of 
all the county and district Societies and of all the go-a¬ 
head farmers in the State. 
Manhattan Co-operative ISelief 
Association.— We bad no cause to impugn the good 
faith and good intentions of the parties advertising this 
Association, or it would not have been admitted to our 
columns. The many inquiries from our readers led us to 
study the scheme somewhat, and though it has various 
good features, we are not prepared to endorse it. The 
first objection that occurred was that the annual death 
rate was placed too low. If only “30” died each year, 
it would take 166% years for the5000 persons in any class 
to die off! There are sundry other objections which 
might be named had we space. 
Norway Oats, claimed to weigh 40 to 46 
pounds to the measured bushel, really weigh 32 pounds, 
as sent out by the agents. This is exactly a bushel by 
weight, as established by law in most of the States. 
Sense at the Farmers’ Oesh.— Once 
in a while there is a ripple on the sluggish stream of talk 
at the Farmers’ Club, which gives a little variety to the 
reports. A committee was appointed to visit the Walter 
Grape on the vine, made up after the tadpole fashion with 
Horace Greeley for a head and dwindling down to a very 
small tail. Such a burlesque on grape committees was 
too much for Mr. Quinn, who asked : “ Why is it that no 
man is appointed on that committee who has made grapes 
a study ? We have plenty of such men, but I do not see 
their names mentioned here.” Mr. Quinn should not. ask 
impertinent questions. He evidently is not in the ring. 
Early Cons, Late l*lanted.— Mr. H. 
C. Redfield of Metuchin, N. J., shows us a sample of his 
crop of yellow 8-rowed Canada corn, planted June 30th. 
ripe and fit to shell October 12tli. This is quick work. 
