REPORT OF THE STATISTICIAN. 429 



found in the farmer's possession, the sale of worthless receipts for the 

 manufacture of fertilizers, the sale of rights for a worthless patent 

 process for curing tobacco, the collection of fees by pretended officials, 

 such as boiler-inspectors, "the drive-well fraud," a variety of insur- 

 ance frauds, and the sale of worthless receipts for the cure of "hog 

 cholera " or other animal diseases, are among the numerous swindling 

 devices mentioned by the correspondents of the Department. 



As long as there is rascality on the one side and undue credulity on 

 the other, such swindles will continue to be practiced to a greater or 

 less extent; but they are now practiced successfully in many cases 

 where they might be frustrated by the simple rule of refusing to deal 

 with irresponsible parties without any known business standing or 

 any fixed local habitation. The only additional precautions that sug- 

 gest themselves as available to the individual are the exercise of rea- 

 sonable care, the use of j^roper means to keep informed on agricultu- 

 ral matters, the education of farmers' children in business law, and 

 the use of the facilities for mutual protection offered by such asso- 

 ciations as the Patrons of Husbandry or other farmers' organizations. 

 There are, however, some classes of frauds — such as the sale of fer- 

 tilizers under false names and the manufacture of oleomargarine for 

 sale as butter — which demand the efficient intervention of State or 

 national authority. But even in this matter much must depend upon 

 intelligent concert of action among the farmers themselves, both in 

 suggesting the proper legislation and in bringing to bear on legisla- 

 tures the influence necessary to insure the proper action. 



BOHEMIAN OATS. 



As a conspicuous example of these dishonest schemes, the inge- 

 nious and complicated "Bohemian oat swindle" was investigated in 

 March, 1886, through the aid of our regular statistical correspond- 

 ents and State agents. And though the exposure was printed in 

 15,000 copies of our special reports, and sent to the agricultural press 

 and to thousands of other newspapers, some of which had repeatedly 

 exposed the fraud before, it still lives. Though driven from its prin- 

 cipal haunts in the West, it is yet, in March, 1887, to be found in 

 New York, and possibly in many other States. This fraud is of more 

 "hideous mien" than many others, for a long time growing more 

 formidable, emboldened by success, thriving under exposure, per- 

 sistent in defeat, and fortifying itself anew when driven from its en- 

 trenchments. It has entailed losses of hundreds of thousands of dol- 

 lars; possibly a million dollars would not be an exaggeration. 

 _ The history of this swindle covers much time and space. It has 

 lived from year to year under a galling fire of the agricultural and 

 local press. It has thrived not merely through ignorance of its dis- 

 honest character but also, it is feared, through an appeal to the 

 cupidity and dishonesty of a small jDroportion of the agricultural 

 class. While the average character ot farmers is believed to be fully 

 as high as that of any large industrial class, it cannot be assumed 

 that there are no "black sheep" in a flock that numbers nine million 

 workers in agriculture. 



The magnitude and success of this enterprise is a sufficient reason 

 why this Department, designed for the protection of agriculture and 

 the general welfare of the country, should inquire into the extent 

 and geographical distribution of this prolific crop of frauds. 



There are reports of the sale of huUess oats at an exorbitant price 



