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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Nov. 15 



Our Homes 



By a. I. Root 



Beware of false prophets which come to you in 

 sheep's clothing; but inwardly they are devouring 

 wolves.— Matt. 7 : 15. 



Thou Shalt love thy neighbor as thyself .—Lev. 19 : 18. 



I am not going to talk about "false proph- 

 ets" just now, friends; but I am going to 

 talk to you about other people who come to 

 you in sheep's clothing as expressed in our 

 text; and I want every one of you, if it is a 

 possible thing, to get the Philadelphia Prac- 

 tical Farmer for ®ctober 23 and read the de- 

 partment called the "Experience Pool." 

 Now, if you have sent already for a speci- 

 men copy of the above periodical, as I have 

 advised, do not send again for another sam- 

 ple, but take a trial subscription. The num- 

 ber I have mentioned is worth the subscrip- 

 tion price for a whole year; and when you 

 read it I think you will agree with me. This 

 farm paper has in every issue, as I said above, 

 what is called an "Experience Pool." The 

 particular pool that has taken such a hold on 

 me just now is topic 904. This is the way it 

 reads: 



Describe the various frauds, humbugs, and fakes that 

 swindlers have used to cheat and defraud farmers in 

 your section. 



In response to the above, 25 different peo- 

 ple, scattered throughout as many different 

 States, tell their experience with fakes and 

 humbugs. The first one is a fair sample of 

 the rest. Three men came into their county 

 and began canvassing among the farmers to 

 sell a kitchen cabinet — something to help the 

 good housewife, etc. One of the first things 

 these men did was to attend the services in 

 the various churches. The manager made a 

 generous contribution to the m.inister's sal- 

 ary. Now, all this is right and proper, pro- 

 viding, of course, it is. done because of a love 

 for humanity, a love for God, and for Chris- 

 tian people. Well, these three men — no, I 

 meant to say these wolves in sheep's clothing 

 — sold a lot of their kitchen cabinets. They 

 were expert, oily fellows. They were inter- 

 ested in the homes of the farmers, and in 

 furnishing something that would be neat and 

 tidy, and that would lighten the labors of the 

 housewife. Well, this was a splendid thing 

 to do, and I do not wonder they made many 

 sales. Now, after they had gotten the thing 

 worked up to the right point (those fellows 

 knew their business, mind you) the manager 

 went to one of the merchants and explained 

 to him that they were called off to another 

 State. He took out a memorandum-book 

 and showed the names of the people who had 

 bought cabinets. He tokl his victim that he 

 had been looking for some good careful man 

 who had the confidence of the people, and 

 whom his company would trust, to continue 

 this business of selling cabinets. He said it 

 was a confidential deal, and he hoped the 

 merchant would feel the necessity of keep- 

 ing it to himself until they had got out of the 

 way. 



After these chaps had raked up the cash 



and sold their notes to the banks on what 

 they had taken, and had left town, this mer- 

 chant found that the manager had worked 

 the same game on every other merchant in 

 town and in that vicinity. The cabinets that 

 came on were not equal to the sample shown 

 by the men, who traveled from house to 

 house, and the place was flooded with cheap 

 worthless tinware. The people who had 

 been swindled felt so sore about it that they 

 got the things out of sight as soon as they 

 could. Now, the 25 other reports tell some- 

 thing a good deal in the same hne. Here are 

 some clippings from them: 



A stranger, claiming to represent a telephone com- 

 pany, was along securing right of way along the farms. 

 Where damage was likely to be done by the construc- 

 tion of the line he would give the land-owner one or 

 two dollars. For this money he secured a receipt. 

 Now, this receipt later on turned up as a note, and had 

 to be paid. 



A few years ago a young man of my acquaintance 

 imagined he was sick. He sent to a company at Buffa- 

 lo, N. Y., $60 of hard-earned money, and he took their 

 " dope" for six or eight months. Finally he threw their 

 slop away and got well. I say got well, but I doubt his 

 ever being sick— just his imagination. 



A neighbor, an old and diffident man, but a good 

 farmer and a zealous Christian, paid 81500 for a State 

 right to make and sell a certain powder, a panacea for 

 fruit-trees in the State of Tennessee, to keep away pests 

 an' to make the trees bear. He never went to Tennes- 

 see to sell the powder, which, of course, was a perfect 

 humbug; but he had to sell his farm to raise the $1500, 

 and he lived a sad and very economical life [until his 

 death. 



A dishonest commission man from the city of B— 

 heard that my neighbor raised each year great num- 

 bers of sweet potatoes, so he came around just after 

 the crop was housed, and promised at least 82.15 per 

 crate (3 bushels) and thus secured the promise of 400 

 bushels from my neighbor. This dishonest fellow was 

 sharp enough, however, to make the promise of 82.15 per 

 crate a verbal one, and in the presence of no witnesses. 

 Hence after the shipment was made the dishonest com- 

 mission man refused to keep his promise of $2.15 per 

 crate, and, adding insult to'injury, wrote my neighbor 

 that the shipment was damaged and half rotten when 

 received. He offered 81.10 per crate or threatened to 

 return them. What could be done but accept the offer- 

 ed price and suffer the loss, for the distance was too 

 far to go and see for himself? 



A few years back a good-looking stranger 

 introduced a new kind of wheat or oats, or 

 some other grain, and agreed to buy the crop 

 at a price away above what farmers usually 

 get. They sold poor ordinary seed; and not 

 only that, they introduced the seeds of wild 

 carrots and other things that had never been 

 known before in that locality. Instead of 

 furnishing the farmers something choice for 

 the big price they received, they bought up 

 the cheapest fraudulent seed — weed seeds 

 and all. Recent legislation has probably put 

 a stop to a good deal of this work of selling, 

 to our farmers the seeds of noxious weeds. 

 I need not sp'-ak of the "spectacle" fiend, 

 for that has been worked till most people 

 and most localities are posted. 



Now, traveling swindlers of any kind are 

 bad, and most people are now aware that if 

 they listen to a stranger or put their names 

 to any sort of paper in the hands of a stranger, 

 they are running a great risk. The wolves 

 and coyotes that steal your chickens are bad 

 things; but they are honest and reliable when 

 compared with intelligent men — that is, in- 

 telligent-looking men — who put on "slieep's 

 clothing " just because it gives them a better 



