82 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
when we meet them in our walks. To those 
who have never made the acquaintance of 
these outdoor friends, a country walk is like 
the visit of a stranger to a large city. He 
knows no one, and although the store win- 
dows may attract him by their brilliancy, 
and the buildings please him by their 
magnificence, he loses that pleasure which 
is derived from intercourse with those 
we know and love. Those who have 
become familiar with plants and ani- 
mals find friends and familiar acquaint- 
ances on every hand, and during their sum- 
mer rambles are ' * never less alone than 
when alone." 
In the study of botany and kindred sci- 
ences, it is the first step that is always the 
most difficult. Young people find it so dif- 
ficult to make a beginning, especially when 
no teacher is at hand. We have, therefore, 
persuaded a well-known teacher of botany 
to give us a series of articles on "How to 
Begin the Study of Botany." These arti- 
cles are not intended to teach botany , so 
much as to show young people how they 
must go to work to study this science; and 
it is assumed that those who wish to get the 
full advantage of these articles will study 
some simple text-book — such as ' ' Gray's 
Lessons," "Wood's Text Book," or any 
other good elementary work. The first arti- 
cle will appear next month. 
Exchanges. 
WE have been asked to publish our 
rules in regard to exchanges — the 
time they are kept in, etc. 
The general rules we publish at the head 
of the exchange columns. As we charge 
nothing for inserting exchanges, the time 
that they are kept in must depend upon 
our own convenience as to space, etc. 
Sometimes they are kept in for a long, 
sometimes for a short period. Our desire 
is to do everything we can for the conveni- 
ence of our subscribers, but whenever we 
find occasion to omit the exchange list or 
any part thereof, we reserve the right to 
do so. 
Of course those who wish to bring any 
particular subject before our readers with 
certainty and regularity, can avail them- 
selves of our advertising columns; and not- 
withstanding our large circulation, we have 
placed the rates for such advertising so low 
that they are within the reach of all. Some 
who are not subscribers but who have seen 
the journal in libraries, or in the hands of 
friends, have sent in exchanges. To such 
we would say that the privileges of our ex- 
change column are open only to those who 
are regularly entered on our books as sub- 
scribers. The amount of advertising that 
we give to our exchangers would cost them 
many times the subscription to the journal 
if they obtained it at usual rates. It i& 
not, therefore, asking too much to request, 
would-be exchangers to support the journal 
by their subscriptions. 
Something Out of Nothing. 
OTWITHSTANDING the apparent 
absurdity of the thing, there is no 
bait more attractive to fools than the prom- 
ise of a great deal for a very little, or even 
of something for nothing, and nowhere 
have more victims been found than amongst 
country people, who accept^ without doubt, 
the promises of the man who offers a pow- 
der which will produce a pound of butter 
from milk which contains only an ounce 
of that article. The trick is an old one, 
and a very worthless one. The powder 
consists chiefly of alum and similar salts; 
these form a combination with the cheesy 
part of the milk, and change it so that it 
may be gathered into lumps resembling 
butter. 
Every sample of milk contains just so 
much butter and no more, and the propor- 
tion which these powder sellers claim to at- 
tain is always greatly in excess of the 
amount contained in the very best milk. 
The product has, somewhat, the appear- 
ance of butter, but its flavor is bad, and it 
does not keep. Those who allow them- 
selves to be deceived by such proposals are 
very apt to lose both their money and their 
milk. 
N 
