452 
AMERICAISr AG-KICULTXJRIST. 
[Decembek, 
Interesting Announcement ! 
125,000 MICE0SC0PE8. 
eennlne, W ell Made, serTlcable, hlehly UBefnl 
as 'well aa interesting Instruments. A good 
source of Instrnctian and amusement. Three 
Fine Ijenses and Diaphragrm— Stand Trlth 
Glass Stase, Clips, Glass plates and Cell-Uses 
Keflected and Transmitted liieht, for Opaque 
and Transparent Objects — Seven Different 
Powers— JMagnlfles 6 to 35 Diameters, and 36 
to 625 Areas— Conveniently avranied for 
Practical Use— Not moulded grlass, but care- 
fully Brround and tlsoroua:Iily made Lenses, 
ONE FOR 
Every Stal>scrll>eF 
TO THE 
American Agriculturist. 
We have avery pleasant annoimceuient to make. 
It has been customary of late years for many jour- 
nals to annually present their readers with a 
Chromo, and this journal has done its part in 
sending out beautiful pictures that now adorn 
hundreds of thousands of homes. Very many 
have asked " What will you ofEer for 1878 ? " The 
business has been so overdone by cheap, worthless, 
distorted daubs, that we have hesitated about 
longer competing with the trashy things sent out, 
and when last summer a boy offered to " black yer 
butes and give yer a ten dollar chromo for 5 
eents," we surrendered. — But we have for months 
past been looking earnestly for some Souvenir, 
some Keepsake, to send to our readers, that would 
be not only interesting, but really and eminently 
useful to all, and WE HAVE FOUND IT ! 
After examining many things, It occurred to us 
that one of the most desirable. Interesting, and^rac- 
ticaUy useful things would be some convenient 
form of the Microscope^ it a good one could be 
had within the limits of price, etc. A Microscope is 
redRy valuable to Farmers — to detect, distirtguish, 
and aid in remedying diseases on plants and animaU, 
whether from iii^ects, decay, or smut, mildew, lice, scab, 
etc. ; to detect aduUcrcUion in seeds, and their degree of 
goodness or badness, the proportion of fertile and infer- 
tile seed ; also adulteration in fertilizers, ground bone, 
etc. ; to examine wounds and bruises, extract silvers 
from the hands, etc., etc. The Microscope is equally 
useful to Gardeners, Florists, Fimit-growers, etc., for 
most of the above purposes and for many others. 
The Microscope is useful to All Classes, to de- 
tect adulterations in food, as in coffee, tea, spices, sugar, 
and to examine the texture and defects of many articles. 
As a source of laistrncti've Amnsement, 
iTie Microscope is exceedingly valuable to Children, to 
Yovng people, and to grown people. The beautiful 
fonns and structure of the most minute flowers, of 
insects, etc., are wonderful when examined by even 
a Microscope of very moderate power. The dust on 
the wing of a butterfly or moth becomes, under the 
glass, most beautiful feathers or other forms. The 
mold on cheese or on a moldy shoe becomes to the 
eye a forest-like growth. The structure of the 
aoil under our feet, its curious mixtures of crystals 
and broken rocks, are interesting to examine. A 
drop of spirits of camphor put on the glass is seen 
shooting into wonderful crystals, as the liquid evap- 
orates. Sundreds of other things may be examined. 
furnishing varied instruction, and most elevated enter- 
tainment. As an interesting Toy, nothing else equal 
to a fairly good Microscope can be given to Children. 
Impressed with the value and desirableness of an 
instrument which would accomplish the above, we 
Bet about examining the various low-priced Micro- 
scopes and magnttyiDg glaases to be found here, 
Fig. 1. — MIOROSCOPB WITH Ail, LENSES UJ USB. 
or imported. Two diflicnlties were met with. 
First, the cheap instruments found, were all of poor 
quality, and lacking some facilities in working ; and, 
second, anything having the perfection of lens and 
other parts which we could commend, would cost 
far too much to be introduced into every family. 
We found no microscope costing less than $2.75 
having the principal requisites of one we desired 
to find— such as triple lenses, stand, adjustability 
to use reflected and transmitted light, etc., etc. 
^ext, the query came up : Is it not possible, by means of 
improved mcKhlnenj for grinding lenses, and for malt- 
ing each part, and by doing this on a very large scale, 
to get tlie desired Microscope at such an exceedingly low 
cost that every one of our readers coidd have one? 
To this end, we entered into consultation with the 
Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, the inventors 
and manufacturers of the Excelsior and higher 
grade Microscopes, and of many other optical in- 
struments, who enthusiastically seconded and aided 
our efforts to the utmost of their skill and abUity. 
A large number of experimeT.ts have been made, 
many forms and combinations of lens and stand, 
etc., have been constructed, machinery has been 
devised for rapid and perfect work, and as the re- 
sult, we have A Most Valuable Miceosoope, 
Description of the Microscope. 
The Microscope is shown in the engravings here- 
with. The three Lenses (a, b, c, tig. 3) are of su- 
perior glass, careftilly ground, adjusted to use sepa- 
rately and in combination, and each one is in a polish- 
ed hard rubber setting. The lens a (Fig. 3) mag- 
nifies about 6 diameters or 36 areas or surfaces ; 5 
magnifies about 8 diameters or 64 areas ; c magni- 
fies about 10 diameters, or 100 areas ; b and c, 
used together, magnify about IS diameters, or 334 
areas. The three used together magnify about 35 
diameters, or 623 areas. Used singly, or in 
combined pairs, and triplet, seven different magni- 
fying poicers are obtained, of from 6 to 35 diameters, 
or from 36 to 635 areas. It will thus be seen that 
by using, as in fig. 1, all three lenses upon a minute 
object or part of an object, its surface or area will 
^e magnified or expanded OSS times ! 
A Diaphragm, d, is used to cut ofl distortion 
and render the field of observation distinct. (Full 
explanations of the use and mode of using each part, 
with many illustrations, to aid all to the proper 
management of the instrument, will accompany 
each microscope sent out.) The three lenses are 
joined on a hollow rivet, so that they can be re- 
moved from the stand to use as hand-glasses, single 
or combined, as shown in fig. 5. They can be car- 
ried in the pocket, if the glasses be protected by a 
covering (as a soft leather bag or wrapper, made 
from buckskin, or an old glove.) 
Fig. 3. — STAUD— LENSES — ^DIAPHBAGM. 
which we now place before our readers with a sat- 
isfaction that is certainly very great to us, and will 
doubtless be pleasing to everyresiiei of this journal. 
Fig. 3. — LENSES ETC., SHOWN SEPABATSD. 
The Stand (fig. 3,) has a base, s, of polished hard 
rubber, with an opening to admit light underneath. 
In the top of the base is a fixed glass stage, z, 
upon which to place objects to be examined. Two 
thin plates of glass (fig. 4,) are provided to lay over 
this, between which flat objects may be placed. The 
water-proof Cell, (fig. 6), with a central aperture, 
can be placed between the glass plates, forming a 
cavity for liquids, for small insects, seeds, etc., 
etc. These plates and cell are held firmly in place 
by the Metallic Clips or Springs, bo that the in- 
strument can be set on the table or held in 
the hand for opaque objects, or be field up to 
the light when examining transparent or other 
gpecimens which are best seen by light passing 
through them. — The whole is inclosed in a neat 
Case or Box, with cover, for carrying and keeping. 
Terms of Supplying the Microscope 
to Onr Snbscribers. 
We labored and studied long, night and day, 
trying to devise an instrument, and new machinery 
for manufacture, to get something that would be so 
low in cost, that we could aX>so\nie\y present one to 
every reader, and two such instruments, with a sin- 
gle lens, were first adopted. But when we found that 
by a little more expense, comparatively, we could 
get up a complete instrument, like the one above 
described, with three lenses, diaphragm, etc., we 
concluded it would be far better to adopt this, 
and thus send out such a complete instrument, 
and trust to our readers to share a small part of the 
cost (and only a part). i\'b iTistrument so well made. 
