1878.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
7 
To Be Had Without Money. 
PLEASE REMEMBER that Our General Premium 
List, published in October, is still in FULL FORCE, and 
will be during the winter. Multitudes of our readers, 
all over the country, can each secure one or more useful 
and very desirable articles free, by the little trouble re¬ 
quired to collect three, four, five, or more, names of those 
who would subscribe for the Journal if shown to them by 
someone. Over 20,000 of our readers have received 
these premium articles, and thousands more ought to get 
them this month, and during the winter. Every person in¬ 
duced to take and read such a Journal, will be benefitted 
in the end. The Publishers can not go to individuals to 
present the paper to them, and they offer these good 
premium articles as rewards to those who do so. See the 
list of articles on page 33, and if you have not the Illus¬ 
trated Sheets describing each article, send immediately 
for a free copy. 
Many persons canvas as a business, receive the premium 
articles, and dispose of them for cash, (for they are all 
good and readily salable), and thus realize a fine income. 
Tills OTontli is a good time to enter upon such a work. 
Take Notice.—The offer of the Microscope to every 
subscriber, whether in a premium list or not, does not at 
all interfere with making of lists for premiums, but will 
rather aid in the work, for evei'y subscriber for 1878 is 
entitled to call for one of the Microscopes on paying a 
small extra charge above the subscription price, as stated 
on pages 33,34. The Paper alone is worth all that is asked 
for it. The Microscope is worth to any person much 
more than the whole cost of both the Microscope and the 
paper for the whole year.—So push along the gathering 
names, to secure premiums for yourself, and let all who 
have it not send a postal card at once for onr Illustrated 
Premium Sheet, which we mail free to all applicants. 
The IVortlt Western Exhia 
bitioii.—The exhibition of dairy products bythe North 
Western Dairymen's Association, was held at Chicago, 
December 18th, and following days. The exhibition 
opened with over 2,000 parcels of cheese and butter, from 
all the dairy States and Canada, and more arrived after¬ 
ward. President Ilewes opened the proceedings with an 
address, and others followed. The attendance of visitors 
was large, and the exhibition very successful. 
What Scientific Men. Say .—Numerous 
letters and verbal commendations have come from the 
best practical judges of the real value of a microscope. 
Among others. Prof. Pliin, Editor of the American 
Journal of Microscopy, writes, Dec. 11, as follows: 
Messrs. Orange Judd Company : 
“I have carefully examined your American Agricul¬ 
turist Microscope, and am delighted with it. Having 
procured all the lower-priced microscopes offered for sale 
in this country during the past twenty years, I could not 
recommend one in my book on the Microscope. This of 
yours is really good, and shows well all the most inter¬ 
esting common objects. I have just seen clearly, with 
it, the beautiful globe-animalcule, (so-called), the cellu¬ 
lar structure of plants, the trichina or so-called ‘‘pork- 
worms,” and several other objects that require good 
microscopes. John Phin.” 
One of file Most. Striking' Steel En¬ 
gravings we have lately seen, is that of Bishop Janes, 
in the January Number of the “National Repository.” 
Every lineament of the face is so accurately drawn and 
printed that the picture is instinct with life. The “Re¬ 
pository,” by the way, is a most excellent family maga¬ 
zine, filled with safe reading of a high order. Our old 
friend. Dr. Curry, who has had long editorial experience, 
is working well into his new sphere of labor. Not hav¬ 
ing space for further notice of the “ Repository,” we 
refer to the Publishers’ announcement on page 32. 
Xlie Western Niew York Mortii nL 
tural Society, is one of the most useful of the 
various horticultural associations, and though it, usua!ly i 
holds but one^neeting a year, that one abounds in good 
results, and we always receive the account of its pro¬ 
ceedings—furnished with commendable promptness, 
with the feeling that we shall surely find something 
worth reading. While the N. Y. Horticultural Society, 
holding its meetings and exhibitions in New York City, 
has florists’ plants and flowers as its leading feature, 
the Western Society gives greater prominence to fruit, 
and thus the two admirably supplement one another. 
The 23d Annual Meeting of the Western N. Y. Society 
will be held at Rochester, N. Y., commencing on 
Wednesday, the 23d inst., and probably continue for 
two or three days. All interested in horticulture will be 
welcomed, and they are invited to exhibit their pro¬ 
ducts. P. Barry is President, and P. O. Reynolds Secre¬ 
tary and Treasurer—both of Rochester. 
Sale oi* ssaa Aral) Celt. — We are in¬ 
formed by Mr. J. J. Parker, of Westchester, Pa., that his 
Arab colt, “Arab Boy,” the portrait of which was pub¬ 
lished in the American Agriculturist for June, 1877, has 
been sold for $1,009, to W. C. Myer, of Ashland, Oregon, 
whose attention was called to the colt by the above men¬ 
tioned portrait. Mr. P. has long been a very successful 
importer and breeder of Percheron and Arabian horses. 
A Walcls-Case Time Tal»le is sent us 
by the “ Dexter Spring Co.,” of Hulton, near Pittsburgh, 
Pa There docs not seem to be any direct relation be¬ 
tween the well known carriage spring, called the 
“Dexter,” and a R. R. time table, and we suppose that 
the “Co.” send out these for amusement. It is a little 
engraved form, to be cut to fit the inside of a watch-case, 
and ruled so that one can readily write in the time that 
the cars leave and arrive at any desired point. It is for 
a hunting-case watch, and when the case is opened, the 
time and the R. R. schedule are both in sight. 
Sundry Humbugs. 
offered “ a Gold Watch and Chain valued at $150 to ho 
had by payment of an “ assessment” of $15—and later 
a lot of "Gold Jewelry ” of 80 (more or less) different 
patterns, “valued at $280” (more or less), to be had by 
paying an “ assessment” of $14 (more or less). This has 
been going on for months, and while we felt that it 
was the biggest kind of a swindle we could'nt prove it. 
All we could do was to warn our readers, on general 
principles, that people did not, could not, and would not 
sell for $15—watches, or anything else, worth more than 
that sum. Why people, when they receive such an offer, 
do not at once 
TAKE A COMMON SENSE VIEW 
of the case, is beyond our comprehension. But they 
don't. They send these circulars to us by the dozen and 
hundreds, asking our “ opinion.” What opinion can we 
give other than this? “We know of no persons doing 
business in New York who will give you any more than 
$15 worth of watch, jewelry, or anything else, for $15.” 
Not only were we overrun with these inquiries, but the 
Police and Post Office authorities had similar applica¬ 
tions from all quarters, concerning “ Russell & Co.,” 
and their allies, “ Hetherington & Co.” Though 
“Russell & Co.,” and the others, were watched, so care¬ 
fully were their plans laid, that the officials could find no 
grounds for arrest. People at a distance complained, hut 
unless they could make a complaint here, in the courts, 
in person, nothing could be done; and so the matter 
went on. Recently, Anthony Comstock, Special Agent 
of the Post Office Department, has convinced the De¬ 
partment that these parties wore using the mails im¬ 
properly, and his presentation of the case induced 
To the long-time readers 
of the American Agricultur¬ 
ist, it is not necessary to 
speak of the aims of this 
column, but as many new 
friends always join our 
circle with the new year, (and 
this year the number prom¬ 
ises to be gratifyingly large), 
these may need a word on 
the subject. In the early 
days of the American Agri¬ 
culturist, an occasional ex¬ 
posure was given of the 
mock auction and other 
traps, set by sharpers to 
catch visitors from the coun¬ 
try, and strangers were ad¬ 
vised of tlie tricks practised 
at those places and warned 
against them, long before 
the authorities took up the 
matter, and broke up this form of swindling. From 
this small beginning, the exposure of other frauds 
followed, and the “Humbug Column” soon became 
a regular and necessary feature of the paper. We say 
“necessary,” because a large share of the fraudulent 
schemes are directed towards the agricultural commu¬ 
nity. It is no disparagement to farmers to say this. 
These sharpers know that men who are so generally 
honest and upright in their dealings as are farmers, are 
of all men the least likely to suspect others. This is 
why such a large share of the swindles are directed 
towards the rural population ; the rogues well under¬ 
stand human nature, and know that men who are honeBt 
themselves are slow to suspect others of dishonesty. 
THE OBJECT OP THESE EXPOSURES 
then, is to warn our readers against fraudulent schemes 
of all kinds, and especially those directed against the 
agricultural community. While we fearlessly make 
such exposures as are demanded by the public welfare, 
it is to be distinctly understood that these columns can 
not be used to redress any private grievance, and it 
will do no good to write, as some do, a request that we 
show up this or that personas a “ humbug,” simply 
because the writer feels that ho has been wronged by 
the party complained of. It is only those who are 
defrauding the public at large, and whose operations are 
detrimental to the general welfare, that are entitled to a 
place here. It has been said that no human ingenuity 
has been able to construct a lock so perfect that one with 
a little more ingenuity can not pick and open it. It is 
the same with laws as with locks, and it does not seem 
possible for the law-makers to frame a law so well 
guarded that an acute person can not get around and 
avoid it. An illustration of this is seen in the case of 
the parties who have been operating under the name of 
RUSSELL & co. 
Circulars, pretending to he at first a settling up of the 
affairs of the “Louisville Lottery Association” by a sup¬ 
plementary drawing, and later enlarged to include “ the 
Various Legal Lotteries.” have been sent far and wide. 
To judge from the bushels that have come to ns, the 
mails must have been loaded with them. These at first 
TUE P. M. GENERAL TO ISSUE A MOST STRINGENT ORDER, 
a part of which reads: “ I do hereby forbid the payment 
by the Postmaster of New York City to the said Elias 
II. Elias, or to any person whatsoever of any Postal 
Money Order, drawn to the order of Russell & Co., the 
name used by said parties in the conduct of said scheme.” 
In consequence of this order a large number of registered 
letters and Postal Money Orders have already been 
returned to their senders, who, if sensible, will thank 
the Postmaster General that they have been able to get 
their money back. It has long been suspected that 
Russell & Co. was only another name for Elias, and 
other well known operators in similar schemes. An 
assertion to this fact was made some time ago in a sensa¬ 
tional article in one of the daily papers, but accompanied 
by no proof ; but it appears that the Postmaster General 
is convinced that Elias is at the bottom of this—one of 
the most ingenious swindles of the day. 
SEED SWINDLES ON EARMEKS 
are now as numerous as ever, and so important as to re¬ 
quire a special article, which wc hope to give before seed 
time comes. We arc as desirous as anyone can be, of 
bringing to the notice of our readers every novelty of 
real value, or which promises to be useful. Three are at 
present offered under new names, aud names likely to 
deceive, very old plants. If these have any value at all, 
it is very local and limited, and if the seeds were offered 
at ail, it should he under their proper and well known 
names. These 
WONDERFUL AGRICULTURAL SEEDS 
have of late been offered by heretofore unknown dealers 
in obscure towns in Tennessee, Michigan, and other 
Western States. Of course it is no prejudice to a good 
thing that it should have an obscure origin, but the 
things thus offered are either not good, or are offered 
under names likely to deceive. Thus “ Ivory Wheat ” 
is no wheat at all, but the old Durra Corn, a form of 
which is offered as “Pampas Rice,” while it is no more 
rice than it is wheat. The “ Diamond Wheat,” which is 
offered wi h much flourish of names, including “Mon¬ 
tana,” and other kinds of “ Rye,” is, as wc shall show at 
another time, one of the oldest grains in cultivation. 
So the “Hulless Oats,” as “ old as the hills,” every now 
and then turn up as the basis of a disastrous swindle. 
The “Durra Com,” the “Polish (though now called 
‘ Diamond Wheat,’ and by many other names,) Wheat,” 
the old, very old, “Hulless Oats.” all these, almost as 
old as agriculture itself—many have their uses, but to 
introduce them as novelties, or under new names, 
shows, on the part of those who advertise them, either 
IGNORANCE OR FRAUDULENT INTENT, 
and so far as the purchaser is concerned, it makes no 
difference which. Let every farmer and gardener be as¬ 
sured that unless a “ novelty ” in the way of field or 
garden seeds has the endorsement of some agricultural 
paper—is either commended by the editor of the paper, 
or by some correspondents, whose accuracy the editor 
endorses—let him be sure that he can afford to wait, or 
if he tries the thing at all, let him do it on a scale so 
small that failure will be of no serious detriment .. In 
beginning our war against numbugs, for tbe new year, 
we have given prominence to one. the influ nee of 
which for evil is shown, by our correspondence, to be 
the most widely extended, and another month propose 
