328 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[September, 
that can be given to a book, appear to much 
better advantage than they possibly could in the 
rapid pressworkof the newspaper, and while" they form a 
most useful, they make a really elegant book. There 
are 40 designs, each illustrated by a perspective view or 
elevation, and.plans for each floor, besides numerous 
engravings to illustrate details of construction, when 
needed. All is made so plain by description and illustra¬ 
tion, that any one of ordinary mechanical ability can 
build from anyone of the designs. Being “for every¬ 
body,” it is sent at the low price of $1.50, postpaid. 
by the time the second half of the year has fairly begun. 
The essays read at the meetings, and the discussions to 
which they gave rise, are of interest, and that interest is 
not decreased by their prompt, appearance in a neat And 
carefully prepared volume. Much credit is due to the 
present Secretary, Robt. Manning, Esq. 
Basket Items continued on page 353. 
Sundry Humbugs. 
Kates Reduced !—Our readers will see by an an¬ 
nouncement on page 321, that there has been an essential 
reduction in the subscription rates of the American Agri¬ 
culturist. This will, no doubt, greatly enlarge our circle 
of readers, and the editors will spare no effort to make 
the paper meet the wants of the whole family, however 
large it be. 
“Tallis on Manures.” —This work, by Mr. 
Joseph Harris, which was announced some two months 
ago, will be ready for delivery by the time this reaches our 
readers. It was stated that one of its most valuable fea¬ 
tures was the presentation of the elaborate tables of the 
remarkable experiments at Rothamsted, England. The 
sole value of such tables consists in their accuracy. The 
composition and correction of these consumed so much 
time that it was not possible to produce the work at so 
early a day as was expected. However, a work on ma¬ 
nures is, unlike one upon many other agricultural topics, 
seasonable at any time, and we feel sure that this will 
have a hearty welcome from the large circle of readers 
who have already known the author through his other 
writings. This is not especially a work on fertilizers, 
but on manures, in the widest and broadest sense of the 
term, and its teachings, while in accordance with the es¬ 
tablished facts in science, are divested as far as possible 
of technicalities and of all show of what the Deacon 
would call “ scientific larnin,” but are conveyed in that 
pleasant, colloquial manner which his “Walks and 
Talks,” and “ Talks on Crops” have made familiar to so 
many. Where pleasant reading and sound teaching are 
so happily combined as in the present work, it can not 
fail to be widely useful in its effects upon farm practice. 
Pages 354. Sent by .mail for $1.50. 
“ Winter Greeneries at Home.”— Just as 
shorter days and cooler nights remind us that preparations 
for our “Winter Greeneries” must soon be made, here 
comes the needed work in the very nick of time, to tell 
what to do, and how to do it. The author, the Rev. E. A. 
Johnson, D.D., of Allegheny City, Pa., has not brought 
together all he knew, and all that he could find that any 
one else knew, in one promiscuous and confusing jum¬ 
ble, and called it “ Window Gardening,” but has given 
an account of his own “ winter greeneries,” and told it 
all so pleasantly and plainly, that they must be dull in¬ 
deed who cannot follow in his steps to something like 
his success. “Attempt only what can be done well,” is 
not enjoined anywhere in the work, that we recollect, 
but that is the idea that pervades it. There is nothing 
advised beyond the reach of those of moderate means, 
and whoever will follow his simple teachings may hope 
to attain a success approaching the author’s own, as 
shown in the fine illustrations of his beautifully “ em¬ 
bowered study.” The title of the work conveys his 
method; green in the form of ivies and other climbers, 
green in the trailers and droopers, green from above, 
green at the sides, green in graceful ferns, and quaint 
forms, green—cheerful green of various shades make up 
his “winter greeneries.” Following Nature, he estab¬ 
lishes the ground work of green, and then, following the 
same excellent teacher, lights it up with bits of color, in 
the way of bloom, which are all the more effective for 
their setting of green. Then he does not thrust a whole 
florist's catalogue atone, but in his selection of “ Winter 
Bloomers ” judiciously points out the few plants that one 
may have in a living-room—for the greenery is to be for 
and with the household—and with any fair treatment 
give flowers in winter. Having been over much of the 
same ground in the management of house plants, we feel 
sure that the author is as safe a guide as he is a pleasant 
one. And we are glad that we have in “ Winter Green¬ 
eries at Home ” a work that will do much towards en¬ 
couraging and increasing the culture of house plants, by 
showing the beginners how to begin. The work is 
handsomely illustrated, with views of the winter green¬ 
eries at home with the author, and engravings of the va¬ 
rious ways and contrivances that his experience has 
suggested. While eminently practical, the work is 
handsome enough for a “gift book,’ 1 and is sent by 
mail, postpaid, for $1. 
The Massachusetts’ Horticultural So¬ 
ciety deserves much credit. If it is one of the oldest 
societies of its kind, it is also the most active. It gives 
ns its “Transactions” for the first half of the year 1878, 
If one fraud has been more 
thoroughly exposed than 
another, it is Clark & Co., 
“Claim Adjusters.” We be¬ 
gan to show their methods, 
under various aliases, 
last year, and there has been 
scarcely a month this year 
in which some new phase 
of their operations did not 
call for a new warning. Be¬ 
sides this, Clark & Co. have 
become so conspicuously 
notorious that the daily pa¬ 
pers have taken them up, 
and if there is a concern 
that has been widely adver¬ 
tised—after a fashion—it is 
this. Yet Clark & Co. are 
good judges ol" human na¬ 
ture ; they know that but 
few people, in proportion to 
the whole number, read, and of those who do read, a very 
small proportion recollect what they have seen for any 
length of time; they also know that a large share of man¬ 
kind feel flattered at being addressed personally, by let¬ 
ter, and if this letter contains a tempting bait, in which 
the hook is cleverly concealed, they stand a good chance 
to get some bites, so this remarkable firm of 
CLARK & CO. STILL CONTINUE 
to send out those nice letters asking, “ Is this your sig¬ 
nature ?” and will continue so long as it pays, or until 
some one who finds that he has been wronged, will visit 
New York and enter a complaint. This is very unlikely 
to happen, as the letters are, as a general tiling, sent to 
persons living at a great distance. It is very amusing to 
sec how particular many are to request us to be sure to 
return Clark & Co.’s letter which they have sent for our 
inspection, while they know 'that they have invested 
in neither mining stock nor jewelry speculations, feel 
that there is just a possibility that something may 
come of it. and wish the documents returned. If these 
persons knew that we have received bushels of these Clark 
& Co. letters, they would not place much value on theirs. 
_That remarkable 
AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN SECRET SERVICE CO. 
is not the Co. we should like to employ on any “ secret 
service,” as the managers, or whoever run the concern, do 
not know the members of their own force. Imagine the 
surprise of a business man, the head of a large agricul¬ 
tural implement house in Missouri at receiving such a 
communication as this: 
“ Dear Sir—As we consider you one of the best detec¬ 
tives on our force, we desire to publish your picture in 
our paper, and also give you a favorable notice, for which 
we will charge you only $10 — the actual cost of engraving, 
the notice being free. Write at once." 
Then follow requests for photograph, biographical 
sketch, etc. No wonder our Missouri friend requests 
us to “ warn the public of these frauds, ” which we 
have been doing for some months. The scheme seems 
too absurd to succeed, yet has no doubt trapped many. 
THE VALUE OF ANT SECRET SERVICE 
depends upon the skill of the agents, and the fact that 
they are not known to be agents or detectives. Yet this 
so-called Company has been appointing “detectives” 
right and left, the chief condition being that each shall 
subscribe to, and send $3 for their paper—the rest being 
all promises. Now, they appeal to the vanity of their 
dupes in this picture dodge, and will no doubt get many 
a poor fellow’s $10—who has not sense to see that pub¬ 
lishing the portrait of a “ detective ” is the greatest pos¬ 
sible absurdity_Those chaps in Calais, Me., still send 
out letters informing the recipient how his name was ob¬ 
tained. “Returning from our mine, 
WE MET A GENTLEMAN ON THE CARS 
from your locality, and we asked him to give us the 
names of some persons who might take an interest in 
mining,” etc. This accompanies a circular showing 
“ How Fortunes are made in Mining,” accompanied, of 
course, by offers of the stock itself, “if applied for at 
once." The number of times these people returned from 
the mines, and the number of “ gentlemen ” they met in 
the cars are beyond computation. Commen-eense people 
will ask: “If such fortunes are to be made in your 
mines, why don’t you make them, and not spend time 
and money in writing and sending sucli transparent stuff 
as this ‘gentlemen on the cars?’ ” 
THIS SEMINOLE GOLD AND SILVER MINING COMPANY, 
whose proprietors are always meeting “ a gentleman ou 
the cars,” is not very definitely located ; the circular says, 
it is one day’s ride from the Union Pacific Railroad in 
Wyoming Territory. — The “Carbon County News” 
Rawlings, Wyoming, (see “N. Y. Tribune” Aug. 13, ’78, 
p. 5), has very decided opinions as to this mining scheme,, 
and others like it. We advise all who contemplate in¬ 
vesting in these mining schemes to either visit the- 
locality—if they can find it—or write to the above named 
journal for a copy giving its views of the mines. The 
Wyoming people complain tiiat. schemes like these inter¬ 
fere witii the development of the real mineral riches of 
the Territory. 
DO HUMBUGS, LIKE COMETS, 
have their periods of reappearing? This would seem so 
from the fact that every now and then a very old one, that 
we had quite forgotten, comes around as new. 
We infer from our letters that there is a revival of 
THE TREE COTT :N SPECULATION 
in some of the Western States, as we receive inquiries 
as to its culture and yield, and how long after planting a 
crop may be expected. During the war, when cotton 
was at its highest, there was every inducement to raise 
cotton in the Northern States, and every thing that 
promised to be of value was tried. Some samples of 
“Hardy” aud “Tree Cotton” were brought us by gen¬ 
tlemen who could have no motive for swindling, claim¬ 
ing that they could be profitably grown in all the Middle 
States, but these gentlemen were mistaken, and their 
well intended trials, like the numerous swindles to- 
which they gave countenance, all alike ended in failure. 
"We advise our inquiring friends to first try two or three 
plants, before they bother about the yield per acre.... 
The “Butter Compound” business in Massachusetts 
seems to be remarkably quiet, but we hear of another 
BUTTER COMPOUND FROM OREGON, 
the old Ohio concern, which we supposed dead long ago. 
A citizen of Oregon, who, misled by the claims and plaus¬ 
ible offers of the “Company,” took the agency, now 
sends us all the documents, agreements, etc., and asks 
us to publish the concern as 
“ THE GRANDEST HUMBUG OF THE AGE.” 
We have been publishing this as a humbug these many 
years, and are glad that there is one the less “agent” 
for the sale of the vile stuff_A friend in Seward Co., 
Neb., writes: “A great many persons here are investing 
in —— & Co.’s (Wall Street) 
“ SO-CALLED COMBINATIONS,” 
and begs us, if we have any more light upon the subject, 
to let it dawn on them. We have said in these columns 
all that can be said. We can not point out one single¬ 
concern and say, these are frauds, but we can say, as the 
opinion of the best business men in Wall street, as well 
as out of it. that all these parties who send out tempting 
circulars, are iu bad company, and that the business- 
even if honestly conducted—is full of such risks as no 
one of moderate means should run. It is really a game 
of chance, having all the fascinations of other such 
games, and the player is pretty sure to lose in the end. 
There are, in Nebraska, as elsewhere, certain persons 
who are on the lookout for a chance to acquire riches by 
some unusual means. Such persons, when they get a few 
dollars ahead, are not happy until they can get rid of 
them in some lottery, or some mining or Wall St. scheme, 
and the more extravagant the claims put forth by these, 
the more readily do such persons fall into the trap. 
Warnings are wasted upon such, and it is only those wbc 
can stop and think that we can hope to benefit... .An 
Arkansas subscriber complains that his neighborhood is 
FLOODED WITH LOTTERY CIRCULARS, 
and thinks it suspicious that the documents are mailed in 
New York City in a sealed envelope, to be answered at. 
New Haven, Conn., while the lottery is to bo drawn in 
Cuba. Our Arkansas friend doesn't know the “ ways that 
are dark,” taken to avoid the vigilance of the Post Office 
officials. But what are the New Haven officials about, 
that lottery tickets can be opeuly advertised from the 
City of Elms?.... 
SWINDLES UPON FARMERS, 
especially in the way of introducing new implements, 
continue to be reported : these, a few years ago were 
more frequent in New England than elsewhere, but a 
case given in a recent “ Ohio Farmer ” shows that these 
chaps have taken the advice to “go West.” It is the 
same old story. Two glib-tongued chaps call upon the- 
farmer, and at once make friends. They find it a pity 
he should work so hard for a little profit, and show how 
he may essentially add to his income by taking the- 
agency for their machine. They, after much talk, per¬ 
suade him to sign a contract to act as their agent, and 
