1881.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
145 
Our New Location, 
We are all more than delighted with our 
new Establishment at 751 Broadway, and 
the many visitors are equally pleased. 
All our readers coming to the city will be 
cordially welcomed. The location, surround¬ 
ings, and easy access, were mapped on page 
121, last month. 
Moving, Office alterations and improve¬ 
ments, and the unprecedented mail-obstruct¬ 
ing storms, delayed the delivery of the March 
number to a later date than has happened 
before in thirty years, or will be likely to 
happen again in the next quarter century. 
Another Swindle upon Farmers. 
Last month, in describing “ Pringle’s Excelsior,” 
a new Hulless Oat, we mentioned that the com¬ 
mon, or Chinese Hulless Oat, notwithstanding it 
came up as new, every few years, would lead one 
who would trace its age, hack into Chinese antiq¬ 
uity. That page had hardly gone to press before 
a proof came to hand that the Hulless Oats were 
as new as ever. A friend who lives inPennsylvania 
writes that a chap in his vicinity is fleecing the 
farmers by selling “ Siberian Hulless Oats” at the 
moderate price of $1 per pound, no one farmer to 
have more than a single pound, and the sale to 
each township being limited to 20 pounds. On the 
bag this is called “a new variety of oats,” and a 
“new cereal,” and people are advised to “secure 
some at once, as there are only a few to be had ” 
—a story we have heard repeated these 40 years. 
So long as farmers will buy such things there will 
be those who are ready to sell them. 
A swindle upon farmers that has been so quiet 
for several years that we supposed it to be dead, 
now shows signs of renewed life. It is the old 
“ Golden Butter Compound,” 
Sundry Humbugs. 
We have repeated 
again and again that 
the very fact that a 
thing claimed to be 
new, whether seed or 
plant—tree, or shrub, 
was offered by a 
travelling “ agent” or 
jj vender, was enough 
to excite suspicion. 
New seeds and plants of all 
kinds, when first offered, are 
held at a high price, for the 
reason that the amount that 
can be propagated must be 
very small. At first the price 
for such new things places 
them quite beyond the reach of the average peddler. 
The latest case of this kind is brought to our notice 
by a circular which has been issued in Pennsyl¬ 
vania by one “ Reuben Acker.” Reuben is offering 
“20,000 Grape Vines,” 
and they are “winter-keeping grapes” at that. 
The names he gives are: “ Owosso,” “ Newton,” 
“ Munroe,” and “ Jefferson,” and they are said to 
be raised at a Rochester nursery. When one starts 
on a doubtful scheme with fruit, it is not well to 
be too particular in description, etc. The “Owos¬ 
so ” and “ Newton ” are varieties about which we 
know nothing. We at once made inquiries of 
parties who know every square foot of Roches¬ 
ter, and it would be impossible for any one to 
raise 20,000 of these or any other grapes without 
its being known to the trade there. Both gentle¬ 
men say that they know of no such propagation of 
grapes being carried on there. As to the “Mun¬ 
roe ” grape, it originated with Ellwanger & Barry, 
of Rochester, who write “the parties have no au¬ 
thority to use the name, ‘ Munroe,’ and that they 
know nothing of Reuben Acker.” As to “Jefferson,” 
any one who keeps the run of grape matters knows 
that this is one of the fine varieties obtained by Mr. 
Ricketts, of Newburgh. He placed it in the hands 
of Mr. J. G. Burrow, of Fishkill, N. Y., who alone 
is likely, at present, to offer the genuine in quanti¬ 
ty. The ignorance of the Acker’s circular, is 
shown by the description of the “Jefferson.” We 
are told, it is: “Very large, roundish oval, light- 
red, with a thin, lilac bloom; flesh meaty, * * * 
color, blacky A remarkable grape that, to be 
“ light-red ” and “ black,” both at once. One par¬ 
ty writes that these grapes, to 
The Value of Thousands of Dollars, 
have been sold in his section, that the seller was in 
February showing and allowing people to taste of 
samples purporting to be these. We can not tell 
what grapes were shown in this way, but are very 
sure they were not “ Munroe ” nor “ Jefferson.” 
made in Ohio, and which claims by its use to 
double the quantity of butter ! A family which 
makes for sale but 10 pounds a week, can with 
this stuff make 20 pounds, and so on, and it is 
claimed that the increase will be “pure butter.” 
Very profitable it must be for the farmer to thus 
easily double his butter yield. We can conceive 
of no more lucrative business than that of mak¬ 
ing two kegs of butter out of one at a cost not to 
exceed 3 ceuts per pound. We could get up a 
company with capital in a few days, and by doub¬ 
ling up the butter, make a handsome fortune in a 
few mouths. Why don’t these Ohio people do 
this ? Instead, they send out circulars showing 
parties how they can make money by peddling 
this stuff around the country to farmers, and in 
showing how profitable it is to agents. If there 
are any people who believe that something can be 
made out of nothing, they are not likely to be 
found among the readers of the Amer. Agriculturist. 
Claims Against the U. S. 
The law has made the career of the Washington 
“ shysters ” or claim attorneys more difficult than 
formerly. Still some of them exist and ply their 
trade. One of our subscribers has received a let¬ 
ter from one of these, which begins: “ Dear Sir— 
1 think I know of some money due you here, 
which you know nothing about.” The writer 
sends a blank Power of Attorney to be filled out, 
and claims to be a “ member of the Bar of the Su¬ 
preme Court.” The friend who sends it asks us to 
give our “ opinion.” Our opinion is that no mem¬ 
ber of such “Bar” would engage in such shyster 
business; our opinion is that it is opening the way 
to ask for mouey, and our most decided opinion 
is that we should not sign a Power of Attorney. 
Here is a quite^new mild form of imposition— 
The Memorial Dodge, 
and this too comes from Cincinnati. One of our 
Connecticut friends received a parcel by mail; up¬ 
on opening, it was found to contain a cheerful 
picture of a grave yard, with places for locks of 
hair, and photographs. The circular states : “ we 
have poetry already in type adapted to different 
ages and characters.” The one who receives this 
“ memorial is requested to return it or send us one 
dollar on its reception.” This is a very cool proceed¬ 
ing. Here is a quiet person who finds his house 
invaded by a stranger in the form of a parcel. He 
is put to the trouble of opening the package, and 
then learns that he can have the so-called “Memori¬ 
al” by paying for it, or if he does not want it he can 
get rid of it by paying its postage back to Cincin¬ 
nati. The amount of postage required to return 
the thing is small, but, nevertheless, a swindle—as 
is everything that requires one to pay out money 
without an equivalent. Our correspondent says 
that he would not accept the picture as a gift, but 
fears if he does not return it and pay postage the 
Cincinnati chaps can come upon him for the value 
of the picture. We should let them try it. 
“The Illustrated Literary Gazette” 
is the name of a sheet published in a small Massa¬ 
chusetts town, the name of which we do not give, 
as we do not care to extend to the thing the ben¬ 
efit of the advertising. A father in New Hamp¬ 
shire congratulates himself that the paper came 
into his hands, instead of those of his son. 
We do not wonder, when we find that the paper 
advertises things to which the caution is appended : 
“ Don’t let the old folks see it.”_When the ad¬ 
vertisement of Pettibone & Co. was inserted on 
page 39 of our last January issue, it was upon 
the strong endorsement of a party we have re¬ 
garded as thoroughly responsible and reliable. 
Complaints having come from our subscribers of 
their dissappointment in the quality of the articles 
received,we withdraw all endorsement implied in the 
admission of the advertisement into our columns. 
_The literature of medical quackery, if collect¬ 
ed and preserved, would form a most curious lib¬ 
rary—though, if we would be thought well of by 
future generations, it may be as well to let it per¬ 
ish. We have before us a case of 
Most Outrageous Plagiarism. 
There is a medicine called “Peace in the Fam¬ 
ily.” A neat, little pink-covered pamphlet sets 
forth its virtues, and is signed E. R. Glenn, 134 
- street, Brooklyn, N. Y. There is another 
medicine called “ The Doctor’s Rival.” Its virtues 
are set forth in a larger pink-covered pamphlet, 
or what might be one, were its loose sheets stitch¬ 
ed—with the signature of Milton Wolcott, Brook¬ 
lyn, N. Y. “Peace” pamphlet starts on its first 
page with “How to Gain Wealth.” “ Rival” dit¬ 
to opens with “ How to Become Rich.” In “ Peace,” 
we read : “ No dishonest person can really enjoy 
wealth when gained.”— “ Rival ” puts it thus: 
“ No dishonest person can really enjoy wealth when 
gained.”—Glenn tells us something about himself: 
“ I would enjoy myself more in giving a dollar 
than deprive any one of a cent,” which gives us a 
more favorable impression of G.’s morals than of 
his grammar. But here is Wolcott, who is so hap¬ 
pily constituted that he, with equal disregard of 
grammar says: “I would enjoy myself more in 
giving a dollar than deprive any one of a cent.”— 
But we need not quote more. Both “ Peace in 
the Family,” and “The Doctor’s Rival” are in 
“packages,” both sent by mail. Directions for 
mixing, the same in both, with some trivial differ¬ 
ences. When we come to the diseases which 
“ Peace in the Family” is to cure, and directions 
for use, the story is the same in both, except where 
the name of the stuff occurs. It is very plain that 
either Glenn has stolen Wolcott’s thunder, or Wol¬ 
cott has appropriated the thunder of Glenn. As 
the case thus far appears, what sympathies we 
have are on the side of 
Glenn and “ Peace in the Family,” 
for hasn’t it a picture, and we always did like 
pictures with our medicine, and this is the highest 
kind of art. A picture!—yes, two of them—Peace 
in pieces, so so speak, a regular double-header 1 
On the left we have a “Family,” in which there 
is no “Peace” to speak of. The father, seated, 
nurses a rheumatic foot. Mother, standing, holds 
her neuralgic face in one hand, and the baby in 
the other; small boy scrambles out of the way of 
hot tea from a tea-pot, which a savage-looking 
cat has overturned, and then there is, allegorically 
introduced, a 'personage whose name is usually 
written with a D and a dash-. On the right 
hand we have father standing and tossing the baby ; 
mother, grown 20 years yaunger, is seated, sewing ; 
small boy, with hair grown long, is reading, possibly 
a copy of this very pamphlet. Pussy lies stretch¬ 
ed out as if she never saw a tea-pot. Then, in 
the place of the allegorical D-, there is coming 
in at the door, an angel. Sh* is rather ragged as 
to wings, but it may be about moulting time, and 
she’s rather hefty as angels go. But she bears 
aloft in her right hand a bottle, so to speak, pare- 
gorically. But above all, “ on the mantry shelf ” 
where anyone “ can tech ” their “lips to it when 
so disposed,” there stands a bottle of—what 
should it be but 
“Peace in the Family.” 
