1877-J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
247 
■and his tribe are quite too sharp for that. The final clause 
offering, as a sample, $30 wortlupf the, “ best stuff in the 
market,” for the sum of $5, fully accounts for not only 
the “ milk in the cocoannt,” but for the cocoanut itself. 
CHEAP JEWELRY. 
We have numerous circulars of dealers in cheap jewel¬ 
ry sent us, and are asked if the articles are as represent¬ 
ed, or if the dealers are responsible. We find that as a 
general thing, the articles offered are claimed to be of 
some particular metal or compound which “ looks as well 
as gold,” which we do not doubt, but when it is stated 
that it will “ wear as well as gold,” we look upon that 
assertion as a humbug. We have no sympathy what¬ 
ever with the taste that leads to a display of cheap jewel¬ 
ry, and have no advice to give as to the quality of this 
or that particular kind. Probably one is as good—or as 
bad—as another. They set out with the claim that they 
are imitations and will no doubt sustain it. If one gets 
a finger ring for 60 cents, a set of shirt studs for 75 cents, 
or a “lady’s set of pin and ear drops” for $1.25—the 
wearer may be sure the intrinsic value of the articles is 
not more than one-third of those prices. For one to 
decorate his or her person with that which pretends to 
be that which it is not, shows at least a want of con¬ 
sideration of the fitness of things. There is danger that 
a pretentious show, and want of sincerity in these trivial 
matters, may be taken as an index to the wearer’s char¬ 
acter. As they are not necessary to comfort, and to the 
eyes of judicious persons are far from ornamental, good 
sense as well as good taste would suggest omitting them 
.altogether_The most unsatisfactory cases are those 
we feel sure are fraudulent, but have not proof of the 
fact. A striking illustration of this is the 
“monitor lamp manufacturing co.,” 
having its head quarters at Cincinnati. Its circulars, 
offering agencies, were very attractive to the unemployed, 
and they appear to have been scattered far and wide. 
At one time they came to ns by dozens, tbc senders ask¬ 
ing advice about investing. We could get no positive 
information from Cincinnati, except that “ the concern 
appeared to be doing a large business.” Our chief 
ground of suspicion was the very elaborate manner in 
which their “ agreements ” were drawn up, with the 
obligations all on one side. Of course money was to be 
advanced for an out-fit, but the sum required was not 
large. At last complaints came that money was sent and 
no returns received; than we learned from the Cincin¬ 
nati papers that the Chief of Police of that city had re¬ 
ceived “ thousands” of complaints of the failure of the 
“ Monitor Co.” to reply to those who have sent them 
money. Whether the “Co.” survived this exposure 
or not we have not learned... .There are other ways of 
HUMBUGGING FARMERS, 
besides selling seeds of well known plants under new 
names. The chaps with the recipe to prevent the borer 
and other insects from injuring trees are around again 
in some of the Western States. They charge $5 for the 
recipe, and at the risk of injuring their business, we tell 
what it is, for the purpose of showing the absurdity of 
the thing. A pint of turpentine is to be mixed with a 
gallon of soft soap ; this is to be rubbed well upon the 
body of the tree: “ it penetrates into the sap of the tree 
and destroys all the insects that subsist upon the sap or 
on the leaves 1” But that is not all: “ Five or six days 
after the first application, pour as close to the tree as 
possible, about half a gallon of boiling hot lye, in which 
has been dissolved a half pint of common salt and one 
gill of turpentine.”—The venders of this recipe claim 
that it is patented. We have seen several of these tree- 
■doctoring' recipes, and they are all either useless or in¬ 
jurious, and it is safe to avoid the whole lot_Elias is 
a name not unknown to fame, but recently 
MR. ELIAS CAME TO GRIEF. 
He fitted up a place on Broadway with hand¬ 
some show-cases, in which was a display of silver 
ware and gold ware and other wares, each and all 
duly ticketed. Hand-bills informed the public that 
for the paltry sum of $1—it could have “ the choice of 
$1,000 ,000 worth of goods.” This is the way the “choice” 
was chosen. Mr. Public walked up to a ticket office, in 
which was a small hole, parsed in his $1, in return for 
which some invisible hand passed out a sealed envelope; 
said envelope contained a ticket, which ticket had on it 
a number, and entitled the holder to that particular 
article of the “ $1,000,000 worth of goods,” that bore a 
number corresponding to that on the ticket. Somehow 
the “choice” did not seem to fall much on the large 
•articles, but the luck run mainly on things worth less 
■than a dollar. But strangely enough the Police Captain of 
the Precinct looked upon Mr. Elias’s enterprize as a game 
of chance, and he was brought before a magistrate for 
violation of the Lottery Law, and quite as strangely, the 
magistrate would not take Mr. Elias’ word for it, that it 
was a perfectly legitimate business, but held him to 
bail to answer for a violation of the law. The law is 
gradually making itself felt among the lottery and gam¬ 
bling fraternity. Only a week or so ago one of the 
heavy lottery concerns undertook to contest the right of 
the Government to refuse to carry lottery circulars in 
the mails, but Judge Blatchford, by his decision that the 
law is constitutional, knocked that prop from under 
their shaky edifice. It takes time, but they will have to 
yield at last... .The old style of 
MOCK AUCTIONS, 
has pretty much disappeared, but there is a form of mock 
auction against which it is well for strangers visiting 
New York to be on their guard. In several of the 
fashionable streets, occupied only by private residences, 
such as 16th, 23rd, and 25th streets, are houses, to all ap¬ 
pearance, residences, but really are auction shops, in 
which “a family is breakingup house-keeping,” orfrom 
which “ the family is about leaving for Europe,” every 
day. The house is furnished and all has the appearance 
to a stranger of a legitimate sale of the effects of a private 
establishment. There is a set of men and women who 
act as cappers, or stool pigeons, and though more refined, 
the whole thing is run in the regular Peter Funk style. 
The furniture is made expressly for these sales, showy 
externally, but really worthless for wear; thus the sofas, 
with gay upholstery, are stuffed with shavings and all 
sorts of shams are practiced. These sales are especially 
dangerous to those who come from abroad with the in¬ 
tention of purchasing furniture; they have perhaps 
examined and priced similar articles at the stores, and 
thinking that they are getting the same articles at half 
the regular prices, purchase freely and are cheated huge¬ 
ly. Not long ago a gentleman from Pennsylvania was 
victimized for some $1,600, and another from Charles¬ 
ton, S. C., was heavily taken in_Chromos have been 
put to a good many uses, first and last, but here is the 
VERY LATEST DODGE IN CHROMOS. 
A quack medicine concern—we will not give it the 
benefit of au advertisement, so withhold the name—sends 
a circular to the Postmasters, which says: “ Will you 
oblige us by sending on this sheet, a list of 20, or more, 
Live, Active Men, [ Dead active ones won’t answer], such 
as school teachers, farmers, peddlers, and others who 
might take an agency, and for your kindness in our be¬ 
half, we will send you by return mail, pre-paid, our Four 
Handsome Chromos, etc.”—Yet many good people won¬ 
der how their names become known to the senders of all 
sorts of circulars. This is but one of the many devices 
for procuring names... .There is a chap careering through 
New England,calling himself the “Consulting Physician of 
THE NEW YORK COLLEGE OF HEALTH,” 
and a correspondent sends us one of the “Doctor’s” 
show bills, asking us if there is any such institution as he 
professes to represent. “ Such an institution ? ” Why 
isn’t there a picture of it—what more would you have ? 
To be sure there is no sign on the building, nor is there 
anywhere any mention made of the street or avenue on 
which this building is located. But what of that, such 
matters are trivial beside the great fact that Doctor B. is 
the “ Consulting Physician,” and has copy-righted his 
show-bill. Among the regularly organized colleges, hav¬ 
ing a legal title, there is none called N. Y. College of 
Health, but as one or two men have a way of calling 
themselves a “ University,” and one man has made an 
“ Institute ” and a whole Board of Trustees, we can’t say 
but there may be some such one-horse concern bearing 
the above name. We know of no such building... One 
of the curiosities of this kind of medical literature, is the 
circular of the “ Seven Barks ” man, in which 
THE PLAIN LANGUAGE OF THE FRIENDS 
is made to serve in a business document in a most amus¬ 
ing manner. It is rather droll that the whole story of 
“ Seven Barks,” its remarkable properties, wonderful 
cures, and all the rest of it, should be in ordinary lan¬ 
guage, while it is only in his confidential circular that 
the proprietor “ thees and thous.” Here he does it strong, 
in fact, we think he over-does it, and this, with a mis¬ 
quotation of Scripture, makes us rather suspect the wri¬ 
ter’s orthodoxy. Still, as a business appeal, it is alto¬ 
gether a curiosity. What can be more neatly put than 
this ? a real “ Friend ” could hardly do it more shrewdly. 
“ That I may be assured of thy honesty, let one of thy 
town officers or public men sign the certificate at the 
close of this sheet. This will show me in what esteem 
thou art held by thy fellow men.”—He must be a hardened 
wretch who would take advantage of the Seven Barks 
man after this appeal. “ Thee may be aware of the fact 
that the Society of Friends (commonly called Quakers) do 
not approve of going to law ; therefore I shall not sue 
thee—even should thee not pay for what medicines thou 
mayest sell. But, if thee has any doubt in thine own 
mind about thine ability to do right by me, please do not 
accept the agency,”—and we say “ Don’t.” 
THE HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY 
of the various wonderful medicines that are offered from 
time to time, is in itself a curious study. It seems to be 
accepted that there must be something marvellous con¬ 
nected with either the discovery or the preparation of the 
stuff. The Indian dodge, though well known, is still far 
from being used up, and is yet to serve for wonderful 
cures in the future. Picking up on the sea-shore a bottl^ 
which contains the recipe, saved to the world in this 
manner by some thoughtful benefactor on a sinking ship, 
is not so popular as it was. The good old granny of the 
Mother Noble style, has done fair service, and now and 
then, as in the case of “ Seven Barks,” we have a good 
old daddy. “Seven Barks,” or Hydrangea arborescens, 
from which the medicine is said to be made, is a common 
native shrub, and there is no chance of lugging in a “ big 
Injun,” or doing the sensational about its discovery. 
The medicine would never run on its “ native graces,” 
but “ foreign airs ” must somehow be added. In this 
case the “ emotional ” is worked up on its preparation, 
so the proprietor crossed the ocean; he takes us up the 
Moselle to Wisbaden, where he sought out Franz Gans- 
wein—a wonderful man, indeed, for he had a way of 
squeezing five different sorts of stuff out of one poor 
shrub. Of course the American learned how to squeeze 
too—here was the needed foreign element, the spice of 
adventure, the bit of the marvellous. The story, with a 
portrait of old Ganswein, rather mussy as to neck-cloth, 
and powerful as to eye-glass, gives the needed finish, 
and lifts it from the level of the common place, to almost 
the eminent position occupied by our ever esteemed 
Eddie Eastman. A most amusing book could be made 
of the alleged histories of the various medicines—but 
what a sad comment on human credulity would it be I 
Steam and the Steam Engine.— 
Now that steam engines are coming into such general use 
in workshops, on farms, and for irrigation in gardens and 
fields, it is of the greatest importance that those who 
use steam should have a knowledge of its character and 
of its proper and safe management, as well as of the 
principles of construction of steam-boilers and engines. 
This knowledge may be gained from the study of two 
very valuable little works, published by G. P. Putnam’s 
Sons, New York. These are entitled “ Steam and the 
Steam Engine,” of Putnam’s Elementary Series of Science 
and Art, price 75 cents, and a more advanced and com¬ 
prehensive work, “ Steam and the Steam Engine,” of the 
Advanced Series of Science and Art, price $1.50. These 
two books should be well studied by every one who uses 
steam, or who proposes to do so. The books can be sup¬ 
plied post-paid by Orange Judd Co., 245 Broadway, N. Y. 
Salt for Poultry.— A. McLaren, Mead- 
ville, Pa., writes: “I would like very much to have some 
of your correspondents give the reason why poultry 
should be excluded from the great essential, salt. In my 
early experience, this was the precept laid down by my 
mother, and it is practised by nearly every one to-day. I 
am a very extensive breeder of nearly all the fine bred 
varieties of fowls, and have reared this season about 600 
young stock. I find that my stock thrive better, are 
heartier, and appear better in every way, after their warm 
feed of meal and bran, every morning, well seasoned 
with salt, and in cold weather with a little red pepper 
added. I look upon these two condiments as the ounce 
of prevention in the case of disease, and would ask your 
readers to try it and report. If I can afford to experi¬ 
ment, if you call it so, on my valuable stock, and daily 
see the results are so favorable, I think it would pay 
those who raise for market.” 
A Fine Farming Region at tlie 
West.— The comparative prosperity of many Western 
farmers, who are turning into cash their corn in the form 
of pork products, and their pasturage and corn in the 
form of beef—the latter.now in good demand, and likely to 
be still greater—is attracting the attention of many Eastern 
people, and we hear of large numbers going to settle the 
present season, especially in Eastern Nebraska, where, 
from all accounts, there still remain in market some very 
fine agricultural lands, as well as in many other localities. 
We happen to know some of these parties from Eastern 
New York, from whom we shall get further information, 
and will be happy to communicate any facts that we 
may have, or obtain, to such readers as have serious 
thoughts of trying farming at the West. 
Too “ IJn-knowiiig; ’’-Too “ Un¬ 
suspecting.”— A Western news-paper of large circu¬ 
lation says, editorially, “ we never insert advertisements 
known to be of immoral or swindling character” — “we 
refuse thousands of dollars offered for such advertise¬ 
ments every year, and throw out at once those suspected 
of being of this nature,” (the italics are ours). Yet in 
the same number we find some 20 medical (?) advertise¬ 
ments of deafness positively cured; stuff producing 
heavy beards on smooth faces ; Rev. (?) Inman’s Bible 
House remedy for “early indiscretions,” “discovered 
by a missionary in South America;” “Manhood Res¬ 
tored;” sundry cures for “early indiscretion;” sure 
cures for fits and epilepsy, for opium eating, etc., and 
others of an equally absurd or swindling character; 
some fifteen employment advertisements, including $350 
a month guaranteed, of which at least half should be 
let alone severely; genuine Swiss time-keepers for 50 cts. 
