AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
271 
documents by mail they may rest assured 
that no facilities for obtaining their address 
are furnished at the office of the American 
Agriculturist. If the sellers of any article, 
however valuable or otherwise, wish to send 
advertising circulars abroad, let them, at the 
least, have the decency to prepay all post¬ 
age. We have been so frequently imposed 
upon ourselves by such unpaid documents 
that we have resolved, to show them up by 
name. We begin by informing “ W- 
G--, M. D., of New-York,” that we have 
no earthly use for his 12-page pamphlet, this 
day received, enclosed in a sealed envelope 
and unpaid. We are not, to our knowledge, 
afflicted with “ Pulmonary Consumption,’’ 
nor likely to be. If we are ever affected 
in that way we shall probably try to get 
cured or killed in the regular old-fashioned 
method, though we cannot say but that our 
nervous fears may in such a case lead us to 
send $3 for one box, or $8 for three boxes 
of the most ingeniously puffed secret medi¬ 
cine we can find in market. 
THE 44 POSTAGE-STAMP” SHAVE. 
Scarcely a newspaper can now be taken 
up that does not contain the advertisement 
of some “ Rev.” or “ M. D.” who has recov¬ 
ered his health by the discovery of a won¬ 
derful remedy for consumption or nervous¬ 
ness or other ailing. Filled with gratitude 
for the good they have secured they are 
benevolently affected towards all other suf¬ 
ferers, and hence they pay large sums to in¬ 
form the people that for one, two, three or 
four 44 postage stamps” they will send the 
recipe by return of mail. 
We had not supposed it necessary to cau¬ 
tion the community against such imposters, 
but it appears that the business pays well 
enough to keep it up, and moreover it is now 
greatly on the increase, and to our surprise 
during the last month intelligent men in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the country have actually 
sent us special remittances of stamps asking 
us to call upon Dr. So-and-so and Rev. 
So-and-so, and procure for them the elixir 
of life. If intelligent persons are thus im¬ 
posed upon, how is it with the millions of 
ignorant and unwary ?- Of course we have 
made no effort to find the advertisers. It is 
exceedingly doubtful whether they have any 
44 local habitation,” or are to be found in any 
other way than through their Post-Office box. 
Has not the question occurred to every one, 
If these benevolent individuals are so anxious 
to do a public good, why do they not publish 
to the world at once their important discov¬ 
eries, which could be done without cost, in¬ 
stead of paying hundreds, yes, thousands of 
dollars for advertising, and making tens of 
thousands of dollars expense to those “ send¬ 
ing stamps” and prepaying postage 1 
A correspondent informs us that: “A ner¬ 
vous neighbor enclosed a stamp to one of 
these 4 superannuated clergymen,’ and re¬ 
ceived an unpaid circular, (costing the getter- 
up one mill,) setting forth the virtues of a 
costly preparation which would be forward¬ 
ed to him on the receipt of $!•; that im¬ 
pressed with the apparent honesty of the 
4 clergyman,’ he sent forward the dollar, and 
received in return a little unpaid package 
containing 12 homoeopathic pills of arseniate 
of potassa, costing perhaps one cent, with 
directions to take three a day, and if these 
did not cure perfectly another batch would 
be forwarded at the same rate ; and that 
while one package seldom failed, two, three, 
or at most five could not fail to work a per¬ 
fect cure ij the patient had rightly described, 
his condition .” 
Probably very few of those who 44 enclose 
stamps” ever hear from them again. 
But enough for this time ; we have more 
cases on hand for future disposal.— [Ed. 
THE AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS, 
During a few weeks past we have re¬ 
ceived some sixty to seventy printed docu¬ 
ments, letters, &c., giving announcements, 
details of arrangements, &c., for the forth¬ 
coming exhibitions of State and County Agri¬ 
cultural Societies. It will be seen at once 
that we could not begin to refer to so many 
different organizations individually. Those 
who have favored us with documents, an¬ 
nouncements, &c., will please accept our 
thanks for their kind remembrance and con¬ 
sideration. On another page we have at 
considerable expense of labor and time pre¬ 
pared a full table, showing in chronological 
order the time and place of the Exhibitions 
of over two hundred Societies, and yet these 
comprise but a small part of the number to 
be held during this and the succeeding 
month. Is not this a cheering indication of 
the unprecedented interest every where 
awakened in the cause of agricultural im¬ 
provement ? 
We estimate that during four weeks (the 
last two of September and first two in Oc¬ 
tober), not less than four hundred great agri¬ 
cultural gatherings will be held in this coun¬ 
try. If these could all be concentrated at 
one point, what a mighty concourse would 
there be of the real 44 bone and sinew” of 
the land. With our own constant home la¬ 
bors pressing upon us, in which there are no 
special seasons of repose, such as most of 
our readers enjoy at some time during the 
year, we can personally participate in only 
very few of these social reunions, but we 
shall for the next few weeks enjoy, in im¬ 
agination at least, the almost innumerable 
gala scenes transpiring all up and down the 
agricultural vallies of the wide-spread do¬ 
main of our loved country. We will not at¬ 
tempt to describe these scenes as they now 
appear in imagination before us—the well or 
poorly arranged exhibition grounds, the 
droves on droves of showy and valuable ani¬ 
mals, heaps on heaps of grain, vegetables 
and fruits on thousands of well-laid tables, 
the hurrying to and fro of the officers and 
committees upon whom devolves the burden 
of seeing all things done “ decently and in 
order,” and more too, the passing in of the 
crowds of stalwart men of noble mien, 
though in rustic habiliments, accompanied 
by the worthy companions and help-meets of 
their toil, and the bevy of ruddy, healthful 
boys and girls, who, though properly left 
out of the premium lists, are perhaps the 
most premium-worthy productions of the 
country home. When we have seen these 
unloaded from the long rows of vehicles 
that line the fences in every direction from 
the center point of attraction, the mind fol¬ 
lows them into the show-grounds where, 
gathered in groups around this or that fine 
animal, or production of the field, garden or 
household, the old and young mingle in so¬ 
cial chat, and in discussion of the merits of 
each, save when now and then interrupted 
by the official 44 stand back and make room 
for the Committee.” Then comes the trials 
of strength of animals, the plowing match, 
the spading match, &c., and the day or days 
close up with the 44 Address,” the announce¬ 
ment of the Committee on Awards to the 
anxious listeners, the satisfied or dissatisfied 
looks of the successful and unsuccessful 
competitors, and finally the general break¬ 
ing up and dispersion of the throng who 
wend their way back to their quiet homes. 
We are neither painter nor poet, or we 
would gladly take up the theme, and fill out 
a portion of these scenes, and the connected 
incidents, as they crowd thick upon the im¬ 
agination. It is one far more inspiring than 
those other multitudinous crowds which this 
year will be collected for political purposes. 
But both have their uses, and each should 
have their due share of thought and atten¬ 
tion. By all means let the agricultural gath¬ 
erings be well attended ; let every son and 
daughter of our great agricultural phalanx 
go up and meet and greet their brethren, 
and rejoice with each other at this festive 
season ; and in all our joy, let us ever be 
mindful of Him who has promised that 
44 seed time and harvest shall fail not,” to 
whose kind beneficence we are indebted for 
the bountiful products we enjoy in this fa¬ 
vored year of 1856.-—[Ed. 
WESTERN LAND STORIES-N.Y, EVANGELIST. ' 
In our July issue we took occasion to 
make some remarks in reference to Mun¬ 
chausen stories of the enormous products 
of Western lands, and the tendency of these 
to mislead Eastern farmers, particularly 
when the product of some special locality or 
farm was held up in such a way as to give 
an idea that the wholeWest was like unto it. 
In illustration, we introduced and remarked 
somewhat severely upon a description of an 
Illinois farm that had recently appeared in 
the New-York Evangelist. We distinctly 
stated that that article was merely taken “as 
a sample ” and disclaimed any intention to 
disparage the writer or the owner of the 
farm. The article was somewhat caustic, 
we admit, and purposely so, for it is one 
part of our duty to show up, as far as may 
be, any schemes or influences calculated to 
lead astray those who occupy a less com¬ 
manding field of observation. Our readers 
look to us for just such information, and we. 
do not mean they shall be wholly disap¬ 
pointed. In the Evangelist of Aug. 21 we 
find a long personal explanation from the 
Chicago editor, Rev. Chas. P. Bush, in 
which he admits some of our criticisms as 
just, and brings forward statements to show 
that we were wrong in others. Our answer 
shall be brief: We stated that Mr. Curtis, the 
owner of the West Ur’oana farm, lived in 
