1876.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
7 
action will be asked to put a stop to this form of swind¬ 
ling. ...About the “cheekiest” thing in this line that 
weTave heard of is the sending by one of these “bro¬ 
kers ” of a telegraphic despatch to a gentleman in Kansas, 
who had before received circulars, but never had any deal¬ 
ings with the chaps, saying, “ If you desire to invest 
we now have an opportunity on certain stock we believe 
sure to advance. Market active.” For this precious bit 
of information the Kansas man had to pay $1.65, tele¬ 
graph charges; he thinks “this is robbery,” and we 
agree with him. He “feels like having his money 
back,” a point on which we can give him no encourage¬ 
ment. 
SERIOUS COMPLAINTS COME FROM C Air A3) A. 
in regard to the produce dealers iu Chicago. It is 
stated that one Canadian lost a million, another $200,000, 
and another $130,000, and so on. Now it strikes us that 
a person able to accumulate either of these sums, should 
be able to hold his own against any Chicago or other 
“ produce gambler,” and we have no doubt that it would 
turn out that these very persons were taking a part in a 
heavy game, and lost. Had they made, we should have 
had no complaints of the Chicago produce dealers. The 
method of doing business in the Chicago produce mar¬ 
ket is not a matter that we can hope to change, nor can 
we upon assertions unsupported by evidence set down 
“ the principal dealers in grain and produce as a'set of 
gamblers.”—Farmers in Canada, as elsewhere, should 
exercise caution in their dealings, and recollect that it is 
better to mourn over their produce than to mourn 
after it....Advertisements worded “the same with 
intent to deceive,” are common ; the wonder is 
that any one can be taken in by them. Not long 
ago a time-keeper in a gold case was offered for one 
dollar. Many were foolish enough to think that this was 
a proposal to send some kind of watch, and sent their 
dollars to receive only the cheapest kind of a sun-dial 
in a gilt paper case. A similar dodge in relation to 
A SEVEN-SHOOTER 
was practised by an enterprising youth near Cleveland, 
O. He sent out circulars far and wide setting forth 
“Allan's New Low-Priced Seven-Shooter,” which was a 
“triumph of mechanical genius.” It was “warranted 
to he as good after three years’ use as when first pur¬ 
chased.” On account of “ improved facilities for mak¬ 
ing them rapidly and cheaply,” the price was reduced to 
$1.50, or $13 a dozen. Orders came in freely, and when 
the purchaser received anything, it was a small bronze 
pea-shooter, into which, if seven small shot were drop¬ 
ped, they could be discharged iu succession, by pulling 
the trigger. As the youth had been using the mails for 
a swindling operation, the case was put in the bands of a 
U. S. Marshal, who arrested him at a small farm-house 
with a rickety wood-shed for the “ arsenal,” and took 
him to the lock-up in Cleveland, where, at last accounts, 
he remained. He claimed that he sent all that he adver¬ 
tised, and if people expected a revolver at that price, it 
was not his fault. One can hardly conceive of any one 
foolish enough to expect any kind of a serviceable sev¬ 
en-shooter, revolving or not, at such a ridiculous price. 
Yet it is said that the orders poured in for them by 
“legions.” 
THE BUTTER COMPOUND 
has now turned up in Connecticut. Ohio was not long 
ago the headquarters of the stuff, hut its star, unlike that 
of Empire, wends its way eastward. If people would 
take a common-sense view of such things, they would 
not write to ask our opinion. The circular claims that 
hutter undistinguishable from the true article can be 
made at a cost never exceeding four cents per pound. 
Now, if there were any truth in this claim, do yon sup¬ 
pose that the makers of the compound would send out 
elaborate circulars entreating people to buy the com¬ 
pound, a box of which will make 100 lbs. of butter, at 
50 cents wholesale? Not much. They would make 
the butter themselves. On 100 lbs. of butter costing 4 
cents per pound, they would make from $20 to $25 at 
fair market rates, while by selling the compound, if it 
were all profit, they make only 50 cents. That tub won’t 
hold water. 
WORTHLESS AND PERNICIOUS BOOKS. 
The number of concerns engaged in various parts of 
the country, in selling books that pretend to teach won¬ 
derful secrets, or wnich are really pernicious, is some¬ 
thing wonderful. The catalogues show that the different 
shops have pretty much the same stock, though the 
names of some hooks may De changed. One of these 
books proposes to tell “ how to mane gold and silver 
from block tin. Also how to take impressions from 
coins.”—A nice bait for would-be counterfeiters. “ Mys¬ 
teries of Love Making,” and “How to Woo and How to 
Win” are titles of trash of which there are numerous 
other kinds. For the sum of 50 cents one can buy “ How 
to Get Rich,” the catalogue of the contents of which is 
most amusing reading. A lo% list of such works is 
offered, which, if not positively immoral, are useless, 
and in so far as they induce young people to believe that 
there is any other way of getting along in the world than 
by working, are injurious. These shops usually have an 
extra catalogue offering treatises on “Sexual Physi¬ 
ology,” “ Marriage Guides,” and other works which par¬ 
ents would not willingly allow their children to read, and 
which are anything but useful to older people. 
MEDICAL MATTERS, 
as usual, form the bulk of our budget. Buffalo has long 
been a favorite locality for quacks. It has a Medical 
College, and a Medical and Surgical Journal. Yet, under 
the very noses of these, some of the most mischievous 
and unblushing characters, send out their circulars broad¬ 
cast over the country. We some time ago exposed the 
trick of one of these fellows, one Abbey, who advertised 
all over the country, especially in “family” papers, a 
Prize Picture, the “Toll Gate,” to he sent for a stamp. 
Tiiis picture is a card, upon one side of which is a rather 
poor puzzle picture, but on the other side—and that is 
the whole object of the thing—is the advertisement of a 
book couched in such language as to excite the fears and 
arouse the curiosity of young people of both sexes. Al¬ 
most every possible tiling that can happen, is set down 
as a symptom of a “ secret cause,”.. .“which leads directly 
io the grave,” and the whole story can be learned from 
the book, which is then of course the stepping stone to 
the fellow’s medicines. The “Buffalo Sunday News,” 
recently published Abbey’s portrait as the “Prince of 
Buffalo Quacks,” and gave him and his hook a fearful 
scoring, though in a manner more forceful than elegant. 
* * * At last the “ Buffalo Medical and Surgical Journal” 
goes for a quack, one Dr. Marshall, who has left the city 
and is flourishing in Kansas, as having been a Professor 
in The Medical College. Now why does not the Medical 
Journal show up another Buffalo quack, who is still more 
conspicious than either of these, and is able to buy up 
some journals by the page ? It is hardly fair that all this 
should be left to us... .Here is a remarkable document, 
“THE BIG BONANZA, 
what it is and what it isn’t.” And after reading a long 
rigmarole, we find that it is that unfortunate agent, elec¬ 
tricity, which is the “ magic healer,”—but it must be 
applied by the advertiser. We read of electricity “An¬ 
tagonism is its basis. This arises from its acid and 
alkaline constituents.”—“ Constituents ” of electricity 
is good—we shall next he taught about the compound 
constitution of heat. 
GOT STUCK. 
The publishers of a Maine paper send us a circular 
denouncing two quack medicine makers, as they have 
broken their advertising contracts, and warn “ the pub¬ 
lic against buying the medicines they advertise.” 'l’hey 
ask us to pass the swindlers along. This is none of our 
funeral we do not see that those who make promises to 
pay money, which they can not fulfill, are any worse than 
those who promise cures which they can not perform. 
But then it makes a difference as to whose ox is gored. 
We are at a loss to understand the logic which makes 
the medicines these chaps advertise any less good or bad, 
because the makers thereof did not pay their bills. This 
whole quack medicine business is one of the best things 
in the world for publishers, and others, to let severely 
alone. We do not lose any money by them, or receive 
any from them. None of them are rich enough to buy a 
line of advertising in this paper, cash down, let alone 
promises or contracts. 
NOT IN OUR LINE. 
A little the strangest advice that lias been asked of us, is 
sought in a recent letter in which was something in 
apaper. The writer asks what kind of medicine it is ; “it 
was sent to a lady to make her have a miscarriage ; she 
took it, as directed ; it made her very sick, but did not 
produce the desired effect. It was bought from Dr.- 
in Philadelphia, two table-spoonfuls costs $2.50. He is 
selling a good deal of this medicine.”—You quite mis¬ 
take our calling, anxious man, if you suppose that we 
shall be accessory to murder in any form, by examining 
the stuff, or giving any advice about it. If the Philadel¬ 
phia chap sent something to make “ her very sick,” it 
serves her right, but if he is in the trade of selling what 
you supposed the stuff to he, we can find a very quick 
way of clapping a stopper upon his criminal course. You 
probably think this looks rather rough in print. “ Crimi¬ 
nal ” and “ murder ” are not pleasant words, hut they are 
the only ones which describe the crime from which you 
have fortunately been saved. 
Concrete Mouses.—“H.,” McLean Co., 
Ill. In the American Agriculturist for December, 1874, 
we gave full descriptions with illustrations of a method 
of building concrete houses. Where stone cannot he 
procured, and only coarse sand is at hand, the latter may 
be used equally well, but the cost will be greater. In 
this case seven parts of sand may he used with one of 
cement. Before a house is built it would be well to ex¬ 
periment a little by procuring a barrel of the cement and 
mixing some of it with varying proportions of sand, say 
four, five, seven, or nine parts of sand to one of cement. 
The quality of the sand makes some difference. The dry 
mixture of cement and sand being wet with sufficient 
water to make a soft semi-liquid mortar, should be 
molded in a rough box and left to set. After it is dry, 
each sample should be broken with a hammer, and that 
which is hardest or the best, should be taken as the basis 
for the construction of the bouse. These houses are 
very warm and dry. 
<&!«.>» I& T«SUT«S. — FREE. — Read 
about them on page 33, and if you have not a copy, send 
for our large Illustrated 8-page Descriptive List, supplied 
free to any one wishing it. 
Feetltnag - Coarse May, Marsii May, 
Salt Hay, Etc.—Important Article.—Prof. 
Atwater's article on the above topics, on page 10, is 
worthy gf careful reading by every one at all interested 
in feeding stock. The non-scientific reader may have to 
study pretty closely, and read over the previous chap¬ 
ter, in last volume, but it will be worth all the 
effort required to fully understand the subject. Sci¬ 
entific investigations, fully confirmed by practical 
experiments, show beyond reasonable doubt, that a great 
saving, and corresponding profit, may bo realized by a 
judicious mixture of feeding materials—just as the sup¬ 
plying of a few deficient elements to a soil, in the form 
of a little barnyard manure, or other fertilizer, will 
greatly increase the production of valuable crops. Read 
and understand the present and subsequent articles. 
Every farmer and stock-raiser, who lias not had them, 
should get and read the chapters in the volume for 1875. 
American Dairymen's Associa¬ 
tion.—The annual convention of the American Dairy¬ 
men’s Association, is to meet at Rome, N. Y., on the 11th 
to 13th of this month. It is announced that this is to he 
an important meeting, and a large attendance is hoped 
for. Arrangements for a representation of the dairy 
interests at the Centennial Exhibition are to he provided 
for. 
A Cheap Corn-Slieller. —The ordinary 
corn-sheller is nearly always in the way. It is a top- 
heavy concern, worse to ran over than a wheelbarrow, 
and when it is run over and upset, the handle or some 
other part is broken, and the whole machine is useless. 
In making a machine, the habits of careless farmers who 
let things lie around loose, ought to be considered. We 
have recently been shown a corn-sheller that exactly 
suits such people. It will also suit those who are care¬ 
ful, but who have not much room for storing tools away, 
and it is exactly the thing for those who have but a 
small quantity of corn to shell. The illustration suffi¬ 
ciently describes it. It is made wholly of iron, and is 
durable. It is screwed on to a bench or a stool, and one 
may sit down to operate it. When out of use it may he 
hung up or placed on a shelf. It is called the “ Home 
Corn-Sheller,” is made by Livingston & Co., at Pitts¬ 
burgh, Pa , and its low price will make it worth having, 
even to those who have a large sheller, hut who some¬ 
times want to shell a small quantity of corn. 
Swine.—“ S. O. F.,” 
Grey’s Mills, Pa. The Poland-China hogs are said to 
have originated in Butler Co., Ohio, with a breeder 
named Magie, from a cross between Poland and China 
swine. Hence they are called Butler County hogs, by 
some, by others, Magie bogs, and by the majority, Po¬ 
land-China, which is now the accepted designation. 
They have been largely crossed with the Berkshire, and 
in the majority of cases have been much improved 
thereby. They are a favorite class of hogs in the west, 
and doubtless, if carefully bred by a skillful breeder, 
might be brought to a fixed and valuable type. As they 
now are, they are variable in character, although when 
well fed they make a large, handsome hog. 
Basket Itestts con¬ 
tinued on page 33. 
