366 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[October, 
catch at the bait, and forward their $5 and $10 and 
$25. Usually, nothing is ever heard of that money again. 
Or, if any response is made, a photographic picture of a 
$100 or $500 or other genuine bill, with the signature 
omitted, is inclosed in the bottom of a box filled in with 
old paper or shavings, and sent on by express, with a 
bill of $10 or $20 or more, to be “C. O. D.,” (collect¬ 
ed on delivery)—of course to be paid before the victim 
sees what is in the box, as he is shy about opening such a 
box until he gets to a private place. In response to the 
private invitations, many call at the “ eyries ” of these 
operators, sometimes going hundreds of miles to load up 
with the “ queer.” Very few men, if any, ever get out 
of one of these dens with any thing in their pockets. 
The operators carry on a very safe business, and this is 
why this field is so vigorously tilled. First , they never 
have, use, nor issue a single counterfeit bill! (They often 
send out or show a caller, a genuine dollar or more, pre¬ 
tending it is a sample of what they will furnish.) Secondly , 
even if they did send counterfeit money, none of their 
customers would dare to appear as witnesses, for by so 
doing they would make criminals of themselves. In¬ 
deed, when one calls at their “offices” he gets cleaned 
out; and if he makes the least sign of giving trouble, they 
have bogus detective policemen near at hand, who sud¬ 
denly appear, and pretend to arrest the victim as one try¬ 
ing to deal in counterfeit money, and he, frightened half 
to death, is glad to get off silently by handing over to the 
supposed policeman all the money he may have private¬ 
ly stowed away as a last resort. Set it down as an inva¬ 
riable rule that no man ever has any dealings with these 
Bwindlers without losing every dollar he invests, and, if 
he come to their rooms, all he brings with him. (As a 
matter of caution, they do generally return the victim 
enough to pay his fare to a safe distance from the City.) 
These swindlers are not confined to New York, but are 
now operating in other large cities. Mr. James Gayler, 
Special Agent of the U. S. P. O. Department, and others, 
are doing all they can to break up the business, by refus¬ 
ing to deliver letters, etc.: but new names and places of 
operation are constantly being assumed, and they now 
resort largely to express parcels under the plea that their 
victims will be safer from observation. Last month we 
published many names assumed by the swindlers. Here 
are a few more : A. W. Powers ; Chas. E. White & Co., 
180 Broadway ; C. T. Williams, 208 Broadway; Jas. Fish¬ 
er, and J. D. Terliuue, 204 Broadway; Adam Smith, 210 
Broadway. Of another lot of circulars, etc., all alike, and 
pretending to come from 081 and 088 Broadway, and No. 
2 Amity St., some are signed G. A. Sampson, others re¬ 
spectively by Joseph Bell. Charles Carter, Charles Perry, 
Daniel Harris, C. E. Carter, etc. Another large lot, all 
alike, are signed in separated lots, by Robert Holland, 
142 Fulton St. ; Wm. J. Ferguson, 194 Broadway; Wm. 
B. Logan, 5 Dutch St.; Jas. Wilson, 185 Grand St.; Frank 
Fielding, 266 William St. ; J. H. Levi, 300 Pearl St.; 
Sam’l Fox (the old fox), Bergen Point, N. J., etc. Of 
course these many names and places are assumed by the 
same man as a blind to the P. O. people, the Express 
Companies, and their victims. Thos. G. Allison, 166 Ful¬ 
ton St., and Jas. A. Holt, 116 Fulton St. (the same man, 
or devil), talks much about his “high standing” in N. 
Y. City, and of the safety of calliug upon him without 
dance; oi suspicion—but his “standing” is not high 
enough to get letters from the P. O., and so he must only 
be addressed through the Express Companies, but not 
the American Merchants’ Union Express, where he seems 
to be not in very “ high standing,” like several others 
of the above-named parties.-Holland and his Company, 
and others, add postscripts, saying that their Agents at 
Omaha have almost (not quite) exhausted their $1 bills 
to use among the Indians. But we have said enough to 
put on their guard, all who como under the influence of 
this journal. (If our friends will help put a copy of the 
American Agriculturist into the hands of the people gen¬ 
erally, we promise to break up this and a great variety of 
other swindling operations within one year; and the 
money saved from swindlers will pay fora copy for every 
man in America, and in half of Europe at least).In 
order to clearly set forth the above widely extended hum¬ 
bug, we have used 60 much space that a lot of other 
Bchemes must go over to next month for exposure, such 
as the Wilcox’s Jewelry Association ; a Short-hand Col¬ 
lege (in a P. O. Box 1); a wonderful hen and cow opera¬ 
tion for supplying the world with eggs at “ ten for a 
penny,” and butter at a penny a pound : more very low- 
priced sewing machines confidently offered, etc., etc... 
P. S.—Concerning that “$5 Vinegar Recipe,” noticed 
last month, we have received (too late to find room for 
them this month,) letters from the two worthy and high¬ 
ly esteemed College Professors referred to, stating their 
reasons for originally giving a favorable notice of the 
theory of the manufacture, which was well enough in it¬ 
self. But owing to the use that has been made of their 
names as a business recommendation, they both now 
withdraw all endorsement, and have so notified the 
seller of the recipe. They decline to be made to appear 
responsible for his dealings. He will of course not send 
out any further circulars with their names as endorsers. 
While many complaints have come to us of failure, and 
losses of $5, we have not received a word of approval 
from a single purchaser. 
Sumach — l*rep;si*atioii and Mar¬ 
keting. —J. R. Coates, New Haven, Conn., sends a 
communication upon Sumach, from which wc extract the 
following: “ In cutting, any handy kind of knife may be 
used, and only this year’s growth is to be cut. Leave it 
on the ground through the day to wilt, but it must be 
taken up and put under cover before the dew begins to 
fall. It must not be allowed to heat. Those who have 
but little spread it on the barn floor 12 to 18 inches thick ; 
it must be shaken up and turned once iu a while to pre¬ 
vent heating. Those who have large quantities laydown 
poles about a foot apart, upon which the sumach is placed 
as thick as it will dry well; another layer is put upon this, 
taking care to leave spaces for the air to circulate freely. 
It should have all the air possible, but no sun. When 
thoroughly dry it is spread upon the barn floor and 
thrashed with a flail until all the leaves are separated 
from the stems. The stems are raked off and the leaves 
are swept up, or more is thrashed upon the top of them. 
Pack in such sacks as will suit the market.” Our corre¬ 
spondent states that this is the method in which it is 
prepared for tanners’ use. In the market, the greater 
proportion sold is ground to a coarse powder, about the 
fineness of Indian meal, and as it is quite uniform in 
fineness the coarser portions are probably removed by 
sifting. It comes to market in gunny bags holding 160 
pounds each, and is worth from $50 to $90 the ton, ac¬ 
cording to quality. The best comes from the South. 
Prices vary somewhat with the supply. We are unable 
to learn that any peculiar mill is used for grinding. 
The Western Gardener, is the title 
of a new monthly journal edited by Dr. W. M. Howsley, 
and J. T. Lockwood, and published at Leavenworth, 
Kansas, at $1.50 a year. Kansas is a wonderful State ; 
and after the exhibition of fruits she made at Philadel¬ 
phia, we are not going to be surprised at any thing that 
she may do. So when she sends ns a neatly printed and 
well-made-up journal, all we can do is to give it welcome 
and our good wishes. 
The Spruit Crop in England.—The 
Gardeners’ Chronicle presents its nsual elaborate and 
detailed report on the condition of the fruit crop, which 
may be summed up as follows : Apricots, plentiful and 
good ; Apple* and Pears, abundant but small; Cherries, 
plentiful and good ; Plums, above average ; Peaches and 
Nectarines, numerous but small; Strawberries, not so 
satisfactory as the rest. Nuts of all kinds (including 
mast), plentiful. The drouth has affected the fruit crops 
as well as those of the field. 
The New-England Fair. 
The 7th New-England and 17th New-Hampshire State 
Fairs were held in conjunction at Manchester, N. II., from 
the 6th to the 9th nit. inclusive ; but those who took the 
Society at its word and went there on Friday, the 9th. had 
their labor for their pains—for there was only a scramble 
among exhibitors to see who would clear out first, some 
speeches, and a few horse trots to keep up appearances. 
It is a fraud upon the public to advertise that the fair 
shall continue through certain days and then allow ex¬ 
hibitors, the moment premiums are announced, to tear 
off the cards, box up all the goods and articles which are 
not for sale, drive off their animals, and leave a desola¬ 
tion of empty stalls and tables. It is this sort of thing, 
and the politics that form a sort of under current in the 
management, that force this Society, which might be the 
very first and most influential in the Union, to get along 
without the cooperation of many of the most liberal men 
and most enlightened agriculturists in the section. 
The horses were well stabled ; cattle, large and small, 
under sheds; agricultural implements and products, 
with those of the garden and orchard, under canvass; 
but the poultry, exposed to sun by day, and cold by 
night, without the shelter even of a fence. As a “ cattle 
show,” the exhibition was certainly a success. Wc pre¬ 
sume there never was a greater variety of excellent 
thorough-bred stock of all kinds than were here collect¬ 
ed on the two middle days of the fair. The show of 
horses was confined chiefly to a few thorongh-breds and 
many fine trotting horses, among which we arc glad to 
notice many of fine size. There is still room for im¬ 
provement in this respect, although we cannot expect to 
find as many speedy and tough, big horses as small ones. 
Two fine horses were trotting in opposite directions on 
the course at, a “ 2.40 ” gait, when they came in collision 
and both were killed, one instantaneously. They were 
valued at $18,000, and $5,000, respectively. The Shcrrt- 
ftorns were represented by selections from the herds of 
Benj. Sumner, of Woodstock, Conn.: Augustus Whitman, 
of Fitchburgh,Mass.; A. M. Winslow & Son, Putney,Vt.; 
D. S. Pratt, of Brattleboro, Vt., and others. Among these 
were many really first-class animals, but those of Mr. 
Sumner seemed to get rather the lion’s share of the prizes. 
There was a fine show of sleek and sprightly Devons, to 
which the herds of H. M. Sessions, of South Wilbraham, 
E. H. Hyde, of Stafford, Conn., J. B. Sanborn, of E. Con- 
cord.N. II. .Harvey Dodge.of Sutton, Mass.,made the most 
notable contributions, both as to numbers and quality. 
Mr. Hyde will probably be best satisfied with the awards. 
Many of the best Ayrshires in New England were present, 
up to Friday. The honors were for the most part divided 
between S. M. & D. Wells, of Wethersfield, Conn.; Thos. 
Fitch, of New London, Conn ; J. & N. Dane, of Keline- 
bunk, Me.; and Nelson Walling, of Millbury, Mass. The 
Herefords all came from Maine, so far as we observed, 
and were shown by W. P. Blake, W. Waterville ; E. G. 
Shores, Waterville; and H. C. Burleigh, Fairfield. We 
were disappointed in not seeing a good show of Jerseys, 
from some of the fine herds of eastern Mass.; we quite 
calculated upon it, especially as the President, Secretary, 
and some other officers are from this section ; but their 
friends and neighbors did not come up to the mark. The 
show, however, was good, and chiefly made by Sam. C. 
Colt, of Hartford, and Thos. Fitch, of New London, Conn.; 
and John Brooks, of Princeton, Mass. Mr. Chencry, of 
Bellmont, Mass., of course sent his Dutch stock; we were 
glad to see several other exhibitors competing for the 
prizes in this department, several were taken by Charles 
Houghton, of Putney, Vt, There was a fair show o( 
good Cotswdds exhibited chiefly by D. F. Appleton, ol 
Ipswich, Mass.; II. M. Arms, of Springfield,Vt,; andR. G. 
Hill, of Elmore, Vt. Mr. Chenery showed Texds, and a 
curious broad-tailed breed of sheep. There were South- 
downs and Merinos present of fair quality. There was t 
second-class show of both swine and poultry, the lattet 
redeemed by a very fair collection, exhibited by John S 
Ives, of Salem, whose Light Brahmas and Buffs were re¬ 
markably good. The show of Agricultural Implements 
was very poor, but had several interesting features. 
There were no less than three forms of Hand Thrashing 
Machines, which appeared to w- economically and 
well. A noiseless Mowing Machine attracted much at¬ 
tention, and we observed notable improvements in Horse 
Rakes. There was no worthy show of Field and Garden 
products, hut a*fair exhibition of fruits, which was soon 
out of sight under the dust. One of the especially at 
tractive parts of the show was a collection of Elks, male 
and female, a beautiful Burmese cow, and a lot of Swans, 
black and white, Wild Geese, and other water-fowls. 
Patent, Iliimbngti. — C. Thurston asks : 
“Do you not perceive some humbugs among the thousand- 
and-one, U. S. Patents? Many persons are ruined by 
purchasing rights, territory, * * * Can’t you ventilate 
this subject a little and caution people about buying ter¬ 
ritory for patents, of no earthly use ?”—People who buy 
such things are beyond remedy. They will dd it. There 
is a class who seem lo have been created for the express 
purpose of making loolish purchases. Mrs. Toodles was 
the type of these ; she bought a door-plate at auction with 
Thompson engraved upon it, upon the plea that. Mr. 
Toodles might die, and she might marry a man by the 
name of Thompson, when this door-plate “ would be so 
handy to have in the house.” Such people can only be 
taught by sore experience. As to patents—the fact that 
a thing is patented is no guarantee of its value. It is 
only evidence that that particular thing has not been 
patented before. The case of persons coming round to 
collect royalty upon things that have been long in use, 
under the pica that a patent is infringed, is a difficult 
one. The best suggestion we can make is to have a 
Farmers’ Club in every neighborhood, and in such cases 
let all combine to protect each against imposition. If 
one has unconsciously infringed a patent., ho will make 
the best terms he can ; but a cooperation of all the farmers 
of a neighborhood would put a stop to the “bluffing” 
of pretenders. 
l>escri|»tio»is of Grapes.—“ J. L. R.,” 
Baltimore, Md. It would hardly he a profitable use of 
our space to publish, as you request, descriptions of old 
and well-known varieties of grapes, such as Delaware, 
Clinton, etc. Everyone interested in fruit culture should 
have some standard work of reference, and there are sev¬ 
eral works in which all the established varieties are de¬ 
scribed and figured, or you can send 25 cents to Isidor 
Bush & Son, Bushberg, Mo., and get their descriptive 
catalogue, a most valuable document. The grape which 
has “ heretofore been the color of the Malaga.” and this 
year has bunches of a pink color, is probably Gcethe. (or 
Rogers’ No. 1) which, when thoroughly ripened, as it is 
likely to be this season, becomes pale red in the sun. 
