4 : 4:6 
[December, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
are constantly looking for something new. Twenty 
years ago Townsend's Sarsaparilla was the popular thing. 
Who hears of it now ? Where is the “ Matchless Sana¬ 
tive” that was sure to cure consumption if taken in 
drop doses? The children of to-day do not cry for 
“Sherman's Worm Lozenges ” as they did a quarter of a 
century ago, and the stuff that is now ruining the health 
of thousands and making rich a few will in ten years bo 
heard of no more. Some of these makers have several 
names under which they put out several different 
“medicines,” or at least stuff with several bottles and 
labels. In December of last year we gave an account 
of the way in which those quack medicines were made. 
This was written from a general knowledge of the sub¬ 
ject aud a long acquaintance of the ignorant fellows who 
deal in such compounds. We have now a communica¬ 
tion from a correspondent who ha3 been so situated that 
he had an inside view of some of the quack medicine 
establishments, who writes: 
“Few have any conception of the magnitude of the 
patent medicine business. One ‘ doctor ’ (I) who runs a 
variety of medicines—all the same article, by the way, 
but sold under different names—has over twenty thou¬ 
sand agents employed in vending his beastly preparation. 
The profit to the manufacturer is immense, as none of it 
costs more than twelve cents for a bottle retailed at one 
dollar. One half of this sum goes for bottle, stamp, 
and label, so that actually the liquid costs about sis; 
cents; and for this deluded mortals pay one dollar, and 
imagine they got their money’s worth. 
“The principal ingredients in most of these mixtures 
Ere aloes, molasses , and water , with some sort of acid to 
prevent them from fermenting and becoming sour. One 
dealer uses muriatic acid, which, as is well known, is a 
dangerous poison, and aloes is certain to produce that 
distressing complaint, piles. 
“The modus operandi of starting this business is to 
purchase lists of names from swindlers who make a 
regular business of collecting them, and who sell the use 
of them for about $10 per thousand. Circulars are then 
sent to such addresses, offering an agency for the great 
panacea. Great inducements arc offered. People are 
assured they can easily make from ten to twelve dollars 
per day. Everything is rose-colored. The plain fact is 
agents do not average more than three to four dollars 
■per year, and that with much difficulty and trouble. 
“ The originator of this system of selling medicine is 
A. J. White, of 319 Pearl street. Of course he is a ‘ doc¬ 
tor ; ’ all such are. He has run the same compound 
under a multitude of names: ‘Vinegar of Iridin,” 
‘Father Pettigrew’s Medicine,’ ‘Curative Syrup,’ and 
others, and under the names of H. M. White, W. H. Com¬ 
stock. and Lyman Brown. 
“ A more lucky man is ‘ Dr.’ E P. Huylar, of 77 Amity 
street, formerly of 737 Broadway (a hot-bed of such 
schemers) and 212 Wooster street. He followed a very 
peculiar course of study to acquire his title. He sold 
stoves and sewing machines, baked bread, took photo¬ 
graphs, peddled table-sauce, traveled with a ‘ fakir ’ 
show, and finally became an ‘ M.D.’ He has prospered, 
drives fast horses, patronizes pigeon-shooting matches, 
and wears a small fortune in the way of diamonds. The 
guiding spirit of this concern is Madam Huylar'(formerly 
Madam Jumel of Mammarial Balm fame). She manages 
the whole business, and is the authoress of those beau¬ 
tiful, very beautiful, stories that grace their numerous 
pamphlets, aud which are remarkable for their absurd 
improbability and bad grammar. Their ‘ cure all ’ is the 
same as Dr. White’s, but flavored differently. It is or was 
a compound of aloes , cayenne pepper, molasses, muriatic 
add, valerian, and other cheap and nauseous drugs. We 
could giV' the recipe as it was in full, but the above 
is all that is necessary to show what kind of stuff it is. 
They sell it under the various names of ‘ Mother Noble’s 
Healing Svrnp ; ’ ‘Wine of Apocynum,’ supposed to be 
run from 236 and 23S Thompson street, the side basement 
door of 77 Amity street ; ‘ The Electric Health Restorer, ’ 
from same number as the Apocynum ; and ‘ Dr. Clark 
Johnson’s Indian Blood Syrup.’ This last is advertised 
from Jersey City. All letters which come to that ad¬ 
dress are taken from the post-office by a messenger, car¬ 
ried to 77 Amity street, New York City, and there at¬ 
tended to. The ‘ Apocynum ’ is flavored with car’-otic 
acid, and the ‘ Indian Blood Syrup ’ with anise. The va¬ 
rious enterprises are supposed to bo run by ‘ Abel King, 
M.D.,’ ‘Dr. Clark Johnson,’ ‘Edwin Eastman,’ ‘Israel 
Goodspecd,’ and others. It is needless to say such per¬ 
sons never existed ; they are purely creatures of imagin¬ 
ation ; only other names for this ‘ Doctor ’ Huylar. 
“They also publish a book called‘Seven and Nine 
Years Among the Comanches and Apaches,’ giving as 
account of Edwin Eastman’s trials and troubles among 
the Indians. This is unadulterated fiction, being the 
Joint production of two of Huylar’s clerks. Whole pages 
of it arc taken bodily from Gatlin’s ‘ History of the 
North American Indians.’ 
Other infallible remedies of this kidney are the 
‘ Parisian Flesh Producer,’ of the Manhattan Medical Co., 
run by the Elias brothers, of sawdust, counterfeit money, 
and bogus gift-enterprise notoriety; ‘Seven Barks,’ 
‘ Golden Seal,’ ‘ Mother Rachel’s Remedies,’ ‘ Aunt Lee’s 
Syrup,’ and so on ad nauseam. 
“ All of these are launched with some very pretty and 
pious, but very improbable tale. If one were to believe 
the pamphlets, they will cure every disease that flesh is 
heir to; but all sensible people will concur in saying 
they perform the most cures when left strictly alone.” 
It would seem that “ hard times ” prevent ready col¬ 
lections in the quack medicine as well as in other kinds 
of business, and the delinquent agents of Huylar are re¬ 
ceiving letters,apparently from a law firm, the name of 
which does not appear in the directory. It deserves to 
bo recorded as a most singular coincidence that the 
name of the first member of this firm happens to be the 
middle name of E. P. nuylar, and that of the other is the 
name of the madam's former husband. Singular, isn’t it ? 
I^loM-5*ois»omoMS IPSjjc.— “M. J. C.,’ 
Washington Co., Pa. There is no danger of poisoning 
in the use of an iron pipe. The rust of iron is not hurt¬ 
ful, although of an unpleasant flavor. When a constant 
stream of water passes through an iron pipe, although a 
coating of rust gathers upon the inside of the pipe the 
water dissolves so little of it that no taste or smell is 
perceived ; it is only when the water remains stationary 
for some time that a taste is communicated to it. We 
prefer an iron pipe in a submerged well to any other, 
and by taking the precaution to pump fresh water each 
time no unpleasant taste will be perceived. Tin-lined 
lead pipe is safe so long as it remains perfect, but 
uncoated lead pipe is not safe to use for drinking water. 
Hat-Hroof Conn-Crib.— “A. H. C.,” 
Fort Scott, Kansas, sends a plan for making rat-proof 
corn-cribs, as follows: he sets the crib upon posts of 
4x4 timber 3 feet above the ground and covers the posts 
with sheet-iron or places stove-pipe around them. He 
has never yet known anything to climb up such posts. 
Duchess Heifers.—“J. C. S.,” Union 
Co., Pa. We are at a loss to know what a drover would 
call Duchess heifers. If they are grades of the Duchess 
blood (Short-horns), which is extremely doubtful, they 
would probably be promising as milkers and breeders. 
It would be better, however, to purchase cows on their 
merits and not pay anything extra for names. 
©pesaiaigfs for Immigrants.—“ G.W.,” 
Dublin, Ire’and.' There is practically unlimited room in 
the United States for skillful farm laborers and occa¬ 
sional openings for farm managers entirely competent 
for such a position. The demands foe such men are 
steady, for the reason that after two or three years spent 
in working for others, our laborers of all grades become 
their own employers, either renting or purchasing farms. 
Those who are competent for higher positions should 
come here prepared to take up whatever may offer, even 
though it bo “ the lowest room.” If capable they will 
soon be invited to ‘ come up higher." 
OTaliisag - Hraiu Tile.—“ T. W.,” Flush¬ 
ing, L. I. It would hardly pay for farmers to purchase 
drain tile machines and make their own tile. One busi¬ 
ness is as much as a man can do justice to, and if 
there is one business more than another that needs 
exclusive attention it is farming. Drain tile are sold 
very cheaply by the manufacturers. 
Hens ILnyissg wlaile at BSoost.—“ C. 
H.T.,” Landing, Mich.—Eggs are very frequently dropped 
while the hens are upon the roosts. The only remedy 
is to place the roosting poles low and have a soft layer 
of sawdust or chopped straw beneath the hens. Soft 
eggs are indicative of an excited condition of the ova¬ 
ry from over feeding, at least when plenty of lime is 
given. Reduce the feed, and give only oats, and no 
meat, cooked food, or pepper for a week or two. 
MalSfisig Maclaime. —“ J. E.,” Haldimand 
county, Canada.—If a really effective and easily-applied 
milking machine is introduced, it will certainly be a de¬ 
sirable acquisition for dairymen. If you think you have an 
invention that will fulfill all the requirements, you would 
do well to send a sketch and description of it to the 
Patent Department of the American Agriculturist, which 
will report to you upon its value. 
Criaslalmg 1 and Cooking- Fecal.—“A. 
P. K.,” Washington county, Miss.—The Little Giant 
Corn and Cob Crusher is very serviceable for preparing 
corn ears for cooking. It can be procured of Carr & 
Hobson, 5G Beekman street. New York. The process of 
gteaining food and constructing a steamer was fully de¬ 
scribed with engravings in the Agriculturist of January 
1873, to which please refer. 
See Page 471 for Basket Items. 
Tlse Mason & Hamlin Organ Co. 
did credit to American manufactures at Vienna. They 
not only carried off the highest honors from all competi¬ 
tors at the Exposition, but sold a greater number of then- 
organs than the whole number of pianos and organs sold 
by all other exhibitors put together. 
Bed-Bugs. — A “Southern Housekeeper” 
makes a most pathetic appeal; her house, though a new 
one, is “swarming” with bed-bugs. These insects, 
when they get into partitions and other hiding-places, 
can only be exterminated by systematic and patient 
warfare. She docs not state if the rooms arc papered or 
not. Where paper is badly put on, raised edges offer 
hiding-places for the bugs, and in rooms finished by 
plastering or hard finish cracks are often left that harbor 
the pests. A minute examination of each room should 
be made. Stop every crevice, if no wider than a knife- 
blade, with plaster of Paris mixed with water to the 
consistency of thick cream. Mix only a little at a time, 
as it soon “ sets.” Every orevice in the walls ar.d ceiling 
being filled, attention mu^tbe given to the floor, and all 
cracks filled either by plaster or by caulking with oakum 
or cotton driven in firm and hard. If the room is paper¬ 
ed it may be necessary to strip off the old paper and put 
on new, or loose edges may be pasted down. In either 
case mix enough of carbolic acid with the paste to have 
it smell strongly of the acid. Thorough work in stop¬ 
ping in one way or another all hiding-places is the only 
course. Bedsteads may be scalded and the joints treated 
to a strong solution of carbolic acid—all that water will 
dissolve—or a solution of an ounce of corrosive sublimate 
to a pint each of alcohol and water. Do not believe that 
the bugs can be starved out or frozen out. There is an 
authentic experiment recorded in which the insects have 
been kept in a dormant state for thirteen years, and at 
the end of that time were discouragingly lively. We 
know by sad experience that energetic measures per¬ 
sistently followed up will rid a house of these intruders. 
Tlie Adulteration of Tea.— A Mr. 
Allen read at the meeting of the British Association an 
account of his examination of tea. A great deal of the 
cheap tea was found to be leaves that had already been 
“ drawn,” and theiftlried again and made up with gum. 
The manner of detecting this requires too much chemi¬ 
cal manipulation to be done by every one. The common 
adulterations of green tea are put on as, what is called in 
the trade, “ facing.” Inferior teas are coated with mag¬ 
nesia, Prussian bine, indigo, etc. These may be detected 
in a rough way by pntting warm water upon the tea, 
pouring the liquid off from the leaves, and allowing it to 
remain quiet, when these matters, if present, will settle 
at the bottom. 
Cuttle upon tlie Hoads.— The grand 
jury of Burlington Co., N. J., recently very sensibly made 
the following presentment, which we recommend to the 
consideration of all concerned for their imitation, viz: 
“We do present the practice of letting cattle run at 
large noon the highways as a nuisance which should be 
abated by all proper remedies.” The court upon the 
presentment being made expressed full concurrence 
therewith as an eminently proper one. 
Value of Coin and ©il-Cake.— 
“ J. D.,” Blue Earth Co., Minn. On page 178 (May num¬ 
ber) of the present volume of the Agriculturist we gave a 
list of the theoretical values oif ol-cake and corn-meal, 
by which, on the whole, these (wo articles would seem 
to be of about equal value ; but as feed for growing ani¬ 
mals the oil-cake is shown to be the more valuable, as it 
contains the most albumen or flesh-forming matter. 
After all, the theory is only to be taken as a premonitory 
guide for experiment practically, as there are so many 
concurrent circumstances which may affect the result in 
feeding such concentrated articles as these. Ruminating 
animals need bulky food, and oil-cake or corn-meal can 
only be fed in small quantities. 
Who Owns the Manure.— “A. W.,” 
Essex Co., Mass. Generally the stock of manure in the 
barn-yard goes with the farm, by virtue of custom, upon 
possession being transferred. But in case a tenant with¬ 
out a lease uses extra exertions tc make a large quantity 
of manure for use upon the farm, expecting to have the 
benefit, of it, and is suddenly notified to leave, the 
manure belongs of right to the person who collected it, 
and he should remove it along with his other personal 
property. No person should rent or hire land without 
having a lease which defines all his rights, for the pre¬ 
vention of disputes of this character. 
