1863 .] 
3 09 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
of him thus; ancl by similar subterfuges he 
probably pocketed $500 from a hundred victims, 
in less than a month; and thus the game goes on. 
The victims are strangers; their first experi¬ 
ence makes them afraid to trust anybody, and 
they refuse to appear even as witnesses if any 
oue happens to find out their case and offers to 
aid them.—The following letter explains itself: 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
As a warning to others, allow me to give your readers 
a little of my experience, if you suppress my name. I 
am a farmer’s son of Western New-York—have devoted 
most of my spare hours to books, and learned but little of 
the ‘ ways of the world.’ I came East to college with but 
a small sum to carry me through, and by boarding myself 
and earning what I can in vacations, hope to complete my 
course. As the winter vacation was approaching, I w as 
casting about for something to do, when I saw the follow¬ 
ing advertisement published in a New-York Daily Paper : 
66 ft GOOD CHANCE FOR A YOUNG MAN.— 
d A line exhibition of works of art Is nearly ready. A 
young man is wanted for the Winter to assist in explanations 
and in attending at the door. One preferred with $300, to be 
used under his own direction, in completing some iinal pur¬ 
chases of materials which he can retain until reimbursed. 
As security, he will have charge of the exhibition works 
which are worth $3000, and he will also have the care of all 
the money receipts. Salary $100 a mpnth and expenses, or 
if preferred, a part interest. Call on, etc.’’ 
As I had just $300 left, this seemed to be a good open¬ 
ing for me. So I hastened to New-York, and called as 
directed. I found a very bland man, who was exceeding¬ 
ly patronizing, and who, under the plea of learning my 
qualifications, drew out my personal history. He decided 
I was just the man wanted. He showed me a printed 
handbill (but I could not get a copy to keep,) setting forth 
a magnificent exhibition. He made very ingenious ex¬ 
cuses for not showing me the works that day, and for 
wanting the money at a given time. On my insisting 
upon seeing them, he took me into one of the largest 
Picture Galleries, and named a dozen fine paintings as 
belonging to his outfit, which (he said) had been left there 
temporarily by special request. On my pressing him 
further to show me the chief objects, he led me around 
through several streets, and finally stopped before a large 
building closed up. He knocked violently but no one 
answered ; he went round the building hastily, and soon 
after came back with the statement that his artists had 
all gone off on a target excursion without mentioning it 
to him. He then went into a rapturous description of 
what was inside of those closed doors. On our way back, 
he invited me to dinner at a splendid saloon, and on going 
out, felt for his pocket book to pay, but unfortunately he 
had “changedhis pants, and left his purse”—wanted me 
to pay, and he would settle it at his room. I stood it,but 
my eyes were open by this time. I had two hours before 
the evening boat, and during this time he exercised his 
utmost ingenuity to get a bonus towards the $300 (which 
I did not refuse to pay, until 1 felt myself safely out of his 
influence.) At last, when about to start, I told him I should 
keep my money. He then went off into a very high 
strain of injured innocence—accused me of using up his 
whole day, and demanded $10 for his time—“ a hundred 
dollars would not pay him.” He claimed I had agreed to 
invest the money early in the day, and called upon an ap¬ 
parently unconcerned man, who had been near us several 
times, who at once said he would swear I did positive¬ 
ly so agree. The two tried hard to scare me out of $25, 
then $10. I was a stranger in a, to me, strange city, and 
felt a little nervous, as I hardly knew the way to the 
steamboat. One of them started off saying he was go¬ 
ing round the corner for a warrant, and that I could not 
leave the city until I had made it right with him. I start¬ 
ed, however, one of them following me, crowding me and 
trying to frighten me. Seeing a policeman I quickened 
my steps and called for his protection. Just then the 
chaps disappeared round the corner, and I got to the 
steamboat, arrived at my room the next morning, minus 
two days time, and $9 expenses, but a mucli wiser young 
man. I give you in outline, a statement of facts—hoping 
others may become wiser at les3 expense.—Y'ours, &c. 
Humbugs not in New-York. —Before us 
are copies of a most ingenious and taking 
circular, being scattered to distant points, from 
Biddeford, Maine, which is well calculated to 
deceive the unwary. The matter is under in¬ 
vestigation, and promises amusement if not in¬ 
struction to our readers. We confess we for¬ 
merly had, as a country farmer, a little expe¬ 
rience in being humbugged. This, with the law¬ 
suits commenced and threatened as an intimida¬ 
tion, by those shown up, adds zest to our labors 
in this line. Farmers, as a class, have honest aims 
and intentions, and are therefore less suspecting 
of fraud in others: we therefore consider it a part 
of our legitimate labors to specially guard them, 
by frequent examples of how the humbugs oper¬ 
ate, and shall continue the practice. The ex¬ 
posures in the Agriculturist , during several years 
past, have undoubtedly saved our readers, as a 
whole, many times as much money, as the 
entire cost to the country of issuing this journal. 
The “New-Jersey Tea.”—A Caution. 
This plant has been noticed in various papers 
as “ Pennsylvania Tea,” “ Alleghany Tea,” and 
“ American Tea,” and it has even been claimed 
that it is the identical Chinese tea plant, discov¬ 
ered here in America. We have already shown 
what the plant is, in the September Agriculturist , 
page 265. As it has been long and generally 
known as New-Jersey Tea, we prefer to con¬ 
tinue to so call it, rather than to apply a new 
name to a well known 
plant A company 
claim to have seem¬ 
ed a large tract of land 
inPennsylvania where 
this plant abounds, 
and intend to prepare 
the article for market. 
In the leaf simply 
dried we are not able 
to detect any strong 
resemblance to tea, 
but when prepared by 
drying by heat, and 
rolling after the man¬ 
ner of the Chinese, it 
has, partially at least, 
the odor and taste of 
tea. A sample which 
was thus prepared in 
a rough way, we tried 
as an experiment, and 
found it made an in¬ 
fusion resembling that 
of the lowest priced 
imported tea, and, if 
perhaps prove to some extent a sort of a substi¬ 
tute for teas of this class. If low-priced tea—or 
what will answer its purpose—can be made 
from one of our native plants, we shall be glad 
to see it done, as it will open a new avenue for 
industry, and by producing, on our own soil, an 
article for which 
large sums are 
annually sent 
abroad, it will be 
a national benefit. 
The circular of 
the company 
above alluded to, 
which has been 
distributed among 
capitalists, states 
that this is the 
1 Tea plant,’ there¬ 
by conveying the 
impression that it 
is the same as the 
Chinese plant. 
This is simply ab¬ 
surd, or as the 
London Garden- 
Fig. 2.— new JERSEY TEA. e rs’ Chronicle 
very appropriately characterizes it, “bosh.” 
The whole thing is an experiment, and should 
succeed or fail on its own merits. We repeat 
that the plant is not the Chinese Tea, ( Thea viri- 
dis, at all, nor does it resemble it either in ap¬ 
pearance or botanical characters, but is the 
“ New-Jersey Tea ” ( Ceanothus Americanus). It 
is not confined to any particular locality, but is 
common in all the northern States, though it 
may grow more abundantly in some localities 
than in others. We have stated that the infu¬ 
sion of the leaves had somewhat the taste of 
tea; whether it will have the refreshing and 
stimulating qualities of the foreign article, or 
whether it can be made a constant drink with¬ 
out causing derangements to the system, are 
facts which can only be determined by experi¬ 
ence. The American Tea Company claim that 
the article can be delivered in the market at 
eleven to thirteen cents per pound. In this 
case there will be a strong temptation for dealers 
to use it in adulterating the imported article. 
That our readers may be on their guard against 
this, we give a drawing of the leaf of the Chi¬ 
nese Tea, and one of the New-Jersey Tea. By 
carefully spreading out the larger pieces from 
the “ grounds ” left in the tea-pot, the shape of 
the leaves can be made out. It will be seen that 
the Chinese leaf is narrow at the base or lower 
part, and that the strong veins run together near 
the edges of the leaf, and make a series of loops. 
The New-Jersey leaf is wider at the base, and 
has two strong veins which run nearly parallel 
with them near the edges, and are nearly straight, 
not making the looping, shewn in the other. 
Mildew and Rot in Grapes- 
These subjects were discussed at the annual 
meeting of the East Pennsylvania Fruit Grow¬ 
er’s Society, with the following result: “ That 
it is the experience of this Society that mildew 
on the grape is principally atmospheric, and that 
shelter and protection are the only expedients 
known at present, that seem to offer an exemp¬ 
tion; and that although the soil may influence 
the general vigor and health of the plant, and 
thus render it more liable to disease, yet it is not 
the prime origin of mildew. That the rot seems 
to depend more particularly upon the nature of 
the soil. That vines on open porous soils are 
less liable to rot, that heavy manuring and ex¬ 
cessive enriching favors rot; and that clayey sub¬ 
soils are “ particularly pernicious.” The state¬ 
ment that mildew is “principally atmospheric” 
is a very vague one. Mildew is a minute parasitic 
plant of the fungus or mushroom family, which 
lives upon the tissues of the leaves, and causes 
their decay. The Society probably meant to say, 
that the growth of this parasite was favored or 
retarded by the condition of the atmosphere. 
Notes on Grapes. 
In our remarks upon the grapes exhibited at 
the Grape Show, the Union Village was passed 
with rather weak praise. Since then Dr. J. B. 
Chapin of Rhode Island has sent us a specimen 
of the fruit thoroughly ripened, showing that, 
with him at least, it attains a perfection we did 
not suppose it capable of. It is generally the case 
that black grapes color sometime before they 
are really ripe. This is illustrated by the Isa¬ 
bella, which is seldom found in the market 
well ripened. If the Union Village can be 
grown elsewhere, as fine as those sent by Dr. 
Chapin, we shall rate it much higher than here¬ 
tofore. In size and beauty it is hardly excelled 
by any of our natives, and not surpassed by the 
Black Hamburgh.— Diana. This variety is re¬ 
markable for its keeping qualities. A collect¬ 
ion of about 20 varieties has been exposed upon 
our tables for some tiro weeks, and while most 
Fig. 1. —CHINESE TEA. 
properly made, it may 
