MOORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
ffljc  CfiitniniiiL 
CENTENNIAL  CORRESPONDENCE. 
Ati.ah  Hotei,,  ) 
I’Hii.APEi.niiA,  Juno  3,  )ST6.  C 
As  I  begin  t-o  write,  iny  alb'iilion  is  called  to 
the  acres  of  hotel  of  which  my  little  room  is  a 
j'art.  and  I  .'mi  led  to  wonder  where  all  theiMiople 
come  from  hi  till  itl  And  lillwl  it  certainly  will 
he  most  M  the  time,  for  il.  is  not  onlywjnvenient 
(o  the  Exiwsition,  but  very  moderate  in  charges 
two  iiroroqnisite.s  for  many  of  tlic  visitors. 
Strolling  around  the  (lentonuial  (Jniunds,  1 
espied  a  nienilxjr  of  tlie  Centennial  Cnai'd,  whose 
face  indioateil  th.at  he  could  answer  a  i;ivil  qiios- 
tion  in  a  ])olite  way,  and  fell  into  conversation 
with  him  upon  the  orgoni/ation  of  the  body  to 
which  he  belonged.  Finding  me  really  in  (luest 
of  bottom  facts,  he  referred  me  to  the  command¬ 
ing  olliocrs,  Col.  CnAY  and  Major  AiammiKii. 
'J'he  former  was  absent  from  his  ollicc,  but  the 
handsoniB  Major  was  fonn<l  at  home,  and  from 
him  I  gleanod  many  uitercsting  facts. 
This  Ciuard  does  the  [Milit\oduty  on  tliC grounds 
of  the  F.xliibition,  and,  as  near  as  may  bo  under 
the  civil  law,  is  organized  in  true  military  stylo. 
Perhaps  a  good  idea  of  its  magnitude  and  im¬ 
portance  can  be  obtained  from  the  statoment 
that  it  consists  of  one  colonel,  one  major,  seven 
captains,  fifteen  lioutonants,  and  one  thousand 
and  fifty-three  non  -  commissioned  ollicors  and 
jirivatcs.  It  cmbnwais  about  thii  ty  exiicncm^od 
American  detectives,  and.  in  addition  to  that, 
has  connected  with  it  corps  of  detectives  supplied 
by  the  Knghsh.  French  atid  Italian  govei'niiients. 
Over  three  hundjcd  men  are  on  duty  all  tho 
lime,  changing  off  by  j'oliofs  as  is  done  in  the 
army  on  guard  duty.  Tliis  may  be  a  singular 
commentary  upon  the  people  who  visit  the  Ex¬ 
hibition.  hut  it  is  found  to  bo  quite  necessary; 
and  Hoctlicicnt  is  this  force  .and  so  watch fnl  that, 
of  the  Imiifiri'ds  of  instances  where  thefts  have 
taken  phveo  aud  been  reported,  so  far  tlioy  have 
failtsl  hut  in  two  iustancos  to  recover  the  stolen 
])rop<  rty.  Among  the  privates  are  many  men  of 
ediuiation  and  refinement,  and  all  are  intelligent 
and  well-behaved.  Uiu)  of  tlio  privates  speaks 
thirty-two  languages  and  formerly  held  the  rank 
of  Miijor-fieneral  in  the  Cuban  army. 
(  If  course  many  langhablo  incidents  come  un¬ 
der  the  observation  of  this  force.  tYhile  Major 
.Yi.ukhokk  w.as  recruiting  his  men,  it  was  sug¬ 
gested  to  him  that  a  drummer  would  bo  a  good 
thing  to  liavc  in  the  camp,  and  ho  aocoi-dingly 
sent  his  men  out  among  Uie  candidates  awaiting 
examination  to  got  one.  A  joUy-looking  follow 
was  brought  into  tho  room,  and  replied  to  the 
Major’s  quostion  that  he  had  been  a  di-ummcr 
for  Uic  last  five  yo.ars.  ^ 
"Doyoit  thoroughly  understand  drumming?’ 
asked  tho  Major. 
Why,  certainly  I  do  I”  replied  tho  man. 
.  “Whore  and  under  what  eirenmatanoes  li.aTc 
yon  been  di'ununiug  for  the  last  five  yoai's?” 
added  tho  Major. 
“Oh!"  replied  tho  man,  “through  the  West¬ 
ern  States.  I  liavo  been  dnmiming  for  a  lai-go 
dry  goods  hoiisp  I" 
As  that  was  not  tho  exact  kind  of  drummer  he 
wanted,  tho  mau  had  to  take  a  position  as  pri¬ 
vate. 
One  very  woU-dressed  and  resiTCctahlo-looking 
woman,  witli  a  year-old  infant  in  her  arms,  en¬ 
tered  tho  gate  one  day.  and,  walking  np  to  one 
of  the  pu.irds,  handed  biro  tho  baby,  asking  biro 
to  hold  it  foi-  her  a  few  minutes  till  she  came 
back,  llo  hold  it.  aud  kept  on  holding  it,  luid 
would  have  held  it  till  this  time,  I  presume,  if  it 
had  not  been  scut  to  soiYc  asylum  by  bis  com¬ 
manding  ofllcor. 
Tho  iletoctivo  part  of  Uio  force  is  constantly  on 
tho  lookout  for  thieves  and  pickpoclccts,  many  of 
whom  ivi'C  well  known  to  aU  tho  experienced  dc- 
tectives.  Not  long  since  a  lady  had  her  gold  chain 
ent  and  watcli  stolen  in  the  Main  Bnilding,  and 
did  not  miss  it  till  ouo  of  tho  guards  called  atten¬ 
tion  to  tho  Imnging  piece  of  chain.  As  was  his 
duty,  the  guard  inunedintdy  roimrted  tho  case  to 
Hoad  Quartors.  and  tlio  detectives  were  sta¬ 
tioned  at  tlic  various  gates  or  turnstiles  to  catch 
tho  thief,  lu  less  than  an  hour  one  of  them  saw 
a  notorious  pickpocket  passing  out,  whom  he 
tapped  on  the  shoulder,  saying :  *'  Hero,  give  mo 
that  w'ateh  w  ith  tho  piece  of  chain  hanging  to  it." 
Without  a  word,  the  thiofhanded  over  the  watch. 
He  was  thou  lakcii  before  tho  Philadelphia  “  His 
Honor''  and.  witli  tho  aid  of  the  Centennial 
“  Ilijah,”  obUined  board  at  public  expense  for 
three  years. 
Apropos  of  tho  Police  Court,  two  notorious 
Italian  pickpockets:  were  seen  by  one  of  the 
guards  attempting  to  pick  a  lady's  pocket  and 
WAsro  arrested  when,  in  veiw  good  English,  they 
protested  their  innocence.  The  next  morning 
before  the  magistrate  they  could  neither  under¬ 
stand  nor  speak  a  word  of  English,  and  two  more 
stupid-looking  men  than  they  ai'poarod  to  be, 
diming  the  examination,  could  not  be  found. 
Tlio  judge  seemed  to  tbiiik  that  the  evidence  was 
not  very  skong  against  them,  and  that  a  mistak 
liad  been  made  in  arrestiug  a  couple  of  unfortu¬ 
nate  foreigners  who  did  not  undorstand  the  lan¬ 
guage  suftlciciitly  to  protect  themselves.  He  was 
on  the  point  of  discharging  them,  when  the  com¬ 
manding  officer,  who  was  in  Court  watching  tlio 
cases  tliat  day,  said  riuictly  to  His  Honor ;  “Let 
me  ask  them  a  ipicstion  or  two  and  1  tliink  I  can 
prove  to  you  Umt  they  rmderstand  English  |)or- 
fectly.”  Ujxm  receiving  the  Judge's  assent,  he 
turned  to  the  jiriwners  and  said  in  distinct  Eng- 
lisli:  “  That's  all  you  can  go,"  whcretiiKni  tho 
two  unfortunuto  foreigners  picked  up  theii’ 
laits  and  started  for  tho  door.  It  is  almost  un¬ 
necessary  to  say  that  the  Judge  called  thorn  back 
and  gave  them  full  sentence. 
M.ai)y  of  tho  Ruu.ai.  readers  are  fiitniliar  with 
the  manner  in  which  an  ai'my  Quartermaster  gets 
Ills  snppltes  for  the  soldiers  of  tho  command  to 
which  he  is  attached,  viz.,  by  a  requisition,  and 
in  the  same  manner  the  supplies  for  the  Centen¬ 
nial  Guard  are  obtained.  Huring  tho  eaily  days 
of  tho  Exhibition.  Major  Aimr.iioKn,  who  was 
then  acting  as  Quartermaster,  walked  into  the 
ofliee  of  the  Centennial  Coinmission,  from  whom 
his  supplies  were  drawn,  and  handed  to  the  dig¬ 
nified  chief  clerk  a  requisition.  He  examined  it 
closely,  read  it  through,  aud  handed  it  hack, 
saying  that  it  was  of  such  a  singulnr  character 
he  could  hardly  act  u)ion  it  without  referring  it 
hi  some  one  higher  in  autliority  than  himself. 
Tiro  (Quartermaster  thou  took  it  to  the  higher 
authority,  who  auanned  it  closely  several  times, 
and  turning  to  tiro  unfortunate  olfiixir,  said : 
“  Major,  1  always  had  an  idea  that  you  were 
an  efficient  officer  and  a  gowl  man ;  but,  sir, 
when  you  haroj  in  a  requisition  to  mo  for  fiftoou 
eats,  I  think  you  need  rest— a  change  of  air! 
Would  you  liico  to  have  a  furlough  for  a  little 
wliilo,  Major?" 
Tho  Major,  with  one  of  his  liixmious,  Florid¬ 
ian  smiles,  replied : 
“  No,  «U' ;  1  don’t  need  a  rest,  nor  a  change  of 
air.  nor  yet  a  fnrlongh ;  but  in  the  haste  of  un¬ 
packing  tlio  foreign  pictures  in  Memorial  H.all, 
many  of  them  have  to  be  loft  silting  against  the 
wall  while  Avaiting  for  tlu  ir  turn  to  ho  hung,  and 
tlio  rats  are  eating  them.  They  havo  already 
done  some  dainage,  and  may  do  much  more.  If 
you  cannot  got  mo  tlio  cats,  sir,  I  can  procure 
them  myself  in  a  little  time," 
After  looking  sliarply  at  the  Major,  hesitating  a 
moment  and  finally  coniprehending  tho  full  situ¬ 
ation,  the  Commisaioiior  simply  remarked;  “You 
shall  have  them,  Major."  In  loss  tlian  forty- 
eight  hours  ho  did  havo  them,  aud  any  of  our 
ruiwl  visitors  can  .see  some  pf^iom  ai|ouud 
Memorial  Hall  when  they  go  t^e.  Tho  rats 
disappeai-fsl  and  the  pictures  were  saved,  all  by 
the  rronarkdlile  requisition  for  fifteen  cats. 
When  you  go  to  tiro  Ceiitonnial,  ploase  think 
w’ell  of  tliose  (hmrds,  lor  they  are  a  tine  body  of 
men  and  were  picked  out  from  many  tbonsnud 
applicants.  They  have  severe  labor  to  iierform 
and  so  fur  havo  don(‘  it  well.  They  have  nearly 
broken  tiro  b.ack  of  thievery  and  pocket-picking 
on  the  grounds,  and  will  eventually  render  tho 
Exhihitioii  the  safest  crowded  place  in  the  United 
States.  Shobthob.n. 
CENTURY  BLOSSOMS. 
tion  and  trial  by  a  competent  committoc,  in  order  ! 
tbst  “  protective  letters  "  might  not  be  given  for  ' 
old  sorts,  worthless  new  ones,  and  tliose  not  suf¬ 
ficiently  distinct  to  bo  identified.  It  would  bo  ^ 
necessary  to  classify  plants  in  the  statute  pro¬ 
tecting  them,  according  to  the  purpose  for  which 
they  were  valued,  and  apply  the  protection  ac¬ 
cordingly.  Thus : 
Class  1.  I’orennial  plants,  valued  for  the  seed  [ 
or  fniit.  i 
Class  2.  rorennial,  biennial,  annual  plants,  , 
valued  for  ornament.  | 
Class  3.  Perennial,  biennial  vegetabies,  and  | 
such  annual  vegetables  as  arc  produced  from  the  | 
sued  proper.  I 
(ifiasfl  4.  Vegetable  fruits.  1 
Class  5.  Corcals.  tubers,  and  other  annuals 
valued  as  edible  and  marketable  products. 
The  inu'chascr  of  an  individual  right  to  groAv  a 
protected  variety  would  not  possess  tho  right  to 
sell  the  means  of  propagation,  unless  such  means 
were  the  product  for  winch  the  variety  was  val¬ 
ued.  For  instance,  such  purchase  would  not 
confer  the  right  to  disseminate  jfiants  or  cuttings 
of  varieties  Irolonging  to  cinss  1,  nor  plants  of 
perennial  and  stiod  of  biennial  and  annual  sorts 
included  in  class  2,  although  tho  flowers  and 
foliage  could  be  stdd  ns  ornaments.  With  class 
4,  such  purohase  would  not  confer  tho  right  to 
disHominate  tho  seed  apart  from  the  jiroduct 
containing  it.  Tliose  requiremonts  may  scorn 
arbitrary,  but  they  are  no  more  so  than  the 
patent  laws ;  hosides,  no  one  would  be  compelle<l 
to  grow  tho  sort. 
It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  gromng  tho 
plant  constitntos  fnnnufarlure  both  of  the  plant 
and  its  marketable  product,  and  the  facility  with 
whicli  an  article  may  be  manufactured  does  not 
invalidnto  in  the  least  this  exclusive  right  of  the 
patentee.  The  jiarty,  therefore,  to  Avhom  the 
lawful  dissonimator  sold  plants,  cuttings,  scwls, 
etc.,  of  the  variety  Avould  receive  from  tbc  latter 
a  conveyance  of  the  right  to  grow  the  sort  and 
to  sell  the  marketable  product.  If  any  one  pro- 
enred  the  sort  elsewhere,  that  poi-soii  could  not 
show  such  conveyance  when  called  for  and  Avould 
have  to  pay  the  ]Hjnally  Avhich  the  law  imposed. 
Tlio  right  to  propagate  to  obtain  the  marketa¬ 
ble  pro<luct  ATOuld  be  iucJiided  in  the  right  to 
grow  tho  plant,  in  all  cases,  as  propagation  ia 
growth  with  the  majority  of  jilants,  and  ia  part 
of  the  use.  Of  course,  growers  of  jiroteeted  va¬ 
rieties  could  transfer  tho  right  to  grow  them  with 
the  real  estate  on  which  they  wore  situated. 
Originators  of  sorts  belonging  to  oUier  than 
elasK  6  would  make  their  own  royalty.  The  lat¬ 
ter  class  comprise  marketable  jiroducts  which  are 
staple  articles  of  food  and  the  sole  means  of  rc- 
pnxluctlon.  The  statute  should,  lliereforo,  spe¬ 
cify  a  sniall  amount  tone  or  two  dollars  would 
suffice)  as  tiro  price  to  be  paid  tlic  owner  of  tho 
protective  right  for  an  individual  right  to  grow  a 
sort  belonging  to  this  class,  unless  that  right 
should  be  [mrehased  Avith  seed  from  said  owner, 
such  amount  to  be  paid  previous  to  groAving  the 
plant.  J  t  should  also  bo  provided  that,  when  the 
marketable  product  of  a  variety  was  also  the 
means  of  reproduction,  a  sign  bearing  its  name 
and  the  Avords.  “  Protected  according  to  act  of 
Congress,'’  must  be  placed  Avith  such  product 
those  of  some  of  tho  noted  horticulturists,  and 
proAuded  food  which  has  huill  up  the  Ixxlies  of 
tho  nation.  And  what  are  they  told  is  their 
pro]ror  and  sufficient  recompense  ?  The  thanks 
of  tlio  public !  Jacob  MiX)Be. 
- - ♦>»  - 
RELATION  BETWEEN  CAUSE  AND  EFFECT. 
Dukiko  tho  last  session  of  the  American  Pomo- 
logical  Society,  Mr.  Miceuan  related  an  anecdote 
that  aptly  iUustrates  our  rashness  in  jumping  at 
conclusions  : 
Ho  was  Avalking  near  Pike’s  Peak,  in  Colorado, 
when  he  met  a  fair  lady  with  a  wTeath  formed  of 
a  male  hop  vine  entwined  around  her  brow.  Ho 
had  never  before  seen  the  hop  vine  look  so  beau¬ 
tiful,  and  he  was  leil  to  get  a  root  to  grow  ex- 
lAToasly  for  its  beauty,  and  having  no  pole  to  train 
it  on  that  would  be  enduring,  he  planted  it  at  the 
base  of  a  largo  Prince’s  tit.  Germain  pear  that 
ncA'er  bore  anything  but  hard,  knotty,  worthless 
fruit.  The  aIuc  avus  now  oti  the  top  of  the  tree, 
and  to  his  oatonialmient  tiro  tree  had  this  season 
borne  the  most  perfect  pears  one  could  desire, 
llo  could  not  undorstand  the  influence  of  the  hop 
on  the  Jioalth  of  tiro  tree,  till  ho  looked  around 
him  on  that  large  class  of  oiur  fellow-citizens  Avho 
used  decoction  of  hops  freely  and  as  a  beverage. 
“Tbon,"  said  Mr.  MnEnAX,  “I  understood  tho 
whole  tiling.  Hero  I  saw  men  who  were  always 
healthy— never  know  what  disease  is— hardly  die, 
but  ilry  up  naturally  and  almost  blow  nAvay,  and 
then  I  could  boo  hoAV  tho  Lop  had  also  saved 
the  pear.  [liaughtor.]  Don't  you  believo  it  ? 
I  Renewed  laughter.]  No?  Well,  neither  do  I, 
of  cronrse,  and  I  offer  it  simply  as  a  sample  of 
Uro  reasoning  of  the  i>coplo  alrout  these  very 
Uiings,  and  of  which  one  can  hear  nearly  every 
d.ay.’’ 
What  W'o  looked  for  Avhilc  roading  the  above 
was  that  Mr.  Mekuan  Avould  find  some  analogy 
between  llro  improvement  of  his  pears  and  tho 
hop-vine  wreath  about  the  brow  of  the  fair  lady. 
Insuniiicc 
CONDITION  OF  THE  INS.  COMPANIES. 
Tuk  grand  exhibition  of  Dairy  products  is  to 
take  place  Jime  26  to  July  6,  Avheu  the  piizes 
will  be  aAvarded. 
The  Executive  Committee  of  the  American 
Dairy  Hodoty  Avill  moot  at  the  Dairy  Exhibition 
Buildin'g,  Oeutcniiial  grounds,  Wednesday,  June 
7th. 
Amosov  all  tho  Uvo  shrok  to  bo  sboAvu  at  the 
Centennial  E.xposition,  tiro  Alligator  Department 
is  likely  to  be  the  most  comiilolo,  as  350  spoci- 
meus  are  on  the  Avay,  and  of  all  sizes  from  G 
inches  long  up  to  feet. 
OuB  old  friend  Uaruek  of  Coblcskill,  ;N.  Y., 
has  added  a  ncAv  name  to  his  AvoU-know’u  Thresh¬ 
ers.  They  are  now  called  tho  “  Fearless.”  Visit¬ 
ors  to  the  Centcimial  w  iU  find  him  at  M  aud  N 
7  Agricultmal  Hall,  Avith  machhro  in  full  opera¬ 
tion. 
PROTECTION  FOR  ORIGINATORS  OF  HEW 
PLANTS. 
I  cuAiM  UiattheAvork  of  tho  originators  of  new 
plants  is  not  exceeded,  if  equaled,  in  utility  by 
that  of  the  author  or  inventor,  and  that  ho  is  en¬ 
titled  to  tho  protection  of  tho  Government  for 
quite  tho  same  reasons.  The  new  variety  owes 
its  origin  to  him,  and  any  desirable  proculiarity  it 
may  poBseas  is  procise-ly  as  much  his  property  as 
the  ideas  of  tho  author  or  Ihe  de\ico  of  the  in¬ 
ventor  are  theii’s.  Free  dissen/iiiation  enuhles 
others  to  appropriate  the  benefit  of  the  variety 
without  compensating  the  originator,  which  is 
unjust.  Ho  should  have  the  exclusive  right  to 
groAV,  diBBcminate  and  sell  his  production,  and 
this  means,  in  reference  to  certain  annuals,  to 
disaeminato  aud  sell  to  bo  groAvn. 
NeAV  vaiieties  should  be  subjected  to  examiua- 
when  exposed  for  sale ;  such  requirement  to  be 
enforced  by  a  fine  for  its  neglect. 
Tills  system  of  protoetion,  Avbilo  giving  tho 
people  all  the  jvrivilegcs  they  ordinarily  Avant, 
would  ]Ar©vont  professional  propagators  from  de- 
sixiiling  originators  of  the  iieeiiniary  resuUa  of 
their  labors,  as  they  noAv  do.  Thu  introducers 
of  new  productions  Avould  have  the  oxclnuive 
right  to  appear  in  print  as  tho  dissemimitors, 
aud.  if  real  acquisitions,  this  advantage  alone 
would  enahlo  them  to  secure  ample  compensa¬ 
tion,  If  others  attempted  to  dissemmate  them 
under  neAv  names,  they  could  soon  be  detected 
and  made  to  piay  a  heavy  penalty. 
You  may  say,  “  Tho  originatorH  of  neAV  fruits 
can  hold  the  stock  as  long  as  they  choose  to  do 
so  and  then  part  Avith  it  at  jirices  fixed  by  them- 
seveB."  Those  Avho  have  tried  this  plan  think 
otherAviso,  and  kiioAv  that  the  originators  of  new 
fruits  cannot  hold  the  stock  as  long  as  they 
choose,  nor  part  Avith  a  sufficient  number  at 
prices  fixed  by  themselves. 
A  person,  so  disposed  can  easily  find  access  to 
another’s  grounds  aud  ciutv  off  seed  or  cuttings 
of  a  ncAV  sort,  wliich  can  then  bo  propagated  and 
disseminated  Avith  impunity.  Tlio  Early  Hose 
Potato  is  said  to  have  been  stolen  and  dissemi¬ 
nated  in  this  Avay.  Fur  tins  kind  of  stealing 
there  is  no  remedy  “short  of  a  CoiigressionHl 
statute  Avliich  can  he  enforced  over  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  land.” 
Wo  have  Ibavs  for  the  protection  of  birds  ;  laAvs 
for  the  protection  of  fishes ;  laws  for  tho  preven¬ 
tion  of  cruelty  to  animalB ;  but  not  one  line  in 
tlio  whole  system  of  American  Jm-isprudeiice 
protecting  tiro  originator  in  tho  possession  or 
s-ale  of  bis  production,  Ytou  may  say  that  this 
Avish  for  protection  comes  from  the  desire  of 
originators  to  put  money  in  their  pockets.  Are 
they  at  all  peculiar  in  that  respect  ?  All  must 
acknowledge  that  they  (the  originators)  have  put 
money  in  the  pockets  of  others,  and  especially  in 
Thebe  are  quite  a  numlror  of  reasons  for  be- 
lieA'iiig  that  the  year  1875  Avas  not  iiropitious  to 
tho  insurance  interests.  Tho  official  rejxirts  of 
tho  various  Mtatos  show  that,  as  a  whole,  the 
companies  have  done  a  smaller  and  Icbb  profit¬ 
able  business  than  usual.  The  Ufo  companies 
havo  issued  very  few  new  policica— that  is,  havo 
attracted  few  new  members,  tliongb  tlioy  havo 
issued  many  small  iioUcies  in  exchange  for  old 
policies  discoutiimcd.  There  arc  fewer  policies 
and  leas  insuraniro  in  force  than  last  year  and  a 
more  niaikod  retrogression  than  has  been  bere- 
tofore  experienced.  Much  of  this  is  no  doubt 
due  to  lack  of  money  and  hard  times ;  but  more 
is,  poiiiaps,  just  atU'ibutable  to  the  couduct  of  a 
class  of  companies  that  have,  for  tlio  sake  of 
teiiiporary  gain,  misused  tiro  confldeuce  of  their 
pohey-holders.  This  has  been  done  in  nearly 
t'Acry  case  of  rc  uisnranco  and  amalgamations 
Avbcre  an  exchange  of  policies  lias  been  required. 
The  consequences  to  public  oonfideiioe  in  the 
integrity  of  the  management  of  life  insurance 
Avill  not  bo  easily  or  Bpoodily  rciiaircd.  It  is  per¬ 
haps  only  just  to  say  that  the  busines.s  of  tho 
really  reliable  compaiiicB  is  little  affected  and  that 
they  are  worthy  of  aU  jiossible  confidence. 
The  business  of  the  fire  in.-nirauco  companies 
was  less  than  in  1874,  thcii'  income  smaller  and 
their  losses  in  most  instances  larger.  A  feiv  com¬ 
panies  doing  a  local  business  met  ivith  few  and 
small  losses  and  improved  the  opportunity  to 
make  larger  dividends  to  their  Htoekholders  in- 
stoad  of  iuercasing  their  sarplus.  As  a  general 
rule,  tho  “farmers’  companies”  ha\'e  not  made 
much  money.  They  had  always  used  a  very  low 
rate  of  promium  based  upon  tho  absence  of  moral 
hxizard — that  is.  the  uuprobability  that  a  tiller  of 
the  soil  would  burn  his  ow'u  iiroperty.  This  was 
a  Avell  deserved  compliment  to  the  farmers ;  but 
Uro  companies  had  not  calculated  ariglit  tho 
chances  that  others  might  burn  it  tor  them. 
The  carelessnesa,  recklessness  or  malignity  of 
“tramps"  has,  it  is  said,  caused  a  great  increase 
of  loss  of  farm  property  aud  compelled  tho  com¬ 
panies,  for  the  sake  of  self-preservation,  to  in¬ 
crease  their  rates  of  premium,  a  requirement  w  ith 
Avhich  eveiy  ouo  Avho  Avants  reliable  protection 
Bhoiild  cheerfully  comply. 
In  times  of  commercial  iuseeurity  like  the  pres¬ 
ent,  AA'hen  the  concUtion  of  a  corapstiy  is  not 
readily  known  to  any  farmer,  great  cai'e  should 
bo  exercised  in  dealing  with  companies  not 
vouched  for  by  eompoteut  aud  disinterosted  par¬ 
ties.  It  is  the  dnty  of  a  farincr.s’  paper  to  do 
this  when  reipiircd  and  the  Rumae  will  do  so 
Avithout  charge.  A  great  number  of  people  have 
been  imyiosod  upon  by  tiaveling  agents  Avho 
produce  paidisau  and  false  statonients  of  the 
financial  condition  of  theii’  compaides,  in  order 
to  foist  Avorthloss  policies  upon  tho  unsuspecting- 
A  httle  trustworthy  ailvice  is  always  Uro  best  pro¬ 
tection  and  it  may  be  had  for  tho  asking. 
n 
