The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-04-01
a PIG IN CLOVER.
The Inventor Farmer Who Had No
Idea of Setting Folks Crazy.
From the Philadelphia Record.

t
From the Philadelphia Record.
Who originated pigs in Clover?' Some
body on the street the other day suggested
Pres dent Ha -rison as the inventor, affirm
ing facetiouslv that he had so many political
''pigs"iu Clover that it was very hard to drive
them out of it. But the actual inventor of
the puzzle is Moses Lyman, farmer living
near Waveriy, n. Y, who has many chill
dren and is an authority on pigs. One day
the farmer was i'll quandary as to how he
should amuse the youngsters. His mind
naturally ran in the line of pigs, and there
upon, he made out of piece OF wood and
little pasteboard the original of the Pigs
in Clover" The novelty was so unique
and tantalizing that it soon spread over the
surrounding neighborhood
POPULAR CRAZE FROM THE START.
A toy manufacturing firm at Elkland,
Ti9ga county, Pennsylvania, several weeks
ago saw the puzzle and made a handsome
offer to the inventor for an exclusive right
TO patent and manufacture them, which
was accepted. When the manufacture was
begun they were first sent to a concern in
New York city, who launched them upon
the market abOlt one month ago.
Everybody tried to put the pigs
in the sly. About two weeks ago
this brain-twister struck this city very
he lvily. 1t 'sold like hot cak IS" and the
v.
pigs have been very stubborn since their
arrival here but the small boy has sue
ceeded best in managing them The clergy,
barristers and few others still find them
quite unmanageable One parson reasoned
with the ami ais from daylight up to II
o'clock last Saturday night, but gave up in
despair. His sermon was extempore the
next morning, and was on the perverseness
of sinners.
SELLING 5000 PER DAY HERE.
The toy sellers and sidewalk vendors say
that the supply of Pigs in Glover" is far
behind the demand. Several establish
ments for the manufacture of these toys
have been started here, but the old d
young, men, women and children are cry
ing for more. There is promise of a war
soon, however, as the concern that bought
the exclusive rights of the toy has applied
to the government for letters patent, and
has notified other manufacturers that they
will be- prosecuted according to law. The
sale of pigs in Cl0ver'' has 50 far been
enormous Over 1000 were sold daily last
week, and the average this week will reach
5000. The puzzles are being manufactured
at cost of about cents each, and sold to
the toy shops at 50 gross, or about cents
apiece. They are then sold to the enrap-
tured public at retail for 10 cents.
NEARLY HALF A MILLION SOLD IN NEW
YORK.
1t has been estimated that since its intro
duction in this city nearly 900 "Pigs in
Clover" have been sold. At New York,
where The Gaze first started, it is thought
that 100000 have been sold. ''Pigs in
Glover" is also having large sales in Boston,
Baltimore and Washington, and is reaching
out west. The rage as proved a regular
bonanza for the manufacturers aud vendors
of the article. A prominent toy dealer of
this city said yesterday that the present
craze would hardly last more than two
weeks longer in this city, but he thought
the invention such a unique one that it
would flud comfortable corner in every
household for long time to come.
MAKING THE PUZZLE STILL MORE DIFFICULT
A man Who found his intellect more tnan
equal to the task of mastering the bother
some puzzle suggests method of increaS-
ing the difficulty of its solution by using
six marbles Instead of four, four small ones
for pigs and two larger ones for
drivers" They are to be run in all to-
gether until the sty is reached, when the
Swine and their drivers must be separated
by putting the pigs in the "sty" and then
taking the drivers back to the outside ring
again. Should pig get out of the sty
while the drivers are being worked into the
outside circle, both drivers are required to
60 back and see that the pigs are all SO.
cured before starting out again.