by Mark Twain

When I published squib recently going to edit an Agricultural Department magazine, I certainly desire to deceive anybody I the remotest desire to play upon 's confidence with practical joke, for pitiful creature indeed degrade the dignity humanity contriving witless inventions that go name I purposely wrote the thing as absurdly and as extravagantly as it written, sure and not mislead hurried or heedless readers: for I spoke of launching triumphal barge upon desert, and planting tree of prosperity in mine--a tree whose fragrance should slake the thirst naked, and whose branches should spread abroad till they washed the chorea of, etc , etc that manifest lunacy like protect the reader But assurance absolute, and show that and seriously mean to attempt an Agricultural Department, I stated distinctly in my postscript that know anything about Agriculture But alas ! right where my worst mistake-- remark seems recommended my proposed Agriculture more than anything else It lets little light in on me, and I fancy I perceive farmers feel little bored, sometimes, oracular profundity of agricultural editors who "know it all " , one correspondents suggests this ( unhappy squib has deluged me with letters about potatoes, and cabbages, and hominy, and vermicelli, and maccaroni, and all the other fruits, cereals, and vegetables that ever grew on earth; and if I get done answering questions best way of raising these things before I go raving crazy, thankful, and shall never write obscurely for fun any more)

Shall I tell the real reason why unintentionally succeeded in fooling people ? because only read little squib and jumped conclusion serious, rest read it at all, but heard agricultural venture at second-hand Those cases guard against, To write burlesque so wild that its pretended facts accepted in perfect good faith by somebody, is, very nearly an impossible thing because, in some instances, the reader is person who never tries to deceive anybody himself, and therefore expecting to wantonly practise deception upon him; and in the only person dishonoured man who wrote the burlesque In other instances the "nub" or moral burlesque--if its object be to enforce truth--escapes notice superior glare of something body burlesque itself And very often this "moral" is tagged on bottom, reader, not knowing the key whole thing only important paragraph article, tranquilly turns up his nose at it and leaves it unread One can deliver satire with telling force insidious medium of travesty, if careful not to overwhelm the satire extraneous interest travesty, and so bury it reader's sight and leave him joked and defrauded victim, honest intent was to add to either his knowledge or his wisdom deal of experience in burlesques and their unfortunate aptness to deceive the public, and why I tried hard that agricultural one so broad and so perfectly palpable that even one-eyed potato it; and yet, as I speak the solemn truth, it fooled ablest agricultural editors in America !