The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 22, 1922 
602 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
AH letters to Publisher's Desk depart¬ 
ment must lie signed with writer's full 
nalme and address given. Many inquiries 
are answered by mail instead of printing 
inquiry and answer, hence unsigned let¬ 
ters receive no consideration. 
1 wish to express in a few words what 
I think of TltE It. N.-Y. I am a printer, 
Mo years at the business, and I can as¬ 
sure you that your paper is one of the 
cleanest and best gotten-up sheets I have 
run across in years. I was impressed with 
it from the first number that I received. 
Rhode Island. A. H. C. 
— Appearance is not everything, but it 
is important. Cleanliness is all-impor¬ 
tant. In some occupations it is necessary 
to wear soiled clothes. It is not practical 
to polish a manure spreader. It is well 
to observe the fitness of things. A cap 
and gown would be as much out of place 
in a dairy barn as a pair of overalls on 
a judge’s bench in court. The world 
judges merit largely by appearance. It 
judges the importance of agriculture by 
the appearance of the things that repre¬ 
sent agriculture to them. The outside 
world sees the farm press. If it is clean 
and well gotten up, it helps form the con¬ 
clusion that agriculture must he an im¬ 
portant industry. A cheap, ill-appearing 
paper would give the opposite impression. 
We are glad to know r this good friend 
thinks The R. N.-Y r . represents the dig¬ 
nity and importance of agriculture. To 
have it do so has been a lifelong am¬ 
bition. 
E. G. Lewis, who squandered more than 
ten millions of dollars while operating in 
St. Louis several years ago. is now lo¬ 
cated here in Los Angeles, and manager 
of a project which totals $35,000,OOfi on 
paper. What is known as the I’alos 
Verdes, or San Pedro Hills, are to be 
purchased, and through the sale of con¬ 
vertible and non-convertible notes these 
hills are to be subdivided into estates 
that will be convenient to the city of Los 
Angeles. Literature relative to tills is 
now being sent broadcast, and will catch 
many an unwary investor, but noj^readers 
of Publisher’s Desk, who have been 
warned so many times about the financial 
status - of Lewis. Liviug within sight of 
the wind-sw r ept Palos Verdes Range, it is 
not the place I should select for a home 
or au investment, and as a leopard can¬ 
not change its spots. I should not wish 
to invest in anything with which Lewis 
is connected. w. E. H. 
California. 
No old reader of this department needs 
any caution on the Lewis schemes; but 
a word of warning may be needed to save 
some new friends from becoming victims 
to his plausible financial schemes. The 
crime is that with his record he should 
be permitted to prey on the innocent and 
inexperienced. 
I thought the limit had been reached 
some time ago, but it seems not, by the 
enclosed advertisement from the House- 
hohl Journal, so-called, Batavia. Ill. I 
thought it would he interesting to you. 
New Hampshire. w. c. G. 
The enclosed is one of the advertise¬ 
ments for "tablets” that dropped into 
drinking founts banish vermin, make fowls 
grow faster and increase the egg yield. 
That anything put. into* the drinking water 
of fowls will kill or drive away lice taxes 
the credulity to the limit. It is such a 
palpable fake that it should be harmless, 
but there are, no doubt, many people who 
will throw away a dollar on the scheme. 
Seven oil companies and six individuals, 
including one woman, are under indict¬ 
ment on a charge of using the mails to 
defraud, it became known yesterday, when 
sealed findings of a Federal Grand Jury 
were released on the motion of Maxwell 
S. Mattuck, Assistant United States At¬ 
torney. 
The defendant companies are the Cen¬ 
tury Consolidated Oil Company, a Dela¬ 
ware corporation with an authorized cap¬ 
ital of $10,000,000; the Hercules Oil 
Company, the Queen Oil Company, the 
Shannon Oil Company and the Acme 
Finauce Corporation.—New York Herald. 
Every day we have inquiries about this 
class of oil stocks, and frequently requests 
to get the money back for those who have 
invested. Money put in this class of 
“wildcat” oil stocks is lost as soon as it 
is parted with by the owner. There are 
hundreds of such concerns seeking invest¬ 
ment in country districts, either by circu¬ 
lars or canvassing salesmen. The bait 
is always the same—prospects of big 
profits and esfsy riches for the investor. 
Oil stocks that have real value, or even 
real prospects, are not sold in this way. 
Our readers can safely judge of the claims 
on this basis. The highest authorities are 
quoted to the effect that about one in a 
thousand “wildcat” oil promotion proves 
profitable. Why should anyone take such 
a long shot? 
Have just been reading Publisher’s 
Desk of February 25. page M02. case of 
W. L. IL, regarding poultry from Kishel 
& Son, Hope, Ind. February 1, 1021, I 
bought 12 fowls and one cock. When 
same arrived all were sick , three of them 
died after a few days. T also received 
MM0 baby chicks at 55c apiece, after one 
month’s delay, on March MO, all of them 
having white diarrhoea, and they died by 
the dozens in a day. Now T have left over 
about 30 pullets and five roosters which 
are all kinds, some of them Single C’omb 
White Bocks, others have black feathers 
and very small, a few of them big, but 
the poorest layers T ever had. and they 
were to be “egg-a-dny” birds, the world’s 
best. I think they are the world’s worst, 
getting from three to 12 eggs per day, and 
getting the same feed as m.v other flocks, 
where T get good results. I have given up 
writing to Fishel & Son about the matter, 
for you can get nothing out of them. 
New York. E. D. 
We got no response to our letters from 
Fishel & Son regarding this complaint 
In many cases chicks have towel trouble 
resembling white diarrhoea after a ship¬ 
ment and die. We would not hold the 
shipper responsible for this, because very 
often the handling by the express com¬ 
pany is responsible for the condition. But 
it would seem that Fishel & Sou have 
something to explain in connection with 
the mixed breed. 
Under your head. Publisher’s Desk, in 
your issue of January 28. 1922, we find 
a communication from J. II. F., in which 
he says that this corporation is trying to 
sell $2,500 worth of stuck to a young 
man. T wish to deny this statement em¬ 
phatically and to say that this corpora¬ 
tion has never sold any stock whatever. 
We are. however, engaged in selling a 
liquid culture of soil bacteria, which has 
.proven of value by increasing production. 
NATIONAL NIT BO -BA CTER COKJ\. LTD. 
Chicago, 111. 
The correspondent insists that the com¬ 
pany or its representatives did try to sell 
him stock, but since all our other corre¬ 
spondence indicates that the plan of the 
company has beeu to sell “county rights.” 
we are inclined to accept the firm’s state¬ 
ment. But we want to go on record that 
we should consider paying a large sum of 
money for the '‘county rights” to sell a 
product of unknown or uuestablished 
merit as about as unwise as would be the 
stock investment. 
My client sold all his pears on the 
trees to T. Carobine, 1983-1985 First 
Avenue, New York City, at $4.50 per 
barrel, and 300 barrels were shipped be¬ 
tween October 8 and 20, for which Caro¬ 
bine paid the purchase price of $1,755. 
The remaining pears, 18K barrels, were 
shipped the latter part of October, and 
Carobine wrote i he grower a few days 
later that they were not “extra fancy.” 
that they were nice and clean, but “No. 
Is and No. 2s were mixed.” About two 
weeks later Carobine wrote the grower 
that he would not pay for the balance 
(188 barrels) unless the grower made 
some reduction, o. b. w. & F. 
New York. 
This Greene County farmer first came 
to Tiif. R. N.-Y. to secure settlement 
from Mr. Carobine, who represented him¬ 
self as a commission merchant. The pur¬ 
chase of thpso pears was made by a local 
agent or buyer for Carobine, which made 
the agreement easy to repudiate. Caro¬ 
bine offered to settle at. $3 a barrel, and 
to .avoid litigation the fruit grower 
agreed to accept this adjustment—then 
Carobine wanted the price reduced to $3 
on the entire purchase. The case was 
put in the hands of a firm of attorneys 
at Catskill, N. Y.. and judgment secured 
for the full amount of ttfe claim at $4.50 
per barrel in accordance with the agree¬ 
ment. Carabine’s agent saw the pears at 
time of purchase, knew the quality and 
gave definite instructions for packing. 
When prices decline many dealers try to 
find an excuse for violating the agree¬ 
ment, and count upon the farmer’s re¬ 
luctance to go to court to demand his 
rights. We are very glad the attorneys 
succeeded in securing justice for the 
farmer in the case. 
The St. Louis man who thought he 
was talking to his wife over the telephone 
and was arrested for using abusive and 
profane language happened to be con¬ 
nected with police headquarters. lie got 
what was coming to him, hut it was 
quite unexpected.—New Orleans States. 
Get 
Some 
Suggestions 
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house of enduring cement construction—fire¬ 
proof, paint-saving, substantial and attractive. 
The ALPHA CEMENT dealer will give you 
a helpful Handbook—"ALPHA CEMENT,— 
How to Use it”—and a special Service Sheet 
on small buildings. Most of the 104 illustrated 
pages of the Handbook deal with instructive 
suggestions on scores of permanent improve¬ 
ments around home and farm. 
A few pages tell how thirty- 
one years of experience in 
cement-making enables us to 
furnish you a product of the 
highest uniform quality. 
Alpha Portland Cement Co. 
EASTON, PA. 
140 S. Dearborn St., CHICAGO. ILL. 
New York Boston Philadelphia Pittsburgh 
Baltimore Buttle Creek, Mieh. Ironton, Ohio 
Plants at; Alpha. N.J. Cementon. N.Y. Jamesville, 
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La Salle, III. Ironton, Ohio. Bellevue, Mich. 
use Alpha Cement 
-^he guaranteed 
PORTLAND 
MARK BEOlSTlW 0 & 
- 
fe u . ... , - ... 
Macultivator ^ManPower 
Let tfi• 
boy do th* 
work of 
4 men. 
tack-break* 
toeing when 
ou have this 
lower plant 
n wheels. 
Makes Work Easy 
Saoes 4 Men in the Gar¬ 
den or on Farm or the 
Vx. _ Lawn. 
Garden and Farm Work Made Easy 
E CONOMY in farm and garden oper¬ 
ations means more profit and 
greater satisfaction. The Maculti- 
vator eliminates the drudgery of 
hand hoeing or that back breaking 
method of pushing the cultivator 
irregularly and jerkingly through 
your vegetable rows. The man with 
the hoe is not needed. Cabbage, 
tomatoes, young onions, lettuce, 
beets, radishes, carrots, celery, 
small fruits, seedling trees in 
the nursery, flowers, mint, tobacco, 
etc., all cultivated much better, 
more quickly, easily and economi¬ 
cally by motive power. Your lawns 
may be cut and man power saved 
by the Macultivator. 
Lessens labor costs in many ways. 
Prevents help troubles. Does the 
work of five men. Sold on an abso¬ 
lute make-good, tryout guaran¬ 
tee. Write for interesting prop- ( 
osition. 
THE MOTOR MACULTIVATOR COMPANY 
1316 Porr Street, - Toledo, Ohio 
When you zvrite advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply cmd a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
