488 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 24, 
A GUARANTEE FOR EGGS. 
What Most Breeders Would Do. 
One of our readers says he bought a set¬ 
ting of eggs from an advertiser who claimed 
that the Plymouth Rock hens were from a 
strain of egg-record layers, and that they 
had golden beaks and legs, well mated and 
free from a trace of brown or other tints. 
Our reader paid $5 for 15 eggs, the dealer 
guaranteeing a fair hatch. The eggs were 
under a good hen. The tenth day three in¬ 
fertile eggs were found, one was lost, and out 
of 11 eggs left eight hatched. Of the eight 
chickens not one had both a clear beak and 
yellow legs, some of them being very dark. 
The advertiser refused to do anything but 
duplicate the order at half price. As a 
breeder of poultry, what would you think 
■would have been a fair basis of settlement 
as between man and man? If you had sold 
these eggs, what would you have been willing 
to do about it, and how would you have set¬ 
tled with the purchaser? 
The Guarantee. 
The above statement was made from letters 
sent by the purchaser. The breeder sends 
the following as the only guarantee he made: 
“We guarantee all eggs shipped to our 
customers to have had the best possible care 
and handling from the nest to the express 
office, and they are very carefully packed. 
We do not guarantee any certain percentage 
to hatch, because after the eggs leave our 
hands we can know nothing about their hand¬ 
ling or management. We set a test hen each 
week during the season on eggs taken from 
each flock, and know the average percentage 
of fertile eggs for each week. If that per¬ 
centage falls below 94 per cent we add 
enough eggs to make it up. If a customer 
_ fails to obtain a satisfactory hatch we will 
meet his loss half way, and duplicate the 
order for half price. Positively no order du¬ 
plicated free under any circumstances.” 
Try to Believe in Honesty. 
We try to believe every one honest until 
proven dishonest, so ff we received a com¬ 
plaint from a customer like this we should 
either refund the money and have him ship 
us the chicks, or we would duplicate the order 
free of charge. It is good business to satisfy 
your customers, if you can, by any reasonable 
expense to yourself, even if you consider their 
demands unjust, as a pleased customer is a 
good advertisement. It is a question what a 
breeder is to do where the express company 
is at fault, as where a box of eggs is re¬ 
ceived smashed. In this case it is better to 
replace the eggs, and go for the express com¬ 
pany, than to leave your customer feeling 
that the eggs were not properly packed and 
vou were at fault somewhere. 
New York. floyu q. white. 
No Dissatisfied Customer. 
Mere is a case in which it appears at first 
sight as if the seller had misrepresented his 
stock and wronged the buyer, but my expe¬ 
rience with Plymouth Rocks has taught me 
that one may have elegant looking birds, per¬ 
fect as to color, size, legs, beaks, etc., and 
not pet a. chick from them as pood as the 
parent birds. It takes a great deal of skill 
so to mate Plymouth Rocks as to produce in 
their progenv the good qualities of the par¬ 
ents, and it is quite probable in this case the 
birds were not properly mated to produce the 
best results. I have no doubt that the adver¬ 
tiser described his stock truthfully, and was 
himself surprised to find the chicks so lack¬ 
ing in desirable points as they were. I bred 
Plymouth Rocks for several years, and went 
through this same experience in my own 
yards year after year. In fact, it seemed al¬ 
most impossible to reproduce in the chick the 
desirable points of the parents, and thjfc was 
especially true when the breeding rjfock looked 
extra good. You ask : “What ought the ad¬ 
vertiser to do?” I ask what can he do? 
He might send another sitting of eggs gratis 
if that would satisfy the buyer, in the hope 
that the next lot of chicks would turn out 
better, or he might return the money. But 
we must remember that the advertiser has 
paid out money for his fowls, also for adver¬ 
tising, and that he is as much disappointed 
at the way the chicks have turned out as the 
buyer, for every seller would he pleased to 
know that every egg he sold had hatched out 
a first-class chick. What better advertise¬ 
ment could he possibly have; 
You ask if I had sold those eggs, how 
would I have settled with the purchaser? 
That question is easy. I wouldn’t have a 
dissatisfied customer at any cost. I should 
Save written him that he could have more 
eggs or part of his money back, or all of it 
hack. I should say: “I have described my 
stock truthfully, sent you the best I have, 
and now I will do whatever you say is right.” 
T used those very words to a customer in 
February this year, where a case of 360 eggs 
got so chilled tbat more than 200 of the 
germs were killed. They were packed in his 
double case, with a two-inch air space be¬ 
tween Inner and outer case, filled with saw’- 
dirst, and an inch thick felt mat on top, lids 
to both cases screwed down. Of course it 
was no fault of mine, but I furnished another 
360 at about half price, because I like to do 
as I would he done by. I don’t believe In 
David Harum’s rule at all. either morally or 
as a business proposition. By mating dark- 
colored males and females T have bred Ply¬ 
mouth Rock pullets that were .ief black, and 
I gave up keeping that breed because I felt 
that I had not the skill to mate them so as 
to produce chicks that would satisfy my cus¬ 
tomers or myself. oeo. a. cosorove. 
Connecticut. 
A Fair Statement of the Case. 
We offer every egg on our plant for sale, 
and accordingly every Spring issue a mating 
list, pntting the prices upon same at what 
we consider they are worth. Of course some 
of the yards are marked high, hut are put 
at what we consider the eggs worth to us for 
batching, and if the public pay for eggs from 
these pens we assure you we send them to 
them. We guarantee infertile eggs; that is, 
if the buyers return the clear ones, express 
prepaid to us, we will examine them and re¬ 
place all clear ones, and there the matter 
drops. Lots of limes the buyers write us 
that they have so many infertile eggs and 
state that they do not want to pay the ex¬ 
press on such a long distance, and we inva¬ 
riably take their word for it. About nine- 
tenths of the people are fair and the other 
tenth are crooks, and will resort to any 
method to make out the eggs are poor to gain 
their point. We try to use every one in a 
fair manner and do what is right, and in lots 
of instances wuere we know we are absolute¬ 
ly beaten we have made replacements just the 
same, and let it go at that. I think the man 
who bought the eggs, if he has got eight 
chickens from his hatch, has got as many as 
I should expect, and if it were mine I should 
never ask for a replacement of the infertile 
eggs. I consider eight chickens from a set¬ 
ting of eggs a very fair hatch. I have paid 
as high as $15 for eggs from England, and 
got but one chicken from the setting, and I 
was thoroughly satisfied at. that. As regards 
their having clear beaks and yellow legs, no¬ 
body can take chickens up to the time they 
are three weeks old and tell what their beaks 
and legs are going to be. They change, and 
especially in the Barred Rocks. I have seen 
Barred Rock chickens up to three months old 
that were dark in legs, but getting out and 
running through the grass and the morning 
dew their legs would change and come to a 
good yellow. In regard to the question, if I 
had sold these eggs, I would certainly have 
told the buyer to return the infertile eggs, 
and I should have tested them out. and if I 
found them to be absolutely clear I should 
have replaced the eggs free of charge. Wil¬ 
low Brook Farm tries to have each and every 
customer a satisfied one, and we go to all ex¬ 
tremes to have them so. Therefore we prob¬ 
ably would do differently from some in trying 
to have each and every customer satisfied, 
but as stated above, I should think eight 
chickens a fair hatch. 
Connecticut. willow brook farm. 
In regard to shipping eggs, I would refund 
to the purchaser the entire amount of pur¬ 
chase price if the eggs hatched not as guar¬ 
anteed. C. H. ZIMMER. 
New York. 
I have bought and sold eggs for hatching. 
As to the hatch of eight chicks, I should con¬ 
sider it a fair hatch, all things considered. 
The offer to duplicate the eggs at half price 
is fair: I have had a dealer do the same 
for me. It is impossible to tell what color 
youug chicks will be when mature. 
Connecticut. h. w. ellswortii. 
In regard to settling the matter with the 
purchaser, I would think that it would be no 
more than fair to duplicate the eggs free of 
charge, as the advertiser received $5 for the 
setting of eggs, when it was evident that his 
stock was not superior enough to warrant 
asking such a price, as they did not breed 
true to what he claimed they would. 
Ohio. FRED. KEYERLEBER. 
If the breeder guaranteed his stock there 
should he at least one or two chickens similar 
to the parents, as you are aware they are 
liable to be bred back to a certain extent. 
Under the circumstances I believe the reader 
got a fair hatch. However, had I been the 
advertiser I would have duplicated the order 
tat the price the buyer paid for eggs) at 
least free, provided, of course, I was certain 
that my customer was giving me the facts. 
Ohio. e. L. KINO. 
If the breeder guarantees a fair hatch he 
should send enough eggs free of charge to 
make his guarantee good. A fair hatch from 
15 eggs should at least be from 11 to 12 
chickens. The advertiser in this case should 
send another sitting of eggs free of charge, 
and in case the buyer failed to get chickens 
with golden beaks and legs the breeder should 
return the money. A man who pays $5 for 
15 eggs has a right to expect what he pays 
for. A man should be reasonably sure that 
his stock is first-class before he advertises It 
as such. J. R. WINN. 
New York. 
I think the purchaser had a fair hatch; 11 
fertile eggs out of 14 is certainly all any 
breeder would guarantee. Their being dark 
is no objection, but rather an advantage to 
the purchaser, as the darkest W. Rock 
chicks make the whitest hens, and their beaks 
and legs may both be golden when mature. 
The breeder offered what is the usual dis¬ 
count. one-half, which in my judgment is 
fair, provided his stock will warrant his ask¬ 
ing price, $5 per 15. It must be strictly first- 
class to command such prices. I think this 
breeder did what most breeders would have 
done under like circumstances, and no doubt 
if he had written the purchaser explaining 
the peculiarities of the W. R. chicks he 
would have had no difficulty in making a 
satisfactory settlement. The purchaser paid 
a good price for his eggs, and has a right to 
expect good results, and every chick (when 
mature) that does not possess a golden beak 
and golden legs should be replaced, free of 
charge, by the breeder. Isaac c. clark. 
New Y*ork. 
The hatch was a fair one, as eight chicks 
would be considered fairly good, and I would 
not think any more could be asked for; only 
the chicks seem not to be what the pur¬ 
chaser bought. In that case, duplicating the 
order at half price or any price would not 
give the customer what he bought, unless the 
eggs were sent from another pen. I would 
think a fair basis of settlement would be to 
return the money, as the chicks were not 
what was expected. You ask if I had sold 
the eggs what would I he willing to do about 
it. In the first place, I would not have sold 
those eggs, as I do not think the impossible 
ought to be claimed, or rather, I think one 
should only claim what he has, not overdraw 
to get orders and then not live up to the de¬ 
mands. How I think such things ought to 
be settled is for any one offering anything 
for sale to offer only what he has and can 
deliver, and then if eggs are guaranteed to 
give a fair hatch, not to offer to duplicate at 
half price, but to send another lot, free which 
I do without question. d. a. mount. 
New Jersey. 
I have had but one instance in any way 
similar to the one you refer to. There was 
i poor percentage of hatch, about six out of 
15, and the chicks were White Wyandottes. 
They showed several black feathers. I of¬ 
fered to send a new setting free of cost, or 
send six of my own chicks of same age and 
nine eggs free, taking the six chicks they had 
hatched which they claimed had black 
feathers. This is the rule I would have in 
every case; possibly some would see the way 
for dishonest persons to cheat me by making 
false statements as to number of hatch and 
as to chicks. This may be so, but I have no 
hesitancy in carrying out my above rule and 
taking my cuances with dishonest customers. 
In the case I mention above the buyer took 
the new setting of eggs free in place of the 
six chicks and nine eggs free, my offer being 
that he should return the chicks to me first 
and at my expense. I have always felt had 
it been me, I should have preferred the chicks 
and eggs, and not raised any black feathered 
\\ hite Wyandottes. One must, however, al¬ 
ways bear in mind that as in case of the per¬ 
son you mention, who had paid $5 for the 
setting of eggs, that it is not infrequent to 
have Plymouth Rocks with pale or dark legs 
or beak, even when bred from most perfect 
specimens, but all of the eight should not 
have been dark; some surely should have 
had clear beaks and yellow legs. 
New Jersey. locust farms. 
Lime Needed Here. 
F. N., Farmington, Conn .—I want to buy 
air-slaked lime by the ton to put on land to 
kill the acid. I have tested my soil wdth 
litmus paper, and it only takes about 10 min¬ 
utes to turn the blue paper pink. I have sown 
clover now for six years and failed every 
time. 
A ns. —Both tests indicate the need of 
lime, though of course there are other 
reasons for the failure of clover to grow. 
The pink color of the litmus paper is a 
good sign. Very likely clover will “come 
in” after liming. 
Fighting the Asparagus Beetle. 
Reader (No Address). —We are very much 
bothered with the Asparagus fly. As soon 
as the sun shines very hot they eat the 
top of the stem. Can you tell me what to 
do? 
Ans. —The Asparagus beetle does little 
harm when asparagus is regularly cut. It 
may be controlled after the cutting season 
by dusting the tops while wet with dew 
with one teaspoonful Paris-green or two 
teaspoonfuls powered hellebore, thor¬ 
oughly mixed with a pound of flour. 
Flour sticks to the fine foliage, and is 
readily eaten by the beetles and larvae. 
Treatment for Apple Blight. 
D. J. H., Richmond, Ohio. —Last season 
blight seriously affected some of my apple 
trees for the first time; in fact, the tree 
which were struck by the blight are practi¬ 
cally dead. This season quite a number 
are affected, threatening to destroy thie 
whole orchard. We have sprayed our trees 
with Paris-green for several years. This 
Spring a few of the trees were not sprayed, 
but it seems to make no difference; the 
blight affected the trees that were sprayed 
as well as those not sprayed. 
Ans. —Spraying with Paris-green would 
have little or no effect upon blight. Paris- 
green is a poison used for killing insects 
which eat leaves or fruit. The blight is 
a disease. The usual remedy is to cut out 
and destroy the blighted wood, and spray 
thoroughly with Bordeaux Mixture. Send 
to your State Experiment Station at 
Wooster, Ohio, and to the station at 
Geneva, N. Y., for bulletins on the sub¬ 
ject. 
Lime and Fertilizer with F ye. 
8., Pennsylvania. —I have perhaps eight 
acres thin, acid, level old meadow which I 
purpose to plow this month, and later lime, 
about one ton to acre, when thoroughly slaked 
and mixed, sow rye, and plow it under next 
year. May I use artificial fertilizer with 
rye, and what formula would be suitable, 
after use of lime, which I think of slaking 
with several inches damp earth, then spread 
and harrow in? This soil is very acid by 
actual test. Soil is clay loam from three to 
six or eight Inches in depth over underlying 
hardpan. Will it pay to treat as proposed, 
except for appearance’s sake, as land is on 
main highway? 
-Ans. —The plan of using lime when 
seeding to rye is good. Broadcast the rye 
on the furrows after plowing and harrow 
in. You can use three parts of ground 
bone to one of muriate of potash—both by 
weight—as a fertilizer. We explained on 
page 424 why we would not use acid phos¬ 
phate with lime. 
BORDEAUX MIXTURE 
™l.”°ouryl"wrf POTATOES 50 Per Cent, 
STEDEM’S ?§ n a c t e e n d BORDEAUX 
saves you trouble and expense. Add water, and it is 
ready for spraying. 
1 gallon mixed with 49gallons of water, costs only 75c. 
One barrel, making 2,500 gallons, costs only $35.00 
(See article on use of Bordeaux Mixture in Rural 
New-Yorker, page 470 June 17.) 
Order from Seedsmen or direct from 
8TEDEM c fa SOUS, 
1806 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa. 
i 
YVill produce a full crop of berries 
next June, if planted this Summer. 
DREER’S 
Mid-Summer Catalogue 
offers a choice line of these; also Celery, 
Cabbage, Cauliflower and other season¬ 
able plants. Write for copy, FREE. 
HENRY A. DREER, 714 ChestnutSt., Phila.,Pa. 
TREES 
SHRUBS 
ROSES 
The largest and most com¬ 
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including all desirable nov¬ 
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Medal—Paris, Pan-American, 
St. Louis. 102 prizes New York 
State Fair, 1904. 
ELLWANGER & BARRY 
Mount Hope Numeric®* 
Drawer 1044— I* Hocheater, N.I. 
Established 
_ shows in NATURAL COLORS and 
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fruit. Send for our liberal terms of distri- 
' bution to planters.—Stark Bro’s, Louisiana, Mo. 
-BUDS!— 
PEACH, APPLE, PEAR, PLUM. 
Buds ready July 1st. Send for list to-day. 
Harrisons Nurseries, Box 29, Uerlin, Md. 
CELKBY AND CABBAGE PLANTS $1 per 
1,000. CRIMSON CLOVER SEED, $4 a bushel. List 
free. SLAYMAKER & SON, Dover, Delaware. 
CELERY and CABBAGE PLANTS 
FOK SALK — Leading varieties, carefully packed 
with moss in baskets, f. o. b. here. Write for prices. 
Cash with order. Plants ready about June 15. 
WOODLAND FARM, Canastota, Madison Co., N.Y. 
VEGETABLE PLANTS 
FIVE MILLIONS CELERY ! White Plume, 
Giant Pascal, and other varieties, 1,000, $1.00; 10,000 
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| 13 ’\T an( l Cabbage Plants. Very 
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Potted Strawberry Plants 
List Free. T. C. KEVITT, Athenia, New Jersey. 
FOR SALE 
-CRIMSON CLOVER Seed, $5 50 
_ __bushel; Cow Peas, $1.75 bushel; 
2nd growth Seed Potatoes, *3.00 to $3.50 barrel; Onion 
Sets, $3.00 bushel JOSEPH E. HOLLAND, 
Milford, Delaware. 
Leggett’s Dusters 
Distribute Insecticides 
In Dust Form. 
No Barrel of Water to Haul. 
Several styles for garden,field or orchard. Full line 
of the needed powders. Also dry and liquid Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture Spray Calendar with concise infor¬ 
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LEGGETT As BRO., 301 Pearl St., N. Y. 
BETTER THAN EVER 
With our new lock the Frost Fence'will stand more 
abuse and last longer than any other wire fence now 
offered to the trade. “It has the right stuff in it.” 
THE FROST WIRE FENCE CO., Cleveland, Ohio. 
lasts 
ANCHOR FENCE 
means fence satisfac¬ 
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