1907. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
857 
A GUARANTEE FOR SEED. 
One of our readers says he will pay $10 
a pound for Prizetaker onion seed absolutely 
true to name—which will not produce onions 
of different shape or color from Prizetaker. 
Will your house guarantee such seed? 
It is because the word warrant is so broad 
and indefinite that we do not dare use it. If 
your seed-buying friend will tell us what he 
understands by the word warrant, how much 
damage if stock is not true, we wi'.I tell him 
what we will do. IIow pure does lie want it? 
VAUGHAN’S SEED STORE. 
We can supply seed of Prizetaker onion 
but we would not guarantee it. or any other 
article in fact, under any consideration. Our 
stock comes from the most reliable growers, 
and we believe it to bo pure, but we could 
not hold ourselves responsible for the crop 
or for the seed being true to name. 
J. M. THORBURN & CO. 
In common witli the rest of the seed trade, 
both here and abroad, we do not guarantee or 
warrant any of the seeds which we sell. We 
take just as much pains as we possibly can 
to get good stocks of everything we handle, 
but for obvious reasons, we cannot possibly 
warrant or guarantee absolutely any of the 
seeds we send out. peter Henderson & co. 
We would not under any circumstances 
sell seeds under a guarantee. Our Prizetaker 
onion is grown for us by a reliable grower, 
and we have every reason to believe that It 
is as pure as can be obtained; but as stated 
above we would not sell it under any guaran¬ 
tee and we think your reader will find it 
difficult to find a guarantee from anv respon¬ 
sible house. HENRY A. DREER, INC. 
We are not growers of Prizetaker onion on 
our farm, but have it grown by a very care¬ 
ful grower, and as yet have had no com¬ 
plaint. We cannot see why it should net 
satisfy the most critical trade. Some vari¬ 
eties of seed we grow on our own farm, and 
do the best to keep our stock true. You 
know that everything has a tendency to 
sport. We occasionally run across some one 
•who is willing to pay a fancy price, but when 
they are pinned down to the choice they 
want the best for the cheapest. 
J. J. II. GREGORY & SON. 
We believe that the Prizetaker onion seed 
winch we send out is as pure and true as 
it is possible to obtain; hut to guarantee 
anything to be “absolutely true to name,” 
“without showing mixture of any other va¬ 
riety,” is rather an impractical guarantee. 
As you well know, any crop will have a 
tendency to vary somewhat with soil, climate 
and weather conditions, which will quite 
often cause some variation in type, and some¬ 
times sports in growth. Such a thing as 
absolute purity is, of course, something very 
much to be desired, but very seldom attained, 
either in growing crops, food products or 
anything else. t. w. wood & sons. 
The Prizetaker onion is a remarkably hard 
•variety to hold true to color. It will 
always throw a few white and pink 
bulbs. I can and will furnish seed of 
it that is true to name and pure in 
<every way except for a slight variation 
in color. By careful selection we could 
3n time probably breed out this trouble, but 
It would take 3ome years of work and a 
considerable cost, and it is doubtful if the 
customer would pay the price. This one 
man might, but he is the rare exception. It 
would be practically impossible to guarantee 
that any variety of garden seeds would be 
absolutely free from blemish, for all varieties 
will throw more or less sports. We do and 
have for years guaranteed that the garden 
seeds we sell shall be pure enough to satisfy 
the customer, and offer to replace free any 
not so found. henry field. 
There is no reputable seedsman in the 
United States who would give positive guaran¬ 
tee of the purity of any seeds they send 
•out. This would be impossible for the follow¬ 
ing reasons: In the first place we do not 
know of a firm in the regular seed trade 
who grow their own Prizetaker onion seed. 
This variety is produced almost entirely in 
California by those who make it a business 
to grow such seed. The balance is grown in 
Europe by other professional seed growers. All 
seedsmen must purchase their supply through 
such growers, and while due precaution is 
taken after it reaches the seedsman’s hands 
he cannot guarantee that it is pure seed 
because it comes through the hands of an¬ 
other party. Should he attempt to guaran¬ 
tee the purity of the seed it might possibly 
become mixed after it leaves the seedsman’s 
hands, but this fact would not be taken 
into consideration and the seedsman would 
have to stand the loss should there be any. 
Every reputable seedsman uses the follow¬ 
ing disclaimer: “We give no warranty ex¬ 
pressed or implied regarding description, 
quality, productiveness or any other matter 
of any seeds, bulbs or plants we send out and 
will not be in any way responsible for the 
crop. If the purchaser does not accept the 
goods on these terms they are at once to be 
returned.” We hope we have made ourselves 
thoroughly undrstood by this non-warranty. 
We use every possible precaution that cus¬ 
tomers obtain seeds exactly as represented, 
but beyond, this it is not within our power 
to do further. nortiirup, king & co. 
At Fordhook Farms each season we have 
the most complete trial grounds in the United 
States. We know that our seeds are as good 
and as pure as any on the market, and in 
fact many times we find them far superior 
to many strains that are ordinarily supplied. 
There is so much to be considered as to che 
purity of a seed crop that we doubt ve'-y 
much if there is a seedsman anywhere who 
would guarantee new crop seed to be abso¬ 
lutely pure. If your reader desired to pur¬ 
chase seed of the Prizetaker onion that can 
be guaranteed to be as true to name as it is 
possible to get it, it would be far better for 
him to purchase year-old seed from a firm 
who annuallv test all the seed they supply. 
At Fordhook we test samples for purity from 
every sack of onion seed that is received 
from our growers. Seeds of all kinds, as you 
know, will vary very much indeed in different 
seasons, but it is reasonable to suppose that 
seed carried over from a lot that had been 
proven in the trial grounds will give the 
same results the next season, although it mav 
be a little deficient in vitality. We have so 
much confidence in our seeds that they have 
for years been sold under a guarantee which 
states plainly that while we cannot assume 
any responsibility for the crop, yet we will 
at all times, if any of our seeds prove un¬ 
satisfactory, replace the seeds supplied or 
refund the purchase price. Further than this 
we would not guarantee. 
W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO. 
KEEP THEM IN MIND. 
Do not forget that the following members 
of the New York Senate voted against Gov¬ 
ernor Hughes in his efforts to remove the 
Superintendent of Insurance. Let it be a 
part of your political duty to remember them 
and vote against them whenever you have the 
chance: 
JOT HAM P. ALLDS.Norwich, N. Y. 
ALBERT T. FANCIIER.Salamanca, N. Y. 
S. P. FRANCTIOT.Niagara Falls, N. Y. 
S. PERCY HOOKER.LeRoy, N. Y. 
JOHN RAINES.Canandaigua. N. Y. 
SANFORD W. SMITH.Chatham, N. Y. 
WM. J. TULLY.Corning, N. Y. 
HORACE WHITE .Syracuse, N. Y. 
BENJ. M. WILCOX.Auburn, N. Y. 
JOSEPH ACKROYD.Utica, N. Y. 
FRANK M. BOYCE.East Schodack, N. Y. 
Non-Bearing Burbank Plums. 
R. E. B., Greenville, N. Y .—IIow can I 
make Burbank plum trees bear? The orchard 
has been set about seven years, and has 
been cultivated until about two years ago. 
The trees have made vigorous wood growth. 
Every year since they first bloomed they have 
been full of blossom buds. The plums set 
thickly, grow to about the size of a pea, 
and drop. We have never had a crop of 
more than three or four bushels from more 
than 100 trees. We can see no cause ex¬ 
cept the situation of the orchard. An old 
apple orchard lies west of it, and a wood 
lot north. The ground is nearly level and 
mostly well drained. The soil is not very 
rich, and is light and somewhat gravelly. 
Ans. —Why these trees have not borne 
fruit I cannot tell. Burbank is an abun¬ 
dant bearer, as I have always seen it. It 
is barely possible that the introduction 
of other varieties may have a beneficial 
effect by cross-pollinating the flowers, 
but so far as I know this is not necessary 
with this variety. One of the Japan va¬ 
rieties should be used, that the blossoms 
of both may appear at the same time. A 
few grafts might be set as a test. I would 
suggest Chabot, Abundance and Wickson. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
This 
is the trade- 
markwhich 
is on every 
genuine 
bottle of 
Scott’s Emulsion 
sold in nearly all the countries of 
the world. Nothing equals it to 
build up the weak and wasted 
bodies of young and old. 
All Druggists; 50c. and $1.00. 
Amatite is a new and 
better kind of ready roofing. 
The old kind was smooth and 
coated with paint. The new kind 
—Amatite—is surfaced with real 
mineral matter (see diagram) and 
requires no paint. 
No looking after your roofs every 
spring if you use Amatite! 
No paint to buy! No work to do! 
Just leave the roof alone, year 
after year, and you’ll be free from 
the annoyance of leaks. 
Amatite is easy to lay, requiring 
MINERAL SURfACf 
PUCH COMPOSITION 
I WOOL FELT , 
prroi composition 
WOOL FELT 
ENLARGED SECTIONAL DIAGRAM SHOWING HOW AMATITE IS MADE 
This mineral surface will wear 
better than any paint made. 
Rain, snow and wind do not affect 
it a particle. It is firmly embedded 
under tremendous pressure into the 
underlying layer of pitch. 
no special tools. Cement for laps 
and nails packed in center of every 
roll. 
Free Sample will be gladly sent 
on request to anyone interested in 
this “no-paint” roofing. 
BARRETT MANUFACTURING COMPANY 
New York Chicago Philadelphia Cleveland Cincinnati Minneapolis* 
Boston St. Louis Allegheny Kansas City Naw Orleans London, Eng. 
<25 
A Never Failing Wafer Supply, 
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Improved Rider Hot Air Pumping Engine and 
Improved Ericsson Hot Air Pumping Engine. 
Built by ns for more than 30 years and sold in every country in the world. Exclu¬ 
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So well built that their durability is yet to be determined, engines which were sold 
30 years ago being still in active service. 
Send stamp for “C4” Catalogue to nearest office. 
RIDER-ERICSSON ENGINE CO., 
35 Warren St., New York. 233 Franklin St., Ronton. 
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40 Aorth 7tb 8 t., Philadelphia. 22 Pitt St., Sydney, N. S. 
Amargura 06, Havana, Cuba. 
Steel Wheels 
WITH GROOVED TIRES 
4 in. wide. The Groove protects 
the heads of spokes from wear, 
which makes wheel good and 
strong' till tire is worn out. We 
make plain tire wheels in other 
widths. We make wheels to lit 
any thimble skein or straight 
steel axle. Getour free catalog 
of Steel Wheels and Low Down 
Handy Wagons. 
HAVANA METAL WHEEL CO., 
Box 17 .'. Havana, Ill. 
V 
Dandy Hay Knife 
Best Hay Knife made. Combination hand 
and foot power. With it one man can do 
the work of two men using any other knife, 
thus saving one day’s wages. Can be used 
for cutting sod from ditches. Ely’s Hay 
Knife hits many ad vantages over other kinds. 
For sale by dealers. Look for the name 
‘Ely’s Dandy” on blade. Write for catalogue. 
THEO. J. ELY MFG. CO. 
A \ Dept, d, Girard, Pa. 
OLDS 
ENGINES 
"best by every test’’ 
U.S.G0VT REPORT. 
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when you get it, fill it with 
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i overnment, who use it. 
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Send for catalog showing 3 to 
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OLDS GAS POWER CO. 
Binghamton, N. Y.—23 Washington St. 
Main Omi .-_908 SeaRor St., Lanai hr, Mieh. Boaion—89-75 WashliiRtou Si., N. Philadelphia—1816 Maiket St. 
Kansas City, Mo.—1226 Eleventh St. Minneapolis—313 So. Front St. Omaha— 1018 Fartmra St 
