889 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
We have the following notes signed by the pro¬ 
duce commission firm, Stevens & Simpson & Oo., 
202 Washington Street, New York, for collection : 
$47.81, dated April 25, 1907, and due in 90 days. 
$25.25 dated July 1. 1907, and due July 30, 1907. 
$25.25, dated July 1, 1907, and due July 16, 1907. 
The notes were issued to Allen B. Wells, 
Saratoga Springs, N. Y„ for produce shipped and 
sold on commission. 
We believe farmers would find profit 
in advertising things they have for sale 
to other farmers. We can see no reason 
why a custom of this kind should not 
be effective and profitable. It should be 
especially effective in The R. N.-Y. 
where every advertisement no matter 
how small is backed up with a guarantee 
of a square deal. You would not have 
to advertise long enough to get acquain¬ 
ted. Everybody knows you are all 
right if you get your card in the paper, 
.and in most cases a single insertion 
would be enough. To save time, how¬ 
ever, reference should always accom¬ 
pany the order. We could not insert 
an advertisement even for a farmer or 
subscriber until we had assurances of 
his reliability. As a matter af fact some 
of the meanest fakers we have to reject 
are men who pretend to be practical 
breeders and poultrymen. For the most 
part, of course, they are jockeys and 
schemers, but we cannot know them 
all, and must sift them out by careful in¬ 
quiry. But if you send the references 
with order, the work will be much 
facilitated, and once established, you will 
' not need to send references with future 
orders. This care in selecting advertis¬ 
ers, and the guarantee of their respon¬ 
sibility when once accepted, is what 
makes The R. N.-Y. the great advertis¬ 
ing medium it is. No one hesitates to 
send a remittance to its advertisers be¬ 
cause it is insured in advance by the 
policy of the paper. 
The Gardner Nursery Co., Osage, la., 
do not like our criticism of them, and 
say they want a chance to invite 
R. N.-Y. readers to make complaint to 
them direct so that they can make good 
any promise that has not yet been kept. 
Here is the closing paragraph of their 
letter: 
Now if you really mean to be fair to all 
you cannot refuse lo publish this adver¬ 
tisement, for we mean every word of it, and 
we shall be glad indeed to correct or make 
good any complaint that may come to us 
from its publication. We have placed our 
advertising for this year to commence with 
the December number and to continue until 
June 1. The Rural New-Yorker is the 
only paper out of 130 we used last year 
that will not carry our regular copy. 
TH-E GARDNER NURSERY CO. 
We print this advertisement because 
we know if any of our readers have any 
complaint to make, this is an opportunity 
for them to make it and demand redress. 
Our first criticism of this firm was fpr 
advertising a fertilizer formula for $1 
which promised the fruit grower great 
advantages. We sent the dollar, got the 
formula, and saw at once that it was a 
fake. We approached the company with 
it, and they excused themselves on the 
ground of ignorance. We gave them the 
benefit of the doubt, but published the 
facts. We next criticised their scheme 
to sell a lot of goods for $10 on the 
theory that they wanted to establish an 
advertising station, and a selling agency, 
and that the stock was sent free, the 
$10 being charges for packing, etc. The 
attempt was to make the farmer believe 
that he had been specially selected for 
the work. The facts were that the let¬ 
ter making the offer was a printed one, 
sent indiscriminately to a list of names, 
and they were glad to sell the stock 
for $10, which was probably a good 
average price for it. Some reported 
more than it was worth. This they jus¬ 
tified as a means of advertising. The 
next complaint published came from 
readers who accepted their offer to send 
two-year-old evergreens free, but re¬ 
questing that postage be sent. The com¬ 
plaint was that the evergreens were not 
always sent, but even when sent that 
they were merely seedlings that could be 
carried in the vest pocket, and that the 
postage sent was sufficient to pay for 
both the plants and the mailage on them. 
Our latest criticism was published on 
page 714, September 12, and page 846, 
October 31, in reference to the so-calked 
Blizzard King strawberry, which they 
advertised as a new variety, of high 
flavor and abundant bearer continuously 
from Spring until freezing weather. 
This they said would come true from 
seed, and promised that the plants would 
be worth $1 each, or $10 per dozen. 
They offered to sell seed enough for 25 
plants for $1. This we recognized at 
once as the old Alpine strawberry which 
was exploited 40 years ago and then ex¬ 
posed in The R. N.-Y. We wrote the 
Gardner people about it and published 
their reply. They professed to know 
little about it, but put the responsibility 
for their claims on the man who solcl 
them the seeds. With this record it did 
not require any foresight to leave The 
R. N.-Y. off their advertising list. They 
knew very well that the advertising 
would be refused if offered. We pub¬ 
lish this advertisement to give any dis¬ 
satisfied customer a chance to make tfie 
proper complaint direct, if any care to 
do so; but we had already decided to 
carry no more regular advertising for 
this house. We can accept plausible ex¬ 
planations of some things; but not for 
offering a 40-year-old fake as a brand 
new plant. We might add that we have 
been more disappointed in this house 
than in any other one concern in many 
years, and we have accepted excuses 
from them that would usually be in¬ 
sufficient because we would like to en¬ 
courage a good house in their territory, 
and hoped they might correct the abuses 
first complained of, but instead of cor¬ 
recting old abuses they seem to enlarge 
on new ones. If anyone sent a dollar 
for the strawberry seed now is the time 
to get it back. 
Morris Green and Joseph Schlottman 
were held in $3,500 bail each by the 
Federal courts in New York City, Oc¬ 
tober 29, for removal to York, Pa., 
where it is alleged they swindled farm¬ 
ers out of country produce. They 
opened a commission produce store in 
York, and represented that they had 
contracts with 1,000 Summer hotels, to 
supply fresh butter and eggs. It is 
charged that the produce was shipped 
to New York City and sold, but the 
money never got as far as the producers. 
It is alleged that shipments were also 
secured from the farmers near Bing¬ 
hamton, N. Y., and that the swindlers 
realized on their operations at farmers’ 
loss something like $100,000. We ven¬ 
ture to hope that our repeated cautions 
in similar cases may have spared 
R. N.-Y. readers from a share of this 
loss. 
Sometimes people marvel at the 
growth of the Standard Oil Company, 
and stand in awe of the apparently su¬ 
pernatural ability of the men behind it 
for conducting its affairs and making 
money. But those who have been able* 
to get at the inside workings of it find 
the problem simple enough and requit¬ 
ing no extraordinary ability to manage, 
provided you are not scrupulous about 
the means. These investigators have 
found just two conditions that make this 
colossal company possible—Tariff on Oil 
and Special Railroad Rates. Without 
these it were impossible. Of the two 
advantages the special freight rates are 
undoubtedly of the greatest advantage. 
In a court in New York City on Octo¬ 
ber 27, it was shown that the secret rate 
given the Standard Oil Company by the 
Pennsylvania Railroad over a certain 
line was about one-third of the rate paid 
by independent oil companies shipping 
to the same territory. Now suppose the 
products of the farms in any neighbor¬ 
hood had to be all shipped by rail to 
market, be it wheat, potatoes, apples, 
butter or any other line of produce. Let 
there be a published schedule of freight 
rates for all, say at 36 cents per hundred 
as in the oil case referred to; but let 
one of your neighbors, or a dealer, be 
able to get a special secret rate of nine 
cents per hundred. How long would it 
be before the favored shipper would be 
handling all the produce of that neigh¬ 
borhood? And if no one at other sta¬ 
tions on the road could get the special 
rate, how long would it be before this 
favored shipper would be handling all 
the farm produce of the road? We 
might go on and apply this condition to 
other roads, until our special shipper 
would be handling all the produce of the 
whole country through the special 
freight concessions of the different rail¬ 
roads and transportation companies. 
We might still go further and see how 
the special shipper, having a monopoly 
of the produce, would be able to advance 
prices to the consumer, and being the 
only customer for the producers keep the 
prices to them down to the lowest pos¬ 
sible cost of production, with little or no 
profit to the producer. This is the great 
power of the railroads to create a 
monopoly and to ruin an individual or 
company or even a whole community by 
discriminating freight rates or by failure 
to supply cars to move crops. The In¬ 
terstate Commerce Commission was in¬ 
tended to correct these abuses, but th£y 
go on as merrily as ever. A number of 
convictions have been made during the 
last year or two, and fines imposed, but 
a few fines will never stop the practice 
because the fines at best are only trifles 
compared to the profits as a whole. 
Under the law it is possible to send the 
offenders to jail, and if this were done 
it might check the abuse. We would 
'probably lose some of our admiration 
for the captains of finance and trust 
magnates, and hold them in less of awe, 
if we once saw them looking through 
prison bars. 
In 1906 I shipped milk to the Park 
Farm Dairy Co., 507 West 19th street, 
New Y T ork. In December of that year their 
check for $20.97 went to protest. I under¬ 
stood they failed at the time, but believe 
they are operating under a new name now. 
The treasurer of the company was .1. Dur- 
land. Is (here any chance of getting my 
money on the protested check? c. w. p. 
New York. 
We fear there is no chance of realiz¬ 
ing on this claim. We understand thdt 
the Valley Farm Dairy Co., 461 West 
25th street, is the successor of the de¬ 
funct company, but the little place was 
closed and no evidence of activity in a 
business way was evident, except a mail 
box for the receipt of mail. Even irre¬ 
sponsible, the new company would 
hardly redeem the check. We will fol¬ 
low it up, but have little hopes of suc¬ 
cess in a case of this kind. 
Enclosed find my renewal to The Rural. 
I would have been about $62.50 ahead 
through an investment if I had been a sub¬ 
scriber to your paper four or five years ago. 
My - subscription expires witli this week’s 
issue and be sure and send them all; 1 
keep them for reference later on. I think 
I can secure some subscriptions here. 
New York. l. e. m. 
We are sorry that this subscriber lost 
his $62.50 five years ago through a bad 
investment instigated by an advertise¬ 
ment. But he is on the right track now. 
Keep the issues of The R. N.-Y. for 
reference, and you will escape many of 
the bad investments. It will help to 
keep an index of the schemes to leave 
alone. The name of the concern, the 
year and page of paper are all you need, 
provided you keep a file of the paper. Of 
course this good friend can secure some 
new subscribers. Tell your neighbors 
about the paper, and if you can assure 
them, as this man does, that it saves him 
money, few will refuse 10 cents at least 
for a 10-weeks’ order. This is the best 
time of the whole year for this work. If 
you want the little envelopes, we will 
gladly send them. j. j. d. 
Novemberr 14, 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and 
a square deal.” See guarantee page 10. 
212-PAGE POULTRY BOOIC 
No poultry raiser can afford to miss reading our 
21U-Page Free Catalog—Illustrated with hundreds of 
pictures which help you to Make Money With Poul¬ 
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THE OLDEST FLOCK IN THE WORLD 
Sherman’s Large Strain li.P.Rocks. 32 years 
exclusive breeding for size,vigor, table quality, eggs. 
Ne>r biood from Me. Exp. Sta. 200 egg strain. 100 
choice cockerels 3 to 7 mos. $2 to $5; pullets $2. Hen 
batched, free range. W. A. Sherman, Vienna, Va. 
R. C. RHODE ISLAND REDS. 
200 good breeding and show cockerels at ?2 each 
and up. Privilege of return, at my expense. If not 
satisfactory. Sinclair Smith 603 Fifth St,, Brooklyn, N.Y 
S n WHIT*3 LEGHORN COCKERELS. 
i Ui Some very promising birds for sale at 
reasonable prices if ordered immediately. 
WHITE & KICK, Yorktown, New York. 
EMPIRE STATE S. C. WHITE LEGHORNS, 
May hatched cockerels and pullets from my best 
stock $1.00 each. Yearlings, heavy layers, $1.00 each. 
Catalog free. C. H. ZIMMER. Weedsport, N. Y. 
T HE AMF.RICAN PET STOCK COMPANY— Breeder*, 
Buyers aihI Shippers of all Breeds of Thoroughbred Dogs and 
Standard Bred Poultry. Choice Stock always For Sale. 5,000 
Early Hatched Pullets and Cockerels. Collins, Ohio. 
fan Alstyne’s S. and R.C.R.I. Reds. April 
hatched cockerels $2 to $6 and 50 yearling hens at 
I apiece. Kdw.Van Alstyne &Son.Kinderbook,N.Y. 
P oultrymen —Send 10c. for our 19( 9 Catalog, chock full of uacful 
Information. Pescriltca and illustrates 35 variation. Yon can’t 
afford to Ito without it. Kant Donegal Poultry Yards,Marietta,l’a. 
rnn Oil C—Choice Early Hatched Barred 
run OHLC and Buff P. Rocks, also White 
Wyandottes. Inspection Solicited. Price Reason¬ 
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__ Dll. S. C. MOYER. Lansdale, Pa. 
W P. Rock Cockerels, high grade stock, early 
■ hatched, fine vigorous birds: also a few K. C. 
Brown Leghorn Cockerels, a. s. Brian, Mt. Kisco, N.Y. 
B ronze Turkey.—Vigorous breeders. Eliminates race suicide. 
Mated positively unrelated. Bkrt McConnki.l, Llgonier,Ind. 
M ammoth Bronze and W. Holland Turkey*. Wyandotte, 
Leghorn and Rod Chickens. Choice 3tock, Low prices— 
Circular Free. FAIKV1EW FARM, Shrewsbury, Pa. 
C A| C—Fine Toulouse Geese. Two 
■ ^ & 200 Egg Incubators, good 
order. Will exchange for Pullets. Address 
E. A. BROWN, Chester, Vt. 
C OLLIE PUPS from imported Stock. Females 
cheap. NELSON BROS., Grove City, Pa. 
S COTCH COLLIES—Imported Champion Stock. Fine pups 
from $3.00 each lo $5.00. Also Berkshire hogs cheap, Im¬ 
ported Stock. IRA KELLER, Prospect, Ohio. 
4000 
FERRETS For Sale. Write for price list ami circular, 
It’s free. Dk KLEINE BROS., Box 42 , Jamcalown, Mich. 
prn n CTO raised in small lots, are strong 
rCfinE. I w and healthy. Warranted good rat 
and rabbit limiters. Prices reasonable. Address 
SHADY LAWN FERRET FARM, New London, O. 
How long* do your 
Farm Wagons last? 
You know what a farm wagon costs. You probably have had several 
wear out. How long do they last ? 
It is figured that the average life of a farm wagon is six years. 
Why? 
Because it is not kept painted. It wears out because it is exposed to 
the weather. 
A good farm wagon should last twenty years. It will last twenty years if 
it is painted once or twice a season and kept under cover all the time. It 
will not take more than one quart of Sherwin-Williams wagon and imple¬ 
ment paint to paint the wagon. It will not cost more than sixty cents for 
the paint, or twelve dollars for the entire twenty years that the farm wagon 
lasts through being painted. 
These facts are worth considering. They are all found in a little book 
entitled “Sherwin-Williams Paints and Varnishes for the Farm,’’ which 
tells all about Sherwin-Williams Paints, the best paints for the farm, how 
to use them and all the reasons why a farmer can make money by investing 
in paint. 
Sher win- Williams 
PRODUCTS FOR FARM USE 
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I — for prolonging the life of barns and other 
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Address all Inquiries to 635 Canal Road. /V. IV., Cleveland, Ohio. 
