•746 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
The Auto Press Company, having 
failed to get consent to an increase of 
stock, is now offering bonds to take 
care of current obligations. If you re¬ 
member the advertisement at the time 
you bought the stock you may wonder 
what has become of the big profits that 
were to be made. 
If our government would jail a few fel¬ 
lows like E. G. Lewis, it would be a 
mighty good thing for people who have not 
sense enough to keep them money at home. 
Oregon. G. H. B. 
That is true and tersely expressed; 
but how many of us have escaped a 
“gold brick” some time in our life? 
Some very shrewd business men get 
caught on these promotion schemes; 
and Lewis was particularly alluring be¬ 
cause he was sharp enough to base it 
• all on land values, which appeal to 
most people. 
It is announced that Hamptons and 
Columbian Magazines and other publi¬ 
cations from St. Louis, controlled by 
Frank Orff, are to be combined in one 
$4,000,000 company with offices in New 
York. The Columbian and Hamptons 
have been selling stock to subscribers, 
and it is intimated that the dear public 
is to have an opportunity to invest its 
cash in the new combination. The 
allurements have a familiar St. Louis 
tone. The old investors will probably 
have the privilege of changing the old 
certificates for new ones. Such ex¬ 
changes are the usual thing in this style 
of finance. The rising anger of dupes 
must be allayed by new sugar-coated 
sedatives. We hope our people will 
leave romantic publishers to finance 
their own hazards. 
Five months ago we sent you a razor on 
30 days’ free trial, and trusted you to re¬ 
turn the razor or value of same. Your 
name was suggested to us by one of our 
customers, as being a responsible person, 
and one to be trusted, and we are still in¬ 
clined to think the matter of non-payment 
is an oversight, which you will rectify with¬ 
out further trouble. We will not write you 
again on this subject, but we will certainly 
not allow the matter to drop, and unless 
we receive your remittance or the return 
of the razor within 20 days the entire case 
will be placed in other hands for further 
and more forceful action. Trusting the 
matter has been an oversight, and that we 
will not be forced to adopt this course, 
which will mean costs and trouble to you 
w'e remain, 
Chicago, Ill. THE VICTOR RAZOR CO. 
We print the above as a very good 
sample of bluff which was recently re¬ 
ceived by a Connecticut farmer. As 
intimated, the razor was sent him 
without either his knowledge or con¬ 
sent. The farmer is not even respon¬ 
sible for safe keeping of goods so re¬ 
ceived, and is under no obligation 
whatever to spend his time or his 
money in returning it. Let them come 
and get it or send advance payment for 
time and expense of repacking and 
shipping. 
Some time last Fall an agent of L. P. 
Gunson & Co., Rochester, N. Y., took my 
order for 30 pounds seed corn and one 
bushel early seed potatoes. lie said the 
seed would arrive in plenty of time for 
planting, and that arrangement had been 
made with a local man to act as dis¬ 
tributor. On May 11 I was notified by 
’phone that the seed was there. I went for 
it that same evening. The potatoes had 
been frozen, were soft and I refused them 
and told the distributor to have the po¬ 
tato order cancelled. The corn 1 took and 
paid for. The distributor said the seed had 
arrived some days back, but that he was 
waiting a list of the purchasers from the 
company. They then sent on a new order 
of the potatoes; but it is, of course, too 
late for early potatoes, and I refused them. 
Now they are trying to collect for the po¬ 
tatoes. I inclose you their last letter. 
What shall I do? Can they collect from 
me? I do not want any trouble, but do 
not want to pay any such price for early 
seed at this late date. The corn is the 
xxirest I have ever seen offered for seed. 
do not think over 50 per cent, of it will 
make a stand. h. b. n. 
New York. 
We asked Messrs. Gunson & Co. for 
an explanation of this threat to make 
trouble for a customer under such cir¬ 
cumstances. They deny that they had 
an order to cancel the order, but ad¬ 
mit that the shipment was frozen, but 
fail to give any substantial reason for 
the threat to make trouble and “costs.” 
The cost of the order for one-half bushel 
corn and one bushel of potatoes was 
$5.50. If this company is putting out 
any genuine new varieties the horticul¬ 
tural world is in blissful ignorance of 
the fact. But this correspondent has 
nothing to do and nothing to fear. The 
company would have a sweet time col¬ 
lecting any such bill. No firm would 
think of putting through such a transac¬ 
tion with another business house; but 
some people think any kind of a bluff 
good enough to scare a remittance out 
of a farmer. We want farmers, like 
everyone else, to meet their just obliga¬ 
tions honestly and fairly. We would 
have no reverence for a defaulter or a 
crook just because he happened to be a 
tiller of the soil, but we want honest 
farmers to know their rights, and to 
fight for them if necessary. We want 
concerns who make a practice of tak¬ 
ing their own time and their own way 
about filling orders to understand that 
they cannot bluff farmers into payment 
of unjust demands by a circular letter 
threatening “trouble.” Good houses 
don’t do it; and others will find the 
method barren of results. 
After writing you about our experience 
with the lightning rod agent, I heard of a 
Genesee County owner who had given a 
similar order to the same agent, the price 
to be .$8. After giving the order he became 
suspicious, and took it to Attorney San¬ 
ford Church, Albion, N. Y. lie discovered 
what he called “a joker” in the order, and 
that it really figured out .$317.50 instead 
of $8 as it was written out and as the 
owner understood it. The lawyer sent can¬ 
cellation of the order to the agent at Troy, 
N. Y., and to the St. Ixiuis Lightning Itod 
Co., St. Louis, Mo. The Troy letter was 
returned, and the St. Louis company wrote 
the owner that they did not accept cancel¬ 
lations. Mr. Church answered that and 
nothing has been heard since. An attempt 
was made to deliver the material, but the 
owner refused to accept it and they went 
away with it. I gave Lawyer Church my 
order for the same treatment. Instead of 
$10, he found it figured up $200. There is 
a price list on the order and it is the balls, 
points, etc., with measurement of rod that 
figure up and increase the cost of the order. 
I have since read of another Orleans 
County owner who had a similar ex¬ 
perience, and turned it over to Mr. Church. 
1 have not heard of any case where they at¬ 
tempted to collect. F. c. H. 
New York. 
This clears up the doubt in the pre¬ 
vious reference to this case. It would 
seem from this that the agent acted on 
behalf of the St. Louis house. The fail¬ 
ure to leave any address was probably a 
precaution on the part of the agent. We 
do not expect any serious attempt to 
enforce such contracts. It would make 
a very interesting court record if they 
did. There are legitimate responsible 
houses in this business as in other lines, 
but reliable houses do not send agents 
through the country taking orders un¬ 
der the pretense that the work is deliv¬ 
ered at a tenth of the regular cost on a 
fake plea of advertising the goods. 
These agents will hardly be invited to 
dinner by the Rural family. 
Id October, 1909, one R. W. Tryon, ac¬ 
companied by Mr. Schiebe of tbe commis¬ 
sion firm of Schiebe Brothers, 847 Ran¬ 
dolph St., Chicago, Ill., came to my place 
and bought my apples in the orchards by 
the barrel. The bill amounted to $91.95. 
Schiebe bought the barrels of Kehl Brothers 
of Northport to the amount of $194, and 
they were removed by Tryon. Schiebe 
Brothers also bought other apples in the 
neighborhood and Tryon packed and ship¬ 
ped them. He also gave orders on A. F. 
Anderson, the local postmaster, on Schiebe 
Brothers’ account for different purposes, 
and in some cases at least these orders 
were honored by Mr. Anderson. Tryon 
makes the sworn statement that he was 
Schiebe Brothers’ agent and all of the ap¬ 
ples from our orchard were shipped by 
Tryon to Schiebe Brothers. Tryon gave 
me an order on Mr. Anderson for my ap¬ 
ples with the request that I hold it for 
a few days until he heard from Schiebe 
Bros. When I presented the order Mr. 
Anderson refused to cash it, as he said 
there was no money on deposit to meet 
it. Several of my neighbors had a similar 
experience with Tryon, and made some at¬ 
tempt to collect through legal process, and 
failed. H. von H. 
Michigan. 
Schiebe Brothers make the contention 
that this A. W. Tryon was not their 
agent, but shipped to them on com¬ 
mission. It is evident, however, that 
Mr. Schiebe accompanied Tryon in the 
purchase of apples in this neighborhood, 
and that he arranged to have orders 
drawn by Tryon on their account 
against Postmaster Anderson, as there 
seemed to be no banking facilities in the 
place, and several people expressed 
themselves as willing to testify that 
Tryon represented himself as the agent 
of Schiebe Brothers. This is another 
case where the producers seem to have 
been a little slack in the matter of de¬ 
tails. Before parting with the apples to 
an agent without responsibility, the ship¬ 
per should first have an acknowledg¬ 
ment from Schiebe Brothers that Tryon 
was recognized as their agent and in 
addition to that they ought to have a 
rating for Schiebe Brothers so as to 
know their responsibility for the ship¬ 
ment. We, of course, have no magic 
power to collect claims of this kind. 
Technically at least Schiebe Brothers 
would escape responsibility through the 
law, and Tryon not being financially 
responsible, there is absolutely nothing 
that can be done except to use the in¬ 
cident as a warning to avoid transac¬ 
tions of the kind in the future, j, j. d. 
HOW DO LARGE POULTRY KEEPERS 
SELECT LAYERS ? 
This is our standard. In the Fall wo 
select the most forward pullets with 
good yellow legs, not too beefy combs, 
long over the back, tail at a good slant, 
and the plumage good and white. This 
gives hens that get the habit of starting 
to lay early, consequently we get eggs 
when they are high. These pullets are 
kept in the laying pens the first Winter, 
and if any do not show a tendency to 
go right on and lay, which is told by 
the comb not developing and reddening 
up, they are taken out and the band re¬ 
moved so they will not be put in breed¬ 
ing pens when the remainder are sold 
the following Fall. We do not examine 
the pelvis bone and other things as some 
writers tell you to do, but by following 
these rules we have got an average of 
136 eggs per hen for 360 days from 
1500 hens. This included our breeding 
stock of 300 hens which were held in 
check up until February 1, and conse¬ 
quently this pulled our average down 
on the 1200 pullets in our laying pens. 
If a man (or woman) will go into the 
flock of chickens and use a little judg¬ 
ment and select hens to their own idea 
they will come nearer getting good lay¬ 
ers than following all the rules ever set 
for selecting layers, as chickens are just 
in my opinion like people; no two will 
come under the same set of rules. Of 
course they are supposed to select the 
hens that show to be nearer the right 
proportion and the trimmest. In fact I 
always look for a hen that is full of life 
and pretty, and invariably get a hen that 
will lay eggs. I have now 3200 chicks 
from two days to five weeks old, all 
doing nicely, have installed a brooder 
which is supposed to take care of 1500 
chicks, but for a trial put 700 in it, and 
am meeting so far with fair success. 
West Virginia. d. b. m’neill. 
MARKETS FOR INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS. 
On page 696 is an article, “Truth and 
Indian Runner Ducks,” by Geo. E. Howell, 
Orange Co., N. Y., which interests me very 
much. Mr. Howell says, “As a market fowl 
I do not see why they should be expected 
to compete with the hen on the egg ques¬ 
tion.” May I ask why they should not? 
Breeders who are booming the Indian Run¬ 
ner tell us they lay as many or more eggs 
than hens, that the eggs are larger and as 
delicate in flavor as hen’s eggs; that they 
bring more per dozen than hen’s eggs, and 
where permitted to range pick a goodly por¬ 
tion of their living. With all these things 
to their credit, it seems to me they ought 
to make “Biddy” hustle to win the laurel. 
If Indian Runner duck eggs cost no more 
to produce than hen’s eggs why should they 
be expected to bring a higher price than 
hen’s eggs except on the basis of size and 
quality, and thus place them out of reach 
of the masses? 
Mr. Howell says further: “They do ma¬ 
ture early, three to four pounds each, not 
heavy enough for a market duck for gen¬ 
eral consumption.” Here again may I ask, 
why not? Are there not thousands of hens 
and chickens consumed that do not weigh 
more than three to four pounds? Would 
not the masses be glad to try a “delicious” 
duck for a change if it could be bought at 
the same price as hens? Is the trouble 
really with the size or quality of the Indian 
Runner or is it that consumers have never 
had an opportunity to purchase them and 
test their merits with other poultry. It 
seems to me that on the solution of this 
question rests the future of Indian Runner 
duck business; for the keeping of them 
just to sell eggs for hatching and home 
consumption, cannot go on indefinitely, nei¬ 
ther can each producer “create” a market 
for his individual surplus; there must be 
a general market demand, as for other 
poultry and they must stand as a class by 
themselves in the market. 
I have no personal knowledge of the 
quality of duck of any kind or of their eggs, 
and this is my first season with the Indian 
Runner, but so well am I pleased with 
them, that could I be assured of a market 
for all I could produce at the same price 
as chickens bring, I would quickly substi¬ 
tute them for hens altogether. I have 
three lots of ducklings from different breed¬ 
ers. The first lot of 10 are now 10 weeks 
old, large, fine looking birds, and it has 
cost only 22 cents each to bring ‘them to 
market size. At 20 cents per pound, the 
price we receive for chickens, you see there 
would be a neat profit, and the cost of pro¬ 
duction could be very materially reduced, 
for we bought all feed anti paid high prices ; 
bran, $1.70 per 100; eornmeal, $1.65 per 
96 pounds ; beef scrap, $3 per 100 ; Alfalfa, 
$2. Now, if the old breeders of the Indian 
Runner will combine efforts and find or 
create a market for the meat and eggs there 
will be a firm foundation for a truly pleas¬ 
ant and profitable and healthful business 
that will distance the hen, ultimately, as 
a food supply, in my estimation, if breeders 
are telling us the truth. I have been in¬ 
vestigating the market in New York and 
Boston and find that it is the white duck 
egg that commands a premium; therefore 
beginners should be sure to ascertain the 
color of a breeder’s eggs and also the aver¬ 
age egg production of the flock. Whether 
they are prize winners or not is of less 
importance. I bought eggs from a prize¬ 
winning strain, and I doubt if there is a 
bird among the lot that is marked evenly 
enough to take a prize, and yet they are 
fine looking to an unobservant eye. I real¬ 
ize now that one might hatch a hundred 
ducks from a prize-winning flock and not 
get a prize winner. Therefore it seems to 
me that the sooner the Indian Runner 
breeders secure recognition in the market 
of the merit of the Indian Runner products 
the better. jennie p. wells. 
North Carolina. 
July 8, 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
Make All Kinds of 
Cheese At Kerne 
Newly Invented Complete 
Cheese - Making Outfit Puts 
Every Farmer in the Cheese 
Business—Big Profits Made 
Right At Home! 
It is no longer necessary for Farmers to buy 
Btore cheese at a high price, or sell their milk to 
the Cheese Trust at a low price. A clever inven¬ 
tor has perfected a Complete Cheese-Making 
Outfit which enables every Farmer to make either 
a soft, rich, granular, or American Cheddar 
cheese right at home either for his own con¬ 
sumption or for sale to Dealers. 
Outfit consists of the following: One Cheese 
Press, One Horizontal Curd Knife, One Perpen¬ 
dicular Curd Knife, One Dairy Thermometer, 
One Bottle Rennett Extract, One Bottle Col¬ 
oring Matter and One Mold. This Complete 
Cheese-Making Outfit is sold direct from factory 
to farm at one small profit over actual cost to 
manufacture. It is Bimple, inexpensive, easily 
operated and pays for itself in a very short time. 
Capacity of this Outfit is from 25 to 40 quarts, 
making a cheese weighing from eight to ten 
pounds. With milk selling around 80 and 90 cents 
per hundred, any Farmer can save about one- 
third of the price he pays for store cheese, and 
at the same time have an outlet for either his 
whole or skimmed milk. Thi3 excellent home¬ 
made cheese sells readily to the Dealer at a big 
profit, either for cash or in exchange for goods. 
This wonderful Complete Cheese-Making Outfit 
is manufactured by the Holland Sporting Goods 
Mfg. Co., Dept. E Holland, Mich. Every Farmer 
should write them for full description of the Out¬ 
fit, prices, etc., and exact directions telling how 
to make cheese at a profit right on the farm. 
RIFE 
RAM 
/'RtFrlM RAM i 
A Water Supply 
solves many farm troubles. 
Have plenty of water with- 
out pumping expense or 
bother—just install an auto¬ 
matic Rife Ram. Raises water 
30 ft. for each foot of fall—no 
trouble or pumping expense. 
Satisfaction guaranteed. 
Booklet, plans, estimate. Free. 
Rife Engine Co, 2429 rinity Bdg„ H.Y, 
Farmers and Poultrymen. 
You must not blamo us if occasionally our en¬ 
thusiasm bubbles over when speaking of our cus¬ 
tom hatching department as carried on by our 
experts in our mammoth hot water incubator. 
Results are showing people all over the country 
that we know our business by saving them time, 
worry and money, and giving them stronger chicks 
than the old hen or kerosene oil fume incubators 
ever did. You send us the eggs—we’ll do the rest— 
do it right and send you the chicks. Write for in¬ 
formation and prices, anyway. 
MAPLE GLEN POULTRY FARM, Millerton, N. Y. 
ennn Single-Combed White Leghorns, Barred 
Oil IIII Plymouth Rocks, Imperial Pekin Ducks, 
Bronze Turkeys and Guinea Hens at 
right prices. Yearlings, pullets, cocks or cockerels. 
Order at once for best selections. Largest success¬ 
ful poultry plant in the vicinity of New York City. 
Agents Cyphers’ Incubators. 
BONNIE BRAE POULTRY FARM New Rochelle, N. Y. 
SINGLE COMB WHITE LEGHORNS 
Choice lot Yearling Hens, Early Pullets and Cock¬ 
erels; any quantity at attractive prices; bred-to-lay 
kind. SUNKY HILL FARM. Fleminoton. N. J 
RABY CHICKS—Single Comb White Leghorns. 
Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds, 9c and 12c each. 
Strong and livable. From vigorous free range stock, 
bred for utility and standard qualities. Safe delivery 
guaranteed. WESLEY GR1XNELL, Sodus. N. Y. 
Buff, Wh. Leghorns, Mottled Anconas, 8. C. K.I Red. 
Eggs, 90c. per 15, $1.50 per 30. $2.75 per 00, $4 per 100. 
Catalogue free. JOHN A. ROTH, Quakertown, Pa. 
RARY 0 U I PKC SINGLE COMB WHITE LEGHORNS; 
DHD I UniUlxO Young’s Strain direct; best 
in the world; 2,000 Breeders; Chicks. $9.00 per 100 
during July: from free range stock; chicks that do 
nothing hut live and grow. Safe arrival guaranteed 
My book, "Profits in Poultry Keeping Solved,” free 
with every 100 chick order. Circular free. 
BRIGGS’ BABY CHICK FARM. Pleasant Valley, New York 
BABY CHICKS, 8k. S£i SSttt 
C. White Leghorns in any quantity. Safe arrival 
guaranteed. Circulars free. CHAS. R. STONE, Baby 
Chicken Farm, Staatsburg-on-Hudson, N. Y. 
DAVIS S. C. REDS 
BABY CHIX 
$12.50 PER lOO BALANCE OF SEASON 
Full count and safe delivery guaranteed. 
DAVIS POULTRY FARM, Berlin, Mass. 
Rose Comb Reds-Indian Runner Ducks 
High-class breeders and young stock for show, 
utility and export. May return at my expense if not 
satisfactory. Sinclair Smith, Southold, Suffolk Co., N. Y. 
T HE FARMER'S FOWL— Rose Comb Reds, best winter 
layers on earth. Eggs, $1.00 per 15. Catalogue 
free. THOS. WILDER, Route 1, Richland, N. Y. 
Indian Runner Rucks, $4 per pair, from 260-egg strain. 
Eggs, $1.00 and §2.00 per 12. C. GORDON, Sprakers, N. Y. 
PRIZE WINNING STRAINS ! &Tf t d 0 
dottes, Rhode Island Reds, both combs, Single 
Comb White and Brown Leghorns, eggs $1.60, 15; 
$7.00, 100. Light and Dark Brahmas, $2.00, 15. Cat¬ 
alog gratis. F. M. PRESCOTT, Riverdale, N. J. 
We Will Sell -for$2 00forheiisanii $2 00to ^ 5 - 00 
»»e tini veil f or one-year-old cockerels—our 
surplus breeding stock of Partridge Cochins. Barred 
Rocks, White Rocks, Partridge Wvandottes. 
MINCH BROS. . R-3 . Bridgeton, N. J. 
Pfllll TRYMFN -Dont fail t0 secure Stock and 
lUULI n I IT I L ll Kggs at our reduced prices. 
EAST DONEGAL POULTRY YARDS, Marietta, Pa. 
q n EGGS $1.00—Leading varieties, 62 breeds. Prize Poul- 
L U try, Pigeons, Hares, etc. Booklet free. 1 -arge illus¬ 
trated descriptive Catalog 10c. F. G. WILE, Telford, Pa. 
Hunn Lake Poultry Farm ,£• 
WhiteWyandotte Chicks, $12 per 100. Eggs.*Dper 1 00 
