674 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
On March 22, 1912, I sent an order to 
Clare J. Davidson of St. Moritz Farm, Ram¬ 
sey, N. J., for one Single Comb White Leg¬ 
horn male bird, accompanied by remittance 
of .$2. The bird when he arrived at the 
express station had every appearance of 
being at least four years old, no vigor, 
and the weight not to exceed three pounds. 
I immediately returned him. When the 
bird arrived at Ramsey, N. .7., Mr. David¬ 
son of the St. Moritz Farm refused to ac¬ 
cept him, contending that it was not the 
bird he shipped. a. b. w. 
Madison, Conn. 
It seems to us hardly probable that 
the bird shipped by the St. Moritz 
Farm and returned by this subscriber 
was taken out of the crate on the way 
and another one substituted in its place. 
We have endeavored to show the St. 
Moritz Farm the unreasonableness of 
their contentions. Our two latest let¬ 
ters have been ignored, and we are 
therefore making good to the sub¬ 
scriber ourselves for the price he paid 
for the bird plus the express charges. 
Needless to say the St. Moritz Farm 
will never have another opportunity to 
repeat the experience on our people 
with our consent. 
Gov. Dix has signed a bill authoriz¬ 
ing stock companies to issue stock with¬ 
out any designated par value. Under 
this law each share of stock will repre¬ 
sent a fractional part of the assets of 
the company as formerly, but it will not 
have any dollar marks. Dividends when 
declared will be for a fixed amount per 
share instead of being figured on a per 
cent of the par value as formerly. It 
is thought that the change will be to the 
advantage of inexperienced investors, 
and make it more difficult for the pro¬ 
moter to work off watered stock at al¬ 
leged bargain prices. When stock is 
marked $100 par, and offered for 100 
cents, it looked like a bargain, but it 
may not be worth 10 cents. On the 
other hand, if the investor realizes that 
his own share represents only one-tenth 
or one-hundredth, as the case may be, 
of the company, he may be more likely 
to find out what the assets of the com¬ 
pany are before parting with his money 
for a fractional part of it. It is an ex¬ 
periment that will be watched with in¬ 
terest. Anyway it is an attempt to cor¬ 
rect an evil. 
It is curious bow that man Lewis gets 
people to believe him. A couple of women 
in Brooklyn who sent him their money 
think him the most abused man in the 
world, and the reason he don’t make them 
rich is because of this abuse, observer. 
New York. 
Lewis bought Section V, University 
Heights, for $114,000 and sold it to the 
U. H. Realty and Development Co., of 
which he was himself president, for 
over $500,000, and the same day placed 
a mortgage on it for the selling price. 
The notes of this mortgage were sold 
to country people. Perhaps the Brook¬ 
lyn women got some. The notes now 
outstanding are approximately $534,- 
324.94. The property has just been ap¬ 
praised by experts appointed by the U. 
S. District Court, and the value fixed at 
$162,000, or less than one-third of the 
mortgage. That is the record. It has 
not been disputed. It cannot be suc¬ 
cessfully disputed. It is not the worst 
of the Lewis records by any means. 
But when some one will explain how an 
honest man can mortgage 30 cents 
worth of land for a dollar and make 
the investors rich, we will then tell you 
of some of the other gold-brick trans¬ 
actions. 
Will you please inform me through your 
paper as to the standing of the Independent 
Harvester Co., Plano, Ill.? They have an 
agent here selling stock. They manufac¬ 
ture all kinds of farm machinery. They 
promise to give all shareholders a discount 
on all purchases from the company. I am 
suspicious of the plan, but many of our 
prominent farmers are investing. We are 
working hard to get out of debt and se¬ 
cure a home for ourselves and little sons, 
and have no money to throw away. The 
agent promised that if any time the pur¬ 
chaser desired the stock would be repur¬ 
chased. (MRS.) M. H. p. 
Illinois. 
We have had many inquiries about 
this concern, and there have been some 
comments on it by other papers. We 
have heretofore expressed out word 
of caution. We can only repeat the 
word of warning now. 
The company is authorized to issue 
$10,000,000. Of this it seems $200,000 is 
seven per cent preferred cumulative, 
and $2,800,000 common. As near as 
we can understand it, this stock was 
practically all issued as promotion stock, 
for which no cash was paid. Then 
there are $7,000,000 of what is called 
machinery discount stock, which is the 
stock that is being sold to farmers, 
and something like two and a half mil¬ 
lions of this has been issued. How 
much of this is held by farmers we 
have no means of knowing. The com¬ 
pany was first organized in 1902 for 
$25,000 as the Kellogg Harvester Co. 
It was increased to $50,000, then to 
$200,000, again to $1,000,000, and finally 
to $10,000,000. During the process the 
name was changed to the Independent 
Harvester Co. 
Recently a firm of public accountants 
have examined the books and report 
that from the way the accounts have 
been kept they are unable to tell whether 
the business is run at a profit or at a 
loss. A new system of accounting has 
been suggested, and it will take another 
year to tell whether or not the business 
is on a paying basis. The assets are 
listed at over three millions, but that 
in itself means nothing, as the values 
of some of the items at least are prob¬ 
lematical. Patents, for example, may 
be listed as assets for any value the im¬ 
agination of the promoter may suggest. 
Two alleged inducements are offered 
farmers to invest in this stock. First, 
as a safe investment for his money and 
a profit on it; second, a cooperative ad¬ 
vantage in the privilege of buying im¬ 
plements and machinery at a discount. 
Let us look at the first. After 10 years 
of existence no profits have been paid, 
and the books are reported as kept un¬ 
der such a system that at best account¬ 
ants cannot tell whether the business 
is making or losing money. Certainly 
no one would contend that the first in¬ 
ducement, under these conditions, would 
be satisfactory to the mere novice in 
investments. How about the second ? 
True cooperation means that each per¬ 
son interested invests on the same basis 
as all the rest and shares profits in pro¬ 
portion to his investment or patronage. 
But here we find nearly a third of the 
stock issued to promoters and no cash 
paid for it, while those who are allured 
to the scheme by cooperative argu¬ 
ments are asked to pay $107 cash for 
each $100 share. The handle of that 
cooperative jug certainly seems to be on. 
one side. Besides the benefits from dis¬ 
counts on purchases may be real and 
again they may be imaginary. Every¬ 
body knows that 10 per cent or 15 per 
cent may be put under the paint on a 
machine in material or workmanship, 
or left out; and the purchaser will be 
none the wiser until he has tried it out 
or worn it out. A manufacturer de¬ 
pending on the independent judgment 
of the consumer knows that he must 
give fair value to hold trade. He has 
his own money invested, and a fa'ilure 
of patronage means ruin to him. On 
the other hand, a concern of this kind 
looks-confidently for the trade of those 
concerned in it, and for that very rea¬ 
son may not feel the necessity of qual¬ 
ity in the goods. Besides, it is not the 
money of the manufacturer that is at 
stake, but the money of the consumer. 
The manufacturer may say: '“Here are 
the goods. Take them at the price or 
leave them.” If j'ou don’t take them, 
the concern fails and your investment 
is lost. Is that a comfortable position 
for consumers ? 
From the above analysis it is evident 
that a concern of this kind depends not 
only on the ability of the management 
but on its good faith. That takes us 
up to the personality of the promoter, 
not to say speculation as to his suc¬ 
cessor. The dominant spirit in this con¬ 
cern has not been a manufacturer. He 
was in the bond dealing business in 
Chicago and was president of a com¬ 
pany which according to reports se¬ 
cured loans on bo..ds which were found 
later not to be adequate security for 
the loans, and it is said that the cred¬ 
itors lost $100,000. We have seen how 
a large bulk of this stock has been ab¬ 
sorbed for promotion purposes, and 
how the books have been kept not only 
to deny investors proper information, 
but so as to make it practically impos¬ 
sible for them to get reliable informa¬ 
tion. We are told, too, that there is 
no legal provision for the discount in 
purchases to stockholders, and that this 
feature may be withdrawn at any time; 
but as a matter of fact we do not at¬ 
tach much importance to this feature 
anyway. From the first the proposition 
carried all the earmarks of a stock 
promotion scheme rather than a manu¬ 
facturing enterprise, and these features 
have been consistently present during 
all the developments. It is not conceiv¬ 
able that any man with his own money 
in a factory would keep books so that 
he could not tell whether he was mak¬ 
ing or losing money in the business. If 
there is any other reason for keeping 
accounts in that way than to deceive 
creditors and investors we do not know 
what the other reasons are. 
Inasmuch as large sums of money 
seem to be already invested in this stock 
and also because the accountants seem 
to be uncertain of its present condi¬ 
tion and future possibilities, we have 
hesitated to discuss it publicly. But we 
are reminded that there are nearly. $5,- 
000,000 more of the stock to sell, and 
less than one-half that amount already 
sold. If they were willing to stop where 
they are and test out the proposition on 
its merits with present capital, The R. 
N.-Y. would await developments; but 
many farmers are looking and asking 
for information, and as long as the 
stock promoting feature is continued, it 
is their right to have the information, 
and the concern is a proper subject of 
discussion. Farmers who are already 
interested should insist that the stock 
promoting should at least stop until 
such times as the management demon¬ 
strates that the business is being oper¬ 
ated at a profit with the money already 
contributed. J. J. d. 
SWEDESBORO, N. J., BROILERS. 
New York City poultry receivers agree 
that South Jersey produces the best dressed 
poultry of any section in the country. 
Gloucester and Salem counties especially 
have established their reputations in this 
line. Camden and Burlington county 
farmers raise the capons which have made 
Philadelphia famous. In the two lower 
counties, however, broiler raising has met 
with the best success. Throughout this lo¬ 
cality a farm is hardly considered com¬ 
plete" unless a flock of from 200 to 500 
broilers are marketed annually. The method 
they use is about as follows: A cross of 
Light Brahmas and White Wyandottes is 
used, and the eggs are set from November 
to March. When the last lot of eggs is 
started in the incubators the hens are dis¬ 
posed of. From the youngsters a flock of 
from 100 to 200 nice pullets are saved for 
next year's stock. The rest are dry picked 
and marketed when they weigh from 1% to 
two pounds each. They net the farmers 
from 25 to 45 cents a pound. For a short 
period they often return a dollar apiece 
for two-pound chicks. They are all hatched 
in incubators and raised in many different 
styles of brooders. Some have pipe-heated 
long houses and some depend upon lamp- 
heated outdoor brooders. They save some 
of their earlv pullets and try to get them 
laying by October. By this system they 
find that their stock runs out or becomes 
depleted in vigor in four or five years. 
They hesitate to follow other breeders’ ex¬ 
amples, however, in only breeding from 
two-year-old hens, because the old fowls 
will not give them the eggs in the Fall and 
Winter when they need them. The condi¬ 
tions are nearly ideal for this business 
and no doubt have been largely responsible 
for the growth of the industry. The soil 
is a fertile sandy loam. The Winters are 
comparatively mild. The farmers have 
worked together a good deal, raising the 
same kind of chickens and marketing them 
through one of their own neighbors. In 
this way their product has earned its en¬ 
viable reputation. More perhaps than any¬ 
thing else that has a factor in their suc¬ 
cess has been the intelligence of the farm¬ 
ers themselves. They are wideawake, pro¬ 
gressive and eager to take up with any 
method of improvement. 
At a recent meeting of the Pomona 
Grange it was my good fortune to be present. 
I was interested in the programme. I ad¬ 
mired the smoothness and business-like way 
in which the meeting was carried on. More 
than all, however, when I stood outside 
and observed the members dispersing was I 
struck by their prosperity. Automobiles of 
the more modest but well-made types were 
numerous. Handsome carriages and fine 
horses were the rule. There were no 
“know-it-alls” there. On the contrary, they 
were all there to learn : to learn, from their 
neighbors, to learn from visitors from 
nearby counties and to discuss questions of 
interest from the outside 'world. Aspara¬ 
gus, sweet and ■white potatoes, Alfalfa and 
tomatoes are some of their money crops. 
Vetch is being used •with rye or wheat for 
green manuring, and few fields are left en¬ 
tirely bare all Winter. a. l. Clark. 
Roup; Selecting Breeders. 
Are salt air and occasional fogs detri¬ 
mental to chickens? Last season I pur¬ 
chased some W. P. Rock chicks from the 
drv climate of New Jersey, and they all 
died from the roup, while my other chicks 
horn here progressed nicely. w. L. H. 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 
The change of climate from New Jersey 
to Brooklyn, N. Y., ■would not affect the 
health of chicks. Possibly the stock from 
which the eggs came was roupy or had been, 
so that there was a tendency in the chicks 
to develop that disease; or they might 
have been kept in too close quarters, have 
got sweaty and caught colds which ran 
into roup. One of the things that poultry- 
men have to look out sharply for is the 
first sign of colds in their growing chicks. 
Wet nostrils are the first indication, and 
this must not be neglected. The best and 
easiest remedy is to put a level teaspoon¬ 
ful of permanganate of potash in a 12- 
quart pail of water, stir it up well—it will 
turn the water a wine color—and give the 
chicks nothing else to drink until there 
are no more wet nostrils. Usually enough 
potash remains in the bottom of the pail 
undissolved to be sufficient for the second 
pail of water. “Salt air and fogs” won’t 
hurt healthy chickens, no matter where 
the parent stock lived that laid the eggs. 
A wise old poultryman once said to me, 
“Anybodj can keep hens, but it requires 
an expert to raise chickens properly.’ 
There is lots of wisdom in the direction to 
“select your next year’s breeders when 
the chick's are 10 weeks old.” Pick out Che 
plumpest chicks, those that are reatheredf 
out best, that have the stoutest legs, mark 
them by slitting the web of the foot if you 
have no chick punch. You can tell the 
best ones easily now; when they are full 
grown you can’t tell which ones you would 
have selected if you had not marked them. 
I am coming more and more to believe 
that failure to select the breeding stock 
properly is the most important cause of 
lack of success in poultry keeping. 
GEO. A. COSGROVE. 
June 1, 
HOFFS %tl CHICKS 
SINGLE COMB WHITE LEGHORNS 
MATURE QUICKLY LAY EARLY 
BUY BABY CHICKS AND AVOID WORRY AND LOSS 
I have my own pens of breeding stock, carefully bred 
for large egg production as well as exhibition purposes. 
For twenty years I have given special attention to a 
Strain that develops and matures early so as to come 
into laying in the fewest possible number of days. That 
is why my May and June hatched chicks do so well. This 
year they are especially desirable because of the late 
Spring, which has hindered so many who depend on 
hens and small incubators. 
Head what one of my customers writesofmy baby chicks: 
The chicks that I bought of you last Spring 
are giving close to 70<i egg production this 
month, December, when ** eggs are eggs.’* 
They seem to take great delight in laying. 
R. V. Rex, Uniontown, Pa. 
We guarantee to fill all orders with properly hatched, 
vigorous chicks, that will improve your flock, or start 
you right in the poultry business. All chieksare hatched 
in a 6,600 egg mammoth and 15 sand tray Prairie State 
incubators with perfectly sanitary surroundings, and 
receive the benefit of my twenty-three years’ experience 
in artificial incubation. 
HATCHING EGGS FOR SALE. I have for sale S. C. White 
Leghorn eggs of highest fertility. SI.50 per 15; S6.00 per 100. 
I would like to send you my illustrated booklet and 
low prices on “ vitality ” Chicks of QUALITY. Write 
me and you will not be disappointed. 
D. C. R. HOFF, Lock Box 115, NESHANIC STATION. N. J. 
Farm Bred Poultry 
OF SHOW QUALITY 
Barred Rocks Partridge Cochins 
White Rocks Partridge Wyandottes 
SOO Selected Birds in Our Breeding Yards 
CftftQ $1.50, $2.00 and $3.00 per setting:. 
LUuO $7.50 to $15.00 per hundred 
MINCH BROS. 
BRIDGETON, N. J. 
IVlacKellar’s Charcoal 
For Poultry is best. Coarse or fine granulated, also 
powdered. Buy direct from largest manufacturers ol 
Charcoal Products. Ask for prices and samples. Est. 18Q 
R. MacKELLAR’S SONS CO„ Peekskill,N. Y. 
KtftS PARTRIDGES I PHEASANTS 
Capercailzies, Black Game, Wild Turkeys, Quails, 
Rabbits, Deer, etc., for stocking purposes. Fancy 
Pheasants, Peafowl, Cranes, Storks, Beautiful 
Swans, Ornamental Geese and Ducks, Foxes, 
Squirrels, Ferrets, and all kinds of birds and 
animals. Send four cents for illustrated descriptive 
circulars. WENZ & MACKENSEN, Dept. 10, Pheasantrj 
and Game Park, Yardley, Pa. 
RARRFD RnfKS~ E ® s from fiee range, fine 
DAIUVLD IV.UL.fYD Urge, utility chickens. 
Breeding stock from hen-liatched free range chick¬ 
ens, 9 O 56 fertility guaranteed— $4.50 hundred, 75c. 
setting. EUGENE 0. HALL, Doe Run, Chester County, Pa. 
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN 
Leghorns, Rhode 
PRIZE-WINNING STRAINSwh?te d 
dottes, Barred Pocks, Eggs $1.50—15; Imported 
Light and Dark Brahmas, Eggs $2.50—15. Catalog 
gratis. F. M. PRESCOTT, Riverdale, N. J. 
S. C.W, LEGHORN BARY CHICKS 
Youngs Strain, $12 per 100—Eggs, $5 per 100 
F. B. GARNSEY -:- CLAYTON, N. Y. 
EGGS FOR HATCHING ^ 
lific laying strain of S. C. W. LEGHORNS—$6.00 
per 100. Limited number of eggs from extra choice 
matings of W. P. Rocks, W. Wyandottes and W. 
Orpingtons—$2.00 per 15. Ninety per cent fertility 
and safe delivery of all orders guaranteed. A trial 
order will convince you. EVERGREEN POUL¬ 
TRY FARM, Chappaqna, Westchester Co., N. Y. 
INDIAN RUNNERS-White Eggs Only 
First-class Eggs for Hatching from fawn and white, 
pencilled, and English Walton strains. All stock 
is pure, vigorous and prolific. Breeders kept under 
natural conditions, produce eggs that hatch, thrive 
and grow. Baby Duck culture free with egg order. 
Write for prices and Free Mating List. 
C IIJERRY HILL FARM....Pittstown, N. J. 
CHICKS and HATCHING EGGS 
FROM THE FOLLOWING SELECTED BREEDERS 
S. C. W. Leghorns Barred Plymouth Recks 
S. C. R. I. Reds 
BONNIE BRAE POULTRY FARM.NEW ROCHELLE. N. Y. 
BIG ROUEN and INDIANS^! 
Barred Plymouth Rocks and Rose Comb Black 
Minorcas. Eggs from Madison Square Garden, 
I’aterson and Morristown winners. $3 per 15, $5 
per 30. CLARK FARM, Boonton, New Jersey. 
C USTOM HATCHING—S3.00 a compartment in our HALL 
MAMMOTH INCUBATORS. Each compartment holds 150 
epos. S. C. W. Leghorn Hatching Eggs (or sale—SI .50 per 
setting; S6.00 per hundred. S. C. W. Leghorn DAY-OLD 
CHICKS—SI5.00 per hundred; S130 per thousand. See our 
Swine ad. MAPLE GLEN POULTRY FARM. MILLERTON, N.Y. 
R l DtnC-GREAT REDUCTION IN PRICE FOR 
■ la IfkUO FINE BREEDING AND SHOW STOCK 
Eggs from Exhibition Stock at half price. Baby 
Chicks from Exhibition and Utility Stock. Write 
your wants. SEAMAN 8 B0GERT, Port Washington, L. I. 
R. I. Reds, Houdans, Indian Runner Ducks 
High-class stock for UTILITY, SHOW or EX¬ 
PORT. Eggs for hatching. Mating list on request. 
SINCLAIR SMITH, Southold, Suffolk Co., N. Y. 
Maple Cove Poultry Farms Athens, Pa. 
Eggs and Baby Chicks from mature breeders of 
exhibition quality, in S. C. White Leghorns, Wyan¬ 
dottes, Rocks & Emden Geese; R.I. Reds, P.Cochins, 
B. Rocks and B. Leghorns. Breeders at all times. 
WRITE FOR OUR 
PRICES ON 
DAY-OLD CHIX 
WITH FIRELESS 
BROODER INCLUDE!! 
PROMPT DELIVERY CATALOGUE FREE 
TAYLOR’S POULTRY YARDS, LYONS. N. Y. 
Dfllll TRYMFN —Seml 2c stamp for Illustrated 
■ WUL 1111 men Catalog describing 35 varieties. 
EAST DONEGAL POULTRY YARDS MARIETTA, PA. 
HOGS and P0ULTRY-S“g5S„ p £ 
ner Duck Eggs, White and Brown Leghorn Eggs 
of best strains, Bred Berkshire Sows and Pigs. 
CHERRY HILL FRUIT FARM, Toboso, Licking County, Ohio. 
RaVtv S. C. W. Leghorns, Barred 
Daoy ^niCKS Roc k s , r. <j. Reds. Strong, 
livable. From vigorous, thoroughbred, range 
breeders. Safe delivery guaranteed. Circular 
free. WESLEY GRINNELL, Sodus, N. Y. 
