©66 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September 14, 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
We are constantly receiving letters 
addressed to this department, the writer 
signing only initials or assumed names. 
We never print the name of a corre¬ 
spondent without his or her consent; 
but we can take no notice of anonymous 
communications. Any subscriber whose 
inquiry has not been answered will find 
the explanation in the above statement. 
I enclose a letter from Geo. F. Cole, 62 
Fulton street, Boston, Mass. I tbink he 
is the man who beat shippers last year. 
Maine. a. s. t. 
This is the same Geo. F. Cole. He 
is making the same offers now that he 
made then. We had numerous com¬ 
plaints, some of which are still unset¬ 
tled. Our last advice was that he had 
been arrested for using the mails in a 
scheme to defraud. His record is not 
encouraging and we hope none of our 
people will be caught this time. 
Will you help me -with a claim I have 
against the American Express Company for 
a parcel which they lost in transit? It 
was sent from Charlotte, N. Y., on August 
16, 1911, and contained a jacket and some 
material to be made up. One of my 
brother-in-law’s drivers handed it to the 
agent at Charlotte, but did not give any 
value. He, however, took a receipt with 
“Value $1” written on it. The parcel is 
evidently lost and I am claiming for the 
real value, $22.50. Can 1 get it? The 
contents were worth between $20 and $30. 
I would be obliged if you would give me 
your opinion. B. v. T. 
Pennsylvania. 
We took the claim up and worked on 
it from October, 1911 until August, 
1912, when the claim of $22.50 was 
paid. The contention of the express 
company was that because the declared 
valuation as it appeared on the express 
receipt was $1 they were not responsible 
for a greater amount. The shipper, 
however, did not authorize the dollar 
valuation and was clearly entitled to 
redress. It was well worth the time we 
put on it in the way of satisfaction in 
not letting express companies have their 
own way in matters of this kind. 
I enclose a bill for peaches furnished 
A. Sherman, York, Pa., which I am unable 
to collect, and can get no reply to letters 
sent him. He paid no attention to the 
draft 1 made on him. Mr. Sherman has 
been buying peaches of me several years, 
paying cash, and did the same last year, 
but toward the end of the season he or¬ 
dered by postal card instead of letter, 
which l' thought suspicious but still be¬ 
lieved he was honest, and he caught me 
for the amount of this bill, $33.50. He has 
market stalls in several market places in 
York. Anything you can do for me will be 
appreciated. We had so few peaches this 
year I cannot afford to lose it. a. l. t. 
Maryland. 
We were unable to get any response or 
adjustment from Mr. Sherman and are 
giving this experience for the benefit 
of other subscribers as the peach ship¬ 
ping season is again at hand. 
The inclosed came to me and since some 
of the force at your office or at Hope 
Farm may be “off” hearing I send it. I 
do not hear as well as some, although I 
hear too much, and they have me on the 
“list.” Not the sucker yet, but I have 
received persuasives about all the appli¬ 
ances, mechanical, electrical and liquid, 
and now comes this woman (?) from Troy 
who has interest in me enough to squan¬ 
der the postage and print. If you have 
time to read her, you will find she tried 
everything for herself. If space is too 
plenty you can help your readers by telling 
them where they can get this stuff. 
Ohio. * w. w. R. 
This is one of the “deafness cures” 
which go floating about the country. “A 
Woman’s Story” is a little pamphlet 
said to be written by a benevolent crea¬ 
ture who was almost miraculously 
“cured” of deafness. She had tried 
everything—every appliance and remedy 
—spent a small fortune, all to no pur¬ 
pose, and finally gave up in despair. 
Then, of course, by chance, she heard, 
of a wonderful but simple remedy 
which worked the usual miracle. She 
could hear! Now she wishes to give 
her miraculous story to the world, and 
so she gives the prescription, which you 
can have filled “at any drug store.” 
When you go to the drug store, how¬ 
ever, you find that one ingredient can¬ 
not be supplied! You must go to a 
certain place to find it. And therein 
lies the little “joker” found in all these 
benevolent cures. It is simply a shrewd 
dodge to get you to buy some common 
drug at a big price. The scheme has 
been worked many times and usually 
with great profit to the druggist. It is 
quite easy to separate money from the 
deaf. Those who cannot hear carry a 
heavy burden, and unless they are true 
philosophers grasp quickly at such allur¬ 
ing bait. There is no hope for them 
in any such “remedy,” for if there were 
every family doctor would be only too 
glad to use it. These “remedy” fakers 
are the meanest of all and the hardest 
to fight, for they play upon the hopes 
and fears of the discouraged and wor¬ 
ried. 
On November 3, 1911, I shipped Klein 
Brothers, Newark, N. J., 12 bunches of cel¬ 
ery which should have brought about $4.80. 
I have written them several times and have 
heard nothing from them and it is over six 
weeks. Please look into this matter. 
New Jersey. a. j. b. 
We wrote Klein Brothers and they 
replied promptly the error was made by 
their bookkeeper and they were send¬ 
ing check to subscriber at once. Sub¬ 
scriber reports returns were sent him 
amounting to 62 cents. We have other 
reports where shippers were obliged to 
wait months for returns, and finally had 
to make the trip to Newark in order to 
get the money. Still another case came 
to our attention of a car of peaches for 
which returns were made far below 
their value on the ground that the 
peaches were not in an iced car and the 
transportation company was at fault. 
The railroad reports that Klein Broth¬ 
ers absolutely refused to allow any ex¬ 
amination of their records with a view 
of verifying the loss sustained. The 
railroad contended that if the loss was 
as great as stated no experienced house 
would receipt for the goods in good 
order. 
You are doing us farmers a double duty 
•—helping us make more money; conse¬ 
quently to live happier and more con¬ 
tentedly, and then you also help us keep 
out of the swindler's grasp. w. n. h. 
Ohio. 
The advice that will keep farmers out 
of the clutches of the schemers who 
are trying to rob him of his hard- 
earned money is of equal service to 
that which enables him to make more 
money. 
September 20, 1911, I bought a load of 
baled Alfalfa hay from the Nebraska-Colo- 
rado Company, Kearney, Nebraska. The 
car was to contain 25,900 pounds of hay 
and I paid for that amount. When the 
car of hay arrived and 1 weighed it on the 
city scales it only weighed 23,020 pounds. 
I have written them, but can get no reply. 
They owe me $25.92 for the shortage. Can 
you help me? w. j?. s. 
Illinois. 
We were unable to get any reply 
from this company. They refused to 
make any reply and the subscriber has 
been unable to get adjustment or ex¬ 
planation. It will be well to place or¬ 
ders for Alfalfa elsewhere. We men¬ 
tion this so other subscribers will not 
meet the same treatment. 
Permit me to call your attention to a 
tribe of promoters that has been operating 
in the West so successfully that they are 
soon to rival our millionaires. They first 
organize a trust company through ' which 
they promote some other scheme. The 
State authorities here have just uncovered 
some of their clever work. Stock for a 
life insurance company was sold to the 
public through a securities company for 
$320,000. On January 9, 1912, the life in¬ 
surance company was organized and re¬ 
ceived from the security company $211,- 
000. It thus cut off a slice of $109,000 
for promotion work. The promoters forced 
the stockholders to accept the whole tribe 
of promoters as directors by refusing to 
permit any other names to be presented 
at the election. On March 7 the license 
to do business was received, when the 
funds Were reported at $199,950. The 
State Commissioner of Insurance assumed 
control on July 15 after an investigation 
which revealed ignorance, stupidity, extrav¬ 
agance and criminal negligence. He found 
only $179,547 of the people’s money, or but 
little more than half of the sum paid in 
by the stockholders. The president was 
found to be drawing a salary of $250 per 
month as president and $150 as superin¬ 
tendent of agencies. The vice-president, 
a son of the president, received $200 as 
vice-president and $150 as manager of 
agencies. The secretary, a relative of the 
president, received $325. A daughter of 
the president received $125 as a clerk. The 
president now admits that he made a mis¬ 
take when he selected a farmer , for treas¬ 
urer, for his conscience pricked him till 
he squealed and the Insurance Department 
investigation followed. The books show 
that a good business in writing life insur¬ 
ance was being done but the tribe of pro¬ 
moters were getting all the benefit and de¬ 
pleting the resources of the coinpanv at the 
same time. The company has been reor¬ 
ganized and is on a safe road to success 
if properly conducted. I am informed that 
part of the gang have already begun selling 
stock for another life insurance company 
at Richmond, Ind., and that another por¬ 
tion are starting a fire insurance company 
at Lima, Ohio. It may be that you can 
give warning in time to permit the people 
to take a hand in the organization so as to 
limit the salaries to compare with the re¬ 
ceipts. About half of the stockholders are 
women, many of whom are widows, teach¬ 
ers, clerks, etc. A number of these had 
invested the earnings of years. 
Bellefontaine, O. " a victim. 
The above letter hardly needs com¬ 
ment. It is the old story of promoters 
living in luxury from the hard-earned 
savings of frugal people. And when 
the frauds are exposed they move to 
other pastures at sufficient distance that 
their history is not likely to be known, 
and repeat the performance. 
E GALVANIZED ROOFING 
J 
Corrugated AAU Per Square 
or Aa) Pel. Your Station 
V Crimp ▼ In 20c. Zone 
Ask for new catalogue 99. 
£ GRIFFIN LUMBER C0.K so ’,^¥j 
1 310 , 000.00 
Deposited With Bank 
to Protect You 
You’ll be a delighted customer if you buy this 
Greencastle Grain Drill, or we’ll have to take 
machine back and pay freight both ways. There’s 
no other way out of it—we’ve put up a $10,000.00 
legal bond with our bankers to refund all your 
money if this Drill isn’t exactly what we say it 
is—we would not—dare not—dispute your word 
after you’ve tried the Greencastle. Try it 30 days 
free at our risk—sow all your seed—and if the 
Greencastle 
Grain Drill 
does not. more than satisfy you, ship it back and 
we’ll return your money in full—or forfeit $ 10 ,- 
000 . 00 . We know that this Drill is perfect—will 
sow grain, seed or fertilizer accurately and stand 
up to its work in any soil—that’s why we guar¬ 
anteed one year and let you try it one full month 
free. We sell direct from factory—save yon 820 
to $30 dealer’s profits. Write for booklet, copy of 
guarantee and $10,000.00 bond. If you answer this 
right away we will make you special;price offer 
to introduce this drill in your locality. 
HERTZLER & ZOOK CO., Box 100, Belleville, Pa. 
Take the Power to 
the Job ! 
Fairbanks-Morse 
Portable Oil Engines 
offer many advantages as they afford relia¬ 
ble power that is readily moved. Used for 
Threshing 
Ensilage Cutting 
Ginning 
Clover Hulling 
Wood Sawing 
Pumping 
Huy Haling 
Shredding 
Corn Shelling 
Feed Grinding 
Operate on Kerosene, Gasoline or Low 
Grade Distillates. Buy one yourself, or in 
partnership with neighbors. In many cases 
the engine will save its cost in a single year. 
Screen Cooled Type; 10 to 25 H. P. Other 
Types, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 H. P. 
Write for prices and Catalog No. AR E9S 
Fairbanks, Morse & Co. 
Chicago Cleveland Cincinnati 
New York 
Oil and Gasoline Engines, Oil Tractors, Pumps, Water 
Systems, Electric Light Plants. Wind Mills. Feed Grinders, 
A STEADY, SAFE AND 
PROFITABLE BUSINESS 
Y OU know that every farmer 
in your neighborhood wants 
drainage ditching. The demand 
exceeds the supply. You can be 
busy 9 or 10 months a year and 
can clear $15 to $18 a day with a 
BUCKEYE 
TRACTION 
DITCHER 
as hundreds of other men are 
doing. No other piece of farm 
machinery pays so big a profit 
on the investment as the Buckeye 
Ditcher. 
One man can operate the gaso¬ 
line machine, or two men the 
steamer. Made in many sizes— 
there’s one exactly suited to 3 r our 
conditions. 
You want to know the possi¬ 
bilities there are in contract ditch¬ 
ing. Let us tell you the actual 
experiences of others. 
Write to-day for Catalog 3. 
The Buckeye Traction Ditcher Co. 
Findlay, Ohio 
\tf 1? f f DRILLING 
VI Hubh machines 
Over 70 sizes and styles, for drilling either deep of 
shallow wells in any kind of soil or rock. Mounted on 
wheels or on sills. With enginesorhoree powers. Strong, 
simple and durable. Any mechanic can operate them 
easily. Send for catalog. 
WILLIAMS BROS.. Ithaca. N. Y. 
Auto-Fedan 
Hay Press 
Let us place the Auto-Fedan on your farm and 
put it in operation. If it is not thoroughly satis- 
lactorv in every respect- if it will not bale hay 20 per 
cent cheaper than any other machine on the mnrket— 
we will not ask you to buy, and will refund you the 
freight and take charge of the machine. 
Write us today for catalog and prices. (37) 
Auto-Fcdau Xlay Press Co..Box I . Albion. Mich. 
is 
fit 
11 
Concrete Barn Floors 
No man who realizes the many advantages of concrete would ever 
think of being satisfied with a wooden barn floor. Concrete is the 
one logical choice. It is permanent—never needs repairing — is quickly and 
easily cleaned (saving labor) — and is decidedly cheaper in the long run. 
But it is important to select the right cement. To be safe, insist on 
TrUT/’U PORTLAND 
LlUIvUcement 
Lehigh has won its great favor with farmers because of its absolute depend¬ 
ability. It is always the same — the strongest, most lasting, best all-round 
cement for use on the farm. The Lehigh trademark on every bag is your 
protection. __ 
Two Valuable Books FREE 
(l) “The Modern Farmer,” giving detailed directions for over 20 
different practical uses of concrete on the farm. 
(2) “Concrete Silos,” a splendid new book describing every form of 
modern silo. These two books are yours for the asking. Address 
Lehigh Portland Cement Co., Dept. 3896, Allentown, Pa, 
(11 mills 11,000,000 Barrels Capacity) “Lehigh Sets the Standard 
< 72 > 
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SvS?. 
