726 
<THEO RURAb NEW-YORKER 
May 31 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
The inclosed letter I have just received 
from F. B. Mills, Rose Hill, N. Y. I 
would like to know what you think about 
his 40,000 acre Mississippi farm com¬ 
pany. I have no idea of putting any 
money into this scheme or any other. 
Four years ago I wrote the Mills Seed 
House for their seed catalogue and 
samples of their seeds. They sent me 
six samples of different kinds of seed, 
and out of the lot I raised on good 
ground, one radish, and one head of 
lettuce. o. c. S. 
New Jersey. 
This indicates that Mr. Mills is now 
starting to work old schemes all over 
again. Some years back he induced a 
great many farmers to buy stock in the 
Consolidated Ginseng Company of 
*' America, promoting with authorized 
capital stock of $1,100,000. The stock 
was later reduced to $200,000. The 
only assets of the company we were 
ever able to decipher was a garden patch 
of ginseng. Mr. Mills made the most 
extravagant assurances of profits for 
this company, and personally urged the 
investment. Of course, the people lost 
their money. Then he sold shares in 
the Mills Ginseng Farm and sold shares 
under personal guarantees. These 
profits did not materialize either, and 
when the investors complained Mr. 
Mills wrote very plausible letters and 
offered to take the shares off their hands 
at $8 per share provided they would 
put up $17 more in cash for a share 
of stock in the F. B. Mills Seed Com¬ 
pany. 
Mr. Mills does not say that he has 
a 40.000-acre farm in Mississippi. He 
says he “arranged for” it. This seems to 
be a form of expression used quite gen¬ 
erally now by promoters. In complaints 
for fraudulent use of the mails it is 
well to have language technically cor¬ 
rect. But as you read on the enthus¬ 
iasm of profits increases and you may 
forget that the farm is only “arranged 
for” and your money is wanted for the 
purchase, if it is ever to be made. Mr. 
Mills can figure out profits on paper 
in the growing of farm truck in Missis¬ 
sippi now just as he figured paper 
profits on ginseng growing in New York 
when he was promoting the ginseng 
schemes. The Mills circular says: 
“Special inducements to reliable farmers 
to move to Mississippi and work on this 
farm.” The reliable farmer who takes 
up this inducement will have our sym¬ 
pathy. When confronted with schemes 
of this kind we find it hard to use 
language with moderation. Mr. Mills 
has been selling seeds good or bad to 
farmers for 25 or 30 years, and now 
under the pretense of favoring these 
customers, he prepares to sell them a 
stock promotion gold-brick. 
St. Andrews Bay Nursery and Orchard 
Co., Ill Broadway, New York City, 
and some indefinite place in Florida; 
W. L. Hatch, manager. 
I am on the sucker list of the above 
concern. The literature assures me that 
the investment is absolutely safe, but I 
have no other evidence of its safety. 
They offer to sell me stock in a com¬ 
pany to grow fruit and nuts in Florida. 
They do not even tell me where the 
land is to be. They have arranged, they 
tell me, for the purchase of 000 acres free 
and clear. Note the language—“arranged 
for the purchase.” They do not even 
tell me how much it is to cost, or how 
much stock they are to issue; but I am 
invited to send $100 a share for what 
I want. The money will be sent back 
if the stock is all sold before I get 
busy; and quick action is important. 
Mr. Hatch must think I am a bloom¬ 
ing idiot, if he thinks I cannot see 
through a proposition of this kind. 
Men have gone to Federal prisons for 
selling lands they did not own ; but sell¬ 
ing stock in a company which has ar¬ 
ranged for the purchase of land brings 
them cash just the same, without mak¬ 
ing anyone liable for fraudulent use of 
the mails. The profits are carefully fig¬ 
ured out at 10 per cent, in six years and 
160 per cent, in 15 years. And an in¬ 
vestment with them whether large or 
small is to rob the high cost of living 
of its future terrors. I do not so much 
mind being baited as a sucker; but I 
protest against this insult to my in¬ 
telligence. Gov. Sulzer has just signed 
a new law which is expected to do away 
with prize schemes of this kind in the 
sale of real estate. 
I am a victim of the Strout Farm 
Agency. Some time ago their agent per¬ 
suaded me to let him list my farm for 
sale. He said if I would list it with 
him and if they sold it, it would cost 
me nothing, and if they did not sell it 
I would be out nothing; so I listed with 
them. Then they wrote and wanted 
me to paint the buildings and later 
wanted to change over to another agency. 
I wrote them that I could see no good 
in following their suggestion, as they 
had brought me no buyers, and with¬ 
drew the property. Now they send me a 
bill for $30. I do not know of anything 
they have done to earn it. I am a 
poor man and do not see how I can 
pay that amount, for they have done 
nothing but write two or three letters. 
Please advise me what to do. s. v. 
New York. 
Our advice in such cases is to throw 
the bills and letters demanding payment 
into the fire and forget them. We do 
not believe that the Strout Agency will 
ever dare to go into court attempting 
to collect a fee of this kind. If they 
do The R. N.-Y. will pay the attorney’s 
expenses in the defense of the first case 
that is brought in order to test the 
legality of such a claim. Of course, if a 
farmer signs their agreement to pay a 
withdrawal fee knowing its terms it 
becomes a contract, no matter how one¬ 
sided, and the farmer may be obliged 
in that case to pay for his want of 
caution; but where the farmer is induced 
to list his property as stated above with¬ 
out knowledge of the instrument signed, 
then he is not legally or morally bound, 
and is justified in resisting payment. 
Will you find out what the retail price 
is of the pianos from the Warren Piano 
Co. at Warren, Pa.? I had solved a 
puzzle for them, then I was to have a 
prize for it. I got a voucher from them 
which I was to use in purchasing a 
piano from them. My voucher is for 
$103. From prize list they sent me I 
don’t think I have anything for my 
answer to the puzzle, as for the price 
they want me to pay out, I can get a 
piano elsewhere. R. S. 
Pennsylvania. 
Of course this puzzle scheme is a fake 
and you are not getting any discount on 
the piano because of having solved the 
puzzle. As a matter of fact, the puzzle 
is made so simple and easy that any 
child 10 years of age can solve it. If 
you desire to buy a piano, our advice 
to you would be to go to some concern 
that does not resort to fake methods 
of this kind to sell their instruments. 
I am slow in sending my subscription 
this year, but every dollar counts with 
me now. I am one of the E. G. Lewis 
victims. I lost $4,000 through him. 
It was the savings of a lifetime. I am 
now 70 years old and not*able to work 
and save as I used to do. I cannot look 
on his acts in getting money by false 
pretense as his Congressional friends 
pretend to do. They say it is only 
visionary. They know as well as I or 
any sane man knows that it was the 
working of deceit and robbery. Please 
let me know if you think the United 
States Government will bring him to 
trial again. It would not be right to let 
him go free. Do you think there is any 
chance of my getting anything on my 
$4,000 note? It was hard-earned 
money. H. B. 
Kansas. 
This man X’ead advertisement of first 
mortgage notes on real estate, which were 
described as the best and safest invest¬ 
ment in the world. He afterwards found 
that he had a second mortgage note. 
As there is probably not enough to pay 
50 cents on the dollar of the first mort¬ 
gages, the hope of getting anything on 
second or third mortgages is rather re¬ 
mote, and there are investments in 
stocks that would come in after the 
mortgages. Getting the savings of a life¬ 
time from people on this plan may be 
visionary, and not dishonest as some of 
the apologists for Lewis affect to be¬ 
lieve ; but to a man of 70 who lost his 
life savings, the distinction is without a 
difference. 
Most of the “guff” you refer to is 
harmful. I think the enclosed specimen 
may be classed as harmless but amusing. 
It is gotten up by correspondence school 
graduates for the consumption of fools 
and I have qualified by taking the time 
to answer it as so earnestly requested 
to do in the inclosed letter. c. H. 
New Hampshire. 
Like most “guff” literature this letter 
is transparent enough to allow anyone 
to read the purpose between the lines. 
If every farmer would take the trouble 
as this correspondent did to answer the 
letter and tell what he thought of “guff” 
as a moving force, we would probably 
have less of it. J. J. D. 
99 
If the young woman here ihown, 
should cut the string she is holding, 
the EMPIRE would start under the 
weight of its crank. Properly ad¬ 
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with remarkable quietness and ease. 
FOLLOWING “DAD 
Along 
Grandfather’s Trail 
Did your father and grandfather 
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EMPIRES have been used by three 
generations in many American farm 
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compliment to 
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If your father or grandfather used an EMPIRE, 
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buy an EMPIRE. Want a 
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Empire Cream Separator Company 
Chicago, Ill. Portland, Ore. BLOOMFIELD, N. J. Toronto, Ont. Winnipeg, Man. 
5ILD FILLERS 
Handsome,illustrated booklet giving 30 
convincing reasons for buying the 
powerful, low down, underslung, cut- 
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APPLETON MFG. CO., 
sFREE Silage Book* 
How to test freed, plant corn for frilage, care, cul¬ 
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With it catalog of Craine Patent Triple Wall Silo. 
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63 Main St., Norwich, N. Y. 
529-544 Watkins Building, Milwaukee, Wis. 
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EASY AND SAFETO USE 
INEXPENSIVE 
KILLS LICE 
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Write for Free Booklets 
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DEPARTMENT Or ANIMAL INDUSTRY 
DETROIT, - - MICHIGAN 
Fill Your Silo Satisfied 
Over 
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Years 
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Back of if. 
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HARDER 
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TKc SILO VitK 
C3 BEARINGS AROUND 
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Used on all GREEN MOUNTAIN 
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Write for catalogue TO-DAY. 
THE CREAMERY PACKAGE MFG. CO. 
338 West St., Rutland, Vt. 
, • . V.THE b , 
I'.'.ANIMALS 
v . m J- FRIEND 
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ioo-F1y Mfe. Co., Dept. P, 1310 N. 10th St., PbiU- 
