930 
"Che RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 28, 1917. 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
I would like your advice concerning 
investment in the stock of the Eagle Ma- 
coniber Motor Car Co., Sandii.sky, O., 
which are being sold in this section. If 
they are not i-eliable I would be greatly 
I)leased to have you let me know at once, 
as I know some who are considering in¬ 
vesting. C. S. 
New York. 
This company apparently Las patents 
on a rotary motor, and it is proposed to 
build automobiles equipped with this new 
type of engines. The engine is an ex- 
]>eriment as yet. An investment in the 
stock of the company must be considered 
a speculation at best and our experience 
lias been that jieople who put their sav¬ 
ings in ventures of this kind usually 
lose them. 
I am sending you a check that I had 
returned. It is for two cases of eggs 
shipped Sept. 10th, lOlG. They were 
shipped to IL C. Tilley, Harrison, N. 
Y. I have shipped two Summers to him, 
about 121 cases in all. The check was 
always signed by Nevada B. Tilley. He 
did not handle eggs in the Winter, when 
they were 50c to GOc per doz. If you 
could collect it for me without too much 
trouble I wish you would. I would pay 
you for it. H. C. Tilley’s post office is 
ilye, N. Y., and his shipping place is 
Ilarrison, N. Y. B. W. 
New York. 
We warned our subscribers against 
shipping to II. C. Tilley some years ago. 
Mr. Tilley seems to have gotten in the 
habit of receiving eggs from producers 
and without making any returns for 
them. We have given him an oppor¬ 
tunity to make settlement in this case, 
but we have received no reply to our 
letter to him. 
On Oct. Gth, iniG, at the Danbury 
Oounty Fair, I paid the agent of Comp¬ 
ton Bros. Subscription Agency, Findlay, 
Ohio, 50c for a pencil and a promise that 
I wotild receive a lot of magazines. I 
have never received them. Can you not 
do something to stop these fakers steal¬ 
ing from honest people? J. T. 
Connecticut. 
We have previously warned our sub¬ 
scribers against having anything to do 
with representatives of subscription 
agencies of this sort. The names of the 
magazines promised are not mentioned 
on the receipt. As a rule the publica¬ 
tions distributed by this class of sub¬ 
scription agencies are of such a char¬ 
acter that the party who pays for them 
is better off that he does not receive 
them, as the influence of such publica¬ 
tions is not uplifting. This does not les¬ 
sen the petty swindles, but unless the 
agent can be located and prosecuted for 
fraud there is no means of putMng ail 
end to the petty swindler except that of 
I)ublicity. 
Have you any knowledge of the Air 
Friction Carburator Co. of Dayton, Ohio, 
and their methods of doing business, and 
would you take up for me the matter of 
getting a refund from them of .$12.G5 
now due me? After seeing their adv. in 
a monthly publication I wrote them, and 
in reply received a letter dated May 8, 
1017. I ordered the complete outfit, 
sending them $14.53. In due time I 
received a carburator billed out by them 
April 6, 1017. This carburator I saw 
as soon as received was defective: the 
cover was fitted .so badly it could not be 
used. I immediately returned it for re¬ 
pairs. It wms gone a long time, and 
tinally on INIay 8th they shipped me a 
new carburator. I immediately placed^ it 
on my motor, and tried it out, first with 
gasoline and (hen with kerosene mix¬ 
ture. It utterly failed to perform as 
guaranteed and the kerosene very .soon 
.so fouled my motor that I have been to 
an expense for labor of $8 in cleaning, 
besides much inconvenience. On May 
28, or 20 days later after they billed out 
the carburator, I returned it to them 
and asked return of my money, less 88 
cents for the da.sh air adjustment which 
I had retained upon my car as a worth¬ 
while attachment. On .Tune 7th they re¬ 
turned the carburator to me, and on the 
0th of .Tune I received a letter dated 
.Tune 8th in which they refuse to return 
my money on the claim that it is over 
30 days. Their claim is false, and is 
but a way of getting out of their Ayritten 
guarantee. I have written them today, 
telling them that I refuse to accept the 
carburator, and demand my money 
back, and that I will hold the carburator 
here subject to their order. Also that I 
have placed the matter with you. 
New York. eev. j. w. d. 
We have exhausted our efforts to se¬ 
cure justice from the Air Friction Car¬ 
burator Co. in behalf of this subscriber. 
The company insists on counting their 
30-day guarantee from the time the first 
carburator was shipped, which is man¬ 
ifestly unfair. This carburator was re- 
recieved in a damaged condition and ,T. 
W. D. had no opportunity to test it. We 
refused the advertising of this concern 
last Winter because of previous attempts 
to avoid the guarantee under which the 
carburators are sold. The claims made 
for this carburator are considered by 
the automobile trade as extravagant and 
unwarranted. No manufacturer of any 
account equips his cars with this so- 
called “air friction” carburator. The 
public is capable of judging whether Bev. 
J. W. D. has been fairly treated in the 
transaction. 
.Tames Wilcox, 921 Sixth Ave., New 
York City has written me soliciting egg 
shipments. I want to know if he is re¬ 
liable. MRS, N. E. G. 
Now York. 
Mr. Wilcox has formed the very bad 
habit of securing shipments of eggs from 
country people and neglecting or refusing 
to pay for them. Do not .ship him any 
eggs unless you want to make him a 
present of them. 
A faker of the choicest vintage with 
a sucker bait that the farmers fell over 
one another to seize, has been “doing” 
this locality lately; but so far as I know, 
no readers of The R. N,-Y. have fallen 
to his game. I am enclosing a page from 
a local paper. But before 1 got him in 
print, he cleaned up several thou.sand 
dollars in this neighborhood. H]e got or¬ 
ders for several 20-bushel lots. When 
shown a copy of the paper he quickly 
decamped; but is most probably “doing 
business” in some other locality. A 
Avaruing in Publisher’s De.sk might put 
liim out of business for good. G. AV. b. 
Pennsylvania. 
The above refers to the operations of 
an agent of Geo. K. Iligbie & Co, Roches¬ 
ter, N. Y., Charles G. Dillingbeck. 
Through making ridiculous and unwar¬ 
ranted claims, this party has been tak¬ 
ing orders for 10 bushels of speltz at 
$3..50 per bushel, taking farmers’ notes for 
the amount due July 1, 1918. “Speltz” 
has proA’ed inferior to either oats or barley 
in crop production, and we would not 
advise farmers on the Atlantic slope to 
.substitute speltz for the grain they have 
grown for years. It usually sells at 
about 25% less than these grains. It 
does well on the dry Western plains, and 
is QAiite largely grown in Dakota and 
parts of Minnesota. In the humid cli¬ 
mate of the Eastern .States, speltz will 
not prove a paying proposition. It has 
a history which enables a seed agent to 
>tell a wonderful fairy tale. Some men 
Avill get under the spell of a Speltz sales¬ 
man and simply throw their money at 
him in order to get rid of it. We have 
told the story of the speltz again and 
again, and no wonder, therefore, that 
not a single R. N.-Y. reader was to be 
found among those who gave up their 
$35 for the fun of learning that speltz 
will spell fake. 
We hope R. N.-Y. reader.? will warn 
farmers in other communities A\dien the 
agents of this and similar houses appear 
in their midst. 
On .Tune 27, 191G, I .sent Theodore 
Cohn, of 98 Mulberry street, Newark, 
N. ,T., two cases eggs. He sold the eggs 
and kept the money.. Some months later, 
while in Newark, I called on him and in¬ 
duced him to pay me .$5 on the claim, 
lie had a hard luck story to tell, which 
I then believed, but now' think it was 
made up to put me off. The amount Avas 
.so small I nearly forgot it until I re¬ 
ceived the enclosed announcement of 
bankruptcy proceedings. Now if he goes 
through bankruptcy and then starts out 
to SAvindle people again, I think some 
one ought to call a halt on him. I am 
turning this over to you more in the in¬ 
terest of others than thinking I will ever 
get anything out of it myself. If I can 
keep him from cheating other people I 
can get along without what he owes me. 
I’ennsylvania. e. g. c. 
Just so long as poultrymeu and other 
shippers continue to entrust their ship¬ 
ments to anyone Avho offers them a 
cent or two above tlie market price, 
middlemeu of the Cohn type are 
likely to prosper at the expense of 
.shippers. After the bankruptcy pro¬ 
ceedings are disposed of, Cohn will no 
doubt start in business again, possibly 
under an assumed name the next time. 
The above letter is theifore published not 
Avith any view of warning shippers 
against Theodore Cohn particularly, but 
it is to warn shippers against sending 
their produce to any individual or any 
house unless they have absolute assur¬ 
ance of the financial responsibility of the 
house before sending the produce. 
Legal Qu^tions 
Ownership of Street 
I live i,n an up-State town. This is a 
thriving village of 5,000 or thereabouts. 
My father ownofl land within the corpor¬ 
ation. He gave to the village land for sev¬ 
eral streets which were accepted and 
worked by the corporation. There was 
one street, hov/ever, which AV'as never ac¬ 
cepted, opened nor Avorked by the cor- 
I)oration. Now the heirs ask how to gain 
the right to sell this land. Would it 
legally revert to the estate after the death 
of donor? What steps could be legally 
taken by the heirs to make it lawful to 
sell the unaccepted street? About 20 
years ago one man, /hose home lot joins 
this finopened street, a.sked leave to use 
it as a garden. The leave Avas given, 
twenty years ago or so by the eldest of 
the heirs, but no time sot as to how long 
he might use the land. Now he seems 
to have assumed that he has become 
owner of the lot by a kiiul of ‘ .squatter 
soveivignty” and has moved one of his 
buildings on to it Avithout leave or licen.se 
in the absence of the heirs. He is a good 
neighbor and a good man, but the heirs 
do not feel as if they AV'ish to give him the 
land if they can legally hold it, but 
would be willing to sell it to him if they 
can legally. il. S. 
The laws or oivlinances of the village 
AA'ould probably have to be searched to 
find out just Avhere the legal title to the 
proi)erty is. If you are sure the village 
never accepted the property the owner¬ 
ship is in the heirs without any further 
effort on their part, and they would have 
to take no more action in regard to this 
than they have taken with any other of 
the property. They would pass title by 
merely giving a deed. The gift v/as never 
consummated—it was not accepted. 
As long as the man using the street as 
a garden a.skod permission to u.se it he 
thereby acknowledged an ownership su¬ 
perior to his own, and 20 or more years’ 
use of it would not give him title. He 
must as.sert a title contrary to that of the 
heirs, and then hold it 20 years. This 
.should be explained to the man, and the 
property sold to him if he wishes to buy, 
and then the heirs give him a deed to it. 
Before dickering begins it would be w'ell 
if possible to get him to acknowledge 
that he first got leaA-e or permission of 
the heirs to use it. 
Contracting in Regard to Property 
A farm is owned by a man in middle 
life: A, who lives xipon it, but does not 
carry on farming to any extent. The 
value of the p.ace is perhaps $5,(X)0, but 
is in run-doAvn condition and buildings 
poor. A has made a will leaving the 
farm absolutely to his wife, B. There 
are two grown sons, C and D; no other 
children. A and B wish that the sous 
should eventually Toceive an equal in¬ 
terest in the property. Now C wishes to 
stock the farm Avith his own money and 
run it as a busines.s, assuming all i-espon- 
sibility for its management. A, B and 1) 
heartily consenting. Can a paper be 
drawn protecting C’s interests, insuring 
him a legal claim to any buildings he may 
erectv and to the increased value of the 
property due to his improvements? B. 
Connecticut. 
An agreement, prefaced by a statement 
of conditions as they are, and what is in¬ 
tended to be accomplished, signed by all 
the parties mentioned, setting forth in 
detail every arrangement or understand¬ 
ing between you, would seem to be the 
simplest way out. For the proiier pro¬ 
tection of C this agreement should be re¬ 
corded, so that if later any trouble arose 
any one buying the property would have 
notice of his rights in the buildings. 
Where there is I’cal property of this 
amount involv(‘d, it Avould be best for you 
to consult good local counsel who is con¬ 
versant with the real property laws of 
the State. While a simple written agree¬ 
ment which could be i)repar(Hl at home 
would seem to cover this, there is the 
question of the wife under the Avill, the 
remainder to the sons and the recording 
or non-recording of the instrument Avhich 
should really have the attention of a good 
lawyer. His charges should be very rea¬ 
sonable. 
Right of Way; Right in Spring 
1. rioAV long must travel stop in order 
for right of way to lapse in Connecticut? 
2. If a neighborhood has taken water out 
of a sj)ring for 15 or 25 years without 
any j)rotest, and the land and spring is 
sold to a new owner, can he build a 
cement house over it, lock it uj) and for¬ 
bid anyone getting water from it, or the 
overfloAV which v/ill be below the spring? 
Connecticut. v. E. n. 
1. There is no set timfe by Avhich a 
right of way is lost by not using it. Any 
action by which it can be definitely shown 
that the right is given uj) is sufficient. 
TJnle.ss this can be shown definitely it 
would probably take 20 years of uon- 
user for a man to lose the right. 
2. There is considerable difference be¬ 
tween 15 and 25 years. Nearly all the 
States have settled on 20 years as the 
time in which by continuous and open 
use a pre.scrii)tive right to real estate, or 
to the use of a spring, over the objection 
of the owner may be obtained. If the 
neighborhood has used this spring for 
more than 20 years it may possibly be 
they have obtained a right to its con¬ 
tinued use, and if this right is a valuable 
one they should before taking action, con¬ 
sult the best local attorney, as there are 
many questions to be decided first. Get 
the neighbors to a -rk together and assert 
their claim, and appoint one good man 
to go call on the owner and present their 
claim. Then if he allows nothing call in 
an attorney, or it may be best if you de 
cide to do anything to consult the at¬ 
torney first and then take action under 
his direction._ 
Grain for Chicks 
Will you give (balanced) ration for 
baby chicks and chicks from two weeks 
up? I would like to compound the chick 
feed myself this year. Heretofore I 
bought the chick feed for the baby chicks. 
Ohio, F. B. 
A good hard grain ration may be made 
from finely-cracked com, cracked wheat 
and pinhead oatmeal, usually mixed in 
the proportion of one part oatmeal, two 
parts cracked wheat and three parts 
cracked corn. This is a baby chick food 
that may be fed from the start until the 
chicks are old enough to eat coarser 
grains. A ground p'rain mash to be fed 
both dry and moistened in addition to the 
hard cracked grains may be made from 
cornmeal, wheat bran, wheat middlings 
and sifted beef scrap, all in equal parts 
by weight. Green fo(Kl, charcoal, chick 
grit and .skim-milk are all useful addi¬ 
tions to the above basic ration for grow¬ 
ing chicks._ M. B. D. 
Care of Goslings 
We hatched out 13 goslings about a 
week ago, and kept them in a warm place 
about two days; then we gave them to 
the goose that hatched them, to take 
care of. We ha,l a few cold nights and 
11 of the 1.3 diRl, either from exposure or 
from some sickness. The two that are 
left AA'e are keeping in a warm place. 
Could you tell me if they died of cold or 
from sickness? We housed them in a 
coop? E. B. 
New Jersey. 
No doubt the 11 which died got chilled 
before they became sufficiently strong to 
stand the cold weather at the time they 
were hatched. Goslings require very ten¬ 
der care for a few days after hatching 
and after that, they will practically take 
care of themselves if given free range 
along a brook or where they can get 
plenty of Avater. The first feed should be 
young, tender grass cut into short lengths 
and bread and milk. c, S. G. 
Determining Sex of Ducklings 
We have one hundred ducklings about 
four AA'oeks old. Is there any method by 
Avhich the sex can be determined before 
they are fully feathered? v. F. 
New Jei-sey. 
The sex of ducklings can be determined 
as soon as the curly feathers appear in 
the tails of the drakes or the voices of the 
ducks show evidence of quacking. This 
latter sign apears a little before the 
other. These rules do not apply to 
Muscovy ducks, for with them the drakes 
do not have curled feathers in the tail 
and the ducks do not quack except when 
suddenly frightened. The Muscovy males 
can be determined by the larger .siz(*, 
longer body, greater amount of red car¬ 
buncles on the head and masculine 
actions. _ AV. il. ii. 
Breeding Ducks ; Feeding Ducklings 
1. I have nine Pekin ducks Avhich Avere 
hatched .Tune 7, 191 (5. They started to 
lay November 4, and during the Winter 
and Si)ring they kuve made a grand total 
of 1,404 eggs to date. I consider thi.s 
very good. AVould they be profitable to 
keep over another year, or should they be 
sent to the butcher? Would they be good 
breeders for next Spring? 2. Would you 
give a good growing ration for young 
ducks? S. ir. AV. 
Sandy Hook, Gonn. 
1. Gommerciiil breeders of Pekin ducks 
msually keep the best for two sea.sons of 
laying. Other things being equal the 
largest ducks are considered the best for 
breeding. Such recc'rds as you report are 
rather unusual. If you are sure that all 
nine of your ducks have been laying I 
Avould advise trying th.m all for another 
.sea.son. 
2. For the first two days of a duckling’s 
life the best feed is rolled oats, mixed 
with bread crumbs if you can get them, 
and a little fine grit, slightly moistened 
with water or mak. Beginning with the 
thiid day add cornmeal and bran to the 
first feed. At seven or eight days of age 
add green stuff (young grass, rye or mil¬ 
let) and beef scraps. By this time the 
rolled oat.s nmy be omitted. The follow¬ 
ing feed for breeding ducks is used by 
one of the large breeders of Pekins for 
the Boston market: Vegetables, one 
part; green stuff, or cut dried clover, one 
part; beef scraiAS, one part; low grade 
flour, two parts; bran, two parts; corn- 
meal, three parts. A bttle grit of suit¬ 
able size should be ; part of all mashes 
for young ducks. A pinch of .salt adds 
to tlie flavor of the food and the health of 
(he young birds. Some advise a little 
ground charcoal once a Aveek. The mash 
should never be so Avet as to be sloppy. 
It is best when just moist enough to be 
crumbly, AV. ir. re 
