218 
February 9, 1918 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
Ou January 10, 1917, we shipped N. 
Assad & Co., Bethel, N. C., via freight 
three boxes fruit ($7.20) and on Janu¬ 
ary 24, seven boxes ($10.16). On Janu- 
arj' 31 we received check for $7.26, but 
second sliipnient had not reached them as 
yet, and they claimed same was delayed 
in tramsit when they ordered more fruit 
whicli we shipped February 10, six boxes 
($17.01). On February 17 we received 
their check of $16.16 for second shipment, 
and presumed they were good payers and 
]»roinpt, so when their orders came in we 
shii)ped their fruit via express, February 
24, three boxes ($10.23) ; March 3. two 
boxes ($0.82). On March 7 their check 
which I receiv«(l on F<‘l)niary 17 was re¬ 
turned by my bank as "payment stopped,” 
and I immediatc'ly wrote to the Betliel 
bank, and while thi.s letter was on the 
way it crossed one that Assad wrote me. 
On March 12 the Bethel bank sent me a 
cashier’s check for .$1.^.1(!, saying they 
had trouble collecting and charging me 
$1 for the trouble. Then to tojt their 
nerve, Assad sent us a telegram on March 
14, asking more fruit and promising 
check. We did not ship them any fruit 
and never received the check. We are out 
$.’> 0.06 and we would appreciate anything 
the I’ublisher’s Desk can do in oui- be¬ 
half. We have sent in our bills repeatedly 
but Jio answer; but they must still be in 
cxistem-e ns our letters are not returned. 
hJorida. H. A. 
X. A.ssad A ('o. make no response to 
our letters, and as II. A. states, they must 
be receivc'd, its they are not returned by 
(lie post oflice. Our other Florida ship- 
jx'rs will wiint to pass by any orders re- 
<-eived from this company. There is get¬ 
ting to be (|uite a list of parties of this 
kind who are willing to hiive their tables 
and stoi'es stocked .at the farmer’s ex¬ 
pense. 
Two years ago I shiiiped the f. iNI. 
S<-ott Oo., Indianapolis. Ind., KiD/i 
l)ounds of fancy comb honey at 17c 
per pound or $27.02. mton tlieir hurry- 
up order for exhibition iuiri»oses. They 
received the horn-y. having admitted it, 
'but never paid, and never pay any at¬ 
tention to my letters or st.atements, 
which they receive, as they are not re¬ 
turned. If ymi can do anything with 
them it would be .appreciated. <;. . 1 . 
Michigan. 
Fvidently t^ M. S<a>tl (’o. ,aia> willing 
t<i i-eap all the ghiry and pay jiossible 
f'-om goods they exhibit and s(dl. with¬ 
out giving the farmer .any (aaalit (»• .any 
))ay. It docs not reiiuire many lessons 
of this kind to make a shipper cautious, 
and the Scott Co. will not catch our 
I'caders in (his w.ay again. 
After the i'e(a)i<l made' by F. (!. Lewis, 
at St. Ivouis. Mo., it seems safe to as¬ 
sume that no man or woman east of the 
Rocky Mountains would again invest in 
.any of his schemes. With tw<dve millions 
loss the i)eople of the Fast and Middle 
States ought to have lesson enough. Yet 
Mr. Lewis is now lu'oiiosing a new land 
scheme in California to catch the .soldiers 
when they get home from tin' Furopeau 
war. In the ]»ast tin' Rost -( Mlic' l)ei>art- 
ment <‘xercised some restr.aint on the 
Lewis activities, and it is to be lumped 
that it will take some measure t(t jiro- 
tect the I'eturning soldiers and their 
friends from the .allurements of his new 
fake land scheme. 
Will you advise us !is to whether the 
‘•Simjjlex Plan of Selling Real Fstate.” 
which .sells for $r». edited by Simplex 
Servit'C (^o., 1123 Broadw.ay. Xew York, 
would be a worth-while i)lan to help me 
sell my place, worth $3.1.000? There are 
so- man.v trai)s to fall into thiit I feai' to 
try without advice. G. E. B. 
Conn. 
The Simph'x plan consists of eight 
pamphlets, Avhich from a manufacturing 
standpoint could be produced in quanti¬ 
ties at less than 10c each. On the basis 
of the information they contain, they 
might be valued anywhere from zero 
up, depending upon the viewpoint of the 
person making the estimate. 'I’he author 
of these pamiihlets is W. M. Ostrander. 
Wo also learn from reliable sources that 
the Simplex Co. consists of the same Y . 
M. Ostrander. Perhaps there is “enough 
said.” Our readers know Ostrander as 
the author of most the fake real estate 
schemes playing upon th<' gullibility of 
the public. The other fakers all pattern 
their schemes after those of Ostrander, 
ll'is famous telegram reading “oppor¬ 
tunity exceptional if listed at once ’ sent 
to farmers with whom he had been 
carrying on correspondence with view to 
securing a “listing fee” is yet remembered 
by many Avho swallowed the bait, 
(istrander, like Cornell, made no seidous 
effort to sell the property when listed. 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The Simplex “plan” which (Jstrander 
now advocates is nothing more nor less 
than the plan thousands of property 
owners have followed—advertising in 
newspapers and corresponding direct with 
prospective customers—without paying 
Mr. Ostrander $5 for the privilege. The 
pamphlet suggests lists of publications 
to use, advertising rates, etc. Ostrander 
is so notorious as a promoter of worth¬ 
less stock as well as shady real-estate 
transactions that he apparently tries to 
hide his identity now by trading under 
the name 'Of The Simplex Company. 
Fminently respectable imblications are 
carrying his advertising under this dis¬ 
guise. 
Y’'ill you let me know if it is safe to 
invest in an auto knitter put out by the 
Auto Knitter Co. of 147 Franklin St., 
Buffalo, X. Y. ? o. B. 
X’ew York. 
Y'e do not recommend the Auto Knitter 
Co. of Buffalo, X^. Y’. The advertising of 
the firm has been refused. If tbe knitter 
will do all that is claimed for it. it should 
not be necessary to inject into the sales 
plan a scheme to juirchase or find a mar¬ 
ket for the goods knitted by the machine. 
The plan .savors of the work-at-home 
scheme. 
Having asked you to cadlect a bill for 
us from the crate of chickens, and having 
heard*nothing from you, will kindly ask 
you to send us the receii)t, if you have 
not as yet heard anything definite, and 
we will try in another way to collect it. 
Please let us hear from you as soon as 
l)ossible. II. Ji. II. 
1 lelaware. 
\Ye are receiving a few letters similar 
to the above, and are not surpri.sed our 
friends are becoming discouraged. The 
express, and, in fact, all transportation 
companies, are more than dilatory. Tlu'ir 
claim bureaus seem to be completely de¬ 
moralized. Y'e do not write complainants 
fi-equently, because our correspondent' is 
he.avy and there is nothing definite to 
report, but we are. con.stantly prodding 
the companies, and using every effort to 
get adjustment of chums. If any ship- 
])er becomes impatient and wishes his 
claim returned to him. we Avill comi>ly 
with his request, but we want to assurt' 
readers there is no iu'gle<-t at this end. 
Of 107 claims received during December, 
two haA’o bec'u j)aid, but we j'('(*('ived (i'l 
Iiaynu'iits on (dd claims, and it was only 
our insistence that brought many of them. 
It shows tbe necessity of a bill in the 
Legislature to eiifoti'i' juaimpt adjustim'iit 
of claims. Y'rile your re|irt'sentatiws fit 
Albany. 
I fim si'tiding you an fidvi'rtisi'inent of 
the Mfigic Fgg Tester. Do you kiiow 
anvthing about this egg testei'? And is it 
imssible to tell if eggs :ire fertile before 
they have been si't on? Is the Magi(! Fgg 
Tester works. Buffalo, X. Y., a relifible 
firm? .T. n.w. 
Xew York. 
lYe lm\a' iminiries fibout this ^Ligii; 
Fgg Tester ejicb setison. All this tester 
can possibly show is the siiecific gravity 
of the egg—this indicates whetlu'r the 
egg is fresh or otlu'rwise; but it cjinnot 
imssibly show whether tin' egg is fertile 
and capable of producing a chick. 
I come to you today for a little desired 
information, as it is with much interest 
I read Publisher’s Desk in every issue ot 
your magiizine . I would like to learn 
■\vhnt you kn<»\v about tho Angola Tiro & 
Rubber Co.. Inc.. Akron. O., who the men 
are back of the enterpri.se and Avhat their 
past and pre.sent records are. They are 
advertising here in a local paper, and are 
canvassing this town for subscribers to 
their stock. L. ii. B. 
Xew Y^ork. 
As' far as we are able to judge this pro¬ 
motion must be put in the same class as 
the Alliance Tire & Rubber Co.. Alliance. 
()., and the .1. B. fstudebaker Co.. South 
Bend, Ind. The latter concern was very 
fictive in selling stock a yc'ar or more ago, 
and we have not heard of the proposition 
since. I'he promotei's of tlu' AlLmnce con¬ 
cern Imve been indicted b.i" the Federal 
Grand .Tury for an alleged fraudulent use 
of the mails. The Angola Tire A Rubber 
(’o. aiipareutly Ims no factory, but is de- 
jiendiug upon stock sales to build and 
equip a plant. Stock salesmen on uncer¬ 
tain propositions sometimes receive as 
high as 80 per cent of the proceeds for 
making the sale, and the rule is anywhere 
from 25 to 50 per cent. In this situation 
it is hard to figure out how a new organi¬ 
zation can secure funds to build a plant 
and compete successfully against the 
houses already established. • ‘ .y 
This picture was drawn from a recent scene in New 
York state. The wooden barn was completely lost; the 
concrete silos were uninjured. Concrete construction 
stands when other types crumble before flames. 
Good concrete lasts practically forever. Build for permanence, 
and save on repairs, painting and insurance, by using concrete 
made with ALPHA cement. AI-PHA is tested hourly by 
chemists, while being made, and every pound of everj' bag of it 
goes out guaranteed to meet standard specifications. 
Tell us what you are planning to build and we will give you a free 
copy of the 96-page ALPHA handbook on concrete construction. 
VVecanfurnishval liable ideas on a variety of small concrete structures. 
THE GUARANTEED PORTLAND 
Alpha Cement Dealers 
of New York State 
If you don’t know a nearby Alpha Dealer.address 
Alpha Portland Cement Co., Easton, Pa. 
mentioning The Rural New Yorker 
and the building or improvement that 
interests you. 
Duplex FARM Tool Grinder 
Grinds your plow 
shares, cultivator 
points, axes, 
sickles, knives 
and all tools. 
Edge or side of wheel 
can be used. 
No Engine too small for it. 
Will last a lifetime. 
Special attachment for 
j, , , grindingdiscs furnished free. 
^ Write for circular. 
luplexMill&Mfg.Co., Box 4gO , Springfield, O. 
SB 
e Cents per Foot and ni 
designs. AlIetceL For I..a 
terles. Write for free Ca 
Kokomo Fence Machine Co. 
>. Costs less than wood. 40 
wns, Churches and Come¬ 
talog and Special Prices. 
407 North St, Kokomo, Ind. 
11 BOOKS on all subjects of farming by leading , 
, 1 authorities are for sale by The Rur 2 d New- i 
1 , Yorker, 333 West Thirtieth Street, New York ^ 
Stop the Winter Slump 
In Milk Production 
If you want summer milk 
quantitj' at winter prices, it will 
pa)' you to find out about STAR 
\Yater Bowls. 
]\Iilk is 90% water. The yield 
slumps in winter because the ani¬ 
mals don’t get enough to drink. 
Even when the water in outside 
tanks is warmed, you know some 
animals won’t 
drink a drop 
while they’re 
fighting a bliz- 
z a r d in an 
open yard. 
But Star Water Bowls bring it right 
to the stall—an abundant supply of 
palatable water^ and the cow drinks 
as much as she does in summer. 
She will take a mouthful of hay or 
feed and then a drink of water. 
That’s why Winter milk production 
goes up when STAR Water Bowls go 
in. This system prevents one tuber¬ 
cular cow from infecting the rest of 
the herd. ST.\R 
And you can’t 
bl a m e them. 
Water Bowls are 
individual and 
sanitary. Water 
comes and goes 
separately from 
each bowl. The 
sick animal can’t 
contaminate the 
water used by 
healthy ones. 
Don’t buy any kind of barn equipment until you investigate STAR Goods and the 
patented features only found in this line. Unit System Stalls assembled at the factory 
and with sanitary Arch Construcison. The STAR Adjuster—the STAR Curb Clamp. 
'I'he strong Giant STAR Stanchion easily adjustable and with the One Hand Lock. 
Wood-lined and Automatic Sure-Stop. STAR Litter Carrier Outfits meets every need. 
Write U8 for catalogs. STAR goods sold by best dealers everywhere 
HUNT-HELM-FERRIS & CO., 23 Hunt St., Harvard, Hi. 
New York Branch : Industrial Bldg., Albany, N. Y. 
