1326 
‘Jhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September G, 1919 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
All letters to Publisher’s Desk depart¬ 
ment must be signed with winter’s full 
name and address given. Many inquiries 
are answered by mail instead of printing 
inquiry and answer, hence unsigned let¬ 
ters receive no consideration. 
Will you investigate the responsibility 
of the Farmers’ Consumers’ Carbide Co., 
Inc., who claim to have a plant at James- 
ville, N. Y., a few miles south of Syx-a- 
cuse, N. Y., nearly completed for the 
manufacture of carbide at not to exceed 
$2 per cwt. delivered to consumer? Two 
of their representatives have been through 
this section canvassing and have secured 
a number of applications for stock. They 
sell only five shares, no more no less, to 
one person, at $10 per share, to be paid 
for in 30 days at a local bank after said 
bank finds the stock to be O. K. Only 
purchasers of stock can buy the carbide 
at the price, $2 per cwt., all others must 
pay the Union Carbide prices, which now 
are $6 per cwt. w. E. D. 
New York. 
We have previously cautioned farmers 
about investing in the stock of Farmers’ 
Carbide Co., but numerous inquiries make 
further comment necessary. This com¬ 
pany, according to our reports, consists 
of George A. Stromblad, his wife, and 
R. L. Turner. None of these persons is 
reported to have any capital, and the 
only experience any of the members have 
had in this line seems to be that Mr. 
Stromblad at one time acted as a sales¬ 
man for an Ohio manufacturer of acety¬ 
lene gas machines. The company was 
originally capitalized at $25,000. but 
apparently Mr. Stromblad found the 
stock selling game so easy that the capi¬ 
talization has been increased to $300,000. 
Apparently there has been no change in 
the assets. A large force of salesmen 
are being employed to sell the stock. We 
do not know what portion of the receipts 
these salesmen receive for their services; 
but the rule is somewhere from 25 to 50 
per cent when stock is sold in this way, 
and we have record of cases where the 
salesmen’s commissions ran as high as 75 
per cent. We have yet to learn of any 
enterprise financed in this way to be es¬ 
tablished on a successful basis. 
The company has advertised in full- 
page announcements in the daily papers 
throughout the State of the purchase of 
a plant at Plattsburgh, N. Y. Our re¬ 
ports are in effect that a part of the 
abandoned plant of the American Car¬ 
bide Co. has been purchased “on con¬ 
tract.” The promise to furnish carbide 
to stockholders at half or less than the 
present prices, and seven per cent divi¬ 
dends, is alluring, but what assurance have 
farmers asked to invest that either promise 
will be fulfilled? Nothing but the promise 
of a man without capital or experience in 
the business. It is the same bait that 
has been used hundreds of times by stock 
promoters to catch the unwary. The 
scheme is just as preposterous as for a 
man without means or experience in 
farming to start a company with $300,000 
capital stock to go into the farming busi¬ 
ness, and expect city people to furnish 
the money on the promise to sell them 
farm produce at half price and pay big 
dividends! 
After an absence of nearly 30 years 
I am back on the old farm for a year of 
rest and change. Since coming here I 
have read your paper each week, from be¬ 
ginning to end, and wish to .say that I did 
not suppose there was a publication in 
the country which speaks so boldly and 
honestly. I hope that the farmers ap¬ 
preciate in a practical way the value of 
having so fearless a representative of 
their interests. Most of my life has been 
spent in the schools of the State, and I 
notice with real pleasure your efforts to 
stir a situation which, more than any 
other, needs aeration and calls for the 
attention of all good citizens. Strength 
to your arm ! F. a. g. 
New York. 
Thirty-odd years ago we started with a 
small circulation, no money and a good- 
sized debt on an experiment to see if a 
farm paper could speak out boldly and 
honestly in the interest of the farm and 
live. The experience has not been en¬ 
tirely without difficulty and trial, but 
it never lacked interest and fascination. 
There has been no hesitation or stint of 
the real farmer’s practical appreciation. 
At that time we rented a portion of a 
loft building for offices, and the mechan¬ 
ical part of the work in making the paper 
was done under contract with city 
printers. We controlled no facilities for 
doing the work. Since then the paper has 
been housed in a building of its own in 
a prominent business section of the city. 
It is equipped with modern machinery 
and the plant is conceded to be one of 
the most unique publishing houses in the 
country. These facilities have made it 
possible, even during the rising tide of 
war-time expenses, to enlarge aud im¬ 
prove the paper without increasing its 
cost to the patrons. Its circulation has 
increased tenfold, and for a quarter of a 
century it has never owed a dollar beyond 
current business accounts. This we take 
as the farmers’ practical appreciation of 
an honest attempt at least to serve them. 
The policy of speaking out boldly and 
honestly could not be pursued continuous¬ 
ly without making enemies. To fight 
crooks is to invite their hatred. Nobody, 
however, worries much about crooks. 
To fight grafters and special privileges 
and entrenched systems is quite another 
matter. These are too cunning to come 
back at you to defend their acts or their 
system. They know too well that they 
would fail in any such attempt to justify 
themselves. Their one hope is to dis¬ 
credit the motives of the agency that at¬ 
tempts to interfere with their privileges. 
If we were confronted with the individual 
grafter only the problem would be sim¬ 
ple. because at best their sway is tem¬ 
porary. Few of them last long, but the 
menace is in the system. This is con¬ 
stantly recruited from susceptible ma¬ 
terial and defended by every political and 
commercial grafter, high or low, wherever 
located. To speak out the truth boldly 
about this system is to invite hatred and 
malice, but the experience has never been 
without interest. Sometimes it takes on 
the fascination of an adventure. 
The one experience that causes regret 
is that men of worthy purposes innocently 
become associated with these systems, and 
without realizing the public menace in 
them resent any attempt to correct them 
as a personal affront to themselves. In 
this way friendships are sometimes alien¬ 
ated, but individual preferences cannot 
be considered in a policy of public ser¬ 
vice, aud reluctant as we all are to 
lose a friend we cannot permit a senti¬ 
ment to defeat the purpose of trying out 
the practical results of a policy of speak¬ 
ing out boldly and honestly on measures 
which threaten the welfare of the farm. 
I am contemplating doing business with 
the United Food & Fur Association of 
329 West 48th Street, New York City. 
Will you tell me whether this firm is 
reliable or not? G. II. E. 
New York. 
This concern guarantees satisfaction, 
but when a customer returned some stock 
because of inferior quality the United 
Food & Fur Association refused to refund 
the purchase price. In their letters the 
• 
concern calls us unreasonable because we 
expect them to do so. Instead they offer 
to send the customer another shipment of 
stock. The customer says he does not 
want any of the “scrub” stock such as 
the United Food & Fur Association sent 
him originally—and there you are. 
I just read on page 1258 about H. S. 
Bomberger, of Palmyra, Pa., and write 
to make sure you know the light penalty 
a man of this type must pay. lie was 
sentenced in Susquehanna County by 
Judge Andrew Smith to one year in 
county jail and a fine of $100 (which he 
will never have to pay). The newspaper 
in which I saw this states that the judge 
was sorry he could not give him more, 
as this was the maximum sentence for 
false pretense. It is for one offence, but 
this man committed numerous offences, 
so that is a poor excuse. J. G. 
Pennsylvania. 
The penalty in this case surely does 
not fit the crime. The theory that a light 
sentence will show the culprit the error 
of his ways doesn’t hold good in practice. 
Our experience has been that as soon as 
a swindler is out of jail he at once con¬ 
cocts some new scheme to bunko the pub¬ 
lic aud avoid the meshes of the law. 
Linders, Ackhart & Co., commission 
merchants, 28S Washington Street, are 
in bankruptcy. Shippers who have not 
been paid for their produce sent to this 
concern should file their claims with the 
receiver. Claims should be sworu to be¬ 
fore a notary public. 
Reporter : “What started the blaze, 
chief?” Fire Chief (in a whisper) ; 
“Spontaneous insurance.”—Credit Lost. 
iDl) PONT AMERICAN INDUSTRIES 
* 
A Good Investment for Farmers 
Millions of acres of farm land in the United 
States would be made more productive by 
proper application of ground limestone. As 
most farmers realize, soil analyzing strong in 
lime content will produce abundant legume 
crops; legumes increase the nitrogen content 
of the soil; in short, liming is the first step in 
systematic soil building, soil enriching; is the 
first step toward greater productivity and larger 
profit per unit under cultivation. 
Friend Farmer, take our advice and put a little of 
your war profits of the past four years into ground limestone. 
Money spent for lime is an investment—not an expense. It 
will all come back to you many fold in increased returns 
from your crops. 
Another good use for some of the surplus—an in¬ 
vestment also—would be to purchase some 
H 
RED CROSS DYNAMITE 
and dispose of the stumps and boulders that have prevented 
the use of modern farm machinery in the cultivated’fields, 
blast ditches to improve drainage, etc. 
Dynamite is a wonderful farm labor saver. It can be 
used in dozens of ways to save time r.nd man power 
It costs nothing to find out what it will do, how to 
do it, and what farmers who are used to it think of it. Our 
Handbook of Explosives No. 30 tells the story. It’s free. 
Write for it today. 
In addition to the booklet, if your land is located in 
Georgia, Alabama,North or South Carolina, Virginia, Mary¬ 
land, Minnesota, Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, New 
Jersey, Wisconsin, or New York, we can have an expert 
demonstrator call on you at no cost to you and if you will help 
him, he will arrange a public demonstration, preferably under 
the auspices of your U. S. County Agent, to be held on some 
centrally located farm where he will show you and your 
neighbors the safest and best blasting practice. 
E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO. 
Wilmington, Delaware 
Plants, Warehouses and Sales Offices in all principal business centers 
The Principal Du Pont Products Are 
Explosives; Chemicals; Leather Substitutes; Pyroxylin Plastics; 
Paints andVarnishes; Pigments and Colors in Oil; Stains, Fillers; 
Lacquers and Enamels; Dyestuffs. 
For full information address: Advertising Division 
E. I. du Pont de Nemours Sc Co., Wilmington, Del. 
Visit Du Pont Products Store When in Atlantic City 
Against Winter Killing 
Not only is it necessary for you to have a perfectly prepared seed 
bed for your wheat for insuring the biggest yield, but you should 
pack it well against winter killing with this new light draft roller¬ 
bearing 
Brill ion King 
Team or 
Tractor 
Pttlverlser 
Just the kind of implement agricultural 
experiment stations have specified for 
mulching top soil for quicker seed 
sprouting and growth of young plant, 
and for packing the undersoil for hold¬ 
ing the proper moisture for the most 
rapid future growth pf plant and great¬ 
est possible crop yield. Strong durable. Price reasonable. 
AT ALL JOHN DEERE DEALERS 
kr 
r m - I . 0 
MM y- V. 
fj&mj • 1 
Roofing Products 
Metal makes the most satisfactory roofing 
HI for farm buildings or city construction. 
APOliLO-KEYSTONK Copper Steel Galvanized Sheets are unex¬ 
celled for Culverts, Tanks, Silos, ltooling. Spouting and all ex¬ 
posed shoet metal work. Look for the Koystono added to brand. 
Sold by leading dealers. Kkystone Copper Steel is also superior 
fo. Hoofing Tin Plates. Send for “Better Buildings" booklet. 
AMERICAN SHEET AND TIN PLATE COMPANY, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get m 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
