1634 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 1, lOt.9 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
COOPERATIVE AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION tVORK 
l’ha Pennsylvania State College U. S. Department of Agriculture' 
Delaware County Farm Bureau, Media, Pac>' 
D. v, r . Atkinson, County Agent. 
Dear Sir: 
George K._ Higbie Company. Rochester, N. Y., solicit orders, 
for ."Hustler" seed potatoes and ."Imperial' Cluster" oats at fancy 
prices.' Farmers, who met the .agent when he recently canvassed in the' 
vicinity of Village Green, have asked for an account- of the company's; 
activities, and it is in response to that request that I am writing 
this letter. 
It is alleged that the agent claim.s that the potatoes are 
grown by the company under careful supervision; that they are "proof 
against blight", and (in ohe instance) that they will produce at 
least 2C0 bushels per acre. Farmers, who have ordered, state that 
they have received no copy of the order blank which they signed, and 
therefore, do not know the character of it. 
The company has previously sold potatoes near Concordville fc 
new Newtown Square, and in Bucks County. Mr. H.P. Faucett, states 
that "they blighted worse than any other potatoes he ever planted". 
The agent states that the potatoes need not be accepted if _ 
found to be unsatisfactory when delivered. Farmers, at Newtown Sonare 
and in Bucks County found them to be of inferior quality and canceled 
their orders. The company promptly threatened suit. In Bucks County 
about fifty farmers engaged a lawyer to fight their case if necessary 
and it has never been brought to trial. 
The Rural New-Yorker is waging an open fight against the 
company. Director J. G* Sanders, of the Pennsylvania State Bureau 
of Plant Industry, states that the potatoes are misrepresented. 
Other persons brand the company as "unreliable". 
The above is a fac-simile reproduction 
of a letter sent out by the Delaware Co., 
l’a.. Farm Bureau agent for the informa¬ 
tion of the farmers in that county. Tiie 
R. N.-Y. has for many years advised its 
readers of the fictitious nature of the 
claims made by Higbie Company, as well 
as other Rochester seed houses selling 
seeds in the same manner. The follow¬ 
ing letter, just received from a Pennsyl¬ 
vania subscriber, is further confirmation 
of the Farm Bureau agent's report. We 
also approve the suggestion made in this 
letter that the Department of Ariculture 
of the various States should find some 
way of preventing this class of seedsmen 
from misrepresentation as contained in 
these reports: 
On page 1526 I notice you state that 
the 'George K. Higbie representative is 
making his rounds again in Broome Co., 
N. Y. There is also another. Chas. W. 
Wolf, making his rounds through this sec¬ 
tion of Delaware Co., Pa. He is a crip¬ 
ple also, with a deformed hand, but not a 
thing wrong with his tongue. He got me 
for $20.75 for some of their fake seed po¬ 
tatoes. three bushels, and 10 lbs. Speak¬ 
ing of this 10 lbs. of potatoes, that was 
all. he said, they could give one customer, 
as they were something new and a won¬ 
derful producer. Spudwell, he called 
them; they were nothing but the Irish 
Cobbler. I paid for them $1.75; one bush¬ 
el of the Hustler, $6. one bushel of Early 
Record. $7; a record. I should say. to 
steal, as bad as a chicken thief's; 30 lbs. 
of the Comet, $3 ; 30 lbs. of Roxbury, $3. 
so you see he got me good and strong, for 
a rube, as they call us. I think it is 
about time that there were laws - passed - 
to put a stop to this sort of flim-flam 
game. I think the Department of Agri¬ 
culture should make these people .prove 
the seed they sell is what it is represent¬ 
ed to be. I could hardly go to a grocery 
store and buy storage eggs and sell them 
to my customers ns strictly fresh, from my 
own hens, when they are not. so therefore 
J. think the Department of Agriculture 
should take such people as these to task 
and make them prove their assertions as 
to the wonderful producing qualities of 
the seeds they sell. I had not been getting 
The R. N.-Y. before getting stung with 
this George K. Higbie Company f if I 
had I probably would not have been de¬ 
ceived. Still, these cripples probably 
reach some farmers who do not know the 
good your paper is doing, and I would like 
to see this matter pushed further. 
Pennsylvania. J. F. B. 
I have a small motor boat. The engine 
was giving me trouble, and looking over 
the advertisements in Motor Boating 
Magazine I selected a three-cylinder, six 
horsepower engine of Dunn Motor Co.. 
Ogdensburg, N. Y'. I wrote for their 
catalog, asking if they had a six horse¬ 
power. three-cylinder motor in stock, as 
I was in a hurry to make a change. They 
sent their catalog, which states plainly 
“We build in large quantities and can 
make prompt shipment,” and a personal 
letter from W. E. Dunn that they have 
none in stock, but are completing some 
ready for tests, and will have one in the 
next day or two, asking me to order at 
once. Taking his word, I ordered one, 
and sent a money order for same. $00. 
asking them to ship at once. I received 
a letter that they got the money, and this 
inserted in it: “This order is accepted 
hv us with the distinct understanding that 
it cannot he cancelled.” It is over a 
month since I wrote to them, hut received 
no answer. I have lost more than three 
times the amount I paid them for the 
engine, as I had a job in Newport News, 
and had to give it up, for I took the en¬ 
gine out and cannot use the boat. I 
wrote to the Motor Boating Magazine 
asking for their aid. hut I have more 
faith in the The R. N.-Y., and so I am 
asking your advice. h. b. 
Virginia. 
The above letter was written in July, j 
and the subscriber hasn’t received the' 
engine yet, nor can he get any satisfac¬ 
tion from the Dunn Motor Works. These 
are unusual times, but there is no justifi¬ 
cation for this concern accepting the or¬ 
der in this way and holding the customer 
up all Summer, which meant laying his 
boat up the entire season. We have had 
previous complaints from customers of 
this concern, and we hope other sub¬ 
scribers will beware of meeting with a 
similar experience to that of the Vir¬ 
ginian. 
I am writing for my son, Warren Fish, 
who sent an order for goods to the 
Electro Importing Co., 223 Fulton Street, 
last February, for $11. They wrote they 
were out of the goods, but would send them 
later. Two or three months after that 
they sent_a portion of the order, reducing 
it to $8.55. and my son and I have writ¬ 
ten and written to refund the money, as 
it has gone so long he does not care for 
the goods, and they will pay no attention. 
\\ ill you use your influence in getting 
the money, which, as it stands, is $8.55? 
Connecticut. mrs. a. f. 
The above confirms previous reports 
as to the methods of Electric Importing 
Co.. 233 Fulton Street, New York City. 
Indifference to customers’ rights some¬ 
times cause as much annoyance and loss 
as downright dishonesty. Those who want 
to keep out of trouble will avoid houses 
which do not give their customers rea¬ 
sonable consideration. 
I am sending you a hill of trees bought 
from W . II. Davis & Son of Smithville 
Tenn. I bought two orchards, as vou see! 
$.>0. They guarantee satisfaction and 
were to prune, etc., for three years, but 
they only sent a man one year after plant¬ 
ing and since then I can get no reply 
to letters written them. I know they are 
still in business, as I wrote to tin? ‘post¬ 
master there. They would not replace 
trees that died either. I am not satisfied 
and I wish you to take the matter up with 
them, and if you cannot nake them come 
r cross and do the right thing, expose 
them. _ x. b. ir. 
\irginia. 
M e have yet to find a nursery house 
selling an order of trees on the above 1 
conditions that ever lived up to the terms 
of sale. T\ . 11. Davis & Son have a sub¬ 
stantial financial rating, and yet the firm ! 
repudiates the conditions of the contract! 
and ignores our letters asking them to 
live up to their agreement. Enough said! 
All letters to Publisher's Desk depart¬ 
ment must be signed with writer’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. 
Photographer (to grouchy customer) : 
“There, sir, I congratulate myself on a 
success! I've caught you at your best— 
with that pleasant expression. But—T 
must tell you now, you’ve been sitting ou 
your hat.”—Melbourne Leader. 
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When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you'll get 
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