1310 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 7, 1920 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
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. 
I want to thank you for the interest 
you have taken in my case with R. F. 
Van Hoesen, Franklinville, N. Y. I have 
received the records for my hogs. Such 
dealers are no credit to any breeding as¬ 
sociation. c. T. 
The subscriber is justified in his con¬ 
clusions and we agree that Mr. Van 
Hoesen is not a credit to any association. 
Complaints have been continuous that he 
neglects his customers, and we have had 
difficulty in getting adjustments. We 
would caution against dealings with him 
Inclosed you will find copy of a land 
contract from John J. Black Real Estate 
Co.. Chippewa Falls. Wis. Please tell 
me if they are a reliable company or not, 
and whether the paying of the $10 listing 
fee is O. K. or not. They advertise in 
’Successful Farming, and it does not look 
as if Mr. Meredith would allow an unre¬ 
liable firm to advertise in his paper. 
New York. F. K. 
We have many times expressed our 
opinion of these “listing fee” schemes of 
alleged real estate agents. They are easy 
money schemes pure and simple. Ostran¬ 
der originated the fake 20 years ago in 
Philadelphia, and he has had many imita¬ 
tors since. D. B. Cornell & Co., Great 
Barrington. Mass., is still swindling farm 
owners by the same means. It is easier 
to get “listing fees” thtyi to sell farms, 
and it has been our experience that this 
class of agents make no serious effort to 
sell property. The $10 advance fee is 
what they are after. 
Yours of July 12, the account sales 
and check for $172.92. of John C. Plume 
Co., received. I am unable to thank you 
enough. Without your help I would 
never have received the cheek. I feel I 
am indebted to you. and will very gladly 
send you a check to cover your expense 
or to help make this department a paying 
proposition. T shall always be a booster 
for The R. N.-Y. Any time I can be of 
any help to you in this location. I shall 
be pleased to have you call upon me. 
New York. f. c. g. 
This belated adjustment does not change 
our advice to refrain from making ship¬ 
ments to a house that finds it necessary 
to delay settlement. Shippers are entitled 
to prompt pay for goods, and any concern 
that holds up payments is a good one to 
pass by. We have no bill to render, but 
appreciate the offer and the subscriptions 
that accompanied the letter. 
Will you assist me to get satisfaction 
from the M. M. Johnson Incubator Co., 
Clay Center, Neb? I bought an incu¬ 
bator and brooder from them this Spring. 
When they arrived they were rusted 
and he i under box burst from rough 
handling. I set up the incubator as di¬ 
rected in instruction book, and put in 
eggs from two flocks, also I set three 
hens on same kind of eggs. After I 
candled out infertile and dead germs on 
fifteenth day I got a hatch of 4(5 per 
cent. I wrote the company and told 
them in detail of my hatch, and that from 
the hens I got 30 chicks from 45 eggs 
set. or 60 per cent, but that I would try 
again, and if I got 50 per cent I would 
be satisfied. They wrote and told me 
not to be in such *i hurry, but to try 
once more. My second hatch was worse 
than the first. I got 45 per cent from 
the incubator and 90 per cent from hens 
os described before. The hatch came off 
on time the heat was run steadily but I 
am sure this is a case of bad workman¬ 
ship. One door flops open and one has 
to be pried open. One drawer is contin¬ 
ually wet. though no leak can be found 
in the tank. The legs are wobbly and 
the appearance of the machine sent me 
i-; in no way the one described in the 
catalog. Quoting from their guarantee 
printed in the catalog: “It must be as 
described in this catalog, not only what 
we say on this page, but all we say 
in the entire book. Also we guarantee 
an average hatch of 75 per cent of fer¬ 
tile eggs. This is a money back guar¬ 
antee and is the strongest and safest of 
any and all guarantees put on incu¬ 
bators.” I wanted an incubator and still 
want one. I have offered to exelrange 
for a smaller size and pay freight this 
way. My offer was ignored. They re¬ 
quire about 15 days to answer. I have 
written several times answering their 
questions but am tired of being strung 
along until tired of the game, and quit 
in disgust. The poor chicks pip the 
shell and spill water on those hatched, 
some as devoid of feathers as a Mexican 
pup of hair. I have had fine success with 
every other incubator I have run, by 
simply following the maker’s directions. 
I did so in this case to the letter. To 
strengthen my belief the incubator is 
at fault will say that a neighbor with an 
old machine with no thermostat got 163 
live fine chicks from 208 eggs same as 
mine. After the treatment I will not 
exchange, but if they continue to re¬ 
fuse to give satisfaction I will destroy it 
because it is too expensive to run. 
% Pennsylvania. G. P. R. 
The “Old Trusty” incubator is perhaps 
no better or worse than others of the 
same class and selling at around the same 
price. Our experience with the firm in¬ 
dicates (hat it is the policy of the M. M. 
Johnson Incubator Co. to ignore the guar¬ 
antee under which the incubator is sold 
and when a customer complains to tire 
him or her out as stated by this sub¬ 
scriber. The guarantee is good .selling 
dope but is no protection (o the pur¬ 
chaser when the machine fails to give 
satisfaction. The fault is always with 
the operator. We presented this com¬ 
plaint to the M. M. Johnson Incubator 
Co. on July 9th, but up to going to press 
with this issue no response has been re¬ 
ceived. 
Your Publisher’s Desk is a great de¬ 
partment. Many farmers around here 
invested hard-earned money in McKees¬ 
port Gas stock and since then the thing 
has failed, and they have got back $33 and 
some cents for every $100 invested. When 
will people learn to invest their money at 
home in farm improvements instead of 
buying “chances” in oil and gas? Do 
you know anything about the Wcnstone 
Rubber Company of Chicago? They are 
selling stock around here and are expect¬ 
ing to manufacture a puncture-proof tire 
or inner tube. This is a self-healing 
tire, and really looks good as far as the 
sample goes. However, we have no 
money to invest in it. but we know of 
many of our friends that have. Does 
this concern have any financial standing, 
and do you think they are reliable? 
Pennsylvania. P. M. 
The above letter voices the sentiments 
we have so often expressed to the effect 
that farmers in all cases can better em¬ 
ploy their money on their own farms or 
in their own homes than turning it over 
to “get- rich-quiejk” promoters on any 
plausible scheme. This in most cases 
also is true even though the proposed in¬ 
vestment may be a legitimate one. and 
with the risk of loss practically elimin¬ 
ated.- We can find no record of the Wen- 
stene Rubber Products Company. From 
what is said of the proposition in the 
above letter, it would appear to be only 
a prospect at best, and anyone putting 
his money into a company in this line, 
that is not well established, should figure 
that his chances are about ninety-nine to 
lose against one to gain. 
As a subscriber I am writing to put 
before you my experience with a paint 
company located in Cleveland, Ohio. “The 
Electric Paint & Varnish Company.” Last 
Fall, while my son and I were at work- 
in a field, an agent from said company 
came along, and after failure to induce 
us to buy paint, asked my name in order 
that he might send some circulars. This 
I gave him. without signing any papers. 
After several weeks had elapsed, to my 
surprise I received invoice from the com¬ 
pany for one-half barrel of red barn paint 
at $62.50. To this I made no reply, but 
refused to accept it on arrival. After the 
agent had notified them to this effect I 
received several threatening letters, stating 
if I did not remove same from station 
they would take drastic measures to col¬ 
lect, same: also stated the railroad com¬ 
pany would pay them for it and I would 
be compelled to reimburse them. Later 
I received a statement showing “bill due 
today.” After the railroad company had 
put the paint in their sales house at Wil¬ 
mington. Del., an attorney called upon 
me, stating the company had advised him 
they had my signed order, and he was 
here to get me to accept the shipment* at 
a discount, not knowing the paint had 
been taken to their sales house. He then 
said he would write to the company for 
the signed order, and since that time I 
have heard from neither the company nor 
the attorney. It may be you can help me¬ 
in investigating this company and deter¬ 
mining whether the company or their 
agent is at fault. Evidently one or the 
other, or both of them are trying to do 
business in a fraudulent manner, and 
be prosecuted. w. b. r>. 
Delaware. 
The above is typical of the methods 
employed by a number of paint and oil 
concerns in Cleveland, O. This applies 
only to the Cleveland concerns selling 
paints through traveling agents and by 
mail order. There is no objection to 
these sales methods if properly conducted 
and the public dealt with fairly. As in 
many cases it is the abuse of the system, 
not the system itself that is to blame 
for the consequences. Our reports 
simply indicate that the Cleveand houses 
employing these methods have abused 
the confidence of the public. 
Main Spring"/Tractors Wbrks 
A WATCH is no better than its main 
spring. A tractor is no better 
than its ignition. 
Your tractor—in fact all your farm power 
—will do its best work on Columbia Hot Shot 
Ignition Current. 
A Single Dry Battery of Many Cellpoiver 
Not only the best and cheapest ignition 
current, but cuts down the waste of gasoline 
and gets more power out of less fuel. 
Demand Columbia Hot Shot 
4 \ 
NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY 
Incorporated 
Cleveland, Ohio Sail Francisco, Calif. 
Canadian National Carbon Co., Limited, Toronto, Canada 
Columbia 
S^Batteries 
Fahnestock Spring Clip Binding Posts without extra 
charge on Columbia No. 6 for doorbells and buzzers 
12472® 
QvaylaMti farm 
I9USE-CHASE 
“The Final Answer to 
the Louse Question” 
Absolutely kills the lice on your cattle, 
swine, poultry, horses and sheep. Money 
back if it fails. Used and recommended 
by state colleges and thousands of breeders. 
Safe, easy and economical to use. Price 
$ 1.00 per pke., from your dealer or write : 
GRAYLAWN FARMS, Inc., BoxH-9, Waterbury, Vt. 
POSITIVELY GUARANTEED 
KEEP LIVESTOCK HEALTHY 
BY USING 
Kreso Dip No. 1 
(STANDARDIZED) 
Easy to use; efficient; economical; kills 
parasites; prevents disease. 
Write for free booklets on the Care of 
Livestock and Poultry. 
ANIMAL INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF 
PARKE, DAVIS & CO. 
DETROIT, MICH. 
YOU CAN OWN THIS THRESHER 
The Gray Individual Thresher does away with all the threshing 
worries that have made grain-farming uncertain and the profits doubttu . 
You get all the grain you raise; you thresh it when it is ready to tnresn; 
you can arrange your work to Buit your own convenience; you will have grain t - 
from chaff and weed seeds; you will not be annoyed by frequent breakdowns. 
For hilly and rough country, the Gray Individual Throshar is just, tho tiling. 
Being light. It is easy and safe to move, yet sturdy enough to stana an uu 
usual strains. Every convenioneo or improvement that our 80 years arpe 
building threshers could suggest is found hi the Gray Individual 
It is the grain fanner's answer to the labor shortage. 
-for- rtiig 
BOO 
Inexpensive to Own and Run 
You’ll bo surprised at the moderate cost of a Gray Thresher. You will 
decide it is an absolute necessity when you loam how easy it is to mwe 
Write for our catalog, toll us how much grain you average to jtnu 
will give you full information. Act now, so you cau be sure of your ou 
this season. 
A. W. Gray’s Sons, Inc., Box A-3»Poultney, Vt. 
Factory at Middletown Springs 
