846 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 18, 1921 
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. 
In an issue of The R. N.-Y. of Jun* 
last I saw an advertisement of the Polar 
Iceless Refrigerator of Washington, la. 
I answered the advertisement and re¬ 
ceived some circulars to the effect that 
the refrigerator was guaranteed to keep 
fresh milk, meats, etc.; that the refriger¬ 
ation was done by some peculiar process 
of evaporation. I was incredulous, but 
the advertisement was published in your 
paper, and the manufacturers guaranteed 
It to give satisfaction. 
I immediately sent my check, about 
June 20, and the refrigerator came early 
in September. The manufacturers said 
they shipped at once, but sent me no bill 
of lading, and have neglected to send such 
upon a definite request. The price of the 
refrigerator was $45, but as I was the 
first in this territory to order (prospec¬ 
tively). the price would be $36, or three 
for $100—two I could easily sell for $90, 
so I wae assured. 
The refrigerator stands about 3 ft. 
high by about 2 ft. square. It consists 
of a frame covered by wire cloth, over 
which is stretched a covering of cloth or 
canvas. It is supplied with castors to be 
inserted into the legs, which lift the body 
6 in. (about) from the floor, supplied 
with a frame door and inside two wooden 
shelves. Surrounding this structure is n 
square tank of galvanized iron about 10 
in. high, and projecting a half-inch or so 
over the canvas-covered body; the tank 
with a screw top hole in the middle for 
receiving the water. Water poured into 
the tank begins immediately to run on the 
floor. A thermometer put inside could 
not be brought lower than 74 degrees. 
I have no hesitancy in denouncing the 
thing as a most unmitigated fraud. 
I would like very much to have back 
my $36. If you can get them to agree 
to refund upon receipt of the thing. I 
shall gladly crate it and ship it at once. 
Kentucky. J. W. C. 
The Iceless refrigerator referred to 
above proved a disappointment to every¬ 
one we have heard from who purchased 
it. The proprietor of tL 1 Polar Iceless 
Refrigerator Company. H. S. Busby, 
promised us a number of times to make 
good his guarantee under which the re¬ 
frigerator was sold, but he failed to make 
good these promises and finally went into 
bankruptcy. The R. N.-Y refunded the 
purchase price of the refrigerator to 
•T. W. C. and a number of other sub¬ 
scribers who made complaint, under our 
square deal guarantee of advertisers. 
Our guarantee does not provide for mak¬ 
ing good the debts of honest bankrupts, 
but w r e did not feel justified in claiming 
that H. S. Busby acted in good faith in 
the transactions. The theory of these so- 
called iceless refrigerators has been ex¬ 
pounded by the National Department of 
Agriculture, as well as some of the agri¬ 
cultural departments of the various 
States. The theory, however, did nor 
work out in a practical way as far as 
this Polar Iceless Refrigerator was con¬ 
cerned. Perhaps under favorable condi¬ 
tions. this claim of refrigeration by the 
process of evaporation of water will keep 
the temperature a few degrees lower than 
the outside temperature, but as a prac¬ 
tical system of refrigeration, this experi¬ 
ence did not endorse the principle. An¬ 
other concern, the Empire Manufacturing 
Company, also of Washington. Iowa, is 
this season advertising another iceless 
refrigerator on the same principle. The 
promoters of the Empire Manufacturing 
Company are C. W. Busby and H. E. 
Busby, father and brother of the II. S. 
Busby who advertised the Polar iceless 
refrigerator last season. We do not. 
wish to hold other members of the family 
responsible for the operations of H. S. 
Busby, but we want our readers to know 
that we do not advise the purchase of 
any refrigerator relying upon the evap¬ 
oration principle as a practical means of 
refrigeration. 
I have been selling milk to Reder 
Brothers, Inc., Perth Amboy. N. .T. In 
February the president of the corpora¬ 
tion made an appeal on the basis of hard 
times and induced the farmers here to allow 
him to deduct 1% from their milk checks 
to help him fill the ice house, with the 
understanding that if the pooling plan 
went into effect the deductions were to 
be discontinued. About May 1st he came 
again and asked that he be allowed to take 
the whole amount from the April checks 
as he would have no opportunity after 
that to make deductions. This was re¬ 
fused bv a unanimous vote. Nevertheless 
he has‘made a 10% deduction from the 
April bill. I consider this an injustice 
and a violation of the agreement. Can 
you collect the balance for us? 
New York. g. s. s. 
Reder Brothers, Perth Amboy, N. J. 
have made unauthorized deductions from 
our April milk bill. Farmers here agreed 
to allow them to take 1% of the milk bills 
up to the time of pooling to pay for stor¬ 
age of ice, but unanimously voted not to 
make the allowance after the milk was 
pooled. Now they have taken 10% from 
the April bills. I would like to have you 
collect the amount deducted. A. b. c. 
New York. 
The facts in this case seem entirely 
clear. Farmers had no responsibility for 
the ice. Reder Brothers, Inc., had to 
have it. The cost of it was up to them. 
The understanding is clearly expressed in 
both letters. The producers consented to 
a reduction of one per cent up to the 
time the milk was to be pooled, and re¬ 
fused to change it later. With no author¬ 
ity whatever the corporation arbitrarily 
deducts 10% from the April bills. Farm¬ 
ers can accept it or bring suit for a petty 
amount. The cost of the suit and the 
time lost would, of course, amount to 
more than the deductions, and producers 
will save annoyance and expense by sub¬ 
mitting to the injustice, but if the farm¬ 
ers affected would join in a single suit, 
and enforce payment, they would teach 
this dealer a wholesome lesson. If he 
can deduct 10% he can deduct 50%, or 
the whole bill on the same principle, and 
the only reason for not taking more is 
the danger of provoking a suit. When 
Reder Brothers, Inc., want milk again 
they ought to be required to put up a 
cash deposit to guarantee full payment 
for it. 
The United Fertilizer and Dime Com¬ 
pany. Syracuse. N. Y.. is working this 
county hard for the sale of their stock. 
Would it be a safe and sane investment 
for a farmer to make? I do not wish to 
go into this blind. E. E. F. 
New’ York. 
Our information is that the United 
Fertilizer and Time Company of Syra¬ 
cuse. N. Y.. was incorporated in March. 
1921. with $100,000 common stock and 
$100,000 preferred stock. The president 
of the company, F. B. Kelly, w’as pre¬ 
viously in the telephone business. The 
vice-president. Horace Pratt, is reported 
to have been previously employed in the 
feed business, and ow r ns a small farm out¬ 
side of Fulton. N. Y. Robert Nugent, 
secretary and treasurer, was also former¬ 
ly in the feed business. It would there¬ 
fore appear that none of the officials of 
the company has had any particular ex¬ 
perience in the fertilizer business. One 
of the officials of the company is quoted 
as expecting to buy a mill on the coasl 
line of Maryland, and that the company 
contemplated having a warehouse on the 
Barge Canal and to grind their own lime¬ 
stone in Onondaga County. The stock of 
the company is being offered to farmers 
on the basis that stockholders will save 
$10 a ton on their fertilizer purchases 
from the company. These three men, as 
far as we are able to learn, have no means 
of any account, proposing to start a fer¬ 
tilizer and lime concern to compete with 
the manufacturers already established, 
and sell fertilizer to their stockholders at 
$10 per ton below’ the market price. This 
proposition sounds very much like the 
Farmers’ Standard Carbide Company 
scheme that was started some tw r o years 
ago at Canastota. N. Y.. which proposed 
manufacturing carbide and sell it to 
stockholders at a substantial reduction 
from the price of other manufacturers. 
The scheme worked beautifully as far as 
the stock-selling game was concerned, and 
as soon as the promoter got to the end of 
his rope in this line, he quietly disap¬ 
peared from view, and we have not heard 
of the Farmers’ Standard Carbide Com¬ 
pany now for several months. There 
seems to 'be nothing more substantial be¬ 
hind this plan to establish this'fertilizer 
concern than there w r as behind the carbide 
stock-selling scheme. We have seen this 
stock-selling plan worked out hundreds of 
times, but always eventually to the loss 
of the investor W’ho parted with his 1 
money. We can see none of the elements 
necessary for success in this organization, 
and the farmers who take our advice w'ill 
make some other use of their savings. 
Ou) Man : “And if you had $500 and 
multiplied it by tw T o, what would you 
get ?” Little Boy: “A motor car.”— 
Edinburgh Scotsman. 
Westclox 
—that's Big Bens family name. 
Steady-going America 
H ERE is another case 
of sticking on the job. 
America set out some 
thirty-five years ago to be 
the best moderate-priced 
alarm on the market. 
It has been kept busy 
ever since tending to the 
business that came its 
way. 
America is just as lively 
today as it was the first day 
it stepped out to get a job. 
It has kept pace with every 
improvement from a time¬ 
keeping standpoint, but 
has refused to consider 
changes in body design 
that would increase its 
price without improving 
its quality. 
It started out as a good 
value clock, one that runs 
on time, rings on time, 
and stays on time, in the 
regular Westclox way.*And 
today it is one of the most 
popular clocks on the mar¬ 
ket. Be sure to look for 
Westclox on the dial. 
WESTERN CLOCK CO., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A. 
Makers of ffiitclox: Big Ben,Baby Ben, Pocket Ben, Glo-Ben, America,Sleep-Meter, Jack o’Lantern 
Factory: Peru, Illinois. In Canada: Western Clock Co., Limited, Peterborough, Ont. 
SAVE HALF Your 
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Oldest Ready Mixed Paint House in America— Esteb. 1842 
0. W. Ingersoll, 246 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 
Wi: THE. 
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For keeping Flies, (intits 
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worth 
saves 
in milk and flesh alone on each cow in a single sea¬ 
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Send . r >0 for enough Shoo-Fly to protect 10 cotes 2 
weeks , also our 3-tube gravity sprayer. Money backji 
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SHOO-FLY MFG.CO. 1320 N. 10thSt.,Phila. 
$20 
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 
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DETROIT, MICH. 
The Farmer His 
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A practical and 
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For sale by 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 W. 30th St., N. f. 
