1094 
September 3, 1921 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
All letters to Publisher’s Desk depart¬ 
ment must be signed with writer's full 
najme and address given. Many inquiries 
are answered by mail instead of printing 
inquiry and answer, hence unsigned let¬ 
ters receive no consideration. 
H. II. Mason, proprietor of National 
Chick Company, Kansas City, Mo., has 
been convicted of fraudulent use of the 
mails in connection with his operations 
«t Des Moines, Iowa, last year. On May 
25 he was sentenced to serve l 1 /; years 
in the United States Penitentiary at 
Leavenworth, Ivan., but is now out on 
bail pending an appeal. There seems 
small likelihood of those who sent Mason 
orders this .season and failed to receive 
the chicks ever receiving reimbursement. 
A searching John Doe inquiry into the 
operations of real estate sharks said to 
have reaped almost $3,000,000 from the 
city’s poor through the old “free lot” 
scheme and other fraudulent methods was 
begun yesterday by Magistrate Francis 
X. Maucuso in Municipal Term Court. 
After he had heard the testimony of a 
veteran of the World War and a soldier’s 
widow, who charged that they had been 
swindled by one of 25 alleged bogus 
“home builders,” the Magistrate said: 
“What has appeared in this investiga¬ 
tion so far certainly shows amazing con¬ 
ditions. After hearing how this soldier 
and this, widow have been fleeced, I can¬ 
not understand how these things were 
tolerated. A thorough inquiry should be 
made by the District Attorney’s office as 
soon as possible to bring all the com¬ 
plainants into court s<> that ave may get 
at these thieves.” 
The stories of the witnesses resulted in 
an order that information be drawn 
against four men said to be connected 
with the Stirling Home Builders, 20 
Vesey Street, of which Albert Meister 
was said to be president. The four men 
were II. ('. Russell, A. Goodian, P. Me- 
Tighe and Albert J. Doyle .—Daily 
Papers. 
This swindle was apparently designed 
to catch city people; but the same scheme 
has been used for years on country people 
by the real estate sharks promoting 
worthless land on Dong Island and else¬ 
where. The plan is to make people be¬ 
lieve they are going to get something for 
nothing on the pretext that they have 
drawn a "lucky number” or some other 
equally deceptive pretense. Then after 
the victim is interested he is told that in 
order to get the free lot he must buy 
another next to it. And the price of the 
other lot is two or three times what both 
are worth! We have exposed the swindle 
any number of times, but since it is being 
revived now further warning may be 
necessary. 
1 saw a notice in regard to the Clover 
Valley Butter Co., Bridgeport, Conn. Is 
there n<> way to get the Government after 
those people? I sent them a case of eggs 
in December last, and got returns right 
away ; then I sent them two more cases 
of eggs, value $50. and I never have been 
able to collect it from them. They used 
the mails to get their business. B. P. 
Vermont. 
We have been unable to get any re¬ 
plies from the Clover Valley Butter Co., 
and the subscriber’s experience has been 
reported to the Postoffice Department. If 
any of our readers have similar com¬ 
plaints against the company or John G. 
Sheridan, we would like to have the in¬ 
formation. 
I would warn the readers of The R. 
N.-Y. against a young man who gives his 
name as Chandler, and is canvassing the 
State. He wants your name on a list of 
prospects who might buy a State map or 
chart, provided he can get names enough 
to warrant making the survey. The sur¬ 
vey is to be thorough and expensive and 
the chart complete, showing all highways, 
streams, etc. The next you hear from 
him is a card signed by National Map 
Company, giving no address, announcing 
the delivery of your map on a given date, 
asking you to have the money ready. His 
map is very ordinary and not as repre¬ 
sented. The most of farmers who signed 
their names take the map. as he threatens 
to make them trouble, but some refuse it. 
New York. ir. m. t. 
We have had similar reports from 
other sections regarding the methods of 
the agents of National Map Company. 
The home office of the company is at 
Indianapolis, Iml., with office in New 
York City at 119 Nassau Street. When 
farmers’ signatures are secured by such 
deceptions as described above there is no 
reason why they should be frightened by 
the threat to make them trouble. 
Tht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Here is a new one. I paid on. arrival 
from the Elk Shoe Company. East Roches¬ 
ter. N. II., $5.85 for a pair of shoes, plus 
postal charges. On opening I found out 
they were two right shoes. I thought it 
was a mistake, and with a nice letter sent 
back one of the shoes and asked them to 
send the left one to make a pair, as I did 
not happen to have two right feet. That 
was the only thing I could do. but I made 
a mistake, as I cannot get a word from 
them. I wrote them half a dozen times, 
also the postmistress there. She thought 
they would adjust the matter in a few 
days. They had a big advertisement in 
the Boston Globe. I guess the Boston 
Globe takes any advertisement. I do not 
think you can do anything with them, but 
you might as well show them up, so that 
anyone else will not get stung, r.. a. r. 
New York. 
Upon receipt of the above complaint 
we assumed the mistake was one the 
Somerset Manufacturing Company would 
be glad to make right. But after more 
than six months of effort and the matter 
still unadjusted, we can only conclude 
that the Somerset Manufacturing Com¬ 
pany, East Rochester, N. H., is a good 
house for our people to leave alone, if 
they wish to avoid trouble and annoy¬ 
ance, to say nothing of the loss of money, 
as happens in this case. 
What do you know about the Central 
Copper Company of Arizona, Cochise 
County, or -s there such a company? 
There has been an agent canvassing in 
this section selling stock. The proposition 
looks very good, but, of course, would like 
to inquire into it before doing anything. 
New York. j. m. 
The Central Copper Company stock is 
purely speculative. The copper industry 
is iu a depressed condition—so much so 
that many of the strongest concerns haA r e 
ceased paying dividends. In view of this 
■situation of the industry no well-informed 
investor would consider taking a chance 
on comparatively weak and obscure con- 
(eras as the Central Copper. 
Can you give me any information about 
the Guardian Food Company. Inc., which 
will help me out < f a very bad hole? They 
asked me to take the general agency for 
their product in Allegany County, N. Y. 
The inducements were 50 per cent of the 
sales, guaranteeing to me by their assist¬ 
ance through their selling system a protit 
between $0,000 and $7,000 per year. As 
a selling inducement they were t<> issue an 
indemnity certificate to the stock owner, 
whereby any animal fed this dope for three 
months would be paid for by them if it 
died from sickness or disease. 'I think I 
must have been insane—can’t call it any¬ 
thing else. I signed an order for 150 bags 
of this stuff, amounting to $1,200, giving 
my note on the Cuba National Bank for 
one-half in 00 days and one-half in 90 
days. After signing the man who was 
here made some remarks that made me 
suspicious, one o r which was: “Don’t say 
anything about this to anyone; just wait 
until the stuff arrives. - ’ Next morning I 
had my banker look them up in Brad- 
street’s, and found they had no rating 
anywhere that they claim to do business, 
so I made up my mind it was a fake. I 
wrote to the firm at their New York of¬ 
fice, two days after I had signed up; told 
them that I had found that I could not 
handle their proposition at all, neither 
could I finance it; that I had bought my 
business last Spring on a contract, paying 
a small amount down, and that the stock 
was mortgaged to its full value, in conse¬ 
quence of which the trade acceptances 
(notes) I had given them were worthless, 
asking them to release me and appoint 
someone in my place. Yesterday I re¬ 
ceived their first letter, acknowledging the 
order, and saying they had ordered the 
goods shipped. I immediately wired them 
to cancel my order, that 1 would not ac¬ 
cept the goods. a. n. 
New York. 
We have similar reports from other sec¬ 
tions of the State, and our purpose of 
publishing this letter is to put others on 
their guard when approached by the 
agent of the Guardian Fowl Company, 
Tiffin, Ohio, Indianapolis, Ind., and 1440 
Broadway, New York City. The folly of 
A. II. in signing up on such a proposition 
need not be commented upon. The 
Guardian Food Company has no estab- 
Oak Bark for Tanning 
On page 722 I note oak bark is ad¬ 
vised for tanning. What kind of oak 
bark is used? I have some bur oak and 
a few black or red oak, such as is called 
fire oak. but no white oak. Would bark 
on logs that has become dried before be¬ 
ing stripped off do the tanning well 
enough? u. c. d. 
You may use the bark of any kind of 
an oak tree, and with equally good results 
so far as the tanning is concerned. White 
oak bark is more commonly used, because 
it is richer in tannin and less bark is 
required, also because the trees of this 
species are usually more closely associated 
and have a longer, smoother trunk, and 
hence the bark is collected at less ex¬ 
pense. Aside from the extra quantity 
required, the only other objection is that 
the other varieties will give a leather of 
«, trifling difference in shade or color. 
^ on may also get a good, serviceable 
leather from the use of the bark of any 
other species of tree, provided you use 
bark enough to get the necessary amount 
of tannin. The amount required, how¬ 
ever, is so great as to throw other species 
out of the race, commercially. They 
may be used, however, to produce novel- 
lies along the line of leather goods. Thus 
birch will give a very light-colored 
leather, white maple a black and butter¬ 
nut a yellow color. 
As to whether the bark from an old log 
would be suitable for tanning or not, I 
cannot sav without examination. Just 
steep a little and taste it. If it has a 
fresh, acrid, puckery flavor, it is all right, 
though undoubtedly it has lost some of 
its strength. On the contrary, if it crum¬ 
bles easily to a powder, has a dull flavor 
18 «2 ck,n|r in acrifIit T, it will have but 
little, if any, value as a tanning agent. 
C. O. OBMSBEE. 
Removing Bees from Holes 
I have noticed in your columns differ¬ 
ent items of men trying to explain how 
to remove bees from their holes. The 
first step upon discovering the hole is to 
smoke out as many bees as possible, then 
place a bee escape over the hole, a bee 
accessory which lets the bees out, but 
will not let them go back in. Then the 
hive in which you intend to put the bees 
must be secured as close as possible to 
the hole. 1 he hive must have enough 
frames to accommodate the bees, and one 
of the frames must have been taken from 
the. brood nest of a strong hive. The bees 
come out, and being unable to return to 
their own hole, enter the hive, and upon 
finding the frame of eggs will go to work 
and hatch the eggs and make another 
queen, which of course will be from your 
own strain of bees. Whenever you think 
you have the majority of the bees in your 
hive you can remove it, at the time of 
removing the bee escape from the hole. 
AN hen you get your hive home the bees 
will return and bring you the honey. If 
the wild queen should happen to survive 
and there happens to be enough bees left 
to care for her she will strengthen the 
hole so that you may be able to get 
another hive the following season. The 
Live you have will hatch a queen; this 
queen will lay eggs, the wild bees will 
die off, leaving you a pure hive of your 
own strain. Robert price. 
Clearing Cat-tails from Ponds 
A bulletin from the Bureau of Fish¬ 
eries gives the following advice: 
The rank growth of cat-tails in ponds 
and lakes, particularly at fish-cultural 
stations, is often difficult to overcome. 
H. L. Canfield, superintendent of fish 
culture at the Fairport fisheries station, 
has demonstrated by experiment the effi¬ 
cacy of the following method when cat¬ 
tails become objectionable in ponds. The 
method is based upon the necessity of 
aeration through contact with the air. 
Draw the pond, mow the cat-tails as 
tow as practicable, and plow or dig a 
ditch below the water line where the cat¬ 
tails are to be removed sufficiently deep 
to sever their roots and disconnect them 
from land or other plants above the ditch. 
In this way the air supply from the land 
roots is completely cut off. Then im¬ 
mediately flood the pond and maintain 
the water level over all of the stubble 
continuously for a week or 10 days, when 
the cat-tails will be killed out. It is es¬ 
sential to flood the stubble immediately 
after mowing in order to get ahead of the 
growth of the cat-tails. Should a feAV 
weakling shoots appear above the water 
surface as a result of stored oxygen in 
severed roots, they should be pulled out. 
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at Rock-Bottom Factory Prices Positively greatest 
offer ever made. _ _ 
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Free Roofing Book 
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profit*. Ask for Book J 
No. !■» 
LOW PRICED GARAGES 
Lowest prices on Ready -Made 
Fire-Proof Steel Garages. Set 
up any place. Send postal for 
Garage Book, showing styles. 
THt COWARDS MFG. CO., 
923-973 kc SI., Cincinniti, 0. 
Samples & 
Roofing Book 
r 
Dold’s Tankage Increases Profits 
FIGURES TALK!,' 
r 
p\OLD-QUALITY Digester Tankage is a 
L -' superior hog flesh and bone builder. 
In a ninety-day demonstration at Union 
Stock Yards, Wichita-Kansas: 
Fifteen hogs, fed tankage. Corn and shorts, each 
gained an average of 142 6 pounds; sold at a 
profit of $1.36 a hundred weight. 
Fifteen hogs, fed only corn and alfalfa, each gain¬ 
ed an average of 120.7 pounds, but sold at* 
profit of only 31 cents a hundred weight. 
. Dold’s Digester Tankage contains 60 °[o protein, 
wold s Digester Meat Meal Tankage 46vc protein. Mig 
with grain or feed separately in hoppers or slops. 
Feed hogs Tankage for “more" hog and bigger 
profits. 
Write for free booklet NS 
Jacob Dotd Packing Go. 
Al-o Poultry Fend. Mol Scr.pt, Solu., 
bte Blood, Poultry Bone — .11 grade.; 
Charcoal. Oyater Shelia. Mineral Stone 
Crita. Pure Bone Fertiliser. 
m 
D»hJ I 
Tar%krg* 
CLIMAX 
ENSILAGE CUTTER 
Let ns go into the details of cost with you to see 
if our proposition will save you big money this 
season. Your letter will bring onr nearest dealer 
or our special representative. 
PURIFINE” FEEDING 
OLASSE 
Barrel or Train Load 
Sumo Quality as Used in Our 
METROPOLITAN MILLS 
Colobratod Molassos Foods 
Write for Our Booklet and Prices 
THE MEAOEfkATLAS CO.. 107 Hudson St., New York 
When you write advertisers mention 
The Rural New-Yorker and you’ll got 
a tjuick reply and a "square deal. ” See 
guarantee editorial page. 
lished responsibility that we can discover. 
The insurance of stock fed on the product 
sold by this company is subject to sus¬ 
picion under all circumstances, and when 
such a guarantee is made by a concern 
without financial responsibility, it is worth 
just as much as the paper on which it is 
printed. Such a guarantee acts as a sort 
of “sucker bait” to induce stock owners 
to buy the product and to continue using 
it if found valueless. The real value of 
the product is pretty clearly indicated by 
tin- terms of 50 per cent of the sales al¬ 
lowed the sales agent. 
“\\ iiat about those Bolshevists?” 
“Well, like bad kids, they took the clock 
apart, and novr they can’t put it together 
again.”—Louisville Courier-Journal. 
Increase youi 
Dairy Profits 
Authorities agree that more bulk anti succulence are needed in 90% 
of all dairy rations. Bulky feeds, mixed with concentrates, promote 
digestion. They also distend stomach and intestinal tract and 
keep the bowels open. 
Make DRIED BEET PULP 
A part of your dairy ration 
Dried Beet Pulp is a bulky, succulent, vegetable feed—remarkable 
for its palatability and healthfulness. It is laxative, easily digested; 
and rich in carbohydrates. Used with corn silage or to replace it. 
Dried Beet Pulp brings better health conditions, increases milk 
yields and insures bigger profits. Write today for free booklet. 
THE LARROWE MILLING CO., Detroit, Michigan 
Write for Free Book on 
DRIED BEET PULP 
