34 
The  RURAL  NEW. YORKER 
January  6,  1923 
c 
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. 
Eugene  Christian — “Christian  by  name, 
faker  by  nature,”  is  the  comment  of  a 
subscriber  who  sends  us  a  batch  of  Mr. 
Christian’s  promotion  literature. 
I  have  had  several  batches  of  literature 
of  the  Motor  Ho  Tractor  Company  of 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  similar  to  the  enclosed. 
May  we  see  in  Publisher’s  Desk  your 
opinion  of  these  wonderful  men? 
Pennsylvania.  c.  w.  o. 
The  literature  is  an  attempt  to  sell 
stock  in  this  company,  which  represents 
itself  as  being  the  manufacturer  of  a 
power  cultivator.  It  is  represented  that 
the  tractor  costs  about  $125  to  build  and 
sells  for  $285.  The  agent  gets  $57,  which 
leaves  a  profit  of  $103  for  each  tractor. 
On  a  production  of  5,000  tractors  the 
profits  would  be  $515,000.  How  easy  it 
is  to  figure  out  manufacturing  profits  on 
paper  in  this  way  to  sell  stock !  The 
stock  is  offered  at  75  cents  per  share. 
We  can  find  no  record  of  the  company  in 
our  reference  books,  or  any  indication 
that  it  has  any  financial  standing.  Need¬ 
less  to  say,  we  do  not  recommend  farmers 
to  put  their  savings  in  any  such  project. 
I  am  enclosing  an  article  regarding  S. 
S.  Stores,  and  understand  they  have  gone 
into  ithe  hands  of  a  receiver  since  this 
was  published.  This  town  has  been 
worked  to  death  on  stock  grocery  stores, 
and  I  do  not  think  the  S.  S.  Stores  had 
much  success  here.  T.  h. 
Pennsylvania. 
This  was  another  of  the  “chain  store” 
promotions.  The  plan  was  to  go  into  a 
community  and  by  high  pressure  methods 
sell  $12,000  to  $13,000  worth  of  stock. 
Of  this  amount  $3,000  would  go  to  the 
parent  company,  and  the  balance  go  to¬ 
wards  establishing  and  conducting  a 
store.  The  townspeople  therefore  put  up 
the  money  for  the  store  and  paid  pro¬ 
moters  $3,000  for  the  privilege.  The  pro¬ 
moters  of  the  plan  have  nothing  to  lose 
in  any  event,  as  the  people  in  the  town 
where  the  store  was  located  put  up  all 
the  money  and  a  liberal  organization  ex¬ 
pense  besides.  The  only  excuse  for  such 
schemes  is  that  a  number  of  chain  stores 
have  been  successful.  These  successes 
have  been  exploited,  but  no  promoter 
ever  parades  the  failures,  which  are  10 
times  as  great  as  the  successful  ventures 
in  this  line. 
We  must  say  we  are  very  greatly 
at  a  loss  without  the  paper  since  the 
lapse  of  my  time  recently.  The  journal 
is  not  only  interestingly  intelligent,  up 
to  date  on  matters  of  general  interest,  but 
so  morally  clean  that  it  should  be  in 
every  American  home,  supplanting  much 
of  the  immoral  trash  that  is  blasting  the 
lives  of  our  youth.  J.  F.  I. 
New  Jersey. 
This  friend  touches  a  vital  subject.  It 
is  no  great  merit  to  us  to  publish  a  clean 
paper.  That  is  our  duty.  To  do  other¬ 
wise  would  be  a  fault.  If  merit  there  be, 
it  is  only  by  comparison.  But  every  par¬ 
ent  has  a  duty  to  the  boys  and  girls.  We 
fight  the  blight  that  attacks  young  plant* 
and  animals.  The  door  of  the  home 
should  be  shut  against  the  blight  that  im¬ 
pairs  the  minds  of  our  children. 
Pittsburgh.  November  15. — The  Real 
Estate  Trust  Company  of  Pittsburgh  was 
appointed  ancillary  receiver  today  of  the 
Motors  Mortgage  Corporation  of  Dela¬ 
ware,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $15,000,- 
000.  On  October  31,  last,  the  company 
had  assets  amounting  to  $2,474,772  and 
liabilities  of  $6,6S6,220. 
Jutst  another  of  the  stock-selling  con¬ 
cerns  financing  automobile  purchases  “on 
the  rocks.”  In  view  of  the  above  state¬ 
ment  of  assets  and  liabilities  it  is  easy  to 
see  where  the  investor  gets  off — minus  all 
the  cash  he  put  into  the  promotion. 
I  would  be  pleased  to  have  you  place 
my  claim  for  $45  against  the  Big  Four 
Syndicate.  309  Broadway,  New  York 
City,  on  account  of  90  guinea  pigs 
shipped  on  July  21  last,  jn  the  hands  of 
your  attorneys  for  collection.  W.  E.  J. 
New  York. 
As  a  reason  for  failure  to  pay  for  the 
guinea  pigs,  the  Big  Four  Syndicate  con¬ 
tends  that  W.  E.  J.  agreed  to  ship  the 
concern  500  guinea  pigs,  and  delivered 
only  90.  W.  E.  J.  apparently  had  500 
guinea  pigs  to  market  at  the  time  the 
90  were  shipped,  but  because  of  the  fail¬ 
ure  of  the  Big  Four  Syndicate  to  make 
proper  settlement  on  the  original,  he  re¬ 
fused  to  ship  the  others.  On  July  28 
the  Big  Four  Syndicate  made  excuse  for 
failure  to  pay  for  the  shipment,  and  the 
letter  states  that  the  treasurer  had  been 
instructed  to  forward  check  for  the 
amount. 
Instructing  the  treasurer  to  send  check 
seemed  to  have  been  a  popular  way  of 
meeting  its  obligations  by  the  Big  Four 
Syndicate.  Several  shippers  have  sent 
us  such  letters.  The  Big  Four  Syndicate 
also  made  The  R.  N.-Y.  several  promises 
to  make  settlement  with  this  shipper. 
The  excuse  put  forward  now,  that  the 
shipper  failed  to  fulfill  his  contract,  is 
only  in  line  with  the  past  record  of  the 
Big  Four  Syndicate  and  the  Standard 
Food  &  Fur  Association,  with  which  it  is 
closely  associated.  We  shall  see  whether 
the  claim  can  b»  collected  by  legal  pro¬ 
cess. 
I  am  inclosing  correspondence  I  have 
had  with  Imperial  Carbide  Sales  Com¬ 
pany.  As  you  will  see,  I  sent  check  for 
two  cans  carbide,  but  have  never  received 
it.  Will  you  see  what  you  can  do  for 
me?  E.  c.  D. 
New  York. 
We  have  other  complaints  of  the  same 
nature.  We  are  unable  to  locate  the  Im¬ 
perial  Carbide  Sales  Company  at  Kan¬ 
sas  City,  where  the  office  of  the  concern 
is  supposed  to  be  located,  or  at  the  fac¬ 
tory  address  at  Keokuk,  la.  Farmers 
who  are  offered  carbide  at  bargain  prices 
should  beware  of  the  concern  or  its 
agents. 
I  have  written  you  twice  before,  rela¬ 
tive  to  an  order  for  a  pair  of  shoes  that  I 
sent  to  .the  Mail  Bag  Stores,  Station  D, 
New  York  City.  I  think  their  address  is 
32  Union  St.  The  first  time  I  wrote  you 
I  sent  you  the  circular  that  I  ordered  the 
shoes  from.  I  ordered  the  shoes  the  week 
of  October  21.  The  date  of  their  letter 
acknowledging  my  order  was  November 
15.  On  November  21  my  check  came  back 
to  my  bank  and  was  cashed.  Shoes  have 
never  arrived.  Now,  these  shoes  were 
$2.60.  It  is  not  the  $2.60  that  I  care  so 
much  about,  but  I  do  not  like  to  see  peo¬ 
ple  stung.  e.  t.  c. 
New  York. 
The  Mail  Bag  Stores  carried  on  a  mail 
order  business  in  a  satisfactory  manner 
for  a  short  time  some  two  years  ago.  On 
account  of  ^lack  of  capital  the  concern 
failed,  while  it  did  not  go  through  bank¬ 
ruptcy.  The  former  proprietor,  J.  J. 
Hartman,  has  recently  endeavored  to 
re-establish  the  business,  by  sending  out 
circulars  to  all  customers,  many  of  whom 
are  complaining  of  not  receiving  the 
goods  ordered  or  refund  of  money.  We 
get  little  satisfaction  to  our  letters  in  be¬ 
half  of  subscribers,  and  wre  are  therefore 
publishing  this  item  for  the  guidance  of 
our  readers,  without  any  desire  to  reflect 
upon  the  good  intentions  of  Mr.  Hart¬ 
man. 
I  enclose  advertisement  of  Muscle 
Shoals  Intelligence  Bureau,  350  Madison 
Avenue.  New  York  City,  appearing  in 
our  dailies.  I  would  like  to  hear  from 
you  through  the  paper.  E.  J.  W. 
New  York. 
The  advertisement  has  a  get-rich-quick 
flavor.  It  suggests  an  association  with 
Henry  Ford  in  the  Muscle  Shoals  pro¬ 
ject  on  the  basis  of  an  investment  of  $10 
a  month.  The  advertisement  is  A-ery  in¬ 
definite  and  elusive.  Mr.  Ford  and  the 
companies  with  which  he  is  associated 
have  no  knowledge  of  the  Muscle  Shoals 
Intelligence  Bureau,  and  his  name  is  be¬ 
ing  used  Avithout  his  knowledge  or  con¬ 
sent.  The  Bureau  fails  to  respond  to  our 
letter  asking  for  information  as  to  its 
plans  and  purposes. 
Preventing  Mold  in  Sprouted  Oats 
Will  you  tell  me  how  I  can  prevent  oats 
molding  while  in  process  of  sprouting? 
Farmington,  Conn.  E.  T.  D. 
Mold  may  be  prevented  by  keeping  the 
sprouting  oats  at  a  high  enough  temper¬ 
ature  to  induce  quick  groAvth,  about  60 
degrees,  and  by  using  formaline  to  kill 
the  mold  germs  on  the  grain  and  utensils. 
Two  teaspoonfuls  of  formalin  should  be 
added  to  a  12-qt.  pail  of  water  in  Avhich 
the  oats  are  soaked  for  36  hours  before 
being  spread  out  to  sprout,  and  the  trays 
should  be  washed  in  a  5  per  cent  solution 
of  formalin  before  each  use.  Keep  the 
sorouting  oats  Avell  moistened,  sprinkling 
several  times  daily  if  necessary,  and  stir 
the  grain  well  each  day  until  the  sprouts 
become  about  a  quarter-inch  long  and  are 
in  dauger  of  being  broken  off.  ir.  b.  d. 
spoiled  silage 
SILO  BOOK  FREE 
You  owe  it  to  yourself  to  send  for 
our  book,  “Saying  'with  Silos ”, 
It  is  a  gold  mine  of  information 
about  Silos. 
in  a  Harder 
HARDER  Silos  don’t  depend  on 
hoops  to  hold  the  staves 
together.  The  Harder  patented 
Spline  Dowel  and  square  tongue 
and  grooved  staves  produce  a 
tight,  rigid  Silo  that  completely 
excludes  air  and  remains  rigid 
even  under  high  winds. 
Harder  doesn’t  make  the  kind 
of  silos  that  lean.  They  stand  as 
rigid  after  ten  or  twenty  years  as 
the  day  they  were  built. 
HARDER  MANUFACTURING  CORPORATION 
Bo:  C  Cobieskill,  #  New  York 
•Kw 
HARDER  SILO 
on  the  oArfmann  Farm ,  ^Middletown ,  N.  Y. 
CRAINE 
tS!,plll‘  SILOS 
REBUILD  IT  * 
tha  CRAINE 
i  WAY 
Rebuild  the  Old  Stave  Silo 
Any  iron  hooped,  stave  silo,  if  twisted,  tipped 
or  collapsed  can  be  rebuilt  into  a  beautiful 
new  Craine  3-wall  Silo  at  about  half  the  cost 
of  a  new  one. 
A  Craine  Silo  gives  3-wallJprotection  againsl 
wind  and  weather.  The  strong  stave  wall 
surrounded  by  Crainelox  Spiral  Covering  with 
thick  wall  of  Silafelt  between,  insures  perfect 
silage  and  giant  strength  at  every  square 
inch  of  silo. 
Craine  Silos  are  different  from  any  silo  you 
see.  Their  smooth  exterior  is  unmarred  by 
hoops  or  lugs.  They  are  as  strong  as  they  are 
beautiful.  When  you  choose  the  Craine  you 
decide  on  permanent  satisfaction — the  lowest 
yearly  cost  for  silage  making  and  keeping. 
Send  for  handsome,  illustrated  catalog. 
Early  orders  earn  extra  discount. 
CRAINE  SILO  CO.,  Box  110,  Norwich,  N.Y. 
American  Fence 
The  Only  Original  and  Genuine 
There  is  only  one  quality 
of  American  Fence  and 
that  is  the  best  that  our 
mills  can  produce.  Use 
American  Fence  and  you 
build  your  fences  for  life¬ 
time  service. 
Quick  delivery  through  dealers 
in  your  community. 
Steel  Fence  Posts 
