American Agriculturist, January 5, 1924 
Standard Food and Fur Indicted 
( Continued, from page 3) 
Standard Food and Fur Association because 
he knows what it means to a farmer to lose the 
money he has earned with such labor. Colo¬ 
nel Hayward comes from an agricultural dis-> 
trict of the Middle West. ^ 
“I didn’t see anything outside a corn field 
till I was 35,” he said. “Then the Spanish- 
American War started me off.” Since then 
he has been in public life as Assistant District 
Attorney, Public-Service Commissioner and 
now as United States Attorney. 
The Postal Inspector who handled the great 
mass of correspondence to sift out the evidence 
was John J. Gibney. The Better Business 
Bureau, which through its Vigilance Com¬ 
mittee endeavors to cheek fraudulent or ex¬ 
aggerated advertising, co-operated by turning 
in the records of cases which had come under 
its observation and especial praise is due to 
Mr. Schwab and Mr. Reiddy, who rendered 
invaluable assistance. It might be well here 
to remind our readers that the American 
Agriculturist long ago barfed the advertis¬ 
ing of this firm from its columns, in accordance 
with our consistent policy admitting only 
guaranteed advertisements from reliable firms. 
The articles published in the American 
Agriculturist also elicited letters from sub¬ 
scribers who had never previously complained, 
but had taken their medicine in silence, believ¬ 
ing their money gone for good. These letters, 
wh^n turned over to the United States At¬ 
torney, helped to swell the volume of evidence 
against the Standard Food & Fur Association. 
Although the circumstances are somewhat 
different, our readers will be interested in a 
case tried a while ago in Milwaukee. A man 
advertised thoroughbred registered ■ Belgian 
hares, with a guarantee to buy back all offspring 
at a certain price. He advertised extensively 
in cheap publications and for a time did a very 
big business. While his orders were coming in 
heavily, he did buy back young rabbits; in 
fact, he could not secure enough this way and 
purchased hares from outside to fill his orders. 
These were anything but the thoroughbred 
stock he advertised. As his orders began to 
fall off, the return shipments to him of young 
rabbits naturally increased and he was unable 
to buy them. He finally would not even reply 
to letters offering hares for sale. 
This case went to court and it was shown that 
none of the people who bought rabbits from 
him ever got back the original jmrehase price, 
and that a great many of his customers were 
unable to sell him any young hares. After a 
trial, the man was sentenced to jail and had 
plenty of time to figure out how many young 
rabbits a doe can breed in a year. 
This indictment, therefore, is by no means 
the end of the case of the Standard Food and 
Fur Association. Watch our pages for reports 
of the trial, and its outcome. We are proud of 
the part we have already played and we mean 
to see it through to the end. Then we can 
promise another equally interesting exposure of 
a heretofore unchecked fraud against farmers. 
Losses and Gains on the 
Farm in 1923 
{Continued from page 5) 
power is not much if any greater than in pre¬ 
war days. Some duplications ignored in the 
foregoing, due to exports from Canada to the 
United States, would reduce the increase 
shown in 1923 as compared with pre-war by 
about 20,000,000 bushels. 
In order to promote their trade in manufac¬ 
tured products, it is believed that the wheat 
importing countries of Europe will be inclined to 
buy their requirements in Canada, Argentina, 
and Australia, and in Russia and Rumania as 
fast as those countries return to the exporting 
column, rather than in the United States. 
Higher costs of production in the United 
States than in the newer countries of the 
world also will handicap our wheat farmers in 
furnishing a surplus for export. 
Corn Reaches Peak of Cycle in 1923 
T WO years ago an abundance of com caused 
extremely low prices which, in turn, were 
responsible for reducing the amount sold from 
farms, stimulating domestic consumption on a 
lavish scale, and greater exports, and furnished 
the motive for the marked expansion in hog 
production. 
As consumption gained on the supply, prices 
advanced with only small interruptions until 
in October, 1923, they reached a higher point 
than most observers would have dreamed 
possible a few months before. For a few days, 
corn sold higher than wheat. As prices rose, 
corn was fed more sparingly, exports fell off, 
and the present tendency is to sell more from 
farms, curtailment of hog production has been 
started, and cattle feeding operations have 
ceased to expand. 'The peak of prices probably 
was reached in 1923 unless a crop failure 
occurs next year. When the new crop began 
to move freely in the closing weeks of 1923, 
prices dropped to about the same level as in the 
corresponding period in 1922. 
Oats prices have been moderately higher 
than in 1922 partly in sympathy with corn. 
Rye has reflected the depression in the finer 
bread grain. Flax prices have held up remark¬ 
ably well in spite of an increased crop. The 
demand for paint as a result of activity in the 
building industry is the chief explanation 
together with the fact that we have been 
growing much less than our domestic require¬ 
ments. 
Old potatoes moved at extremely low prices 
early in 1923. The early new crop sold to good 
advantage but prices on the late crop dropped 
down almost to the same disastrous point as in 
the fall of 1922 in spite of a smaller yield. 
Apple growers made but little gain in 1923 
compared with 1922 as prices for the two years 
taken as a whole were on much the same plane. 
Large crops were produced in both years, the 
western states having an especially heavy 
yield in 1923 which moved at extremely low 
prices in the final months of the year. 
Cattle Industry at Turning Point in 
1923 
W HILE the tendency is for more and more 
of the total slaughter to be done in 
establishments having federal inspection, and 
our consuming population is growing from 
13 
year to year, the line as a whole shows no 
pronounced upward trend, which means that 
per capita consumption has fallen off. The 
rise in the last two years is due in part to 
liquidation of range cattle and partly to 
increased feeding operations in the cornbelt. 
For most of the last two years, cornbelt 
cattle feeders have been making money. 
Corn and feeder cattle were cheap enough and 
fat cattle were high enough, because of ex¬ 
cellent demand for good beef from prosperous 
city consumers, to give the feeder fair pay 
for the conversion process. 
Range cattlemen have not fared so well, 
however. Production costs on the range 
probably did not come down as much as for the 
cornbelt feeder. The prosperous urban con 
suming public was not satisfied with grass 
{Continued on page 18) 
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material and general supplies. And this announcement is probably the greatest we have ever pub¬ 
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Roofing 
3 
Galvanized $ 
Sheets 
00 
No. WA-22. 
hauled, painted, 234 ‘in. 
roofing and siding sheets, per 
square ol 100 square leet.... 
per 100 sq.: 
No. WA-21. Heavy 
weight overhauled gal¬ 
vanized roofing or siding 
Sheets, 2)4 inch corru- 
f ated. Good condition, 
’ainted red. Per square 
?i:!“T“'*.$3.00 
Medium weight over- 
corrugated 
$2.50 
Roll Roofing 
No. WA-24. New heavy weight red or 
gray green elate coated roofing. Per 
roll ol 108 square Xeet with d»-| QA 
trimmings.A • OU 
No. WA-25. Heavy weight smooth sur¬ 
faced roofing. Per roll of 108 
square feet with trimmings... 
Lumber&Mfflwark 
□ 
l 
f i -- - - . . 
every kind here in America'* 
greatest stocks. Some Idea of the big 
savings can be had from the four 
bargains below. Mall Coupon Todayl 
$2.95 
No. WA-105. 
Economy Spe¬ 
cial, 5 cross 
raised panel fir 
doors, size 2 ft. 
61n.x6ft.6in., 
XVt in. thick. 
, $2.95 
All 
Other 
Sizes 
1:1 i 
si 
Low 
Prices 
•tpjsStH! 
; iSfi 
No. WA-106. Two 
light 24 x 20 In. 
glazed check rail 
windows, 1% in. 
thick. Outside 
measure 2 ft. 414 x 
3 ft. 10 Off 
in.Each 
Window screen, 
size 2 ft. 4J4 in. 
x3ft. 1134 in- 
134 in. thick. 
Black wire .and 
frames, tf* t Q ff 
Each ipltOO 
House $1 85 
Paint * 
No. WA-12. Guaranteed 
best quality house paint in 
white, black and 26 non-fad- 
tag colors. 
Per gal. 
60 UUU-iUU- 
$1.85 
WA-108. 
Special com¬ 
bination screen 
and storm 
door. Size 2 
ft. 8M in. x 7 
ft. 1 in. Paint- 
e d gray. 
Quickly chang¬ 
ed. Complete 
$6.15 
_ $1.40 
Poultry Netting f 
$2 ? 5 
Guaranteed Plumbing 
Bam Paint 
No. WA-13. Guaranteed barn or garage 
paint. Red, yellow and t Off 
maroon. Per gallon.« 
Green slate or red, per gallon.$1.50 
Best Varnishes 
No. WA-70. Best wearing d»0 Off 
floor varnish, per gal. 
No. WA-71. Best inside spar varnish. 
per gal.$2.75 
Per 
Bale 
Best quality heavily galvan¬ 
ized Bessemer steel wire 
poultry netting. Made of 
19 gauge wire in 2 inch mesh. Two 
heights. Bales contain 150 lineal feet. 
These low prices made possible by a special 
purchase. 
No. WA-300. 36 In. high; 
per bale. 
No. WA-305. 72 In. high. ff Afi 
per bale.ipflivv 
$2.75 
Painted Barbed Wire 
n 40 < 
Hog 
Fence 
No. WA-G. Made of 
No. 11 top wire and 
No. 14 Intermediate 
wire and stay wires. 
Spaced 6 in. apart, 3, 
334.4, 434,534 and 6 
in., spaced from bot¬ 
tom upwards. Barbed 
bottom.26in. 
higb, per rod. aiv- 
32in. high, perrod 30c 
Largest stocks of 
field fencing at 
lowest prices. 
Enameled 
Sink 
No. WA-iO. White 
porcelain enameled 
roll rim kitchen 
sinks furnished 
complete with two 
faucets and trap. 
Size 18 in. x 24 in. 
$ 12.00 
Size 18 in. x 
30 in. $13.00 
Size 20 in. x 
30 in... $14.00 
Wall Board Jl/lC 
Per Square Foot ^ 
No. »WA-5. Gold Medal wall- 
board! furnished in 48 in. width. 
Lengths up to 12 ft. Q 1 _ 
Price persq. ft.04 C 
Plaster Board 
No. WA-G. Finest 
; q 
plaster board 34 in. thick, 
sizes in stock, 
sheets size 48 x 
ins. 
Per sq. ft 
uality 
All 
Our price for 
32 or 36 x 48 
$ 26.00 $ 26.50 $ 11.50 
No. WA-110. Low 
pattern closet outfit 
withf-white bowl, ma¬ 
hogany finished seat 
and cover. W h i‘t e 
vitreous china tank. 
No. WA-115. Enam 
eled bathtub 5 ft. long, 
30 in. wide. Complete 
with nickel plated 
double bath cock, waste 
and overflow. 
No. W A-125. Bathroom outfit consisting of low closet outfit, 
bathtub and lavatory as described. Complete, special at.. 
No. WA-120. White 
porcelain enameled lav¬ 
atory. 18 x 21 ins. 
with nickel plated fau¬ 
cets and brass trap. 
$62.50 
Complete Stocks of Plumbing 
Supplies 
Experts are waiting here to help you plan your water works and 
sewage systems. Our big stocks are complete with everything 
needed to install modern plumbing equipment of every kind. 
Lowest prices prevail at all times on big stocks of plumbing^fix- 
tures, pipe fittings, valves, soil pipe, etc. 
Pipe Fittings 
No. WA-20. Iron 
pipe in random 
lengths with coup¬ 
lings. All sizes, g* 
One inch, per ft. D C 
1% in., per ft.8c 
1 Vi in., per ft.9c 
2 in., per ft.12c 
Heating Plants 
We offer everything 
needed to install mod¬ 
ern steam, warm air 
and hot water heating 
systems for new 
or remodeled buildings 
at lowest prices. Our 
engineers will help you. 
Send a rough sketch 
of your building show- 
ifng size of rooms, 
doors, and windows. 
Hog Troughs 
No. WA-7. Strong 
troughs for hogs, 
sheep and cattle. 
Heavy steel. Size 12 
in.wide, 5 ft. a ■* a £ 
long. Each «p 1«D 
8 ft. long, each.. $2.95 
10 ft. long, each. $3.95 
SPECIAL: Troughs 
2 ft. long. Each .. 85c 
Cream Separators 
No. WA-80. Latest patented' exclusive 
improved design. Fully guaranteed. 
Size 
No. 
*1 
* 2 ' 
3 
Cap. lbs. Sale Size 
perghr. Price No. 
*175 *$31.50 5 
*250 * 35.00 7 
375 49.00 9 
Cap. lbs. Sale 
per hr. Price 
500 $54.00 
750 62.00 
950 68.00 
•Indicates table sizes. All machines are ready 
for shipments from Minn., Pa. and Chicago. 3 
per cent discount is allowed if cash is sent with 
order. 
Gasoline Engines 
Per 
Reel 
No. WA-200. Painted barbed 
wire, made of 12 gauge open 
hearth steel wire with 4 point 
barbs, spaced 3 in. apart. 58 lb. reels, 
contain 700 ft. /I A 
Price per reel.O 1.9U 
No. WA-205. 112 lb. reels, containing 
1400 ft. Per reel.$2.75 
No. WA-105. Smooth galvanized 6 and 9 
gauge wire, suitable for fences, grape vines 
and general purposes. One piece rolls of 
100 lbs. - ^ 
Per roll. 
$3.25 
No. WA-110. Smooth galvanized fence 
wire, 9 to 14 gauge. In 100 lb. bundles. 
250 ft. lengths and longer in 
each bundle. Per 100 lbs... 
$2.95 
Mixed 
Nails 
No.WA-30.Handy 
assortment of new 
wire nails. All sizes 
from 3 penny to 40 
penny. Put up in 
100 lb. kegs. 
Price, tf»Q Off 
per keg J 
Mixed 
Bolts 
No. WA-184. Best 
assortment of mixed 
bolts for use in borne 
and on farm. Includes 
sizes up to % in. di¬ 
ameter. 8 in. long 
Put up in 50 lb. 
boxes. Special 
price, <hO *7 ff 
per box... «p£. I O 
Builders’ Hardware 
est selection, newest 
best designs of 
builders’ hardware will 
be found in our complete 
df Apliq 
No. WA-160. Genuine 
bronze cylinder lock sets. 
ji lucii. seta. 
$8.25 C 
Each.., . 
No. WA-165. Genuine 
bronze bit key lock sets. 
Each. $3.00 
No. WA-170. Wrought 
steel plated Inside lock 
sets. Each.85c 
Ball Tipped Door Butts 
No. WA-150, Electro-plated 
planished ball tipped butts in 
antique copper or lemon brass 
finishes. 234 in. x QA_ !/j 
234 in., pair.uvCt,. 
3 x 3 in.; pair.32c 
334 in. x 334 in-1 flair.... 33c 
No. WA-90. Guaranteed gasoline 
engine with Webster oscillating mag¬ 
neto. Full power. Sure starter, and 
steady worker. All sizes. 
7 H. P. size, special at. 
.*13022 
uail This COUPON. 
TOsBrTdferfco., CHICAGO 
Harris Brothers Co. 
J)ept. W.A. 505 35 T -2&IronSts. Chicago, Ill. 
Dept. W. A. 505 
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