The Princeton union., 1900-10-04

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which proved an alluring bait.
early last winter a company was in
corporated, with an alleged capital &of
81 900, 900. Soon after the COMPANY
was incorporated the mails were filled
with letters sent in each case to some
Well-to-do farmer. This letter stated
that the company had purchased
new thing in the potato line. That,
with ordinary ground, this potato
which they were handling was guar
anteed to yield from 900 to 1909
bushels per acre. Seed could be pro-
cured OF them only at cost of $40 per
bushel and no less than two and half
bushels would be sold to any purchaser
at this price. In no case was payment
desired in advance, and the company
would undertake by contract to buy
back, the following season, an equal
number of bushels at the same price.
Those who were interested we're in
vlted to correspond with the new CON-
pany. ".
Enclosed with the letter was clip
ping from Chicago paper containing
the following encouraging information:
Long Island farmers have dis
covered a potato which returns
phenomenal yield. The failure in this
Vicinity through blight this. season of
the potato crop compelled the farmers
to look about for a variety new to
their soil. There is much promise in
one promulgated about two years ago
IN Suffolk county, which is said to be
not only most prolific producer, but
excellent in quality as WE'LL A few
pounds each have been distributed to
farmers for trial and the results re-
ported from them are somewhat phen-
omenal. From one pound tests sixty
to ninety:six pounds have been pro-
duced. and one farmers yield was at
the rate of 900 bushels per acre.
This served to whet the appetite of
the granger for more recomme endations
concerning the prolific potato. The
seed offered was known as the ''Pink
producer" and was declared to be sat-
isfactory for any use. OF course, there
were many responses to these letters,
and the farmer would then receive an
answer to- the effect that the. State
agent would soon call. ~ -: -.
a fortnight well-dress busi-
ness man would appear with a sample
peck of the potatoes. They were
clean-eyed specimens, and each one
bright pink color. A deal would be
made for anywhere from two and a
half to ten bushels, delivery to be made
in ten days The farmer, would give
his promissory note due in two, three
or four months, as the case might be.
and he would receive in time an agree
ment to purchase corresponding num-
Der of bushels at the $40 price the next
season, or to give the farmer the town.
ship agency if he preferred it. OF
course all the farmers notes were dis
counted at the nearest bank or in any
event they passed into third and an
innocent purchasers hand. In Orion
vile and Odessa, Minn., alone over
S3, 900 worth of these notes were COL
lected last month. All along the line
OF the Milwaukee railway, from Glen
coe to Moorhead, there Is hardly a |
station where dupes have not been
found. Minnesota must have been
touched" for full 100000, while
Indiana was swindled the worst of ALL
The residents of Illinois are said to
have contributed over double the
amount that is credited to Minnesota.
1t has been discovered that the pota-
toes sold under the name of ''Pink pro-
ducer" were bought last spring in
Ohio, and after being carefully washed
were given a bath of analine dye,
which added the desired tint. In
other respects they were of the ordin-
ary, variety.
This fraud probably would not have
come to light so early in the year had
it not been for a personal difficulty
which two members of the company
had two weeks ago in Detroit. One
thought he was getting the worst of
the financial end of the deal and pro-
tested. The other tried to convince
him he didn't know what he was talk
ing about, and the result was blows
and the police court. The former then
told about the paying scheme, and is
now sojourning in Windsor, Can, wait
ing for the storm to blow over.-East
Grand Forks Courier. - '.%
A. w: Hastings. tfeasurer*of Henne-
pin county, was in Princeton Tuesday
making arrangements'to to winter large
bunch OF his stock in this vicinity.
The scarcity Of hay in the vicinity of
the cities is causing considerable alarm
among the livestock owners and thew
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