Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-27
AIMED At FRAUDS
Agriculture Department Keeps
Blacklist of Fakes.
ALL SORTS OF SCHEMES
Shaky Orchard and Development
Enterprises Tabulated.
ARE OF GREAT VALUE
Will Be Means Of Saving Money for
Prospective Investors-Not
Authorized by Law.
ALL SORTS OF SCHEMES
RE OF GREAT VALUE

Promoters of fake orchard irrigation
timber growing and similar farming
schemes. IL is announced, can take no.
tee that they are likely TO be Registered
In list of fraudulent companies now
being prepared by the Department or
Agriculture. The department is making
register for office reference only. bur
1t is intended to protect investors who are
wise enough to make inquiries befora
sinking their money in some advertised
land scheme
Inc subject is rather delicate and
difficult one to handle, for Congress has
made no provision for the department Is
suing blacklist. Congress did th,.
Some years ago In the case of seed mer-
chants selling adulterated seeds Thu
secretary of Agriculture was directed 10
ouy In the open market a certain number
OF seed samples, mostly forage plant
seeds. annually. These were to be ana
iyzed and the names OF the vendors and
the results of the analysis puonsned.
Ihis law Is still in force and the list
as published each year Tho analyses
were revelations. Many OF the SAMPLES
were aduiterated with 40 per cant 81
dirt, trash and weed seed 4 few 80 ,ha
samples We're almost pure ana Others
ido none OF the forage seeds SUPPOSED TO
De soid at all. The publication Of the
names In the blacklist was remarhan,e
ana lew OF the yenaers have ayar h.a,,
caught twice ~
Case Is Different.
With the land and farming schemes
the case is different. There is no con-
gressional provision for PUBLISHING names.
ana many OF the advertisements for the
rake schemes are carefully drawn by
competent lawyers to keep within the
strict letter of the law. though their lam
suage is intended and calculated TO de-
ceIve.
The department has been overwhelmed
with letters asking information about
specinc schemes, and informa ton of this
sort II has always refused TO give. Ii
mas set to work quietly, however, to in
vestigate many of the schemes and those
tnat are fraudulent are being listed. With
this as basis, the department will be
prepared when a letter asks Information
OF specific scheme to write a general
letter saying whether or not the prom
Uses held out to the investor are prac-
teal OF realization
For instance. il a man writes asking
Tor Information about a company that
wants 10 Sell him a pecan grove in
Louisiana. the department without spe-
cincaily mentioning the name OF the
company, can answer telling what regions
of the state are adapted to pecan Gull
ture. how long 1t takes the trees TO reach
producing stage. what is the annual
cost OF bringing such a grove into bear
ing how many trees can be put TO an
acre ana the normal net profit from
each tree or each acre. Coupled with
this information will be the warning that
the Secretary made famous during the
EVergiade Investigation. never TO buy
land without first seeing it,
Has Extended List. tst.
The department has an extended rst
of enterprises. all of which are advertis-
Ing and most Of which are fakes pure
and simple. They include fruit orchards.
mostly apple. but of many other sorts.
some of them located where the fruit
has never been known to grow and some
or them where the company selling did
not even have a title to the land.
There are waterless irrigation schemes
some located In the desert, where never
ditch has been dug nor a dam built
There are Embarrassing areas not only
in Florida, but elsewhere that have al
ways been under water and probably al
ways will be.
There are Embarrassing schemes where
mahogany and eucalyptus flourish on
paper, and where there could not be
enough twigs gathered to boil a coffee
pot. There are all sorts and sizes OF
get-rich-quick schemes that would be a
~
Some of the concerns artlessly furnished
the department recently with some of the
very advertising literature il wanted.
DR.. Galloway on List.
DR.. 3. 7. Galloway chief OF the bureau
Of plant industry, lives at Takoma Park.
Somehow or other his name got on the
''come-on' list of one of these agricul-
tural companies. and he was inundated
with mail at his home address giving all
sorts of alluring pictures OF the pros
porous and easy old age he could spend
If he would just buy a grove or an or
chard or a farm or something and settle
down on the companys land. After he
had received all the literature he needed.
he wrote the company, assuring them he
was tolerably We'll suited with his present
job in the Department of Agriculture
and giving them the name of Frank
Hitchcock. Washington, ID. C.. 10 add to
their mailing list.
There appears to be a wide field for an
agricultural company rating list. and that
beng prepared by the department is like
ly to prove useful IL not popular.