Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1914-03-06
FARMERS GENERAL
SERVICE COMPANY
HAS AN IMPOSSIBLE CON.
TRACT.
State Chemist of North Dakota
Exposed Their Manner of Do
ing Business and the Quality
Of Goods Which They Fur
nished.

The following from the Farm,
Stock and Home contains much time
ly information for those who are ap-
preached to buy memberships" in
the Farmers General service Com
paay -
In reply to various inquiries con.
corning the reliability of the "Far-
mers' General Service Company of
Minneapolis. F., S. & H. here repub-
fishes entire Special Bulletin of the
Food Department of North Dakota, of
which E. F. Ladd of the North Da-
kota Agricultural college is Colnmis-
sioner. A careful reading of this
reprint should satisfy any thoughtful
reader as to the value of a contract
in the company.
There have been repeated requests
for information with regard to the
Farmers General Service Company
and their methods of doing business: !:
whether the goods or products handled
by them are in compliance with the
laws of this state; and whether or
not the firm is one that can be relied
upon.
The Company makes great claims,
offers strong inducements, and in
theory could become valuable aid as
farmers organization when con-
ductea strictly along the lines intend
ed to benefit the farmer and to give
him full value for money expended.
AS first step in looking over the
catalog furnished by the Company.
one notes at once the number of ref
erences, business houses. On writing
these firms some of them state that
they have had no business relation
with this Company and so can furnish
no information others state that they
have sold no goods direct to them,
but that some of their goods have
passed thru jcbbers into their hands
another firm states that of late they
have required that all transactions be
cash, and so it is with others. This
does not give one the best impression
at the start.
A number of samples of the pro-
ducts sold by the farmers General
Service Company to the people Of
North Dakota were taken up, and
quote from our findings for some Of
these:
No. 8657-Labeled Ceylon Tea,
farmers General Service Co., Mime
apolis, MINI. Sold to Mrs. Herman
MinchOw, Beach, N. D. Our analysis
of this product showed the same t.
consist almost entirely of tea stems
with very few leaves present, and t
this there had been added an extract
of catechu. Certainly, produci
falsely labeled, no tea at all but tes
stems to which had been added {
foreign ingredient to give the flavor
and appearance of tea.
| A sample of Refugee Beans Wa1
| No. 86O5 furnished by the Farmer!
General Service Co. Minneapolis tt
one of their patrons was taken VI
and examined. The product wa
classed as illegal. 1t was labeled tt
contain from 20 to % ozs. while tn,
actual weight was 19.6 ounces. Il
the first place it was short weigh
and in the second place the bean
we're partially decomposed and no
of good quality. In other words j
was low grade product.
A sample of White Cherrie
Canned Live Oak Brand Laborator,
No. 1903 sold by the Farmers Gen
eral Service Company to party a
Beach N. D was taken up and foun,
to be labeled 81 to "a ounces actua
weight 28.8 ounces. The cherrie
were of inferior quality some Of ther
decayed.
A sample of Canned Tomatoes Sea
side Brand Lab. No. 1902 furnishe
by the same company contained
large proportion of added water an
did not come up even to the minimum
standard for solids in tomatoes. Th
tomatoes were not whole but in sma
pieces. The product is therefore il
legal for sale in this state.
The inspector also saw at one plaC
quantity of fish thrown out from
container that was purchased from tt
same company the party saying the
2 were so rotten ne could not use then
In 1910 the Universal Stock Cal
. met Company was doing busineI
along similar line in parts of NOrt