The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-03-30
HUBBARD TAKES
CREDIT OF new !.
LONTz MACHINE

Ebert Hubbard. better known as
Fra" Hubbard famous writer, philos-
opher and advertising expert. In the
current issue Of his magazine, the
Philistipe, claims credit for Inspiring
the invention of selfadjusting. ball
bearing lawn mowers. manufactured
by the r. and N. Lawn Mower company
Of this city. the only machine Of its
kind on the market. In his article Mr..
Hubbard destrihes in detail his visit to
the r and N. factory.
Hubbard writes that one day at the
Roycroft shops in East Aurora. N. Y,
he was watching the painful efforts Of
his gardeners trying to operate some
very stubborn lawn movers. when Mr.
LOntz appeared on the scene. The ar
ticle continues:
"This is delightful place." said Mr..
Lontz. Listen to that bird!"
browns Out Song.
YES" said; 1T Is fine to hear the
birds. sing, but 1t is hell to hear the
grass mown."
"Lontz laughed lazily and suggested
that perhaps l had failed to adjust mo
lawn mower properly, and volunteered
to show me how 1t should be DONE
II assured him. however, that had
read. marked, learned and inwardl.-
digested the book of instructions
which came with the lawn mower; and
then asked. In Heavens name. why.
does not some one invent mower that
will automatically adjust it's own bear
ings and keep itself sharp"
Lontz said: "A fine idea II 1t will
work. We cannot possess all the
things we desire. but will see"
Then l knew had done the Mark
Antony stunt, and like him said,
NOW let it work.
A few weeks later l received q Self
Adjusting Ball Bearing Lawn Mower
devised and manufactured by the F..
& M Lawn Mower company, and I
knew Loptz had made good.
That afternoon tried it out.
took the full length OF the lawn
without any effort-never jerk. kick
or CULVER from the machine. It's work
was swift, silent and sure.
And so on without stop. without
exertion. ! moved the whole half-acre;
twenty-inch swaths, close cut, clean
and even.
Wen call it 'Tennyson's Brook, )"
said Felix.
Now, all Roycroft lawn mowers are
the F. & N. Self-Adjusting Ball.Bear-
Ing machines, and our lawn moving
troubles are over.
-. : Visits Richmond.
l asked one Of the friends who was
conducting me through the factory to
tell me how Lontz put across the idea
Of self-adjusting ball-bearing lawn
mower - - <
WELL" he said, this company has
been in operation nearly forty years.
Mr.. Lontz has been its active head for
twenty years. and has devoted the best
efforts Of his life to the enterprise.
He is now sole owner. 1872
"One day he called the engineering
experts to- = conference and said:
"'Now, boys, have an idea-and
for fear I. may never have another j
want to hog-tie it. It's this: I want
you to produce self-adjusting ball
bearing device that will automatically
control its own tension and under all
the varying conditions of lawn-mowing
whether the grass is high or low,
light or heavy, or the lawn rough or
smooth-one that will always be In
perfect adjustment. with all loose
motion taken up and no more.
land the reason / want you to do
this Is because note that the average
man using lawn.mower has no idea
of how to adjust tor else is always
adjusting it! 4 want a lawn-mower
that is efficient always, always ready
for work and always sharp from end
to end s.,s.~ 49,
We'll, some of US though it couldn't