Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1919-07-23
FARM BUREAU NOTES
Many Farmers Pay Long Price for
Unknown Seed.

pensive. But that is the price that
over 100 farmers in this county ex-
pect to pay for their oats next spring,
as the result of a clever salesman, by
the name of Charles Dillenbeck, rep
resenting Geo. II. Higbie of Roches-
ter, n. Y, who has been working in
this county. This salesman has
shown many samples of oats which
look to be of exceptional quality. It
statements as this, '1These oats will
yield from 100 to 115 bushels per
acre" "a half bushel of my oats
will weigh "a pounds" etc. 1t costs
nothing to make such remarks and it
certainly seems to sell the goods! The
attention of all farmers who have
bought any of these oats is respect
fully called to the following extracts
which have been taken from the Rur-
al New Yorker, a well known farm
paper. This paper is very much ac-
quainted with the way such firms as
the Geo. K. Higbie Co. do business.
These are two letters written by sub
scribers to the Rural New Yorker,
and the publishers answer to the
same.
"Chas. Dillenbeck, claiming to
come from Alberta, Canada, is SELL
ing Alberta Cluster seed oats in ten
bushel lots for $3.50. He has buy
ers sign a contract made out in note
form q asked for a blank form but
he would not let me have IT'D The
oats are shipped by Geo. K. Higbie &
Co., of Rochester, n. Y, and as the
Canadian government holds all the
oats in Canada, so he said, they are
this year grown by someone in Pal
myra, n. Y. Do you know anything
about him? He had sample which
he called oat straw, and all bound up,
which looked a good deal like broom
corn seed. We did not buy, as 1 feel
he is a sharper in some way, and as
so many around here have bought in
Camden, n. Y, and Canastota, N. Y,
/ thought if they had any luck we
could buy seed of them next year.
This man claims they will be able to
grow 140 bushels per acre. | hope
they do but doubt if they will.
"Oneida Co., n. Y. E. j. L"
''Here is a variation of the Geo. K
Higbie seed oat scheme as practicea
in the southern part of the state. The
Mammoth Cluster Oat Is sold at So
offered at S3.75. Perhaps the only
real difference in the two varieties is
the different stories told by the
agents and the price. An employe of
the firm was quoted last week to have
said, Easy enough to make new
varieties with tanning mill if you've
got enough wind If farmers want
to pay for wind in the tanning mill
Or that emitted by the salesman, the
Higbie seeds are good ones to buy.
Otherwise, the very best producing
varieties can be purchased from the
most reliable seed houses at less than
10 he IxT fcrhI
the other Rochester seed concerns
selling on the same plan.
Enclosed find an offer of Geo. K
Higbie & Co. of Rochester, n. Y. viii
you let me know what there is to his
claims of $50 bushels per acre of oats,
480 bushels for potatoes, etc. If 1t Is
a fraud you know what to do with it.
never had anyone give me gold dol
lars as yet.
New York. q. Z. u.
s'The circular matter enclosed de-
scribes Higbie's Improved Mammoth
Cluster oats, and the Hustler potato
which, it is claimed, was produced
from a seed ball and offered to grow
ers for the first time.As stated In the
subscribers letter, it is claimed that
the oats produce $50 bushels per
acre. and the potatoes 480 bushels per
acre. Geo. K. Higbie & Co. also ran
a business under the name Rochester
Seed Cmpany and Farmers Seed
Company.
E'The circular matter urging G. T.
G.. to become an agent for the seeds
offers him a commission of 25@o, so
that farmers who pay So per bushel
for the seed oats and an equally ex-
travagant price for the seed potatoes
are contributing one-quarter of the
amount paid for the seeds for the
services of the salesman. Both the
oats and potatoes are supposed to be
entirely new varieties, and naturally
we and no one else except Geo. K.
Higbie & Co. can give any informa-
tion about the value of the seeds. Our
files, however, show that in a season
past this same firm made similar
claims for the Lincoln potato, the
Rapid Transit potato, the Speed
WELL the 'Roxbury,' etc. If any OF
these varieties for which equally ex-
travagant claims were made have
proved their worth, it is not shown Dy
their being grown at all generally
The rule is seed of exceptional merit
is catalogued and sold by seedsmen
after the first season or
two. Similar claims made for the
Mammoth Cluster oats were made
for the Great Dane cats, 'Higbie's
Granary Filler oats, etc. We shall
be glad to have reports from any
farmers who have found any of the
varieties named superior to standard
varieties. Our reports thus far have
0een TO the contrary.
eve see no reason for erediting the
claims made by this firm for the pres
ent seeds than for the claims made
ior all the other seed in past seasons,
which have now apparently been dis
.arded. It is a significant fact that
none Of these Rochester seed houses
selling seeds through agents in this
way are members of the American