LAW OF THE FARM. 



At the Grand Kapids Institute Judge Parrish of the superior court of that 

 city gave a lecture on the " Law of the Farm." This lecture was one of a 

 series given before the Grand Kapids Farmers' Club. Through the kindness 

 of Judge Parrish and Mr. F. M. Carroll, editor of the Agricultural World, I 

 have been enabled to publish in this Report the series of lectures up to and 

 including the sixteenth. I desire to especially acknowledge my obligations to 

 Mr. Carroll for the use of office files of the Agricultural World and other fav- 

 ors connected with the publication of these lectures. The farmers of our State 

 will find them to contain much valuable information. 



LECTURE NUMBER ONE. 



In speaking of the farmer's relation to law I would observe that the law 

 knows no distinction of persons. The variety of litigation among farmers is 

 just as great as that of any other class; and, considering the business transac- 

 tions in which they are engaged as a class, there is just as much litigation 

 among farmers or with farmers as anv other class of the commonwealth. 

 Moreover farmers are as litigious, and as liable to become involved as any other 

 class of people, and just as belligerent and persistent in maintaining their own 

 notions of what they think the law is or ought to be. 



In the course of my professional life I have known many instances of neigh- 

 boring farmers spending every dollar they had in litigation. In many instances 

 which have come under my observation valuable farms have gone into the vor- 

 tex of litigation, sometimes merely to gratify personal spite. The farmer pos- 

 sesses just as much of temper and spirit which promotes litigation, and sup- 

 ports and maintains the legal profession, as any other people in the country. 



I notice that about oue-fourih of the time of the circuit court is occupied 

 in disposing of appeal cases from justices' courts, cases involving five dollars 

 and upwards; sums for which, in many cases, no human being could afford to 

 litigate. The man who persists in that class of litigation generally does it 

 because he is mad, and the madder he gets the more he is willing to fee his 

 lawyer. I am convinced that a farmer will get just as mad as any other man, 

 and as often let his temper run away with his judgment. His wife will some- 

 times get as mad as he is. 



My first reading lessons at school were the parables in Webster's old spel- 

 ling book. I shall never forget the "Milkmaid," and the "Fox and the 



