232 The Farmer^ s Business Handbook 



document one is ever called upon to sign, yet 

 less care is commonly taken in drawing and exe- 

 cuting a last will and testament than in the 

 execution of the ordinary deed, mortgage or con- 

 tract. This is especially true in the country, 

 where, very often, wills are made which jeopard- 

 ize the property for which a man has spent a 

 lifetime of labor. Of all documents, except 

 as to the formalities of execution, that is, the 

 signing by the testator or maker and the witnesses, 

 wills may be the most simple and informal. Any 

 paper in writing which shows the clear intent 

 of the testator is sufficient even though it con- 

 tains but few words. Whenever possible, have 

 an attorney draw the will, and attempt to do so 

 yourself only when there is no way of securing 

 legal assistance. 



While the law is very liberal as to the con- 

 tents of a will, nevertheless it is very strict as 

 to the manner of executing it, by which we 

 mean the signing, witnessing, etc. A will exe- 

 cuted in accordance with the following direc- 

 tions will be found valid in New York and, also 

 in most other parts of the United States, except 

 in Louisiana, where the rules are too compli- 

 cated for a work of this size and character. 



The testator, that is, the one whose will is 

 being made, must in some way know the con- 

 tents of the will; then he must ask the wit- 



