1882 .] AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 327 
law for Farmers—Promissory Notes, and 
Patent Right Rogues. 
H. A . HAIGH, LL.B., DETROIT, MICH. 
Every farmer doubtless, sooner or later, 
has occasion to give or take a promissory 
note. It is therefore desirable that he know 
something about his rights and liabilities 
connected with them. Particularly is it de¬ 
sirable that he understand somewhat the 
legal incidents of these peculiar contracts 
(for such they are), from the fact that they 
are often made the vehicle by which the 
villainous rogue — oftener the patent right 
rogue than any other—perpetrates his crime 
upon the unwary. 
A promissory note is a written agreement 
to pay a certain sum of money at a certain 
time. It must be definite and unconditional. 
It is therefore in the nature of money; being 
negotiable, and where payable to bearer, the 
property in it passes by mere delivery of the 
paper on which it is written. It is not sub¬ 
ject to all the defences that are good as 
against other contracts. For example : It is 
generally good in the hands of an innocent 
holder, no matter though the maker of it 
had lost it, or it had been stolen, or obtained 
from him by fraud. This may be the case, 
even though it has been altered or “raised,” 
as where I give my note signed in blank to a 
person, authorizing him to fill in a certain 
amount, as $10, and he fills in a larger 
amount, as $100, and sells it to an innocent 
purchaser. I must pay the larger amount, 
for I it was who enabled the fraud to be com¬ 
mitted ; and an old maxim of the law holds 
that where one of two innocent persons must 
suffer from the wrongful acts of a third, the 
loss must be borne by the one who enabled 
such third person to occasion it. The justice 
of this is obvious, and every farmer will ap¬ 
preciate the necessity of protecting, in the 
largest degree, the rights of bona fide holders 
of negotiable instruments, which form part 
of the currency of the country, and if sub¬ 
ject to all the defences of other written con¬ 
tracts, would be deprived of their main value. 
It will be seen, then, that these instruments 
become to the shrewd rascal a convenient 
means of swindling the unsuspecting; for, 
having once got them in his possession, no 
matter how fraudulently, they become, in 
most instances, practically money, and their 
makers cannot help themselves. It behooves 
farmers therefore to be very careful in the 
matter of giving notes, and to always be cer¬ 
tain of getting value received for them; for 
they may be certain of having to pay them, 
whether they get anything in return or not. 
A class of miscreants who have in yearn 
past successfully operated by this means, 
have tramped over the country with the ap¬ 
parent object of selling patent rights. Had 
they confined themselves to the legitimate 
sale of patent rights or of patented articles, 
they would have been less intolerable, though 
they have forced many useless things upon 
the public, and induced many a farmer, by 
their voluble persuasiveness, to pay dearly 
f<?r things which he did not want. But their 
real object has often been far less innocent. 
A favorite dodge with them has been to get 
the farmer to accept an agency for the sale 
of the articles in his town or county, secur¬ 
ing his signature to a printed contract for 
that purpose—underneath which is adroitly 
concealed a printed promissory note, which 
the farmer unwittingly signs, supposing it to 
be a duplicate of the contract. A few months 
afterwards he is confronted by a demand for 
the payment of his note by some shaver in a 
neighboring town, who bought the same in 
good faith. To avoid a law suit, the farmer 
probably ends the matter by compromising 
with the holder of the note, or by paying its 
full amount out of his hard-earned savings. 
This is but one of many similar methods em¬ 
ployed by these villains, but it has been used 
to such an extent in some parts of the coun¬ 
try, as to lead to special legislation. In 
Michigan, a statute enacted for the special 
“ benefit” of these rogues, requires that every 
note given for the right to make, use, or sell 
any patented invention shall have written 
across its face, “ Given for Patent Right,” 
and such notes are made subject to all de¬ 
fences good between original parties, no 
matter in whose hands they are; and the 
Supreme Court of that State had, prior to 
the passage of that law, held that a note, the 
signature to which had been obtained in the 
manner above indicated, was in the nature 
of a forgery, and absolutely void. But this 
is contrary to the doctrine in many other 
States, and farmers generally are not thus 
protected. As stated, therefore, it behooves 
them to be careful what they sign. A good 
rule would be—never give a promissory note 
unless absolutely necessaiy ; never give one 
without value received; never sign any 
paper in the hands of a stranger. 
Happily, this means of swindling seems to 
be decreasing. This indicates, I apprehend, 
that the farming communities, through the 
influence largely of the agricultural press, 
have become too enlightened for these swind¬ 
lers to successfully practice their operations. 
Saving Vegetable Seeds. 
If there are many varieties of the same 
vegetable in a garden, it is impossible to save 
the seeds of some in an unmixed state. 
Sweet Com, and all of the Squash family, 
are quite sure to “ mix.” On the other hand, 
T’eas and Beans rarely cross. If one saves 
seeds of any vegetable, let it be of the best. 
Instead of leaving the last Peas on the vines 
for seed, set apart a portion of a row for 
seed, and let none be picked from it. By 
proper care, the quality of a vegetable may 
be improved. In saving Lima Beans, we 
have for several years selected only those 
with four beans in the pod ; as a consequence, 
the greater number of pods in the whole 
crop now have four beans. The selection of 
the first ripened and best formed Tomatoes 
for seed will have a marked effect upon fu¬ 
ture crops, and this is the case with all other 
vegetables. If one has a choice Melon he 
would preserve in its purity, the surest me¬ 
thod is to fertilize a few female flowers. 
Take a male flower of the same kind that is 
shedding its pollen, remove the corolla, to 
expose the stamens. Select a female flower 
that is just ready to open, but has not been 
visited by insects; open it, and apply the 
stamens to the pistil of that flower. Cover 
the flowers thus operated upon by a bit of 
muslin until the fruit begins to grow. 
Tlie Barn Yard. —The summer show¬ 
ers fill up the low places in the barn-yard 
with water, that has leached through the 
manure, and is rich in fertilizing materials. 
This should be kept from running away by 
the use of litter that will absorb the liquid. 
The American farmer is gradually gaining a 
knowledge of the fact that manure is too val¬ 
uable to be wasted, and that the making of a 
large amount of it, of good quality, is an im¬ 
portant part of profitable farm work. To 
this end sheds will and should be more exten¬ 
sively used to shelter manure, for it can be 
shown beyond a doubt, that the best quality 
of this natural fertilizer, can only be made 
when kept from the exposure of the open 
yard. Look well to the barn-yard manure. 
A Cheap and Durable Grindstone-Box,' 
and Hangers. 
L. D. SNOOK, TATES CO., N. T. 
A good grindstone well hung, is one of the 
most valuable aids about the farm or 
workshop. Those who cannot afford to 
buy a very neat and handy grindstone frame 
of the hardware dealers, will find a frame 
and hangers shown in the engraving, that 
for convenience, cheapness, and durability, 
is hard to excel. The frame consists of a well- 
seasoned “trough” of pine or other wood, 
fourteen inches square (or even one foot 
square), and from two and a half, to three and 
a half feet in length, to which legs are nailed 
at b, b, four inches wide, one and a half 
inch thick, and bevelled at the top. Sup¬ 
ports or hangers, h, h, are nailed firmly to 
the side as indicated; they should be hard¬ 
wood, and of a size to correspond with di¬ 
mensions, and weight of stone. The shaft 
may be of iron or wood ; fit a piece of sheet 
lead, or piece of lead pipe properly flattened 
out, in the top of each hanger; this will 
cause the shaft to turn easily, and prevent 
all squeaking for want of oil. The wooden 
plug at r, is for drawing off the water after 
each using of the stone, and should in no 
case be neglected. If one side of the stone 
is left standing in water, it softens, and 
the surface will soon wear quite uneven. 
After the box is completed, give it one heavy 
coat of boiled oil; then in a few days apply 
a coat of lead and oil, and with even com¬ 
mon care, it will last a lifetime. When the 
stone becomes worn, it is kept down' to the 
water by simply deepening the groove in the 
top of the hangers. Always buy a long shaft 
for a grindstone, for in this age of reapers and 
mowers, the cutting apparatus of which 
must be ground, a long shaft for a grindstone 
is almost a necessity, or truly a great conven¬ 
ience. If the grindstone is to stand out¬ 
doors, always cover it with a closely fit¬ 
ting wooden box when it is not in use. 
