/ttKTivun \ 
^'QUALITY, 
DOUBLE A- QUALITY 
Adds Humus-IncreasesYield 
February 11, 1022 
Things To Think About 
The object of this department la to givo readers a chauoe to express themselves on farm 
matters. Not long articles can be used—just short, pointed opinions or suggestions. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER does not always endorse what is printed here. You might 
call this a mental safety valve. 
Bear Traps for Mielon Thieves 
I have been attentively following such 
articles on road hogs, melon thieves and 
other noxious vermin as you have printed 
during the past season, and would like to 
know if the following method of protec¬ 
tion is illegal, if not. effective. About, a 
week before the melons are ripe, and 
when you are expecting midnight raiders, 
why not place several nice -10-lb. hear 
traps in the more exposed rows of the 
patch, and at such entrance places as 
would naturally attract the eye of the 
unsuspecting interloper, cover them light¬ 
ly with loose dirt, and fasten them se¬ 
curely to stakes driven so firmly into the 
ground ami out off so close to it that they 
would not exc?te suspicion as one walks 
about the patch, and could not. possibly 
be pulled or dug up with the hands of the 
victim when fairly caught! Having post¬ 
ed your lands against trespass for any 
reason whatsoever, what come-back could 
the thief have? lie is there for mischief, 
knows that, he is a lawbreaker, would be 
sbo't. were .lie in a bouse doing the same 
tiling, and, having taken up the hatchet, 
must put up with the resulting punish¬ 
ment, i. c., capture the following morn¬ 
ing, disgrace if well known in the neigh¬ 
borhood, legal punishment if (in outsider, 
to say nothing of a harked shin for sev¬ 
eral weeks, the trap jaws having been 
slightly bound in accordance wi'th the reg¬ 
ulations of the S. I’. C. A. 
There is nothing more fear-inspiring 
than the unknown, and unless the pros¬ 
pective victims know of the existence of 
the traps and have come with proper tools 
to extricate themselves, or with which to 
prevent capture, what more efficient 
watchman could (lie tired farmer have? 
When a skunk steals chickens we square 
accounts by setting a trap that effectively 
holds him the next night. Since man is 
an animal when he breaks the accepted 
laws of his brothers, and steals the pro¬ 
duct of their labor, why not serve him as 
we do the skunk, they being two of a 
kind and in the same boat? A. M. w. 
New Jersey. 
R. N.-Y.—We would not advise such 
methods. We think the State has laws 
forbidding the placing of traps where 
humans or domestic animals would he 
likely to get into them, or placing poison 
where domestic birds or animals might 
get to it. What would you do if some 
fine young woman or some dignified ma¬ 
tron stepped in one of your traps? We 
have known both characters to go “coon- 
ing’’ melons! 
besides paying $00 tuition to the Alta- 
inont school for the three children in the 
grades. In other words, by aiding the 
people who believe that sehopl taxes are 
confiscatory, the railway, in defeating the 
project for consolidation at Delanson, 
secured a reduction of $240.80 in its 
school tax in District 10. 
The It. N.-Y. has said editorially that 
“school taxes are so high in many cases 
that the result is plain and open confisca¬ 
tion of property.” Can the editor apply 
that statement to the Quaker Street and 
Delanson districts, where the parents 
voluntarily paid $1,25!) last, year over 
and above all taxes for the privilege of 
sending their children to an up-to-date 
school? And iiow about little District 10, 
that raised by taxation $750 for educa¬ 
tion. hut whose progressive parents sent 
eight children away to school at an ex¬ 
pense of $300 over and above all taxes? 
Six of the eight children walked from 2% 
to three miles daily, and all rode 14 miles 
on the cars. 
One word more alsmt District 19. It 
raised $750 by taxation for education, and 
received from _the State $397, making a 
total of $1,147. Ten children were en¬ 
rolled in its mcagerly equipped school. It 
therefore paid $114 per head to educate 
its 10 children, hut at the same time 
three parents in the district were sending 
children to an up-to-date, graded school, 
where eight teachers were employed, at 
an expense of only $50 for each child for 
carfare and tui'tion. 
The R, N.-Y., commenting on the com¬ 
plaint of a parent whose children were 
Compelled, under the "contract system.” 
to walk a short distance and ride 2)4 
miles to school, says; “It seems to us 
great nonsense to talk ‘consolidation’ in 
districts where children must suffer such 
hardships in being 'transported/ ” While 
we keep this statement in mind, permit 
me to describe my children’s experience. 
Tn 1907 my eldest son entered the Alta- 
mont. Albany County, high school, and 
from year to year thereafter my younger 
children were enrolled there one by one, 
often before tlmir grade work was com¬ 
pleted in the rural school, hut not before 
they were of rut age to endure the hard¬ 
ship of a three-mile walk daily. Summer 
and Winter, and a 11-mile ride daily on 
the ears. Two of m.v children arc still 
unable to enter the Altamont school un¬ 
less I pay tuition, which I cannot, afford 
to do, but. the seven who have registered 
there now have a total of 23 school years 
to their credit in that school. 
Assuming an average yearly attendance 
of 170 days, which is a conservative esti¬ 
mate. the total distance traveled by my 
children up to June 21. 1921. in attend¬ 
ing an improved school, is GO. 170 miles. 
Or this distance, 11.730 miles were 
walked, mostly over the D. & IT. Co.’s 
tracks, to and from the station, which 
shortened the trip 1*4 miles daily. Mean¬ 
while the opponents of consolidation point 
to the danger and hardship of rural chil¬ 
dren in riding three or four miles over a 
country road to a consolidated school. 
These arc plain facts, stated fairly, and 
arc reasonably brief. 1 challenge The 
R. N.-Y. to print them, and any person 
to disprove a single figure or fact. 
W. W. CHRISTMAN. 
What is your ^ 
u labor income 
Consolidation of Rural Schools 
I note your offer on page 48 to print 
an article which states the school con¬ 
solidation argument fairly, mid rim here¬ 
by sending you a few facts and figures 
regarding rhe rural schools in the town¬ 
ship in which 1 have lived all my life. 
These figures indicate that the only solu¬ 
tion to the rural school problem is con¬ 
solidation. 
Delanson village has a two-room school. 
Ten years ago the progressive parents of 
the district planned to consolidate with 
the Quaker Street district and build a 
union free school. The project was do* 
feated at a special School meeting by one 
vote, mainly, it is said, because a fore¬ 
man. then in charge of local corporate 
interests, threatened all railway em¬ 
ployees with discharge who cast their 
votes for a consolidated school. 
The total school Inx in Delanson dis¬ 
trict last year was $3,582.02, Of this 
amount the railway company contributed 
$2,243. During the month of March, 
1P21, when 1 made an investigation. 23 
children from the Quaker Street and De- 
lanson districts were riding out of De¬ 
lanson station every morning to attend 
elementary and high schools in Altamont, 
Schenectady and <’"hb'skill, 10, 10 and 
IS miles away. For the maximum uum¬ 
ber of scholars' tickets at the regular 
commutation rate the parents of these 23 
children contributed $1,259.17 to the 
gross yearly income of the railway com¬ 
pany. ' In other words, by aiding the 
people who believe that school taxes arc 
confiscatory, the railway company de¬ 
feated the project for consolidation and 
the building of a union free school, and 
secured a yearly rebate of $1,259.17 in 
SAVE MONEY 
Vicious Dog 
A neighbor’s dog has bitten four per¬ 
sons in tlie last five months. Recently he 
bit my granddaughter when she was com¬ 
ing home from school. She was in the 
road at the time, and I would like to know 
whai i can do about it. i.. w. a. 
Tioga Co., N. Y. 
Tim county law provides “that if any 
dog shall attack any per SOU peaceably 
traveling on any highway * * * and 
complaint thereof he made to a justice of 
the peace, such justice shall inquire into 
the complaint, and if satisfied of its truth, 
and that such dog is dangerous, he shall 
order the owner or the possessor of such 
dog to kill him immediately. The owner 
or possessor of anT dog who shall refuse 
or neglect to kill him within 18 hours after 
having received such order, shall forfeit 
the sum of $2.50. and the further sum of 
$1,25 for every IS hours thereafter until 
such dog is killed.” Your proceeding, 
therefore, is to go before your nearest jus¬ 
tice of the peace, in accordance with the 
statute above quoted. N. T. 
READ/NG BORE FERT/L/ZER CO. 
REAO//VG, RA. 
F. C. TANGER, 443 Cutler Bldg., Rochester, N. Y, 
PAUL G. ROSS, Poultney, Vt. 
General Agent, State of New York, 
General Agent, Stale of Vermont, 
A MINE OF WEALTH TO FARMERS 
-Manufactured by- 
M. J. GROVE LIME CO 
Lime Kiln, Maryland 
Small grain yields 
greatly increased by 
the use of Sheep’s 
Head Pulverized 
Sheep Manure. One 
fanner writes: ‘30% 
increased yield over 
barn manure on worn 
nut.land.” Dropped with 
fertiliser attachment. 
Rich in nitrogen, phos¬ 
phoric acid ami potuah— 
slso adds humus. Koi ...- 
Wonderful results on garden, truck patches. lawns 
Hfiml! fruits, etc. 8heep’« Head Brum) in guarantee, 
free from germs and weed seeds. Pol vert ted and pul 
into sucks for easy handling. Write for priceu. 
5 niTAtto 
THE JOYNT BRAND 
PURE, UNLEACHED. HARDWOOD ASHES The Best Fertilizer by Test 
A complete and profitable fertllizer for all growlngcrop*, 
fruit, tobacco and truck growing, top die--mg and seed¬ 
ing down. Aunilx H'ntitol. Cuhllcm’OXlMtKt'X lMWlSD. 
Address JOHN JOYNT • Luoknow, Ontario. Can. 
Mrs. Uppish : “Did any of your an¬ 
cestors do things to cause posterity to re¬ 
member them?” Farmer Blunt : “I reck¬ 
on they did. ma’am. My grandfather put 
mortgages on this place that ain’t paid 
off yit.”—Boston Transcript. 
When you write advertisers mention 
The Rural New-Yorker and you'd get 
a quick reply and a "square deal. ** Soe 
guarantee editorial page. 
NATURAL GUANO CO., 830 River St., Aurora, III 
