1334 
•Pte RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 11, 1922 
sort of school board to administer the affairs of all 
these districts. Community units .ire to he formed 
mainly by topographical and transportation lines, 
and are to he determined by a committee of live. 
No district is to be consolidated, or. in other words, 
the schools are not to be centralized, without the 
consent of the voters of each outside district. There 
are safeguards and rights of appeal, but anyone who 
knows human nature or practical politics can readily 
see that any district hanging hack, with only one 
vote in 12 or 35, and no control of its own finances, 
would soon find itself in such hot water that it 
would scramble to get in. 
TAXATION.—As is usual in considering school 
problems, the taxation question came in for consid¬ 
erable discussion, hut for one am willing to confess 
to an inability to give an intelligent summary of 
the proposals of the Committee of Twenty-one. Dr. 
Works mentioned that estimates of the increased 
cost to the State would be about $12,000,000. What 
it would cost the districts is not mentioned, hut from 
a fairly complete experience in transporting children 
it is a likely guess that to transport 12 or 15 chil¬ 
dren five miles, or a total run of 20 miles per day, is 
worth $1,000 for the school year. This is a hard job 
and needs a reliable man with a truck and, in this 
climate, a team part of the time, and that kind of an 
outfit costs money. One thing wo do know, that in 
Ohio many consolidated districts are two and three 
years behind in their payments, and are practically 
bankrupt. Dr. Works estimates the cities here 
would pay SO per cent of the taxes, and as our cities 
are abnormally rich we might get along all right. 
But in these counties of the southern tier we have a 
very large list of delinquent taxpayers now, some in 
these same rich cities and towns, and any abnormal 
Increase in the tax rate would surely raise a howl. 
If it is proposed to make the community the unit of 
taxation it would only make matters worse, as prob¬ 
ably half of them, if formed along lines of least re¬ 
sistance to transportation, would have no public 
utilities of any kind to tax. Many people argue this 
equalization of the tax rate was the one redeeming 
feature of the township law, but it did not work out 
fairly, even with this larger unit. Governor Miller 
in a recent speech advocated that the .State assume 
charge of disbursements, but this smells too much 
like autocracy to be popular. All things considered, 
it looks as if the county was the logical unit, funds 
to be administered by the board of supervisors, as 
they are now to some extent, as in the road and 
other county funds. This would avoid a lot of new 
officials, and the people would have someone to hold 
to strict account. 
HARDSHIPS FOR LITTLE CHILDREN.—The 
above are minor matters a ml undoubtedly could he 
settled to the satisfaction of all concerned, but the 
question that broke the back of the township law, 
and which will be bitterly fought by all parents of 
small children living on these old hills of New York 
State, is the proposal to drag young children out of 
bed in the early morning in Winter and transport 
them long distances, often with a walk of a half 
mile or more, to town school, there to he cxjiosed to 
all the contagion in the community, and again home 
in the evening. At least two districts here have tried 
it and quit, and I have yet to see anyone who will 
argue that the simtf! children can be handled any 
better, herded in large numbers in one place, than 
they can in their own little schools, with all their 
deficiencies. In the large cities the children are not 
taken clear across town in order that they may be 
crowded together, but schools are located according 
to population, and in addition some societies and 
churches maintain tlieir own schools. In some cases 
they are segregated by nationalities, and no one talks 
centralization. 
CHILDREN AND CHICKS.—A friend who is a 
graduate of Cornell, an ex-principal of high school, 
and now an expert pool try man, probably as well 
posted on school matters as t ny man in the State, 
puts it this way: Given a dozen or 20 farms with 
around 100 chickens, each on free range, with plenty 
to eat, and they, will have little trouble. But crowd 
all these chickens into a small yard aud they will 
develop every vice that ;i chicken is heir to, and then 
some. Children will run true to nature also. This 
man has a small girl, lives some 100 rods from the 
present school and probable bus route to a consoli¬ 
dated school, five miles in either direction, and has 
always been a hitter opponent, of centralized schools. 
CHANGES IN POPULATION.—Another thing 
which is not reckoned with in school discussion is 
the sudden changes in population, hut we are all 
prone to see things as they are, without looking to 
the future. The district with which the writer is 
fairly familiar at one time had over 40 pupils at¬ 
tending school. At another more recent date the 
school was actually run for one boy. Now we have 
13 children who will soon he going, and with the 
advent of good roads it is a safe bet that there will 
he double this last figure. We have transported for 
some years, and in many ways it is not pleasant 
under the best of circumstances. At one time my 
wife and I bad the job wished on us. and there were 
days apparently without end when the team could 
only crawl through the mud, other days when the 
hubs were worse, and weeks of an unusually had 
Winter when the horses waded through snow from 
up to their knees to over their backs, and as much 
more in the air. We are only waiting for the out¬ 
come of the present agitation to start school. 
THE NEW LAW.—It is taken for granted by 
everyone who has given the matter a thought that 
no matter what are the intentions of the Committee 
of Twenty-one, when the new school law is drawn 
up this Winter it will be a centralized school law. 
As such it surely wifi have a stormy time, as anyone 
thinking hack to t.W time of the township law can 
well believe. It would seem much better to give the 
matter as much publicity us possible, and the host 
way to reach the rural people is by means of the 
farm papers and the local press, as before stated, 
Heading an Apple Barrel, Fig, 083 
instead of trying to put something over, as some of 
the Department people tried to do last Winter, and 
as they did in the case of the township law. If, 
after full and free discussion, the majority desire a 
new law, there will be only the usual kicking that 
always accompanies any new arrangement. 
Schuyler Co., N. Y.. c. l. Hathaway. 
The Working Habits of Honey Bees 
T HE last annual report of the Iowa Experiment 
Station gives results of some studies in the 
daily life of bees. 
A bee searching for nectar in a given species of 
honey plant pays no attention to flowers of any other 
kind upon a given trip. It has been found that a 
bee will remain faithful to its particular flower day 
after day. During any portion of the day when no 
nectar is available from this kind of flower, the bee 
seldom goes to the field at all, although nectar may 
be had from other kinds of flowers. 
Only in exceptional cases were nectar carriers 
found to change over, even temporarily, to the work 
of gathering pollen upon the cessation of the nectar 
flow for the remainder of the day. A bee carrying 
pollen from a plant, such as corn, which produces no 
nectar, rarely was found to leave the hive after its 
particular kind of pollen ceased to be available for 
the day. This was about noon in the ease of corn 
as well as of many other plants. But in the case of 
those bees found to gather both ncetor and pollen on 
the same trip, when working on certain kinds of 
honey plants, such as dandelion, the hoe usually 
began the day by carrying pollen on'y, but gathered 
nectar also when II could he obtained. As the day 
advanced, little pollen was to be had, and then the 
hce carried only nectar. 
Buck brush, buckwheat, boneset, sunflower and pur¬ 
ple Aster have been added to the list of plants from 
which bees sometimes gather both nectar and pollen 
at the same time. 
Field bees gathering a light yield of nectar from 
white Sweet clover required a little more than one 
hour on the average to secure a load of honey this 
year, whereas, in 1020. during a much heavier honey 
flow from the same plant, the average time for a 
round trip was only 45 minutes. 
Bees gathering pollen from corn and from the 
great ragweed frequently returned loaded within five 
minutes after leaving the hive, while bees gather¬ 
ing pollen from White clover seldom returned in less 
than 20 minutes. The most frequent interval spent 
in the Hive between field trips was found to be three 
minutes, whether the bee was carrying nectar or 
pollen. 
Fair View of the Farmer’s Position 
Tart III. 
NEXT SEASON—WHAT?-—But as things are 
now the farmer in many places must think his way 
out pretty much alone and find the best answer he 
can to his own questions, bearing in mind the prob¬ 
abilities for each crop next season. The long range 
outlook for grain indicates limited export demand, 
because Europe cannot easily find money to pay for 
it, but a war would force some extra buying. Can 
I cut cost of production, raise a better kind, or save 
money in marketing, or perhaps sell the grain in the 
form of live stock? Demand for live stock will gain 
as general business conditions improve and wage 
earners can use meat freely. Can I improve my 
stock and raise more of the feed or buy it cheaper? 
If I sell dairy products, can I improve my herd and 
my methods, turn out a better product and find a 
better way to sell it? 
SOME POSSIBILITIES.—The boll weevil is 
likely to keep the cotton price up. Some growers 
have learned to kill most of the weevils by thorough 
spraying. How can I do it? If there is no weevil 
in m.v section, why not plant more cotton, fertilize 
it well and raise a good crop? Low prices of pota¬ 
toes this year are sure to discourage planting next 
season, aud chances favor a smaller production and 
better prices. Do I know how to produce a fine large 
crop at low cost per bushel? Am I neglecting 
chances to sell near at home, direct to consumers? 
Can I join a good plan for selling the crop, and can 
I do more with tne stuff that is not worth shipping? 
Next year is off season for fruit. If my crop turns 
out small and poor, how can I make the most of it? 
Can I help fill the gap with annual crops, like straw¬ 
berries. melons and tomatoes that should sell well 
in an off season for tree fruit? If I have a good 
fruit crop next season, after all, can I get a fair 
price by shipping to a section where the crop fails? 
The Government crop reports will show me these 
sections, and its market service will give me price 
reports and a list of buyers, too, if I wish. Can I 
sell for export? Can I get my fruit trucked to a city 
and sell it? The vegetable line was overdone the 
present season, and some growers will reduce or 
quit. 1 will stick to lines that have paid me best in 
the long run. How can I increase earliness, quality 
and yield? Have I the best varieties? Am I on 
the watch for hints in cultivation? Am I up-to-date 
in packing, shipping aud selling? 
THE BEST CHANCES next season may be in 
those lines that sold lowest (his season. I will not 
he scared out of what I know how to produce best. 
I will stick to it and try to raise and sell it still 
better. I will write to Washington and get the mar¬ 
ket and crop reports regularly, so that I can judge 
when and where to sell. Can I learn from my most 
successful neighbors and from books and real farm 
papers? Am I using the best help provided by 
Federal and State departments. Some of the farm 
papers help a lot to keep up courage and enthusiasm 
and to start the thought machine in the right direc¬ 
tion. Some of the bulletins are very good. I will 
send for those in my line and read them these long 
evenings, or at least encourage the wife and chil¬ 
dren to read them aud pass along the ideas. There 
are books like Terry’s “Our Farming” which show 
that a man is never down and out, even after losing 
money and health, so long as he can hope and work 
and think. Can I build local trade? Am I neglect¬ 
ing chances to sell near borne or to sell in the form 
of by-products? Am I awake and interested and 
thinking hard, or do 1 take it all out in grumbling 
to the neighbors and writing to the Congressmen? 
When somebody where I am finds a way out and 
shows me fair and square, am I ready to go with 
him and do my share to clear the path? a. n. f. 
Now it is said the scientific men have separated the 
element which gives the awful odor to the skunk. They 
can produce a gas so strong that a spoonful of the 
liquid would drive the humans out of a great building. 
It is to be used in mines or buildings to warn the 
people of any escape of poisonous gas, and may actually 
be used on a large scale in warfare. 
