4887 
THE RURAL HW-Y0BBEB, 
from some high point early in the morning 
they might at certain seasons be of very great 
value. G. 
Cato. 
"Every Man is presumed to know the Law; 
Nine-tenths of all Litigation arises from Ig¬ 
norance of La w?' 
feeding this rye for the first time. It makes a 
strong, rank growth, and looks like rich fod¬ 
der; but it is not equal to good clover or 
Orchard Grass, and is inferior to good past¬ 
ure grass as a feed. Those who go on 
the principle that stock can make as .good 
a living on a green rye field as they can 
on a strong pasture will be disappointed. 
Some experiments conducted at the State Col¬ 
lege of Pennsylvania to determine the compo¬ 
sition of soiling rye tally closely with what I 
have learned from observation and experi¬ 
ence. The pith of these experiments is that, 
ton for ton, soiling rye is much inferior to 
pasture grass, but that it gives a much heav¬ 
ier yield. The best way to feed this soiling 
rye is iu combination with oil meal, bran, or 
some other nitrogenous feed. It would ap¬ 
pear that corn meal would not be an econom¬ 
ical feed to give with it. It is well worth re¬ 
membering, first, that green rye alone will 
not prove a satisfactory feed; and secoud, 
that bran will prove a belter feed to give with 
it than corn meal. The above-mentioned ex¬ 
periments also proved that rye grown on very 
rich soil is of better quality than that grown 
ou poor soil. The farmers who shift the barn¬ 
yard from one side of the barn to the other in 
alternate years, and sow the vacant place to 
rye for soiling, have found that this is so. 
Bergen Co , N.J. c. 
D rain Assessment. —In the assessment 
for benefits caused by a drain, two limita¬ 
tions are to be observed. (1). The assessment is 
not to exceed the actual benefit conferred; and 
(2) it must not exceed the proportionate share 
of the entire cost of the drain. A second 
assessment may be made when necessary, 
subject to the same limitations as the first. 
Any defence against a drainage assessment 
which is available, must be presented w'hen 
application for confirmation is made, or it will 
be waived. — Morrell vs. Drainage Com- 
missii uers,—I1L 
Where a testator bequeathes to his widow 
all his personal property, and directs a sale of 
his realty and one-half the proceeds paid to 
his widow, if she accepts the payment it bars 
her right of dower in the balance of his estate. 
—Brokaw vs. Brokaw.—N. J. 
A lot of growiug corn was described in a 
chattel mortgage as “ six hundred bushels,” 
and its location was given. When harvested 
there were over 1,000 bushels in the lot. The 
corn was attached by a creditor. Held, as 
between the mortgagee and attaching credi¬ 
tor, that the mortgage was void for uncer¬ 
tainty.—Suavely vs. Kingman.—Ivans. 
7?. T. S,, Bridgeport , Conn. —A living 
in this State gave a note to his father iu 1865 
for .$500, which has never been renewed and 
on which no interest has been paid. The 
father dies in 1887 and the questiou is, does 
that note hold good against A with interest 
from date until now, to be deducted from his 
share iu the estate? My friend contends that 
as A is one of the heirs it does hold good, 
otherwise it would have outlawed. 
Ans. —The statute of limitations affects the 
remedy but not the debt. The $500 is in the 
nature of an advancement to the son, and no 
matter how long previous to the father’s death 
it was made, the note showing that it was not 
a gift, it must be deducted from the son's 
share of the inheritance. If the note was on 
interest then the advance will bear interest 
from its date. 
L. T. M., Newark, N. J. —What is the law 
of this State in regard to the attestation of 
wills? How mauy persons are required to 
witness the execution of a wih ? Must it be 
done in the presence of each other, and is a 
notarial or other official acknowledgment 
necessary ? 
Ans. —The old law which required three 
witnesses, and the presence of a notary, was 
changed nearly forty years ago. The law 
in force (act of March 12,1852) provides that, 
wills must be signed or acknowledged by the 
testator in presence of two witnesses, who 
shall subscribe their names thereto, iu the 
presence of the testator. A notarial acknowl¬ 
edgment is not now required. 
R. II. if., Castle , Minn ,—A stream bound¬ 
ed a part of my laud on one side, but some 
time ago during a Hood it made a short-cut 
through one of my fields, leaving a part of it 
outlie other side; to whom docs the cut-off 
part belong—to me or my neighbor t 
Ans.—T o you of course. A gradual wash- 
iug away is the loss; a gradual deposit the 
gain of one whose laud is bounded on a 
stream; but if the stream, in time of flood, 
makes a short cut, across lots, it doesn't enable 
one man to enrich himself at the expense of 
another. He whose land h s been'eut iu two, 
becomes an owner on both sides. 
if. N. T., Grant, Mich. —A deeds his prop¬ 
erty to his son. taking a life lease. The son 
gets into debt and gives notes therefor. Can 
the creditors take the personal or real estate 
in payment! 
Ans. —They can take the sou’s personal 
property as well ns his interest in the laud, 
subject to the exemptions allowed by the laws 
of the State. In Miehigau Lhose exemptions 
are quite liberal. A. is not liable for his 
sou’s debts unless ho became surety for him. 
ittbceUam'ouiL 
CORRESPONDENTS’ VIEWS. 
Rye as a Soiling Crop.— From what I eau 
learn, a largely increased acreage of rye has 
been sown this fall. Apparently the acreage 
devoted to the grain has not been extended, 
but many farmers, particularly those in the 
dry districts, have put iu small pieces of rye 
for early sprmg pasturage and later soiling 
crops. A word of caution will be needed iu 
Ownership of Fruit on Overhanging 
Branches. —I am about to set out a row 
of fruit trees—apple and pear—along the 
northern side of my laud. My neighbor’s 
land adjoining is cultivated close up to the 
division fence. How far from the fence should 
I set my trees? Six or eight feet seem far 
enough away while the trees are small, yet 
they will soon grow so as to shade my neigh¬ 
bor’s land, and a portion of the fruit falling 
upon his land svill doubtless be eaten by bis 
stock and, therefore, lost. It is by no means 
irnpropable that the question, as old as the 
hills and as unsettled as the sea, will arise as 
to who owns the fruit on the overhanging 
branches. My trees are valuable, and can I 
afford to risk losing a portion of the fruit for 
the sake of saving the land? Iu equity my 
neighbor will be entitled to a portion of the 
fruit, for the roots of the trees will penetrate 
his soil and the branches will shut off the sun 
a.id render his laud along the dividing line 
practically useless. There is, perhaps, no one 
thing that hus caused more serious contention 
between neighbors than trees grown on or 
near the boundary line. Law-makers have 
tried in vain to settle the question beyond all 
dispute. Some think a man owns downward 
to the earth’s center and upward to the 
heavens, and, therefore, the owner of the land 
owns all the wood, foliage and fruit of an 
overhanging tree. Others think the bl anches 
of trees are only trespassers and that they may 
be forcibly removed and their owner sued 
fur damages. Others, again, think a tree 
and its fruit the absolute property of the 
owner, and that he can take the fruit ivhere- 
ever it may be, even if he has to trespass upon 
his neighbor's land to get it. This is a very 
important subject to farmers, especially to 
the farmers of the East, where land is scarce 
and valuable. s, b. henry, 
R. N.-Y.—The questiou as to the ownership 
of the fruits on the overhanging branches, in¬ 
stead of being "as unsettled as the sea,” has 
long been settled in every State in the Union. 
They belong to the person ou w hose ground 
the tree that bears them grows. There is 
some doubt as to the right of the owner to go 
upon the adjoining laml to pick up any fallen 
fruit, however, decisions ou this point vary¬ 
ing somewhat; but the courts bave in most 
cases ueld that this was permissible provided 
due care was taken not to injure the laud or 
crops growing upon it. The neighboring 
owner, however, can, without notice, cutback 
to the line all the branches that overhaug his 
land, and also all the roots that may have 
made their way iuto his soil. 
The Shirk Horse. —Shire horses were for¬ 
merly called “Cart horses,” and probably are 
now by the body of common farmers. Using 
them iu carts for every purpose on the farms 
and to market applies to the vicinity of Lon¬ 
don. In Scotland carts of a smaller size are 
used instead of wagons in doiug much farm 
w ork, but iu all the Midland and many of the 
other counties in England wagons are used for 
all purposes except hauling manure, stones 
and such matter. Thero is a greut difference 
iu the shape and make of wagons, but they 
are very strong and well made, often lasting 
for two or three generations. The dung carts 
have broad wheels and when used one is being 
filled, one being unloaded aud another or two, 
accordmg to the distance, are on the way be¬ 
tween. The head teamster (carter) unloads, 
boys drive and laborers till at the yard or 
heap. _ ENGLISHMAN. 
A Tariff Opinion.— Mr. Bartholomew 
Gedney, of White Plains, N. Y., is 86 years of 
age. He has followed the plow every year 
since he was 14, and is a living example of the 
results of a quiet and temperate farm life. He 
says farmers do not appreciate the advan¬ 
tages tvhich they now eDjoy. They complain 
of hard times when they have advantages and 
luxuries which the farmers of 50 years ago 
never even dreamed of. The prices of all 
kinds of manufactured goods have been re¬ 
duced enormously, while farm products have 
in most cases actually increased in value. 
This he ascribes to our protective tariff. 
__ J. H. G. 
THE WATER SUPPLY—YIELD OF CORN. 
In a recent article I am made to advise 
"additional wells or large cisterns to be sup¬ 
plied from tile drains, if the ponds were not 
large enough.” What I wrote was "farms." 
[The word in the manuscript badly puzzled 
the Editorial office as well as the composiDg- 
room; but was finally unanimously guessed 
to be “ponds.”—E ds.] Ponds for stock 
water I much dislike, especially as ordinarily 
managed. A good well and wind-mill pump 
are much the most desirable means of obtaining 
a water supply on the average prairie farm. 
Tbe extreme drought in much of the West is 
causing increasing trouble to secure sufficient 
water on many farms. Wells bave failed 
which have given abundant supply for years 
past. At this writing, (Nov 21), much of Illi¬ 
nois is in greater need of water than at the 
corresponding elate in any year I bave known 
the State. I am also made to say that "most 
of our corn will give us 40 to 50 bushels per 
acre ’ If I wrote this I was in error. The 
average yield on our farms is mostly under 35 
bushels per acre. Not much of the crop gave 
over 40 bushels. G. e, morrow. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(Every query must be accompanied by the name 
aud address of the writer to insure attention. Before 
asking a question, please see If It Is not answered In 
our advertising coUimus. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put questions on aseparate piece of paper. 1 
ABOUT QUINCES AND PEARS. 
G. S. Middleburgh , Pa. —1. What good 
quince would be likely to thrive here? Is the 
Mtech’s quince an old one? Where can it or 
its old form be bad true to name? Is it likely 
a good market cbu be found for quinces? 2. 
Wbat pears would be likely to do well here 
aud prove most profitable. We have no pear 
blight in this section. 3. How about nuts? 
Ans —1. The quince, like other fruits, varies 
more or less when grown from the seed, and 
as its seeds are very numerous aud easy of 
germination, seedlings are not uncommon. 
Approved sorts are grown from the original 
seedlings by means of cuttings or layers, thus 
continuing the identical sort just as we pre¬ 
serve and propagate any choice variety of 
potato. The more fleshy sorts of quince as¬ 
sume a round form, almost like that of an 
apple, and sorts less developed in this respect, 
resemble a pear more. Many make but two 
divisions of the cultivated sorts of quince, 
namely, into apple and pear quinces. Some 
sorts ripen rather too late for profitable mar¬ 
keting, although keeping well and gradually 
ripening iu the house, serviug well for home 
use. The wood of some sorts resists cold better 
than that of others, but all are liable to suffer 
when young, unless cautiously grown. The 
roots are fibrous and apt to run superficially; 
and, iu the heat and drought of July and 
August, they suffer, as some sorts of raspber¬ 
ries often do, from beiug scorched and dried 
in the superheated soil. A good mulch is the 
best preventive of this. Even the tops suf¬ 
fer in the same way, additionally to the want 
of sufficient supplies from the roots; and 
young plants, of which the bark is thin, should 
have their stems swathed with cloth or paper 
dunug the summer. If this is closely put on 
from below the surface up, it will repel the egg- 
laying mother ot the borer grub, which likes 
the quince better even than any sort of apple. 
Quinces are generally scarce in the market 
and high-priced because few tale the care ne¬ 
cessary to produce them, or have the good for¬ 
tune to have their trees accidentally carried 
safely through the trials of their young exis¬ 
tence. As to a certainty of get ling the Meeeh 
quince true to name and at a model ate price, 
we should apply with full confidence to t. Y. 
Teas, of Dunreith, Indiana, whose catalogue 
includes it. The Meech quince is known to 
be an old kind. It has been cultivated in sev¬ 
eral widely separated localities for years. 
Whether it is the pear or just in wbat respects 
it differs we cannot say? 2. As to pears, they 
do so well everywhere, and the best sorts have 
been so generally planted that the markets are 
glutted with them. But there is always sale 
at good prices for extra fine fruit of best Eorts, 
in the prime of ripeness and beauty', such as 
are grown on trees not over-cropped, and in 
rich, deep soil all tbeir own. As to the blight, 
no location in the Middle States -an boast of 
sure exemption from it. It comes and goes 
like a thief in the night, there bemg often 20 
years or more between its visitations, and it 
seldom kills the tree outright, Winter pears 
well ripened are always sure of a market. Tbe 
Lawrence and the Nelis last over the holidays 
and are as easily growu as any. Of earlier 
sorts in succession from July on, as named, we 
recommend for Pennsylvania the Summer 
Doyenne, Clapp’s Favorite, Bartlett, Boussock, 
Howell and Seckel as first-class in good lime¬ 
stone loam and tor market sale. 3. It is useless 
to plant English walnuts or pecans there. 
Other nut-trees are best raised from seed set 
where tbe tree isto grow', retaining, of several 
that may come up, the one that promises 
best. 
DESTROYING PLANT LICE. 
W. T. S., Pine Bluff , Ark.— About the first 
of last March when I took the top off my hot¬ 
house to harden my cabbage plants. I found 
the bud leaves covered on the under side with 
small lice, and for several weeks the plants 
made no growth. Finally the lice disap¬ 
peared, and the plants did well, but their 
maturity was considerably retarded. Just 
at the middle of November I again find my 
old enemies literally covering the bud leaves 
of the turnip tops. I also notice them on fall 
cabbage, I dosed the pests with dense tobacco 
smoke; but they didn’t seem to mind it. I 
made a perfectly black tea of tobacco and 
dipped the infested plants into it, and set 
them out the same dav. After a few days I 
examined them and found plenty of lice still 
on them, though more than half had been 
killed. The live pests remained for some 
time and then disappeared. I have a lot of 
lettuce in a large greenhouse, and am afraid 
the lice will get on them in spring, for at the 
time they infested my cabbages so badly last 
spring, they also got on some lettuces. What 
is tbe best way to destroy them? 
ANSWERED BY C. P. GILLETTE, MICH. AG. COLL. 
Many experiments have been made here for 
the destruction of the aphides, or plant lice. 
A few remedies that have given test results 
are here mentioned. I am surprised 1 hat bet¬ 
ter success did not attend tobacco fumes. To¬ 
bacco stems are used for fumigating our 
green-bouse with excellent results. Some of 
the lice will be in protected places and escape, 
and, as they multiply very rapidly, the oper¬ 
ation will have to be repeated every two or 
three weeks, or possibly oftener. If W. T. S. 
had followed his first fumigation with 
the second one 24 hours later, the lice 
would probably have been nearly all 
destroyed. Kerosene emulsion has been 
applied here to the lice with but very slight 
results for the first application; but the sec¬ 
ond application the following day killed nt al¬ 
ly every louse. I know of no cheaper or more 
effective remedy for destroying lice in green¬ 
houses than the use of tobacco fumes. On out- 
of-door plants I have used keroseue emnbien, 
whale oil soap and strong soap suds with ex¬ 
cellent results. The emulsion is prepared by 
putting together ouo part of kerosene, two 
parts of strong soft soap and three parts of 
water. The mixture is then thoroughly agi¬ 
tated by using a force pump aud pumping the 
material with much force through a small 
nozzle back into the dish containing it until 
thoroughly emulsified. Ten parts of water 
are then a Ided and the emulsion is ready to be 
applied by means of a sprinkler or force pump 
to the foliage infested with lice. If this 
strength injures delicate foliage, dilute \'>ih 
water. Wbale-oil soap, one-half pound to four 
gallons of water, aud common soft soap, one 
of soap to four or five of water, have proven 
in some cases equal to the kerosene emulsion. 
INDIAN TERRITORY, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, 
ETC. 
J. H. IF., Fernhill, Ont., Can. —1. Where 
can I get nuts of the true Japan Chestnut? 
2. To which ptaper should subscrip lions be 
sent for journals or periodicals, w hich "dub” 
with the Rural? 3. Is there any possibility 
of the Indian Territory being thrown opm lo 
public settlement? 4. Is Southern Califo; uia 
a good country for farmers from this section 
with only moderate means. Has the laud to 
be irrigated to produce crops? 
Ans.— 1. Possibly of Storrs, Harrisc u & 
Co., Paluesville, Ohio. 2. Send to the 
Rural. 3. It is only a questiou of time 
when the Indian Territory will be thrown 
open to public settlement. A sp ecial act of 
Congress is required to allow railroads to pass 
through tbe Territory, aud six large roads, 
whose southern teimiui are just north of the 
Territory, are now waiting for permission to 
