THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
Caw. 
“ Every Man is presumed to know the Law. 
Nine-tenths of all Litigation arises from 
Ignorance of Law." 
PRECAUTIONS IN BUYING LAND. 
L. T. S., Des Moines, Iowa. —For some 
years I did office work in Chicago; but am go 
ing to buy a farm if I can find a suitable one 
at a fair price. I have had no experience 
whatever in making investments in land; 
what precautions should I take to secure a 
valid title? 
Ans. This is a very important subject, 
for carelessness in the purchase of land is a 
fruitful source of expensive litigation and 
serious loss. A title to land may be obtained 
by Government grant, judicial decree, inheri¬ 
tance, will, deed, or by long-continued open, 
notorious, peaceable and uninterrupted pos¬ 
session under a claim of ownership. As a 
title may pass by judicial decree or may be¬ 
come involved or clouded without such decree, 
a purchaser who looks no further than the regis¬ 
try of deeds may learn an expensive lesson. To 
all appearances there, the title may be perfect; 
yet the town records may show an attachment; 
the court records may show that a judgment 
against the land has been rendered, while the 
records of the court of equity may show that 
a conveyance has been ordered to enforce a 
bond for a deed, or to annul a deed obtained 
by fraud or mistake, or the owner may have 
become bail for a friend before any* one of 
50 justices of the peace, and although it may 
be impossible to obtain any record of it, 
it will constitute, in some States, a lien 
upon the property, and, finally, back 
of all and superior to all, there may 
be liens for betterments and unpaid taxes. 
When one contemplates buying land the 
ownership of which is claimed by inherilance or 
under a will,it would be prudent for the would- 
be purchaser to cause an examination of the 
records of the probate, surrogate or orphans’ 
court—the court, whatever its local name, 
where estates are settled. If there is no will, 
no disputed claims against the estate, and no 
minor or other person under disability inter¬ 
ested in it, the purchaser should see that all 
debts and liabilities of the deceased have been 
provided for, and that his grantor das taken 
sufficient deeds from all persons interested. 
Still he will have to run the risk that a will 
may yet be found. If the estate has been set¬ 
tled in regular form, he will be aided in his 
investigations by the records, aud ordinarily 
claims of creditors not presented within a 
reasonable time, will be barred, freeing the 
laud as to them. Whether there is any will 
or not, the intending purchaser should inves¬ 
tigate whether there is any hostile interest in 
the land on the part of any widow, widower, 
heir, legatee, or other person, especially one 
under disability and not represented. If there 
is a will, it must lie examined to see that it is 
valid upon its face. Unless it has been duly 
proved and the time for appeal has expired, it 
may be well to ascertain whether any sus¬ 
picious circumstances, such as mental feeble¬ 
ness, insanity, or undue influence, attended its 
execution. If the testator leaves children, 
born or unborn, or deceudants of a deceased 
child, aud they are not mentioned or referred 
tom the will, they will have an interest in 
the land, which the purchaser must take into 
account. A child born after its father’s death 
has the same rights as another, and, like any 
minor, may have until he is 41 years old—till 
he is of age aud 20 years more—to assert his 
rights. The above are the chief precautions 
wnich a person about to purchase land ought 
to take to secure a valid title to it. 
TAXABILITY OT WESTERN MORTGAGES HELD 
IN CONN. 
L. T., Westfield , Conn. —Are Western farm 
mortgages held by persons living in this State 
taxable ? 1 claim that taxes on the property 
are paid there, and that persons holding 
mortgages on such property should nod be 
taxed here on account of their mortgages. 
Ans. —Yes; Western farm mortgages owned 
by citizens of Connecticut are taxable in that 
State. Section 3,830 of the Revised Statutes 
provides that “ the list of any person need 
not include any property situated in another 
State when it can be made satisfactorily to 
appear to the assessors that the same is fully 
assessed aud taxed in such State to any party, 
or out of this State as money at interest.” 
This whole question arose in the case of Kirt- 
land vs. Hotchkiss (42 Conn., 435), in which the 
decision was that “debts due to a citizen of 
this State from a citizen of another State for 
money loaned there aud secured by a trust 
deed of laud therein, on which laud the debtor 
is to pay. full taxes without abatement for 
the debt, are taxable ugaiust the creditor in 
this State.” 
A FEE SIMPLE. 
L. T. M., Matoon, III. —What is the real 
meaning of a “fee simple” in land? 
Ans.— A fee simple is an estate of inheri¬ 
tance belonging to the owner, and transmis¬ 
sible to his heirs, absolutely and simply,with¬ 
out condition attached to the tenure. It is 
the largest possible estate which one can have 
in land. It is a pure inheritance clear of any 
qualification or condition, and it gives a r'glit 
of succession to all the heirs generally. It is 
when lands are given to a man and his heirs 
absolutely without any end to or limitation on 
the estate. Every restraint upon alienation 
is inconsistent with the nature of a fee simple; 
and if a partial restraint be annexed to a fee 
as, for example, a condition not to alienate or 
transfer the land for a limited time, or not to 
a particular person, it ceases to be a fee sim¬ 
ple, aud becomes a fee subject to a condition. 
FEES OF EXECUTORS. 
S. T. M., Albany, N. Y. —In reading over a 
law case the other day, I learned that the 
fees of an executor amount to five per cent, 
on all sums not exceeding $1,000,2% per cent, 
on sums between $1,000, and $10,000, and 
one per cent, on all amounts above $10,000. 
If there are two executors, does each get the 
a v ove percentage, or is it divided between 
them? 
Ans. —The old rule was to allow only one 
commission and divide it between them ac¬ 
cording to the services each had rendered; but 
a later act provides that when the personal 
estate is not less than $100,000 over and above 
all indebtedness, each executor, if there are 
not more than three, shall be entitled to the 
full amount of compensation he would have 
received if he bad been the sole ''xecutor. 
INJURY TO TRESPASSERS FROM VICIOUS ANI¬ 
MALS. 
A. F. B.,Catskill, N. Y. —In spite of notices 
to the contrary, people persist in taking 
“shortcuts” through my farm; should my 
bull injure one of them would I be liable for 
damages? 
Ans. —No; unless the animal was known to 
be vicious. Any person who keeps a domestic 
animal, which to his knowledge is of a fero¬ 
cious, or mischievous disposition, is bound to 
restrain it at his peril, aud if it escapes and 
does damage, the owner is liable for the 
injury committed, even though it resulted 
from the carelessness of the person injured, or 
he was a trespasser, if his own negligence did 
not contribute to the injury. 
R. W. L., Salem, Ind. —AJsells his farm to 
B and gives him a good and sufficient deed 
therefor. He remains in possession, however, 
for over six months, as B lived in another 
State aud wasn’t ready to move at once. By 
the carelessness of another—a member of B’s 
family—no official record of the transfer of the 
farm was made, and A, learning this, sold the 
farm to C and went to some place unknown. 
C bought the place, so be insists, in good faith, 
though at a considerably lower price than 
that paid by B, and for less than it was really 
worth, and he recorded his deed at once. B 
now finds that his deed is held to be worthless; 
has he any redress? 
Ans. No; unless he can find A, or prove 
that B knew of the previous sale of the farm 
when he purchased it from A. 
L. S., Worcester, Mass. —1. Is a wire fence a 
legal fence in this State? 2. What is a legal rail 
fence here? 
Ans. 1. Yes. 2. One 4% feet high. 
THE POST OFFICE CLUB. 
rriHE parrot received strong support the 
1 other night. It seemed to do him good 
for he has brightened up considerably since 
then. The support came from a man from 
Gloomville. That is a pretty dreary place. 
Nothing goes right over there. Everybody 
seems blue and discouraged all the time. 
People in Gloomville are never happy; they 
brood and fret aud worry. It is very differ¬ 
ent from the way they do business in Sunny¬ 
vale, on the other side of our valley. In 
Sunnyvale people are bright and cheerful 
Farming pays over there because they count 
happiness at its proper price per pound. It 
gives one a feeling of rest to ride through 
Sunnyvale, while it makes one tired to go 
near Gloomville. 
Our friend from Gloomville stood near the 
stove as the parrot crawled out of his box. I 
don’t think his boots had ever been polished. 
I am sure his hat had never had a brush rubbed 
over it. He was a hard-looking customer. It 
was so long since he had tried to brush up and 
look like somebody,that he had forgotten how 
people appear when they are happy and con¬ 
tented. The parrot picked this individual 
out as a man after his own .heart. He 
crawled up on the stove-pipe, scratched his 
beak with his claw uud croaked; 
“Farmin’ don’t pay!” Our friend from 
Gloomville was interested at once. “You’re 
right, it don’t,” he briskly said. “There ain’t 
nothin’ into it but work an’ no profits. The 
harder ye work the more these big Trusts an’ 
monopolies make, an’ the less we git. I’m 
ready to quit workin’ sos’t somebody else kin 
make money. Taxes and tariffs is jest eatin’ 
us all up, an’ yet there ain’t nothin’ 
right. Roads ain’t good fer nothin’, folks 
we 'lect ter office don’t do nothin’ but 
steal, an’ folks in town don’t do nothin 
but set down an' make money outer the 
farmers. I’m jest ez good ez they be, but 
they’re so stuck up I don’t git no show. 
Prices is low, season’s bad, help skerce—ain’t 
nothin’ right. Far min’s a dog’s life an’ don’t 
pay nobody.” And the parrot almost scream¬ 
ed for joy as it broke in with 
“Farmin’ don’t pay!” 
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the bird 
moved over to Gloomville so as to be nearer 
his real friends. small pica. 
and plants'. 
SEED POTATOES. 
Northern grown; two ot the best kinds In the world. 
Write for prices . 
C. L. FULLER, South Berlin, Rens. Co.. N. Y. 
CHARIOT RACE FROM BEN-HUR. 
A realistic representation, beautifully en¬ 
graved upon a handsome 1889 calendar, by 
John A. Lowell & Co., Boston, can be pro¬ 
cured by sending six cents in stamps to P. S. 
Eustis, General Passenger and Ticket Agent, 
C., B. & Q. R. R., Chicago, Ill. 
NG FRUIT TREES 
C* PRAXIS™— 
| recommended by all experienced 
■ I Horticulturists ami bv this system only 
®:an perfect fruit be secured. For full direc- 
tions and outfit for hand or horse power, address 
FIELD FORCE PUMP CO. Look port, N. Y. 
LOWS 
tit 
Id 
Our illustrated Annual of Tented 
SEEDS. BULBS, TOOLS, Ac., 
mailed free to all seed buyers. Two 
Colored Platen. It tells all about 
Gardening! 
The be*t Guide. 
Price* Low. 
Seeds Reliable. | 
Used by Thousands of Farmers and 
Gardeners and uo complaints. Origi¬ 
nators of Paragon. Acme, Perfection, 
Favorite.Beautv and other Tomatoes. 
A. W. LIVINGSTON’S SONS, 
P. O. Box Columbus O. 
SEEDS 
| 3NTe^^xr Striped Rose, 
t*t Strips) 
pordy-Rosc 
'Cw«!uk> 
of GtTTDS. Ucecnts, 
'Q— or hui.ja, 
prac'icily fi 
The Greatest Novelty ?v"£ R 5Ji*S 
It originated with us in l$d5 ; is entirely hardy, having endured the ri^or of our northern 
winters without protection. Write ua fTUTO $(101? PQFl 1 Flowers large and fra-. 
and learn how you can have a plant of I LLIO ilUlJij I ilLll, g-ant; color soft, snt-^ 
in v pink, distinctly striped, and dashed with white and carmine : free bicomer ; not an 
old flower in a new name, bet a genuine noveliv. Price $1.00, prepaid, a-d each pur- 
ch T^r VICK’S FLORAL GUIDE 
logue of America, now ready t revised and enlarged; new rhape; new typo; elegant 
cover; a frontispiece, and 3 Lolored Plates, Contains an iLustration and de- I 
acription < f ever 7 pop- lar plant, flower and vegetable, and prices of same. No bogus 
oilers. V.'e do not advertise 44 two dollars' worth for 50 cents,” but we do eive money’s 
worth, both in qualitv and quantity. See our Novelties in Flowers and Vegetable?:. Pnce 
mts, each copy contains a certificate good f -r that amount in Seeds, so that the book is I 
J \s. VICK. SI EDSnW, Rochester, .\. Y. 
New Toi 
I GARDEN AND FARM MANUAL FOR 1889. 
trie brimful of good things. Including many RARE 
AND VALUABLE NOVELTIES never before offered, 
handsomely Illustrated In natural colors; altogether 
the grandest and most complete Catalogue published In 
America. A'o Market nr 1‘riratr Gardener ran ajf'ord to be 
without it. On receipt of 10 CENTS In cash or stamps, we 
will send It free by mail, together with a pkt. of the WON¬ 
DERFUL NEW AND DISTINCT 
TOMATO — BRANDYWINE; 
largest, smoothest and hand¬ 
somest of all; the price of which alone Is 20c. OyOUR 
are the STANDARD with MARKET CAR DEN ERS. Mention this paper when you write. Address 
JOHNSON & STOKES, 217 and 219 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
er wnn a p k L a lit ine w u n ■ 
SEEDS 
FAY.KIG RAPES 
NIAGARA. EMPIRE STATE, 
aud first-class establishment. Free 
^ARSEST ^ROWE g 
GRAPEVINES 
IN AMERICA. 
EATON, MOYER and all others, new and old; also small fruits 
Lowest prices, highest grading, warranted true. In every respect a model. 
'Illustrated Catalogue. CEO. S. JOSSELYN, Fredonia, N. V. 
fVEEDS 
ROSES 
PLANTS 
CRAPE VINES, FRUIT and ORNAMENTAL TREES 
CHOICEST OLD. RAREST NEW. 
Among the latter we introduce the CRAWFORD STRAWBERRY. 
VAII Ul A AIT IT I It combines more good qualities than any other. 
1UU If All I III If you want PERK TESTED SEED or anything 
for ORCHARD, GAKDKN, LAWN or PARR, send for our 
VALUABLE FREE CATALOCUE 
containing about 140 pages with hundreds of illustrations. IT’S A 
BEAUTY! ORDER DIRKOT. Get the best at honest prices, aud 
save all commissions. Thirty-fifth year; 24 greenhouses, 700 acres. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO., Painesville, Lake Co., 0. 
For the 
GARDEN 
Are acknowledged to be T11E BEST. No failure 
v>hen they are use>i, You cannot afford to be without 
iiiu.Tr'.,^CATALOGUE FREE c< S*i"i‘* 
novelties -we 
fa Vegetables. Flowers, <md Field Crains, 
Oats, Wheat, Potatoes, etc. Address 
140 W. Randolph St., 
L. 
S. F. LEONARD 1 CHICA i CO ! . 0, |L 
Do you want the curliest vegeta- DIIY NORTHERN GROWN 
blesaml largest farm crops! The DU I FlUtl I IlLllll UliUVlH 
way to get them is to plant Sailer's Seeds, 100,000 Roses and Plants 
_ - - - ~ and Whlto Wonder Oat(213 bu. per acre) samples 
u America, JOUX A. sALZKR. I-a ‘ " ' 
Send 8c for Grain 
and finest catalog in America. 
> t ru.se, W Is. 
SEEDS 
GOLD COIN SWEET CORN 
