1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
575 
"CENTRALIZED DISTRICT SCHOOLS” IN 
NEW YORK. 
SUCCESS IN AN OHIO TOWN. 
Not Very Popular in New York. 
We have had several articles about the plan of “cen¬ 
tralizing” the country district schools by organizing one 
large school in the center of the township, and carrying 
the scholars to it—abandoning the smaller houses. Would 
this plan succeed in New York? Most farmers with whom 
we have talked think not. 
BAD ROADS AGAINST IT—I think the plan would 
be a success in this part of the State; in fact, I know 
of two district schools which united, and enough was 
saved by so doing to hire a man to bring the children 
to school and take them home at night. The only 
drawback that I know to the plan, in this part of the 
State, would be the roads, which are almost impas¬ 
sable in places in the Winter and Spring. s. s. s. 
Stockholm Center, N. Y. 
TOWNSHIP TOO LARGE—It does not seem to me. 
that the plan of centralizing the schools in this town¬ 
ship would be practical, for the reason that this is a 
large township, a good portion of it is only thinly 
populated, and some of the school districts have been 
thrown up, as the attendance was so small it did not 
pay to hire teachers. But I think, in some towns, it 
would be a good thing, as it would give the scholars 
much better advantages than they can possibly have 
now. In this town, it would cost considerable to get 
the children to school. s. w. t. 
Salisbury, N. Y. 
CUT DOWN TAXES.—This plan may prove satis¬ 
factory in some localities, but I do not think it will 
be of any benefit to schools or taxpayers here. It 
seems to me that the idea of collecting the children in 
the morning at such long distances apart, as some 
live here, will incur a big expense. We certainly do 
not want any legislation that will increase taxation, 
but rather that will lessen it, and this seems to me 
what this will do. As to teachers, I think they have 
to be well qualified nowadays. In country schools, 
when scholars get through the preliminary work, they 
go to the higher schools and universities to complete 
their education. So I think that, unless it can be 
shown me that this will greatly decrease taxation, I 
hold to our own system of maintaining schools. 
Hurley, N. Y. a. e. 
HOW IT WORKED IN OHIO—In our township, 
the thing has been tried for three years as an ex¬ 
periment. We brought 10 districts into one, and on a 
late vote, with 85 per cent of the entire vote of the 
township polled, not a dissenting vote was cast, and 
about $2,000 were voted to enlarge the High-school 
house to accommodate the combined schools. The 
saving is over $700 per annum in this township, and 
the average attendance is about 18 per cent better 
than when the school houses were at their doors. The 
plan of wagonettes was discarded, and the parents are 
paid a sum in proportion to the distance from the 
schoolhouse—outside of the 1*4 mile limit—for the 
transportation of their own children, a plan which 
gives the greatest of satisfaction, and costs somewhat 
less than one-half of the omnibus plan. The plan of 
study is that of grade promotion, and the graduates 
are accepted at Hiram or Mt. Union Colleges into the 
freshman class. This plan of centralizing the town 
schools is being discussed, and has been adopted in 
14 places in northern Ohio, and when once adopted, 
is not discarded and a return made to the old plan, 
bui. each term confirms more and more the wisdom of 
the new system. The great feature of all is that it 
wholly abolishes the clannishness of the old district 
school, and all are now individuals of one school; 
merit wins, not family superiority. We think the 
plan the coming school system of the older settled 
localities. john gould. 
WHAT SHOULD CHILDREN STUDY?—It is said 
that we have the banner school in Seneca County, 
averaging about 20 scholars all under 14 years; after 
that they must finish in town. We have but little to 
say what our children study; they first must learn 
what some one says, and if it is not what we want, 
then what we want comes afterward. This educational 
question is going to extremes; by the time one is edu¬ 
cated, in most cases, he is too old to make a success¬ 
ful man. Very few of our successful men are edu¬ 
cated; a boy should have his business training earlier. 
Nearly all legislation for the past five years has been 
more in favor of the village than country school. You 
will find those who talk the loudest are the ones 
drawing the fattest salaries. It costs this district 
one-third as much to support its school as all other 
taxes except National. There is much fault found 
with the present law in this section, and I do not 
think the people will take kindly to the township 
system, certainly not those remote from the school- 
house; few people would want small children five 
miles from home during the Spring. Do the country 
people demand this, or do the school people think it 
would be better for them? A school crank told me 
that I was not supposed to know what my child ought 
to study, as well as pne that had given it more study. 
That man said that my oats were very musty, but his 
horse ate them. He, being brought up on a farm, 
never had seen a black oat, and called it must. Is he 
a fit man to teach my boy agriculture? j. e. d. 
Junius, N. Y. 
A BARN OUT OF DRIFTWOOD. 
Some of our western friends, who located on the 
treeless prairies and built a house and barn of sods, 
are sometimes fond of telling their descendants of 
the low cost of their first dwelling. It is true that 
sod makes a cheap building material, and in many 
cases, gives a comfortable house. But at the other 
end of the country, there are even cheaper building 
materials than sods. The little barn shown at Fig. 
221 is found in Suffolk County, L. I. Mr. Stephen 
Austin, the owner, lives on the Great South Bay, and 
his occupation frequently takes him along the shores. 
Last Winter, while making these trips, he began a 
collection of barrels and other timber which had 
floated to the shore as driftwood. As this timber 
gathered, the idea of building a barn occurred to him, 
and the result is shown in the picture. A barn of this 
size, 20x12 feet, would have cost, at the regular price 
for new material, about $175; but Mr. Austin gives the 
actual cost in cash as follows: 
Paint . $4-00 
Nails . 1.90 
Shingle laths. 2.10 
Floor and Doors. 4.00 
Total Cash Cost.$12.00 
The barn is built entirely of driftwood. The barrel 
staves were cut in two and nailed on just as shingles 
A BARN OP DRIFTWOOD. Flo. 221. 
are used. In all, Mr. Austin used 720 barrels in cov¬ 
ering the barn. It serves his purpose for stabling a 
horse and his fodder, implements, etc., as well as a 
more expensive barn. Many of our western readers, 
who never saw the ocean or listened to the roar of 
its breakers, will be interested to know how this drift¬ 
wood has been utilized for building purposes. The 
waves throw ashore each year vast quantities of wood, 
sometimes taken from the wrecks of vessels, and 
sometimes washed or thrown overboard from passing 
ships. If any one can tell of a cheaper barn than 
this, with the timber or other material thrown up 
into one’s dooryard, we shall be pleased to report it. 
LIVING TREES FOR FENCE POSTS. 
What Trees? Will They Prove Satisfactory? 
The fence post problem Is bothering a good many of our 
readers, and in many parts of the country, it is quite 
difficult to obtain a requisite number of fence posts. 
Readers are writing us to ask whether it is advisable to 
use living trees for fence posts. Would it be practicable 
to transplant or plant young cedars along the fence 
lines, about 12 or 15 feet apart, and when they are large 
enough, staple the wires directly to them? Is there any 
other tree more desirable for this purpose, and could 
fruit trees be used? 
Good Trees for Posts. 
Where one can wait for the trees to grow, set Osage 
orange, European larch, or Norway spruce, which¬ 
ever can be obtained cheapest, of suitable size to set, 
say 10 to 12 feet apart, and secure wires to them when 
large enough; this would be in five or six years. This 
plan would be well adapted to the western farmer. 
Here in the East, we can obtain very cheaply chestnut 
posts for fencing, which would be better than planting 
trees. Where timber is scarce, as in many of the 
western States, the trees would not only grow to 
make good fencing posts, but would make shelter and 
wind-breaks. The European larch would be a good 
tree to plant, from the fact that the tree grows very 
rapidly, running up very straight, and in a few years 
would supply two or three posts if cut off just above 
the top wire used for fencing. For a wind shelter in 
the Winter, the Norway spruce has an advantage over 
the larch, from the fact that it is an evergreen, and 
holds the needles or leaves through the Winter, 
while the larch sheds them in the Fall. The Osage 
orange would, no doubt, make the cheapest tree to 
plant and grow for fastening wires to. It grows 
rapidly, and when kept trimmed up with a body five 
or six feet, would in a few years be able to hold the 
wire securely. When windbreaks or posts for future 
use are not an object, I think the Osage orange for 
the western States would make trees for fencing, the 
cheapest and quickest, as well as a durable tree. 
The Honey locust could be used instead of Osage 
orange in those States where the Winter is too severe 
for the Osage orange. edwin iioyt. 
Connecticut. 
No Fences in Delaware. 
It is quite common to staple the wires to growing 
trees in this section. The Red cedar, no doubt, would 
be one of the most attractive of the forest trees, 
though you can occasionally see fruit trees used for 
the purpose. After a few years, the wires become so 
imbedded in the trees, that it is very difficult to re¬ 
move them if desired. For a permanent fence, no 
doubt the live-tree fence post will prove satisfactory. 
A great many use but few fences, as we consider it an 
unnecessary tax. j. w. killen. 
Delaware. 
On Western Stock Farms. 
The method of growing trees along line and di¬ 
vision fences is more favorably looked upon every 
year. Adjoining my nursery grounds is a farm of 220 
acres, with live fence posts around the entire farm, 
also on its lines dividing the fields. These were 
planted 20 years ago, and consist of European larch, 
Scotch pine and Norway spruce. In those days, the 
above trees were considered the best for that purpose. 
They are to-day all used for fence posts. The wire 
fences are not stapled directly to them, but cleats of 
pine lumber, one to two inches in thickness, are nailed 
to the trees, and the staple attached to this cleat. I 
have heard the owner of this farm say many times 
that $4,000 would not induce him to go back to the 
old-fashioned fence posts again. Like this one, all 
the farms in the Fox River Valley here, are high- 
class dairy farms, and this one supports from 75 to 
100 cows, the fields at different periods all being used 
for pasturing purposes; the trees, of course, answer 
two purposes. This farm is only one of many that can 
be found in this State, as well as through the whole 
of the western and northwestern States. The cedars 
are a little too slow growing to be used for live-fence 
purposes. Where the land is used for pasturing more 
than anything else, the American White or Green ash 
would be a profitable tree to plant, as it thrives on 
almost any soil. Its preference, however, is a low, 
rich, black loam. The Norway and White American 
spruces are valuable for live-fence-post purposes, as 
are also the Douglas spruce, the Rocky Mountain 
variety. For my part I see no reason why hardy 
varieties of apple trees should not be profitably used 
for this purpose. d. hill. 
Dundee, Ill. 
It Is reported that thousands of little apple seedlings 
have been found growing on the western shores of the 
Islands of Mull and Iona, in the Scottish Hebrides, just 
above high-water mark, and the crofters are transplant¬ 
ing them to their gardens. These seedlings have grown 
from apples cast ashore by the wreck of the Canadian 
steamer Labrador last Fall. It would appear that ex¬ 
posure to salt water had no effect on the viability of 
the seeds. 
One of the accepted notions of childhood is the idea 
that squirrels subsist almost wholly on nuts. Natu¬ 
ralists explode this notion by telling us that the food of 
squirrels is widely varied. They eat Indian corn in the 
milk, mushrooms, and, in fact, almost any vegetable food. 
The seeds of the pine tree are much liked by the average 
squirrel. They are stored under ground, and in the 
notches and crotches of the lower branches of forest 
trees where the nuts are dried in the open air. 
The White Imperial currant is about the most satisfac¬ 
tory white currant to be found. We consider it one of 
the most satisfactory fruits for table use. It lacks the 
sharp acid taste of the red currant, which is quite ob¬ 
jectionable to some people, but has a mild, pleasant flavor, 
which is very enjoyable. Perhaps the finest of all currant 
jelly can be made by using White Imperial with just 
enough of the red currant mixed with it to give a light 
red color. It, probably, would not pay to raise white 
currants for market, but they are very satisfactory for 
home use. 
Exporting Criminals.— Some of our wise men are ad¬ 
vocating for this country, penal colonies, such as are used 
by European nations. They would have us take some of 
the Spanish Islands, and send criminals convicted of cer¬ 
tain crimes to those islands for life, leaving them there 
to make their own living, and take care of themselves. 
Perhaps the first case of deporting a criminal occurred 
when a boy in New Jersey was sent to Manila. This 
boy committed a crime, and was sent to Brooklyn, N. Y., 
where the naval authorities gave a certificate that they 
would send him to Manila within two days. There he 
should stay as punishment for his crime. It was a man 
without a country who was sent away from America, 
and not permitted to return. The general plan of sending 
criminals tc some desert island will not, we think, find 
favor vith most Americans. 
