1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
565 
LEASING INDIANA FARMS FOR OIL OR GAS. 
WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THE FARMER ? 
A company is spending over $100 per week, in our county, leas¬ 
ing farms to bore for gas, etc., and also listing farms for sale. 
They lease for 12 years, to dig inside of two years, or, if they do 
not, pay 25 cents per acre to hold the lease. They offer $100 per 
year for every gas well, or one-twelfth of the oils or minerals they 
find (.also if gas or oil all one wishes to use for home use); but if 
they find nothing, we get nothing, and have the nuisance of their 
tramping up our farms, etc. They purpose to sell our farms for 
us if we desire, we to give them one year to effect a sale, .and one- 
tenth of what our price is for the farm, and to give immediate 
possession of everything not loose at the time of sale. They pur¬ 
pose to bring in colonies of what are called here the “ Hook-and- 
Eye Dutch,” from the peculiarities of their dress, etc. They have 
already sold several farms, and in one case, put the price of the 
farm away above what the owner asked, and pocketed the differ¬ 
ence, besides their commission. Would you advise us to lease 
to them ? Is what they offer for gas ($100 per year per well) 
the usual rate for leasing ? It seems very little to us. Is one- 
twelfth as much as we should expect of oils or minerals ? Would 
it be wise to sell one’s farm at present, at anything like the usual 
price we could expect for it ? Would it not be better to wait and 
see what develops ? b. 
Brown County, Ind. 
Keep Your Farm in Your Own Hands. 
There is a company which is boring for oil about 
five miles from here ; they have bored two wells this 
summer, and have found oil, but how much we can’t 
find out, for they are very reticent about telling about 
it, and they will not allow anybody to go near the 
well. Another company is boring a well about a mile 
from the others ; they are leasing some land in that 
vicinity, to keep other companies out. The common 
price they pay for leasing is 25 cents per acre, per 
annum, and one-sixth of the oil. I think that a farmer 
would better keep control of his land himself, and not 
lease at all, unless the company put down a well 
right away, because if they get a lease of the land, 
they keep all other companies out. They might bore 
wells on land adjoining, and not bore on mine for 
years, by just paying me 25 cents per acre. As to 
selling the farm to farmers, 1 think that every man 
ought to sell his own farm if he wants to sell; at any 
rate, I would not put mine in strangers’ hands to sell. 
As to colonizing this country with foreigners, we 
want America for Americans. We have more for¬ 
eigners here now than are good for us. 
Allen County, Ind. samuel mit.t.s. 
Would Not Touch the Scheme. 
There are no oil or gas wells in this part of the 
State, and I have no personal knowledge upon the 
subject. I would not entertain such a proposition at 
all. Twenty-five cents an acre for the legal right to 
go over a cultivated farm at will for two years, haul 
machinery, set up derricks, dig holes, make roads, etc.! 
Twenty times the amount would not induce me to 
give an incorporated body such privileges upon my 
farm. One hundred dollars per year for each gas well 
found, would not be much rent for the damage and 
loss, if the well were some distance in the farm, and 
I can see no temptation in any of the offers made. 
As real estate agents, I would much prefer some 
other. The element introduced by such a system 
would be such as no neighborhood could desire. 
Farmers, as a rule, are not able to cope with such 
corporate schemes successfully, and it is, I believe, 
always safe and good advice that they avoid all such, 
and refuse to be led into any compact by which they 
give any person or persons legal right to dig up and 
deface their lands at will. w. w. latta. 
Noble County, Ind. 
Leasing in Other Counties. 
The terms of the lease given are about customary 
for gas, except that the companies usually pay 50 cents 
an acre to hold the lease, the first two years, instead 
of 25 cents ; $100 a year for each gas well strong 
enough to use from is the customary price with free 
home gas. A point here should be guarded in the 
lease : It may state $100 per annum while using from, 
the well , and in practice, they may shut off, a few 
wells not needed, and use neighbors’ wells. It should 
read while yielding so many pounds pressure. Leases 
for minerals, oil, etc., in this section, offer one-quarter 
to one-eighth of the crude product, sometimes 20 cents 
per barrel. The crude barrel runs in value from 50 
cents to $1 and makes 20 cents a good price. I under¬ 
stand that 20 cents is a common price in the Pennsyl¬ 
vania oil fields. But their oil is more easily rectified 
than ours; one-twelfth would not get any leases in 
this community. 
’ If the company finds nothing, the farmer receives 
nothing but the 50 cents per acre while they care to 
pay it to hold the lease. They usually pay that in 
advance each year. As to the nuisance of running 
across the farm, one can’t prevent that, as we have a 
law by which right of way for pipe lines can be con¬ 
demned. Of course, they pay any damages. 1 am 
not familiar with the real estate agency part of the 
company. Ten per cent of the selling price is too 
much on sums over $5,000. Whatever they can get 
above stated price, looks tricky, as the price of land 
there now may not be over $5 to $40 an acre, and if 
any such price were agreed on. and oil were found, it 
would jump “ out of sight,” and the company would 
sell and get 10 per cent of the agreed price and all the 
advances. I look upon the “colonizing a foreign 
element” as a blind. 
Farmers in our section who have leased in a busi¬ 
ness way through an attorney, are well satisfied with 
the situation. But it is a peculiar opportunity for 
trickery, both in conditions and in wording. The 
markets are controlled by monopolies, so that it 
seems impossible for a small holder to rectify and 
sell, and we would better lease, but do it intelli¬ 
gently. My geological map of Indiana, giving gas 
and oil territory as far as known, does not show a 
trace of oil nearer than 50 miles of Brown County, 
and gas not nearer than 25 miles. e. h. collins. 
Hamilton County, Ind. 
The Proposition Is Fair. 
I have not had any information concerning the 
leasing of farm lands in Brown County, as this county 
is some distance from us. It is a very poor county, 
and, probably, the roughest in the State. It is 
without a railroad, and farmers make a living by 
growing a little grain and selling timber. If I lived 
there, I would do almost anything to get a company 
to come and see whether I had any sort of mineral or 
oil underneath my farm. If something valuable 
should be found, I think the proposition a very fair 
one, for as it now is, they realize very little from 
their land, and this might give them a good income 
from land that is scarcely worth anything, as much 
of this land is too hilly and rough to admit of cultiva¬ 
tion. 
As to selling it and inducing foreigners to locate 
thereon, I believe that would be a good thing. It is 
a good fruit country, and the foreigner who wants 
only a few acres for orchard or vineyard, will find 
this a good location, as he can buy a home for very 
little money, and there is no doubt but he could soon 
have those hills under profitable cultivation. I think, 
upon the whole, that, with a few exceptions, where 
there are good little farms in the valley, the farmers 
there have all to gain and nothing to lose in this deal. 
They will even find employment from the people who 
are prospecting, that will help them along in these 
hard times. They should be very careful in making 
contracts and leases, to see that they are not imposed 
upon by these prospectors. w. w. stevens. 
Washington County, Ind. 
THE MARKETS IN HOT WEATHER. 
Any one who had not given much thought to the 
matter, might be surprised to know that the market 
prices of almost all products are largely affected by 
such periods of intense heat as that through which 
we have been passing ; yet such is the fact. Con¬ 
sumption always declines at such times. People are 
striving their best to keep comfortable, and are satis¬ 
fied to squeeze along in the easiest possible manner 
for the time being. Ice is always at a premium. 
Lemons are in great demand, and prices are higher, 
for the hot weather always increases their use largely, 
and rightly, too, for temperately and rightly used, 
they are very healthful. The price, here, has doubled 
in one week. Another hot-weather fruit is the water¬ 
melon. Can anything more tempting be imagined on 
a hot day, than a section of luscious, red-hearted 
melon “ right off the ice ” ? If fresh and good, and 
without any of that stale taste that comes from heat¬ 
ing or souring, it is also most healthful and refresh¬ 
ing. Muskmelons, also, if ripe and fresh, are excel¬ 
lent for hot weather. For fancy trade, the smaller 
ones are best, usually ; these are halved, the seeds re¬ 
moved, the halves filled with cracked ice, sometimes 
with ice cream, and served. Many of the muskmelons 
lately arriving have been overripe, and the extreme 
heat has put them into anything but a desirable con¬ 
dition for use. 
Most fresh fruits are very desirable in hot weather 
if perfectly ripe and in good condition ; but that is 
just the trouble in a market like New York which 
draws many of its supplies from considerable dis¬ 
tances. Fruits must be picked before they are fully 
ripe, and then they are not in the finest and most 
desirable condition when they reach consumers’ hands. 
Some fruits carry better than others, but, usually, the 
finest fruits spoil most quickly. Among berries, rasp¬ 
berries heat and spoil in a shorter time than most 
others. This year, blackberries have been in very bad 
condition, because of the extreme wet weather which 
made the berries very watery, and in just the condi¬ 
tion to spoil most quickly. Berries will stand con¬ 
siderable heat if the air is dry, but when it is hot and 
moist, they go to pieces in a hurry. Strawberries 
carry pretty well for so delicate a fruit, while huckle¬ 
berries are one of the most solid of the small fruits. 
Of the larger fruits, apples stand the vicissitudes of 
handling and shipping in hot weather better than 
most others. They must be picked in just the right 
condition. Some reach here too ripe and soft, not 
having been picked soon enough. Of course, such 
spoil more quickly in hot weather than when it is 
cooler. Some come in too green, having been picked 
too soon ; it is a very particular job, too, to get them 
picked just right. Pears, of course, generally must 
be picued when green to be in the best condition 
when finally ripened, and they usually arrive in 
better condition, if the weather is at all favorable. 
Peaches are harder to handle, and the terrible heat 
and humidity of the past 10 days have brought 
many of them, as well as other fruits, in bad condition. 
The health authorities seized much fruit, still much 
is sold that is very unwholesome and should never be 
used for food. This stuff is sold for what it will 
bring to hucksters and wagon boys. Even dried 
and evaporated fruits have soured during this hot 
weather when not kept in cold storage. 
Vegetables, too, besides selling more slowly than 
usual, are not improved by the heat. They deterio¬ 
rate rapidly, and many of them heat and spoil before 
it is possible to get them on the market. Refrigera¬ 
tors are useful many times, but are too costly for any 
but the higher priced products. These must be used 
for butter, eggs, meats, etc. Butter, even by express, 
will spoil in such weather before it reaches the mar¬ 
ket. Dressed poultry and meats suffer the most, and 
it is unwise to ship any such during the continuance 
of such weather. Milk, too, must be handled with 
great care. But a reaction is likely to follow. There 
must be a change in the weather some time. Receipts 
have already fallen off in many lines, and the widely 
extended heat has prevented collections and ship¬ 
ments, so that receipts are likely to be still lighter. 
Then it is likely that prices will advance again, and 
the markets will assume their normal condition. 
We often find, in the daily papers, notes like this : 
Port Jervis, N. Y., August 3.—William Hawkins, a wealthy 
farmer of Goshen, died Sunday from the effects of injuries 
inflicted by an angry cow on Friday. He was driving a cow and 
a young calf to pasture when the former attacked him, thrusting 
one of her horns under his chin, severing the windpipe and pierc¬ 
ing the upper portion of his left lung. He was impaled on the 
horn when a farm hand came to his rescue. 
Now what were those horns doing on that cow’s 
head ? They had no business there. They were a 
constant menace, more dangerous than a knife in the 
pocket of an idiot man. There is no good reason why 
a cow should ever wear a horn. Cut them off at once ! 
© 
Tiie Mark Lane Express contains an account of a 
curious law case. A farmer put the following adver¬ 
tisement into a paper : 
Seed wheat for sale, Squareheads Master; true; grown on gravel 
soil; 1894; cash with order. 27s. per quarter. 
On the strength of this advertisement, another farmer 
bought 26 quarters, or 208 bushels. He fitted his land 
properly, and sowed the wheat; but none of it came 
up, and he was obliged to sow the land to oats. Then 
he brought suit for damages, making out a great bill 
of over $1,300. He wanted 19 shillings an acre for 
fitting the land, the price of the seed wheat, 10 shil¬ 
lings an acre for extra work in sowing the oats, as 
much more for the loss of the wheat straw, and 
various other items. After hearing the case, the jury 
brought in a verdict for the man who bought the 
seed, giving him one farthing damages, while the 
court allowed him costs. The jury took the ground 
that, while the seed seller had given a sort of guaran¬ 
tee, the plaintiff did not prove that he had suffered 
any real loss. That seems to be the way such suits 
usually end. Most dealers are too sharp to give any 
real guarantee that their seeds will grow. Where 
there is any such guarantee, the jury will recognize 
it; but the trouble is to prove just what was lost by 
the failure of the seed to grow. If the man who 
bought this wheat had not sowed the oats at all, he 
would, probably, have had a better case, yet he could 
not afford to take the risk of letting the ground 
stand idle. 
BUSINESS BITS. 
S. & L. Farnsworth, of New London, O., offer 3,000 trained 
ferrets for sale. 
E. L. Clarkson, an old and reliable advertiser in Tub R. N.-Y., 
reports tbat among his latest sales of registered Jersey cattle, 
was a young bull to head the Ferncliff herd of Mr. John Jacob 
Astor. 
The Randall woven wire fence seems to have some strong 
points in its favor over other wire fences. It is claimed that it 
can not sag between the posts, as the spring of the loops keeps 
the fence tight under all conditions of heat and cold. It is manu¬ 
factured by The Randall Fence Company, Le Roy, N. Y. 
Farmers have long felt the want of some material to protect 
the roofs of their buildings, and do away with the annoyance and 
expense of painting every few years. The problem is solved by 
Reeder’s American Cold Japan, one coat of which arrests rust, 
and seems to defy time and the elements. Write Reeder’s Cold 
Japan Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
Farm animals often suffer much In winter because of inadequate 
water tanks. There are tanks that cannot dry out and fall to 
pieces during the dry, hot summer, or that will not burst from 
freezing in winter. One of these is the Goshen steel tank, made 
by the Kelley Foundry and Machine Co., Goshen, Ind. They make 
tanks in several different shapes end sizes, which may be set in 
the barnyard or pasture without any protection whatever. They 
offer many advantages over the old wooden tanks and are cheap, 
too, when one considers the service they give. Write for full par¬ 
ticulars if you are in need of a tank. 
