1909. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
845 
A PENNSYLVANIA CORNCRIB. 
A number of farmers in this section 
(Northern Dauphin Co.. Pa.), have the fol¬ 
lowing style of corncribs, and they are 
the best I ever saw, being vermin-proof, 
dry, and airy, and for an illustration I 
will describe the one on the farm I am 
living on. For foundation there are two 
linear walls' of stone 14 inches wide and 
10 feet apart, both walls running in one 
direction, and not joined at tin- ends. 
On each wall is placed a sill seven by ten 
Inches, 16 feet long, the walls so high that 
door of crib will be at least two feet from 
the ground. Cross-wise on those two sills 
are placed the floor sills four by six 
inches' two feet apart, and each floor sill 
15 feet long. On each sill is set a side 
post, four by 3% inches and eight feet 
lh li, mortised in floor sills, also the ends 
framed up the same way. Ends of side 
frame posts framed in four by six inches 
scantling for frame on which to put rafters 
for roof. If has a ridge roof covered with 
shingles. On floor sills is placed a good, 
tight wooden floor, some farmers puffing 
down on sills a layer of fin before putting 
down the floor, hut I do not think this 
is necessary when good lumber is used 
for floor. For weather-boarding on out¬ 
sit!,■ as far as cribs extend, is used drop 
siding three inches wide, drop-siding so 
beveled on both edges, that one edge when 
nailed on faces upwards, and the other 
edge downwards. Siding placed half an 
inch apart, this admits free circulation of 
air and sheds the rain nicely. 
A crib 3/ feet wide is then boarded 
up on inside with two by four inches 
si lidding eight feet high, one crib on each 
side. This gives one a nice ball inside of 
crib to place a corn sheller, and shell the 
corn, with a door at each end of hall. 
The lumber used for inside partition need 
not lie an expensive kind, and only tight 
enough to hold ear-corn. On top over this 
hall is placed another floor on which one 
can si ore corn if necessary, also a good 
place to store seed corn, for here it can 
dry out to perfection. I have cpiit testing 
s,ed corn for its germinating powers since 
I store it here, as the germination is al¬ 
ways excellent; I dare say perfect. The 
crih is so placed lliat one can drive on 
either side and unload the corn through 
dropgates placed on strap hinges. Some 
use 10 or 12-ineh sewer pipes set on end 
in Hie ground like a post, on which they 
place the frame of the crib, and thus use 
no stone wall, the pipes set on a solid 
foundation. One neighbor placed a pile of 
lumber against his crih after he had it 
filled with corn, thus giving the rats a 
good opportunity to work from it. But 
by keeping all rubbish away from this crih 
so as not to give rats and mice a rest to 
work from, one will have as good a crib 
to store liis corn as I know of, and corn 
will ore out nicely even when stored in it 
before it is' well dried in tiie shock. The 
size in length especially, can he made to 
suit flic size of the corn crop raised on 
(lie farm. c. e. hauper. 
FRUITS IN MEXICO. 
While tlie Valley of Mexico is really 
tableland 7.000 feet high for the most, 
part, it appears especially adapted for 
many fruits, although the only apples I 
could procure were the little bittersweet 
apph s which were very pungent to my 
taste. I believe there is a great opening 
for an enterprising apple grower there, 
supplying not only the 25.000 Americans. 
Gormans and Frenchmen in tlie city of 
M'\-ico alone, hut shipping to the States 
as well, as I suppose their apples would 
come in later and hang long. When a 
shipment of California plums (Burbank 
and Bradfords) arrived in the city I was 
present and paid 60 cents Mexican (30 
cents gold) for a dozen, other imported 
American fruits in proportion. At this 
ride it is best to do in Mexico as Mexi¬ 
cans do, eat native fruit; their peaches 
are all seedlings, none of which appealed 
to m.v fancy, hut they seem to do well in 
Biore parts adapted to its culture. Their 
grapes need no comment, Tor since . the 
cailv days of the Mission Fathers they 
have raised the most luscious kinds, espe¬ 
cially in the arid irrigated districts like 
Ghihualiua and Torreon, which latter is 
rigid over the Tropic of Cancer, I believe, 
bul cool at nights, as altitude is high. The 
strawberries are of a much better taste 
than ours; seem to he less acid, but are 
CQ'ial in size, and, of course, much cheaper, 
selling from a dollar a basket when the 
Ir.'in first pulls' in to 15 cents per basket 
win n the train is about to depart. I 
lianily believe tlie Alpine strawberry would 
he an everbearing variety in Texas with 
ifs variety of altitudes and climes. 
I luTo are no more delicious sweets than 
Mexican mangoes, avocados, dulees, apri- 
ro <s, etc., which are. however, tropical in 
Hair nature; all their pears of the Bart- 
leti type have the core-rot, hut as they 
grow to (lie usual size and bear well in 
•heir proper soils the possibility of estab¬ 
lishing a refrigerator trade in them to the 
States, utilizing their cheap lands, should 
appeal to the American fruit grower, as 
this disease can be controlled. 
Speaking about avocados (which sell 
for three cents Mexican down there), I 
noted in a recent issue of Tiie It. N.-Y. 
some one stated that lie had sold them as 
high as from 40 cents' to a dollar each. 
While I like an avocado, I should not con¬ 
sider them worth any more, even freshly 
picked, than they ask down there, and 
these prices are not believable, unless paid 
by people with more curiosity or money 
than other blessings, as the trees are most 
prolific, the fruit most perishable in its 
ripe—its best—state : such fruits as 
brought these prices', too, must have been 
picked unripe if they were shipped to the 
East, and those people got a very poor 
money’s worth, if they had ever eaten a 
good avocado. Picked ripe it savors of 
oocoanut oil, good country butter, lettuce 
and cream. _ v. l. 
LEGAL MATTERS. 
Trespassing Cattle. 
A's land joins B's. B’s portion of the 
line fi'nce falls down, and A’s cows go 
on to B’s land, and from there on my land 
through B’s defective fence, and destroy 
my corn. Who is liable for the damage? 
New York. w. B. it. 
We think that you should join the par¬ 
ties A and B. suing both, and allow the 
court and jury to apportion the damages. 
A is not: at liberty to allow his cows to 
roam about the country, and B is liable 
for permitting the division fence to re¬ 
main in disrepair. 
Taxation of Telephone Lines. 
Is there a law in Ohio to tax rural tele¬ 
phone lines? a. s. 
Taxation is an incident of sovereignty, 
and each State and nation may levy and 
collect taxes without limit. This is in 
consideration for tlie security and protec¬ 
tion to personal and property rights. Your 
statutes provide: “All property, real or 
personal, belonging to individuals or cor¬ 
porations, and all moneys, credits, invest¬ 
ments in bonds, stock or otherwise are 
subject to taxation.” No. 2731. There is 
a tendency to reach all property, especially , 
personal property of corporations. But tlie 
(ax on a local telephone line should be a 
small item. If you think that (lie author¬ 
ities are discriminating against you so 
as to favor the trunk lines you should in¬ 
quire into the matter, as all taxes are af¬ 
fixed by law. 
Barb Wire Division Fence. 
One of my neighbors lias a barb wire 
fence on the line. lie says lie has a right 
to it, because it has been there for years. 
Will lie have to stand damage if my stock 
gets hurt? c. e. is. 
New York. 
The law permits a party to build a di¬ 
vision fence of barb wire upon the written 
consent of the neighbor, or It may lie of 
four strands with a wooden rail over, 
strongly built and properly maintained. If 
any damage results due to its dangerous 
condition the owner will be liable. Under 
the former law any one building a barb 
wire fence was liable in treble damages for 
all injury resulting. Upon general prin¬ 
ciples a barb wire fence is dangerous, and 
a jury could find that It is negligence to 
maintain this sort of a fence. You should 
urge your neighbor to be prudent in this 
matter. 
Private Right of Way. 
Tf a farmer in New Jersey makes no ob¬ 
jection to his neighbors' crossing his farm 
on his private road for nearly 20 years, 
having given them no permission to do so 
either in writing or otherwise, will the 
road become a public right of way when 
20 years have expired? If he closed it 10 
years ago for a week or so with a fence 
across it, will that delay its becoming a 
public right of way for another 10 years? 
What is the best way to prevent it becom¬ 
ing such, without closing it? a. b. s. 
New York. 
In order to acquire a right of way 
(called an easement) a person must use it 
openly, notoriously and continuously for 
20 years. You may prevent your neighbor 
from obtaining such a right by posting it 
“A Private Road.” by fencing it for a 
short time, or by making a nominal charge 
for its use. The safest way would he to 
secure a six-cent judgment against him 
for trespass, as such a judgment would he 
(lie host evidence, he or his grantee might 
dispute your other objections. 41 N. J. Eq. 
489. 
Assessment of Ditch Tax. 
On April 1. 4009, A sold B a farm, ex¬ 
ecuting a warranty deed, and l>y an ar¬ 
ticle of agreement obligating himself to 
pay the taxes of 1000, and to surrender 
the farm free of ail incumbrances on the 
first day of April. 1010. In June, 1000, 
the county commissioners granted a peti¬ 
tion for a ditch running through the farm, 
and ordered the farm’s apportionment of 
tlie cost placed upon the tax duplicate for 
collection. Who must pay the ditch tax, 
A or B? r. j. T). 
The title passed when you delivered the 
deed, and the purchaser as owner must 
meet all taxes and assessments: they are 
charged against the property. The facts 
that you agreed to pay a certain fixed 
yearly lax and keep possession until next 
April does not change matters. The pur¬ 
chaser will have to pay the assessment or 
suffer a lien to exist against tlie place. 
If he attempts to withhold it from I lie 
price you can recover it. If is his prop¬ 
erty, and is subject to all risks of taxes, 
assessments or fire. 
Good Natured Tools 
It is not necessary to force Keen Kutter Tools. 
Keen Kutter bits, for example, work quickly and easily 
in any kind of wood. Lips are long, strong and per¬ 
fectly tempered, adding years to the life of the tool. 
Keen Kutter Tools like hard work. The edged 
tools never lose their temper—handled tools never 
work loose or fly off—hammering tools keep their 
faces straight. 
Km mm 
QtJRLSTV TOOLS 
include tools of all kinds—Saws, Chisels, Bits, Drills, 
Gimlets, Awls, Planes, Hammers, Hatchets, Axes, 
Drawing-knives, Pocket-knives, Screw¬ 
drivers, Files, Pliers, Glass-cutters, Ice- 
. picks, and a full line of Farm and Garden 
iTools, Scissors, Shears and Cutlery. 
If not at your dealer’s, write us. 
SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY (Inc.), 
St. Louis and New York, U, S. A. 
You know what is in the food you buy. The 
law gives you that protection. 
Why shouldn’t you know what .is in your 
roofing so that you may be sure of your buildings’ 
protection ? 
Genasco 
Ready Roofing 
is made of Trinidad Lake Asphalt—Nature’s 
absolute waterproofer that, doesn’t crack, rot, 
break, or leak. 
Ask your dealer for Genasco, and thus make sure of economical and lasting 
protection for every building on the farm. Mineral and smooth surface. Guaran¬ 
teed in writing and backed by our thirty-two-million-dollar organization. Look 
for the trade-mark; take no substitute. Write for samples and the Good Roof 
Guide Book 
THE BARBER ASPHALT PAVING COMPANY 
Largest .producers of asphalt and largest 
manufacturers of ready roofing in the world. 
PHILADELPPIIA 
New York San Francisco 
Chicagro 
Abenaque Water Supply Systems 
and 
Pumping Plants 
Are described in detail in our new Water 
Supply Catalogue. We can furnish outfits 
for all purposes. Submit us your Proposi¬ 
tion and let us submit Price on a suitable 
system. Engineering advice gladly given 
free of charge. Write for Catalogue “O,” 
Abenaque Machine Works West vlrmont tatlon ’ 
Boston Salesroom, 77 Oliver Street 
CLi\ 
DOUBLE ACTION HARROW & CULTIVATOR 
FOR IOO% CROPS w a the 
With this tool more different kinds 
of work can be done, 
with less effort, than 
with any other. CLARK’S is tlie only Disk Culti¬ 
vator that completely embodies the double action 
principle. It will do the work of several disk ma¬ 
chines that would cost you several times as much, 
and do it more thoroughly, because it lias 4 gangs 
instead of only 2. The draft is always from centre- 
suitable for 2 light horses. Equipped with Extension 
Hoad and Jointed Pole, and when so ordered two 
large disks for Listing are supplied. 
Send today for our free Book, "Large Hay Crops.” 
CUTAWAY HARROW COMPANY, 
839 Main St., HIGGANUM, CONN. 
ORIGINAL 
‘CUTAWAY.” 
