©54 
December 12, 
COST OF BUILDING MATERIALS. 
One page 865 M. A. E., of Massachu¬ 
setts, asks about material for a barn. I 
am not a farmer, but a structural drafts¬ 
man, and I enjoy reading The R. N.-Y. 
At the prices he mentions either rubble 
masonry or concrete would be cheaper 
than timber. I would advise the two 
former as far as practical to use them. 
Better get the advice of an experienced 
concrete man as to thickness of walls, 
and as to reinforcing material. He can 
use common labor, but the building must 
be properly designed or it will not be 
safe. He may need some iron anchor 
rods, also some smaller rods or wire 
fencing to embed in the concrete as re¬ 
inforcement; also iron beams or lintels 
over the doors if masonry is used. In 
wooden roof trusses iron rods and fish 
plates are sometimes used, making what 
is called combination trusses. I would 
recommend for him trusses all of wood. 
Both kinds are good if properly designed 
and connections are secure. Outside of 
above small items I would not advise 
structural steel; he would find it quite 
expensive. Accustomed to making plans, 
I would emphasize the importance of 
taking every precaution to have the 
building secure. Use only sound timber, 
best Portland cement, clean sharp sand 
and clean gravel free from clay. If not 
a mechanic, have one good man on the 
job who can be trusted to look out for 
your interests. R. b. m. 
Peotone, Ill. 
A VERMONT SNOW ROLLER. 
Snow rollers are used for rolling the 
highways after a snowstorm to pack the 
snow down, which when frozen makes 
a road 10 feet wide. The diagram shows 
how made. .They are made with two 
drums 4p2 feet long and five feet diam¬ 
eter, with two-inch steel shaft -running 
through, on which they turn independ¬ 
ently, thus permitting them to turn a 
corner easily. They are made of two- 
inch oak, the heads being double, and 
hooped with 2xj4-inch tire iron. The 
drums are hung in a strong frame and 
the pole goes through between, and they 
are about a foot apart A seat frame is 
placed on the main frame over the 
drums, with a place for tools, etc. Four 
horses are required on the level river 
roads and six on the hill roads. 
R. G. BROCK. 
TAXATION IN NEW JERSEY. 
An assessment of $8,000 and a tax bill 
of $135 are tough propositions for the 
Hope Farm man. His tax expense has in¬ 
creased in the past few years principally 
because he has been industrious and pro¬ 
gressive, and has employed labor to build 
one or more structures. He has now about 
3,000 fruit trees, the subjects of his watch¬ 
ful care. If he can so treat them that next 
year they will be worth 25 cents each 
more than they were in July of this year, 
the local assessor could add $750 more 
to the assessment of the property, and if 
the Hope Farm man takes a day off and 
appeals in person to the county board, he 
may be told that the assessor has simply 
done his duty. Of course, all this is wrong, 
but it is not a simple matter either to prove 
the injustice or suggest a remedy. How¬ 
ever, let me try to do both. A tax bill 
should be a bill for services rendered fu¬ 
made available to the citizen. Tax bills 
are made up according to the proportion of 
taxable values and the money to be raised. 
Taxable values are to be divided into two 
general classes: First, the values pro¬ 
duced by labor. These include our friend’s 
houses, barns, stock, tools, trees, fences, 
wells, drains, and so forth. Anything on 
the farm that has been produced by labor 
falls into this class—values from produc¬ 
tion. Second, the value of the site or 
location as a whole, and with especial ref¬ 
erence to road frontage, nearness to good 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
roads, water, gas, electric light or trans¬ 
portation facilities. These values are not 
from production, and perhaps may be more 
properly called values of obligation. They 
represent fully and are largely caused by 
the value of the services directly or in¬ 
directly rendered by local, county and State 
government, at any given place. These 
two classes of values are treated alike by 
New Jersey tax law, and this is a great 
mistake. The constitution of the State pro¬ 
vides for uniformity of taxation on any 
class of property, but I believe there is no 
provision preventing the uniform special 
treatment of any class of property. To 
lay a tax on values from production is 
manifestly unfair between citizens who pro¬ 
duce or accumulate the results of pro¬ 
duction at localities varying greatly as to 
nearness to the advantages afforded directly 
or indirectly by government. To illustrate: 
A. builds a $5,000 house on a main street, 
near the center of borough activity. B. 
erects exactly similar a building two miles 
from a depot and off the main road. To 
tax the two buildings the same, and then 
claim that the tax bills represent what the 
government has done for each owner is 
manifestly absurd. But if site values alone 
be the measure of tax bills, the case is 
different. A tax bill based upon an assess¬ 
ment on site value must closely conform to 
what the owner taxed is getting or is in 
a position to get by reason of government 
services. Let us take an extreme case: 
Smith has one acre, corner plot, in village, 
and would be assessed on $4,000. .Tones 
has 90 acres, consisting of a strip of farm 
land, with 700 feet frontage on a by-road, 
at the extreme limits of the borough. The 
strip of land extends back over a mile from 
its one frontage, and would be assessed for 
$2,000 only. Now, one man has 90 times 
as much area as the other, and yet he 
would pay but half so much taxes. Is the 
fairness of the matter not, however, plain? 
If Jones could move one of bis acres down 
alongside Smith, would he not be willing to 
pay more taxes? And if Smith could move 
his one acre back alongside Jones, he would 
expect to pay less to the government. I 
live in New Jersey, and believe there should 
be an organized effort to make a change in 
the laws. As a starter I invite The R. 
N.-Y. to ask the State Board of Taxation 
how the Legislature could, if it would, ar¬ 
range for the values from production here¬ 
after to be assessed on half instead of 
the whole fair value. george white. 
LEGAL MATTERS. 
. Right to Peddle Produce. 
I have been peddling my produce in a 
large public work. The contractor posts 
notice forbidding peddlers, as they have a 
store for their men. They permit beer and 
clothing to be sold by peddlers. Can they 
exclude me? D * c - N - 
New York. 
It will be difficult to learn from the city 
authoriiies what rights the cntractor has 
to punish intruders for trespass, but it is 
likely that the contractor has same rights 
over property as an owner, in which case 
he may exclude anyone he wishes. In case 
he proceeds in trespass he can recover for 
the damage you do to his property with 
costs. In view of all the facts you may 
assure the risk without imprudence. 
Perversion of Drainage. 
A public road supervisor has opened a 
water course from the roadway in such a 
manner that the heavy flow through it 
has severely injured my crops and the land. 
The damage would be less if they had 
opened several small outlets. Can I re¬ 
cover? J • B- 
Pennsylvania. 
The decisions of your State require each 
owner to accept the surface wash in its 
natural flow, but here the drainage is per¬ 
verted by the highway and turned onto the 
owner in a careless manner. A person is 
liable for the natural result of his acts, 
in this case the heavy wash destroying 
newly sown crops should bo foreseen. You 
should file a claim against the township, 
sworn to, setting forth your damage. Also 
secure witnesses to the injury done and 
demand that other outlets for the road 
wash be made. If it comes to a trial you 
should join the highway supervisor with 
the town as a defendant. 
Responsibility for Pastured Cattle. 
I have been pasturing my heifers for 
hire with P., who at the close of the season 
drove them to the yard of a third party, 
intending to notify me so that I could call 
there for them. I learned this and went 
for them, and found that they had broken 
out and have strayed. If lost, who is 
liable for them? k. j. c. 
Massachusetts. 
As P. agreed to pasture and care for 
them for hire he is liable for the loss caused 
by any of his negligence. He does not 
insure their safety, but the law imposes 
the highest degree of care over the heifers. 
In case they are not found it will be for 
the jury to say whether P. was negligent 
in leaving young stock in a strange yard, 
whether the yard fence was sufficient to 
keep them in, and whether he did wisely 
in bringing them from the pasture. We 
think that P. will be found liable for any 
loss. 
Right to Well Water. 
A neighbor has been running water from 
my well by a pipe for many years. There 
is no grant in our deeds. What should I j 
do in the matter? o. J. R. 
New York. 
If you object to his enjoying this privi¬ 
lege you should demand that he show what 
right he has. If he has no legal right to 
pipe the well you should require that he 
pay you a reasonable rental for the use 
of the water; otherwise if you allow him 
to use it for twenty years he will then 
acquire a legal claim to it which you can¬ 
not question. A nominal rental of the 
privilege will prevent him acquiring any 
rights. 
Right of Way Over Farm. 
B. has been using a right of way over 
my farm for 25 years. In repairing the 
rail fence I have narrowed the width of 
the road. lie protested, and has tom down | 
the fence, claiming that he is entitled to j 
10 feet. Who is right in this matter? 
Ohio. F. w. v. 
T'nless the deed mentions the width of 
the private road B. has merely the right 
to pass, and is entitled to a reasonable 
width. B. enjoys this right over your 
farm, and he must accept any reasonable 
road you give him. Under these facts you 
may adjust, the fence or change the route 
to suit your advantage. Courts have held 
that you have a right to place a gate 
across the way if you wish. 
Trespass on Right of Way. 
The deed for my place 104 years ago 
contained a reservation of a right of way 
to S„ with no reference to “his heirs or 
assigns.” Now the owner of t u e S. farm 
uses the right of way, and permits other 
parties to use it to my injury, trespassing 
along the road. The situation is annoy¬ 
ing. What can I do? n. j. a. 
New York. 
A man claiming a right in or over the 
property of another should show clearly 
that he has such a right, and he must not 
exceed such rights as he has; e. g., a right 
to haul wood over the snow will not give 
him permission to haul crops. Request 
your neighbor to prove his rights. It is 
likely he is grossly exceeding his rights. You 
may safely forbid further trespassing, and 
deny the use of the way to third parties. 
When you write advertisers mention Ti I 
R. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee page 10. 
Why Not Use Hubbard’s 
HE DID—AND WAS SATISFIED. 
Melrose, Mass., Aug. 31, 1908. 
Rogers & Hubbard Co., 
Middletown. Conn. 
Gentlemen:—Onr crops this year are the 
best I have ever grown. You will not be 
surprised if we apply for an Agency later. 
Our crops are the best ad. we could give. 
Sincerely and truly yours, 
No. 65 Green Street. O'. II. Harris 
Iltihharri’fl Fertilizer Almnnne for 1909 now 
ready and will he sent free to any address. 
THE ROGERS & HUBEARI) CO., 
Makers of Hubbard’s Fertilizers. 
Middletown, Conn. 
WESTERN CANADA 
More Big Crops in 1908 
60,000 settlers from the United 
States in 1908. New Districtsopenod 
for settlement. 320 acres of land 
to EACH SETTLER— 160 free 
homestead and 160 acres 
at only $6 per aere. 
“A vast, rich country and a con¬ 
tented, prosperous people.’* Ex¬ 
tract from correspondence of a 
Kansas Editor, whoso visit to 
Western Canada in August, 1908, 
was an inspiration. 
Many have paid the entire cost 
of their farms and had a balance of from $10 
to $20 per acre os a result of one crop. 
Spring and Winter Wheat, Oats, 
Barley, Flax and Peas are the prin¬ 
cipal crops, while the wild grasses bring 
to perfection the best cattle that have ever 
been sold on the Chicago market. 
Splendid Climate, Schools and 
Churches in all localities. Railways 
touch most of thosettled districts, 
and prices for produce are always 
good. Lands may also bo purchased from 
Bail way and Land Companies. 
For pamphlets, maps and information re¬ 
garding low Railway Rates, apply to Sup’t 
of Immigration, Ottawa, Can., or to the 
authorized Canadian Government Agent. 
J. C. Duncan, Canadian Govern¬ 
ment Agent, Room 30, Syrucuse Bank 
Building, Syracuse, N. Y. 
NO ZERO WEATHER 
In Tidewater Virginia and Carolina. Kicli lands. 
Delightful climate. Three ami four crops a single 
season. No heavy frosts, blizzards or droughts. 
Fertilizing and irrigating unnecessary. Best prices. 
Unequalled railroad service. Everything from 
onions to cotton. Best corn, hay, potato and truck 
lands. Lands on easy terms. For full particulars, 
write 
F. L. MERRITT, Land &. Indust’l Agent, Norfolk and Southern 
Railway, 36 Citizens Bank Building, Norfolk, Va. 
CflD 0 A I C —One 20 H. P. International Har- 
I U 11 OHLL vester Co.’s Portable Gasoline En¬ 
gine. $525.00, f.o.b. cars Mantee, Miss. Brand-new 
from factory, been run only 5 weeks. Reason for 
selling, too small for my work. Cost $850.00. 
J. B. E. CARADINK, R. F. D. No. 2, Mantee, Miss. 
EVERY 
BOY 
wants a 
STEVENS 
for Christmas 
The love of a gun is born in a boy. I 
Nothing will delight him more than a good 
gun of his own. 
Why not let him have his long-wanted 
gun and learn how to shoot? It will please 
him immensely. 
Moreover, that’s by far the best way to in¬ 
sure his safety. For most boys will handle a 
gun every chance they get, whether you know 
about it or not. 
Give him a Stevens Ride for Christmas and 
see how happy it makes him. Then see how 
he’ll take to outdoors—how he’ll tramp the 
woods and fields—how manly and sturdy and 
healthy he’ll grow out in the open air. See how 
keen of sight he becomes, how quick to think 
and to act. It’s a good way to develop character in a boy. 
Stevens Rifles are the safest of all guns and they're steady and 
true to the aim—straight-shooting, hard-hitting. And a Stevens 
Demi-Bloc Double-Barrel Gun, or any Stevens Shotgun, will 
please a man just as much as a Stevens Rifle will please a boy. 
Send for the Stevens Catalog and learn how thoroughly well-made, how moderate 
in price these g ms are. Tells how to choose and care for a gun. 5 c for postage brings it. 
Then, Dan Beard’s book, “Guns and Gunning.” A book boys revel in. Full of 
the lore of the woods and the camp—about birds and small game—hunting and shooting and 
all that a boy wants to know about guns. Sent postpaid for 20 c, paper cover, or 30 c, cloth cover. 
Your dealer can show you Stevens Rifles, Pistols, Shotguns, or if not, we supply you 
direct on receipt of catalog price. 
J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL COMPANY 
2oo Grove Street 
CHICOPEE FALLS, MASS., U.S.A. 
