Th, RURAL NEW-YORKER 
813 
More About the Auto Hogs 
We have come to the limit of patience in dealing 
with the “auto hog." This animal drives out into 
the count* 7 in a speedy car, and proceeds to grab 
whatever he can get his hands on. They begin in 
the Spring by breaking fruit trees to obtain bunches 
of bloom. They smash down lilac bushes, help them¬ 
selves to cherries and berries, peaches and apples, 
and even dig potatoes and other vegetables. They 
have been known to steal eggs and chickens, and 
run down and capture little pigs or tame rabbits. 
Nothing is safe from their claws. They throw dis¬ 
credit upon all tourists, and they are doing more 
today to create trouble between city and country 
people than most other groups. We have advocated 
physical punishment, since the law gives no adequate 
protection. We would organize the citizens of each 
neighborhood and have them prepared to come on 
the run whenever needed. We would catch a few 
of these men and women right in the act, if possible, 
and give them a public thrashing, so that they would 
remember it for days. A lawyer who has suffered 
from these thieves on his country place, says: 
You will please understand that I am iu hearty ac¬ 
cord with the administering of the punishment which 
you suggest. I am constrained, however, to advise 
against it purely as a matter of law. The owner has 
a right to use such force as may be necessary to evict, 
from his property a trespasser. I greatly fear that 
should we follow your suggestion, we would have on 
our hands a bunch of lawsuits for assault. Have you 
considered this phase of it? I find that this type of 
“hog” is an impertinent, brazen animal, and one who 
would not hesitate to make trouble for a farmer if he 
had the opportunity. You are quite right in saying that 
some of the worst damage, and I may say that some 
of the most malicious, is done by well-to-do and so- 
called respectable people. I had a rather amusing ex¬ 
perience last Summer with a car full of well-dressed 
and apparently prosperous individuals. When told that 
they were trespassing and ordered to stop picking ber¬ 
ries. one of them had the impertinence to tell me that 
they were engaged in that occupation for the benefit of 
the poor: that is. that they intended gathering my fruit, 
canning it and giving it to the needy. Naturally. I in¬ 
formed them that all of us who had stuff to spare at¬ 
tended to our own individual charities in person. 
We have considered the matter fully, and many 
of us have come to the point where we are willing 
to take our chances in any suit for assault, A few 
such cases would give the whole business such no¬ 
toriety that public sentiment would sustain us. At 
any rate, what else eon we dot 
Daylight Saving and the Cities 
The common council of Rochester, N. Y., referred 
the question of daylight saving to its law committee. 
After collecting evidence and making a full investi¬ 
gation this committee advised against “changing 
clock time.” That seems to settle the matter with 
the council, and old time still prevails in the city. 
1 hiring this investigation a postal referendum was 
taken, and the total vote is given as 69,567 opposed 
to daylight saving and 44.503 in favor. 
An analysis of the reasons brought forward, both pro 
and contra, indicates that those in favor of the change 
desire what is said to be an additional hour of daylight 
during which - recreation may be indulged in, garden, 
work attended to, odd jobs accomplished and pleasur¬ 
able and desirable associations indulged in between indi¬ 
viduals and among families. Other reasons in favor of 
a change indicated a desire to conform with the changed 
clocks of other cities. 
Those who object to the change urge that a change 
in clock time will place an additional burden upon them, 
and will seriously interfere with the work of a large 
number of employes, in many instances requiring an 
hour of additional labor and harder labor. Also it is 
urged that the mail, express, food, milk and freight, as 
well as postal service, which operate on standard time 
and on which the life of the community and the welfare 
of the workers depend, will become confused and cause 
harm to the community. Among those who desire no 
change are those who plead not for themselves, but for 
the children and people in orphan-asylums, sanatoriums 
and hospitals. 
In the city of Denver, Col., the question of day¬ 
light saving came up at a regular election, and the 
ordinance favoring it was defeated by a vote of 
three to one. In most cases where the new time 
has been accepted there has been no general expres¬ 
sion of opinion. The city council or governing 
board has decided the matter. In most cases we 
think there would have been so much opposition in 
a popular vote that the time would never have been 
changed. 
The Betts Amendment to the Game Law 
What is the Betts bill, and has it become a law? 
lias a rod and gun club the right to stock a stream run¬ 
ning through one’s farm, making it public for fishing 
without getting owner’s consent? a. w. 
New York. 
We would advise you that the Betts bill, amending 
Bart. XI of the conservation law relative to the posting 
i f private lands and waters against hunting and fishing 
«t trespassing thereon for that purpose, has passed the 
l egislature and has been signed by the Governor, and 
i- now effective. 
Pursuant to the provisions of Part XI of the conser¬ 
vation law. the owner of lands or waters may post the 
same pursuant to the provisions of Section 361 of the 
conservation law, warning all persons against hunting 
or fishing or trespassing thereon for that purpose. After 
such lands or waters are so posted, any person who 
hunts or fishes or trespasses thereon for that purpose 
commits a misdemeanor, and, in the event of conviction, 
is liable to a fine for the first offense of not less than 
$10 nor more than $ 100 , and he is also liable to a pen¬ 
alty of $50, together with cost of court in addition to 
the actual damage that might be done. This is provided 
for in Section 1S2, subd. 5 of the conservation law. 
Section 360 of Part XI of the conservation law pro¬ 
vides that if waters or lands have been stocked by the 
State with fish or game, with the consent of the owner, 
the provisions of Part XI of the conservation law shall 
no longer apply thereto. We do not construe that the 
stocking of a stream by a fish, and game club with fish 
furnished by the State would in any way bind the owner 
of the stream unless he gave his consent to the club, 
allowing them to place the fish therein. 
jotiN T. m’cormick, Deputy Chief. 
What is known as the Betts bill is au amendment 
to the conservation law adding fines and control of 
farm property. The Betts bill adds a penalty of 
$50 for trespassing on land properly posted. One- 
half of this amount is to be paid to the owner of 
the lands, together with the cost of suit in addition 
to the actual damages. It Shall be the duty of the 
State police, game protectors and all peace officers 
to enforce the provisions of the law and to prosecute 
violations. Crossing over private lands on a public 
right of way to or from State lands shall not con¬ 
stitute a violation of the law. In a case of fences 
or gates damaged by hunters or fishermen, the Betts 
bill adds a penalty of $50, one-half of which is pay¬ 
able to the owner of the land. The law regarding 
posting of lands is amended so as to include lands 
which are used in whole or in part for farming or 
agricultural purposes. The conservation commission 
will furnish, upon application, printed blank forms, 
providing for the written consent of the o\vn Qi *s of 
private lands for permission to hunt and fish thereon. 
The bill also declares that no person shall take or 
disturb fish, bird or quadruped on any private park 
or private land or trespass thereon with or having 
in his possession a rod, gun or any implement by 
means of which fish, birds or quadruped may be dis¬ 
turbed. taken or killed after notices are properly 
posted, or after a persona] service upon him in- the 
name of the owner or owners, containing a descrip¬ 
tion of the premises, and warning all persons against 
hunting or fishing or trespassing thereon. 
Meeting of the Educational Committee 
Dn May 21, a meeting was held by the Joint Com¬ 
mittee on Rural Education at Syracuse. This was 
not a large meeting, but was generally attended by 
the members of the committee as follows: 
State Grange: George W. Dunn. Mrs. F. Gates and 
G. C. McNinch. 
Dairymen’s League: E. B. Eastman, N. F. Webb, 
Albert Manning. 
Home Bureau: Mrs. A. E. Brigden, Mrs. M. E. Arm¬ 
strong. Mrs Edward Young. 
Farm Bureau: Walter G. McIntosh, C. F. Post, 
H. G. Reed. 
State Teachers’ Association: W. E. Pierce, Miss 
Myrtle McDonald, C. Jones. 
State Department of Education: Ray P. Snyder and 
Dr. George E. Wiley. 
State College of Agriculture: George A. Works and 
Julian E. Butterfield. 
They were all there except State Commissioner 
Gilbert and Prof. Ivruse of Cornell. The meeting was 
called to hear reports of progress on the Rural School 
Survey. These reports were made, but were of course 
not complete. One thing the committee has certainly 
done and that is to stir uj> a wide discussion among 
country people. There has been considerable criticism 
regarding the work of this committee, but as this work 
I’.as gone on. country people have become more .and 
more convinced that it is not an effort to “put some¬ 
thing over ’ on them. There is a growing belief that 
the country people can, if they will, make a showing 
that will influence this committee. It seems that 
about 12.000 pupils of rural schools and village high 
schools have been tested for intelligence or capacity. 
-V regular score card has been worked out to cover 
this matter. This test will be continued and will be 
compared with results in city surveys. Dr. Bagley of 
the Teachers’ Gollege of Columbia told the committee 
that he had moved out into the country and was send¬ 
ing his children to a one-room rural school. He spoke 
of the care that should be taken in learning the char¬ 
acter of the work being done in the training classes of 
high school. It is there that most rural teachers 
receive their brief professional training. Prof. Brooks 
of the University of Pennsylvania talked on the 
“Division of School Finance.” It seems that in Penn¬ 
sylvania, great changes are being made in this matter. 
A point was made by the farm members of the com¬ 
mittee about the difficulty in getting fair valuations of 
property as between different towns, and bow the 
presence of great corporate properties in some districts 
made the school tax light. Op' cv j-enovts ^verc made 
by Prof. Works of Cornell. Dr. .T. E. Butterworth and 
E. R. Eastman. There will be another public meeting 
of the committee at Binghamton on June 11. When¬ 
ever possible, farmers and country people should at¬ 
tend these meetings and try to take part in them. 
Some Facts About The Honey Market 
We have a statement of the honey situation pre¬ 
pared by E. H. Tucker of California. He says it is 
only recently that the honey business has been spe¬ 
cialized. Up to within a few years honey-making was 
merely a side line, all the way from .a few hives up to 
fifty or one hundred being kept on a farm in addition 
to other work. Lately, however, and especially in 
California, bee-keeping has come to be a definite busi¬ 
ness in which many men engage, giving their entire 
time to the work. It seems that California is the 
heaviest producer of honey, and about 15 per cent 
of the total crop of the United States is grown on the 
Pacific ('oast. Next in rank among the States comes 
Iowa, with about six per cent, followed by New York, 
Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, which each produce 
about four per cent. Bee-keeping has not been de¬ 
veloped in the South as it should have been, for climate 
and floral conditions should make these States good 
fields for honey. California ships most of her honey 
away from the State, last year’s crop being estimated at 
about 10,000,000 lbs. It is said that in 1916 the total 
honey crop of the country was one hundred and eighty 
million pounds, and it is believed that the crop for 1920 
totaled three hundred million pounds. Most of this 
honey is sold in the form of extracted or bulk honey. 
It is said that the principal honey markets in this 
country are Medina and Cincinnati, Ohio, New York 
City, Chicago, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Boston. 
It is thought, however, that about 90 per cent of the 
honey produced in this country, with the exception of 
the California crop, rarely gets over 20 miles away 
from the home of the honey producers. In former 
years there was considerable export of honey from 
this country, something over ten million pounds going 
in 1919. Great Britain. France and Sweden Were the 
chief importers of honey. At the present time this 
export trade has been largely abandoned as in 1920 
only about half a million pounds were sent abroad. 
There are sever,al reasons for this falling off in the 
foreign trade. As is the case with all farm products, 
the depreciation in foreign exchange has made it almost 
impossible for foreign countries to purchase goods. 
It is also said that throughout the world companies are 
being formed to increase honey production in parts of 
the world where commercial honey has not in past years 
been known. The object of this is to produce a cheap 
grade of honey and supply it to the world’s market. 
It is proposed to ship this cheap honey freely into this 
country, and it is said that it is even now coming. 
These imports will not only interfere with our own 
honey production, but there is danger of bringing in 
insects and disease which may prove injurious here. 
There is an increasing trade in honey among Amer¬ 
ican consumers, but unquestionably dealers in Europe 
and Asia are planning to increase production and send 
their large surplus to the American markets. Honey 
prices have dropped materially during the past year. 
At one time California honey sold freely at 18 and 23 
cents, while it is now down to 12 and 13 cents. There 
never has been half enough honey consumed in this 
country for the good of the people. It is one of the 
most healthful of all sweets, and the production of the 
crop draws absolutely nothing in the way of fertility 
from the soil. The California honey producers are 
working to obtain a tariff on honey, which they claim 
is necessary not only to stabilize prices, but to keep 
cheap aud inferior honey imported from Asia and 
Africa off our markets. 
The High Freight Rates 
The writer recently returned from the Imperial Val- 
U\Y iu Southeastern California. The cantaloupe crop, 
oue of their mainstays in that wonderful country, has 
been tremendously reduced this season on account of 
high freight rates. The same is true of Rooky Ford. 
Its tough on the fellows who grow so much iu favored 
localities, but it will make the ones who grow for the 
home market. m. l. 
Reports early in the season were that ship¬ 
ments of Western melons would be cut down. 
They can he grown to good advantage iu these West¬ 
ern locations, but the increased cost of shipping will 
make the business unprofitable. The melon growers 
of the East will profit from this trouble. The entire 
boxed fruit trade from the Pacific slope is facing a 
hard situation, with markets 1.500 miles or more 
away and almost prohibitive freight rates. The Cal¬ 
ifornia egg producers met the situation by organiz¬ 
ing to control grading, packing and shipping. That 
has helped them, hut the fruit and melon growers 
have already provided for grading and packing. Un¬ 
less freight rates are reduced, Eastern fruit growers 
and gardeners will benefit at the expense of the 
Western farmers. 
