1050 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 27, 1921 
A Farmer Defends His Property and— 
J AY DAKIN, nearly SO years old. and a veteran of 
tin* Civil War. lives near Willinmston. Mich., on 
a little farm of 10 acres. He always lias a good 
garden, and usually plants an acre or two of melons. 
His melons are good, and when tlx* season is favor¬ 
able they make a profitable crop. The bugs get 
some, dry weather often shortens his crop, and lie 
has the menace of frost at each end. But the worst 
blight that develops comes from a bunch of fun- 
loving youth who go out at night to eat and destroy. 
Aside from bootlegging, no form of crime is more 
popular or less criticised than stealing melons. The 
man who would he shocked if he knew that his boy 
stole a banana from an itinerant Italian peddler 
indulges in an inward chuckle when he hears that 
John has .been conning melons again. It has hap¬ 
pened many times that when Dakin went out at sun¬ 
rise the ground was covered with green melons 
slashed in pieces and half-eaten rinds. Dakin 
watched the patch, and when the boys came he 
shouted and waved his arms and hobbled after them 
as well as lx* could. This was real fun for the hoys 
and gave the trip to Dakin's melon patch an added 
thrill. 
It was Inn for the boys, hut the reaction on the 
old veteran was far from joyous, and he became 
nervous and irritable, lie lost money. In* Inst sleep, 
lie lost his patience. Then his mind went hack to 
old army days, and he saw himself again carrying a 
musket with Sherman on the way to the sea. A 
happy thought name to him. Neighbor Johnson had 
a double-barreled shotgun; lie would borrow that 
and when tin* hoys came he would give them the 
surprise of their sweet, young lives. 
Sunday had been a dull, hot day in the village, and 
when Bernard Allen came by in the old Ford lie was 
not long in gathering a load to go out to Dakin's 
melon patch. They left the machine on a back road, 
crossed the railroad track and came into the melons 
from the rear. In his mind Dakin has gone hack 
do years; he was alone on picket duty waiting for 
the enemy. The night was dark, nut there was light 
enough so that he saw the boys come into his field, 
pass through the corn and enter the melon patch. 
Without moving, without a word of warning, he 
brought the gun to his shoulder and let go both 
barrels in quick succession. Silently those hoys dug 
for the hack fence at a pace that would have been 
creditable on the football field. Mr. Dakin went into' 
the house well satisfied with his part in the matter. 
Deo Hoot did not seem to run as well as usual, and 
lie needed help in getting over the fence. When he 
got back to town the doctor found 2N small shot had 
struck, and most of them stuck. The shot had hit. 
him mostly in his legs, but had not penetrated to 
any great depth. Still, one or two had gone info 
the knee joint rather farther than is necessary to 
allow a boy to run well. 
Naturally tin* people of the village had something 
to talk about the next day, and for many succeeding 
days. At first Leo was a very penitent boy, and the 
Root, family were inclined to he ashamed of him. 
but as time went on a feeling arose in their minds 
that Leo Hoot had been badly used, and that Dakin 
should pay for his careless use of firearms. A law¬ 
yer was consulted. A physician gave it as his 
opinion that the injury was permanent, and that 
Leo would always have a stiff leg. Suit was started 
in the Circuit Court to recover damages in the sum 
of .$5,000. The case was brought on before a jury 
of nine men and three women. The testimony devel¬ 
oped tin* facts, counsel on each side argued long and 
eloquently, the judge instructed the jury regarding 
the law. and the case was in the hands of a jury of 
his peers. 
The court instructed the jury that a man had a 
right to protect his property. That he had a right to 
use such force as was necessary to furnish him pro¬ 
tection. He told them that what was “necessary 
force" was to he determined by all the facts in the 
case, and consisted of such force as a reasonably 
prudent man would use under all the circumstances 
of the case. After discussing the matter for some 
hours the jury returned with a \erdict. of guilty 
against Jay Dakin, and assessed the damages at 
$.150. 
If was generally believed that if Mr. Dakin had 
not discharged the second barrel, hut had let well 
enough alone, he would not have been found guilty. 
n. 
The Nanticoke Blackberry 
|The picture at Fig. 442 shows our good friend. Dr. 
W. F. Massey, standing near a hush of the Nanticoke 
blackberry. Dr. Massey is now over 80, and his friends 
will all hejnterosted in his latest note, written August 7. 
We rejoice to learn that he Was not seriously injured.] 
Ill] late Nanticoke blackberries are ripening as 
usual, hut. like all other fruits this season, the 
crop is short. In fact, it is hard fo remember a sea¬ 
son when there was as complete a failure of all sorts 
of fruit. Strawberries were a short crop, hut a very 
profitable one to those who had them. Apples arc 
very scarce, and peaches are non-est here. North 
Carolina peaches are retailing in strawberry boxes 
at prices that make them nearly $10 a bushel. 
Peaches of good size and quality are sold at five 
cents each. And yet there are plenty of people buy¬ 
ing them. It is estimated that the commercial pack 
of tomatoes this season will not equal five per cent 
of the normal crop, fanners did not offer any at¬ 
tractive price for tomatoes, and the farmers did not 
plant. Of the thirty-odd canning factories in this 
county not more than three or four will he operated 
Prof. Mnsseg and II is Nanticoke Blackberries 
Fid. ?,',? 
on tomatoes, and a few more will can sweet potatoes. 
Culls and over-large sweet potatoes go to the can- 
ners. Our can tiers do not work on sugar corn, though 
some of the lower Delaware factories do. There is 
some canning of blueberries (huckleberries), hut this 
season the price of the fresh berries is top high for 
the cat liters and the quality too poor, owing to 
drought. The swamps where they grow have abso¬ 
lutely dried up. 
Just, as 1 had written the above I was called to go 
down town, and on my way back was watching the 
procession of wagons and motor trucks loaded with 
cantaloupes on the way to the station. Seeing a 
friend on one wagon, I stepped into the street to 
ask him what the melons were bringing, and stepped 
in front of an automobile and was thrown about 10 
feet on tin* asphalt. No bones were broken, but left 
hand injured, left leg wrenched and stiff, hut by 
rare good fortune I was not badly hurt. After a 
week I am glad to say that I am getting around. 
My left hand is healing and my legs, while stiff and 
bloodshot, are unbroken. In fact, I walked down 
town yesterday with the help of a cane, and rode 
hack inside an automobile. The fact is that the 
driver of the car did his best to avoid me, and the 
blow was a sort of skidding sidewipe. It tore one 
leg of my pants clear off, and while that leg is Imdly 
1 loodshot, it has hardly hurt me. while tin* leg that 
was struck the hardest was hut slightly skinned, and 
has been painful and stiff. If there is another man 
of 82 who can buck up against a car and come off as* 
well, T will he perfectly willing to let him try it. I 
was only conscious of a roar and crash and some¬ 
thing bearing me down, hut really felt no pain + -'.” 
after I was picked up and carried home, or it was 
hut two blocks from my house. Though the hr of 
my hand is very sore, it is healing and T am ah e to 
use the typewriter. 
Cantaloupes now $1.70 for crates. Those bringing 
green melons have to take them home. 
W. F. MASSEY. 
Selling Products by Mail 
TARTING THE BUSINESS.—In order to attain 
success in selling farm products by mail, two 
things are necessary. First, something which the 
public wants or can be made to want : second, knowl¬ 
edge of the way to make people want the particular 
thing which you have to sell. The first question 
each one must decide for himself. It is of the second 
that I want to speak, Granted then that you have 
something that you wish to sell by mail, what are 
the steps by which you can accomplish that end? 
First, advertise. Choose carefully tin* medium which 
you think will reach the class of people to whom 
you wish to sell. If you sell live stock, a farm paper 
usually is best. If you are selling to city customers, 
advertise in some good city daily which has a large 
emulation. It is better to advertise by the year, 
for not only is the expense less, but leaders will usu¬ 
ally buy from tin* advertiser whose name appears 
mouth after month rather than the one who out¬ 
advertises spasmodic-ally. Considerable skill is re- 
quired to write a catchy advertisement, also a letter 
which will bring an order from the inquiry. No 
definite rules can be given for this, but there are a 
few things which it is well to remember. 
STATIONERY.—If possible, stationery with the 
name of the farm and owner adds much to tin* suc¬ 
cess of the undertaking. A cut made from a photo 
and used on stationery and also on price cards will 
give the prospective customer an idea that tlx* adver¬ 
tiser is a person of some importance. If you make 
the customer feel that others are buying and that 
you have satisfied customers. ln> will be much more 
desirous of having your goods. Never make him 
feel that you are begging him to buy if you wish to 
succeed in selling by mail. We have found year 
after year that when we are almost sold out of 
either stock or eggs, the orders will pom in. and 
there are always a number of orders for the last 
bird. 
A PRICE CARD illustrated with photos of the 
stock not only lessens work in answering letters, hut 
also brings many orders from letters which would 
otherwise he only useless inquiries. Here is the 
advertisement which we place on tlx* back of the 
card : "The. poultry products of the United States 
amounted to nearly $1.000.000.000 last year. Are 
you getting your share? If you <ne going to raise 
poultry, why not hare purebred fou ls and take some 
pride in your flock? They rat no more . are more 
prolific and are a greater satisfaction to their owner." 
The other side contains only a large illustration of 
either our ducks or geese. On tlx* envelope, besides 
the name and address, are the kinds of poultry we 
have for sale and a good illustration of a While 
Chinese gander. If you are selling real estate or 
only a few head of stock, it is well to have some 
good photos taken and inclose prints in letters of 
inquiry. The customer should never he left, to guess 
as to the quality of your goods. Always keep in 
mind that he knows very little of your reliability and 
is taking you on no one's recommendation except 
your own. It also pays to take a personal interest 
in each customer. Letters should not he too long, 
neither should they he too short and curt. 
SQUARE DEALING.—It seems unnecessary to 
mention that one must he absolutely honest in his 
dealings, yet many who make a business of selling 
by mail practice all kinds of tricks, and seem to suc¬ 
ceed for a time. Tt is only temporary, however. We 
make it a special point to please every customer, even 
if it means a financial loss, at the time. It always 
pays in the end, for a large amount of our orders 
are from old customers or from new ones to whom 
they have recommended us. The more of that you 
can have, the less will be your expense for adver¬ 
tising. 
PACKING EGGS.—It might be well to give mir 
method of packing eggs for shipping, as many ask 
bow we do it. We get tlx* chopped cork in which 
(lie California grapes are packed, and the light splint 
baskets in peck, half-bushel and bushel sizes. Place 
a layer of cork in tlx* bottom, and be sure that it is 
thick enough to prevent, jar, probably about an inch 
thick. Wrap each egg well in paper and pack care¬ 
fully as near as possible together, yet not so as to 
squeeze against the side of the basket. Pack plenty 
of cork around the sides. If there are a number of 
eggs, put on another layer of cork, then one of eggs, 
and so on until the basket is full. Be sure there is 
enough room at the top for a thick layer of cork. 
That should ho rounded over and packed in well at 
the sides. Fill very full, as it will settle a good deal. 
We use gunny sacking for the tops and sew with a 
darning npedle and cotton string. Pull the cloth 
