I486 
7ht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 24, T.cji 
Legal Questions 
S. 1 .. mi page 1*578. asks how to make 
a good gate. When a boy. my father had 
me go after the cows, and I had to drive 
them through the gate. The old gate was 
so heavy I could not open or shut it. so 
my father had to come and open it for 
me. I suppose he got tired of that, so he 
put up a new gate that I could open and 
••lose very easily. These gates used to 
be very common through York State, 
where 1 used to live. I do not gee any 
>uch gates here in Ohio. 1 send a sketch 
of the gate, which nearly explains itself. 
T rouble 
I have a 
trouble. I 
looking for ; 
one that is 
with Timer 
Ford, and 
have used 
i good one. 
faultless? 
the 
four 
Can 
timer gives 
and I am 
you suggest 
15. E. E. 
I might add you want a small tree, 
about 4 in. at one end and 7 in. or so at 
the other, and as long again as gateway. 
Bore three 2-in. holes two-thirds through 
timber for the uprights to nail boards on. 
Bore holes on top of posts and timber for 
iron about 8-in. long for the gate to swing 
and balance on. After you have it hung, 
saw off enough timber so gate will bal¬ 
ance. Any farmer can make this gate 
with very little expense. e. c. m. 
Chardon. O. 
accompanying sketch of a 
is a recent production of the 
The best 
The 
which 
er's. works like a charm, 
of it is that the cost was 
gate, 
writ- 
part 
very small, as 
As all four of these timers seem to have 
given trouble, it is possible that the diffi¬ 
culty lies elsewhere. The regular Ford 
equipment will giv<. efficient service when 
properly cared for. It must be remem¬ 
bered that the timer is in the primary 
circuit of this particular car or tractor— 
it is a low tension distributor. The cur¬ 
rent flowing through it has little voltage 
or pressure, and must have a clean path 
to permit maximum current flow to the 
ignition coils. Because of this the timer 
cap should be removed occasionally and 
the race-way and roller cleaned thor¬ 
oughly. Usually wiping out with a clean 
rag is sufficient, but kerosene or gasoline 
may be used if necessary. After cleaning 
apply a few drops of oil to race and 
roller and keep oiled. Remember that 
the timer is making half as many revo¬ 
lutions as the engine is. and must be 
lubricated. In cold weather use a light 
oil. as the thicker oil may prevent ♦•on- 
tact between the roller and the metal 
parts of the race-way. 
Keep thi' outside clean and dry. seeing 
that the upper hose connection is light 
so that a constant dripping does not take 
place on the timer and wiring. Also see 
that the primary wiring is in good con¬ 
dition and attached to the timer with the 
tabs at the ends of the wires turned in. 
If attached the other way they may make 
contact with the engine, grounding the 
current. When a timer is worn out the 
race-way will feel uneven, as the fingers 
Wife's Property Rights 
If a man dies and leaves a wife and no 
children, what share of the property can 
she hold, where there is both real and 
personal property? Can his father, if liv¬ 
ing. come in and hold any share of the 
property? II the father is not living, 
could the brothers and sisters bold the 
share that would go to the father? 
New York. w. g. s. 
If a man dies intestate and leaves a 
wife with no children, but leaves a father, 
the wife is entitled to one-half of the per¬ 
sonal property and the residue goes to the 
father. If he leaves a wife and brothers 
and sisters the wife is entitled to one- 
half of the personal property and to the 
residue if it does not exceed $2,00(1. If 
the residue exceeds that amount the wife 
takes $2,000 in addition to her one-half, 
and tin* remainder goes to the brothers 
and sisters. The real property of a man 
who dies without any will, subject to the 
dower rights of the wife, goes first to 
the children of deceased, second to his 
father, third to his mother and fourth to 
his collateral relatives. If we might be 
permitted to give you advice at this time 
we would suggest that you consult your 
attorney and have a will prepared. This 
will not shorten your life, but will give 
you comfort in your last days. x. t. 
In case the mother should die first, would 
the property go direct to the son. with 
whom the deed is made, or would hoi 
portion have to be divided with her other 
children? If a mother and son buy a 
farm having a joint deed, with the under¬ 
standing that lie is to have it after she 
is gone, could her other heirs claim a 
portion of her share, in case she dies and 
leaves no will. What is the best way to 
arrange matters in a case of this kind? 
The son must take care of the mother as 
long as she lives. j,. g. 
In order to answer your question it is 
necessary to know whether or not the 
man and his mother have a joint deed as 
a matter of law. If the deed is in fact 
a ‘joint deed ’ the property descends to 
the survivor regardless of the heirs of the 
Person dying. The very principle of joint 
tenancy is survivorship, and for the rea¬ 
son that if cuts off the heirs of the joint 
tenants the statutes of the various States 
have directed the way in which this deed 
shall be drawn. If between husband and 
wife it is not necessary to be so par¬ 
ticular. for it is presumed that the in¬ 
tention was to have the survivor take all. 
It would be advisable to consult an at¬ 
torney and have him decide whether your 
deed is a joint deed in fact or not. x.’t. 
most of the material was at hand on the 
farm. The description of the parts is as 
follows: AAAA, four eye-bolts made 
from Yj-in. round iron, with threaded ends 
for nuts, and eyes large enough to admit 
a %-in. water pipe or rod. The eye-bolts 
in the framing post. (’. of the gate rest 
upon the eye-bolts in the fence post upon 
which it is hung, forming a hinge. B is 
a piece of %-in. pipe used for a hinge pin. 
not fastened anywhere, one end resting on 
the ground. (’ is the framing post. 4x(>xN 
ft. long. D, the brace rod, we made from 
an old piece of Yt~ in. pipe, with a nut at 
upper end to draw up gate when desired. 
EE are two framing pieces. 2x4 in. F is 
lx(>xl2 ft., chestnut boards, making tin* 
gate 12 ft. wide. For a fastener we used, 
a piece of Y> in. round iron, drove a large 
staole in the fence post, and two in the 
gate, making a regular bolt. Then we 
gave the gate and all the trimmings plenty 
of paint, for I believe in painting every¬ 
thing. when possible, and I believe that 
gate will last a lifetime and not sag. The 
post on which it is hung is a good, heavy 
chestnut stick. 5 ft. in the ground, with 
plenty of stone tamped in around it, and 
then poured full of cement. F. E. s. 
Thomaston, Conn. 
are rubbed around it. and the roller will 
be rough nnd worn. When in this con¬ 
dition install a new one. If these direc¬ 
tions are followed, the vibrator points 
kept smooth and adjusted with an equal 
gap, and the spark plugs also kept clean 
and adjusted with equal spark gaps, about 
the thickness of a worn dime, it is prob¬ 
able that your ignition troubles will be 
stopped unless your motor is pumping 
oil. In that case have new rings put in 
and holes drilled in the skirt of the piston 
to lessen the oil pumping. k. ii. s. 
they 
pos- 
sus- 
it is 
the article on farm 
I have a pattern 
which accompanies 
I read with interest 
gates, on page 1378. 
for farm gat“ (cut 
this). Tin's gate is built of light wood 
strips, 1x3x12 ft. long. The cross strips 
are made of the same material. This gate 
is made in a short time and is light to 
handle. The hooks, as seen- in the gate 
J2 /eet long 
•* -- -- - 77—1 
, ,v 
£_ _ - • - • 1 
^ 
r 
'* 
■. 
_ 
1 
1 
— 
4 
Li - 
Cute Swung on Hook 
posts in cut. are made of i^-in. round 
iron. 12 in. long, bending one end square 
up, 3 in. driven into a hole bored with a 
f’s-iu. bit and held tight by a nail driven 
in by the side of the iron, leaving the iron 
hook out farther on the post you wish to 
swing the gate on, thus allowing the gate 
to swing if put in the post at an angle 
without taking off the hook. These are 
the handiest gates I ever saw in use. We 
have gates on this farm; no bars. If 
kept painted, they will last a lifetime. 
West Ivortright, N. Y. e. f. f. 
Rat Poisons 
Is there any rat poison which will dry 
them up? I have used a proprietary rem¬ 
edy which was supposed to give them a 
fever, but it appeared to agree with them, 
as they are as thick as ever. r. r. 
The rat poisons which give them a dis¬ 
ease which is fatal to rats and not taken 
by other domestic animals certainly work 
well at times, but seem to do their best 
on rats in towns and cities where 
have a narrow range of food. It. is 
sible that rats, like people, are more 
eeptible to disease in that case, and 
also likely that the rats which have a 
free range know vvlia' to eat to cure them¬ 
selves. Perhaps, too. there were so many 
rats that none got a full dose. By ail 
means the best scheme for rats is to feed 
them a few nights just what they clean 
up. and then give them the same stuff 
with about five per cent barium carbonate 
added. This is a cheap powder, which is 
carried by all wholesale and many retail 
druggists. Then change the spot and put 
.out a new sort of food, let the remaining 
rats get fond of this and repeat the car¬ 
bonate. or, better, use sodium fluoride this 
time. Change the spot and the food again, 
and repeat the poison when they have 
learned the new place. 
If you take good care that there is no 
place for them to get a drop of moisture 
in your buildings, they will certainly got 
outside for it. and likely die there. A 
good quality of “Boston brown bread.” 
made just as nice as you know how. but 
with about five per cent white arsenic 
in it. is one of the best rat poisons, but 
very attractive to other animals, and. of 
course, children. If you want to chance 
it. get them (the rats, of course) used to 
ordinary brown bread and then change to 
the arsenical for one night only. We 
cannot too strongly urge you to fight rats 
with all your power. They are expensive; 
each rat eats daily as much as a hen. 
foul and disgusting in their habits, and 
subject naturally to the vilest diseases, 
plague, is carried to men by the rat flea. 
They are suspected of transmitting others, 
and we know that one of the worst, the 
bubonic plague, is thus transmitted to hu¬ 
mans. Little can be done alone; try to 
get your neighbors to join with you and 
clean out all rats. 
Foreign Rights of American Citizen 
John .Tones is born in Italy, comes to 
the United States when he is 1(5 years old, 
becomes a citizen of the United States as 
soon as the proper time elapses, and mar¬ 
ries an American girl. When he is 40 
years of age lie wishes to return to Italy 
for a visit. Fan the Italian government 
force him to serve in the Italian army, 
or punish him« as a deserter? If so, 
what action will the United States gov¬ 
ernment take? John .Tones wishes to 
take with him to Italy his 17-year-old 
son. who was born in the United States. 
Can the Italian government force that 
boy to remain in Italy until he becomes 
of military age. and then make him serve 
his time in the Italian army? In such a 
case, what action would the United States 
government take? Does the United States 
give an Italian-born American citizen 
protection in such a case in return for 
Iiis oath of allegiance? If not—why not? 
Rhode Island. e. c. 
All naturalized citizens of the United 
States, while in foreign countries, are en¬ 
titled to and shall receive from this gov¬ 
ernment the same protection of person 
and property which is accorded to a na¬ 
tive born citizen. 
Whenever it is made known to the Pres¬ 
ident of the United States that any citi¬ 
zen of the United States has been wrong¬ 
fully deprived of his liberty by any of 
tin* authorities of any foreign government, 
it shall be the duty of the President forth¬ 
with to demand of that government the 
reasons of such imprisonment, and if it 
appears to be wrongful and in violation 
of the rights of American citizenship, the 
President shall forthwith demand the re¬ 
lease of such citizen, and if the release so 
demanded shall unreasonably be delayed 
or refused, the President shall use such 
means, not amounting to acts of war, as 
lie may think necessary and proper to ob¬ 
tain or effectuate the release. When a 
naturalized citizen shall have resided for 
a period of two years in the foreign State 
from which he came it shall be presumed 
that lie has ceased to be an American citi¬ 
zen. John .Tones’ son is a citizen of the 
United States under the facts you state. 
N. T. 
Eviction of Tenant 
I served a 30-da.v notice on my tenant, 
as he agreed and wanted to make pay¬ 
ment every three months, after he was 
back on rent two months. There was 
still $5 due me. I told him he could 
leave it at a store, lie did. and left three 
months’ rent in advance after I had 
handed him his notice and had refused 
to let him have house any longer. Can 
he stay three months? What steps do I 
take to remove him from premises? 
New York. 
E. 0. 
It is very difficult to give you any 
definite advice, for the reason that you 
failed to state what kind of a lease, if 
any, you had with your tenant. A lease 
from month to month, one can obtain 
possession of their property by giving the 
tenant a 30 days’ notice. If after giving 
you accepted rent, then of 
have waived your right tc 
If the person to whom he 
was authorized to receive 
receipt therefor, you will 
him notice 
course you 
evict him. 
paid the rent 
the same and 
have to wait until the three months are 
up. If the term was from month to 
month, and neither you nor the agent 
have accepted payment in advance, you 
can evict him at the end of your 30 days’ 
notice. n. t. 
Heirs Under Joint Deed 
If a man and his mother have a joint 
deed of a farm for several, years, then 
the man marries and his children, in case 
of his death, could tin 1 wife hold his 
half of the property, or would it go direct 
to his mother, and would the wife have 
to go through process of law to hold any? 
Step-daughter's Inheritance 
About 20 years ago A’s aunt died, leav¬ 
ing some property to which A and his sis¬ 
ter fell heir as next of kin. The sister 
had a quitclaim deed, drawn up jointly 
for herself and brother, deeding tin* prop¬ 
erty to a step-daughter of the aunt. She 
executed same and sent it to her brother 
in a distant State for him to affix his sig¬ 
nature thereto. This the brother refused 
to do, and returned the document un¬ 
signed. The sister has since died, leaving 
her daughter her estate. Does the lack 
of the brother's signature on the docu¬ 
ment as joint heir render it void, and so 
revert it to the estate of the daughter or 
does the deed hold good for the aunt’s 
Step-daughter? What action would be 
necessary to give the property a clear 
title and make it negotiable, under the 
R. w. R. 
laws of Tennessee? 
If the deed in question was properlv 
executed and delivered it passed all the 
title that the sister had in the premises 
to the step-daughter, and would not affect 
the right of the brother in any.way. There 
must have been an intention to pass the 
title and some physical act indicating 
til's. If the sister simply retained the 
deed after executing it. it * is very doubt 
fill if the step-daughter can take title, and 
it will probably be necessary to bring an 
in court to partition the property. 
N. T.' 
action 
Tenant Fails to Pay Rent 
A man came to me to rent my two- 
family house and lot. lie had son and 
son-in-law to live in house; he stays with 
them. lie did the talking. Would give 
$100 for a year. $25 first of April, first 
of July $50. I have received no money 
since first of April. Tenant and boys 
have passed by all Summer. This man’s 
son-in-law sent that $25—first of April. 
The father, who came to see me, has paid 
me no money. Will you tell me what I 
can do about rent also can I give them 
30 days’ notice, then take the house? 
New York. MRS. E. g. 
When a tenant fails to pay rent as 
agreed the landlord may remove him from 
the premises by three days’ notice. It is 
not necessary to wait until a large amount 
of back rent has accumulated. In order 
to protect themselves fully one renting 
property should always have a written 
lease and the ierms of payment definitely 
fixed. If time for payment passes and 
there seems to be little chance for the 
tenants to make payments in the future, 
or to secure the payments, it is advisable 
for the lanlord immediately to evict the 
tenant. w. 'r. 
Wife's 
In New 
or does the 
J. w. S. 
leaving him 
the surplus 
payment of 
Inheritance in New York 
York State, if a man dies, 
leaving no will, and nev-r having had 
children, but leaving a wife, and the only 
other near relative a brother (father, 
mother and all other brothers and sisters 
dead before they married), dobs the New 
York law give the brother a share in the 
estate, and what amount, 
entire estate go to the wife? 
If a man dies intestate, 
surviving a wife and brother, 
of personal property, after 
debts, is distributed as follows: One-half 
to the wife, and the whole of the residue 
to the wife if it does not exceed $2,000. 
If tin* residue exceeds that amount, the 
wife takes $2,000 in addition to her one- 
half. and the remainder goes to the broth¬ 
er. The real property would go to the 
brother with the exception of the dower 
interest of the wife. If you are thinking 
of dying some time, there is no reason 
why you should die without a will. It 
will cost you very little to make a will, 
the expense of probating a will after your 
death is not great, provided the will is 
drawn by a competent lawyer, and you 
will save your family considerable ex¬ 
pense and trouble after you are gone. 
N. T. 
