396 
Iht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
March  10,  1923 
General  Farm  Topics 
Many  Farm  Bills  Before  New  Jersey 
Legislature 
Organized  farm  interests  in  New  Jersey 
have  been  responsible  for  a  number  of 
bills  in  the  New  Jersey  Legislature  this 
season.  Approximately  a  dozen  affecting 
the  farmers  of  the  State  have  made  their 
appearance,  chiefly  through  the  Senate, 
although  up  to  the  last  week  in  February 
final  disposition  had  not  been  made  of 
any  of  the  measures.  The  adjournment 
date  for  the  New  Jersey  Legislature  has 
been  set  at  March  15,  with  indications, 
however,  that  the  adjournment  date  will 
be  postponed. 
Among  the  principal  matters  now  pend¬ 
ing  in  the  Legislature  are  the  following : 
Senate  Bill  No.  64,  which  is  a  substitute 
measure  to  bring  the  co-operative  law 
of  New  Jersey  up  to  date.  Since  the 
present  co-operative  law  was  put  on  the 
statutes,  the  Federal  law  legalizing  co¬ 
operative  associations  has  come  into  ex¬ 
istence,  and  in  keeping  with  this  Federal 
law,  and  in  line  with  the  progress  of  co¬ 
operative  organizations  in  New  Jersey, 
this  measure  has  been  presented.  It  was 
offered  to  the  Senate  as  a  part  of  the  leg¬ 
islative  program  of  the  New  Jersey  Fed¬ 
eration  of  County  Boards  of  Agriculture 
and  the  New  Jersey  State  Grange.  It 
passed  both  the  Senate  and  Assembly  in 
its  original  form,  and  is  now  up  for  two 
srries  of  amendments  in  both  houses. 
Its  chances  are  good.  The  original  co¬ 
operative  law  would  be  repealed  by  Sen¬ 
ate  Bill  No.  65. 
A  supplemental  measure,  known  as  Sen¬ 
ate  Bill  No.  99,  would  make,  it  a  misde¬ 
meanor  to  advise,  counsel,  or  induce  mem¬ 
bers  of  co-operative  associations  to  break 
their  marketing  contracts  or  agreements, 
and  also  likewise  make  it  a  misdemeanor 
to  give  out  false  statements  on  the  finances 
or  business  of  co-operative  associations. 
Indications  are  that  this  measure  will  be 
passed. 
The  amendments  to  the  motor  vehicle 
act.  Senate  Bill  No.  67,  would  relieve 
farmers  from  the  necessity  of  taking  out 
a  commercial  license  for  the  transporta¬ 
tion  of  farm  produce  and  milk  in  touring 
cars  of  the  passenger  type,  which  is  in 
the  law  at  present,  and  bitterly  opposed 
by  organized  farm  interests.  This  amend¬ 
ment  in  its  definition  of  commercial  motor 
vehicles  would  exempt  touring  cars  put  to 
such  usage.  A  number  of  other  items  are 
included  in  this  act  which  purpose  to 
further  clarify  the  present  motor  vehicle 
law.  Although  there  is  some  difference 
of  opinion,  there  is  strong  support  for  the 
passage  of  this  bill. 
Senate  Bill  No.  63  is  an  amendment 
to  the  fish  and  game  laws,  which  would 
widen  the  deer  season  in  Ocean,  Atlantic 
and  Cumberland  Counties  of  New  Jersey 
from  December  16  to  22.  It  would  per¬ 
mit  the  killing  of  does  more  than  one  year 
old  in  those  three  counties,  where  there 
is  an  excess  of  deer  detrimental  to  farm¬ 
ing  interests.  The  bill  passed  the  Senate 
and  went,  to  the  House,  was  amended  and 
at  this  date  has  gone  to  the  Senate.  Con¬ 
siderable  opposition  to  the  measure  is 
apparent  in  the  House.  Senate  Bill  No. 
68  would  repeal  the  old  wilful  trespass 
act  of  1857. 
Another  measure  of  importance  to  farm¬ 
ers  is  Senate  Bill  No.  69,  which  is  a  sub¬ 
stitute  measure  to  protect  crops  and  fruit 
trees  of  farmers  from  damage  by  mak¬ 
ing  a  trespass  fine  of  $20  for  violation  on 
posted  land.  The  bill  would  provide  that 
the  failure  of  defendant  to  produce  a 
written  permit  is  proof  that  he  was  for¬ 
bidden  to  trespass.  According  to  Senate 
Kill  No.  155,  it.  would  4>e  a  misdemeanor 
punishable  by  $1,000  line  or  imprisonment 
for  one  year  or  both  to  advertise  oleo¬ 
margarine,  butterine,  suiue  or  substitute 
butter  and  cheese  products  by  using  the 
names  of  breeds  of  cattle,  picture  of  a  cow 
or  the  words  “creamery’’  and  “butter.” 
This  passed  the  Senate  and  chances  for 
final  passage  appeared  to  be  good. 
Among  the  other  bills  is  Senate  Bill 
265.  which  would  permit  insurance  com¬ 
panies  organized  by  persons  engaged  in 
agriculture  legally  to  combine  different 
kinds  of  insurance,  such  as  liability,  labor 
and  accident  insurance.  One  of  the  other 
bills,  known  as  Senate  129,  would  repeal 
the  Teachers’  Tenure  of  Office  Act  of 
1909.  This  has  been  replaced  by  a  sub¬ 
stitute  measure  in  the  form  of  an  amend¬ 
ment  to  the  present  Teachers’  Tenure  of 
Office  Act.  It  would  give  five  years  in¬ 
stead  of  three  years  as  the  necessary 
period  of  teaching  before  the  tenure  be¬ 
came  effective.  The  amendment  has 
passed  the  Senate. 
Senate  Bill  No.  150  would  appropriate 
$10,000  to  the  New  Jersey  Experiment 
Station  for  investigation  of  means  and 
methods  of  economical  production  and 
marketing  of  fruits  and  vegetables.  An¬ 
other  bill.  Senate  No.  215,  would  provide 
additional  free  scholar,  hips  at  the  State 
(\>lhy;e.  further  stipulating  that  those  re¬ 
ceiving  the  scholarships  must  maintain  an 
average  grade  of  70  each  year  to  receive 
appointment  for  free  tuition  in  the  fol¬ 
lowing  year.  Passage  of  this  is  in  doubt. 
A  supplementary  bill,  known  as  Senate 
100.  would  require  the  financial  officers 
of  the  township  committees  in  New  Jersey 
to  publish  financial  statement  of  the  town¬ 
ship  committee  each  year.  Indications 
are  that  this  bill  will  go  through.  Senate 
No.  216  is  an  amendment  to  the  fish  and 
game  laws,  which  would  allow  the  dog  of 
an  owner  to  run  on  the  owner’s  premises 
regardless  of  open  season  of  game,  pro¬ 
vided  the  game  regulations  were  not  vio¬ 
lated.  The  present  statute  does  not  per¬ 
mit  this.  The  amendment,  however, 
would  punish  the  owner  with  a  fine  of  $20 
if  the  dog  runs  off  the  premises  of  owner 
except  during  the  open  season  on  the 
kinds  of  game  mentioned. 
One  of  the  school  measures  of  general 
interest  to  the  counties  is  Senate  Bill  117, 
which  would  provide  for  distribution  to 
the  counties  of  State  school  money  aris¬ 
ing  from  the  State  school  tax,  the  State 
railroad  tax,  and  the  State  school  fund, 
on  the  basis  of  teachers  employed  and 
pupil  attendance,  instead  of  on  the  basis 
of  ratables  as  heretofore.  h. 
Curso  of  Jack  Rabbits 
I  have  become  much  interested  in  the 
article  about  shipping  jack  rabbits  to 
Eastern  States.  We  Western  farmers 
think  it  will  be  very  unfair  to  the  East¬ 
ern  farmers  as  the  jack  rabbit  is  a  ter¬ 
rible  crop  destroyer.  They  attack  rye, 
Alfalfa  and  corn-fields  and  ruin  them, 
and  besides  would  have  the  orchards  there 
to  work  on.  We  have  a  125-acre  corn¬ 
field  around  and  in  which  between  300 
and  400  jack  rabbits  have  been  shot  this 
Winter.  We  got  our  corn  all  shucked 
early,  but  even  then  the  rabbits  had 
paths  beaten  like  sheep  trails  and  de¬ 
stroyed  a  lot  of  corn.  During  a  snow 
the  rabbits  in  our  field  alone  would  de¬ 
stroy  what  would  feed  50  young  sliotes. 
I  am  sending  a  piece  clipped  from  the 
“Great  Divide.”  printed  in  Denver,  show¬ 
ing  the  raids  made  to  get  rid  of  this  great 
pest.  We  also  sprinkle  salt  with  strych¬ 
nine  dissolved  in  water,  set  around  in 
boxes  and  the  rabbits  lick  the  salt  and 
this  gets  a  great  many.  .wits.  R.  n.  R. 
Colorado. 
The  clipping  follows.  We  do  not  want 
this  pe.st  in  the  Eastern  States — just  to 
please  a  few  hunters: 
“Jack  rabbit  campaigns,  conducted  in 
four  States  by  the  Biological  Survey  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture,  have  been 
particularly  effective  during  the  past  year. 
In  Idaho.  Washington,  Oregon  and  Texas, 
great  numbers  of  jack  rabbits  were  de¬ 
stroyed  by  traps  and  poison. 
“In  10  counties  of  Idaho,  32,235  pounds 
of  bait  treated  with  2,159  ounces  of 
strychnine,  were  used  on  312,350  acres  of 
land.  By  poisoning  and  by  drives,  640,- 
050  jack  rabbits,  according  t<>  actual 
count,  were  destroyed  in  that  Sthte. 
"In  six  counties  in  Washington,  155,- 
500  were  reported  killed,  and  in  four 
counties  of  Oregon,  it  is  estimated  that 
350.000  were  destroyed.  In  three  counties 
of  Texas,  35.000  jack  rabbits  were  ac¬ 
counted  for.” 
Strawberries,  Asparagus  and  Alfalfa 
I  have  a  small  strawberry  patch  which 
has  been  neglected  until  the  whole  thing 
is  full  of  weeds  and  grass,  almost  forming 
a  heavy  soil.  The  previous  owner  claimed 
it  yielded  a  good  crop  last  year.  Would 
it  be  practical  to  plow  out  the  plants  this 
Spring  and  reset  them,  or  what  would 
you  suggest? 
Of  course,  you  cannot  hope  to  get  a 
crop  of  berries  this  year.  There  would  be  a 
few,  but.  hardly  worth  picking.  .  If  you 
are  a  good  judge  of  plants,  you  can  get 
some  that  are  suitable  out  of  this  sod. 
but  they  would  hardly  equal  plants  grown 
in  clean  ground,  where  they  have  a  fair 
chance  to  develop.  If  you  want  only  a 
small  patch,  our  advice  is  to  plow  up  this 
bed  and  plaut  crops  like  corn  or  cabbage. 
Buy  good  plants  from  some  expert  grower. 
Do  not  try  to  get  them  out  of  this  sod. 
There  is  a  half-acre  of  asparagus  in  the 
same  shape,  all  overgrown  with  weeds, 
and  I  understand  that  the  plants  are  eight 
or  nine  years  old.  Can  this  bed  be  re¬ 
claimed.  or,  if  not,  how  can  I  get  rid  of  it? 
"We  should  take  a  chance  on  cleaning  up 
the  asparagus  bed.  Plow  between  the 
rows,  or  if  the  patch  is  small,  spade  up 
the  ground.  Then  with  a  sharp  hoe  clean 
the  weeds  and  grass  out  between  the 
plants,  and  keep  them  clean.  Give  a  good 
dressing  of  manure  or  fertilizer.  You 
can  tell  from  the  growth  whether  the 
plants  are  worth  saving  or  not. 
If  I  inoculated  a  piece  of  ground  and 
put  in  Alfalfa,  how  many  years  could  I 
expect  to  cut  from  it,  or  in  case  I  turn 
it  into  a  free  range  for  poultry,  how  many 
years  could  I  use  it  as  such  without  re¬ 
seeding? 
No  one  can  tell  how  long  the  Alfalfa 
will  last.  We  have  one  field  seeded  12 
years  ago.  There  are  still  some  plants 
left  in  it.  Another  patch  after  four  years 
is  about  gone.  If  that  soil  is  xvell  limed 
ami  fertilized,  Alfalfa  ought  to  hold  for 
seven  or  eight  years. 
A  Teacher  Talks  to  Parents 
One  way  in  which  parents  can  help 
i lie  school  work  is  to  see  that  John  and 
Mary  have  a  suitable  school  lunch,  some¬ 
thing  which  they  will  eat.  Try  to  ar¬ 
range  the  food  to  look  appetizing.  It  is 
a  wise  plan  to  wrap  the  sandwich  in 
oiled  paper  and  let  the  kind  of  sandwich 
vary  each  day.  If  a  boiled  egg  is  put  in. 
it  is  always  best  to  remove  the  shell  and 
cut  the  egg  in  two  and  put  on  butter; 
salt  and  a  little  pepper,  then  roll  in 
paper.  1  low  often  I  see  slices  of  bread 
and  butter  thrown  along  the  road  by 
children  on  their  way  home  from  school'; 
A  bottle  of  milk  helps  out  the  lunch,  and 
if  a  straw,  such  as  is  used  at  the  soda 
fountain  or  just  a  good  rye  straw,  is  put 
in  the  lunch  box  beside  the  bottle  of 
milk,  the  child  will  be  sure  to  enjoy  the 
milk.  Canned  fruit  may  be  sent  to 
school  if  it  is  put  in  a  glass  with  a  screw 
top,  the  kind  you  buy  at  the  candy  store 
with  little  sticks  of  candy  in.  Don’t  for¬ 
get  to  put  in  a  spoon  to  eat  the  sauce 
with.  Figs,  oranges  and  dates  are  al¬ 
ways  a  glad  surprise  to  the  little  people. 
Of  course  one  caunot  always  afford  those 
luxuries,  but  still  remember  the  old 
adage,  “It  is  cheaper  to  pay  the  grocer 
than  the  doctor.”  The  vitality  of  the 
child  must  be  kept  up,  and  loss  of  appe¬ 
tite  is  often  the  forerunner  of  a  hard 
cold.  Apples  are  always  good  at  recess 
and  noon.  The  other  day  I  heard  a  little 
girl  say  wistfully,  as  she  watched  a  play¬ 
mate  bite  into  a  big  'Spy,  “I  haven’t  any 
apple,  because  I  didn’t  have  time  to  go 
down  cellar  and  get  one  this  morning.” 
It  is  well  these  dark,  cold  mornings  if 
the  housekeeper  has  the  school  lunch  all 
prepared  and  planned  the  day  before.  It 
would  be  nice  if  all  schools  could  furnish 
the  children  with  one  warm  di§h  at  noon, 
but  in  many  cases  this  is  impossible. 
Then  there  are  the  health  chores  which 
all  rural  teachers  are  required  to  have 
the  pupils  report  on.  Parents  often  need 
to  remind  children  .to  brush  the  teeth, 
comb  hair,  clean  fingernails  and  have  a 
clean  handkerchief ;  also  see  that  hands, 
face,  neck  and  ears  are  washed  daily,  and 
a  warm  bath  at  least  once  a  week.  Just 
a  word  about  clothes.  It  really  does  help 
John  or  Mary  to  be  well-behaved  if  their 
clothes  are  clean  and  neat,  not  torn  and 
dirty.  I  often  think  a  child  tries  to  act 
the  part  he  thinks  himself  dressed  for. 
If  sent  to  school  dressed  as  a  rowdy  a 
boy  will  act  the  part  of  a  ruffian  during 
intermissions  at  least.  It  may  be  a  good 
plan  to  have  children  change  their  clothes 
when  they  come  home  from  school,  for 
in  that  way  it  is  easier  to  keep  neat. 
By  the  time  this  reaches  you  the  grade 
examinations  for  the  half  year  will  be 
over,  and  John  and  Mary  will  bring 
home  their  standing.  As  you  read  them 
over  please  do  not  blame  the  teacher  if 
the  marks  are  not  all  above  75.  Talk 
over  the  school  work  with  the  child  ;  en¬ 
courage  him  to  tell  you  about  his  lessons. 
Help  him  in  every  way  you  can  to  im¬ 
prove  his  work.  If  possible  visit  the 
school,  or  at  least  have  a  chat  with  the 
teacher.  Remember  the  school-teacher  is 
a  human  being,  and  enjoys  kind  words 
and  encouragement  as  much  as  you,  and 
then  she  is  your  child’s  friend. 
A  TEACHER. 
The  judge  looked  sternly  at  tlie  pris¬ 
oner.  “It  is  very  evident  that  you  are  a 
plain,  no-account  and  shiftless  person. 
Kaspar,  and  for  this  I  am  going  to  send 
you  away  for  a  year  at  hard  labor.” 
“Please.  Judge,”  interrupted  Mrs.  Kaspar 
from  the  rear  of  the  court-room,  “will 
yo’  Honnah  jes’  split  dat  sentence?  Don’t 
send  him  away  from  home,  but  jes’  let 
dat  hard  labor  stand.” — Everybody’s  Mag- 
Bloicing  Out  the  Stumps 
Oxen  Are  Handy  for  Such  Work 
I  Uupidli /  Growing  Woodpile 
