Tht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
971 
Things  To  Think  About 
Condemning  Sharp  Corner  Land 
There  have  been  several  instances  of 
condemnation  of  land  for  road  pur¬ 
poses  in  this  county,  making  round 
corners  with  a  300-ft.  radius  in  place 
of  the  old  square  corners  on  the  State 
road.  Farmers  are  not  willing  to  ac¬ 
cept  what  the  officials  deem  a  fair 
proposition.  I  wish  I  had  a  few  cor¬ 
ners  to  sell  at  prevailing  prices.  Tak¬ 
ing  about  four-tenths  of  an  acre 
usually,  the  county  is  willing  to  pay 
four  or  five  hundred  dollars.  That 
seems  very  liberal,  but  some  have  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  getting  a  thousand  dollars. 
I  cannot  understand  why. 
Here  are  two  parcels,  one  involving 
about  half  an  acre,  but  an  old  unused 
mill  site  is  included.  Five  hundred  dol¬ 
lars  refused.  It  is  located  up  in  the 
hill  section  where  land  is  cheap  be¬ 
cause  of  so  much  area  of  woodland 
from  which  all  large  timber  has  been 
cut.  I  believe  the  average  assessed 
valuation  of  the  entire  township  is 
only  about  $15  per  acre  and  the  su¬ 
pervisor  asked  the  equalization  board 
to  reduce  it  as  it  was  assessed  too 
high.  The  second  case  is  on  the  same 
road,  but  involves  something  over  four 
acres,  cheap  hillside  land  however. 
There  is  one  feature  of  the  curved 
corners,  however,  that  I  cannot  under¬ 
stand. 
Farmer  after  farmer  has  gone  be¬ 
fore  the  boards  or  committees  and  tes¬ 
tified  that  cutting  a  corner  off  a 
field  injures  it  for  satisfactory  agri¬ 
cultural  work.  I  have  thought  about 
it  a  good  deal  and  I  cannot  see  why  it 
does.  It  seems  to  me  if  I  could  have 
round  corners  on  every  field  and  not 
have  these  corners  to  bother  with,  that 
is  not  have  them  left  in  some  other 
place,  I  would  prefer  it  that  way.  You 
still  have  a  straight  side  of  the  field 
to  line  up  with  for  drilling,  etc.,  except 
right  at  the  corner,  and  that  will  work 
out  right  as  you  get  to  it.  Yet  this  has 
in  a  number  of  cases  been  a  factor, 
and  a  liberal  allowance  made  because 
the  field  was  injured  for  satisfactory 
working.  J.  b. 
Helping  the  Home  Trade 
On  page  014,  Helen  S.  K.  Willcox 
just  hits  the  nail  on  the  head.  Our 
town  paper  and  merchants  keep  up 
their  ads  and  propaganda  “for  trade  at 
home,”  “spend  in  your  own  town.” 
“help  support  your  own  town,”  etc. 
I  thoroughly  believe  in  patronizing 
home  industry  and  am  willing  to  pay 
a  little  more  to  do  so  and  help  to  pay 
for  keeping  the  stock  on  hand  for  our 
own  local  needs.  But  I  can't  see  where 
we  can  help  but  patronize  the  cata¬ 
logue  houses  when  Ave  run  against  just 
such  things  as  Mrs.  Willcox  outlines.  I 
know,  for  I  have  been  there  several 
times  this  Spring  and  did  as  she  did. 
ordered  where  my  dollars  would  go 
the  farthest. 
We  go  to  town  with  a  load  of  vege¬ 
tables  and  try  to  make  a  sale  and  con¬ 
tract  for  the  season.  “Oh,  we  buy  all 
ours  from  Kingston”  is  what  you  get  all 
the  way  around.  We  drive  down  to 
Kingston,  or  ship  to  New  York  City 
and  then  they  come  back  on  the 
boat  or  train  and  are  sold  here.  I 
went  into  a  confectionery  store  to 
sell  some  cream,  or  try  to.  “What  do 
you  get  for  cream?”  I  asked.  “One 
dollar  per  quart,”  the  confectioner 
answered.  “Well,  I  would  like  to  con¬ 
tract  to  sell  for  the  Summer  to  you.” 
“Oh,  we  pay  30  cents  per  quart  when 
we  buy.”  We  ship  cabbage  to  New 
York  for  1%  cents  per  pound.  The 
housewife  there  pays  8  cents  for  it. 
Keep  up  your  agitation  until  these 
things  are  somewhere  near  equal. 
New  York.  G.  E.  b. 
Henry  Ford;  The  Chicken  Business 
My  attention  has  been  attracted  by 
two  notes  in  your  paper  of  June  9.  First, 
Henry  Ford,  and  the  money  he  loaned  to 
Detroit.  This  money  Ford  loaned  to 
Detroit  is  at  4  per  cent  and  tax  free, 
which  explains  everything.  Also  a  little 
further  publicity  for  Ford  towards  the 
President’s  chair,  Avhich  he  would  like  ro 
have,  as  it  is  quite  generally  understood 
Ford  has  hundreds  of  paid  advertising 
men  in  his  employ,  boosting  him  toward 
Washington,  his  denials  to  the  contrary 
notwithstanding. 
Second,  the  future  of  the  poultry  indus¬ 
try.  The  poultry  industry  is  on  an  ab¬ 
solutely  solid  foundation.  How  any  rea¬ 
sonable  man  can  suppose  for  a  minute 
that  the  poultry  business  will  crack  is 
beyond  reason.  We  have  heard  the  same 
old  song  for  10  years  now,  and  the  busi¬ 
ness  is  only  getting  more  solid.  Why? 
With  the  population  of  the  country  all 
crowding  into  the  cities,  who  is  going  to 
feed  the  people  in  10  or  15  years?  The 
cities  are  groAving  Avhilethe  rural  popu¬ 
lation  is  fading.  NeAV  York  City  claims 
to  be  gaining  100,000  a  year.  They  have 
to  be  fed,  and  it  will  not  be  the  present 
men  in  the  poultry  business  who  can  do 
it  in  a  few  years.  The  man  that  sticks  to 
his  poultry  business  has  nothing  to  fear 
from  the  future.  A.  E.  ixampton. 
Y’ou  seem  to  miss  the  point.  The  only 
reason  we  mentioned  Ford  was  that  he 
loaned  money  to  his  home  town.  In  that 
he  set  a  good  example  to  all  of  us.  As 
for  the  poultry  business,-  we  did  not  at¬ 
tempt  to  give  any  individual  opinion. 
What  we  said  was  a  fair  consensus  of 
many  reports.  Some  poultry  men  are  far 
up  above  the  clouds,  while  others  are  un¬ 
derground.  Neither  extreme  view  is  safe. 
Title  By  “Adverse  Possession” 
A  has  a  deed  for  land,  and  it  has  been 
assessed  to  him  and  taxes  paid  by  him, 
but  has  been  occupied  by  B.  who  claims 
title  to  said  land  by  peaceable  possession, 
as  lie  has  occupied  same  20  years.  Has 
B  any  claim  to  said  land  (he  has  no  deed 
for  the  piece),  and  it  is  not  mentioned  in 
his  deed),  or  who  does  it  belong  to?  Can 
A  fence  it  off  and  occupy  same,  and  what 
would  you  advise  A  to  do?  The  deed 
which  B  has  was  drawn  in  1850  and  A’s 
deed  Avas  drawn  in  1865.  •  c.  w. 
In  order  that  an  adverse  claim  to  land 
may  ripen  into  perfect  title  it  is  primar¬ 
ily  essential  that  the  possession  relied 
upon  be  actual  possession,  and  there  must 
be  an  actual  entry  on  the  land  which  will 
amount  to  an  ouster  of  the  owner.  The 
usual  tests  of  actual  possession,  it  is  said, 
are  actual  occupation,  residence,  cultiva¬ 
tion  and  improvement  of  the  land,  but  it 
is  ordinarily  sufficient  if  the  acts  of  own¬ 
ership  are  of  such  a  nature  as  a  claimant 
Avould  exercise  over  his  own  property  and 
which  he  would  not  exercise  over  that  of 
another.  It  is  obvious  that  the  character 
of  the  acts  sufficient  to  constitute  posses¬ 
sion  must  vary  according  to  .the  character 
and  location  of  the  land  in  dispute,  for 
“what  is  adverse  possession  in  a  populous 
country  is  another  thing  in  a  sparsely 
settled  one.  and  still  a  different  thing  in 
a  toAA’n  or  village.”  The  Civil* Practice 
Act  provides  where  there  has  been  actual 
continued  occupancy  of  the  premises 
under  a  claim  of  title,  exclusive  of  any 
other  right,  but  not  founded  upon  a  Avrit- 
ten  instrument  or  judgment  or  decree,  the 
premises  so  actually  occupied,  and  no 
other,  are  deemed  to  be  held  adversely. 
For  the  purpose  of  constituting  an 
adverse  possession  by  a  person  claiming 
title  not  founded  upon  a  written  instru¬ 
ment  or  judgment  or  decree,  land  is 
deemed  to  have  been  possessed  and  occu¬ 
pied  in  either  of  the  foIloAving  cases,  and 
no  others:  1.  Where  it  has  been  pro¬ 
tected  by  a  substantial  enclosure.  2. 
Where  it  has  been  actually  cultivated  or 
improved.  It  is  quite  difficult  to  say  by 
long  distance  just  Avhen  title  has  been 
obtained  by  adverse  possession.  All  of 
the  above  principles  must  be  applied,  but 
the  facts  are  undecided.  n.  t. 
A  NEGRO  called  upon  an  old  friend,  who 
received  him  in  a  rocking  chair.  The  vis¬ 
itor  observed  not  only  that  his  host  did 
not  rise,  but  that  he  continued  to  rock 
himself  to  and  fro  in  a  most  curious  Avay. 
“Yo’  ain’t  sick,  is  yo’,  Harrison?”  asked 
the  caller,  anxiously.  “No,  I  ain’t  sick, 
Mose,”  said  Harrison.  There  was  a  mo¬ 
ment’s  silence,  during  which  the  caller 
gazed  wide-eyed  at  the  rocking  figure. 
“Den,”  continued  Mose,  “why  does  yo’ 
rock  yo’self  dat  way  all  de  time?”  Har¬ 
rison  explained  :  “Yo’  know  Bill  Blott? 
Well,  he  sold  me  a  silver  watch  cheap,  an’ 
if  I  stops  moving  like  dis,  dat  watch  don’t 
go  !” — Good  Hardware. 
POST  TOASTIES  are  ready— ready 
now!  Toasted,  golden-brown  flakes 
of  goodness,  crisp  in  the  cream,  full  of 
energy-giving  nourishment — not  a  mo¬ 
ment’s  delay  for  preparation. 
With  the  first,  delicious  taste  you’ll 
know  why  Post  Toasties  are  everywhere 
famous  as  the  best  of  all  corn  flakes. 
Order  Post  Toasties  by  name  from 
your  grocer  and  be  sure  you  get  the 
ye  Mow  and  red  package.  A  serving 
usually  costs  less  than  a  cent. 
Post  Toasties 
Improved  Corn  Flakes 
Made  by  Postum  Cereal  Company,  Inc. 
Battle  Creek,  Mich. 
joyous  call 
to  appetite 
Thousands  of  New  Subscribers 
have  become  interested  in  Hope  Farm  and  its  people.  They  may  not 
know  that  these  notes  have  been  printed  for  20  years  and  more. 
Some  25  of  the  best  of  these  old-time  sketches  have  been  published 
in  book  form.  This  book  is  called 
HOPE  FARM  NOTES 
Every  reader  of  the  Rural  New-Yorker  should  oavu  a  copy.  Among 
other  remarkable  tributes  is  the  following: 
Mr.  M  and  I  have  just  finished  Hope  Farm  Notes, 
and  l  wish  you  would  express  to  Mr.  CollingAvood  the 
pleasure  that  it  gave  us.  We  both  liked  it  very  much, 
and  rarely  do  we  both  like  the  same  book! 
Ohio.  M.  H.  M. 
It  is  rare  that  any  single  book  will  appeal  to  all  members  of  the 
family  This  one  will  because  it  is  filled  with  kindly  feeling  and 
human  nature.  It  should  be  in  every  country  home. 
RURAL  NEW-YORKER,  333  West  30th  St.,  New  York 
Gentlemen — Enclosed  find  remittance  for  $1.50,  for  which  send 
me,  postpaid,  a  copy  of  “Hope  Farm  Notes.” 
Name . 
Town . . . 
State . R.  F.  D.  or  Street  No . 
