Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-01-14
Westminster Farmers Club.


efcial to the owners of the soil to have
fish, game and small fruits protected by
law to the owners thereof exclusively.
GEO. M CHASE. This question ought
to command the attention ofe every farm
er and his vote for the law proposed.
Every landowner in almost every cline
knows from his own experience that his
farm supports more or less game, caught
by others, that never returns him cent.
Under the present laws all this game is
fed and fattened for the especial benefit
of every class of men except the busy
farmer. By the time he is ready to hunt
or fish the loafer with his gun and fish
rod, long since prepared, has robbed him
of his sport They fish all they please;
they tangle down his grass; they break
down his fences they throw down the
bars and coming to the farmers house
call for their horse, which in many cases
| has been we'll stabbed and well fed, and
when all is ready drive home with no
thanks to any one. 1t may be shown
that we have laws enough already, but
if we have they are of no effect. Every
farmer should be lord Of his own farm.
Loafers shoot everything they find, some
forgetting to distinguish between par
fridge and hen they set our wood-lots
on fire burn fences to roast corn that
they forget to bring with them steal all
the apples they can find and then very
politely call for mug Of cider for the
stomach's sake All this is fine sport
for the loafer, but it is all " buzzard to
the farmer. If all the game in town
was protected for two or three years,
there would be an object in hunting it,
and many farmers might receive hand
some compensation for their time spent
in hunting and fishing. | believe we
should have new protective law under
stood by all and honored by all.
j. w. CLAY.-I am not quite able tC
see this question in the same light with
neighbor Chase. / fail to see how hi,
new law could be mad practical anC
profitable. If laws on the statute books
cannot be executed, it is useless to make
them No man can keep others out Of
his wood-lots, and if man can break
one law he can soon break many others
: Another objection to the law is that ne
farmer would find time to benefit himsel
! by it, while without it the loafers," a
5 Mr.. Chase terms them, would put al
: end to many animals that are prac
teal injury to the farmer 1t may b.
t, true that every man ought to hold tn
;. unreserved right of the wild game Oh
: his farm, but suppose he drives his rab
! bit to the line, where is the man VIII
h holds the right to pursue him after h
n jumps the fence Mr.. Chase's lay
= would allow no man to go far enough t
l. catch the rabbit There is great amour
10 of game in our wood-lots, and there ar
y always lazy men enough to catch it, an
d. catching it is the only benefit they b,
& stow upon the public. 1t appears to m
I that better law would be to pay
" bounty on such animals as are iniurin
us and pay those who will capture ths
a class of game. Before we make any la
ID for protecting our game we had bette
Of petition for one to pay for the sheep kille
n by dogs, without subjecting the loser
- a course of law to prove whose an
ot. which dog killed them.
'ol HARRY FLoYD.-Mr. Clay thinks v
: cannot enforce the laws | think we ca
no and l think the law proposed is ju
t" what we need. l believe it could
~ easily enforced Every farmer has Il
os- exclusive right TO everything upon h
re farm, fish, game and small fruit, y
na in nineteen cases of every twenty son
,ro loafer gets the whole before the farm
ing is ready. The berries are all taken /
we fore they are fit to eat, and the fish a
y, all caught before they are large enoul
ow to pay for dressing and neither do al
ose one any good. Sometimes my hens a
re- taken before they are half fattened al
not long since my neighbor shot Fl
ere coon that | bad been feeding all SUNNI
ing and fall. My neighbor has brook ru
a ming through his farm that would supp
E. him with fish the year round if To-
dy ers would keep out of it. I'll take ca
tsr of all the game likely to injure me
ie loafers will leave the other game wht
I'D it is raised.
OK ]. w. CLAY.-Mr. Floyd thinks I
I'm law can be enforced, but complains
vor, the next breath that he can't protect
5 in chickens and small berries If farm
the wish to protect their small fruit they c
nine do so with the present law. No law
ma the statute book is GOOD for anything |
=. less it can be enforced. The law
lib ready protects the farmer so far as 5;
they farmer himself meets its Requirement
:. With any law that can be devised