Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-07-03

And we can see 10 digeBsnce In case
your GeId borders TIE highway and i
not surrounded By . fence. The pub
lie have the right 10 travel over the
highway, but no rights rkdterer In The
grass Maf grOws sfozg fAe side Of fke
fyoeellsd path. asr - fke crops os The
sdioiaing land. Common law may
be defined % short way as eommon
sense.
"The potato crop of The conntry Is
one Of great yalwe, sad since the ad-
vent Of the beetle no method 30 eGee-
tual for destroying the insects and saw
ing the crop for man has yet been de-
vised 40 by the use Of Paris green. IL
does not poison or Iniure the tubers as
hgmsn food. il has been used by the
hundreds Of tons for The past few years
all through the country, from Colorado
to The Atlantic. Cattle have been pois-
oned every year BY eating vines on The
fields Of potatoes where the poison has
been used, bat We have yet 20 learn ol
. single instance where cattle owner
has attempted TO collect damages where
hrs cattle has been poisoned while tres
passing.
"Paris green is used for painting win
dow blinds, and if q neighbor's Gov
should stray into the highway, and hav-
ing the curiosity 10 test the stresgth ol
the paint on The newly painted building,
should lap OF few square feet OF II,
We think the owner O. the COW would
not only have 10 suffer eng loss by pos.
oning, but would also be liable Tor The
damage done 20 The house or paint
even though The house stood near the
highway and was not protected by .
cattle fence. IL one should SET hi.
blinds out in the highway to dry, or il
be carelessly threw his poisoned potato
yines into the street, and a neIghbor's
animal while being driven over the
highway partook Of The poison and died
in consequence, il might be different
You have no right to Distract or in any
way endanger the safety Of any person
or domestic animal that is lawfully
travelling over the public highway
So much for the law in TIE matter. But
how about policy and neighborly acts
IN choosing between two fields, one
bordering on the highway and unfenced,
the other in back lot surrounded by a
good wall, if other things were equal, we
would select the latter Tor potaioesif We
expected to resor; 10 poison 10 save the
crop. But IL we were troubled BY a
neighbor's hens running and scratching
in our garden and he neglected or re-
fused to shut them up, we would BY
all means plant potatoes next 10 his
line, that his hens might help 70 pay
Cor their damage by eatiag ourbugs, and
if they were too lazy to earn thew liv-
ing in that way or would only eat bugs
when they cOald not find plenty oil
strawberries, we should sprinkle the
vines wTtR Paris green and notify the
owner OF the heus ofthe situation. He
could certainly get no damage on ac-
count of the bad'health Of has fowls from
eating spiced potato bugs on another's
garden"
We publish the above for the pur.
pose Of showing what is the law in the
case Of the poisoning land we believe
Il ID the same IN this state). and at the
same time TO draw attention to the pas
sage italicized BY Us relative 20 cattle
tresPassing on the public paths or upon
the fields Of neighbors. We do this
the moFe readily from the fact Of our
Witnessing recently in Baltimore coun-
ty the near destruction Of the finest lot
Of wheat we have seen lately by the tres
passing of whole herd Of cattle. whose
owner evidently deliberately sends the
forth day by day 10 gather The heritage
which grows along the fencing of bis
neighbors. The farm alluded 10 is one
Of the most beautiful We know Of, owned
by q widow whose taste has adorned
the homestead with almost every varie-
ty Of flower and shade tree, aud whose
hospitality is so proverbial that IL would
require the entire services Of q gate
keeper to attend to the numerous calls
Of friends. 1.-THE latch-string'' is there
fore, always outside, or the gate is ever
open; and, although the entrance gate
10 some considerable distance from the
truck patch and the wheat field. yet,
once having found the way TO them.
there is no safety thereafter but TO pc
constantly on the watch. Fortunately,
in the case alluded 10. gentleman pass
ing along the road IN the rear OF the
mansion, discovering the whole herd in
full possession OF the wheat field, put
himself to the trouble OF reporting the
fact to the family IN time to prevent the
ultimate damage OF destroying and
tramping down the grain, Of which they
had full possession for the time. This
trespassing upon public roads 10 q posi-
live violation Of The Law IN this state,
and the farmers in every neighbOrhood
shonld unite in some decisive steps to
put = stop to so injurious q practice as
that to which we have alluded. In
Montgomery county this evil has been
completely cured and in some parts OF
Baltimore county, and we suppose In
other counties, Il has been abated. and
should be permanently cured.-Baifi-
more .7meTieGR.