Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-08-14
Legislation for Farmers.

Some one has said that the worst
of men are not all bad, nor the be at
all good, and what is true of indG-
yiduals may be true of bodies c,r
men. That it is trnc may he lcarnch
from the late State Legislaturd
which, among all its disgracefuh
wrangles and debauchcry, found TIM Ie
to pass ut least two bills which ase
of special interest to the farmiI h.
community and which will be wild ..
ly commended. The first is an act to
epcourage the planting of trees Nv
the roadside" throughout the St4tc
1t wasepproved May ,, 1879, and il
rs followt:
SEcrIox !, That any person liabl IN
road tar wLo shall transplant toy ,bo
side Of any ou3lic highway, on hI own
premises. any frn't, shade trees OF foyes,
trees of suitable sic, shall be allo Cd by
,bo srnery;sor ~ 80, Dis, where roaG,. ~
tbrou9b or adio;n gltivatedhsl! ~ -
abatement Of his roai tax, one follnr
for every four trees 81 r. vt no
row of elms shall be near o,ho. kvcn.
ty feet, no row of naples d. eTco 2orest
trees nearer than fifty fee feet 1Ipt 10.
Gust, which may be set ihirtmantiSpart I;
and no allowance, as before trees IDned,
shall be made unless such FeyicH shall
have been set out the year rent sus to
the demand for such abateIom. and
are living and are protected - ami.
mails at the time Of such demar
Sac. =. Any trees transplantetto 10 the
side Of the public highway as foresaid,
IN the place of trees which have died,
shall be allowed for in the same man.
ner and on the same conditions as in
the previous section.
SEC. 3. No person shall be allowed in
abatement of this highway tax rs alore.
said more than one quarter OF his an
nual highway tax, and no one shall re-
ceive an abatement OF tax for trees
planted previous TO the pasSersA of this
act.
SEC. 4. Any person who shall cut
down, kill or injure any living tree
planted as aforesaid, shall pay to the
supervisor of roads "a aforesaid fifty
cents for each and every tree cut down,
killed or removed, and be collected as
other taxes are now collected.
This is just and proper act, pass
cd with view to the real good of the
people, and upon the principle "Give
the devil his due" we congratulate
the Legislature upon the lucid inter
val of its existence which enabled it
to pass. Now, let the farmers of
Centre county accept its provisions
in the same generous spirit in which
it was enacted, and the generation
which plants will live to see our road
sides vie with the "grsn lawns of
England" in "hearthsome shades and
luscious fruits" True, this law is
not mandatory and does not command
us 10 plant that we may enjoy, but,
when we know that enjoyment as well
as profit will follow the planting, shall
we not take advantage of the law
which proposes to pay the bills? For
this is what it amountsSo. The dol
lar to be deducted from our road tax
will just about pay the expense of
planting the four trees which entitle
us TO the deduction, and all the pleas
ure and profit which will follow will
be clear gain. Speaking on this sub.
ject, the Times says: "There is not a
farm or rural lot in the State that
would not be vastly enhanced In
actual as well as in market value by
judicious and liberal planting of
trees, and with such beautiful and
rapid growers as the cherry and the
sugar maple to tempt the landowner