The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-05-03
proprietor. BLOOMSBURY. Pa. FRIDAY. MAY g. 1889.
THAT Farm Of Mime. "
BY Z. NJ. TEwKsBURy, oATAwIssA--READ
AT FARMERS INSTITUTE, MILLvILLE,
JANUARY 10TH, 1889.

In the discussion of thi, subject
there is 80 much to be said that | am
at loss sohere TO begin, and in view
of the fact, that 90. much has been said,
and so ,oeU said, about farming, | am
troubled sohat to say.
To discuss this subject as the title Of
this paper would seem to indicate that
it would be treated--"That Farm of
Mine might bring upon me the
charge of egotisna, or desiring to pre-
sent my own farm, and air my own
surroundings. This is not my desire,
nor my intention. l desire to state
some facts, advance some ideas or
theories, that may not simply please,
but profit; that will set in motion
train of thought that will result in
good to the farmer.
shall therefore present, for the
present at least, "That Farm of Mine"
in general sense. In the first place
l want the law making, or rather law
muddling powers, to keep their hands
off "That Farm of Mine; that is TO
say, want no laws enacted for the
especial benefit of "Tbat Farm of
Nine Why? To have legal enact
ment either State or National for my
particular interest must most certain
ly be opposed to the individual interest
of somebody else and their business,
and thereby engender strife, and con-
tempt of my business. The best pro
lection that can be afforded me and
"That Farm of Mine," is to be severe
ly left alone" l tell you sir, what l
do want is just what the story says the
old woman wanted when her husband
aud the bear had fight, that was
''every body should stand back and
give them fair play" "Thst Farm of
Mine wants fair play. 1t does not
want to be tied hand and foot and
thrown in the river and asked to saoim
by the side of every other business, un-
trammeled and unfettered. desire to
present "That Farm of Mine" at pres
ent as an individual, living, moving
and having being among other in
dividuals, entitled to all the rights,
privileges and protection of any other
individual, and no more, but Just so
much. l demand that "That Farm of
Mine" shall be treated in every legal
respect as an equal with any other
business set up along side of it and
that no enactment shall be made COM
pelling by law that it shall pay FIVE
dollars out of every six dollars of the
taxes levied for the public need. As
an individual, that farm of mine has
rights that every other individual is
bound to respect. Why's Because my
farm has to yield its individual rights
to the rights of others; therefore, others
morally are bound by the same law.
That farm Of mine has no moral right
to turn out upon the highway its cattle,
horses, sheep and dogs, to forage and
pillage upon the lands of another, COM
pelling him for self-preservation to
fence and fortify against the stock of
my farm; hence, no, other farm has a
right morally, neither do l believe
leg lily, to compel my farm to fence
against It's stock turned out to pasture
in the public highway. may be met
just here by the question, il not the
public highway public place' l an.
swer, yes. 1t is a public place for
public travel, but not for pu ,lic or
private pasture. My far for in
stance, has q public road laid out by
law through it for one-fourth of mile
thirty three feet wide. For what pur-
pose? The order of court for opening
of said road says it is for public traoel.
Who presumes that any one of my
neighbors, or anybody else has right,
moral or legal, to put up anywhere
along that eighty rods of road a hog
pen, COW or horse stable. If then you
have no right to stable on my land
taken for public tracel, what right
can you possibly have to pastures
You have a right to drive your cattle
along that highway, but no right. 10
turn them therein to pasture. If all
cattle found upon the public highway
without driver or keeper, we're taken
up and treated as estrays, in my opin-
ion it would be doing not only the
land owners, but the cattle owners as
well, a great favor. If there is any
class of animals l pity it is those turn
ed out upon our highways to struggle
for an existence, subjected to the as
saults of the vexed land owners, as he
and "Tige" gives the old brindle COW,
with crumpled horn and looks all for
lorn, exercise up and down the road,
ceasing only wien one or all are com
pletely exhausted.
Having treated imperfectly, as must
be in paper like this, That Farm of
Mine," as a person or indioidud,, /
desire now briefly to consider it as an
object or thing "That Farm of Mine,
in the first place must be we'll fenced
Benz Franklin said, "first fortify,
then beautify," In considering thi-
feature, l am taking the law of course
as it is not as it should be, in relation
to my farm. What do / mean, you
ak, by good fence? | mean one nc
matter of what material, that shall be-
able to "repel invasion and suppress
insurrevtion." One, that by its very
appearance declares emphaticslly to al
| TlOlOuS callle Il nus lar bnalb lnOu gC
and no farther" Economy must bt
used in laying out the line of fences
and arranging the fields, 80 that not al
unnecessary rod of fence Is built there
on. Ia the first place "That Farm o.
Nine must consist OF but one field
and then sub-divide into lots, such a
are absolutely necessary for the use o
the farm. "That Farm of Mine" mus
not be pastured to any very great ex
tent, therefore l shall not need man,
inside fences.
| We talk of taxes, and tariffs, an,
reduction of revenues, and all that, bu
the greater tax or tariff upon tha
"Farm of Mine" is the fence tax an,
and must be reduced. This can not b
done by letting it "go to the dogs" TO
generally the more dogs the poorer tn
fence, if not farm; but by a judiciou
overhauling, re-arranging aud careful
study of the whole subject.
| Having now fenced that farm @
mine l am prepared TO stock it. WEa