Daily Kennebec journal., 1903-08-04
STATE HOUSE.
A Deputy Sheriff Fined for
Netting Trout.
Timber and Grass" Means Blueberry
Bushes, Says Law.
Council VIII Meet, This Afternoon
New Corporations.


uty sheriff of Aroostook county, has
just stacked up hard against the game
laws, which by his oath of office he is
supposed to enforce. 1t is barely pos
sible that in the summary of his duties,
as John understands them the enforce
ment of the laws of the fish and game
code is omitted. Still it may be that
gross neglect is responsible for his fall
ing from the path of right and engag-
ing in unlawful acts, to wit: The frac-
turing of the laws concerning the
catching of trout.
No doubt it would have been all right
if a warden had not come round. But
the warden came. That's what caused
the trouble, also depleted the finances
OF Brown and his friends to the tune
of $50.
1t was mighty poor judgment or
Browns part to be caught, but a good
thing for the State.
Brown, DR.. Wellington of Boston and
John Mitchell of Moro, were caught
netting trout in Hone pond in Moro
plantation. They We're prosecuted by
! Warden Templeton and convicted, pay
| ing fine of $50. The net was brought
! to augusta by Warden Templeton and
now forms a part of the collection
which Chairman Carleton has in the
! office of the commissioners at the State
House.
| The men told Templeton that they
had owned the net for four years, but
that they had never used it before, un-
til the time they were caught.
The season when the blueberry pick
| er i1i Washington county is in his
| glory is now here or practically so. No
county in the State has SO great an ex-
pRnse of gblueberry land, as has that
county, and it is a source of great rev.
enue to the people. There are num-
\ Der of b1ueberry canning factories in
the county and they all do a good bus
mess. In addition to these, hundreds
4 Of people from all parts of the State
visit the blueberry plains of the county
4 eacnsyear, pick berries and take them
away to sell.
Il For a number of years these blue
berry plains have been a source of
great annoyance to the timber land
owners of the county. A large number
of them were located on public, or
school lots, in unincorporated places.
By the law of the State the land agent
has the right to sell the right to cut the
timber and grass upon these berry lots
to the highest bidder. A former land
agent held that blueberry bushes were
neither timber nor grass and so that
the right to gather them was not con-
veyed in the sale of the right to cut the
grass and wood. He, therefore, sold
the right to pick the blueberries. 1t
was this which caused the trouble.
| lii order for blueberries to thrive and
bear well, the land has to be burned
over, at least every two years, While
every year is better. In the burning
over of these blueberry tracks there
arose a great danger to the timber
lands. There was always a possibility
of the flames getting beyond control
and running large amount of valuable
timber. While so far as known, no Sc
rious fires have occurred from this
source the danger has been eminent
and recognized by the land owners. 1t
, was this knowledge of danger which
caused them to ask the Legislature, last
. winter to define what was meant by
, the term timber and grass in the act
providing for the sale of those rights.
This the Legislature did. in Chapter
232 of the Public Laws of 1903, which
says:
The language timber and grass as
relates to the public lots, so called. in
unincorporated townships in the State
of Maine. is hereby construed to mean
all growth of every description on said
lot