The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-01-30
SOUTH
 BRITAIN BRIEFS
By BILL GARRIGUs


 Gold weather is a trial on coun- try folk. One day last week, Ed- ward Scovill set the alarm clock for 2 a. m., figuring on getting up in time to put on a fresh chunk of hickory and warm up the kitchen before breakfast. The alarm jingled, per schedule. Ed arose, dressed, grabbed a lantern and the milk pail and went out to the barn. After chores, he won- dered why the day didn't dawn, but a glance at the clock enlight- ened him. Ed sat hunched-up by the fire until breakfast time.
 Something has to be done about the increasing tendency to allow the governmental experts to order folks around. The department of agriculture issues instructions that all cOrnstaIks must be pIOwed un- der before a certain date or 8 farmer will be fined. A man isn't boss i'm his own cOrn-patch any, more. Folks have been arrested for failure to blow corn-stubble under after some white-cOllar expert has sno0ped around and made re- port. Now, federal regulations ex- tend to the family wOodpile. Just dOwn-street, a worthy tax payer had been saving up a heap of cordwOOd to be sawed and split at his leisure. Along comes some new kind of an expert and inspects the woOdpile. You've got to saw that wood an dput it in the ceIlar," the federal man says, "That woods infected with gypsy moths, or Dutch elm blight, or something" Of course, this worthy citizen Obeyed the law, but if that in- spectOr had bumped into stub born guy, like CIee Wildman or Bowdagger Harrison, he might have had to call on the militia to enforce his regulations:
 The Barnum Dairy, favored by several local farmers as a pur- chaser of raw milk at fair prices, has been ordered into reorganiza- tion by the state milk commis- sioner, or some other official. It's hard to understand why an outfit as fair to the farmers as the Bar mum Dairy has to knuckle down to ruling that forces milk pro- ducers to accept lower incomes. Whats in name, anyway? F. T. Barnum was noted for giving everyone 8 run for his money.
 Those wOOdpile inspectors have reported the discovery of some 800 egg clusters in the gypsy moth zone in the Purchase area. If any egdB can stand the cold weather we have been experiencing it might be good sense to let them hatch, just to see what comes out. When ponds free solid and all the water pipes in Apple Blossom lane are frozen tight, it's a tough moth that survives. Maybe we cONmd send some of those moths over to Finland to hunt Russian cOoties. It would be a good way to show our sympathy, especially when you consider that most pests originally came from Europe, any, way.
 Dick Horton has returned from the midwest. Dick took 8 tree- climbing course, worked as a coal salesman, and then decided that opportunity right here beside the Pomperaug was not entirely lack ing.
 RumOr has it that the real req son why recent milk meeting was held at Oak Tree tavern rather than at the Community house was that town Officialdom drowned on the use of the hall.
 Even when the weather is too cold for comfort, there are things to be thankful for. Bill Wilcox is thankful because he doesn't have to prune any apple trees. The WPA men di dit for him. Apples, plums, nuts and berries were har- vested on Bills farm, branches and all. City folks are that way. They'll break of a branch to get wormy apple that they have to throw away, if you don't watch 'em. Bills watching 'em, now.
 Jack Coffee, one of Natures n0blemen, bears a hand at the ShOrtt farm at Bates Rock. Jack rustles around and keeps things shipshape, watches the setting hens, slop the hogs, and seldom takes day off. If we have any more social experiments brewing, it might be good plan to start a movement for monthly holidays for hired ran. (Probably if We did, the CIO would, come around and try to organize a local -unit).
 Don't make any improvements! When the Nancy Mitchell house was recently shingled, at reported cost of about $100, the assessors raised the valuation $500, or five-to-one. We wonder if every new shingle job was favored with a corresponding increase in taxes, and if the lumber dealers approve such tactics?
 MODEL PLANE MISJUDGED
 Shrewsbury, Mass. - (UP = Reports of an airplane crash brought two ambulanceS and three police cruising cars, sirens scream ing, to a field here. Investigators