The Views of Farmers

New York, 1895

A VARIETY OF INTERESTING SUBJECTS FRANKLY DISCUSSED.

Renewing the Effort to Obtain an Experiment Station — The Multiplication of Cemeteries Objected To — Wide Tire Law Enforcement a Necessity.

The Long Island Farmers' club held its annual meeting at the Town Hall, Jamaica, on Tuesday. P. Halstead Scudder presided, and William W. Cocks recorded. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, P. Halstead Scudder; secretary, William W. Cocks; treasurer, M. C. Willets; vice presidents, John O'Donnell, Jamaica; Garret Van Duyne, Flushing; John E. Backus, Newtown; Richard C. Collier, Oyster Bay; William H. Cornwell, Hempstead; A. B. DeNyse, Bayridge; directors, Samuel Colton, Jamaica; James W. Kane, Flushing; Oscar Tuthill, Hempstead; R. Frank Titus, North Hempstead; Seymour W. Tarr, Newtown; Fred E. Willetts, Oyster Bay.

John O. Donnell said that Senator Childs desired to know what action the meeting would take in the matter of an experiment station for Long Island. He advised renewed efforts for the establishment of a separate station.

At the afternoon session, in the absence of President Scudder, John E. Backus was called to the chair.

An interesting paper on "Agricultural station on Long Island," was read by William Hicks, of North Hempstead, and was freely discussed.

The following resolution, offered by Mr. Scudder, was adopted:

Resolved, that the committee on legislation be authorized to use all honorable means to have a bill passed giving the direction of the experiment work on Long Island to a board of control to consist of citizens from each of the three counties on Long Island, the director of the Geneva experiment station, and the governor of the state.

John O'Donnell said he had a "grave" subject to bring up. It was the increase of cemeteries on Long Island. It is an evil that should be met. One-eight of the property in Newtown, owing to the many cemeteries is exempt from taxation. If the Long Island railroad company would go out into Suffolk County, purchase some of the wild lands for a cemetery, and run funeral trains there, they would make money and reduce our taxes.

The following resolution, offered by John O'Donnell, was adopted:

Resolved, That it is the sense of this meeting that no more land be acquired in Queens county for the burial of the dead from outside of Queens county, and that a copy of this resolution be sent to Senator Childs and the members of the assembly from Queens county, and that they be requested to pass a law to that effect.

Silas Albertson called attention to the fact that in some of the towns in the county nothing was being done toward enforcing the wide tire law. It was a shame and an insult to the board of Supervisors.

William W. Cocks said the Supervisors had done their part in making the law. It is for the local officers to do the rest.

John O'Donnell said the farmers fought for good roads and got them, and promised to use wide tires. Let us live up to our word. The way out of this difficulty is for us to go to our town boards and ask them to have the law enforced. It is a shame to have the roads destroyed by narrow tires used by narrow minded men.

Samuel Colton said the wide tire question is getting to be a chestnut. Farmers have had time enough to put wide tires on their wagons. It is time that the law was enforced.

The following resolution, offered by John O'Donnell, was adopted:

Resolved, That the town boards in the several towns be requested to direct the constables to enforce the wide tire law, and that the secretary send a copy of this resolution to the several town clerks.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, N.Y., Jan. 18, 1895, p. 1.