shall acknowledge the same in the manner that deeds conveying lands shall be acknowledged.

The instrument shall be recorded in the office of the County Recorder.

SURVEYORS AND SURVEYS.

There is in every county elected a Surveyor known as a County Surveyor, who has power to appoint deputies, for whose official acts he is responsible. It is the duty of the County Surveyor, either by himself or his deputy, to make all surveys that he may be called upon to make within his county as soon as may be after application is made. The necessary chainmen and other assistance must be employed by the person requiring the same to be done, and to be by him paid, unless otherwise agreed; but the chainmen must be disinterested persons and approved by the Surveyor and sworn by him to measure justly and impartially. Previous to any survey, he shall furnish himself with a copy of the field notes of the original survey of the same land, if there be any in the office of the County Auditor, and his survey shall be made in accordance therewith.

Their fees are three dollars per day. For certified copies of field notes, twenty-five cents.

MECHANICS' LIENS.

Every mechanic, or other person who shall do any labor upon, or furnish any materials, machinery or fixtures for any building, erection or other improvement upon land, including those engaged in the construction or repair of any work of internal improvement, by virtue of any contract with the owner, his agent, trustee, contractor, or sub-contrrctor, shall have a lien, on complying with the forms of law, upon the building or other improvement for his labor done or materials furnished.

It would take too large a space to detail the manner in which a sub-contractor secures his lien. He should file, within thirty days after the last of the labor was performed, or the last of the material shall have been furnished, with the clerk of the District Court a true account of the amount due him, after allowing all credits, setting forth the time when such material was furnished or labor performed, and when completed, and containing a correct description of the property sought to be charged with the lien, and the whole verified by affidavit.

A principal contractor must file such an affidavit within ninety days, as above.

Ordinarily, there are so many points to be examined in order to secure a mechanics' lien, that it is much better, unless one is acustomed to managing such liens, to consult at once an attorney.

Remember that the proper time to file the claim is ninety days for a principal contractor, thirty days for a sub-contractor, as above; and that actions to enforce these liens must be commenced within two years, and the rest can much better be done with an attorney.

ROADS AND BRIDGES.

Persons meeting each other on the public highways, shall give one-half of the same by turning to the right. All persons failing to observe this rule shall be liable to pay all damages resulting therefrom, together with a fine, not exceeding five dollars.

The prosecution must be instituted on the complaint of the person wronged.

Any person guilty of racing horses, or driving upon the public highway, in a manner likely to endanger the persons or the lives of others, shall, on conviction, be fined not exceeding one hundred dollars or imprisoned not exceeding thirty days.

It is a misdemeanor, without authority from the proper Road Supervisor, to break upon, plow or dig within, the boundary lines of any public high

wav.

The money tax levied upon the property in each road district in each township (except the general Township Fund, set apart for purchasing tools, machinery and guide boards), whether collected by the Road Supervisor or County Treasurer, shall be expended for highway purposes in that district, and no part thereof shall be paid out or expended for the benefit of another

district.

The Road Supervisor of each district, is bound to keep the roads and bridges therein, in as good condition as the funds at his disposal will permit; to put guide boards at cross roads and forks of highways in his district; and when notified in writing that any portion of the public highway, or any bridge is unsafe, must in a reasonable time repair the same, and for this purpose may call out any or all the able bodied men in the district, but not more than two days at one time, without their consent.

Also, when notified in writing, of the growth of any Canada thistles upon vacant or non-resident lands or vacant lots, within his district, the owner, lessee or agent thereof being unknown, shall cause the same to be destroyed. Bridges when erected and maintained by the public, are parts of the highway, and must not be less than sixteen feet wide.

A penalty is imposed upon any one who rides or drives faster than a walk across any such bridge.

The manner of establishing, vacating or altering roads, etc., is so well known to all township officers, that it sufficient here to say that the first step is by petition, filed in the Auditors' office, addressed in substance as follows: The Board of Supervisors of- -County: The undersigned asks that a highway, commencing at- -and running thence- -and terminating at, be established, vacated or altered (as the case may be).

When the petition is filed, all necessary and succeding steps will be shown and explained to the petitioners by the Auditor.

SUPPORT OF POOR.

The father, mother and children of any poor person who has applied for aid, and who is unable to maintain himself by work, shall, jointly or severally, maintain such poor person in such manner as may be approved by the Township Trustees.

In the absence or inability of nearer relatives, the same liability shall extend to the grandparents, if of ability without personal labor, and to the male grandchildren who are of ability, by personal labor or otherwise.

The Township Trustees may, upon the failure of such relatives to maintain a poor person, who has made application for relief, apply to the Circuit Court for an order to compel the same.

Upon ten days' notice, in writing, to the parties sought to be charged, a hearing may be had, and an order made for entire or partial support of the poor person.

Appeal may be taken from such judgment as from other judgments of the Circuit Court.

When any person, having any estate, abandons either children, wife or husband, leaving them chargeable, or likely to become chargeable, upon the public for support, upon proof of above fact, an order may be had from the Clerk of the Circuit Court, or Judge, authorizing the Trustees or the Sheriff to take into possession such estate.

The court may direct such personal estate to be sold, to be applied, as well as the rents and profits of the real estate, if any, to the support of children, wife or husband.

If the party against whom the order is issued return and support the person abandoned, or give security for the same, the order shall be discharged, and the property taken returned.

The mode of relief for the poor, through the action of the Township Trustees, or the action of the Board of Supervisors, is so well known to every township officer, and the circumstances attending applications for relief are so varied, that it need now only be said that it is the duty of each county to provide for its poor, no matter at what place they may be.

LANDLORD AND TENANT.

A tenant giving notice to quit demised premises at a time named, and afterward holding over, and a tenant or his assignee willfully holding over the premises after the term, and after notice to quit, shall pay double rent. Any person in possession of real property, with the assent of the owner, is presumed to be a tenant at will until the contrary is shown.

Thirty days' notice, in writing, is necessary to be given by either party before he can terminate a tenancy at will; but when, in any case, a rent is reserved payable at intervals of less than thirty days, the length of notice need not be greater than such interval between the days of payment. In case of tenants occupying and cultivating farms, the notice must fix the termination of the tenancy to take place on the 1st of March, except in cases of field tenants and croppers, whose leases shall be held to expire when the crop is harvested; provided, that in a case of a crop of corn, it shall not be later, than the 1st day of December, unless otherwise agreed upon. But when an express agreement is made, whether the same has been reduced to writing or not, the tenancy shall cease at the time agreed upon, without notice.

But where an express agreement is made, whether reduced to writing or not, the tanancy shall cease at the time agreed upon, without notice.

If such tenant cannot be found in the county, the notices above required may be given to any sub-tenant or other person in possession of the premises; or if the premises be vacant, by affixing the notice to the principal door of the building, or on some conspicuous position on the land, if there be no building.

The landlord shall have a lien for his rent upon all the crops grown on the premises, and upon any other personal property of the tenant used on the premises during the term, and not exempt from execution, for a period of one year after a year's rent or the rent of a shorter period claimed falls due; but such lien shall not continue more than six months after the expiration of the term.

The lien may be effected by the commencement of an action, within the

period above described, for rent alone; and the landlord is entitled to a writ of attachment, upon filing an affidavit that the action is commenced to recover rent accrued within one year previous thereto upon the premises described in the affidavit.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

Whenever any of the following articles shall be contracted for, or sold or delivered, and no special contract or agreement shall be made to the contrary, the weight per bushel shall be as follows, to wit:

Penalty for giving less than the above standard is treble damages and costs and five dollars addition thereto as a fine.

NOTES.

Form of note is legal, worded in the simplest way, so that the amount and time of payment are mentioned:

$100. CHICAGO, Ill., Sept. 15, 1876. Sixty days from date I promise to pay to E. F. Brown or order, one hundred dollars, for value received. L. D. LOWRY. A note to be payable in anything else than money needs only the facts substituted for money in the above form.

ORDERS.

Orders should be worded simply, thus. Mr. F. H. COATS:

CHICAGO, Sept. 15, 1876.

Please pay to H. Birdsall twenty-five dollars, and charge to

F. D. SILVA.

RECEIPTS.

Receipts should always state when received and what for, thus: $100. CHICAGO, Sept. 15, 1876. Received of J. W. Davis, one hundred dollars, for services rendered in grading his lot in Fort Madison, on account.

THOMAS BRADY.

If receipt is in full, it should be so stated.

DEFINITION OF COMMERCIAL TERMS.

$- means dollars, being a contraction of U. S., which was formerly placed before any denomination of money, and meant, as it means now, United States Currency.

£ means pounds, English money.

bbl.

@stands for at or to; b for pounds, and bbl. for barrels; for per or by the. Thus, Butter sells at 20@30cb, and Flour at $8@$12 % for per cent, and for number.

May 1. Wheat sells at $1.20 @$1.25," seller June." Seller June means that the person who sells the wheat has the privilege of delivering it åt any time during the month of June.

Selling short, is contracting to deliver a certain amount of grain or stock, at a fixed price, within a certain length of time, when the seller has not the stock on hand. It is for the interest of the person selling "short" to depress the market as much as possible, in order that he may buy and fill his contract at a profit. Hence the "shorts" are termed "bears."

Buying long, is to contract to purchase a certain amount of grain or shares of stock at a fixed price, deliverable within a stipulated time, expecting to make a profit by the rise in prices. The "longs are termed bulls," as it is for their interest to "operate" so as to "toss" the prices. upward as much as possible.

66

CONFESSION OF JUDGMENT.

at

after date promises to pay to the order of

dollars,

for value received, with interest at ten per cent per annum after until paid. Interest payable, and on interest not paid when due, interest at same rate and conditions.

A failure to pay said interest, or any part thereof, within 20 days after due, shall cause the whole note to become due and collectible at once.

If this note is sued, or judgment is confessed hereon,

shall be allowed as attorney fees.

No.

P. O.

-V8.

County, Iowa, do hereby confess that justly indebted to

of

in the

sum of
interest thereon at ten per cent from
ment against
as defendant in favor of said

dollars, and the further sum of $ as attorney fees, with
and hereby confess judg
for said sum of

$

and $- as attorney fees, hereby authorizing the Clerk of the Court of said county to enter up judgment for said sum against with costs, and interest at 10 per cent from the interest to be paid-. Said debt and judgment being for