Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1823-05-01

good farmers, but yor may knows aorcn by
his iuattentlon to little things-his children's
shoes are spoiled for want OF shoe strings to tie
them, or for want Of a little tallow TO supple
them-his door hinge comes of for want of
nail, and the door destroyed for want of
hinge. and his NOV is trxmpled on and cattle
gored for want OF door and all this loss Occa-
stoned by not timely driving and clenching
single nail Nothing is in order-he has place
for nothing, and nothing in its place. If he
wants gimbIet, chissei, or hammer, be hunts
up chamber out at the barn and corn house,
in the cupboared, and lastly when he has spent
more time in pursuit than it takes him 20 do the
job, he finds It down in the cellar He keeps
no stock of the smallest things; if button or
ba,! TO pail gives way, or akey to yoke, or
a pin TO a sled, or helye to an axe, string or
| a swlngle to fail, or even tooth to a rake, he
has none to replace them. He seldom does any
/ thing in stormy weather. or in an evening, and
| is sure 70 keep no memorandum Of little jobs
| that are to be done. You will yerhaps hear Of
his groaning about the hardness of the times
frequently ina bar room, Death and the tax
gatherer he knows must come yet he makes
no provisions for either of them Although he
has been on piece Of good land for twenty
years, ark him for grated apple, and he will
tell YOU that he could not raise them for he
| ae-'er had 10 iaes His Incidence and careless
ness subject him TO nanny accidents lie, iooses
soap or cider for want Of hoop-in the midst
of his busy ploughng, his plough breaks be-
cause it was not housed and when he is reap
ling way from home, his hogs break into his
garden for want of an additional board. He
does not take the advantage OF his business by
driving it when he can, and consequently he
| is like the old womsn's son, $50 busy that he
| never does any thing" or at least he seldom
finishes one thing before he begins another, and
therefore brings little to pass andis often to be
seen in great hurry. He is seldom neat in
| his person, and will sit down to table without
| combing his hair, and suffer his children TO do
so without washing their hands and faces. He
| frequently drives his cattle with club, and is
generally late to public worship. His children
also apt to be late to school, and their books
are torn and dirty He is careless; bis children
| and domestics are so too. Ashe has no enter
prise. so he is sure TO have no money. If he
must have money, he frequently makes great
| sacrifices to get it and as he is slack in his
| payments, and bays altogether on credit, he
| pays through the nose for every thing. His
| want Of forethough, economy, and eyer+ion
| makes him poor, and his poverty tendeth to
| poverty. You will generally see the smoke
begin TO come out of his chimney long after
Daylight in winter. His horse stable is not daily
| cleaned out, or his horses Uttered and cuwied
--Brards, shingles, and clapboards are TO be
seen off his buildings month after month; with
| out heing replaced He feeds bis hogs with
| whole grain and suffers them to be much in
jured for want of warm bed and warm pen ,
he seems to live without thinking if his lambs
die, or the wool comes off his sheep. he does
not seem to think its for want of care and food.
| He is generally troublesome borrower, and
| frequently forgets to return the thing which he
has borrowed.
In word, a poor farmer, in the strict sense
| OF the word, is poor creature-he is poor
husband, poor father, poor neighbor and
poor citizen. A good farmer may be poor, but
poor farmer cannot act his part well in 9th err
words, he cannot be good as man or as chris
| tar. A.