The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1851-03-08
Gije farmer.
THE PROVIDENT FARMER.

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THE PROVIDENT FARMER.
The provident farmer has place for
CIV rything, and is anxious to keep eve
ry thing in its place. If the blowing Of
field has been completed, the plow is
not left in the fence corner until it is
needed some where else, but is brought
home to the shelter of the barn, the
workshop, or the wagon house. Tie
same care is exercised in relation to ev-
cry thing he makes use of, in the varied
operations of his farm. In the spring
he does not depend upon his cattle for
information which of his fences have
been blown down or murdered during
the storms of the winter. He does not
wait for the gathering in of his crop to
learn whether there are any pig holes
through or under the fence which sur
rounds the moving ground or cornfield.
He provides everything in its season.
he looks after everything-and almost
insensibly instils the same sort of habit
in all that are about him. The granary
a. the barn, the meal chest and meat
tub at the house are never quite empty,
and his wife has forgotten the day when
she had not ham in the kitchen, or the
means for cooking it at the wood-pile.
Such is brief sketch of a provident
farmer-and a provident farmers COM
forts. Now take the reverse--it is a
sketch drawn from the life and though
he who sat for the portrait is dead, he
has left many kindred spirit behind
him.
THE IMPROVIDENT FARMER.
Many years back resided in one of
the neighboring counties, on land adj
joining the property of full-blooded
improvident farmer. He had COM
Portable house, noble barn, fertile
farm-he was industrious, so also were
his household-yet every day and all
day long something or other was out of
order and going wrong. If anything
was broken, he had the where withall to
mend it, but just at the time Of extremi
yit always seemed to be mislaid. lfa
staple was needed, the work shop having
been IN vain searched, a laborer from
the plough or the harvest field was sent
to the hlacksmith's shop-and it not I'M
frequently happened that by the time of
his return, some one would recollect that
there was half a dozen slowed away
over the kitchen mantle. If either of
his horses had lost a shoe he was rarely
taken to be shod until he had become
lama Vfha aI
until they had wasted more corn than
they were worth for their owner, nor
until some of them bad been shot by his
neighbors. 1t would be vain for me to
attempt to tell how many times day
the old farmer was called from his regu-
lar labor to drive the pigs or the cattle
from the grass, the grain, the corn or
the garden. All these out Of door trou-
bles were very vexatious and very eX-
pensive--and then to crown the whole
he was as improvident as respected the
wants of his household as he was of his
stock or his farm. His wood-pile was
often exhausted, and his fences not I'M
frequently suffered for it. 1t was very
rare occurrence for him not to send
grain to the mill, until the last portion
OF Hour had beAn consumed al nome.
This at certain seasons of the year, par
ticularly in harvest time, when the
streams were frequently low, occasioned
them at times to be day Or two with
out any bread.
This improvidence introduced the old
man and his family into many disagree
able scrapes-for their friends often cal
led to visit them when there was neither
bread nor flour on the premises. One
afternoon large company found them
in this condition. The family received
the visitors with great courtesy, and ev-
erything was agreeable and pleasant,
until the females recolected it would
soon be supper time. All was now con-
sternation and perplexity. The old
man was summoned and despatched to
negotiate at the neighboring houses for
provender. He was to beg or borrow
cakes, bread-any preparation of -four
his distressed wife and daughter were
ready to receive.
His course led him to one ofthe
neighbors, whose wife was most nota-
BILE housewife, an untiring talker and
one of such boundless kindness, that
she was ready at any hour of the day or
night, without fee or reward, to visit
the sick or the wounded. As it happen
ed, the old woman had no bread to
pare-and feeling great sympathy with
her female neighbors, she gave loose to
that instrument which never grows dull
by using, and administered Herewith
real chastisement On the bread hunter
for not keeping his family better sup
Piled with flour. But whilst in the
midst of this infection, she espied nice
MT of buckw aot batter inst ready for