Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-05-12

The place had never known a dollars IN
cumbrance, scores OF Smiths had been rear
ed upon it, generation after generation came
and passed away there, and the same old
cart paths, the same dilapldated old walls
and fences, the same Identical SHEDS ana
shanties and decayed trees, were still vlsl-
ble-almost the same furrow had been turn
ed hundred years and more; when-as
had been the custom of the Suith families
on preyious occasions, it finally came the
turn of the then occupant, to resign Gran
theirs old place to his only son-Ben Smith
pow come of thirty.
'For five and forty years. at least, Bens
father had carried on this old farm. In all
that long period, so regularly had Mr.. Smith
plowed up his eight acres, moved all the
grass that Providence would grow for him.
pastured his ten sheep, reared his four head
of cattle, fattened his three hogs, and win.
tered as many cows. But this soas ALL
'True-Mr. Smith had great farm. He
toiled like trooper, from daylight till dark.
lie raised his own pork and corn, (such as
it was,) his cattle and fodder, cut from his
own forest the wood he burned-and never
owed any man far,hing. He contrived
even to pay his town and county tax, too,
without borrowing money! But he was lit
orally "even with the worldW for while he
owed no one, no one o,0sd hin, dollar
And so he lived, up 10 seventy.
6" Betl," said the old man to his son ,one
evening, as they sat before the winters fire
"Pm getting old. I've worked poorly hard
here, for good many years. and Pve con-
cIuded to give up. It's your turn now.
9" Myturn, for whatl' asked Ben.
'"To take charge of the old farm. You
are young, stout and healthy. Pm going
to give up the homestead to you; and if
you continue to labor constantly as have
done, and as your gran'ther did, afore us
you can get good livin' off ont as we
have done. We can't take nolhin' out Of
the world, with us, Ben. Naked, we came
into it, and so we must 60 out ont But
the old place is free from encumbrance,
there never was dollar mortgage on t,and
| hope there never will be. | shall give you
the farm--free and clear--,o-morrow."
Ben slept on this; and the next day he
was master of farm thirty rods wide
aud two and half miles long
&C" | shall take the place, father" he said,
and carry it on: but nat as you and
grandfather and his father did.
and though the old gentleman shook
his head and looked earnestly over the
bridge Of his "specs" at his son, Ben was
as good as his word; and forthwith he went
to work in good earnest.
Spring came. Ben went into the old
eight acre field and p|owed up one half of
it. Upon this he had previously deposte4
the whole season's manure, that hitherto for
years had been sparsely spread upon double
the surface. He narrowed these four acres
and planted them carefully. Hoeing-tme
came, and Ben had on y one-haf the space
to 60 over. Though the corn and potatoes
looked finely, and the bee,s, tie cabbages,
and the carrots grew marvelously, the good
old man was crusty, and declared ait would
mt do''-that there would mt be roots enough
But Ben went right along, in his own way.
AT the second hoeing, Ben went into his
four acres-but not with hand hoe He
had "got some kind of imcrack (as the
old man termed it,) hitched it to the old
mares heels, and instead of hoeing his po-
tatoes man fashion,. he'd begun with his
new improvements; but that 'cultlvator,
as Ben called it, wouldn't work no how p
Ben continued the use of the cutIvator,
however, the old gentleman continued to
grumbe, and the corn and potatoes contin.
ued to flourish.
Ben Smith had gone over to eighbor-
ing town early i'll the spring, aud run in
debt Ben was the first Smith that ever
did the thing y for two hundred bushels Of
nasty ashes" which he had tugged the
cattle to draw to the farm, and with which
he "top-dressed the old meadow. Here
was an innovation, to be sure And he
had subscribed for an agricultural weekly
too that with his limerick of "cultiva
to., his ashes, and his "book-farmin," the
old mau was nearly crazed. 1t would new
er do to go on al this rate, said the old gen
teman.
But the four acres of corn and potatoes
and vegetables still grew finely. Never had
the Smiths seen such corn, such potatoes
and carrots. The grass came up thick and
strong and thri,y-and the harvest time
came round at last
The cattle had plenty of good feed, ant
they were fat and sleek the pigs were fat
the poultry were fat, the old horse was fat
aud Ben grew fat and jolly, as he garnere'
his high corn, his big potatoes, his gener
Gus sized beets, and his great bright vel
low carrots. Ben had found time, during
his evenings, to read his agricultural paper
and now he finally took in his second crol
his bouncing turnps and his blushin,
buckwheat Who ever heard (before this
of second crop on the old Smith farm
Nobody, to be sure! But the old gentle
man shook his head, and was sorry, IN hi
old age, TO see his son thus "run TO riot" il
his book larnin'."
Winter came. The good old father en-
tered the barn. 1t was crammed with hay
and corn.sialks and wheat and rye Thu
granary was loaded with corn, and Ben, VIII,
had been carefully taught to shell the cob
across the edge of a shovel--now stood be
Size another stupid "masheen," throwing il
bnshel OF ears at the top while the bi!
{ golden kernels rushed in constant shove
from the bottom Ben Smith had "squan
dered" SIX dollars Tin cash) upon corn
shelter Ah-"what was the silly boy com
ing to" exclaimed his venerable projenitor
as he sighed, and turned to the barn again.
The old man examined the harvesting =
There was more hay in the 'nows than eve
before! The corn had turned out grandIy
} There was every thing in profusion-an,
, half the eight acres had been TILED Be,
} pointed to this gratifying result-and his ia
ther only shook his head, and said, ben
you have been lucky ,oe'Ue had remark