Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-02-04
9grirultural.
Mr.. John Thrift

Mr.. John Thril is farmer. He has
a farm Of one hundred aeres, which he
bought some years ago, oil a man who
could nos get living of Of it, and hence
wanted TO sell out cheap and 60 west.
People said, when Mr.. Thrift bought this
wJrn out, good for nothing farm, that he
was fool. He was told that pennyroy-
81 would not grow on it; goose would
starve to death with range Of d two acre
lot. One of his new nsighbOrs who was
accounted wsg in those parts, said u at
The fences had got discouraged, Standing
up for m purpose and lha' there was not
timber enough on the place 10 repair them;
"howeyer" he added, ait don't matter
much, for what need will John Thrift
have of fences around fields SO poor that
cattle inslinctively run away from them
a single Jackass would breed famine
with the whole farm to range upon" But
Mr.. Thrift needed not what his neighbors
said. He moved his family on to his
new, or rather old farm, and went 10
work. But he went not to work on the
same plan practiced by his predecessor
and by most Of his neighbor farmers.
There was streak of progress in his ma
ture. He had strong arms and was viii.
ling to use them he had a strong mind
too and he saw no reason why he should
no, use that also. Indeed, he had used
that when he bought his farm for his
knowledge and the deductions ofhis reason
told him then, in plain terms, that he was
getting wha, would turn Out TO be prize !;
he looked 10 the I" lay Of the land, J." he
took spade aud turning up some of The
soil, satisfied himself that it was all right,
save and except he surface of five or six
inches which had been exhausted OF some
of lis native richness he saw that ditch
in certain place would relieve several
acres of low land of a superabundance OF
water, and that this same water could be
so husbanded as TO irrigae several acres
of other land that frequently suffered from
drou,h ; he observed that portion OF the
soil which was clayey would be made
Immediately productive by means of a
subsoil plow and few thousand draining
tiles properly laid while several acres
of sandy ridge would be greatly relieved
of lis baroness by the application of a
large quantity of manure, which he saw
around the dilapidated barn, and of a pile
OF leached ashes, which man near by had
thrown out of his ashery and counted
worth nothing. At a glance he saw that
the whole farm could be we'll watered by
means of u water ram, placed al spring
which gushed out of the hillside on the
corner Of the premises. The bad cond-
ton of the fences and buildings did moi
escape his notice, but he knew thai oak
chestnut, locust and other trees woulc
grow if they only had chance to get {
start beforeth hungry cattle were turned
in to brouse upon and destroy them;and NJ
had, besides. observed that many of hi
prospective neighbors, who had plent!
of;imber, were cutting it into lumber an'
were anxious to sell it at very low prices
to raise money wherewih to pay take
and store bills. So he concluded afte
getting the approval of his intelligen
and industrious wife. to buy the farm
and he did buy it
Mr.. John Tnrlft we said sis farmer,
and so he is. Not mere machine oi
farmer, who rolls around from year
wear in the same old orbit, stitching &
c!cssS - the usages and actions of his al
cestors at wheel to its axle. Te h
does no, disregard the the experience {
old and young, of this and past ages
Neither is he shook farmer to be lie
away by the speculations of mere thee
rists: and yet he has books at out him,
library we'll stored with works upon III
various branches of agriculture and h
also takes several papers devoted to tn
same great subject, and he reads bool
and papers tooi and turus their instru'
,ions to profit as we'll as pleasure.
When Mr.. Ihrif,'s neighbors fir
caug ght him taking an agricultural pap
from the Post Office, they 'whew'd' an
'hem'd' and laughed at the jokes (as the
thought ,hem) cracked a! his expense
but when one day, it became noise
abroad that he had in his house q who
library of books on farming they wanre
dmlnu,ive terms wherewlth to expre
their opinion of him. But the trouble h
kind neighbors were at. on his accoun
made no kind of difference 10 Mr.. Thrl
He went on using his strong arm and h
strong sense, with the most perfect su
cess. He subsoiled and ditched; he drai
ed and irriga ed; he manured and muiche
he bought guano; he fed his land wi
bone and lime. he improved his grass
and his grains; he provided himself wi
the most approved breeds Of cattle, hors'
sheep and swine, and he was ever anxio
10 possess the most perfect implements
husbandry which could be any Uhe
found. And thus did the streak of p1
gress, which we said was in Mr.. Thrift
nature make its mark. He had the gun
ton to see that if the business of agric
ture stood still, everything else in I
world would leave it out of sight. ]
knew of no reason who tiller Of
soil should z" grouping in the dark wh
there was food of Light ready to shi
in upon him if he would but permit
Mf.Thrift has now model form, ~o1
many times as much money as he pa
for il. Every thing is in order. HIS
Dor and intelligence are amply rewardt
Plenty crowns his board and
home is pattern Of moral e
gance and generous hospitality.