Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-02-07
From tie Ns.0 EngEend Farmer.
THE ONR.ACRE FARM
by ICHABoD HOE

BY tCAABoD HOE. ~
How much land have you got her,
in your lot,. Mr.. Briggs"
"I have one acre"
One acre and you are taking thu
AeD England Farmer. the CuItiUator, Ho
vey's Magazine and the Horticu2turist, and
all because you have one acre of ground
How many such papers would you have
to take if you had a hundred acres go
L shouldn't probably need any more
than take now, you know, Mr.. Chap
man, one can go through with all the
motions on one acre as we'll as on hun
dred."
"a man can throw away money with,
out any, if he has mind to-. For all the
good you get from such periodicals, you
might as we'll, probably, throw the mo
ney they cost into the FIRE they are
nothing but humbugs."
"I pay two dollras for the New Eng
land Farmer. one dollar for the Cultiva.
tor, three dollars for the Horticulturist,
and two dollars for Hovey's Magazine
in all eight dollars"
" Eight dollars enough to buy tip.
top barrel of honr and leg of bacon
and then if yOn read these periodicals.
there is twice The amount of the money
spent in time reading them -
"I actually read, or hear read ev-
cry word that is in them. My boys and
take turns in reading and one reads
aloud while the rest work.
" Complete nonsense No wonder your
shop don't turn out more boots in day
than it does - -#
&c Perhaps we don't do as great days
work some days as some of our reigh-
bors, but guess that at the end of the
year, we turn out as many according to
the number of hands at work, as most do. -
g.. az suppose it is out of. these publica-
tiohs you get your foolish notions about
so many Kind of fruit trees. One of my
boys came awhile ago, and said Mr. B.
had got lots Of fruit treesS and such
things, that cost, don't know how much,
and wanted me to buy some grape vines
pear trees, and so on. told him it was
all foolshuess. and not to let me hear
him say anything about spending money
SO foOlishly. You have, l dare say, laid
out ten OF fiftern dollars this spring"
"Yes; nearly as much again l have
said out twenty five dollars for trees and
garden fruit"
" Twenty-Five dollars! wonder you
are not on the town, or iu Jail, at least be
fore now"
"I'm not afraid of either; I'll bel
you the twenty-five dollors I'll sell you
that amount OF fruit from those trees fol
which l paid the twenty-five dollars, in
five years.
Done III stand you; SO your trees
will cost you fifty dollars, sure, in money
beSi les the time thrown away in setting
them ou! and taking care Of them
g AS for the time spent in setting them
them out, it is as good exercise as play
iug ball, wicket. or anything else. While
We were setting them out one Of your
boys came to get one of my boys to &C
with him over to Mr.. sMoody's. where he
said there was to be agreat playing ball
and l have no doubt you1 boys spend JUS
as much time playing as mine do with
our trees, and SO forth and then some
thing is done, but in playing the strength
is all laid out foE nothing"
Well it donit cost anything to play
ball, but trees cosFmoney."
The foregoing conversation occurred
between two neighbors, both boot makers
in a town not more than thirty miles fron
Boston.
Mr.. Briggs. in whose shop the conver
sation took place, was man of more thar
ordinary intelligence for one of his ad
vantages and circumstances in:lifeA H,
had been poor boy, and by Mdustry
,h,o-vat;o1 oI,J aaonor,1 boJ rr1+sIEoJ L.;
way on in life, and reared and we'll edu
Gated family Of children, who ike him
self were industrious and steady. Fo
the few years past he had become inter
ssted in horticulture, and both for exer
else and amusement, had turned his at
teHtion to cultivate his one-acre farm.
His attention was 6rst called to this b.
means Of back number of the New
England Farmer, which was put arount
some things bought at the store. ME
Briggs found this SO interesting that h
purchased another number at the period
ical depot, and then he began 'regula
subscriber His sons soon became inter
ested in the same direction, and the in
terest of the father and sons increased t
the pitch indicated in the foregoing COZ
yersation.
In time, every inch of that acre c
ground was brought under the spade
and almost every sbest variety of fruit
had place there, and the father an
sons found pleasure and profit m Il
garden after being eooped up in Il
shop until the .stent' was done and Il
Exercise was far more profitable than tt
spasmodic, violent exercise taken in Il
| games.
Mr. Chapman. the other neighbO
!, was man Of the common stamp E