Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-03-21
For the Farmers Corner of the Advertiser
A PAGE FROM THE HISTORY OF FARMER
D0L0R0TTS.

out manure, remodellng FENCES, oarlls, &C.,
our hero stalked about with his hands in his
pockets, mourning over the late season, his
rickety plough stocks, the cart that wanted
a wheel, and the wagon which had been
left in the weather until the tire had burst off.
The seasons were always too wet or too dry,
too hot or too cold for his convenience. To
use his language, 1t seemed us if it always
rained just as he was ready to put in his
seed" We will give few instances of his
idleness and its consequent fruits.
His wife who was naturally energetic and
thrifty-had it not been for the dscouraging
habits of her husband-had, by dint Of scold-
ing, fretting and fuming, prevailed upon him
to get her garden in tolerable order one
spring, and by her own individual labor kept
her vegetables from being choked out by
weeds. About the time of the autumnal
equinox, succession Of gales quite demol.
ished the rickety paling. Her own health
was too bad to attempt it, or she would
have endeavored to patch it up. She there
fore time after time, implored him to put ii
in repair, but something was always in the
way, until at last, to her CONSERVATION and
sorrow, he greeted her ears one morning
with the intelligence "that seven head oil
neighbor 'rhrilty's fat kline had finished the
collards, and farmer Alwork's swine had
got through with the potatoes" Poor Mrs
Dolorous had thought that those struggling
cabbage heads, seasoned with salt and Il
little of the substance coaxed out of the thin
transparent bacon that had been fattened the
winter before on shucks and acorns, would
keep herself, her stronger half, aud three
little children from starvation during the
winter months-wilh her potatoes for bread,
and she wept hystericaIIy over her blasted
anticipations.
At another time, after waiting three weeks
of fine weather for the moon to be in the
right quarter for planting, and succession
of foods retarding the process for another
month, he at length succeeded in getting
his FIVE acre new.ground planted, which he
had been clearing for full FIVE years. He
had been complaining all his life Of an at
tack of rheumatism in his arms and pedal
extremities-which disease by.the'bye, was
looked upon as myth by his wife and neigh.
bors.
The evening of the day on which the
planting was finished the rheumatism had
such hold on his suffering limbs, that he
neglected to put up the pine bole bars, and
when he repaired to the scene Of his labors,
nine o'clock next morning, old Troupe, his
half famished cur, began most vigrous
barking, and to his horror he discovered
about fifty of neighbor Porkers fine Sufolks
and Berkshires at the extreme end who had
taken up row, after row, Of the diminutve
nubbng grains The day was " set on" and
had gained half the length when a flock OF
crows startled by the unusual noise, made
the welkin ring with their cawings. Farmer
Dolorous gave it up-he was a believer in
destiny and consoled himself by bemoaning
his sad fate.
A few jobs on other peoples farms and the
sympathies excited by his wifes bad health
kept them from starvation for the next twelve
months, at which time the severe hints oil
some, and the plain advice of others, urged
him forward little towards crop, but it
ended with an aggravated attack of his
old complaint, and he resorted to working
frolcks" to carry on his business. He had
a planting, ploughiug and a hoeing, and
then a reaping, until the patience Of his
neighbors was severely tired.
We will give an incident which came Of
just before the dog days as illustrative oi
his peculiar habits. His neighbors had been
invited to assist in cutting his oat crop. He
had complained awfully of pains during the
morning, and so had excused himself from
either welding the scythe, or binding the
sheaves but the workers noticed that his
fingers were pretty nimble at pealing and
his teeth at demolishing a basket of fruit,
near the spring, in the shady nook in the
oat pateh. After eating their dinner which
had been brought from their respective hou-
ses, our hero was suddenly missing. A
waggish youth who had been dexterously
handling the cradle all the forenoon, sug-
cested the idea that he should be looked
after, as the rheumatism might have got so
much this better of his strength, that it was
possible he had fallen down somewhere
whereupon it was entrusted to said youth to
i" hunt him up" After being absent for
twenty minutes he returned, roaring with
laughter, and reported that on enquiry Of his
wife if she had seen Mr. Dolorous, she gave
a nod towards the bed. There was no one
in it, but at the foot pair Of shoe soles were
seen standing perpendicular. Young White
gave way to burst Of merriment which
startled the sleeper, who crawled out groan-
ing and explaining at the same time, that he
had gone under the bed to get rid Of the
flies, and tad consequently fell asleep.
Once during fodder pulling season when