Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-04-07
farmers department.
[trom the New England Farmcs.l
ONE ACRE FARM
Or, Cure for Hard Times
By ICH4EOD HOF.

One acre ana mere Won are taking Tie
New England farmer the Cultiyator, Hoyey's
Magazine and Horticultural, and all because
You have one acre of ground? How many
such papers would YOU have to take If You
had hundred acres ?"
IF shouldn't probably need more than
take now you know, Mr., Chapman, one can
go through with all the motions" on one acre
as we'll as on hundred"
A man can throw away money without
any, if he is mind to. For all the good you
get from such periodicals, You might as well
probably, throw the money they cost into the
fire they are nothing but humbugs"
/ pay two dollars for the New England
Farmer, one dollar for the Cultivator, three dol
lars for the Horticultural, and two dollars
for Hovey's Magazine-in all eight dollars"
Eight dollars enough to buy tip top"
barrel of -four, and a leg of bacon ; and then
if you read these periodicals, there is twice the
amount of money spent in time reading them"
Il do usually read or hear read, almost
every word there 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 any more boots in a day than it
does ~
Perhaps We don't do as great days work,
some DAYS as some Of our neighbors, but
guess that in the course of the year, We turn
out as many, according to the hands at work,
as most do"
suppose il is oat of these publications
YOU get your foolish notions about so many
kinds of fruit trees. One Of my boys came
home while ago, and said Mr.. Briggs had
got lots Of fruit trees and such things that
cost, don't know how much, and wanted me
to buy some grape vines pear trees and so on.
I told him it was all fooshness, and not to let
him say anything about spending money SO
foolishy You have dare say, laid out ten or
fifteen dollars, this spring"
Yes nearly as much again / have laid out
twenty-five dollars for trees and garden fruits y
''Twenty-6Se dollars | wonder you are
not on the town, or in Jail at least, before
now
I'm not afraid Of either; III bet You the
twenty-five dollars, I'll sell you that amount Of
fruit from these things for which l paid the
twenty-five dollars, in five years ~
g Done ! I'll stand you SO your trees will
cost fifty dollars sure, in money, besides the
time thrown away in setting them out and
taking care of them
"As for the time spent in setting them out,
or taking care of them it is good exercise as
as playing ball. wicket, or anything else
While we were setting them out, one of your
boys came to get my boys to go over to Mr.
Moody's where he said was to be great time
playing ball and have no doubt your boys
spend just 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
oil laid out for nothing"
"Well, it don't cost anything to play ball,
but trees cost money"
The foregoing conversation occurred in the
shop between two neighbors, both boot makers
in town not more than thirty miles from
Boston.
Mr.. Briggs, in whose shop the conversation
took place, was q man of more than ordinary
intelligence for one of his advantages and
circumstances in life. lie had been a poor
hoy, and By industry, observation and economy
had worked his way on in life and reared and
we'll educated q family of children. who like
himself, were Industrious and steady For the
few years past, he had become interested in
horticulture, and both for exercise and amuse-
mcnt, had turned his attention to. eultivating
his :" one acre farm Ifis attention was first
called to this by means of g back number"
of the New England Farmer which was put
round some things bought at the store. Mr..
Briggs found this so interesting, that he pur-
chased another number at the periodical depot,
and then he became a regular subscriber
His sons soon became interested in the same
direction, and the interest of the father and
sons increased to the pitch indicated in the
foregoing conversation
En time, every inch of that acre of ground
WAS brought under the spadc,' and almost
every best" variety of fruit trees had place
there, and the father and sons found pleasure
and profit in the garden after being cOoped up
in the shop till the stent" was done, and the
exercise was far more profitable than the
spasmodic, violent exercise taken in games.
Mr. Chapman, the other neighbor, was q
man of the common stamp" He looked
upon everything new or uncommon as folly"
and "nonsense," and was ready to sneer at
every one who stepped aside from the common
track. 1t looked simply silly to him to see a
man stay at home from muster" or training"
or shows" spending his time in cultivating a
garden or, instead Of lettering away the
evening at the store, smoking, and hearing and
telling deal of nothing or to spend the even
ing at home, reading such nonsense" as the
Farmer and Horticulturist affords
Years pass, and Mr. Briggs one acre farm"
shows that he and his boys have not read . the
papers" in vain. They have learned TO "set
Oot' tree. and how to take care of it
after it was set out. Everything showed it
received the right kind of food and care,
straightway began to bring forth fruits
meet for good cultivation. In a short
time the wants of the family were more than
supplied, and the surplus found ready market
with the neighbors at good prices.
Those early apples, so rich and tempting,
when all other apples were so green and hard
and then such pears they went as fast as the
sun and house could ripen them ut three, four
and fve cents apiece. Then such clusters of
rich, ripe grapes-too tempting for the coolest
to pass without watering mouth Mr. Chap