Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-06-16
farmer's Department.
The Thriftless Farmer.

The thriftless farmer provides no shelter Tor
his cattle during the inclemency of the winter
but permits them to stand shivering by the
side of fence. or lie in the snow, as best suits
them.
He throws their fodder on the ground, or in
the mud, and not unfrequeutly in the highway,
by which large portion Of it, and all the
manure is wasted.
He grazes his meadows in fall and spring by
which they are gradually exhausted and finally
ruined
His fences are old and poor, just such as to
let his neighbor's cattle break. into his field,
and teach his own to be unruly and spoil his
crops.
lie neglects to keep the manure from around
the sills of his barn-if he has one--by which
they are prematurely rotted, and his barn de-
stroyed.
He tills, or skins over the surface of his
land until it is exhausted but never thinks it
worth while to manure or clover it. For the
first he has no time, and for the last he " is not
able"
He has place for nothing, and nothing in
its place. He consequently wants hoe or a
rake, or hammer, or an auger, but knows
not where to find them, and thus loses much
time
He loiterS away stormy days and evenings,
when he should be repairing his utensils, or
improving his mind by reading useful books or
newspapers,
He spends much time in town at the corner
of the streets or in the " rum holes, complain
ing of hard times, and goes home in the even
ing "pretty we'll tore"
He has no shed for his frewood ; conse-
quently his wife is out of humor, and his meals
out of season.
He plants a few fruit trees, and his cattle
forthwith destroy them. He has 10 luck in
raising fruit"
Let us look now at the thrifty farmer.
He has good sheds to keep his cattle from
the weather, and warm, ventilated stables for
hk COWS and young stock and also, a shed to
protect his manure heap.
He has leaves or other refuse vegetable
matter together with soil from his headlandS,
convenient to his barn-yard to compost with
his manure heap through the winter.
He does not allow the liquid manure to escape
into the nearest stream, quarter or half mile
from his barn-yard.
His barn, and sheds, and dwellings are all
supplied with good spouting.
His fences are always in good order, and
and made during the winter.
His woodshed is supplied with wood cut in
August, always one year ahead.
His wife never ScoldS, because she never has
occasion TO.
Her cellar and pantry are always supplied
with the needful rdlc MATERIAL which she works
up into palatable form to fill up vacuums at
meal time
Heavy bread cold huckwheat cakes, and
rancid butter are novelties which her good
man and the children have heard tell by some
of the neighbOrs but have never seen.
He considers it duty to promote the circu-
latiou Of agricultural papers, and has saved
himself some hundreds of dollars by following
their advice.
His crops are always equal, and often better
than any in the neighborhood, and are kept
clear of weeds
He watches the markets and sells his crops
at the highest prices.
He makes it rule always to spend little
less than he makes.
He buys and sells on the cash principle, and
thus saves himself from losses and bad debts
He has a large fruit orchard well supplied
with every variety of fruit to ripen i'll success
sion.
lie studies the theory as well as the practice
of farming, has cleared off the last 100 dollars
of mortgage, and is seriously talking of max
ing bid for his neghbor Sloven's farm, which
is up at Sheriff7s sale.
He goes to church on the Sabbath, minds
his religious duties, and brings up his children
to do the same, lives respected, and dies re-
GREETED, as a useful man and a good Christian
Farmers Mogazsae,