Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-08-06
Agricultural.
THE FARMER.
TIM BUNKER ON RAISING BOYS.

TIM BUNKER ON RAISING BOYS.
AS was going down by the Horse Pond lot
this morning, the same one that drained last
year, found Seth Twiggs' horse, lothian /,
Sparrowgrass' cows, and Deacon Smiths flock |
Of sheep turned into my corn and oats. 1t
looked as if they had been in the better part
of the night for the corn was pretty much
all nipped OF, or torn up by the roots, and
the oats were badly trampled. The corn crop
is of course ruined, as it is now too late to
plant over. 1t so happened that had fixed
one of the gate posts yesterday and the dirt
was all nicely smoothed of, and the enemy
who had done this had left his foot prints by
the gate way. took the measure of the shoe
prints, and walked straight up TO Jake Frink's
and inquired for his Oldest boy Kier, a young
fellow about eighteen, who is up to all man
ner of monkey shines, and has got terrible
bad name in Hookertown. Kier was called
in, and 1t was found the measure fitted the
shoes in which he stood, length and breadth
of toe and heel.
Jake prink was good deal astonished,
when he seen that his boy was caught in such
an unneighborly trick, but don't know why
he need be for he has had no sort of control
over his boys, and always let them choose
their own company, and pursuits. Kier has
got notion of drinking the last few years,
horses, unhinging gates, girdling young fruit
trees, firing stacks, and turning cattle into
corn fields. He seems to think it very smart
to destroy property in this way, and to make
himself nuisance in the neighborhood gem
orally. He is caught now, and must walk
up to captains Office and settle. The next
worst thing to bad father, is bad public
opinion that submits to vice and rowdyism.
am Justice of the Peace and il was not
sr.1.I a. IaI-.
help him keep his boys in their place. | have
very poor opinion of that rural cowardice,
which gives up civilized community to the
depredations of a set of young Arabs, like
Kier Ffink. What is the use Of having law,
If you do not enforce it against the destroy
ers of property, and the disturbers of the
peace If the young chaps want to cut up
and have music, it is fair that they should
pay the fiddler. Ii they rob hen roosts, the
hens should not be left to do all the squall-
ing. 1t will do them good to look out of
roost, with iron CRATES to the windows.
Now | hold, that man is poor farmer, as
well as bad citizen, that raises such boy
as Kier Frink. The farm exists for the sake
of the family that works it, and its chief end
10 to make smart, useful men and women
Your great crops, and fine stock all 90 for
nothing, unless you get the blossom of the
farnl--man. What is an apple tree good foi
unless it raises applesi The shade is no bet
ter than that of any other tree, and the fire
wood does not amount to much. So the farm
is not worth much, unless it blossoms out
into nice, good housewives and useful, up
right men.
1t is good deal of knack to raise first
rate COW or steer, even after they are born
right. There is many full blood heifer with
ilrstrate milking qualities, spoiled by bad
treatment Keep her on bog hay Winters,
and let her run in the road Summers, and
guess she would never amount to much
And you might have high grade Devons,
with all the elements OF splendid working
cattle in them, that would bring three hun
dred dollars yoke, and treat them so when
they were calves and yearlings, that they
would not bring hundred. You might dwarf
them or lame them, or injuTe their horns or
make them ugly and breachy by bad hand
ling. An OK known to jump fences, or kick,
or gore cattle, is very much deprecated in
value.
1t is just so with human stock, brought up
on a farm. Almost everything depends upon
the bringing up-a great deal more than it
does with the brutes, for the animal nature Of
man is only small part of him, and his
moral nature and his habits are entirely
shaped by those who have the care of him.
while he is young. II this gets the right start
have always noticed that it generally brings
everything else right with it. Ii a fruit tree
gets to bearing when il is young, all the for
ces of the tree will run to fruit, and you will
not be troubled with two much wood and
foliage. And if a boy blossoms out into the
virtues OF industry, truthfulness, honest,
temperance, and purity, I think it is certain,
we shall have that kind OF fruit as long as he
lives.
Now to get this fruit early, we must prune
both root and branch. The shoots that are
running to wood, must be shortened in and
a spade must sometimes be thrust down npon
the roots and cut them off. This seems harsh
treatment, but every fruit grower knows that
it is necessary. So we must shorten in the
boys when they run wild, nip off the bl Is.
som buds OF vice, lying, swearing, stealing,
drunkenness and such like. There is an old
article they used to correct such things with
when was .boy-called Solomon's rod
The bark was very hitter, but wholesome, and
it worked like charm. am afraid folks do
not use it so much as they used to. At any
rate Jake Frink has never used it at all. He
was always scolding about the cruelty of
whipping children and if one of his ever got
little of the oil of birch in school, he was
already to find fault with the teacher, and
take the child's part. The youngsters very
soon came to believe, that their father would
rather have them lie, and make disturbance,
than to speak the truth, and behave well.
His mode Of bringing up the boys has turned
ont upon society, that promising lad, Kier
Frink, vagabond and loafer, at the age of
eighteen Solomon's rod, with steel at the
end of it, was never half so cruel, as the mis-
placed indulgence Of his father. What sor-
rows are before the poor old man with such
thoms IN his pillow. | am glad to see, that
you keep up your chats with the boys and
girls. Keep them straight few years longer,
and we shall have generation of farmers
worth looking at.Am. Agriculturist