The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1859-04-20

whole broad swell, was more or less wet
and cold. This was particularly the case
with John Walton's farm, some portions
of it being wholly unfit for cultivation
There was one field of over twenty acres
-one of the smoothest and prettiest To-
Gated fields in town-which was never fit
for plowing. The soil was SO wet and
heavy that it could not be worked to
any advantage. II had been moved
year after year, yielding about three
quarters of a ton to the acre of poor, vice.
dy hay. Yet there were other sections
which were good, and Mr.. Amsden had
gained fair crops while he lived there.
Ben Grummet had curiosity to see
what was going on in Walton's barn, so
he dropped in there. He found that the
whole of the floor, where the cattle stood,
had been torn up, and that they were
digging q wide, deep trench the whole
length of the tie-up. ...e- --....
what on airth is all this for?' asked
Ben. 80 s .-.. ..s...s.-...
Why returned Walton, who was busy
| in experimenting the work, and also in
working himself Z am having place
fixed here for making manure. mean
to Gil this trench up with good muck, and
thus save the liquids which have hereto
fore been lost. I think, by proper man
agement, I can get full double the guam
| tity of manure which others have got in
this place. 'sso s'1 ea' -'' +-.+
DO yep said Grummet, sarcastical.
ly. 'e- s'''r '-i.,..ii@ %
Yes resumed the young man. 1T is
a fact that the liquid manures, could they
be saved, would fully equal the solids,
both in bulk and value; and when CON-
bined with we'll rotted muck, and some
other articles which shall take up and re-
tain all the more volatile parts, I feel
sure that they will afford more fertiliAng
powers and properties than the solid ma
inurcs cam - -ls-'''-' - '-'.'' "a
.Yeou don't say So! Where dye larn
all that?' -i'' ,i'7 o.
! Partly from reading, and partly from
observation answered John, smiling vi
his good neighbor's open sarcasm.
Il don't s'pose it costs anything to dc
all this?'
7 "a %, yes, 1T will cost me considerable
before 1 get through .'''7's@' 80 2'' "a
Z 'Yaas. should rayther calkilate
'twould!' Ben Grummrt spoke this very
slowly, and with e great deal of meaning;
and when he had looked on a few minutes
nger he went away 7A7f o --"
| Il swami lie ciied, as he met Sawyer
: shortly afterward. John WaIton's &
regular hifalutin'. He's jes' about as
nigh to bein' crazy rs a man can be = q.
I 'Eh?--crazy, Ben!' +''"E7a5
!. 'O--I don't mean rally upset, lik
!, them folks what was to be sent to the in
sane asylum; but he's got his head full Q
}, oil sorts of nonsense. He's got his tie-ul
floor oil torn away, and q trench du
, there big enough to hold more'n twent
!, cart loads of dirt
r sBut what in natures he goin' to do!
/ 'Why-he's goin' to save the liquid
| as he calls 'em! Az he's goin' to put i
9 somethun' to take up the--the--vol-
S voluntary parts. '->-
3 'Iolantary parts?--What's them, Ben
1T was vol somethin'. But I don
1 know. / wouldn't ask him. s'pose
n jest used the outlandish word SOS to e
n me to ask him what it meant--au' the
rs he'd show off his larnin' But I wan
: SO green.'a Fas 5sT A4H ,Ea -.
g as Il wonder if he thinks he's conf,
! here to larn US old farmers how to work
J. said Sawyer. rather Indignantly.
Il guess he thinks SO, returned Grun
d met. 1< N5 iHlas p ar-fD ia
a Then guess he'll find out his mi
20 take,' added the other. 'Jes' you mai
: my words, Ben:--He'il be fat on b
e back afore twocyears is out!' ESQ
1 And these were not the only ones wh
"a looked for the same thing. The idea
= a mans coming in there with any sue
e new tangled notions was absurd. The
e fathers, and their fathers fathers, ha
worked on that same ridge, and the
d wanted nothing better than what the
n honored progenitors had had before then
@ Autumn came, and after John Waite
4 had moved over the twenty-acre fiel
J. getting hardly hay enough to pay for tt
labor, he set men at work digging dee
j. trenches all over it. He had two du
g lengthwise, running up and down Il
a slope; and then he dug quite numb
+ running across these. They were qui
# deep and broad, and into them he tuu
bled nearly all the stones that could
e found in the fields. seu sst gE a.
"A pooty expensive way of gettin' r
h D rocks, remarked Grummet. .
IS IT'S better place for them than {
d the surface, isn't it?' returned Walto
i. with O smile. s'aiz a4- aa l. ...s 5.l.aI
: a.Mebbe. But what on airth are ye d
I, in it for?' aas.#s.r +f.aHa
is sWhy-I'm going to see if unde
d draining wont improve that land
q Under drainimg.' What's that?'
) 1T is simply drawing off the wat
d from the surface. This land is cold al
d wet; but if can get the water to drain
among these rocks, the sun may warm Il
a surface and give me good piece of sc