The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-06-09

though they were the handsomest and
smoothest looking farms in the town, yet
they were by no means the best. The
summit of the ridge was crowned by a
ledge of granite, and the soil, over the
whole broad swell, was more or less wei
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 which was never
fit for ploughing. The soil was so wet
and heavy thatit could not be worked to
any advantage. 1t had been moved year
after year. yielding about three quarters
of ton to the acre, of poor, wild, weed
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 wide, deep trench the whole
length of the tie up. Jaa III
What on arth is all this for p asked
Ben. 5i4l& .-aa
Why returned Walton, who was
busy in experimenting the work. and
also working himself, Il am having a
place fixed here for making manure. l
mean to fill this trench up with good
muck. and thus save the liquids which
have heretofore been lost. think, bv
proper management, l can get full doub-
lie the quantity of manure which others
have got, on this place" a
DO ye % said Grummet, sarcasti-
cally. @ pay sE5a
Yes resumed the young man. st
is fact that the liquid manures, could
they be saved, would fully equal the SOL
ids, both in bulk and value and wher.
combined with well rotted muck, and
some other articles which shall take UP
and retain all the more volatile parts, L
feel sure that they will afford more fertil-
lzing powers and properties than the SOL
id manures can
= Yeou don't say SO ! Where dye
larn all that 2
Partly from reading, and partly from
observation answered John, smiling at
his good neighbor's open sarcasm.
don't s'pose it costs anything to do
al this p ,e- !
o, yes,-it will cost me considerable
before | get through a s.i i
e'Yaas. 1 should rayther calkilate it /
would! Ben Grummet spoke this very
slowly, and with great deal of mean
ng and when he had looked on few
minutes longer he went away. aaq 4
/ swami he cried, as he met Sawyer
shortly afterwards, John Walton's al
'egular hifalutin. He's jes about as nigh
o bein' crazy as man can be 7
Eh crazy. Ben ?
'O--I don't mean really upset. like
hem folks what has to be sent to the in
sane asylum; but he's got his head full
If all sorts of nonsense. He's got his
ie-up floor all torn away, and trench
lug there big enough to hold more'n n
wenty cart-loads Of dirt 2s' 9
But what in natures he goin' to do p
Why-he's a goin' to save the liquids.
IS he calls 'em! An he's goin' to put
n somethin' to take up the-the-rol-l
voluntary parts. "
Voluntayy parts !? what's them.
Ben " 4 i la.as yi9o $50 ysa
1t was a uol somethin'. But don't
inow. | wouldn't ask him. l s'pose
he jest used the outlandish word SOS to
git me to ask what it meant-an' then
ie'd show off his larnin'. But want |
10 green aad14 sd l. saaldod8aa
wonder if he thinks he's comm
lere to larn us old farmers how to work ?,
aid Sawyer. rather Indignantly m 81
81 guess be thinks so,' returned Grum-
net. ewoloi Il glolsafib i .NaA8
Then I guess he'll find out his mis-
ake,' added the other. Jesp you mark |
ny words, Ben He'll be fat on his |
'ack afore two years is out = gp
And these were not the only ones who
ooked for the same thing. The idea Of |
mans coming in there with any new |
angled notions, was absurd. Their faith
RS and their fathers fathers had worked
N that same ridge, and they wanted
Iothing better than what their honored
'rogenitors had had before them.
Autumn came. and after John Walton
lad moved over the twenty. acre field
L.. 4