Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-01-17
John Grim's Troubles.
-g sa STORY FOR FARMERS.
WRITTEN FOR ritz OHIO FARMER, BY NJ E. COVER

$RrrrESfos rita ONO FARMER, BY NJ E. COVER.
George, do you know where that large
plow clevs is? ~
mo sir but guess it was left on the har-
row last fall, in the wheat field
Well, run and get it while harness the
team; for it is now nine O'Clock, and shall
not get to blowing till noonat this rate"
The speaker was john Grim, sturdy far
mer, who was born and raised on farm, in
Western Virginia, where he resided till he
was about. thirty five years of age, when he
removed into Southern Ohio; and in spite OF
the improvements ofthe age in the art of
farming, still clung with self.satisiied deter
mination to the old fashioned ways of his
forcfathers.
1t was bright sunny morning, the first
Of May, in the year 49,, that eur story
opens John Grim was just preparing to
pillow for his corn crop, when the conversa-
ton at the commencement of our story. took
place between himself and his son George, a
smart lad Of some fourteen years of age
George returned from the wheat field but
did ret bring the clcvis. IVA
"Coul,ln,t you fad it p ...-..-s.
"No sir it's not there. ! guess it must
have been taken off for some other purpose.
Then commenced a search for the clevis
The barn was searched from one end to the
ether, kicking over straw. turning up old bar
rels and boards, &C.. but in vain. Then tn"
house was searched, up in the garnet. and
down in the cellar; the yard was searched,
the pig pen, the hen. house, the corn crib, the
grainery, and in fact every nook and Granny
about the premises, whore pillow clevS could
be laid, were searched but in vain; no clevis
was found.
cea mn rnnnJy Int n 90 px-ar RI pnirb
Dor Simpsons and see il can borrow one"
said Grim to his wife, who asked him what
he should do. se.
So off he starts on a run to Simpsons to
borrow a clevis. And in getting over the
fence, he accidentally knocked off rail, and
in his hurry neglected to ,ay it back on the
fence. Neighbor Simpson had but one clevS
and that he was using himself; SO farm r
Grim was obliged TO return without it. In
coming to the fence, "Oh horrors, what
sight y fifteen or twenty Of SimpSo n's cattle
had taken advantage of the gap in the fence.
to walk into Grim's wheat field. The cattle
were stubborn and it took Grim nearly half
an hour to get them out; and they had tram.
Piled down and destroyed enough wheat to
have paid for half a dozen clevises. John
Grim now FASTENED, home it was one o'clock
and he sat down to a late and hasty dinner.
The coffee was too hot the potatoes were
not cooked, the bread was sour, and John
Grims temper was considerably ried. He
rose from the table and said: George hitch
Ned to the buggy, for must 60 to town a d
get.a clevis, if there are any to be had"
1t was five miles to town, and when he ar
rived there, there were no clevises for sale,
so he had to wait for the village blacksmith
to make him one and when he got home it
n, L 4.
bed with tired limbs, and a heavy heart -
said he to himself, l shall get to blowing
early to morrow.
But alas, for poor Grim, the morrow brought
rain and there was no blowing that day, nor
for three successive days. But when the
weather became clear, and the ground dry,
Mr. Grim went to blowing in too great haste,
and made one of his horses shoulders sore,
and he was obliged to lie still a day or two
to let it recover; and therefore he did not
get ready to plant his corn until his neigbor>
were all done; and even then he was not
ready, as you will soon see.
In going for his seed corn, he discovered
that by negiecting to stop hole in the floor,
which he saw when he put the corn away,
the rats had destroyed it all. Then he was
obliged to go five or six miles to get some,
which took the reminder Of the day. So the
planting was put off till the morrow. John
Grim was on the alert early the next morn
ing, thinking that before night his corn would
be planted But alas there were more
troubles in store fer poor Grim.
-" George" said he find the hoes, and we
will commence operations at once, for it looks
as though it would rain before Tomorrow, and
we will have to work hard to get our planting
done before night"
George looked for the hoes, but they were
missing. The premises were ransacked as
before, but no hoes were found; and as 1t
was not very convenient planting without
hoes with which to cover the corn, Mr.. Grim
started for the neghborS to borrow. But
the neighbors had meme to lend. And John
Grim was obliged to 60 all the way to town
to buy hoes, which occupied the greater part
afthe day At night there came another
rain, as Mr. Grim had prophesicd, which pre-
vented him from planting for several days,
and. when at last he did get his corn planted
it was so late that there was a bare POSSIBLE
ity of its doing any good. These are but
few of the trials to which John Grim was
subjected to But it is harily necessary to
20 into further detail, AS the farmers for
which this is intended, know from exp rscitce
that such trials are Of every day occurrence,
Why then can they not Sse where the Fault
lies and remedy it? .es,
A blow IN time saves nine, and sometimes
more, as you can see from the above story of
Grim Then, farmers strive to make one
blow save nine. by striking it in time. And
remember the old maxim a." \ place iorevery
thing and everything in its place" Yes, aud
:" A time for everything. and everything N It's
time These are two of the best rules 10y
which a farmer, or even mechanic can reg
ulate his business. Follow these, and YOU
will have no such troubles as John Grim had
in getting his cnrn planted. Your tools Will
always be easily found when the time comes
for using them, and You will not be obliged
oiose day in the best season for doing our
work, in going five Or ten Ml!es to purchase
tools