The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1863-11-20
Tx Marvel as q Farmer.

In his last book, "My Farm at Edge
wood" TX Marvel describes the farm ham
of the olden time, now, alas! no more, bu
instead of whom is the machine laborer.-
The man of sfaculty" has departed, leaving
us his successor one vastly inferior to him
I'VE copy the picture:
| "There lived some twenty to thirty years
ago in New England, race of men, Amer
can born, and who, having gone through q
two winters course of district school cipher
ing and reading, with cropped tow-heads
became the the most indefatigable and in
genius of farm workers Their hoeing was
a sleight of hand; they could make an OK
yoke or an ax-helve on rainy days; by adroit
manipulation, they could relieve checking
COW, or as deftly hive swarm of BEES
Their burrows, indeed, were not of the
straightest, but their control OF Ions
team of oxen was a miracle of guidance
They may have carried bit of Cavendish
twist in their waist coat pockets; the Ger
tainlydid not waste time at lavations; but as
ia workers they had rare attitude; no
tool came amiss to them; they Graded; they
churned, if need wove; they chopped and
piled their three cords OF 6ood between
sun and sun. With bare feet, and keen
whetted six-pound Blanchard, they laid such
clean and broad swaths through the field OF
dewy herdsgrass as made "old country
men" stare. By a kind of intuition, they
knew the locality ofevery tree, and of every
medicinal herb taat grew in the woods
Rarest of all which they possessed was an
acuteness of understanding, which enabled
them to comprehend an order before it was
half uttered, and to meet occasional and
unforeseen difficulties with a steady assur
ance, as if they had been an accepted part
of the problem. 1t was possible to send
such man into wood with his team, to
select stick of timber, of chestnut or oak,
that should measure given amount; he
could be trusted to find such-to cut it, to
score it, to load it; if the gearing broke he
could be trusted to mend it; if tho tree
lodged, he could be trusted to devise some
artifice for bringing it down; and, finally,
for its sure and prompt delivery at the
point indicated.
Your lrlshmen, on the other hand, balks
at the first turn; he must have multitude
Of chains, he needs boy to aid him with
the team and another to carry bar; he
spends an hour in his doubtful estimate OF
but 'begorra, it's lnmpish
tree" and he thwacks Into the rind foot
or two from the ground so as to leave
nate Irish stump. Half through the bale,
he begins to doubt if it Indeed be a popular
Or chssnut; and casting his eye aloft to
measure it anew, an ancient woodpecker
1rops something smarting in his eye, and
MS howl starts the ruminating team into
confused ENHANCEMENT among the young
wood. Having eased his pain and extract
ID hiseattle, be pushes en- with his ak
Ind presently, with slight crash Of plant;
coughs his timber is lodged in the top of an
tree. He tugs, and strains, and
'wears and splits the helve OF his ak in
adapting itfor lever, and presently, near
% noon comes back for three or four hands
20 give him boast with the tree. You re
urn-to find the team strayed through
rate left open, into a thriving corn field,
md one Of your tulip trees lodged in 1.-the
1oung hickory,
"Och and it's toolip-itis and | was
hiukia' twas niver ehisnut; begorra,
is luky think it didn't come down intire.
W