Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-04-09
JOYOUS
VISIT 70 A BACHELOR FARMER.

VISIT TO A BACHELOR FARMER.
Since my temperance, | have had &C.
casion to reform my notions about the op-
posite sex. They have grown SO much
mere companionable than they were in my
day, that bachelor of middle age living
by himself, is the rarest of birds in the
rural districts. 1 occasionally find one
amid a gronp of maiden sisters, Temporal
rily stalled on his road to matrimony, but
q 50 humanizcd by his surroundings that
he is hardly to be distinguished from
married man. This certainly is very
great change in the state of society. Mrs.
Grundy, who is quite as much of far
mer, suggests that the sweeter temper of
the women of modern times may be ow-
ing to the improvement of the men.
There may be something in that, for I
remember now, that even Socrates was
not saint, according to the modern STAN
.dard i .'.
l recently, however, heard of a Simon
pure bachelor, real woman hater, who
set up for himself forty years ago, and
has lived to old age in a house unblest
by woman's footsteps. A negro attended
to his housekeeping, which was of the
most primitive kind, and lent hand in
the field when the indoor work was not
pressing. found Jacob Pennywise the
owner of good farm, by his own earn
ings. The exterior of the house was not
so unpromsiug, for it had been built for
man with q family. 1t was a good deal
larger than Pennywise needed, but as be
could not make it smaller without ex-
pense it remained as he purchased it. The
barn was model building, the master
piece of Jacobs life. He could appreci-
ate the wants of animals much better
than those of human beings By his ami
mails he made his money, and these must
be comfortably housed and we'll fed, what.
ever else suffered. He seemed to take to.
animals more than to men. and to have
fellow feeling for them. He always fed
them himself, when at home, and this was
without exception for forty years. He
had never slept under another roof in all
those years. and the farthest adventure
from home, had been to the nearest mar
ket town, seven miles Of. He took much
more pride in the appearance of his cat
tie, than in his own. He carded and
brushed his working cattle and steers,
that hewas breaking to the yoke, though
judging from his tangled locks, the comb
seldom disturbed his own head. He had
noticed that men who bought oxen were
willing to pay something for looks He
used to say it made q difference of ten
dollars in the sale of o yoke Of cattle.
if the hair was kept smooth. He didn't
care straw abont looks himself, but if
folks wanted looks in CATTLE he could make
ten dollars as easy by using the card, as
in any other way.
de was famous for his colts in all the
county. Nobody raised better, and no.
body broke them 50 we'll. He had very
handsome income from the sale of animals
every year This was the chief product
Of his farm. though he occasionally sold
poultry, grain, and fruit. when he had a
surplus. He was almost as covet.ous of
manure as he was of money. The cellar
was Of the full size Of the barn, and the
1droppings of Fifty head Of cattle all went
into this receptacle and were composted
with large quantities Of muck and loan.
de never allowed a rainy day to be vast.
cd. There was always plenty of work ia
the barn cellar, however hard it raincd
There was nothing like manure, he said
to make good colts and steers, and in thi,
he was right, eEe oianr iaaup
ii The management Of the barn and Of Oh,
farm was admirable, indeed I have rarel,
met with anything more orthodox. Blu
when We come to the management Of ia
cob Pennywise himself and Of his domi
ell. the picture changes. 4 saw &C