Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-05-18
Agritaltaral.
TAKING THE HINT,

1t is truly surprising to see how slow
some farmers are to take the hint 1t seems
as if the old adage held true to this day.
When II rains p017fdge, their dish IS alaoays
bottom uplUards." A wide awake farmer
will try and improve every opportunity for
self-culture and Improvement of his farm
he does not set and doze all the long win
ter evenings, not he you will find him
poring over works relating to the farm, and
and the discoveries made in the best ap-
plication of manure, and the results, and
he arranges i'll his mind what kind will be
best adapted to his soil-phosphate of lime
or guano--and his neighbor over the way
is forever pondering over the hints thrown
out by Nature, and yet he does not take
the hint. The frost destroys about one
half of his apple blossoms, and he prognos-
ticates a small crop of apples instead of
that the half that remains are larger and
finer favored than usual, and the trees, in
stead of being exhausted, are ready for an
other crop-the next year-and yet for
ever slow to take the hint, does not profit
by this lesson of Nature and thin out his
fruit every bearing year. But the next
bearing year you will find his orchard over
loaded with fruit of small, inferior kind,
consequently unfit for market, and yet you
will hear him boast of his fine crop of large
ones last year, and the good price he OBJ
tanned by the barrel--hints are thrown
away on him--hs dish is upside down.
farmer raises the best kind of carrots
on a spot of ground where the wash of the
barn-yard run into it after every hard show
er. Did he take the hint and apply liquid
manure? Not he--his dish was bottom
upwards. shrewd farmer, whose dish is
kept right side up, goes in for the modern
improvements, he subsoils his land and
raises large crops, and his farm is looked
upon as a remarkably productive one, and
for years the farmer showed the utility and
thrift of deep handling, and yet not a
neighbor took the hint and left the old style
Of skimmng the surface that progressive
farmer sold his farm at a high figure. They
all supposed it was wonderfully produc-
tive farm and the purchaser was one of
those old fogy men who dare not leave the
beaten trail of his father before him, and
the sequence was the old style of surface
scratching-and considers himself chea-
ted man, from the fact that his crops are
no better than his neighbors'. He was slow
indeed to take the hint, and his dish was
wrong side up all through life,-and why !?
Because he persistently closed his eyes to
all modern improvements, and considered
all the advertised machines to save labor
as so much gas and humbug, to get mon
ey from the greenhorns, but they couldn't
come it over hm-his eye teeth were out
A staunch old farmer complained that his
soil was too loose and light. Ashes were
suggested as worth trying We'll, now
you mention it, | believe it will do good.
| bought part of my farm from man who
was a wonderful fellow to save up ashes,
and around his cabin it lay in heaps. re-
moved the house, and to this day | notice
that when the plow runs along that spot,
the ground turns up moist and close
grained" 1t is wonderful he was so slow
to take the hint Nature may throw out
hints to some farmers all the way through
life, and yet they will stubbornly refuse to
listen to his teachings, and why? because
their great grandfather did so they must do
likewise, instead of trying experimental
farming, and striving to make the labor of
farming as light and cheerful as possible.
They go at it wrong end foremost, and so
continue through life. How absurd the
idea of a farmer running in debt for more
land than he can cultivate to advantage,
buying unnecessary articles, and doing
without those which are of vital impor-
tance. Want of economy, neglecting the
payment OF small accounts, till they ac-
cumulate in such manner as to afford him
run of business. Independent of his farm
ing operations, keeping unnecessary ami
mails to devour his produce One dog, if
fed to the full, is as expensive as a pig,
without any return profit, unless we take
into account his very little service of fright
ening the cattle, and making five times as
breechy as if driven out quietly,-of his
biting your neighbors' sheep and you hav-
ing to pay the cost and making ill-feelings
between neighbors for life time keeping
more horses than can be used to advantage,
indicates bad economy; horses require
more fodder, and of better quality, than
any of our domestic animals, hence, if not
properly employed, they are a drawback
on the farm.
The farmer who has any reason to ex-
pect good luck, must take the hint and have
good pile of wood up to his door, surely
enough to last one year. See that the
fences are repaired, and the cattle are re-
stricted within the limits assigned them,
lest they become ambitious and commence
tillibustering expedition to acquire more
territory. To have your dish right side up,
take the hints thrown out for you by Ma
ture be prompt, let everything be done in
good season, keep interest money and small
debts paid up see that you have the Gen
esee Farmer sent to you promptly, which
will keep you posted up in all the various
improvements of the farm do not be
afraid to try new experiment which offers
to be of labor saving nature, for at the
present high price for farm labor, it is of
deep Importance to all farmers to study
economy. j. l.. HERsEY.
mrrrrr A Anrrrryo