Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-12-21
lAFtemus Ward's Experience as
.....r a, Farmer.


having seriously invited the author Of tbi
volume 10 address them on the occasion o
their next annual Fair, be wrote to tb,
President of that Society as follows: ..;.
t',-a .'...n New YORK, June IL, 1865.
DEAR STAT have the honor to &C
knowledge the receipt Of your letter Of the
5th instant. in which you invite me to de.
liver an address before your excellent Agri.
cultural Society.
l feel fattered and think will come.
/ Perhaps, meanwhile, q brief history OF
my experience as an agriculturist will be
acceptable; and as that history no doubt
contains suggestions Of value to the entire
! agricultural community, l have concluded
to write you through the Press.
1haye bean an honest old farmer for
sons four years. s..,if.,,o....., - ...t
Myfsrm Is ia the interior Of Maine. I'm.
! fortunately my lands are eleven miles from
the railroady Eleven miles is quite dis
tance to haul immense quantities Of wheat,
corn. rye, and oats; bat as have MT any to
haul L do hot, after all, suffer much on that
account. g.
My farm is more especially a grass farm.
My neighbors told me so at first, and, as
an evidence that they were sincere in that
opinion, they turned their cows on to it the
moment went off 'lecturing.'
These cows are not quite fat. / take
pride 10 these cows, in fact, and am glad
own grass farm.
Two years ago tried sheep raising.
bought fifty lambs and turned them
loose on my broad and beautiful acres.
1t was pleasant on bright mornings to
stroll leisurely out 70 the farm in my dress.
ing gown with cigar in my mouth, and
watch those innocent little lamos, as they
danced gaily DER the hillside. Watching
their saucy .oapers reminded me Of caper
sauce. and it occurred to me l should have
some fine eating when they grew up to be
mutton %. si...-eg r.,..
Ny gentle shepherd, Mr. Eli Perkins
said, "We must have some shepherd dogs" I"
l had no precise idea as to what shep-
profound look, and said:
this some time agoi''
Il wrote to ,.Iy Old friend, Mr.. Dexter Fl.
Folet, of Boston, fer two shepherd dogs.
Mr.. +. is an honest old farmer himself; but
thought he knew about shepherd dogs.
He kindly forsook far more important busi
ness TO accommodate me, and the dogs came
forthwith. They were splendid creatures
-sDuff-coored, hazel eyes, long tailed, and
shapely jawed. "a j
We led them proudly to the fields.
Turn them in, Eli" | said.
Eli turned them in.
- They went in at once, and killed twenty
of my best lambs in about four minutes
and q half
Ny friend had made some trifling mistake
in the breed Of these dogs - =
These dogs were not partial to sheep.
Eli Perkins was astonished, and oh-
served:'e" 'Ft-'/'I : :h"N ait
." ''Wall,i did you ever?'' r' nH o.,
] certainly never had 't.. Hs.i s.
There were pools ofblood on greeusward,
and fragments OF wool and raw lamb chops
lay around ip confused heaps. .r
The dogs would have been sent to Bos-
ton that night. had they not rather sud-
denly died that afternoon Of q throat
distemper. 1t wasn't swelling of the
throat. 1t vast diphtheria. 1t was vic.
lent opening of the throat, extending from
ear to ear. -.rl .f.arrulai ..-p ri n
Thus closed their life-stories. Thus end
ed their interesting tails.
| failed as raiser oflambs. As sheep
ist wasnot a success.----'=--
LAST sumner Mr. Perkins said 81 think
we'd better cot some grass this season, Sir"
WeIcut some grass. ,.,.-..,.. t"
10 me the new mown hay is very sweet
and nice. The brilliant George Arnold
sings about it, in beautiful verse, down in
Jersey every summer; 50 does the brilliant
.Aldrich, at Portsmouth, N. III. And yet /
doubt if either of these men know the
price of ton of hay to-0ay. But new
mown hay is really fine thing. 1t is good
for man and beast. e -..t .t...
We, hired four honest farmers to assist
us, and led them gaily to the meadows.
II was going 10 NOW myself '---5
I. | saw the sturdy pessants 90 round once
ere dipped my flashing scythe into the
tail 'ereea grass. ,w adj Il
Are you ready?" said E. Perkins.
II am here. ..... ..--9
''Then follow us!" ,s. ,-...-. !
% followed them. e.....; .......
Followed them rather too closely, evi
IDENTIFY, for a white haired old man, who
Immediately followed Mr.. Perkins. called
upon us to halt. Then in low. firm voice
he said I'd his son, .whowas just ahead of
me, John, ohanee places with me-
5hain'f got1leng. to live, anyhow. Yender
berrin' ground will soon have these old
bones, and it's no matter whether l m
carried there with one leg off and terrible
'gasheshn the other or notl But you, John
you are young. .s,4l.. 4. H.. .r'-.7.L = g
The old man changed places with his
son. A calm smile of resignation lit up
his wrinkled face, as be said, Now, sir, l
am readyp fa- IN. a. s.J Z,
What mean you. old MANI" said.
II mean that ifyou continner to bran ish
that blade as you have been bran'ishing it,
you'll slash h---- out of some of us before
we're hour older!" ..4aia.a,- 80, ...,I
% There was some reason mingled with
this white haired old peasants profanity.
II was true that had twice escaped now
ing off his sons legs and his father was
perhaps naturally alarmed.
I wont down and, sat under tree. II
never know'd literary man in my life, :;
l overheard an old man say, "that kpow'd
anything - c'.
Mr.. Perkins was not so valuable to me
this season as Tfancied he. might be- Every
afternoon be disappeared from the field
regularly. and remained absent some two
hours. He said it was beadache.. His
mother was often taken in that way, and
suffered great deal. oisb KIN -. l-,,
.i1i At the end of the two hours Mr.. Perkins
would reappear with bis head neatly done
up 10 wet rag, and say, "he felt better"
p One afternoon it so happened that soon
~. 4 a :.l.I IN - onl II