Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-11-15
BOYS AND FARMERS.
BY cHARIEs DUDLEY wARNEN.
-.From Work and Plar.r1

farmers, il the current notions about
farming were not so very different
from those tEey entertain. What
passes for laziness is very often an un-
willingness to farm in q particular
way. For instance: Some morning
in early summer, John is told TO catch
the sorrel mare, harness her into the
spring wagon, and put on the buffalo
and the best whip, for father is Oblig-
ed TO drive over TO the Corners, "tO
see mani about some cattle, to talk
with the road commissioner, to go to
the store for the women folks" and
to attend to other important business;
and very likely he will not be back
till sundOwn. It must be very press
ing business, for the old gentleman
drives of in this way somewhere al
most every pleasant day, and appears
to have 6 great deal on his miad.-
Meantime, he tells John that he can
play ball, after he has done up the
chores. As il the chores could ever
be'dOne up" on a farm. He is first
to clean out the horse-stable; then,
to take billhook and cut down the
thistles and weeds from the fence cor
ners in the home mOwing-lOt and
along the road towards the village;
to dig up the docks round the gar
den patch; to weed out the beet
bed; to hoe the early potatoes; to rake
the sticks and leaves out Of the front
yard; in short, there is work enough
laid out for John to keep him busy,
it seems to him, till he comes Of age;
and at half an hour to sundOwn he
is to go for the cows, and mind, he
don't run 'em!
"Yes, sir" says John, sis that alp"
"Well If you get through il good
season, you might pick over those po-
tatoes in the cellar; they are spout
ing; they amt fit to eat"
John is Obliged 70 his father, for il
there is any sort of chore more cheer
ful to boy than another, on pleas.
ant day, it is rubbing the sprouts off
potatoes, in a dark cellar. And the
old gentleman mounts his wagon and
drives away down the enticing road,
with the dog bounding along beside
the wagon, and refusing to come back
at Johns call. John half wishes that
he were the dog. The dog knows the
part of farming that suits him.
He likes to run along the road and
see all the dogs and other people, and
he likes best of all to lie on the store
steps at the Corners-while his mas
ter's horse is doing at the post and
his master is talking politics in the
stOre-with the other dogs of his ae-
quaintanoe, swapping at mutually an
noying flies and indulging in that de-
lightful dog gossip which Is express
ed bJ a wag of the tail and a snuff of
the nose. Nobody knows how many
dogs characters are destroyed in this
gossip; or how q dog may be able to
insinuate suspicion by wag of the
tail, as q man can by a shrug of the
shoulders, or sniff a slander as man
can suggest one by raising his eye
brows.
John looks after the old gentleman
driving of in state, with the OdorOus
buffalo robe and new whip, and he
thinks that that sort Of farming he
would like to do. And he cries after
his departing parent.
Say, father, can't go over to the
further pasture and salt the cattle ?'-
John knows that he could spend
half day very pleasantly in going
over tO that pasture, looking for birds
nests and shying at red squirrels on
the way, and who knows but he
might "see" a sucker in the meadow
brook, and perhaps get a "Jab" at
him with q sharp stick. He knows a
hole where there is q whOpper; and
one of his plans in life is to go some
day and snare him, and bring him
home in triumph. 1t, therefore, is
strongly impressed upon his mind
that the cattle want sailing. But his
father, without turning his head, re-
plies:
mo, they don't need sailing any
more'n you dol" and the old equip
age goes rattling down the road, and
John whistles his disappointment
When / was boy on q farm, and /
suppose 1t is so now. cattle were never
salted half enough.
John goes to his, chores, and gets
through the stable as soon as he can,
for that has to be done; but when it
comes to the out door work, that rath-
er drags. There are so many things
to distract the attention, a ehipmunk
in the fence, bird on a near tree, and
q henhawk cireling high in the air
over tho barnyard. John loses a little
time in stOning the chipmunk, which
rather likes the sport, and in watch
ing the bird to find where its Lest is;
and convinces himself that he ought
to watch the hawk, lest 1t pOunce up
on the chickens, and therefore, with
an easy conscience, he spends fifteen
minutes in hallooing to that distant
bird and follows it away out of sight
over the woods, and then wishes it
would come back again. And then a
carriage with two horses, ard trunk
on behind, goes along the road, and
there IS a girl In the carriage who
looks out at John, who is suddenly
aware that his trOwsers are patched,
on each knee and in two places behind;
and he wonders if she IS rich and
whose name is on the trunk, and how
much the horse cost, and whether
that nice looking man is the girls
father, and IL that boy on the seat
with the driver is her brother, and if
he has to do chores; and as the gay
sight disappears John falls to thinking
about the great world beyond the farm
of cities, and people who are ALWAYS
dressed up, and great many other
things of which he has a very dim
notion. And then boy, whom John !
knows, rides by in wagon with his
father. and the boy makes a face at
John and John returns the greeting |
with a twist of his own yisage and |
some symbolic gestures. All these |
things take him. The work of cutting |
down the big weeds gets on slowly, !
although il is not very disagreeable, !
or would not be If it were play. John |
imagines that yonder big thistle ia
some whiskered villain, OF whom he
has read in q fairy book. and he ad-
yaneed on him with "Die, ruffian J"
and slashes off his head with the bill
hook, or he charges upon the rows OF
mullen stalks as il they were rebels
in regimentAl ranks, and hews them
down without mercy. What fun 1t
might be ifJthere were only another
boy there to'help.
but even war. single handed, gets
to be tiresome. IL is dinner time be-
fore John finishes the weeds, and it IS
COW time before John has made much
impression on the garden.
This garden John has no fondness
for. he would rather hoe corn all
day than work in 1t. Father seems
to think that it is easy work that John
can do. because it is near the house
Johns continual plan in this life is to
90 fishing. When there comes rainy
day, he attempts to carry 1t out. But