Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1872-03-02
JOHN wALTON's FARM.
A story fer the Present Times.

Hadn't you better subscribe for
it?''
fsI tell you no, l hain't got the
money to spare; and, il ] had, /
hain't got the time to waste over
newspapers" said Eden Sawyer,
with emphasis.
ssBut you will gain some informA-
ton from il in the course of a year,
air." pursued John Walton.
81 tell you don't want itr"
s'Well, what do you say, Ar.
Grummett? Shan't l have your
name?"
'9No, STRIP
This was spoken so fatty and
bluntly, that Walton said no more,
but folded up the prospectus of 8
periodical which he had with him,
and then turned away.
Eben Sawyer and Ben Grummet
were two old fsrmers-thst is, old
at the business, though they had on
~ reached the middle age of life;
and after their young neighbor had
gone, they expressed their opinion
concerning him.
"He'n never make a farmer" said
Sawyer, with a shake of the head.
"Ho spends too much time over
them papers and books OF his'n
He's q leetle mite above farmin, ,
thats's my opinion"
"Them's my sentiments" re-
sponded Grummet. 81 tell you,
Eben, the man that thinks to make
q living on a farm in this country
has got to work for it,"
AT this juncture, Sam Bancroft
came past. He was another old nA-
tive of the district.
"We was just talkin' about young
Walton" said Sawyer.
HI've just come from there" re-
piled Sam.
"He's been borin' me to sign for a
paper; but he couldn't come IT,"
aha, hal So he bored US. He's
gettin' q leetle too high for a far
mer."
"He's rippin' his barn floor up,n
said Bancroft.
"Rippin' the floor upP' repeated
Grummet. "Why Mr.. Amsden had
the whole floor put down new only
three years ago"
"The stable-floor 1 mean," pur-
sued Bancroft. He's got carpen-
ter up from the village, and his two
hired men are helpin'.
"Whew l opine he'll make far
mer."
And so they all opined q
reservation. In short, there was
something highly ridiculous in the
thought of = mans thinking to be
q farmer and a student at the same
time, and all sorts of jests were dis
charged over ii.
John Walton was young man
some five and twenty; and though
he had been born in tue neighbor.
hood, yet much of his life had beer
| spent in other portions of the coun.
try. His parents both died wheI
he was quite young, and his father'i
farm passed into the hands Of Mr.
Amsden. But now John had mar,
ried, and he meant TO be a farmer
and his thoughts naturally turned
to the old homestead. He found
| Amsden willing to sell, and ht
bought-paying 81, 500 down and
giving q note and mortgage for 81,
500 more, which had been cashed By
Mr.. Pendleton.
This farming district was upon
broad ridge of land, which had beer
cleared for q great many years; anC
though they were the handsomes
| and smoothest looking farms in thu
country, yet they were by no means
! the best. The summit of the ridge
was crowned by a ledge of granite
and the soil, over the whole broad
swell, was more or less wet and cold
This was particularly the case with
John Walton's farm, some portion:
| of it being wholly unfit for cultiva
ton. There was one field Of ovel
| twenty acres which was never fit fol
! ploWing. The soil was so wet anC
heavy that it had never been worked
to any advantage; yet there wal
some good land upon it, aud Mr.
Amsden had gained fair crops while
he lived there.
Ben Grummet had a curiosity Il
see what was going on in Walton'i
barn, so he dropped in there. He
| found that the whole of floor, wher,
the cattle stood, had been torn up
and that they were digging a wide
| deep trench the whole length of thl
/ tie-up.
"What's all this for?" asked Ben
"Why," returned Walton, WhC
was busy in experimenting thu
work, and also in working himself
81 am having a place fixed here To-
making manure. meant to fin thi
trench up with good muck, and thu
save the liquids which have hereto
fore been lost. 1 think, by prope
management, can fully double tn
quantity of manure which other
have got on this place."
''Do ye?" said Grummet ssrcasti
cally.
"Yes," resumed the young man
at is q fact that the liquid manures
could they be saved, would full,
equal the solids, both in bulk AM
value; and when combined wit
well-Fotted muck, and some othe
articles which shall take up and re
tain all the more volatile parts,
feel sure that they will afford NOR
fertilizing powers and propertie
than the solid manures can"
you don't say sol Where d'y
larn all thatl"
'Partly from reading, and partl
from observation" answered John
smiling at his neighbor's open ssI
casm.
81 don't spose it costs any thin
to do all this?"
Oh, yes; it viii cost me consider
able before l get through"
eyes, should think 'twouldl'
81 say" he cried, as he met Saw
yer shortly afterward, "John Wa
toms about as nigh bein' crazy as
man can be"
"Eh?-craZy, Ben?''
ooh, he's got his head full of a
sorts of nonsense. He's got his sta
BILE floor torn away, and a trenc
dug there big enough to hold more
twenty cart loads of dirt"
'But what in natures he goin' {
do?''
''Why he's goin' to save the u
guilds, as be calls 'em. And he's gc
in to put in something to take u
the-the-UOl-UOluRtary parts"
" Voluntary parts? What's then
Benz"
'1t was col somethin'. But
don't know. / wouldn't ask him.
I s'pose he just used the outlandis
word SOS to get me to ask him wins
he meant, and then he'd show o
his larnin'. But l wasn't so green.
81 wonder if he thinks he's comiI
here to larn us old farmers how I
work." said Sawyer, quite indis
nantly.
''He thinks So" returned Grun
met
"Then he'll find out his mistake,
added the other. "YOu mark ~