Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-02-12

tions. believe they were useful in their
day, and here is my reason. 1t would
not pay to haul Rye or Corn to Philadel-
phia or Baltimore The farmer who
would do that had far better go idle, for
all the grain he would haul would not
pay his expenses there and back. the
price being SO low. Rye sold st 25 to
35 cts per bushel for full thirty years !;
Corn % to 81 cts The distillers bought
the farmers rye and corn. aud also the
hogs to consume the pot ale. The far
mers in turn each bought a barrel Of
of whiskey, rating per gallon at from %
to 80 cts. This kept trade agoing, and
every body drank whiskey, and some
drank too much. Laboring men had to
have their three drains Pc, day at every
kind of work. In harvest bottle was
kept in the field all day. and as soon as
it was empty the hands would cry out.
more whiskey.' and it would be brought
as readily as when the mason cries to
the hod carrier for mud Whiskey was
pure then some men fattened on it
Then farmers would &c: wagon load of
whiskey to go to market with, and bring
back load of salt or store goods fol
somebody in the country. We had no
canal until 1881. Farmers opposed max
ing the canal They said it would de-
stroy wagoning and put down the price
of horses. 1t did kill up wagoning. To
the cities, but the price of horses rose
Before the canal was made-there being
no dams in the River-thousands upon
thousands of chad were caught in the
Juniata River. All the county went to
the river during the chad season to get
shad. They were bought at 10, l2 and
IS cts according to the easiness and light
ness of money affairs. Money was very
scarce In 1871 and 1918 all the state
Banks broke, and never could recuperate,
hence. the old saying was Juniata pay
was shad III the spring aud..rye after har
vest.
Since farmers have commenced lining
their lands in our county, the increase in
their crops has been % or 80 per cent /,
and some more yet. There should be
more lining done; it mellows and sweet
ems the ground, it strengthen, and warns
it, and if lime is properly applied to the
land the crops will stand the winter
frosts better. The crops will advance
earlier in the spring. fill better and ripen
sooner.
When l think back fifty to sixty years
and see the much hard work that men
aud women used to do. ara compare them
and their work with this generation, l
wonder who were the wisest and who
were the best classes. Then none re
ceived education, now all then all were
neishbors, now none are then. it was
everybody for everybody, now it is
every ybody for themselves then it was
sympathy, for the poor, the sick and the
afflicted now it is the best fellow fore
most and the devil take the hindmost !;
then we knew not the meaning of the
word extortion, now we know nothing
else then all work was done by manual
labor, now it is all done by machinery !;
thea we slept in our cool well ventilated
houses, now in close plastered, unven
tilated stove rooms. ! don't known what
will become of the next generation men
used to work from before day until after
dark, econ nobody will care about work
ing, FOR Joe Woods said there was only
sixpence difference between the man that
would work and the man that didn't and
the man who would not work got the
sixpencc.
Mr Editor, this il long scratch l
will write you again.
TACITIS.