The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-02-14
9pllle and farm.
The Agricultural Guerrilla
story worth Reading

stein-hanging around Simpson f,
some time trying obuy his farm
last Hans got it. Simpson thinks
sold It st q bargain. Doubtless Hsr
thinks he got it at bargain. | ha
an errand down to Simpsons the otl
er night had not heard that he ha
sold his farm, but saw by the look q
the faces Of the family that some un
usual excitement was animsting then
swell, Crumple, you are going t
lose me fora nelghbor (" was Simpson
first words after / had fairly got sea;
ed in the split bottomed chair hi
daughter handed me and the who'll
Simpson family looked at me asif they
expected / would jump out Of tha'
chair On account OF that news, with Z
suddenness and force only equaled BY
explosion of nitro-glycerlne under ne
But didn't. simply asked, "HoR's
that 2" 'rye sold" '.Sold what p
"The farm.' sTo whom % "Hsns. .
That was The whole story. 1 didn't
need any further explanations but
Simpson proceed ed to say.
"You see the old farm is completely
run ont can't make the two ends
meet the best OF years. Pve got tired
OF tumbling around among the stones
and I'm going where there's some viz
Eoilthat will produce something. So
l St, X up trade with Hans. lie
has been after it off and on for year
or more. l wanted $40 per acre for
the old place. BE offered me S25 Il
Finally he offered me $50; and after
considering the subject told him
would take it If he would pay me the
cash down. Hadn't any idea be would
do it; but he said if | would throw in
the stock and farm implements he
thought he could raise the money II
finally told him would; and what do !,
You think, sirL He hauled cut of his I
greasy old pants pocket 81, 900 5ill
and handed it 10 me TO bind the bar |
gain, and said as soon as the papers I
were receipted he'd pay me the balance
which he has done today. I Ifeel kind
o. sorry to part with the old place
butthe thing is done, and there's an
end on'tt 4Tira. dye think 2v- -
All this time my Crumple nature
had been rising within me-Eke an in |
spiration. Here was this man Simp I
son who inherited this farm-oDe of :
the finest in the ne'ghbOrhood-who {
had skinned it without scruple until it g
would scarcely raise white beans under 4
his system of treatment And he u
had got to leave, or mortgage the {
farm of his ancestors, TO live on
Then there was Hans who came in 1
to the neighborhood with his frow c
five years before, with only his and /
his wlfe's strong and willing hands, e
economy, and industry They had /
rented a worn-out farm which they t
had finally. purchased and paid rand t
had saved $4,000 with which to pay 6
for Simpsons 100 acres. So in answer b
to "What dye lhink?" was ready Y
to respond; and did in this wise. t
"What do 1 think? I'm glad you Il
are going, neighbor Simpson! I'm "
glad Vans las got the farm. He de- "
serves it, you don't He has got ia
brains snd industry; you hayn't got k
either. Under your management the
farm is discredit. Your farm lying '
next to mine, depreciates the value OF
my land ten per cent; the same land Il
owned by Hans will add to the value G
of mine 90 per ceut- l shall be the Il
richer Tor. your going and the poorer 0
for your staying. I am glad you are a
going!'' -..----........ 49,. II
You should have seen SIMPSONS
and his famiIy's faces. They grew ?
cloudy and long. Indeed, L believe :
they began to scowl at me- Simpson .
said :~"You're pretty rough on an old }
neighbor, Crumple, now that he's 60 u
ing, I thought you and l had always u
been good friends. I've tried 10 be
good and accommodating reighbor
You've been a good one to me, and G
I'm sorry to leave you; but if you're G
gla6 Pm going, I'm not very sorry C
either.' h
"Simpson," let us understand each II
other. As neighbor, SO far as neigh
borly intercourse is concerned, I've ft
no fault to find, and am very sorry b
you are going. In talking about you Il
as q tarmer-you are and always have n
been a poor one. No man with such al
a farm as yours ought to want to sell RI
at least there there ought to be no a
necessity for selling. But you are no y
farmer. You haven't got a single m
good quality essential 20 making a I'll
good farmer. In the first place you nj
detest the business you don't take q
any pride or interest in it; you don't Y
care whether your land improves un- Va
der cultivation or not; you want to "
get all off it you can without taking hi
the trouble to pay anything back C
you skin it year after year and cry out g
against the seasons; you denounce
every man you deal with as a sharper
o. swindler because you do not get :.
the prices for your products that other :
people 90; and yet You do not seem
to know that the reason is that your J
products are poor in quality and put :
on the market in miserable shape :,
your stock has been running down "
ever since your father died; you =
haven't built a fence aud scarcely
repaired an old one y our manure has
not been hauled out and iudiciously n
used on. the farm; your pigs have
bothered your neighbors more than !
they have benefited you; your cattle
have become breacby, and 1 have had
to shut them up in my staele in order "
to keep them out of my grain; you
have distributed from your fence cor
ners more weed seeds than any farmer
/ know of, and thus given your tidy
neighbors more trouble than your !;
fayors to them would compensate.
In short il is time for you to move.
You ought to have a virgin farm. 1t :.
will take you but a few years to strip
itof its fertility then yoa'll have to J
move again, and keep moving. You