National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-08-08
A village Farmer.
Tho story as Il was roid "a vs..

In one of the small villages less than
twenty miles from New York lives TAR
mer If he may be so called, who has
only eight acres Of tillable land, and Il
few acres of swamp land devoted part to
forest and part to pasturage When
young he learned the mason's trade.
The land came in part from his father
and the rest he bought after time,
and when there was no such thing as
village near, or thought of. After learn
ing his trade he married nice girl, and
they lived in a small house but as no
work was to be had near, he sought il
in neighborirg towns, and If the dis
tance was not great, not over five miles,
he boarded at home and walked to and
from his work nights and mornings
Wages at that time were only 81 per
day, but he saved money every year,
and after time he WAS able to buy n
few more acres, which he would cult
vate when he could get no mason work.
In seven or eight years he got so fore
handed as to be able to buy brick
enough at s. per NJ, delivered, to build
nice two-story house. The way lie did
the work may be of some interest to the
present eight-hour men. 1t was for
tunate that just at this time he had II
good job Of brick and stone work only
two miles distant, so that he could east
y eat his breakfast at home and get on
the walls Just after sunrise. That was
the time when even the ten-hour rule
had not been adopted, so they all
worked till sundown. After eating his
SUI per and working in his garden or
corn field as long as he could see, he
went to bed, and was ready next morn
ing with the lark. Then he hired man
for 80 cents day to dig his cellar,
which was 7 feet deep, 40 feet long, and
% feet wide. BY this time he had an
apprentice, and taking few days time
from the job they laid up the wall.
After that, when the moon shone, and
while the apprentice and everybody
were asleep he would lay brick alone,
making his own mortar and tending
himself The wall was thick, and had
air spaces, and the house is standing to-
day, and will stand N my day. OF
course it was not finished that year it
was little more than inclosed by the
next fall, and it required another year
before it was completed from top to bot
uOul-WllI SIIlOht-uOuSc III blc CHlIl-
ney in the cellar also a fireplace,
cistern under the kitchen, while the sit
ting-room, parlor, and parlor bedrooms
had plaster cornices and gay center
pieces overhead, all done III the best
style of workmanship. Then his wife
had flowers and shrubbery in the great
est variety; grapes were abundant, and
there We're all kinds of cherries, plums,
pears, and apples.
That was the way he got home. Now |
he does not work much at his trade, ex-
cept in winter, when there is nice inside
to do, then he gets S. day
but he il, engaged mostly in farming.
On the place are kept four cows, span
of horses, two hogs, and large stock
of poultry. The yield of hay is over
two tons to the acre, corn usually yields
so bushels an acre, the orchard yields
from 500 to 1000 bushels of apples, and
potatoes and vegetables of all kinds.
Last year he sold sweet corn to neigh
bors, who came after it ut 25 cents a
Milk from the four cows is sold at the
house at seven cents a quart to the
amount of several hundred dollars. The
lOrSeS are 1at, tne COWS are lat, tHe
logs are fat, and the hens fat enough to
produce on an average a dozen eggs a
lay the year round. 1t is true that our
friend is rough h-looking, and sometimes
lrty, for he has not yet learned the
en-hour system; but if you go to his
louse as a visitor, you will find him
cheerful as the day-you will see large
orange tree in the bay window Of the
sitting room, ne year bearing
GOLDEN fruit, anu at the close of sum
ner's day he will be delighted to sit
With you on the piazza shaded with
ines and cluster roses, and talk of the
good days gone, and not less of the
rood days to come, with a nice village all
Iround, and railroad with ever SO
many trains a day, and churches and
chools, and all these things. You
sight think he would be decrepit, and
hat his wife would have died long ago
With hard work, but not a bit of it; and
hey ride out in their shining black car
iage as grand as anybody.-[N. G. M.