Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-02-25
agricultural.
NJ Grandfather's Old Farm,
AND WHAT WAS DpNE WI II 1T.

DEAR SIR:-I was on nv way IN the
cIrS from VI tine to Boston, last week. ami
founl myself upon the seat with a gentle
nun, IL Ivancei in years. to whom Gas
honor oil ageI | ende,tvored to make my
self agreeable, en- route.
After the interchange of few common
place remarks. our conversation turned up
on the subject of agriculture the oil and
new modes of farming, &c, and | suisse
duentIy ascertained that nv venerable ac-
aulintance was most intelligent farmer,
who had retired, in his old age, upon Il
competency. As we dashed along in the
cars he entertained me with the substance
of the following narrative; the Diet ills of
which he ASS lre,l me transpireI within his
own knowledge.
Speaking of the existing progress and
improvements in agriculture" he said.
reminds me of IN instance that occurred
within nv rem ,mbrance, which | will re-
late to YOU. if you are disposed to hear it.
! thanked him. and he proceeded nearly as
follows:
Some forty years or more ago. a neigh
Dor Of mine in Ga MIR. Smith, Occu-
pied an immense tract of land, which he
called "a farm 1t WAS about thirty rods
in width, and upwards of t,co miles in
length-an old milan grant" rs it was
up Il farmer" and where his father and
grandfather and great grandfather had
lived before him.
Each generation of the Smiths that had
dwelt upon this strip OIL nj, had contrived
to - farm it, each in the same old way"
year in. and year out, from father to son.
The place had never known Il dollars in
cumbrance scores of Smiths had been
reared upon it, generation after genera
ton came and passed away there,
and the same old cart-paths, the same
dilapidated old walls and fences, the
same identical sheds and shanties and
decayed trees, were still visible-almost
the same furrow had been turned hundred
Years and more; when-as had been the
custom of the Smith families on previous
occasions, it finally came the turn of the
then occupant, to resign grandfather's old
place to his only son-Ben Smith-nOw
come of thirty.
For five and forty years, at least, Ben's
father had carried on this old farm. In all
that long period. regularly had Mr..
Smith plowed up his eight acres, moved
all the grass that Providence would grow
for him, pastured his ten sheep, reared his
four head of cattle, f;tttened his three hogs,
an wintered as many COWS. But this tUas
GH
True-Mr. Smith had a great farm
He toilet like Il trooper, from daylight till
dark. He raised his own pork and cor =,
(such as it was,) his cattle AMI fodder. cut
from his own forest the wool he burned
and never owed any man Il f;trthing. He
cOntrived even to pty his town and county
tax, too, without borrowing money But
he was literally :" even with the worldr'
for while he owed no one, no one 0tGed him
q d0ILtr. And so he lived. up to seventy
Ben" sui the oil m IN to his son.
one evening, as they sat before the winter ;
fire - I'm getting old I've worked poorly
concluded to give up. It's yorlr turn now
My turn for WHAT" asked Ben.
TO take chtrge of the old farm. You
are young. stout and healthy. I'm going
to give up the homestead to you; AMI if
YOU continue to labor constantly It's | have
done, and us your gr.tn Their dill, afore us =
yod can get good livin' off on t, as we
have done. We can't take nothin' out of
the world, with us. Ben. Naked, we came
into it, and 50 We IN lst go out ont. But
the old pace is free from circumference,
there never was dollar mortgage on it
and hope there never will be. | shall
give You the firm free and clear-to-
morrow"
Ben slept on this: AMI the next day he
w;ls master of II " farm thirty rods wide
and two and half miles long.
II shtll take the place, flther," he
said. and carry it on; but not us you and
grandfather and his father did"
AMI thoL5h the oil gentleman shook
his head, AMI looked earnestly over the
bridge of his specs u ut his SON, Ben was
as good us his word; and forthwith he
went to work in good earnest
Spring came. Ben Went into the fiel /
and plowed up one half of it. Upon this
he h;td previously deposited the whole sea
sons manure. that hitherto for Years lI;,,
been sparsely spread upon double the sur
face He narrowed these four acres ans,
and planted them carefully. Hoeing- time
came, and Ben had only one-hllf the space
to go OVER. Though the corn and potatoes
looked timely, and The beets, the ctbbages
and the carrots grew marvelously, the
good old man was crusty. and declared
it would MT do that " there would MT
be roots enough But Ben went right
along, in his own way.
AT the second hoeing, Ben went into
his four acres-but not with IA hand hoe
He had g got some kind of II limerick Gas
the old man termed IT'D mitchell it to the
old mares heels, and instead of hoeing hi.
potatoes man-f;ishion,' he'd begun witt
his new improvements; but that cult
vator,' as Ben called it, would MT work IL
how!''
Ben continued the use of the cultivator
however; the old gentleman continued tt
grumble, and the corn and potatoes con
tinued to flourish.
Ben Smith had gone over to a neigh
boring town early in the spring, and run
in debt-(Ben was the first Smith tina
ever did the thing!I for two hundre,
bushels of g nasty ashes" which he hat
tugged the cattle to draw to the farm, ant
with which hes' top-dressed" the old mea
dow Here was an innovation, to be sure
And he had subscribed for an agriculture
weekly, too; that with his limerick of s
"cultivator,n his ashes. anu his book
farmin," the old man was nearly crazed
1t would never do to go on at this rate
said the old gentleman.
But the four acres of corn and potatoes
and vegetables still grew finely. Never
had the Smiths seen such corn. such pota
toes and carrots. The grass came up thick
and strong and thrifty-and the harvest
time came round at last.
The cattle had plenty of good feed
and they were fat and sleek: the pigs vert
fat, the poultry were fat, the old horse was
fat. and Ben grew fat and jolly, us he gar,
nered his high corn, his big potatoes, his
generous sized beets, and his great brigh.
yellow carrots. Ben had found time
during his evenings, to read his agricvltur-
al paper. anti now he finally took in hi
second crop-his bouncing turnips and his
blushing buckwheat. Who ever hear.,
(before thisj of second crop on the OIL.
Smith farm--N Nobody, to be sure! Blu.
the old gentleman shook his head, and was
sorry. in his OLD age, to see his son tina
'.r.In 10 fto. in his book llrnin.
Winter came. lie good old father