The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-11-25
FIX UP.

FIX UP.
The farm, 1e mean, including
the house and grounds around it,
the barn and barn-yard. the shed,
the poultry-house, the orchard, the
fields. Don't be slovenly any long
er. Nail fast those loose boards
that have played the tune Of
"Hard Times" during every wind
storm for the last two or three
years. Mend the holes in the roof
through which the rain-drops have
pattered on the barn-hoor for so
long a time, and put new plank in
the floor where these same leak
holes have rotted it out. One Of
the doors of the wagon-shed needs
a new hinge and the door Of the
constable has been lying on the
ground all summer; fix th e m
right away. And we noticed when
you drove out with the last load,
that the hinge gate-post was sagged
so much that you could hardly open
it, and the frequ mt repetitions of
the effort have worn the ground
away in the shape Of an arc whose
radius is the length of the gate.
Straighten up that post and don't
leave the job until your four-year
old boy can open the gate with
his little finger. Then your front
yard! We drove by there the
other day and took an inventory
of its contents. Three old boxes;
one ash-leach; two plows; an old
bench; a lot of lumber, spoiled;
the wood-pile; sixteen-year-old
sleigh; pile of debris-rags, old
boots: shoes, etc., and, worst OF
all, a dog. You smile, reader,
and are ready by this time
to accuse US Of exaggeration,
but it is actually true. The
owner was an acquaintance, and
| we called his attention to the dog,
which was fast becoming a nuis-
ance to the public, to say nothing
of his own family. He informed
US that the dog had died the day
before, and he hadn't found time
to remove the carcass yet.
"What will you do with it?'
we inquired. "T a k it to the
woods" says he. "Well, now, see
here, my FRIEND" we replied, "the
Scriptures say that a living dog is
better than a dead lion. l would
modify that a little and say dead
dog is better than a living lion.
Most Of dogs are of no value what
ever till they are dead, and then
people loose all that ever was, or
ever will be of any use, by not
knowing what to do with them"
"How's that ?" says our trlend.-
"What shall I do with it. ?"-
"Take it to the manure heap, not
to the woods, where it will fill the
air for miles around with disease.
Why, my friend, the most valuable
gases for mauurial purposes are
continually escaping from that
dogs carcass, and if you will
bury it in absorbents you can save
the most of these gases and raise
wheat enough from them to pay
for q small portion Of the sheep
he has killed or the cold potatoes
and meat he has eaten. You have
a swamp over there-just haul
out a wagon load of the muck and
pile it over that dead dog, adding
a bushel Of quick-lime, and the r" ass
will become the most valuaa.e
wagon.load Of manure you ever
hauled out"
Our friend thanked US for the
advice, promised to fix up the front
yard, and we drove on, wonder
ing why farmers, who have so
. many natural advantages in their
favor, should be content with such
unpleasant surroundings. Don't
: attempt to sod the grounds about
the house; it involves too much
, labor, especially if they are exten-
, sive. Plow them up, manure thor
. oughly with we'll composted ma
nure, pulverize efectually, and
: then SOW lawn grass thickly and
| rake in lightly with mandrake.
If your work is done we'll you will
, have a far nicer sod the next year,
0 and a much smoother lawn than
you could possibly make with sod.
[Ohio Farmer.
$ Ifyou have not ordered any jet
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