The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-12-29
AarifnlturaI department.
BY ALBERT CHAPMAN
HOW TWO MEN SEE 1T.

tefmuouso III 'ho uPPSi pow VI 'hS'ii
mack county, the other day, gentleman
whom we had known as a mechanic in
Manchester. and somewhat surprised to
End him appearing so much at home, we
refined up our horss and began to inter-
view him. He said;
Yes, belong here. Hitch your horse,
come in and drink glass Of cider. We
are not very we'll fixed to receive com.
psny for we hrve just moved, but never
mind that. / suppose you think its
strange I'm here. This place belongs to
me- 1t was my fathers and when he
died it fell to my brother and me.
bought him out aud when the war closed
had paid him, got the buildings fixed up,
q good stock and the farm IN good con-
ditiop. Then l thought farming didn't
pay, or at least that something else pnid
better, aud being handy with tools spd
finding chance to work there, | packed
up and posted Of to the city. I've been
trying ever since TO sell the farm, but no
one has been willing to pay what |
thought it worth and so I've kept it.
Some years have let it upon shares,
some have hired it carried on, and some
there hasn't been anything done upon it
except to cut the hay and pick the apples.
Ofcourse it has ,un down, the buildings
are oil hanging by the giIls, the fences
are knock. kpeed and bushes and briars
have grown ur everywhere. 1t don't
look like the same place left, and yet
I'm glad nobody came along to buy it.
Let me tell you why. Times are dull 10
the city now, and mechanic like me,
With large family, has tough match to
make living, but having farm l can
come back to it, You know the old say.
ing, "A man can go home when he can't
60 anywhere else
Can l make living here? Yes, be.
cause eau live on what get, and that
cant do in the city unless | get good
deal. l have learned some things chang.
ing about that | didn't know once, and
one Of these is that the question of how
much man gets for his work isn't half
as important AS the question how well he
pou AiNC VI What AV Gttos w HCu WOT Il
shut down this fall | had nothing else to
DO, SO | went TO figuring. and | found
at my rents cost me 5000 and my fuel
100 per year. and that | must earn q
dollar a day to pay these. Back here
wood and rent may perhaps be reckoued
$50 year each. or about a third Of q
dollar day So far as these are con.
cerned am better of earning thirty three
cents day here then 81 a day there
The difference in other items Of living
may not be quite as great. but it is near.
~. Everything you eat there you mus
buy, Half you eat here don't seem tc
cost anything, because it grows on your
own land. Then you and your wife apd
children must dress better there thar
here, and there are hundred expensive
things like lyceum, concert and entertain
mept tickets, gimcracks and nicknack,
which pick away your money there, bu'
oever come here. Then there's another
thing. you are at work in the city
and you want day to attend the funera
Of your wife's mother, it must come ou
Of your wages. If you are sick day
that's so much out Of your earnings. Blu
on farm you don't mind it. II you ge
little behind you can make longer day,
and make it up, and the crops grow jus
as fast when you are attending funeral
or sick.
Still again, this being belled in an,
hnllea out, beiiod TO dinuer and to bed
belled everywhere, / don't like it; i
wears man out, and, putting it all to
gether, | have come to the conclusion
that ON better off here and I'm goin.
to stay here.
Start GU. and travel ten miles in an,
direction aud every man you meet vii
tell you farming don't pay, and | suppost
1t don't; that is, | imagine that if tht
farmer with common farm and large
family has made the ends meet be ha
done pretty well for the past FIVE year.
but take your mechanic, who, if be own
his house in the city has as much none ,
invested 10 it as common farmers have il
their farms, and how much has been say.
ed? Not a great deal. And while vou
cant find farmer about hero who
couldn't live till spring with earning a
dollar, or Il pinched to it without spend
iSg one, when you get into the city it is
simply work or starve. There is no such
thing as harvest there, but it's buy and
eat from hand to mouth, by the dimes
worth, all tue time. And that's the
beauty ofa farm. Pap;os and shut downs
and hard times don't touch tat least
they don't pillow down into its bowels and
turn up . starvation subsoil. don't ey
pect to make much money here, for 4 A..
things are now that can't be done, but
90 expect to make living and work nc
hssde: than would in the city and stll
another thing, when ! am able and will
ing to work l expect TO have enough to
do, for the Almighty don't run his ma.
chine oa short time and shut down Satur.
days when the markets are dull.
Expressing our qualification that we
had found at least one man who was not
afraid aud who was glad that no one had
bought his farm, We rode along and with.
IN mile got another invitation to drink
cider and another iOteryew. Our second
friend has been from his youth up on the
farm, without any vacation in the city
He has never moved away and eonse.
quently had 20 occasion TO move back.
His farm is in good condition. buildings
and fences in good repair, and his store.
houses are stuffed with the crops Just
harvested. From his granary, cellar and
barn he could feed a small neighborhood
from now until spring. and all his sur.
roaDdiogs seem to be pleasant. But be
is dog sick Of farming and very anxious
to sell out at almost any price. We told
him Of his neighbor who was playing the
prodigal son and asked him what be
thought Of his talk. Well, said he, that
depends on circumstances. The trouble
with farming is not in low prices; at
least it lie not that prices arc low as com =
pared with times when the most of Us
unaha g. Al