Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-04-02

TO the sea and the sailors escaping t0r tnelr
lives, some on boards, some on broken piec-
es of the ship, some on one thing and some
on another. These things are vivid in my
mind, although was lad of but eight or
ten years old. My fathers farm was COM
posed of thirteen different pieces Of land,
scattered about in as many parts Of the town,
of from one-third of an acre 10 i've or six
most of the land was kept in tillage, and as
it had been plowed more than hundred
years, it needed a good deal Of nursing and
nanuring, the manure being often obtained
from the sea. You can see at what disad-
vantage farming was carried on.
What have said about my fathers farm
was true to q great extent throughout the
town, and is so to this day. My first expe-
rience in farming was dropping potatoes, and
being called by my mother early in the morn
ing to drive the cows to pasture u miles.
think was not more than six years old at
that time. My father became dissatisfied by
his land being in 30 many pieces, so in the
fall Of 1881 he game on horseback to Ver-
mont to spy out the land; it was considered
at that time great undertaking to take 50
long journey.
As the year S3l was a very fruitful sea-
son, even for Vermont, of course he resolved
to sell out there and come here. He sold his
land in the course of few months and got
ready to move. l we'll remember when the
whole family and household goods started in
mid winter First was a two-horse team
loaded with goods such as beds, chairs, bed.
steads, spinning Wheel and the like, with
the teamster and myself standing on the back
part of the sleigh then came father with a
one-horse load; then my brother with the
cutter with my sister, mother, and the baby.
Thus we travelled for thirteen days, and ar
rived in this land of promise. write these
things to show our young friends the trials
and disadvantages that surrounded people at
that time. My father bought the place on
which now live for $1,000 cash down. As
he,always had poor health, Of course large
part OF the work came upon the boys, and as
l was the only one that took to work, l used
to think l had enough of it. If time would
permit l would like to tell you of our cold
houses and our big fire places, how we would
roll in the great back logs, and sometimes in
the coldest weather would burn a load Of
wood in day, which the boys had to chop
and 90 to school, so you can well understand
that our schooling was of little account.
am sure never had the benefit of three
months school in one season. We used to
keep usually yoke of oxen, horse, three
cows, two yearlings, and fifteen sheep. From
the wool we made our clothing. For the
lambs, if they were nice, we would get seven
shillings and sixpence, but oftener less, and
then raise what we could of potatoes corn,
rye, &c.
remember leading horse before the OK
en- hauling potatoes around by the Center to
Judge Fullers starch factory, and many
time after was large enough to come alone
with the oxen l would start about one or
two o'clock in the morning and get to the
factory at daylight, and get home in time to
load up another load to start the next morn
ing, all for l2i cents per bushel. If we
made any butter to spare we would usually
carry it to the store IN pals for about ten
cents pound. As we could not get any
money from the dairy we increased our flock
of sheep until we kept near hundred. We
took great deal of pains to get good Meri-
no blood; we had a very handsome lot Of
sheep. When wool sold well we we're salts
fed, but the market went up and down so Oft
en- that we became discouraged. One year
we sold very nice lot of wool for twenty
one cents pound, and were obliged to keep
it till winter at that, and lambs at that time
sold for about four shillings Was it not
rather hard times for farmers? About this
time father gave up all business to me. |
sold the sheep for "a cents per head, and in
vested in wo.years-old heifers, for which 1
gave $3.50 each. Thus l commenced to
keep dairy, and have continued to till this
time. | have endeavored to make the best
article and as much of it as 1 could. l sold
my butter one year to Lewis Herrick for IA
cents per pound and was well satisfied, as
| ia was the common price. Before the rail-
road came to st. Albans we had to send our
butter to market by water from St. Albans
Bay. After the cars got up as far as Wa
terbury we carted it down there, and once at
least the butter got so melted that the
cloths that should have been on top of tho
butter were at the bottom. When the road
was finished to St. Albans We felt we were
pretty near market. Although we some-
times think the railroads are exorbitant in
their charges, what could we do without
them? Have they not increased our real
estate in value more than one hundred per cent?
In selling butter | have sold usually to
the same man as long as he used me we'll,
although at certain times he could not pay
as high as some others. l sold to Thomas
f. House as long as he did business here,
and l always considered him one of the best
butter dealers that ever operated in this
part Of the country. | have ever been on
the lookout for improvements. If any one
got higher price than l did l never felt
above going to him and enquiring the cause.
The New York Tribune says the market
will never be glutted with good butter, any
more than the world will be overstocked with
foe paintings and sculpture.
Let no one think he can jump into success
at once in making or selling, but begin and
work up; the only way is to keep at it ;
read, think, and work make your butter q
necessary article for them to buy and they
soon will find it out. Never put your name
upon poor tub of butter, or sell poor ar
ticle for good one; never tare your tub at
nine pounds when it will weigh 81 or 10.
There are few rules to be remembered
by the farmer If you wish your animals
to use you WE'LL use them we'll feed them
without stint use them with kindness /;
learn them to know your voice and to regard
it with favor; there is moro understanding
in animals than some people seem to think.
Let every farmer have good garden, both
for comfort and profit; one that has not a
good garden hardly can estimate the amount
OF food that will grow in small garden. L
do the most of work in my own after milk
ing, nights.
} Let us have everything around us comfort
) vbe as the circumstances will admit. be-
, lieve that comfort is better than money at
: nine per cent for our days are short and the
march of time is uniform aud rapid. We