The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-07-09
Ingenuity on the Farm

Correspondence Country Gentleman
During the several years have been
a subscriber to your paper, ] have res
ceived SO much valuable information in
all things which interest the farmer, and
in other branches of business, that [
venture to give some of my experience in
this line, hoping TO benefit some reader
hare profCed much from the many new
improvements on cheap farm Implements
given by numerous subscribers There
are many ways to lessen the labor5 Of the
farm if people will use their inventive
powers, and prohs by observation. There
are many tools which farmers use that
are expensive to buy, for which sOme~
thing Of their own make cOnld be sub,ti>
iuted and lessen the cost. In fact, i
good farm r ought to be ingcniLs, and
cultivate his ingenuity; he will thus be
less liable to impOstur3 from other
sources, and will III Ike this talent IL
source Of pc sure AMI profit to him.
self
Daring a sh rt zQi urn in the West a
feu years ago, my lot was cast among
people from Norway and Sweden who
Fl lck in mum ers to the West-mOst!y to
Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota Their
habits are not so neat and tidy as most
OF our country men, but they are INDUS
triUus, ecOnomizing, civil and good citiN
zens They are also ingenious AMI fru-
gal IL is no uncommon thing to see
the head Of family do his blacks mithing
shoemaking, carpenter work, etc. The
writer has seen all this done by one man,
and well done while the women and
children, with the old and crippled,
would Improve the long winter eyrniDgs
and bad weather in making useful house
hO'd articles, such as wooden bowls,
ladies', butter tubs, milk psi $, churas,
barrels, etc their work always being
well done and firm, looking neat and
workmaulike l have seen small chil~
dren make neat, strong, wooden buckets
with bal and covers and baskets Of
every kind. and anyone buying their
goods finds them strong and serviceabie,
and always of ready sale Upo2 inquiry
they told me that in Norway ar d ~weden
the long darkness Is to them a pleasure
season, spent teaching the young to
make all kinds Of tools, household ar
tic'es, shoes, clothing, etc al-o in giving
them an education, as most Of the chill
dren can read and write while young
(three to five years of age). They are
m stlv religious and cOntented
] think we can learn many lessons
from the industrious and thriving peo~
lie. They mostly push back 10 the Fl, n
tier to obtain cheap land~, and are
thrown on their resources. They are far
away from stores ard markets; they
make their own farming tools, boots and
shoes, shoe their own horses, etc, and
when the country becomes settled, and
merchants, mechanics and tradesme q
locate near, they find these people al
ready wealthy and comfortable from the
labor of their own hands. We hay, 50
many kinds f good labor, saving ma
chinery that the farmer of to day is les
ing his inventive genius, and is always
. locking for some one to ill his wants.
A wealthy farmer can have everything
he desires, but there arc thousands Of
farmers climbing the hill, and must C I
inches in the rock as they ascend 10
these make these suggestions
ID. b. r.,
GaIipOlis O