Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-11-17

foolishy or unnecessarily. All their mus.
Gle and nerve was saved for work.
must be pardonod if make this part Of
my subject little longer. l used to work
for MIR. b. when was boy and help him
plant potatoes on new land. He used to
harrow the land and we boys plant the pota-
toes He held his own harrow by q bow, to
keepit from tipping over. lie had way
Of getting the harrow teeth wonderfully near
the stumps. lie laid his whip on a stump
and drove his own team, and those oxen
would gee and haw the stumps as occasion
required, as patiently, obediently and SEEM
ingy as intelligenty as the man held the
harrow. remember as though it were but
yesterday, how | wondered and admired that
way Of doing things. The man, the harrow,
chain and oxen seemed like parts Of per.
feet arrangement for harrowing-a machine
to harrow on new laud. One of the boys
would try it once in while, but if boy
held the harrow the machine was not per-
feet without a whip. And then very soon
it became necessary to learn the oxen some.
thing, and then very soon everything would
be wrong. And then the boy would take
his pail of potatoes or his hoe, aud the man
his harrow and oxen, and everything would
go right again.
remember another incident that illus
trates how much good care and kind treat.
ment will do for team. | was engaged to
blast and lay some stone for man. lie
hired a farmer to come and help draw the
larger stone with a pair Of ive-ycar.old
oxen. 1t was in June. At the time agreed
upon the man sad his team came on. | ad.
mired his oxen. They were handsome, red
fat aud sleek. asked him how much work
his oxen had done that spring. He said
nearly all his farm work. | asked how
much grain they had day. Said he, "they
have never eaten two quarts Of grain since
owned them. | give them as much good
hay and water as they want, and that is all. >
At night after hard days work, rather
than leave them in a strange barn, he drove
them home two miles aud back the mex
morning for another days work. lie sale
he guessed they would eat and rest enough
better at home to pay them for their two
miles walk. His idea was that when theI
we're at home in their own stable they woulC
be perfectly comfortable, while away from
home they might be discontented, homesicl
and restless, consequently poorly fitted 70
the next days work. If was a lady look
ing for a husband, would inquire for suci
a man as that.
will say here what should have sal,
further back. do not believe in this indis
crminate faultfndiug with boys. 1 knoy
several who arc models of kindness to AMI
mails. Some Of them are better manager
aud drivers of a team than their fathers
have known some instances where ther
was decided Improvement in the appear
ancc Of the farmers team when his boys &c
old enough to feed, groom and use then
Those are the boys to look for but not eas
to find If was girl, | would MARI
such boy 'os that if he was cross-eye,
white.hoadcd and freckod.
| have said that kindness to domestic ani
mails consists mainly in furnishing them goo
feed in sufficient quantities, and quiet, coT
Portable quarters for rest.
have spoken Of the Importance of kin
care and good management Of teams, an
have endeavored to prove that kindness
domestic animals pays Motives Of profit @
, money ought to be sufficient to secure to ou
animals the very best care aud kindcst treat
ment, but the true consideration and strou
reason for their kind care is found in its r
! semblauce to Christianity.
Much could be said to show how well ou
domestic animals appreciate the Kindness
| shown them, aud how their social natur
can be made to them a source Of cnjoymen
0 But this paper is already long and mu
: come to period.