The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-11-24
Jined the Grangers."

You are right, mister, and it amt
hard to do nor long dom. Just get
one or two good pigs, keep 'em inside
the fences so that they can't mix with
bad company, push the pigs from the
word go, and always put 'em in the
scalden' barrel fore their twenty months
old. l bought the number one pig
hadn't another hog on the place-and l
raised meat to spare the first year. The
man that tries to raise the woods full of
hogs, raises 'em for the buzzards."
Do you raise Sheep"
81 raise sheep, mister; and sheep
raisin is what call killen' whole drove
of birds with one small stone. l raise
sheep for the wool; raise sheep for the
mutton; raise sheep for the increase; l
raise sheep to spade up the tough turf
with their sharp hoofs; l raise sheep to
eat bushes and yearbs that no other
brute beast would touch, and manufact-
ure 'em into fertilizers that hold their
richness spite of the rain and sunshine. {"
''How about the dogs?"
GA dog on Pumpkinvine, mister, totes
pass, or goes with his owner, else he
don't travel fur"
You don't need dog law them"
over dog law unto ourselves, mis-.
ter"
81 reckon you follow the advice of the
newspapers and plant corn"
We're pretty much in the habit of
follerin' our own advice on Pumkinvine,
mister. Not that we slight what we see
in the papers, if its sensible and we can
see the reason of it. But l plant corn,
mister; plant potatoes; and l plant oats
and wheat; and 1 plant sorghum; and |
plant pooders; and l plant turnip s and
pumpkins; and plant artichokes for the
pigs to root in the fence corners and
short branch benGs; and plant peas
everywhere. Some of these crops is
shore to hit, and so l never make clean
miss. When they all hit, it will be like a
land flowin' with milk and honey"
81 see you still raise cotton"
"Till something else is started to bring
Mississippi farmers money, regular and
shore, expect to raise cotton, mister.
We're bound to have money, mister-its
money makes the mar go. Only l amt
goin' to raise cotton to buy corn, and
flour and meat, and HOSES, and fertil-
izers."
"And mules?"
Don't talk of mules mister The
mule was twin brother to the slave; when
Congress abolished one it ought to've
abolished t'other too-both or none.
But speakin' of cotton, I've changed my
plan of raisin' cotton"
"HoW?"
Il used to plant ten acres and gather
two bales, now plant four acres and
gather three. This year ! am hopin' to
get four"
"How do you manage that"
1t would be long story, mister, and
as my road will soon turn off, I'll Just tell
it in to or three words: / manure, and
pillow, and hoe, and don't slight my
work"
/" But what if it is a bad crop year,"
"There amt so many bad crap years,
mister, as there is crap-raisers. Did you
ever know mans brag acre of cotton
the one he planted for brag acre all to
itself on some good spot-to make a
clean failure?"
81 don't know that l ever did"
"Jess so. Well, the way is to plant
few, and make them all brag acres"
" But what if the worms take it?"
"Worms amt apt to take the bottom
crap, mister, if it's well up to time; the
bottom crap don't shed much, generally
speakin't 'thout you worked on a wrong
plan; and the yearly frosts didn't tech
the bottom crap work for the bottom
crap, mister, from the word go. Cotton