Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-06-06

SOME or THE DRAWBACKS UPON AN AGRIcULTU
RAJ CAREER.

ltrom the Burlington Hawkeye
1t is spring, and tho annual warfare begins
Early III the morning the jOcund farmer hies
him TO the field and hunts around in the
dead weeds and grass for the pillow he left out
there some time last fall. When he finds 1t
he takes it to the shop to have it mended.
field with it. Halfway down the first furrow
he lays he runs the plow fairly into a big
iive-oak root, the handles alternately break n
rlb on this side OF him and Jab the breath
out OF HIM on the other, and the sturdy root
looking up ont of the ground with pleased
smile of recognition saws checrtully
"Ah Mr.. Thistlepod at it again, eh ?"
Fifty feet further on he strikes a stone that
doubles up the plow-point like piece Of
lead, and while The amazed and breathless
agriculturist l,nus. II limp heap Of humanity,
acre IS the plow, the relic OF the glacial pc
Rod remarks, sleepily:
''Ah. ha Spring here already Glad You
woke me up."
And then the Changer sits down and pa
tently tries to tie ON that plow point with a
hickory wlthe, and while he pursues this
huitless task the friendly crow swoops down
near enough to ask
'GOin' TO put this twenty in corn this year,
Mr.. Thistlepodf"
And before he has time to answer the sable
bird tiny grasshopper, wriggling out of u
clod 30 full Oi eggs that they cant he count
cd, shouts briskly
"Here are again, Mr. ThistlepoI. Dinner
for 500, ,U0O. O0O, ,00Or
Aud then slow-nIoying hut very positive
potato-bug crawls out into the sunlight to see
If the frost has faded his stripes, and says
The old-iashioned peachblow potatoes are
the best for sure crop, hut the early rose
should be planted for the first market
Then several new kinds of bugs who
haven't made any record yet, climb over the
fence and come up to inquire about the STA
pie crops OF the neighbcrhood, and before he
can get through with them, Prof. 1Ice sends
him circular stating that there won't be II
drop OF rain from the middle OF May till tho
l,st of October. This almost stuns HIM,
but he Is beginning to feel little resigned
whoa a lie spaich is received from the De-
partnent OF Agriculture ut Washington, say
ing that all indications point to u summer OF
unprecedented almost Incessant aud long
continued rams and floods, and advising him
to plant no root crops ut all. While he ~
trying To find words in which To express his
emotion, Il neighbor drops in to tell him that
all the peach-trecs III the country are winter
killed, and that the hog-chOlera il raging
hefcely IN the northern part Oh the township.
Then his wife comes out to tell him that the
dog has fallen into the we'll, and when the
poor man gets to the door yard. his children.
with much shouting and excitement, meet
him, aud tell him that there are a couple of
cats, of the pole denomination, in the spring
house, and another one under the barn
With tears and groans he returns 10 the field,
but 10y that time it has begun to SNOW 80
hard that he cant sco the horses when lac
stands at the pillow. He is discouraged, aud
starts for the house with his team. when he
meets a man who bounces hun Tor using
three-horse clevls he made himself and
wrung ten reluctant dollars out OF LIN for:lr
When he reaches the house the drive well
man IL waiting for hun. md while he is set
tling with hun clock peddler comes IN aud
ahghtnng-rod man. screened hy the storm,
climbs mp on the ten-dollar smoke -honse.