The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1880-04-15
AgrIeaItnral.


They cannol sake tso siaplest imple'
meats they ere required 10 nee They
eAnbot repair any q the machines they
operate Il their fields Their houses
And out buildisgs are often in very bad
eondltloa because they are Unable "a
nee the tsols used By a earpsntsr. and
the employment Of skilled mechanic
il attended With toe much ircuble and
expense Their wagons and carriages
are rarely 10 ; thorough state oftpAit
Something's ordinarily the matter with
their harnesses. Their grinjstone does
not run tree Their pumps leak. Toe
handles Of their axes, spades. shovels
and hoes are III 10 bad condition.
A large proportion Of the expense
Of running farm is caused by tie
ersctien and repairs q fences A man
without mechanical skill cannot make
a new fence or properly repair an old
one. he ~ill ruin the boards be at.
temps to cot. and break the nails be
undertakes TO drive He cannot make
a gate. He cannot even hang gate
80 that II will swing properly after II is
msds. AZ consequence, there are
bars instead Of gates on his farm. As
further consequence, the fences afford
poor protection to crops. while they
dis6gure the premises they ought. by
right. to ornament. A farmer possessed
of mechanical skill ordinarily has fences
that are ornate 10 appearance as well
as those that turn stock Of all kinds,
They are also furnished with gates
that do not sag,
A farmer without mechanical skill
can neither graft trees nor prune them.
Tho trees 10 bis orchard, the shrubbery
10 his lawns, and the vines in bis vine
yard always present AN unseemly APP
pearance He has no walk about his
grounds. because be does not know
how to construct them There il no
scrsper on bis doorstep. His hay rack
10 always out Of order, and tho like is
true Of his field roller. corn marker, and
cullivator. He can use few OF his ma.
chimes to the best advantage, while all
OF them soon wear out under bis man.
agement, The use of machines and all
kinds of improved farming implements
calls for mechanical skill Without il
their fall value Is never realized, while
their speedy destruction is insured.
Farm machinery is expensive and every
effort should be made to make il last
as long as possible.
A very large proportion Of farming
operations are purely mechanical Me
chanicAl skill IL necessary TO construct
good stack OF hay or grain. or TO
properly build load Of hay. A lack Of
mechanical skill mes shocks Of corn
TO blow over. Mechanical skill is nee
essary to lay out land 10 blowing. and
TO so gauge the burrows that the land
will come out even The appearance
OF many cultivated fields shows an abb
sence Of mechanical skill on the part
Of the persons who manage them. The
sides are not even at the end where
the team turns in blowing there is often
variation OF a rod or more from atrue
line; the burrows are crooked in all
parts OF the field the rows Of corn or
potatoes arc not straight, and as con.
sequence many OF the bills are injured
by being worked with cultivator
Mechanics who turn farmers find the
knowledge they have acquired in the
practice OF other arts OF great value to
them. They have become precise from
long practice. They put proper es-
innate on the value of straight lines in
blowing and planting. They have a
proper regard for the appearance Of
things. A critical observer states that
the gardens of village mechanics are
much better laid out aud much better
tended than those Of farmers. The
former use q measure for locating the
rows OF vegetables and employs line
for guide in setting out plants. The
latter do these things by guess, " and
IN consequence leave much land to
grow up in grass and weeds. The use
OF the square. rule aud compass in the
shop leads to accuracy ia operations in
the field and garden, and accuracy
leads to economy in the use of land.
A work shop lie y most valuable
auxiliary TO the farm and garden. It's
tendency Is to make one careful and
precise 10 the use of tools oil every de.
description. 1t is q good school room
for boys. II helps develop mechan-
ical ingenuity, which is as valuable to
farmer a. to machinest. The more
boys handle shop tools,rthe more deI-
trous they will be with farming tools.
With . good work shop, profitable en-
ployment may be found during large
proportion OF winter, aud during rainy
days at other seasons of the year. To
keep farm with its numerous build
ings. fences and tools in repair, requires
mechanical skill. which farmers may ac-