The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-03-09
FARMER JOHN.
His Tx Perience with the ''Grub"- worm-A
Fact Founded on Fiction.

His TX perience with the 'tsrub'' wv Orm--.A
Fact Founded on Fiction.
Away back in the good old days We read
about things even less scientific, if not more
practical than in these enlightened times.
A man was then allowed to feel perfectly
we'll and do an immense amount
of work without a permit from
the Board of Health; the active
properties OF plants had not learned to de-
mand a fellows diploma before easing his
gripping pains; and the esculent roots, as well
as the cereals had no more refinement than
TO grow for men who never saw Purdue Uni
versty. A farmer could own "a patch of
ground, and raise truck, without diploma.
before the educated plants got up to
snuff" and Farmer John was planting
corn and ''taters'' on his stumpy land.
BY and by, he saw the young weeds pop
ping up their little yerdant heads all over
his cOrn-lield, and remembered the good old
saw "Plow deep, while slrggards Sleep"
but the corn could not be found. He felt
confident the seed was of good quality. and
commenced eNhuming some OF it to learn
what could be the trouble. sure enough,
the 'tarnel grub" was doing all the
mischief. He called out the boys,
and set them to re-planting; but the weeds
had got the bulge" on them, and his
harvest turned out to be nothing but FROST
ed nubbins. Before spring his cows We're
dying with the hOllOw-hOrn, his pigs with
hollow stomach. and his horses became so
! light that little jag OF wood pulled them
| the wrong way. Darn the grubs' said
Farmer John, and he snapped his little
place for truck patch in the suburbs.
, Either his grandfather had worked for q
/ German, or a Dutchman had worked for mis-
fotk. hnr tal.
/ but Farmer John had in some way been in
4 fected with the Teutonic penchant for big
round heads and barrels full of sauer krOut
| He went in on cabbages and set tho
whole lot with fine large plants
hut they soon began to will
down and turn black; and to his great dis
may, the 'tarnal grubs'' we're found here a:
thick IS ever Try. try, againr' exclaimed
/ the interchangeable Farmer John. and these
pestiferous 'grubs'' had good time eatins
the sweet young cabbage plants fast a:
| the boys could reset them. But there Wa:
sImething wrong with the alnana,
that year, for halloween arrived about {
month too soon for Farmer John.
krout barrels. Anyway, nobody could a C
cuse him al having the big head. and tina
was some consolation for being afflicted with
the devastating grub" But he was shifty
! fellow, and determined to escape from III,
grub" contamination.
4 The next year he turned his track patch
into brick yard, and united his future DIES
tiny with the city folks, thinking. foolish
fellow, that none but farmers and
gardeners were cursed with ''grubs'
he sought fixed securities and soon had hi
| limited wealth slowed away among DIR,
papers. Now. Farmer John began 20 fee
elated in his new quarters and imaginary SO
curity- but he had not yet made the ac
quaintxnce of the whole family of pestifer
Gus "grgbs" They had only been found il
the hearts of his young plants and the headi
of his cabbages; but now. OHIO! nasty, greal
big grub is trying to get into the head OF
the city, and among his valuable papers
''To the devil with your 'grubs,'" says Far
mer John, I'D rather live among the grass
hoppers of Kansas than be robbed by these
! thieying verminI' ss**s