The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-07-20
Farm and Home.
Apps Amphorisms,
lCnnAhn-n NnlA;rnAn1


[Southern CultivAtor.l
A merchant or a lawyer or any
outsider who never farmed any has
got an idea that farming is mighty
} simple and easy and innocent sort
of business. They think that there S
nothing to do but pillow and hoe and
| gather in the crop, and there's no
: worry or complication about it, ex
cept you can't get rain every time
you want it, and the crop is short
in consequence. 1 had pretty much
+ that sort of a notion myself, but l
/ know better now. I've been farm
ing for five years and like it better
and better, l like the freedom of it,
it's latitude and longitude and it's
variety, but there is power of little
worries and not few big ones that
man has to encounter and provide
for that these outsiders never
dreamed OF. When a man is run
ming hired labor it takes about half
his time to watch 'em and keep 'em
from wasting things wrong. went
down in the field yesterday and
stumbled on the monkey wrench in
the grass by the tuln row and it
had been there for month and l
had hunted for it all over the
premises and nobody could tell any
thing about it, but now the darkey
members takin' it down dar to
screw up de taps on de cultiyator;;"
not long ago | found the Ratchet in
the edge of the bushes, where one
of the boys had cut poles to lay off
by. l can pick up scooters and dull
plows all about the farm, in the
corners of the panels and on the
stumps where they put 'em when
they change 'em. My log chain is
missing now and the little crow bar
and one of the hammers, for some
times L have to leave home for
few days, and although these
niggers and my yearlin' boys do
their level best to surprise me with
dom power of work while / was
gone, they don't notice little things,
they lose at the bung hole while
stopping up the spigot, or Vice varcy,
as the saying is. They bore the
auger bit against a nail, or dull the
saw in the same way and let the old
cow get into the orchard, or the
hogs into the later patch. I've got
good wOrkin' boys and right in
dustrious darkeys, but it takes a
man with head on and his eyes
well open to keep up with 'em and
watch out for little things--ittle
damages that aggrayate man and
keep him in fret, that is, if he is
but human and can't help. fretting
when things go wrong. a nabor
borrowed my brace and bit. and the |
bit came back with one corner off |
another one borrowed my cross cut
saw and it came back awful dull and |
will cost me a new file. They don't |
like it if don't lend them my mower
to cut their clover, though they never
have cleaned up the rocks in it. A
darkey will work mule sometimes
for two hours with the names out
of the collar and never see it, and
thinks it mighty hard if you won't
lend him mule to ride to meetin
of a Sunday But l won't do that.
They beg me out Of a heap of things
but they shant ride my stock of Sun
days, for | hate to do it myself, and
when darkey gets on mule and
out of sight he is like a beggar on
horseback, he'll ride him and run
him as long as he can stand up. 1
ike the darkeys, / do, but 1 have
lot got much hope of EN- ever be
ng anything but the same old care
ess, contented, thoughtless creatures
hey always was. If we don't own !
EN- as we used towe have got to
Lct like we do, for there is no other
way to get along with 'em. Tve
rot one who took a notion he would
ay up half of his wages in spite of
and he told me to put it in /
he contract that i wasn't to pay !
llm but five dollars. a month and
,eep the other half till the end of
he year. And now he tries to beg
ne out of the other five at the end !
If every month, but | wont pay it.
nd he goes off satisfied. They all
want guardians just like orphan ]
children. We board two of EN- and
hey eat more than my whole family, 7
nd they want coffee and butter
milk, and meat and syrup, all ut
he same time, and it looks like we
ant get enough for 'em, but they
an go off on a frolic and do with '
ut vittles for two days and half,
nd keep fat. Nabor Freeman
anne home the other day and found =
lis Niger tenants right smart be-
ind with their crops, and that they
ad all been off to a three DAYS
leeting and an excursion besides, 4
nd so he got mad and hauled up :
sob, and says he: bob, what in the
ickens are yeu all goin' to so much
leetin' for? What is the matter, is
he devil after you, with a sharp
tick, and bug ON the end of .it?"
well now, mas Ed" says Bob:
I'll tell you how it is, we niggers n
ave been seem for long time dat
on white folks done got dis world -
nd Gen. Grant nor nobody amt a I
wine to Civ us niggers any of it,
nd so we is gwine to meetin' and
rayin' and fixin' up to take de next
orld as soon as we git dar, that's G
and Bob stretched his mouth
I'd showed his pearly teeth, and
ughed loud at his own wit. Nabor
reeman says he couldn't abuse
IN after that. Me and Mrs. Arp
9TH talked right seriously to our Il
lrkeys about being vaccinated for &
e smallpox, and told 'em l could
} it from the children's arms and on
1t cost 'em cent, but old Tom, =,
c Patriarch of the family, is very q
perstitious, and has got some
spicion that the devil has some
ing to do with it, and he shakes
5 head, and says, he ''dont know n
lffin about it, and if de Lord gwine
Civ 'em de small pox, dat a man
MT keep it away, and if de Lord
mt want EN- to have it, it won't
me, it all depends on dc Lord
Vhow" .' .tI