Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-06-16
BILL AKP.
On the Rattle Orthe Reaper.
Atlanta oonstitution..


The rattle Of the reaper is heard in
the land. There are three in sight
frem my door, and they make fuss
amaziD and its lively times to see four
or five darkies following each machine,
binding the grain and going it in fox
trot TO keep up. A Jew years ago there
was not a reaping machine in the
Aeighborhood, and now every sub
stantial farmer has one. There is no
goodlier sight than to see the power
and perfection with which they cut
down the bending grain and put it in
shape for the binders. But after all the
good old time-honored cradles, when
iDthe hands of a stout, long bodied,
double jolnted African, is no bad i'm.
plement, and gets over ground mighty
fast considering. | see four of EN- at
work in another field, Staying some
. heavy oats, and the darkies are merry
and cut their wit and tell their jokes as
they swing their flashing blades. A.
reaper will do the work of four cradles
when it gets fairly at it, but it can't
get at it as quick, for there is a power
of triggers to be set and taps to screw
up, and oiling to do, and if the gates
are not half mile wide or less, it's
right smart bother to get the machine
through 'em. If a man has but few
acres the cradle is good enough, for it
is like man walking mile to see a
neighbor rather than 90 to the paster
to get a horse and running him
around time or two to get to ride.
The clover and the wheat and the
oats are all on hand at once now, and
its moving awhile and then reaping,
and then using the horse rake aad
hauling up the hay and letting the
children ride, and SO with the corn
crop and the sweet potatoes on hand
farmer has to get up early and 60
to bed early until harvest is over.
When we get field cut down and
shocked up we are happy and proud,
and when the little chaps find their
partridge nest full Of pretty white eggs
they are happy too. L believe the
horses and mules are happy too, and
have an instinct that the barn is to be |
filed for them. They will stall some
times with load of wood or of rock, |
but they will pull a power of hay up
a hill towards home. Jesse. Like |
man, like beast. We will all pull
powerful load towards home. There |
is power of comfort in a safe and |
successful harvest. When the crop
is good and better than was expected, |
and no rain TO damage it, and the |
clover is all under shelter and the |
oats we'll shocked and the wheat
thrashed, it makes a man feel proud, |
and be has a kind OF consciousness
that the Lord amt mad with him and
that be is pretty good sort OF man,
after all. But there is no telling, for |
we are up to-day and down tomorrow.
] wouldn't know what bad luck is just
ahead OF me if l could. 1t would
spoil my appetite and make me un-
happy. The good and the bad is Gu
riously mixed and always will be,
reckon. Our pet COW Cardinal had a
calf the other day, and now she is Civ
ing us a LOT Of rich milk, and last night
Csrl's colt rus by her at the gate and
she ducked a horn at the colt, and
ripped a cash in her hip that you can
lay your hand in. Well, / don't know
what that happened for. SOrter like
l was when the girls asked me what
cuckle burrs was made for. There's
no use in a man trying to account for
everything. and lay every accident.
and every disaster at somebody's door,
and there's no use in charging it all up
to Providence, and say be designed it
and it is all for the best. The best
way is TO take things as you find EN-
and 90 long. If you see a rock a
coming dodgeit and if you come across
8 snake kill him.