The Baltimore County union., 1883-02-03
A TRIBUTE TO THE FARMER.

In his address at the opening of the
Wisconsin State Fair Gov. Rusk said {:
Agriculture is the foundation of the
business and prosperity Of the whole
country. When the toll of the farmer
is utterly lost /; when after planting and
tending and waiting, the harvest.time
brings no harvest to him, every industry
and every interest instantly feels it,
How completely aseries OF crop failures,
or even Of short crops, paralyzes the
business of the country. So series of
good crops stimulates every busines and
revives every dropping industry. The
railroad lines lengthen, the rolling mills
are busy, the iron mine, the saw mill,
the lumber camp, are all scenes of ac-
tivity and every instrument OF commerce
is in use. The hum OF the machinery
is the natural accompaniment to the
songs Of the harvest-held. The daily
published telegram from the money
centre Of the world is an unconscious
daily tribute to agriculture and the farm.
er as the prime factor in commerce.
They note and chronicle every frost,
every rain, every hostile insect, as care
fully as the physician the symptoms Of
his patient. Stocks go up and down
with the varying reports as to wheat and
corn. The Wall-street gambler who
never heard the mcadow-lark in the field
reads with as eager interest the news
from the grain fields as one fearing for
a friend would read the casualties Of a
battle. But such tribute is temporary and
compulsory. II springs from selhshness
mostly, and the crop assured, indiffer-
ence to agriculture proclaims itself too
often in an undue levy upon the crop
for carriage and in other ways, which |
have not time to mention. With the
growth Of the country, increased pros
perity and the multiplied and splendid
educational facilities, our colleges, uni
versities, academies and other institu-
tions Of learning are filling up with am
bilious farmer boys, vigorous in body
and mind, bent upon acquiring knowl-
edge. This is we'll. They make good
students and scholars, but have feared
that too many Of them rather disdain.
fully turn from farm life to the profes.
sions as being step higher. l would
like to impress upon such young men
that they are mistaken in this. There
is in true sense no step higher, from
the calm, thoughtful, healthful, inde-
pendent life Of the intelligent farmer."
KEEP THE CELLAR CLEAN.-The
Ame,Itdn Aytisan, speaking on this SUBJ
ject, says: "a great deal Of sickness
from which families suffer could be easily
traced to the cellar. The cellar not
unusually opens into the kitchen the
kitchen is heated and the cellar is not.
Following natural laws, the cold air Of
the cellar will rush to take the place of
the warmer and, therefore, lighter air
Of the kitchen. This would be well
enough ifthe cellar was pure, but often it
is not /; partly decayed vegetable mat
ter is there, or rotten wood, etc. The
present time is opportune for thorough
cleansing Of the cellar. A day should
be taken to throw out and carry away
all dirt, rotten wood. decaying vegeta.
bles and other accumulations that have
gathered there. Brush down the cob
webs, and with a bucket Of lime give the
walls and ceiling a good coat Of white
wash. II a whitewash brush is not at
hand, take an old broom that the good
wife has worn out, and spread the white
wash on thick and strong. 1t will sweet
en- up the air in the cellar, the parlor
and the bedrooms, and it may save the
family from the Affections Of fevers,
diphtheria and doctors"