The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-09-19

eighteen in a row, all about the same distance
apart, and three horses 10 each one. They cut
the wheat, threw it up on to an apron and
when enough Is there tie 1t with string In
bow-knot, then something like two huge iron
fingers pushes IL off Men follow and shock H.
that is, put II In piles where 1t ripens week or
so, then the steam engines and threshers are
brought out to the fields and II IL threshed car
Tied to the elevators ready for wheat and for
bread Tor Queen Victoria, Kaiser William, the
Hottentots, or our own countrymen. The har-
vest field had perfect fascination for me.
These eighteen great machines cut on the
average about fifteen acres n day, each one.
Inc expert and farm manager are rushing over
the teld in buggy. The expert is a man
sent by the manufacturers at their expense to
Keep the machines in order and when ma
chine stops Tor moment he Is on the spot to
NIX IL. Then the overseer of the gang is on
horseback to see that the men do their duty,
ana Team with barrels OF water Is constantly
on ,he ground They start to work very early
and rest from half-past eleven till one O'clock;
then at four lunch is sent to them, and they
work till nearly seven. Now is a very busy
time as a great deal has to be done before
snow ana .nat comes early up here. AS soon
as the wheat is cut the ground has to be stubble
plowed, Tor next years crop, and on another
part of the farm a gang is already Moving
They have some thirty sulky and gang plows.
the former drawn by three mules. the latter by
four, and 1t is fascinating to watch the rich
black earth cut and thrown up There are two
boarding houses on their farm, about two miles
apart, and New England farm house is not
heater than both these. The tables looked very
appetizing with the piles of white bread (they
use barrel of flour day. yellow butter, po-
tatoes and other vegetables boiled mutton,
pies, doughnuts, etc, and all on good clean
white ware. The floors were like wax, and the
whole room had an air of neatness and comfort
we asked father If the men appreciated 1t, and
he said yes, it was an educator and was sure
to tell in the end upon these crude, uneducated
men" The majority Of the men are Swedes
and as no drinking, swearing, or card playing
is allowed on the farm they are well behaved
and orderly. The farm house, or head quar-
tiers, is very nice large house with good beds
and very nice table. Mrs. Walker, the wife of
the farm manager, is neatness ITSELF and her
house is well kept. 1t seemed strange to find
brussels carpets and white spreads as well as
decorated china and silver forks, but such was
the case. Her flower garden was a constant
source of delight to us, full to repletion of all
old-fashioned flowers Although there is moth
ing at Lockhart but the farm it seems quite
like settlement with the headq uarteTs-where
the postoffice is-the boarding house. big barn.
root house, store house, two machinery halls,
granaries, carpenters shop, blacksmith shop
and numerous small buildings. IL was at this
farm, you remember, that they struck that
big well last fall which flowed at frs
thirty barrels minute ana threatened to
wash away the whole farm. 1t has proved an
inestimable boon to them for it is a most
beautiful well and flows about two barrels a
minute, clear and cool, and the beasts drink
from 1t as from running stream. We made
long visit to the machinery halls and very
interesting one too, trying to understand it all,
from the wonderful seeders to the big thresh-
ing machines which consume the straw to
make steam. One of the most ingenious
things thought, was the potato digger-per-
haps because | remembered how a brother of
mine hated to dig potatoes-and this was such
a help. 1t seems as if Providence held all these
acres in reserve till these things were invented,
for these vast fields could never have been
titled by hand. Mr.. g. pointed out the literal
realization of the prophecy, " He shall make
the wilderness blossom as rose," for where
the hand of industry had turned the sod the
ground was one carpet of wild roses. Well,
that was one day. and very full day too.
Friday we started again in the =" ark as we
called the big roomy carriage, which had not
outlived its usefulness if it had its STYLE and
as Mrs. G. was much interested in homesteads,
we went to see two. The first was German
who had not been long in the country. 1t was.
| what is called a " sod shanty," a board house
| with sod piled up outside, and as the grass and
vines grow it is quite picturesque outside, but
| not in. The family consisted OF Il mother, who
spoke no English and looked as If she had not
grain of common sense; a father and seven
| children, fair-haired, blue-eyed and dirty. The
| house had two small rooms, no floor but the
earth, and-wel, picture it if yeu can Mrs.
| u. did not want 10 homestead " in that way.
We next drove to another, and such a con-
| tIast The floor had a neat rag carpet, she
windows long curtains. a handsome piano and
| book case full OF books stood in the front
room, and on the center table, covered with
| Kensington embroidered spread, stood a vase
OF flowers and cut glass dish full of apples.
| Neatness, refinement and culture shone every
| where and when the hostess, a pretty little
woman in pink dress and gngham apron
| appeared, it was all explained. She was an
American and born under the good old flag
| She had some object in living and having all
| life could give her | don't care if the first
family does make the most money, as they are
| sure to do. don't care IT, in looking at those
| dirty-faced Germans we saw, perhaps, future
| president or cabinet officer, would rather be
the clean, sweet little Yankee woman and al
ways be clean and always have my flowers,
| books and music. We expected to 60 up to the
other farm, but as 1t was the same MS this, only
larger, we gave it up, as we feel this was larger
than we could grasp. This they call tine
small farm" AT the keystone" they are
| working twenty-seven haIvesters, twelve two
horse hay wagons, five two horse mowers, six
teen three-horse sulky plows, five four-hoTse
| gang plows, one four-ox team, besides water
wagons, ETC., and this all at once. So we left
Lockhart Friday evening and were home
| in time for breakfast the next morning. feeling
that we had seen a wondrous amount in the
| short time we were away. suppose it is like
| woman to leave the crops ETC.. till the last
| when that is most important. They are toler-
ably satisfied with the results, and call it
good two-thirds crop. The very best wheat
| will yield thirty bushels to the acre, but that
on a small proportion of the whole, twenty
three hundred acres, the average crop being
about fifteen, and, of course, the expenses on
such a farm are fabulous. The Irvine alone, on
the two FARMS used for binding the wheat,
cost 81, 600 last year, and everything is on the
same scale. Whether there is money in it or
| not remains to be seen, but it has left an in
delible impression on my mind if we're an ar
fist, would paint it as my masterpiece and call
| it Peace and Plenty"