Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-01

tuu TuhluR. L lluNt SctH " uCAtu blllb III
the bayfield, at time, shaking the hay
to make it dry. 1t was common thing.
There was no aristocracy in those days,
and there was no degradation about tfat
sort of work. We all had orchards then.
The first thing a farmer did was to set
out apple trees when he cleared up the
land, and all took apples to the mill in
the fall and made cider enough to last
the year round Rum was Just as COM
mon drink as water. There was no
raised nor funeral that occurred,
nor anything else hardly, without rum.
A person would not consider himself
gently used on going into house with
out being asked to drink If a man went
into house without an invitation to
take something, he would not think him
self politely treated. Bnt there was not
nearly as much intoXication then as
now. Folks did not all necessarily drink
because rum was so plenty, but they all
had it and carried it into the fields ev-
cry boy carried jug. I knew old men
that used to drink pretty hard every
time they went to tho store, rs we used
to call it thor, once n week or once
month, they would get pretty well over
the bay, but such men lived to be old
men. never heard of case of delirium
tremens until 1910. / think there was
q great difference in the quality Of liquor
drunk. 1t must be that. Men in those
days were good to sit up and watch
with sick person whenever necessary,
but they always had to be provided with
rum. A man could go to the store and
get trusted for rum in case of sickness
when they would not trust him for any
thing else, because they considered it an
absolutely necessary thing. Old Moore
Russell, Of Plymouth, sold 50 hogsheads
Of new rum out of his store in one year,
about 1S15-16 He had mortgage on
almost all the farms around where he
lived.
value OF Property.
Property had but small value com
pared with what it has now I don t
think it WAS any more incumbered. Our
principal exports in that section Of the
country were potash and clover-seed.
In cleaning up our land we rolled the
logs together and burned them and
saved the ashes, put up our teaches,
got lye and boiled it down. We found a
market in the seaport towns and other
places. The farmers used to go down
once a year, in sleighing time, either
here Boston or to Portland, with what
ever farm products they had for sale,
and they always loaded back with rum
that was the first thing always, and to-
bacco, salt, salt fish, and then they got
some tea and coffee, if there was any
money left after they got the Other
things. Butter was worth : cents Q
pound lambs were worth - cents q
head sheep, perhaps 81 or 81. To-
and pork about SO. 80 Some fine Mer
ino rams were imported into this country
at that time that were sold us high az
S400 apiece. Before that time our WOO
was all coarse wool. These Merino rams
gave very fine wool which made very
fine broadcloth. In 1916 came what was
known rs the cold season; there was {
frost every month in the year, and nt
corn was raised at ALL Seed corn in the
spring of 1S17-being the crop Of 1875
was sold for 81 q bushel. We lived dur
milk. What pork We had we fed it OF
potatoes. That was tbs b)ucst time W,
had ever seen, | suppose. In 1917 til,
crops were fair and the county begal
to prosper again. 1t was getting owe
tu6 N$I Vi lOlL anu llS COubtHu ututCS.
The first cotton cloth came into Camp
ton about 1916, and it was then wort
% cents yard In 1928 they had be
gun the foundation for the second factor
IN Lowell, Mass. / was there then an
stayed over night. The Yankee girls a
went from our country to the factorie
as soon as they could get a chance
work in the mills, and labor then wer
up at home, so that you could not hii
girl short of dollar or dollar and
half week.
We Had Singing Schools,
, and big bass-viols, and tuning fork
There WAS no way Of striking fire, since
+ can remember. except with flint an
punk. When I was a little boy evel
+ family kept little box containing
piece of punk, that would catch spar
Q when struck from flint with a piece
, steel. There was no other way to st-ih
light at all-although I sometimes s.
tow afire with gun. Tho first improv
mcut they made upon that was an Il
n vention whereby you could insert n site
d into bottle and pail it out, there beiu
A phosphorus or something in it tn
:. would ignite. Then the next improv
II ment in making fire was in putting Btit
d between two sandpapers and drawing i
e and So it went on up to the time wilt
It matches came. Where | was traint
r. flint-locks and old muskets were Il
d thing. The first I knew Of the pcrcu
is sion cap was aboutsls30; it was not t
,e present percussion cap exactly, but
o little pill about as big as n shot, al
d made of this percussion stuff, and VIII
1f it was struck by the hammer it would {
d plOde. The scythes were made thick n
TO heavy. 1t was good half-day's wo
le which the boys all dreaded, to grind
ir new scythe. The edge was left Mt abe
n a thirty of an inch to n sixteen
Is of an inch thick, and boy would tu
lg Il grindstone aud grind it down shal
Sc anl that was n good half-day's work.
ye was difficult to get one that would !
a break. In plows, the last improvem'
d, at that time was to make wooden mo
as boards, covered over with strips Of il
ch to keep them as much as possible fr
ls. wearing they had wrought-iron no
in or point, as they called It. Iremem
ne when
~ The First Castings Were Mads.
ch The sickle was great tool then i
.et not used now at ali. Reaplng then
nd great business. notwithstanding th
od hardships and this rough life, / d,
,re think the improvements have added "A
i'd thing to happiness. / think that striv
as. now to follow fashion more than off
an the gain aud comfort and convenience
nt. having those things When We "
Il young and had our dances and &
.cp time together there was not that iealo
too that there is now. 1t was then all Il
nd fellow, we'll met. 1t was conn
rcb thing for Il man that worked for II far
ne. to marry the farmers daughter, OF,
Md the other hand, the girl that worked
EN- man was just MS likely to marry his
eep ns anybody else. A mans credit
.ith depended on whether he was lazy or
ght When | was boy lazy fellow did
vas have much credit or character in a pl
10 When any man smoke OF n youup fe