Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-06-26
A FARMERS EXPERIMENT.

lne plOW- nanule, Snu .lOOkeu up 10
clear space in the sky, which was as
cerulean as sea.
"Caw! cawl cawr
There were light clouds drifting across
the blue expanse, driven by the warm
western winds, and between the earth
and sky there was flying dark object
solitary crow.
"Cawl cawl cawp
"Yes, hear yc," said Farmer Tolley.
"Come to pull up my corn this year be-
fore it is planted. ] know you OF old. l
declare it is too bad! Go langw
Not far from the field where the farmer
was plowing was swamp. In winter,
when it was frozen and shedding" was
good, the farmers worked there, cutting
their summers wood. But as soon as
spring came, it was a miry bog, The
great trees rise as from countless messy
islands. No one could penetrate it after
April during the warm season, except
when there was drought. In this
watery solitude, in the tops of the tall
pines, the crows made their nests.
Farmer Tolley glanced up from the
neat furrow the plow was turning to
see where the dark object was going.
The black sails of the pirate of the air
swept before the warm winds toward
the pines in the deepest bogs of the
swamp.
81 declare it is too bad!" reiterated
the farmer. 100 bad Just like your
relations waitin' round fer your property
before you die. Go lang2"
At the end of the furrow the farmer
stopped his team, and went to the we'll
sweep in the dooryard for some water.
When the well-po was descending, his
wife came to the door.
"Sophia, what do you think I've
seen that crow again"
"Show You don't say so, Pelick ?"
Farmer Tolley's christian name was
Peleg.
"Sure as you're alive, I have"
''Do you think, Pelick, it was the
same one ?"
"Yes; he knew me, and spoke to me
from the sky, just as though had been
one of the Old prophets, and he'd been
sent to try my patience.
"Do you think it was the same one
what pulled your corn so last year,
Pelick2"
"The same one, Sophia. Pulled the
whole field up, so that | had to plant it
all over agin. When had gone away
to the Four Days Meetin', and as dele
gate tool l shan't go this year, if they
elect me. That crow did me we'll nigh
on to fifty dollars damage. l don't
know but handred."
Farmer Tolley tipped the bucket on
the stone well-curb.
Don't you want l should bring you
out the dipper, Pelick, or a tumbler, or
somethin'2"
"No, I can use the bucket just as
WE'LL"
"Well, Pelick, 1 don't know what
you'll do"
Pelick went back to his team.
That evening, after milking and do
ing the chores, he sat down by the fire,
for the evenings were yet somewhat long
and cool, and took up the local Journal
"Pelick," said his good wife, what
do you think found2 There's a piece
in that paper about crows"
"Where, Sophia"
find it for you. There, Pelick,"
Farmer Tolley adjusted his spectacles,
and began to read.
The cat climbed into his lap, and
rubbed against the paper with a faint
new.
''You get down, puss. Let me read
this. Sophia! Sophia, I say 1t says
here, Professor Solomon, one of these
great professors that arranges the plan
cts and all them things, I suppose, it
says, he says, Sophia, that the crow
never alights beneath any object of which
he is afraid. Just listen moment: 1T
is fact we'll known to ornitho!ogists
that crow never alights beneath any
object of which it is afraid. Hence,
searecrows should be erected high in the
air, like barrels on tall poles, etc. The
New England custom of stringing the
field is for this reason very effective.
Stands to reason that is so, Sophia.
Folks are discovering almost everything
nowadays"
Farmer Tolley stroked the cat. He
was very guileles tender-hearted man.
It must have been very mean kind Of
a crow to have pulled his corn, when he
had "gone away to the Four-Days
Meetin' as delegate, too"
After the bluebirds came the robins
after the robins, the martins; after the
martins, the orioles, and then it was
plantingtime.
One day, when Farmer Tolley was in
dustriously dropping corn and rejoicing
in the sunshine, black shadow swept
across the row, like partial eclipse,
and his feet we've arrested by familiar
voice
''Caw! cav cawn
"You black wretchp' said Farmer
Tolley. 'Ill fix you'll You go along
with your cav, cav, Gavin! Wait til
get up my scientific scarecrow That
will make your eyes stick out. Yol
won't do as you did last year, when
set. up my straw man. Keep a-comin'
little nearer and little nearer, and {
little nearer, and finally one damp day
you dropped down and lit upon hi
head. But I've got We this year
There's nothin' that like science"
The peach boughs Redeemed will
blossoms, the pear trees became white a
snow. Then the orchard burst int
bloom, like hills of roses. There wer
burning bushes in all the roadsides anC
pastures. Then planting time was over
The bobolinks came, and the tende
blades of corn began to form geometri
cal lines in the brown fields.
Just at this time, when there were
damask mornings, and dewdrops Of
every leaf and blade of grass, and tn