Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-05-08
Agricultural Reflections.



blest Of all pursuits. The lawyermay
chase fleeing fee up the avenue of
crime or down the street of illegiti-
mate transaction; the doctor may
feel the pulse of a dollar brought to
him by glazing eyes and feverish
breath; but the money the farmer
realizes comes through the agencies
of no calamity. 1t comes at the bid
ding of nature-comes at the call of
one Of natures greatest gifts, a good
appetite. The farmer earns every
cent he realizes. speak from expe-
rience for worked on farm once.
| may have earned a large sum of
money, but didn't realize any. The
cut-worms and the smut, the rust and
the gapes, the CHAMBERS and the hog
cholera, snatched me with an ungen-
tie hand. l had been running, or
rather hobbling, a weekly paper in a
Kentucky town, and, upon kindly
advice offered by the Sheriff, L sold
out and rented a farm. The sheriff
said l would do well as a farmer. He
said that his father often made money
in that way. ] confess that the pros
pect of having enough to eat fattered
me. | had frolicked so long with a
newspaper that / was hungry. The
man of whom | rented the farm gra-
ciously accepted mortgage on my
prospective crop. l plowed with gay
spirits, with the glad haw, haw, Of an
emancipated man. My nights were
sweet and dewy, my days were glo-
rious. / listened to the chatterjack
when the sun turned down his light
and scattered bushels of roses in the
west; l heard the hoarse bray of my
mule while the morning star was fad
ing away in the effulgence of day
light. l knocked the dirt out of my
shoes and washed my feet before 60
ing to bed !; | ran with nimble capers
when / plowed up a nest of bees; /
lodged with thrill when the black
snake glided across the corn rows to
greet me. Yes, / did all this; yet,
when autumn came, when the fod-
der worm stung me, when the sun
had lost much of his glare, and when
the moon cut bright didoes athwart
the scythe that had been left in the
meadow, [ turned my back upon the
scenes Of my labors, and with a ward.
robe consisting of hickory shirt and
a cotton handkerchief, walked away
have not cultivated a crop since
that time.
Arkansas farming is varied and in
teresting. The big planter lives il
town, taking care, of course, that hi
plantation shall remain in the coun
try. ! have devoted some study t
the question, and have decided tina
the country is the best place for plan
tati0ns. Street cars and Omnibuses
the parading German band, and thu
corner idler are not conducive to tn,
production of cotton. The planter
as a rule, has hankering for some
thing stronger than sweet milk. II
fact, when invited, he will drinl
whisky; when not invited, he drink
it any way.
The hillside farmer is a character
1t makes no difference to him whethe
the creek runs up stream or down
He wants a little corn bread and tn
bosom Of a SOW. That's what h
wants. His dogs are in better orde
than his horses, and his COWS have
be helped up should they lie down
yet he is curiousiy contented.
His butter, if indeed he have any
is pale, with a CHASTITY smell of sickl
reproof, and his cornmeal is as coars
as the conversation OF a raftsman, ye
he makes no effort to better his cor
ton.
Some time ago, when l was a cal
didate for Governor of Arkansas,
came across the hillside farmer. A
Erode up he was standing with h
long arms resting upon the pretens
of a gate.
elbow are you, my friend ?" said
GLOW yer know Pm yer friend ?
he asked.
sob, merely supposed so. WI
lives here?"
81 don
eyes, but who are you"
"The man who lives here"
"My friend, | am a candidate fc
Governor, and would like to hay
you support me-"
"Kain't do it"
"Why?"