The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-09-23
BILL ARP.
he Writes Of the Farm and tho Growing
Crops.

BE Writes Of the Farm and tho Growing
Crops
"Oft' did the harvest to their sickle
yield"-thats me now at this time-but if
the poet had lived he would have been
little more personal and writ:
How doth he slay the peavines in the patch
His bending back, with toll is nearly broke
And peavines fall at every sweeping stroke.
/ like to have choice of work and my
choice is to cut peavines, with a keen
blade and a cloudy day it is delightful
work. But when the sun comes out from
behind the clouds, why just dodge
under an apple tree and boss. I can cut
and boss two acres day, easy. l don't
like to split rails nor pull fodder nor dig
a ditch nor grease the wagon nor catch q
mule nor tote water up bill, but l AM
very fond of cutting down peavines.
They are SO tender, and they fall Sd
gracefully and they cover the ground
with such clean, green luxuriant car
pet. They are about waste high now
and there is just enough ragweeds
sprinkled among them to hold them up
straight, and from the top Of every weed
peavine stretches its serpentine tendril
up about foot and waits-waits for s.
sickle. The tender ragweeds don't hurt.
In fact they make right good forage, bet"
ter forage than John Branson's dog FEM
mel. John says that Kingston cattle got
used to dog fennel during the war, and
they like it pretty well when they can't
get anything else. The weather is splen.
did now for curing peavine hay, and if
cut when in the bloom it takes but two
or three days sun. I've got an acre
next to the big road that I make two
crops on every year-a crop of small
grain and a crop Of peas, and it never
fails-and keeps in good fertility without
any other help. Some farmers say you
must turn the peavines under, but [ don't.
I put about two tons of hay from that
acre in the barn loft, and it is worth
more for forage than any crop that grows.
The corn hangs heavy this year. Inever
knew it any better in this section. There
won't be many nubbius to feed the steers
on, and some folks will grumble about
that reckon. The breath Of approach
ing winter is beginning to be felt. The
quilt is laid at the foot of the bed. The
little chaps have broken q window glass
or two and they have got to be fixed.
The winters wood must be cut and
hauled. A few loads of pine must be
brought from the mountain. Some rye
must be sown for the milch COWS. The
corn crib must be cleaned out for the
new crop and sill must be put under
the barn. There is always room for
some repairs and the sooner they are
made the better. The boys are gathering
the pop corn now and putting it away
for winter night frolics. The maypops
are getting ripe and the black haws are
turning. Walnut time and chestnut time
will soon be here and then come squirrels
and 'possums aud partridges. The sweet
potatoes have cracked open and heaved
up the ground, and if there is any better
food for the table in winter don't know
it. There used to be picture in the
old school book of General Marion and
his soldiers eating potatoes by the camp
fire. That wasen't so bad after all.
They may not be good fighting food, but
they are good enough for peace. When
they are candied with sugar it makes a
dish that is fit for king. Then there
are the Irish potatoes that keep good in
the ground all winter. I let the grass
and weeds grow over them and shade the
ground from the summers sun. This
land is full of good things that the poor-
est can have if they will work for them.
Nobody need suffer- If man will work
half his time he can support a wife and
two or three little children in comfort.
The trouble is not with the necessaries of
life, but it is the lu1uries that play the
mischief. 1t is fine clothes and too many
of them that keep the poor mans head
bowed down. 1t is the strain to keep up
with the nabors. It is the going and
coming and frolicing and visiting. 1t is
the sitting up half the night and sleep.
ing half the day. 1t is breakfast at nine
o'clock. 1t is the habit of novel reading
that is as demoralizing as base ball or
gambling. Rich folks can indulge in
these things but poor folks cannot
Where is the young man who has the
moral courage and self denial to be
stingy and save his earnings? 1 am
going to live on strain now and send
our crippled boy to Dahlonega to college,
but l do it with great reluctance, for fear
he will lose his habits of industry and
have to be town lawyer or small poll
tician when he comes back. But he
can't work on the farm, and must do
the best I can for him. How many
society girls of this day are content to
spend most OF their time at home in do.
mestic pursuits, helping their mother
who are getting married nowadays-the
sons and daughters of the rich mainly.
The others can't afford to marry. The
young men have nothing to MARY on
and are not likely to have. Those who
have little are afraid to venture it on a
society girl whose father is always on a
strain to keep her big trunk full of
clothes. There are hundred old bach
elors in Georgia now to where there used
to be ten. But it is all right, l reckon,
IN