The Irish standard., 1890-04-26

| dug lengthwise, running up and down
| the slope; and then he dug quite num-
| Der running across these. They were
quite deep and broad, and into them he
tumbled nearly all the stones that could
! be found in the fields.
.sApooty expensive way of gettin' rid
o. rocks remarked Grummet.
| cts a better place for them than on
the surface, isn't it?" returned Walton,
with smile.
s'AIebbe. BIZ what on airth are ye
dom it for?"
"Why-I'm going to see if under
| draining won't improve the land
| Misunderstanding! What's that?'
sit is simply drawing off the wator
from the surface. This land is cold and
wet; but if can get the water to drain
| off among these rocks, the sun may
pieco of soil here"
But it looked very foolish to Ben
Grummet. Ho believed that 'what was
the natur' of the soil couldn't be altered"
However, the young man made his
trenches-tumbled in the rocks-flled
in ON top with the loan he had origin
ally removed; and then left it to work
for itself awhile. A month later he
plowed up two acres of it, and he could
see that the soil had already changed
wonderfully. After this was done he
cut his way to the muck-swamp, and
went to hauling out that article which
he deposited in various places, as he
deemed proper.
''That's a Gurus contrivance," said
Sam Bancroft. He and Ben Grummet
had been at work for Walton at haul
ing muck. He alluded to large vat
back of the house, into which ran a
spout from the sink. This vat was ca
pable of holding several cart-loads Of
stuff and was already half full.
''That's compost vat," exclaimed
Walton, who had overheard the remark.
"All the slops from the house-the soap
suds and such stuff--which most people
wasted, save by this means, and turn
it to good account; and instead of
thsowing away refuse matter put it in
mere and let it rot and ferment and make
manure"
s'That all sounds very poorly" re-
marked Ben, after Walter had left
them; ''but let me jes' tell you, 1t don't
pau! He'd better let SIGH fandangles
alone if he ever expects to make a livin'
at farmin'."
Before the ground froze up Walton
threw out most of the muck back to his
tie-up, which had become we'll saturated,
and filed the trench up anew. When
spring came Walton went to some of his
neighbors and asked them to go in with
him and send for some good scions to
engraft upon their apple trees. Ho ex-
planned to them just the plan he had
formed for his own orchard.
GLOW much Will it cost you?" asked
Sawyer.
"Why," returned Walton, "I'm going
into it thoroughly. My, orchard is a
large one, as yours is, and the trees are
mostly thrifty and vigorous-or could
be made so-but with poor fruit. mean
to make a thorough thing of it, and
shall expend a hundred dollars this
spring"
"What! A hundred dollars! In your
orchard?''
eyes,"
"Jewhitiker an broomsticks! When
git money to play with I'll try it,"
A little while later, and the grass be-
gan to spring up on the twenty-acre lot
as it had never sprung up before; and as
time went on John Walton was contin~
ually studying how to improve his farm.
'sGood gracious! calculated Eben
Sawyer, as Ben Grummet and Sam Ban
croft came into his house one cool
autumn evening; shave you heard about
John Walton's apples?'
eyes," returned Ben. II was there,
and heerd the whole on't-so know
never would ave thought it. An orchard
turn out like that!'
'And ies' look at that twenty-acrc
feld,'' said Bancroft. ''Five years ago
it wouldn't hardly pay for mowin'. 1t
didn't bear much else but podgum. Now
look at it. Think o. the corn an wheat
he's raised there; an this year he cut
rnore'n forty tons Of good hay from it!'
eve was jest tallzin' about you, Mr..
Walton said Sawyer ono day, as John
came into his house.
"Ah!'' returned John, as he took a
seat by tho fire, 81 hope you found
nothing bad to say of me-
ssNot bit Of it. We was talkin' about
the wonderful Improvement you've made
on the old place and of the money you
make
"And do you think it wonderful"
"But amt it?''
"Well," replied Walton, 81 don't know
about that: but I'll tell you what I do
know: know there is no class Of people
in the world who may read and study to
better advantage than farmers. Farm
ing is science, and he must be man
of more than ordinary capacity who can
master it all. In short, there is no
branch of industry in the world which
may not be Beloved to better advantage
without u good education. But farmers
must not be afraid of newspapers and
books. They won't, if they arc wise,
follow every advice which experiment.
alists give, but they may study and rea-
son and experiment for themselves. So
have done, and SO l mean to On.
Y. Ledger.
"A Man with q Double Heart.