Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-06-11
FARM AND FIRESIDE.
The Prairie Farmer

The Prairie Farmer.
I've lived here now for thirty years, and, stran-
ger, I'll be bound
! There's not q better farm in al this western
| country round
But somehow at this time of year like fever in
the blood.
restless feeling o'er me steals that's hard to be
wlthstOod.
| / cannot work / cannot rest but far away
would roam,
For now the orchards are in bloom in my New
England home.
| I've prospered we'll; these level fields as far as
you can see,
They are all bought and paid for, and they all
belong to me.
/ never could have done so well at home. YOU
may be sure:
| often smile to think upon those farms so thin
and poor;
But as l sit behind my team and plough the
deep black loan,
see the apple trees in bloom round my New
England home.
Straight east l draw my burrows wide to meet
the rising sun,
Then turn and drive straight westward, and so
till day is done;
! Ana then in Autumns glorious time when DAYS
are calm and bright,
Miles upon miles of ripening grain wave in the
golden light,
But when at night | seek my bed, in visions
sweet / roam
| The hills of old New England around my child
hoods home.
My boys are grown to stalwart men, my girlsa re
| fair to see,
They're proud of this free Western land, and
wonder much at me;
| But they have never stood upon the mOunta ms
! summit grand,
Nor seen old Oceans crested waves break foam
ing on the strand.
Nor ever know the sweet delight in forest wllds
| to roam,
Nor seen the apple trees in bloom round my
New England home.
The swallow seeks the grove where first it saw
the suns bright CLEAN,
| The salmon leaps the torrents fall to reach its
native stream.
A thousand leagues the wild goose flies on tire
less wing o'erhead,
! Straight as arrow to the bleak, bare North
! where it was bred
So in the spring my faithful heart, holding all
else in scorn,
! Turns back TO old New England and the home
where was born
Though here I've cast my lot for life, and here
must remain,
Till death shall plough me under like stubble on
the plain,
Make not my grave in this strange land but
place me, if you WILL
Within my fathers burial lot, upon the wind
swept hill,
ocean break in foam,
And see in spring the orchards bloom round my
New England home.
-New England Magazine.
Get Rid of All Distractions to Fast Work
| When the writer bought his farm
there were many stumps in the cultivat-
ed fields, and some trees scattered here
and there. In some spots there were
many small stones, in others big boul
ders that had been plowed around or
against great many times. First of all
every stump and root that would stop
the pillow was taken out, and before we
got through every single tree, root and
branch. We left the trees at first out
| OF sentiment, but finally concluded that
this was not business. The place for
shade trees or ornamental trees is by the
roadside, or on the lawn, or in the
pasture, not where their shade
and roots will injure crops for
some rods around. A beautiful
thing may be out of place | presume
we picked up and drew away 200 tons OF
small stones from the stony spots.
When blowing, for the first few years, I
used to have an old boot tied to one
plowhandle; in this were strips of
single about two inches wide; when
the pillow struck a stone | would stick
down shingle over the spot; my man,
following, would dig out the stone If
small, or sink it if large. Anything
that two men could not easily roll out
and on to 9 stone boat, / found it cheap
er to sink; this was done by simply dig
ging a hole at one side and part way
under, deep enough SO that when the
stone was pried in it would be entirely
below the pillow, with some to spare.
The above work did not cost any large
amount in the way of actual cash paid
out, as it was done at odd spells by the
writer and regular help, mostly 1--WE
were several years getting through
But there We're those who thought and
said it would not pay. When we cleared
the stumps, only slightly rotted, from
those eight acres of timber cut to get
our fields in shape, a good neighbor dis
cOuraged my man by telling him | would
not get my pay for such a JOHN twenty
ty-five years. My man was honest and
wanted to quit, and not sink money for
me. | told him to 90 ahead;
his pay was sure, and l would
take my chances. Within eighteen
months / sold the wheat
crop on that field for S57 an acre, more
than all the clearing and draining cost
and since then the field has been in
shape to pay all that is possible. / sup
pose the ''height of folly was reached,
in the eyes Of most old farmers, when
we, after time, drained a basin con-
tanning only quarter of an acre of land,
tnat cut some long rows IN TWO, at cost
Of $50, this with land selling at say $40
an acre in the vicinity. But we decided
that it was business, and did it. The
first potato crop in this waste spot
brought us 500, and we have had many
dollars and much satisfaction out of the
job since, and are likely to as long as we
live. Was it business? or was it folly?
Well, in short, we have got our long
fields (long for small farm into shape
for the fastest possible work, on the sur
face or in the soil We can use fast
walking horses, and let them have
loose rein, without a particle of fear of
breaking anything from striking any OBJ
struction. We can use the lightest
smoothing harrows for keeping hoed
crops clean without hand hoeing We
can put four horses on the potato digger
and let them slide. Don't you see that