The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-04-04
John waltOns's Farm.
Hadn't YOU better subscribe fol

| tell you, no. l haven't the
money to spare. And, if 1 had,
have not got the time to waste
over newspapers, said Eben Saw
yer, with some emphasis.
But you will gain much infor.
nation in the course of a year, pur
sued John Walton.
L tell you L don't want it,
This was spoken so fatty and SC
bluntly that Walton said no more,
but folded up the prospectus of a
periodical which he had with him
and then turned away.
Eben Sawyer and Ben Grummet
were two old farmers-that is, old
at the business, though they had
only reached the middle age OF
life-and after their young neigh
Dor had gone they expressed their
opinions concerning him.
He'll never make farmer, said
Sawyer, with shake of his head.
He spends too much time over
those papers and book of his. He's
leetle mite above farmin', in my
opinion.
Those are my sentim ents, re-
sponded Grummet. 1 tell you,
Eben, the man that thinks to make
Twin on a farm in this section
has got to work for it.
At this juncture Sam Bancroft
came along. He was another old
native of the district.
We was just talkin' about Wal
ton, said Sawyer.
He's rippin' his barn floor up,
said Bancroft.
Rlppln the ioor up! repeated
Grummet. Why, the whole floor
was put down new only three years
ago.
The tie-up floor, L mean, pur-
sued Bancroft. He's got a carpen-
ter up from the village, and his
two hired men are helpin'.
Whewl 1 guess he'll make a
farmer.
And so they all guessed-with a
reservation. In short, there was
something highly ridiculous in the
thought of a mans thinking to be
a farmer and a student at the same
time.
John Walton was young man,
and though he had been born in
the neighborhood, yet much of his
life had been spent in other parts
of the country. His parent having
both died, John had married, and
now turned his thoughts to max
ing a living out of the old home
stead.
Ben Grummet had a curiosity
to see what was going on in Wal
toms barn, so he dropped in there.
He found the whole of the floor
where the cattle stood had been
torn up, and they were digging a
wide, deep trench the whole length
of the tie-up.
What on airth is all this for?
asked Ben.
Why, returned Walton. who was
busy in experimenting the work,
and also in working himself, I am
having place fixed here for max
ing manure. l mean to fill this
trench up with good muck, and
thus save the liquids that have
heretofore been lost. I think, by
proper management, 1 can fully
double the quantity of manure
which others have got on this
place.
Do ye? said Grummet, sarcas-
tically.
Yes. resumed the young man.
1t is a fact that the liquid ma
nures, could they be saved, would
fully equal the solids both in bulk
and value, and when combined
with>Rell rotted muck and some
other articles which shall take up
and retain all the moro volatile
parts, l feel sure that they will af-
ford more fertllizing powers and
properties than the solid manures
can.
You don't say sol Where dye
larn all that.
Partly from reading, and partly
from observation, answered John,
smiling at his good neighbours
open sarcasm.
1 don't s'pose it cost anything
to do all this?
o, yes; it will cost me consider
able before L get through.
Yaas, 1 should rather calkilate
it would.
L swan! Ben Grummet cried,
as he met Sawyer shortly after
wards, John Walton's a regular hi
falutin. He's jes' about as nigh
to bein' crazy as man can bel