Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-06-18
JOHN WALTON'S FARM.
How He Worked It Successfully on
a Common-Sense Plan.

Hadn't you better subscribe for it?''
81 tell you, no. haven't the money
to spare. And II had, l haven't got
the time to waste over newspapers"
said Eben Sawyer, with some emphasis.
But you will gain much information
from 1t in the course Of a year, SIR"
pursued John Walton.
81 tell you / don't want it!''
This was spoken SO flatly and bluntly
that Walton said no more, but folded up
the prospectus Of periodical which he
had with him, and then turned away.
Eben Sawyer and Ben Grummet were
two old farmers-that is, old at the busi-
ness, though they had only reached the
middle age of life-and after their
young neighbor had gone they expressed
their opinions concerning him.
Hell never mako a farmer" said
Sawyer, with a shake of his head. HE
spends too much time over those papers
and books of his. He's a leetle mite
above farmin', in my opinion"
Those are my sentiments" responded
Grummet. II tell you, Eben, the man
that thinks to make livin' on a farm
in this section has got to trOrk for it."
At this juncture Sam Bancroft came
along. He was another old native Of
the district.
I'VE was just tallxin' about young
Walton" said Sawyer.
"He's rippin' his barn-1oor up, said
Bancroft.
"Rippin' the floor upr' repeated Grum-
met. 'Why, the whole floor was put
down only three years ago"
The tie-up floor, mean," pursued
Bancroft. 'He's got carpenter up
from the village; and his two hired men
arc helpin'."
"Whewi guess he'll make farmerr'
And so they all guessed-with a
reservation. In short, there was some
thing highly ridiculous in the thought
of mans thinking to be farmer and a
| student at the same time.
John Walton was a young man, and
though he had been born in the neigh
borhood, yet much of his life had been
spent in other sections of the country.
His parents having both died, John had
married, and now turned his thoughts
to making living out of the old home
stead.
Ben Grummet had curiosity to sec
what was going on in Walton's barn, sc
he dropped in there. He found that the
whole of the floor, where the cattle
stood, had been torn up, and that they
were digging wide, deep trench the
whole length of the tie-up.
What on airth is all this for?" asked
Ben.
why" returned Walton, who wa!
busy in experimenting the work, anC
also in working himself, II am having
a place fixed here for making manure
mean to fill this trench up with good
muck, and thus save the liquids which
have heretofore been lost. think, BY
proper management, i can get full
double the quantity of manure which
others have got on this place"
'Do YEP" said Grummet, sarcastically
eyes" resumed the young man. 81
is a fact that tho liquid manures, could
they be saved, would fully equal the
solids, both in bulk and value, ant
when combined with well-rotted muck
and some other articles which shall
take up and retain all the more volatile
parts, feel sure that they will afforc
more fertilizing powers and propertie
than the solid manures can"
"You don't say so! Where dye larl
all that?"
Partly from reading and partly from
observations" answered John, smiling
at his good neighbor's open sarcasm.
~ don't suppose 1t costs any thing t
do all this2"
80. yes; it will cost me considerabl
before get through"
''Yaas; should rayther calkilate
~ouid."
u swami" Ben Grummet cried, as h
met Sawy'sr shortly afterwards. "Joh
Walton's a reg R<lar hifslntin. He's je'
about as nigh to bei1:' crazy as a ma
can be!'
'Eh? crazy, Benz"
~O-I don't mean, rally upset. lik
folks who are sent to the insane asylum
but hos cot his head full of ali sorts O
nonsense"
''But what in natures he going t
do?"
"Why-he's goin' to save tho liquids
as no calls 'eml An he's goiu' to put i
somethin' to take up the CoL-rOluntdr
parts"
"Voluntary parts? What are they
Benz"
1T was col somethin'. But l don
know. wouldn't ask him. s'pose h
Jest used the outlandish word SOS to &c
mo to ask him what it meant-an' the
he'd show off his larnin'. But / wan
so green"
81 wonder IL he thinks he's comil
here to show US old farmers how
work?' said Sawyer, rather indignant.
81 guess he thinks so, returned Grun
met.
Then I guess hell find out his mi
talSe," added the other. ''Jes' you mar
my words, Ben: He'll be fiat on his bac
I afore two years is out!'
4 Autumn came, and after John Welto
= had moved over twenty-ac-e flelt
getting hardly hay enough to pay fl
the labor, he set mon at work diggir
deep trenches all over it. He had tv
dug lengthwise, running up and dow
the slope; and then he dug quito nur
Der running across these. They wel
quite deep and broad, and into them
tumbled nearly all the stones that cou-
be fonnd in the fields.
"a pooty expensive way of gettin' r
o. rocks" remarked Grummet.
''It's better place for them than {
tho surface. isn't itq1 returned lYalto
with smile.
d "Mebbe. But what on airth are .
doin' it for2'
J. "Why-I'm going to see IL nnde
drafnin0 yronst mnPova the land ~