Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-11-19
JOHN yyALTON's FARM.

EtdUn | you DtbICE SuDEcElD6 IOT iGT
Il tell you, no. | haven't the money
to spare. And if | had, haven't got
the time to waste over newspapers, said
Eben Sawyer, with some emphasis.
But you will gain much information
from il in the course of a year, sir, pur-
sued John Walton.
II tell you | don want it!'
This was spoken SO fatty and bluntly
that Walton SAID no more, but folded up
the prospectus of a periodical which he
had with min, and then turned away.
Ebpn Sawyer and Ben Grummett were
two old farmers-that is, old at the bust
ness, though they had only reached the
middle age Of life-and after their young
neighbor had gone they expressed their
opinions concerning him.
"HeIl never make farmer" said
Sawyer, with shake of his head HE
spends too much time over those papers
and books Of his. He's leetle mite
above farmin, In my opinion.
"Those are my sentiments responded
Grummett. 81 tel you, Eben, the man
that thinks to make Twin on farm in
this section has got to work for it.
At this juncture Sam Bancroft come
along. He was another old native of the
district.
1--WE was just talkin' about young
Walton, said Sawyer.
He's rippin' his barn floor up" said
Bancroft.
"Rippin' the floor up!" repeated .Grum-
met "Why the whole floor was put down
new only three years ago.
The tie-up floor, mean" pursued
Bancroft. ''He's got a carpenter up from
the village; and his two hired men are
helpin'.
"Whew! guess he'll make a farmer"
And so they all guessed-wlth reserva-
ton. In short, there WAS something ride
ulous in the thought of a mems thinking
to be farmer and a student at the same
time.
John Walton was young man, and
though he had been born in the neighbor
hood, yet much Of his life had been spent
In other sections of the country. His
parents having both died, John had mar
RED, and now turned his thoughts to MAX
ing living out of the old homestead.
Ben Grummet bad curiosity to see
what was going on In Walton's barn, so
he dropped in there He found that the
whole or the floor where tbe cattle stood
had been torn up, and that they were dug
ging wide, deep trench the whole length
of the tie up.
"What on earth is all this for?" asked
Ben.
Why" returned Walton, who was
busy In experimenting the work, and al
SO in working himself Il am having a
place fixed here for making manure,
mean to fill this trench up with good
muck, and thus have the liquids which
have therefore been lost, think, by prep
err management, | can get full double the
quantity of manure which others have
got on this place.
''Do yep said Grummet, sarcastieally.
Yes, resumed the young man. st
is a fact that the liquid manures, could
they be saved, would fully equal the solids,
both in bulk and value. and when combln-
ed with the we'll rotted muck, and some
other articles which taken up and re-
tain all the more volatile parts, | feel sure
that they will afford more fertilizing
powers and properties than the solid man
ureS can.
you don't say so! Where dye larn
all trap
parity from reading and partly from
observation. answered John, smiling at
his good neighbor's open sarcasm.
q don't s'pose it costs anything to do
all this?"
'Oh, yes, it will cost me considerable
before | get through"
"Yass; should rayther calkilate it
would"
Il swami" Ben Grummet cried, as he
met SAWYER shortly afterwards. John
Waton's a regular hifalutin. He's jes'
about as nigh bein' crazy as man can
ber'
"Oh!-crazy, Ben?''
col don't mean rally upset like
folks who are sent to the insane asylum,
but he's got his head luil of all SORTS of
nonsense"
But what in natures he goin' to do?'
"Why-he's goin' to save the liquids,
as he calls 'em An he's goin' to put in
somethin' to take up the vol-vo'untary
parts.
Voluntary parts? What are they,
Benz"
1T was vol somethin' But | don t
know wouldn't ash him. s'pose ne
je-t used that oullandish word SOS to get
me to ask him what it meant-an' then
he'd show eff his ldrnin'. But | wa n t so
green"
Il wonder f he thinks he's a comin'
here to show us old farmers how to
work" said Sawyer. rather Indignantly.
81 guess he thinks 50, > returned Grum-
met
Then guess he'll find ont his mis-
take" added tie other ''Jes' you mark
my words, Ben: He'll be fat on his back
.foTe two years is out.
Autumn came, and after John Walton
had moved over a twenty-acre field get
ting hardly hay enough to pay for the
labor he set men at work digging deep
trenches al over it. He h d two dug
lenethwise, running up and down the
slope; ard then he dug quite number
running across these. These were quite
deep and broad, and into them he uaolrd
nearly all the stones that could be found
in the fields.
"A pooty expensive way of gettin' rid
O. rocks. - remarked Grummet.
Its better place for them than on thf
surface, isn't ftp returned Walton, with
smile
''M-hbe. But what on airth are yf
dom 1t for?'
"Why-l'm going to see under drain
ing won't imp, owe the land.
Under draining? What's that?'