Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-01-19

The New Engl,nd Farmer In its issue
u last week complcted the three scorc
and teuth year ~ its existence as an
active weekly visitor to the homes of its
patrons. II 10 hardly likely that any
Que nov living can personally remem-
her much Of hs Infancy. Hut u IL not
negc-.sry To hunt up old readers to
learn the history IL q newspaper. The
preserved file. arr the best biography
possible, for In thcse are preserved every
word ever spoken to tis thousands of
readers during this long period. And
What chaug~- have taken place since
those early day. In the habit. and Gus
toms 20 the people who read Agricultural
papers.
iben the plo~ing as all done With
woodsn ploss and all after cultivation
With heavy iron tooth harrows drawn
chiefly by slow moving oxen. breaking
up q pieCe of sod land among stumps
snd rock. Vas an undertaking indeed.
otien requiring several pairs of oxen to
draw The plO~ With
AsNALI AENI 90 Mn
90 attend n. one OF two to riic the beam
to keep IN. plow In the ground and
other. Ia follow with heavy "brcaklng
up hoes to dig up the s~ard dodgcd by
the plow. The hsrrows With their i've
Ia nine heavy teeth dragged II q snail
like pace msrrly made show of cultl-
Sstion. They did somewhat help the
planter 10 fai hesial of earth Ia cover
the seei corn or half potaio droppssi In
the marx made hy IN. plo~ and called q
hlrrow.
can not remember seventy years but
veil remember the hard work required
In pl.ntiag aud tending q potato Held
whsn the primitive farm implemen's
we're the best then known. And such
hoe. as ~e had then. thin iron With =
.tsel ~ige and q small socket to receive
the handle which wss always getting
loo... The blades we're sot, usually
rusty and hard 90 keep clean. Hay FORKS
w.re heavy with two square irou hnes,
and thrve tine. were the grcstsst nambsr
ever h-srd of 90 . manure fork.
GRAM Ma ctr WIN SICKLE on
CRApLE.
thr,.hed BY hand fsil. aud winnowedi
by throwing Il against the ~ind over a
clean plsc- on the hsru foor. Harvest
ing grain was exc...lSely tircsome, back
aching work aud u was smart man
Who could r-ckon four bushels ne th.
value Of day. work In securing the
crop.
The potato Was a new vegetable and
bat few Varietie. known and most ~
the.. we're FAR Inferior In quality To any
nov grown. Sv~~t corn ~ss unknown
In the farm garden and the numbsr of
varieties of Icss. beans and other gar
den crop. vAs limited % an eNc-~iinsly
small ist. Aeab,,agc was merely cab
bag, for thers ~er. M named varieties
in common use except the carlel savoy,
the rel or purple dutch and common
drumhsAd. The early York Il modern
varkty q. known on the farm.
''Grceu." Tor the June boiled dlunsr
~,rc picked or dug Ia the field. or bv
the roadside, and the small fruiis, With
the sScrption of currani., ~err gathered
la their season In the swamp. and past
ur.s.
SALT aEArs wCRr rHs MAIN srNN
the whole year roand. though an o.
casional Young animal wa. slaughtered
and divided among nrighbor. ON the bor.
row aud lend rule. The aim ~ the farm-
er was "a rsiss as Ear a. possible all he
the surplus being sxChsngrd
Il the .iorr for such few necessarie. a.
could not D. produced At hone.
Taxe. Nerc small. i,osd take. we're
paid Ia labor. school trcs sere kept
up by contributions aud the ,ssciSsf.
board round" The beat minister. had
parsonsge farm. from which they oh
iained their Chief support. III. Doctor
took hls pay Ia farm crops and fuel, sui
- hen tso farmers got Into lhigstton
over a boundary line IA. LAWYERS -sttlcd
the dispute by tAling both farm. for
thsis fcs.. leaving the owners wiser u
not bitter men.
cider was q staple crop and depended
chiefly upon = home market.
EVIRIHoDI DRANK INTOXICATING u0-
TORS,
aud respectable men got drunk. even
clergym.n aud pail hesvrs ai funerals.
BOok. aud papers ~cr. scarce aud post
az, rate. high. from ak ccnis Ia t~-n-
ty-ny. c.nts for quarter ounce letters,
aud Que cent pr sbsc, on printed matter
In the form % newspapers aud maga-
Eine..