Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-09-16
John WaltOn's Farm.
Hadn't Won better snhscrihe for IT.

Hadn't you better subscribe for it,"
81 tell you, no. l haven't the money to
spare. And, if l had, l haven't got the
time to waste over newspapers, " said Eben
Sawyer, with some emphasis.
But you will gain much information
from it in the course of year, sir, ;" pur-
sued John Walton.
81 tell you, don't want it !"
This was spoken so fatty 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 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.
He'll never make a farmer" said Saw
yer, with 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. Il tell you, Eben, the man that
thinks to make a livin' on farm in this
section has got to work for it,"
At this junction Sam Bancroft came
along. He was another old native of the
district.
I'VE was just talkin' about young Wal
ton, " said Sawyer.
Hes rippin his barn-hoor 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 Ban
croft. Hes got carpenter up from the
village; and his two hired men are
helpin'."
"Whew guess he'll make farmer ~
And so they all guessed-with a reser-
walton. In short, there was something
| highly ridiculous in the thought of mans
| thinking to be a farmer and student at
| the same time.
John Walton was a 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 married, and
now turned his thoughts to making a living
out of the old homestead.
Ben Grummet had a curiosity to see what
was going on in Walton's barn, so he drop
ped in there. He found that the whole of
the floor, where the cattle stood, had been
torn up, and that they were digging a
wide, deep trench the whole length of the
tie-up.
"What on airth is all this fort" asked
Ben.
why" returned Walton, who was busy
in experimenting the work, and also in
working himself. 81 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 l think, by proper management, l
can get full double the quantity of manure
which others have got on this place"
"Do ye 2" said Grummet, sarcastically
EYES," resumed the young man. at is
a fact that the liquid manures, could they
be saved, would fully equal the solids, both
in bulk and value, and when combined with
we'll rotted muck, and some other articles
which shall take up and retain all the more
volatile parts, l feel sure that they will af-
ford more fertilizing powers and properties
than the solid manures can"
''You don't say so Where dye larn all
that 2"
"Partly from reading, and. partly from
observation" answered John, smiling at his
good neighbours open sarcasm.
81 don't s'pose it costs anything to do all
this 2"
"Oh, yes; it will cost me considerable be-
fore get through"
''Yaas; 1 should rather calkilate it
would"
81 swan !" Ben Grummet cried as he
met Sawyer shortly afterwards. "John
Walton's a regular hifalutin. He's ies
about as nigh to bein' crazy as a man can
be !"
"Eh l-crazy, Ben 2"
ooh, l don't mean rally upset, like
, folks who are sent to the insane asylum
but he's got his head full of all sorts of non.
sense"
"But what in natures he goin' to do 2
-. - ., -
t he calls 'em An he's going to put in some
thin to take up the vol-voluntary parts
. voluntary parts What are they, Benz
: "It was vol somethin'. But don't know
. 1 wouldn't ask him. spose he Jest useC
the outlandish word SOS to get me to ash
him what it meant-an' then he'd show of
J, his larnin' But want so green"
> 81 wonder if he thinks he's a comm her,
!, to show us old farmers how to work 2
+ said Sawyer, rather Indignantly.
81 guess he thinks So" returned Grum
: met.
"Then guess he'll find out his mistake,
added the other. "Jes you mark m,
words, Ben. He'll be fiat on his back afor
two years is out"
Autumn came, and after John Waltol
had moved over a twenty-acre field, Iget
ting hardly hay enough to pay for the labor
he set men at work digging deep trenche
all over it He had two dug lengthwise
running up and down the slope; and then h
dug quite a number running across these
They were quite deep and broad, and int
them he tumbled nearly all the stones tina
could be found in the fields.
"a poorly expensive way of gettin' ri
o. rock, )" remarked Grummet.
Its better place for them than on tn
surface, isn't it 7" returned Walton, with
smile
"Mebbe. But what on airth are 20
dom it for 2"
"Why-Pm going to see if underdrainin
won't improve the land"
"Under-draning What's that Z"
ut is simply drawing off the water frol
the surface. This land is cold and we
but if l can get the water to drain off anon