Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1893-09-14

NQeQ 001 70 ~ me 70 ask MN
WhAt Il meant-an' then he'd show
O& hio laEnins. But want % green
u wonder II ~ thinks he's comm
here 70 show us farmers how to
workfs said Sawyer rather indig-
nantiy.
" gusss he thinks So" returned
t6umr0ok
"Thsn I guess he'll ind out his
mistake added the other. s,Jes'
you mark my words ben. He'll be
nat OF his back before two years is
out.
Autumn came. and after John
Walton had moved over q twenty
acre field, getting hardly hay enough
to pay for the labor, he Get men al
work digging deep trenches all '
1t He had two dug lengthWisc. run
ming up and downthe slope; and then
he dug quite q number running aero s
these. They were quite deep and
broad, and into them he tumbled
nearly all the stones that could ba
found In the fields
"A pooty expensive way OF gettin'
4Iu " tOOASt 1ClDut gu 0iuultuCN s
.sIt'sa better place for them than
on the surface, isn't IT," returned
Walton with q smile.
"Mebbe. But what on airth are
| ye doin' 1t forp"
"WhY-rm going to see II under.
draining won't improve the land"
"Under draining! What's that?:"
"It is simply drawing OF the water
from the surface. This land Is cold
and wet; but II I can get the water
to drain of among these rocks, the
sun may warm the surface, and give
me a good piece Of soil here"
But 1t looked very foolish to Ben
Grummet He believed that s'what
was the nature OF the soil couldn't be
altered" However, the young mar
made his trenches-tumblcd in the
rOcks-illed In on top with the loan
he had originally removed; and then
left it to work for itself a while. A
month later he plowed up two acres
Of it, and he could see that the soil
had already changed wonderfully.
After this was done he cut his way
to the muck swamp and went to
hauling out that article. which he de-
posted In various places, as he
deemed proper.
That's q Gurus continuance, said
Sam Bancroft. He and Ben Grun.
met had been at work for Walton at
hauling muck. He alluded to a large
vat back OF the house. into which ran
a spout from the sink. This vat was
capable Of holding severa. carloads
of stuff, and was already half full.
That's a compost vat" exclaimed
Walton, who had overheard the re-
mark. "All the Stops from the house
the soap-suds and such stulf-which
most people wasted, l ave by this
means, and turn it to good account;
and instead Of throwing away refuse
matter / put it In here and let it rot
and ferment, and make manure
THAT all sounds very poorly" re-
marked Ben. after Walton had left
them; .tbnt let me jes' tell you, it
don't pay! He'd better let SIGH fan.
handles alone IL he v e expects to
make a Twin at farmin'."
Before the ground froze up Walton
threw out most OF the muck back of
his tie-up. which had Lecome we'll
saturated, aud TILED up the trench
anew. When spring came Walton
went to some OF his neighbors and
asked them to 60 In with him and
send for some good scions to graft
upon their apple trees. He explained
to them just the plan he had formed
for his own orchard.
"How much will it cost You?" asked
Sawyer.
"Why," returned Walton, I'm 60
into It thoroughly. My orchard Is as
large a one as yours is; aud the trees
are mostly thrifty and vigorous-or
could be made so-but with poor
fruit. / mean to make a thorough
thing Ut it, and shall expend q hun.
dred dollars this spring."
"What! A hundred dollars! In
your orchard?"
"YeR1
"Jewhitaker an broomsticks!
When / git money to play in I'll try
it."
A little while later, and the grass
began to spring upon the twenty-acre
lot as it had never sprung up before:
and Is time went on John Walton
was continually studying how to i'm
prove his farm.
GOOD gracious!" calculated Eben
Sawyer, as Ben Grummet and Sam
Bancroft came into his house one
cool tautumn evening, shave you
heard about John Walton's apples?:'
Eyes" returned Ben. ~ was
there, and heerd the whole On't-so ]
know-I never would ave thought it.
An orchard turn out like that"
"And jes' look at that twenty-acre
field" said Bancroft Five years
ago 1t wouldn't hardly pay for NOW.
In. It didn't bear much else but
pOdgum. Now look at it Think o.
the corn an wheat he's raised there;
an this year he cut more'n forty tons
OF good hay from It'll"
I'VE was jest talkin' about you. Mr..
Walton" said Sawyer one day, as
John came into his house.
"Ah," returned John, as he took q
seat BY the fire. II hope you found
nothing bad to say OF me-"
mot Q bit of it. We was talkin'
about the wonderful improvement
you've made on the old place, and OF
the money you maker"
"And do you think 1t wonderful"
ssBut amt it?:n
"Well," replied Walton, II don't
know about that; but I'll tell you
what l do know: ! know there is nc
class OF people In the world who may
read and study to better advantage
than farmers Farming is . science,
and he must be q man OF more than
ordinary capacity who al master II
all. In short there Is no branch oil
industry in the world which may not