The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-10-01
SQUIRE RUFUS SANDERS
The Sage of Rocky Greek Farming With
His Mouth.

of a man that could do good farming
all alone with his mouth7 Well, that is
me to a mats heel. The bulliest kind OF
a crop I have made this year over on
the old Hasseltine place, and I haven't
hit a lick nor spent a cent to make it.
I have been runnin' q one horse farm
over there altogether with my mouth.
REMINDED OF A FARMER.
Year before last old man Hasseltine
got sick a bed with a fever, and sick
unto death, so by-and by he had to
take out and quit. Henceforwards
from that time on his son Buck has
been livin' there on the old place and
maxim out lik he was runnin' of a
farm. I remember onest upon a time
when parson Zeb Newton was ridin'
the circuit and preachin' the gospel,
but sWappin' horses and drinkin' whis-
Ky considerable between times. Cd
Squire Wilson told me that Z9b New
ton reminded him of a preacher. And
that is the way with me and Buck Has
seltine. You understand Buck was
born and bred and brung up on a farm
and never did live aday nor hit a lick
anywhere else, but about the very best
that lean say for Buck is that he n
minds me of a farmer.
The very first year after the old man
died Buck lit in he did and made the
old Hasseltine place famous for tall
grass and sorry crops-famoUs for
miles and miles around. People would
come from way over in the hill cOun-
try, and from way down in the fat
woods and ride around by the Halssel-
tine place to see the sights. And that
poked so mortal much fun at Buck till
it was a thousand wonders to one that
he didn't lay down his hand and jump
the game. He made some fodder and a
fewnubbins of corn and a light sprinkle
of bumblebee cotton, but he stayed in,
you understand and played the game
out for what little there was in it.
Whereas after all that it was mon
strous strange to me to see Buck sail
/ n last spring to pitch another crop.
Now as to Buck Has 3letine, he never
was what you would call rale low
down lazy. The meanest trouble with
him Yves that he never had learnt any
thing, you understand. He didn't
know exactly when to hit. He would
take n poor little slab sided, razor
back, wobbledy legged mule and plant
crops enough for a pair of fine young
mules and three full grown hands to
work. He would bite off two or three
times more than he could chaw, and
then gum up the cards and make a gen
eral mess and confusionment and fail
ure. He needed somebody to back
him with a little judgement, and brag
on him for every lick, you understand.
Some youngsters are like some colts,
You can lead EN- all right when you
can't sorter drive 'em.
BRAGGIN' ON BUCK
So finally at last I come to the con
clusion that I would try my hand at
braggin' on Buck. Flowed to myself
that plenty of big talk and hard work.
mought maybe bring forth a good crop
on the old HasseICine place, and /
knOwed if Buck would manage so as to
do the work I could hustle around and
furnish the nee ,essary big talk. And
last spring I lit in l did and went to
braggin on Buck to beat six bits.
One mornin' in the spring a little af-
ter daylight I was ridin' along by the
Has5eltine place, and bless gracious
there was Buck out there at the lot
feedin' his stock. 1t stood to reason
with me right then and there that
somethin' was wrong somewhere, you
understand, and I found out after
wards that the baby had a bad sick
spell that night, and kicked up such a
hOwlin" rumpus till the onlyesG thing
for Buck to do was to get up and git
cut at the break of day. But I didn't
let on like it was anything uncustom
airy, and went to braggin' on Buck as
the most earliest riser in the settlement.
l give him hat good old song and
dance, you understand, which is to
say:
early to bed and early to rise.
Makes a man healthy, wealthy and
wise"
That is the onlyest way for a farm
er TO farm and farm right, Buck" a 8
|. Beat the sun Up every dav and
nit a reglar steady lick till the cows
come home and the evenIn' stars sing
together, and you are bound to whin
the fight hands down.
t.Tha saasnns went nnMa1