The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-10
FARM AND
GARDEN ~
INTERESTS


Country Gentleman.
The inhabitants of Horseshoe Farm were
resting after the days work. and | wished
to interest them so that the hired man
would not start for the country store, TAX
ing the boy with him. So l asked, What
is gumption?''
The sharp young lady said: "a heaven
born gift which some of US have not look
ing right at me- | ignored the implied COM
pliment, and asked the opinion of the hired
man.
When one pulls weeds just as hard as
he can all day, as 1 energetic was
his idea The weeds he had been pulling
were summer grasses, which had seeded
among the raspberry bushes. They were
piled and burned. so as not to seed the bed
for the next year.
Now. my man. you were not very par
ticular and close-eyed You left here and
there stalk covered with seed. so there
will be full stand next year. This kind
of grass does not live over winter-so your
work really amounts to nothing. You were
energetic, but not gumptious''
The day before we had been drawing
manure, and got on a load too heavy for
the team to draw readily up the steep hill.
load began TO pull them back. and they
were under considerable Roadway back
wards IN about second. We righted up
things at the foot of the hill more scared
than hurt. The boy remarked: II suppose
gumption means fOrethought If you had
an iron dog under the wagon. like team
back yesterday
When | come to think of 1t. l wonder
have not had one pat l commenced
farming without it, and never thought how
would holding
wagon we climb around on the hills. It's
simply on iron inch or inch and half rod.
fastened to the axle. The end which drags
on the ground is sharpened. and sticks into
the ground when the wagon settles back. A
leather strap loop will hold it up when not
wanted. or you wish to back.
chuck who lives on the barren knoll has no
gumption. He has to pick all over it to get
enough TO keep his hide on. He is poor-in
worldly goods and flesh, too. See how hard
he works TO just get a living, and every
body can see him up there; so he is in con-
slant danger from dog and gun. In just one
hour he could move into the clover meadow
OF the fiat. and be rich safe and happy.
Gumption is picking out the best there is
going
This woodchuck," I said. sis an example
of what satisfaction will do for human
being. l have known men to delve unceas-
ingly from morning till night on farms
which are not capable of producing $500
worth of produce per year One suit OF
clothes, coarse food, bare necessities of life,
and worst of all, no ambition to do better!
BY changing locations or even methods,
they could remedy the evil in one year.
use the word evil guardedly. for / consider
it crime to bring up children in this way"
My idea of gumption, said another, lis
the art of seeking far enough ahead TO be
always successful Successful persons are
sometimes called lucky by thoughtless per-
sons but they are more. A neighbor lets
dozen cows roam over drought-stricken
pastures, declaring he cannot afford TO feed
any grain. The COWS go nearly dry, and
they will get so poor that extra feeG will
have to be fed next winter. The profits
meager and 'dairying don't pay. Many
people plan for summer feeding. Six acres
of rape fattened 100 lambs and furnished
feed for the dams. The lambs weighed
more than the granted ones"
Money saved is money earned" said an
other. And l will give my idea of gump-
ton: That old spring-tooth harrow was so
neighbor sold one like it for 80 cents. We
had hole punched in the end of each tooth
and bolted on cultivator teeth. 1t works
better than when new. The cost was but
little. and we saved paying $50 for new
one"
Sis said: Il know some boys who tried
to milk some cows that were covered with
flies. The cows kicked and switched their
tails into the mems eyes, hurting them so
that they got mad and pounded the cows
and swore and spilled the milk, and got
scolded by the boss and had an awful time
and came near going without their supper
(never knew boy to do that. quite). and
all because they did not fix right before
they began. If they had put some kerosene
and carboic acid in the atomizer and spent
one minute spraying the cows not tail
would have stirred. and this tale would
never have been told. Gumption is fixing
things before you begin.
Quite long speech for a girl" was all
the boy could muster, and there a dig
nified silence for some time.
"Gumption is studying out things" be-
gan one, but was interrupted with
Then Mrs A. has lots of it. for she fer
rets out every mean thing she can find in
the neighborhood."
~ do not mean that bad habit. but use
full things; for example that bush-hook we
have got.
They had been cutting out old canes in
the berry patches with a pair of pruning
shears. Bent backs. scratched hands and
slow progress made IL a job to be dreaded
and caused much complaint, especially
when working in blackberries.
"Why do you not invent something bet
ter?" I asked one of them.
In few days he said Get me an iron
made like this and see if it will work" The
blacksmith made it of good material, and
fastened to it an old fork handle. We found
one could stand up straight. could reach
through to the opposite side of the row
and. by turning it up edgewise. sort out the
desired cane among the thickest clumps
and best of all. cut three times as fast
The blade is fat on the under side and
curved on top like a scythe 1t should be
small and sharp, and looks somewhat like
an Interrogation point.
Il should think IL was knowing what you
were about" remarked the prying one Il
read in the paper how one man sprayed his
potatoes to stay the blight which had be-
gun on his field; that work was useless
after the germs have penetrated the foli-
age The biggest mistake he made was
that he did not have blight at all; intense
heat and flea beetles were what injured
them If he knew the life history OF blight
he would know there was none in June"
"Why. it is bedtimel l guess the most
gumption I can show is TO get a good long
sleep Hard blowing, now; too. dry" said
one, and off to bed went the pleased
gang"
| might have soured on the hired man.
forbidden the boy to go, aroused some feel
ing and all would have had disagreeable
time, without benefting any one an atom.
Admoniton is seldom needed by this class
too big 10 punish. What is needed is a
desire for all those things which belong
TO gumption. The Standard Dictionary
saws: 1T is acute discrimination" 1t is
what we all need and must have who have
children under our care.
Clover on sandy Soil.