The Newark journal. (Newark, Ark.) 1901-1959, 1908-05-15
| farmers EDUCATIONAL j
AND
COOPERATIVE UNION
OF AMERICA So
JNo. CRACKER VS.. JNo. cRAkoRE.
A Little Story With a Moral for Every
Union Man.

John Cracker and his wife lived in
one-story, implanted house. standing
in the middle of a cotton field. Not
tree surrounded the house, not a bit
OF green grass. His mules lived in a
log howell, through which the winter
winds howled, and they ate cottonseed
hulls for lack Of hay. and whatever
corn could be spared. John had some
scrub cattle out in the cane brakes all
winter, but not a COW to give them
milk; and all winter and most of the
rest OF the year the only vegetables
that appeared on their table were col
lards, field peas and sweet potatoes.
and their only bread was corn-dodgers
with fat Western bacon for grease
John plowed I'll his land every year
for cotton, except a little piece of bot
tom land that went in corn every year
and he planted that one stalk in a
hill, six feet apart each way, be
cause he said. corn must have air in
the South, and he got more air than
corn, and not enough for Supplies"
John said "farmin' don't pay" but he
went on year after year in the same
old way and plowed the land right up
to the windows for cotton. and took
his holidays in bed with fever and
ague.
One spring, however, he and his
wife took a rare holiday by invita-
ton of his cousin, the Hon James
Crakore, who lived in a pretty home
-
ed by a beautiful farm. with gravel
walks, shrubbery, trees, and flowers.
John and his wife had never Jared
so sumptuously In their lives. There
WAS running water in the bedrooms,
! and fine porcelain bath-tubs in the
bathroom. which was heated by a "a
diator from the kitchen range. Soft
carpets covered the floors, and the
beds had soft mattresses made from
cotton felt John and his wife felt like
living in Paradise. Then the table
was supplied with fresh meats, with
green peas, snaps, tomatoes, eucum.
bers. and profusion Of vegetables OF
all sorts John wondered where they
raised all these things, and was told
that they came from the South where
he lived. and that they had to buy
| them at fancy prices, and they said
How fortunate YOU are to live in a
climate where you can have all these
things long before any of them can be
had here. You must be happy to live
where such Injuries can be had so
cheaply for the gathering. We would
tI,5,x 4
enjoy these blessings that cost sc
much here"
John got to thinking. Said he:
'Wife, We are not going to be Crack
ers any more, we are going to be
Crakores." And they went home, and
John went to work and laid eff a space
around his house for a lawn, and SOW
ed it, and planted some trees and
shrubbery, and laid out flower beds for
his wife He took The Southern Farm
Gazette and learned the value of
farm rotation, and changed his farm
ing till he made more cotton on one
fourth of his land than he had before
made on all of it, He had corn to sell,
and oats for his mules and hay as
| we'll, and bacon and mutton and beer.
Then he did not forget the vegetables,
but started garden and studied the
best in variety. The old house was
painted and broad porch added as
his farming began to pay. His children
began to take an interest in the home,
and they. too, read the farm paper,
and went into the competitions offered
for farm boys and girls, and often
beat John himself, and made him
think A windmill and a deep pipe welt
and a tank soon gave them water in
the house for range and bath and
fever was 40 more
Some years ago his cousin, the Hon,
| James Crakore and his wife, came
down for visit in the South in late
winter, and they were so delighted
! with everything, especially with the
| fresh headed lettuce from the glass