Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-07-23
Farming Methods In France.
The following letter wac received .
short time ago by A. d. Littlehale from
his son In France:
HEADQUARTERS AMBULANCE SECTION,
SANITARY TRAIN,
AN. e. F., A. p. o. ITO
MAY 25, 1918.

| SANITARY TRAIN,
AN. e. F., A. p. o. 1l0
MAY 25, 1918.
Dear father:
think that it is about time to write
little to You, as It has been some time
sinoe wrote to you direct. have
quite . lot to write II I can only think
of It.
have seen . large part OF France
since came over hero, and some Of the
things have looked funny to me, especial.
~ the way they harness their horses.
Over half of them hitch one horse ahead
OF the other instead of beside him, and
sometimes they use a. many a. four
harnessed up that way at once. Also
some use three horses harnessed side by
side out on the road where there ID
plenty of room. There are . number
OF two wheel carts In use. too. with OK.
tension that reaches over the horses
back.
I have seen only one disc harrow and
no cutaway harrows at all. They use
spike tooth harrows mostly. It isn't
quite 50 bad as it seems, though, 40
there are no rocks at oil. Il is great
farm land about everywhere have been,
level, and a. near az have been able to
dnd out for . certainty there .is very
little witch grass to bother with. In
some places one can see the earth and
sky meet without any hills or mountains
to stop the view.
It looks like waste OF time to be plow
ing with one way plow the same a.
many OF them are, and then have to
20 over 1t 80 many times with au old
harrow, when It could be done with up
to-date machinery such as tractors and
gang plows and good hsrrows. They
have some seeders that they use with
horses. Also ! have seen Q few two
two way plows, but they are nothing
like what We have. They are fastened
to set of wheels, and there are two
complete plows on q big rod, 80 that
when one plow 10 10 the ground tho
other Is bottom side up In the air. I
suppose that is great deal better than
just one way plow. I haven't seen .
manure spreader, and only q very few
moving machines and horse rakes.
The roads here are simply great, even
the little cross roads are way ahead of
roads OF the same sort at home, and the
big roads run almost straight through
the country. They have q row of large
trees on each side of them, and when
one is going along he can sec the road
until the trees look as though they were
growing close together.
There are peas and potatoes up eight
or ten inches high in several places, and
beans are beginning to grow so that they
can be seen from the road. The weather
is funny though. Some days Il is
hot enough to 20 without many clothes,
and then II the sun doesn't shine It is
cold enough to wear an overcoat.
wrote letter to mother few days
ago but wss-unable to mail It 80 think
that I will copy 1t and put 1t in with
this.
am still we'll and am quite feshy. I
weigh about IT'S pounds.
Your loving son,
LORENZO E. LITTLEHALE.
P.S. June Z. II has been some
time since wrote this letter, but have
been unable to mail It, as I haven't
stopped in one place long enough to
have It censored, but hope to get It
through this time. I haven't received
any mail lately either on account of
moving.
T. rT