Norwich bulletin., 1920-02-20
(written Specially for The Bulletin).

saw it was showing again, own up that began to feel little discourag- ed. For the last two weeks it has showed regularly every other day. My activities about the farm have been confined to shovelling out paths-and then shovelling them out again. Only between the most important buildings have I been able to keep paths open. Not only is the snow pretty deep, varying from two to four feet per 'haps, but it is rather thickly crusted so as to make digging in it exceedingly hard work for an old man. I've kept a few paths fairly clear, though, till this morning. Now they're even full once more. And, as it is still showing tticlxly, there's small use .tackling them till it stops. So waded, an hour ago, to barns, sites and hen houses; at tended to the animals, and waded back. That, as note was an hour ago. A man wading waist deep through snow with a pail in one hand and a basket in the other, and a dog wallowing at his heels, makes some track But not trace of it is visible now. Everything is filed in again, so that not even a crease on the surface shows where Major and I bucked the drifts an hour ago.
 The highway is just as whit, and smooth. Seven times within the last three weeks has the road commission CT, with two teams of heavy horses, drawing a big sled with blows chained to each runner,-seven times has he been up and down the highway, break ing out . passable track. If he fin- ished up a "once-over' on a Monday, say, it would snow and blow his tracks full on a Tuesday, Then he made 'em over again on d Wednesday. And the snow filled 'em again' on Thursday. So he could open up some more on a Friday. That's been about the pro- gramme. And now, as 1 look out from the windows, there is no more evidence of a track in the roadway than there is in the snow around the North Pole. Just about level with the fence-to tops it lies and without even diInple in it's surface to suggest where the over and-oVer- again p1owed-out track for sleighs had been.
 And the snow is coming thickly, yet; no sign of let-up or intermission. The wind, too, is rising, giving promise of drifts to add to the trouble.
 Last week our mail-carrier managed to get by us three times. He had to uSudl1N makes in about half a day, in two parts. and it took him all of daylight to negotiate single one of these halves. If he gets to us as much as twice or even once, this week, we shall owe f to his indomitable pluck
 Altogether. it is some winter" which we are experiencing here and here abouts. The snow is giving roofs severe tests. I have heard of seven barn and shed roofs which have been crushed in, in my neighborhood
 But it is giving a still severer test to the average farmers foresighted- ness and fcrehand edness. Ik that average farmer wasn't ready for it, if he hadn't planned and prepared for it, then he's having a good deal more uncomfortable time than he would if he had looked ahead a little.
 For instance, there's my neighbor, Wellington Sparks. He has been sui ficiently forehanded to get down from the mountain a good supply Of wood for the winter. He has had it sawed up, and thrown into a huge, ten cord heap, out back of the house It was an imposing looking pile even before the snow came. Now, buried under a huge drift, it lifts that covering drift into the upper air like a pyramid. And either Wellington or Mrs. Wellington, one or the other, has got to dig into that drift and paw out every stick of l 1itewcod needed for their stoves Ii cones out snowy and is exceedingly ''nussy'' stuff to handle. Moreover, i; is wet and doesn't burn wil4iugly They have to dry it, armful by armtul in the oven or under the stove, before 1 it will burn freely in the flrepot
 ] When that wood was cut and split and thrown into the big pile, it was not unhandy to get at. There was nc snow, to speak of, and it was only 2 i doaen steps from the back kitchen i door to the pile. But now, things art i different. There is a fve-foet drlt i between the door and the wood There i is q sncw mantle two eor three Feet | thick over the whole pile, which, if being renewed about every other day | by a fresh snow storm The pile is i lad to. get to- bad to get wood out of,. and. the wood isn't desirable fuel when got.
 All because the Wellington sparkse. i didn't get ready beforehand. liner, i are quite number of other farm houses in my vicinity where the woot supply is no better arranged.
 i One result of the. drifted roads ha. been partial suspension of store de
 livery service. The delivery clerk. l and their tired horses are doing al i that is possible, but they simply can
 not get into all the backroads arft ] lanes And several neighbors are be
 ginning to feel a shortage. You see
 even we hill-farm chaps have fallel
 into the cityfied habit of orderin, things from the store by telephon
 and having them delivered by tn
 store team. It works very nicely il the good old summer time. But it i
 a system with disadvantages in win ter such as the present. "Oh, no,
 sweetly said little Mrs. Doovery; Wv
 never keep any stocks on hand. It i
 so much better to order what we wan
 as we want it, and so have it fresl
 each time" That was last fall. The,
 have been Wading to us through tn I snow twice already this February
 once for kerosene to keep their lam,
 lighted till the delivery man coul
 matches to light lamps and othe
 things with. AndI know they've bee
 to the neighbor on their other side a
 least once for something else.
 Now, am willing to admit that pro
 gress is a great thing and that we a
 ought to be progressive, if it takes
 leg. And I'm also willing to admi
 that 1920 is sixty years ahead of 186l
 in the almanac anyway.
 But l do not believe that any of tn farmers of this neighborhood in 186
 would have run any risk of having t go without candles or matches or lar
 just because a snow-storm kept theI
 from getting to the store They
 have had such things on hand for sue