Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-11-09
AMONG THE FARMERS.

| AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPnnD THE pLow."
Farming q Generation Ago.
SOME OF THE CHANGES OF TWENTY FIVE
YEARS.
(Rev. George L. Gleason In N. e. Homestead }
The editor of The Homestead has com.
missioned me to prepare three papers,
on the Past, the Present and the Future
of New Eugland agriculture. This is q
great and inspiring theme, but who is
equal for these thingsp He should have
asked for a volume instead of three con-
densed articles. My memory covers
two generations of New England his
tory. Within that period the most of
the changes have taken place, which
makes farming what 1t Is to-day and
gives promise of the future. It occurs
to me that, If can draw q picture OF Q
representative New England agricultural
town, as 1t was three quarters of a GEN.
tury ago, it would be a good starting
point to note the great changes and
progress that have taken place during
these threescore and ten years.
1t ts fashionable now to have been
born on the farm. But we are not told
that the most of the agricultural claim.
ants left the farm before Mother Earth
had had chance to mould character,
impart instruction and inspire the lives
of those who thank God they were born
on the farm. / was denied this great
boon. My father was clergyman. But
when l was about four years of age, he
retired from the active ministry, because
Of i'll health. he purchased q sawmill
and engaged In the lumber business.
But he soon bought a farm, so 1t was
my great privilege and joy to have been
educated on the farmland I served q
full course up to my majority. This
was the best period of my education.
was reared in representative New Eng
land town, located in central New Hamp-
shire. 1t was wholly devoted to farm.
ing. We were a community by our.
selves, and had little to do with the out.
side world. In 1850 we had only one
foreigner in the town, "Old McCatha,"
born in Canada. remember when the
first alien family came to the town. No
one gave them q welcome or offered
them home. Ny father, who always
believed in the inalienable right to be
born and live anywhere they chose, re-
ceived them into vacant house on the
farm.
We produced in those days almost
every thing we ate and wore. We raised
cows, oxen, horses, hogs, sheep, poul.
try, and the most of US had dog. "Old
Tige" was for years my intimate COM
panion. We produced all farm products
in abundance-wheat, corn, oats, vege-
tables and fruit Wild berries were
abundant and were free. l think the
population numbered about 500. Among
them were two blacksmiths, one wheel
wright, one miller, who ground our corn
and bolted our wheat; one tanner and
one shoemaker. Bill Weeks came round
with bis kit In the spring and would cut
shoes, and late in autumn fitted US for
the winter with cowhide boots. All the
people were "well to do" and were con-
tented and happy. We all went to
church; once year to muster, and sew
eral times to training. Picuics, apple
bees, huskings, spelling schools,
churches, suppers and occasional dance
gave US social life. The schools were of
low grade, and poor at that. But New
England academies were numerous and
in their glory. Every ambitious boy or
girl could earn money and 60 q term to
the academy, and that secured q stand
ing and created envy.
When 16 years of age, "worked out"
after harvesting our bay, earned money
enough to take me to neighboring
academy for one term. We (my brother
and y paid 81. 80 per week for room and
board. think We paid no tuition. We
were minister's sons, of which we were
not proud. The following winter /
taught two schools in my native town
one of six weeks, the other of eight.
For this honorable service received the
magnificent sum of $40 per month and
"boarded round" But I have never
OCOu oO iiOu 90 ~ tuO OlOcO VI uCOOuu
term, when / received two bright gold
dollars. But these sweet Arcadian days
land they were the brightest I have ever
knowp) were not to last.
The break came when the first train
on the Boston, Concord & Montreal
railroad passed through our town. We
were all near the track, though at safe
distance. have never gotten over the
shock which the first engine gave me as
ventured too near. Then commenced
the changes in New England agriculture
that have continued and increased up to
date. The first was the taking Of the
young men and young women from the
farm. Our family was among the first
to suffer. One of the sons went to Min
nesota and became judge. Another to
Iowa, and became a lawyer. Another
came to Massachusetts, and entered the
ministry. The fourth stayed in his ma
tive town and followed the profession of
agriculture. A few weeks ago, when q
member of the editorial staff Of a Con-
cord, N. a., newspaper visited our ma
tive town and looked around for repre-
sentative man "to write up," the lot fell
upon our farmer-brother, an honor
which has not yet befallen any OF the
professionals.
The first setback to farmers came
when they neglected the farm to market
their wood and timber. This they sold
at ruinous price. For time business
flourished, villages grew, and money for
once was plentiful. Note the results:
Crops diminished, forests were devas-
tated, population declined and farmers
were discouraged. Then came the civil
war. Vast numbers of the sons of farm
ers and young men, owners OF farms,
we're called into the army, many of them
never to return. At the close of the
war, the rich prairies of the middle west
were open to settlement. The home
stead law was passed, and Uncle Sam
offered every man farm. What In
jured New England agriculture still
more was the development of the water
power of New Englapd-the building of
great factories, and turning the eastern
states from an agricultural into man
ufacturing section of onr country. This
drew away our daughters from the farm.
Great cities have grown up, all branches
of business have developed. And now
the demands of all kinds OF business,
service and inducements to both sexes
leave almost none of our sons and daugh-
tiers on the farm.
twenty-five years ago the conditions
of agriculture and the outlook Of the
farmers were most disheartening. The
i kaI naA nnof