276 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



which now mark the dark lines all over our New England farms, 

 many of which are now broken down and trodden under foot of 

 cattle. 



Let us glance at the farmer of a century and a half ago, for 

 nearly all were farmers then, very few professional men in those 

 days — they all had to dig for a living — they arose early and toiled 

 late, and eat the bread of carefulness; they usually had large fami- 

 lies, with a very small income. Doctors and lawyers were ignored, 

 for they were healthy and peaceful; how to maintain their large 

 families was their careful study, but they all "had a mind to 

 work," and as the family increased the capacity of the farm in- 

 creased. The farmer sowed flax, the boys and girls pulled it, the 

 boys whipped off the seed rainy days, on a barrel or block, the 

 farmer broke, hatcheled, and swingled out the shives over the end 

 of a board with a flax knife, the mother applied her foot to the 

 wheel, and her fingers to the distaff; and girls spun the tow on a 

 large wheel; this made the filling to weave into the warp the 

 mother had spun ; it was then woven into cloth and whitened in the 

 the dew ; this constituted the apparel of the whole family in sum- 

 mer ; the wool from the sheep was manufactured at home in like 

 manner for winter wear; the cattle, sheep, and swine were killed 

 at home for food for the family ; the skins were tanned for shoes 

 and pantaloons, the shoes were made at home by a cobbler that 

 went from house to house, "whipping the cat," as it was called; 

 they had no factories or boughten goods in those days; they raised 

 , all they ate and wore ; if they had a surplus it went to pay the 

 blacksmith and shoemaker; sometimes a peck of beans to pay the 

 minister for marrying a couple; the pie crust was shortened with 

 Indian meal; the dough-nuts were raised with cob ashes. Now 

 this may appear like cheap fare to some of our young ladies, but 

 with it came contentment and rosy cheeks, such as are seldom seen 

 at the present day. These large families of girls and boys were a 

 whole society of their own, and were the happiest gatherings in 

 their own homes that could be found. They had their apple bees, 

 their husking bees, and their spinning bees. The j^ung people 

 went to those bees many times m their home-spun — they saw each 

 other as they ivere. No airs or affectation put on. the young men 

 selected wives in the neighborhood; from these wives and mothers 

 have sprung the great and good men of this nation, and these 

 mothers lived to a good old age, to see their children, and their 

 srandchildren the honored of the land. In the town I live in, 



