290 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



means ; but systematic, regular hours for labor, sleep, and recrea- 

 tion. More will be accomplished in that way than any other. If 

 when we start in life we get in the habit of rising early and follow- 

 ing out steady, systematic effort, we shall be astonished at the 

 result. The want of system has sent many a farmer to the wall. 

 ■We all remember the first beginnings of our army in the late 

 rebellion. Let system be written upon every tool of the farm, and 

 let those tools have a place and every tool in its place; and then 

 .remember the fables of the "Hare and the Tortoise," and the 

 •" Lark in the Wheat;" never depend upon friends to help us out. 

 I always think of the old man's prayer, " Good Lord deliver me 

 from my friends." 



If we do our own work we should have the best of tools; but 

 never buy tools t© lie idle or go to decay. A Dutch farmer once 

 showed me an ox-cart that he said had not been wet in twenty -five 

 years, and it looked almost like a new one. He said that a neigh- 

 bor bought one at the same time of his and it had rotted out, and 

 his second one was now nearly gone in the same way. Thus we 

 see the economy of housing. But what shall we say of the farmer 

 who has no tools and is too stingy to buy them ? 1 was once trying 

 to sell a man a mowing machine. He said his land was too rough 

 for one. I said to him, " My friend, if you will give me your inter- 

 est money I will remove every obstacle and put a mower and 

 horse-rake into the meadow free gratis." But he loved his money 

 too well for that, and in a few years he mowed his mow out, died 

 in the harness, a middle-aged, worn-out man, and his money was 

 scattered to the four winds. One day another penny-wise farmer 

 came to me and asked if I knew where he could lend a few hund- 

 red dollars in a safe place. I replied that I did not want it myself, 

 but thought I could show him where it could be placed to his ad- 

 vantage if he would step into my house. I took up an agricultural 

 paper (the Country Gentleman), and said to him, " This will tell 

 where you can put your money out for from fifteen to twenty per 

 cent, interest." His eyes began to brighten. I then showed Lim 

 the sketch of "Echo Farm." That, he said, was all very well; "I 

 like the pictures, but how about the twenty per cent, interest ? " I 

 asked, " How many acres of land have you ? " "A little over one 

 hlmdred." " Do you use a mowing machine on your farm ? " 

 " No; my meadows are not smooth enough." I invited him to the 

 door for an outlook, and said to him, "You see those smooth 

 .meadows; not a stone or stump in one of them. A few years ago 



