52 FARM ECHOES. 



upon that branch of farm work. It was through my 

 head, not my hands, that I was to acquire sufficient ex- 

 perience to enable me, at a glance, to decide when the 

 plow, or other instrument, did its full share of work, and 

 effectually. 



From childhood, I have been an admirer of politeness, 

 and I was touched by the courteous consideration for each 

 other, shown by four men who were plowing on the same 

 piece of ground, a thing that has not been repeated since 

 that early experiment. Number one would lead off, and 

 get well on with his furrow, when it so happened that 

 his whip-lash needed attention, and he would stop to 

 repair it, by giving it sundry turns and twists around its 

 end of a long limber twig or small bough his "whip 

 stalk." Numbers two, three, and four, immediately fol- 

 lowing, were thus kept back, and can you credit it ? 

 not one of them remonstrated. All, most amiably, waited 

 for number one, without manifesting the slightest im- 

 patience, however long detained, and though hired by the 

 hour ! Number one would hardly get started again, when 

 the whip-lash of number two would bring him to a sudden 

 stop, thus again detaining numbers three and four in his 

 rear, also number one, who had reached the end of his 

 furrow, and was composedly waiting for the others, so 

 that he could commence his return trip, and thus get 

 ready for another repair of his whip-lash. I will not say 

 that it never occurred to him to make any such repairs, 

 while he was waiting for his comrades, but I do say that 

 he never availed himself of any such opportunity, for any 

 such work. My eyes the sooner detected this game be- 

 cause my hands had so early been withdrawn from the 



