14^ 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



« It would bo thought a hard Government tliat 

 should tax its people one-teuth part of their time, 

 to be employed in its service ; but idleness taxes 

 many of us much more ; sloth, by bringing on 

 diseases, absolutely shortens life, 'Sloth, like 

 rust, consumes faster than labor wears, while the 

 used key is always bright,' as PoorRichai-d says. 

 ' But dost thou love lite, then do not squander 

 time, for that is the stuff life is made ofj' as Poor 

 Richard says. How much more than is neces- 

 sai-y do we spend in sleep ? forgetting that ' the 

 sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that there 

 will be sleeping enough in the grave,' as Poor 

 Richard says. 



" If time be of all things the most precious, 

 w asting time must be, as Poor Richard says, ' the 

 greatest prodigality ;' since, as he elsewhere tells 

 us, ' lost time is never found again ; and what 

 we call time enough, always proves little enough :' 

 let us then up and be doing, and doing to the 

 purpose ; so by tliligence shall ^ve do more with 

 less perplexity. ' Sloth makes all things difficult, 

 but industry, all easy ; and he that riseth late must 

 trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business 

 at night; while laziness travels so slowly, that 

 Ijoverty soon overtakes him. Drive thy business, 

 let not that drive thee ; and early to bed and early 

 to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,' 

 as Poor Richard says. 



" So what signifies wishing and hoping for bet- 

 ter times ? We may make these times better if 

 we bestir ourselves. ' Industry need not wish, 

 and he that lives upon hope will die fasting. 

 There fare no gains without pains ; then help, 

 hands, for I have no lands,' or, if I have, they 

 are smartly taxed. ' He that hath a trade hath an 

 estate ; and he that hath a calling liatli an office 

 of profit and honor,' as Poor Richard says; but 

 then the trade must be worked at, and the calling 

 well followed, or neither the estate nor the office 

 will enable us to pay our taxes. If we are in- 

 dustrious, we shall never starve ; for, ' at the work- 

 ing man's house, hunger looks in but dares not 

 enter.' Nor will the bailiff or the constable en- 

 ter, for industiy pays debts, while despair in- 

 creaseth them.' What though you have found 

 no treasure, nor has any rich relation left you a 

 legacy, ' diligence is the mother of good luck, 

 and God gives all things to industry. Then plough 

 deep, while sluggards sleep, and you shaH have 

 corn to sell and to keep.' Work while it is called 

 to-day, tor you know not how much you may be 

 hindered to-morrow. ' One to-day is w ortli two 

 to-morrows,' as Poor Ricliard says ; and farther, 

 ' never leave that till to-morrow which you can do 

 to-day.' If you were a servant, vould you not 

 be ashamed that a good master should catch you 

 idle ? Are you then yom- own master ? Be 

 ashamed to catch yoiu'self id's, when there is .so 

 much to be done for yourseltj your fannly, your 

 country, and your king. Handle yyur tools with- 

 out mittens; remember that 'the cat in gloves 

 catches no tnice,' as Poor Ricliard says. It is 

 true, there is much to be done, and ])erhaps you 

 are Aveak handed; but stick to it steadily, and 

 you will see great effects, for ' constant dro])])ing 

 A\ears away stones ; and by diligence and pa- 

 tience the mouse ate in two the cable; and little 

 strokes fell gi'eat oaks.' 



"But what madness nuist it be to rim in debt 

 for these superfluities! ^Ve are offered by the 

 terms of this sale six months credit ; and that 

 perhaps has induced rtoine of us to attend it, he- 

 cause we cannot s])are the re;idy money, and liope 

 now to be fine witliout it. But ah 1 think what 

 you do when you run in debt ; you give to another 

 ])ower over your liberty. If you cannot pay at 

 the time, you will be ashamed to see your credi- 

 tor, you will be in fear wlien you si)eak to him, 

 when you will make poor, pitiful, sneaking e.\- 

 luses, and by degrees come to lose your veracity, 

 and sink into base, downright lying: iiir, 'the 

 second vice is lying; the first is running in debt,' 

 as Poor Richard says ; and again, to the .«;ame 

 ])urpose, 'lying rides upon the debt's back;' 

 whereas a freeljorn Englishman ought not to be 

 ashamed nor afriiid to see or speak to any msn 

 living. But poverty ol'len dejirives a man of all 

 spirit and virtue. 'It is hard for an empty bag to 

 stand uiirighl. What woidd you think of that 

 ])rince, or of that govcrmiient, who should issue 

 an edict forbidding you to dress like a gentleman 

 or gentlewoman, on pain of imprisonment or 

 servitude? Would yon not say, that you were 

 i\o-\ hnvc a right to dret^pasyou jilcaFe, and thai 



such an edict would be a breach of your privi- 

 leges, and such a governntent tyrannical ? And 

 yet yovi are about to put yourself under the tyr- 

 anny, when you run in debt for such dress! your 

 creditor has authority, at his pleasure, to dei)rive 

 you of your liberty, by confining you in jail for 

 life, or by selling you for a servant, if you should 

 not be able to pay him. When you have got 

 your bargain, you may, perhaps, think little of 

 payment ; but as Poor Richard says, ' creditors 

 have better memories than debtors ; creditors are 

 a superstitious sect, great observers of set days 

 and times.' The day comes round before you 

 are aware, and the demand is made before you 

 are prepared to satisfy it ; or, if you bear yoitr 

 debt in mind, the term, which at first seemed so 

 long, will, as it lessens, appear extremely short ; 

 time will seem to have added wings to his heels, 

 as well as to his shoulders. 'Those have a short 

 Lent who owe money to be paid at Easter.' At 

 present, ])erhaps, you may thhik yourselves in 

 thriving circumstances, and that you can bear a 

 little extravagance without injury ; but — 



' For age and want save while you may, 



No morning's sun lasts a whole day.' 



" Gain may be temporary and uncertain, but 

 ever, while you live, expense is certain and con- 

 stant ; and, ' it is esisier to build two chimneys 

 tha>i to keep one in fuel,' as Poor Richard says ; 

 so, ' rather g6 to bed supperless than rise in 

 debt.' 



' Get wliat you can, and what you get hold, 



'Tis the stone that will turn all your lead into gold.' 



And when you have got the philosoj)lier's stone, 

 sure you will no longer complain of bad times, 

 or the difficulty of paying taxes. 



" This doctrine, my friends, is reason and wis- 

 dom ; but, after a.ll, do not depend too much up- 

 on your o\vn industry, and frugality, and pru- 

 dence, tliough excellent things ; for they may be 

 blasted, without the blessing of heaven ; and 

 therefore ask that blessing hund)ly, and be not 

 uncharitable to those who at present seem to want 

 it, biu comfort and help them. Remember Job 

 siiffiired, and was afterwards prosperous. 



"And now, to conclude, 'experience keeps a 

 dear school, but fools will learn in no other,' as 

 Poor Richard says, and scarce iti that ; for it is 

 true, ' we may give advice, but we cannot give 

 conduct ;' however, remember this, ' they that 

 will not be counselled cannot be helped ; and far- 

 ther, that ' if you will not hear reason, she will 

 surely rap your knuckles,' as Poor Richard says." 



Thus the old gentleman ended his harangue. 

 The people heard it, and approved the doctrine ; 

 and immediately practised the contrary, just as 

 if it had been a common sermon, for the auction 

 opened, and they began to buy extravagantly. 1 

 found the good man had thoroughly studied my 

 iilmanacs, aiul digested all I had dro])t on tho.se 

 to|)ics dining the course of twenty-five years. 

 The frequent mention he made of me must have 

 tired any one else ; but my vanity was wonder- 

 fidly delighted with it, though I was conscious 

 that not a tenth ])art of the wisdom was my own, 

 which lif ascribed to me, but rather the gleanings 

 that f had made of the sense of all ages and na- 

 tions. However, I resolved to be the better for 

 the echo ot it; and, though I had at first deter- 

 mined to buy stuff ii)r a new coat, I went a^^ay 

 resolved to wear my old one a little longer. 



Reader, if thou wilt do the same, thy profit will 

 be as great as mine. 



I am, as ever, thine (o serve thee, 



RICTL\RD SAUNDERS. 



On the Management of Fruit Trees. 



The following directions for the management 

 of Fii'iit Trees, in ever}' stage of their growth, 

 will be found satisfactory. They are from Mar- 

 shall's Rural Economy : 



A seed bed and niiiseiy ground should be kept 

 perit'Ctly clean, and be double-dug, from a foot 

 to eighteen inches deep. The seedling plants 

 ought to be sorted agi-eeably to the strength of 

 their roots, that they jnay rise evenly together. 

 In transjilanting, the tap or bottom root should lie 

 taken off, and, at the same time, the longer side 

 rootlets sliould be shortened. The young plants 

 should theu be set ui rows three feet apart, and 

 from fifteen to eighteen inches asunder in the 

 rows : cure being taken not to cramp the loots, 

 but to lied them evenly and horizontally among 

 ill-' niMuld. In siricinesfl of managenient thev 



ought, two years previous to their being transfer- 

 red to the orchard, to be retransplanted into un- 

 manured double-dug ground, four feet every way 

 apart, in order that tlie feeding fibres may be 

 brought so near the stem, that they may be re- 

 moved with it into the orchard, instead of being, 

 as they generally are, left behind in the nursery. 

 Hence in this second transplantation, as in the 

 first, the branches of the root should not be left 

 too long ; but ought to be shortened in such a 

 manner as to induce them to tbrm a regular glob- 

 ular root, sufficiently small to be removed with 

 their plant ; yet sufficiently large to give it firm- 

 ness and vigor in the plantation. 



If the raising or improving of varieties be the 

 object in view, the nursery ground should be 

 naturally deep and well soiled, and highly ma- 

 nured ; and tlie plants repeatedly moved at ev- 

 ery second, third, or fourth year, that they may 

 luxuriate not only in rich but in fi^esh pasturage ; 

 thereby doing perhaps all that art can do, in this 

 stage of improvement, towai'd giving freedom to 

 the sap vessels, and size and richness to the fruit. 



The intervals may, while the plants are small, 

 be cropped with such kitchen garden produce as 

 will not crowd or overshadow the plants ; the 

 rows being kept |)erlectly free from weeds. 



In priiningthe plants, the leading shoot should 

 be particularly attended to. If it shoot double, 

 the weaker of the contending branches should 

 be taken oft". If the leader be lost, and not easily 

 recoverable, the plant should be cut down to 

 within a hand's breadth of the soil, and a fresh 

 stem trained. Next to the leader, the stem boughs 

 require attention. The undermost boughs should 

 be taken off by degrees ; going over the plants 

 every winter ; always cautiously preserving suf- 

 ficient heads to draw up the sap ; thereby giving 

 strength to the steins aiul vigor to the roots and 

 branches ; not trimming them up to naked stems, 

 as in the common practice, thereby drawing them 

 u]) ijieinaturely tall and feeble in the lower part 

 of the stems. The thickness of the stem ought 

 to be in proportion to its height, a tall stock, 

 therefore, requires to remain longer in the nur- 

 sery thiin a low one. 



BEST METHOD OF PLANTIiNG IN THE ORCHARD. 



Describe a circle about five or six feet diame- 

 ter for the hole. If the ground be in grass, re- 

 move the s%\ ard in shallow spits, placing the sods 

 on one side of the hole, the best of the loose 

 mould placed by itself on another side, and the 

 dead eartli from the bottom of the hole in a third 

 heap. 



The depth of the holes should be regulated by 

 the nature of the sub-soil. Where this is cold 

 and retentive, the holes should not be made 

 much deeper than the cultivated soil. To go 

 lower, is to form a recci)tacle for water, ^vhich, 

 by standing among the roots is very injurious to 

 the plants. On the contrary, in a dry, light soil, 

 the holes should be made considerahly deeper, 

 as well to obtain a degree of coohiess and mois- 

 ture, as to be able to establish the plants firmly in 

 th* soil. In soils of a middle qualitj', the hole 

 should be of such depth that wlieu the sods are 

 thrown to the bottom of it, the plants will stand 

 at the same depth in the orchard as it did in the 

 nursery. Each hole, therefore, should be of a 

 depth adapted to the particular root planted in it. 

 The holes ought, howerer, tor various reasons, 

 to be made previous to the day of planting. If 

 the season of planting be spring, and the ground 

 and the weather be ilry, the holes should be wa- 

 tered the evening before the day of planting, by 

 throwing two or three pailfids of water into 

 each ; a new hut eligible practice. 



In planting, the sods should bo thrown to the 

 bottom of the hole, cliopt with the spade, and 

 covered witli some of the finest of the mould. If 

 the hole be so deep, that with this advantage, the 

 bottom will not be raised high enough for the 

 plant, some of the worst of the mould shoidd bo 

 returned before the sod be thrown down. 



The bottom of the hole being raised to a proper 

 height and adjusted, the lowest tire of roots are 

 to he spread upon it ; drawing them out horizon- 

 tally and spreading them in different directions, 

 drawing out with the hand the rootlets and fibres 

 which severally belong to them ; siii-eading them 

 out as a feather; pressing them evenly into the 

 soil, and covering them, by hand, with some of 

 the finest of the mould ; the other tires of roots 

 aie then to 1m^ spread out ,nii<l bedded in a similar 



