PHASES OF FARM LIFE. 253 



wise of the building and match the sills below. Then, 

 if there is time, the putting up of the rafters. In 

 every neighborhood there was always some man who 

 was especially useful at " raisin's." He was bold and 

 strong and quick. He helped guide and superintend 

 the work. He was the first one up on the bent, catch- 

 ing a pin or a brace and putting it in place. He 

 walked the lofty and perilous plate, with the great 

 beetle in hand ; put the pins in the holes, and swing- 

 ing the heavy instrument through the air, drove the 

 pins home. He was as much at home up there as a 

 squirrel. 



Now that balloon frames are mainly used for 

 houses, and lighter sawed timbers for barns, the old- 

 fashioned raising is rarely witnessed. 



Then the moving was an event, too. A farmer had 

 a barn to move, or wanted to build a new house on 

 the site of the old one, and the latter must be drawn 

 to one side. Now this work is done with pulleys and 

 rollers by a few men and a horse ; then the building 

 was drawn by sheer bovine strength. Every man 

 that had a yoke of cattle in the country round about 

 was invited to assist. The barn or house was pried 

 up and great runners, cut in the woods, placed under 

 it, and under the runners were placed skids. To 

 these runners it was securely chained and pinned ; 

 then the cattle stags, steers, and oxen, in two long 

 lines, one at each runner were hitched fast, and 

 while men and boys aided with great levers, the word 

 to go was given. Slowly the two lines of bulky cattle 



