58 Our Farming. 



About 1837, says Prof. Baker, would have been a good time for 

 some one to have demonstrated that the rainfall had permanently 

 decreased. But from 1844 to 1864 the rainfall was above the 

 average. Observations on the weather, says Prof. Baker, when 

 carried on sufficiently long to eliminate temporary variations, 

 appear to conclusively establish the fact that no essential features 

 of climate, so far as increase or decrease in the yearly amount of 

 rain or the temperature is concerned, have taken place in historic 

 times. 



I might say here that I turned my wood into money at higher 

 prices than it is worth now, and the same of my oak timber, what 

 there was of it. With all the cry about "What will you do for 

 wood and lumber, it will soon be so scarce ?" it is cheaper to-day 

 than ever, and, better, we are burning something far nicer than 

 wood to keep warm by anthracite coal. There is no trouble in 

 buying good hardwood, cut and piled in the woods, at $i a sur- 

 face cord, eighteen inches long. This is all I have paid, cash 

 down, for years. We burn wood in our cook -stove. I never sold 

 any hardwood as low as this. When I want any lumber I go to 

 the mill and buy it, or send to Cleveland and get it for less than 

 I sold mine for, and just what I want no more or less. And 

 meanwhile I have had the money to use, when I most needed it, 

 and have got my land bringing me a large interest, instead of" 

 little more than paying taxes by the growth of timber. I hardly 

 know how we could have got along without the money from the 

 wood, little as it was. I rigged to draw a big load easily, as I 

 will tell you about in another chapter, and so made my work 

 count. I drew it myself nearly always. Many a time have I 

 drawn four big loads in a day, two and a half miles. The pay for 

 timber and teaming, after taking out price paid for cutting wood, 

 was usually about $2 a load. But haven't you seen folks cut and 

 draw wood so they didn't make a cent ? I have. But more 

 about that later on. Have you any idea how a boy without 

 money could get the wood cut ? Let me tell you just one little 

 transaction to give a hint as to the ways we had to manage. A 

 neighbor had a horse he wanted to sell. She was a good animal 

 except that she had a spavin that made her a little lame. But for 

 this she would have quickly brougnt $100. I found a man with- 

 out credit or money that wanted this mare. He agreed to cut 

 wood for me to pay for her and let me keep her till the work was 

 done. I had credit but no money. So I bought the mare for 

 $50, giving my note for eight months, I think, without interest. 

 The woodcutter paid me for keeping her, and cut the wood in due 

 time and got his horse. I sold the wood before the note was due 

 and paid it, and must have had some sixty -six dollars left for 

 timber and drawing. This is but one of the many ways we 

 worked to get that land cleared and ready for the tillage we had 

 planned. Meanwhile we were making something on every move. 



