18 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



um size, and possesses a very agreeable flavor. 

 The flesh is whitish, but tinted with red at the 

 stone, melting, juicy, sweet, and of good flavor. 

 Ripens first of September. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 NEGLIGSMT HABITS— BOKEOWIKG, &c. 



Messrs. Editors : — Heedlessness costs us 

 more than we are aware of; did we but consider 

 the value of the time spent in consequence of 

 our negligence, at a price we should charge our 

 neighbor for work, we could readily account for 

 the deficiency which often happens at the end of 

 the year in balancing our books. The habit of 

 borrowing tools or farm implements of a neigh- 

 bor is not only a heavy tax upon the time of the 

 borrower, but an annoyance in addition to the 

 .OSS of time in the lender. The borrower not 

 on.y sustains the loss of his own time, but fre- 

 quently one or more men are idle for the want 

 of tools to commence work, and in a few years 

 the habitual borrower loses enough in his bor- 

 rowing visitations to stock his farm with tools, 

 beside disgusting his neighbors to ill will, and 

 wishing the borrower well supplied with imple- 

 ments of his own. 



Borrowing is excusable in beginners, espe- 

 cially in young men Avho are not wealthy ; but 

 for farmers or mechanics to depend upon their 

 neighbors to furnish them with tools, does not 

 look like regarding the Christian precept of do- 

 ing as we would have others do to us. In what 

 I have stated above 1 do not wish to comprise 

 those who lend for pay. 



Negligence in paying small debts is one of the 

 worst of non-State-priscn ofl'ences ; the debtor 

 injures his own credit as untrustworthy, and his 

 character as an honest man ; lie injures his cred- 

 itor by withholding his honest dues, and he stands 

 a poor chance to make a profitable speculation, 

 if he wishes to boiTow money to accomplish it ; 

 nobody has money to let to a negligent borrower, 

 and to cap the climax, he is liable to have the 

 sheriff's fee added occasionally to some of his 

 small debts. Pay up small debts and interest 

 on large ones punctually, and my word for it, 

 your credit will command respect, and your neigh- 

 bor's spare money will be at your service, when- 

 ever you see an opportunity to make a profitable 

 use of it. 



The most cruel negligence is disregarding the 

 wants of the poor laborer; reason, common sense, 

 common honesty and Scripture, all tell us that the 

 laborer "is worthy of his hire." Men and women 

 who have families of needy children, which are 

 dependent upon the income of the daily labor 

 done by their parents, to supply them with food, 

 clothing and shelter, stand in need of prompt 

 payment, and v.'hoever declines prompt payment 

 for such services, and will put these worthy peo- 

 ple to the dreaded task of dunning the delinquent 

 to the hundredth time, is not worthy to claim a 

 right to the Christian name, let his professions 

 be what they may. 



Many persons suffer more for the want of 

 promptness than they do by drought, curculio 

 and the whole tribe of insects. I have observed 

 In diff'erent towns where I have lived, the diff'er- 

 ent habits of my neighbors ; some of them who 



possessed valuable farms, in the spring of the 

 year would want a few shad or other fish for fam- 

 ily use, and v.ith a provident care for the future, 

 would wend away to the river, where they would 

 find plenty of company and scarcity of fish, some- 

 times toiling ail night and "catching nothing ;" 

 but fishing, like gambling, let the luck be good or 

 bad, tempts him who is successful to prolong his 

 stay, that he may add more to that already gained ; 

 if unsuccessful, to hold on with a pert>:stency which 

 would do honor to any good cause, in hopes that 

 luck would be more propitious and fish more 

 plenty. At length, after slecpness nights, disap- 

 pointed hopes, waste of time and heavy potations 

 to "restore v,-asted energies," Jo Trout & Co. 

 would think it about time to look at their farms. 

 After arriving home, and the fog had dispersed 

 from the mental atmosphere of Jo and Co., and 

 vision restored, they could see their neighbors 

 finishing their spring work of manuring and seed- 

 ing their ground ; then commenced the bustle 

 and hurry among fishing farmers ; everything 

 was to be done ; plowing, manuring and planting 

 must be done in a hurry, which is no way to do 

 a thing well, and so instead of driving business, 

 business took the reins and drove Jo and Co. 

 fretting through the rest of the season. When 

 harvest time arrived, my fishing neighbors com- 

 plained of bad seasons, poor crops, blighted grain 

 and frost-bitten corn ; and a plenty of weeds 

 might be seen over their whole premises. This 

 is the way some folks make both ends meet, and 

 consider farming as really an unprofitable busi- 

 ness ! 



Without promptness and systematic order 

 among farmers and mechanics, confusion, delays 

 and loss of time take place, to the detriment of 

 the owners or interested party, which diminishes 

 the profit of their labors and often prevents suc- 

 cess. The successes of Washington, Jackson 

 and Bona])arte were more owing to their prompt- 

 ness than to any other circumstance ; by their 

 quick decision and rapid movements they sur- 

 prised the enemy, unprepared to engage with 

 them. Had Gen. Washington been as much at 

 ease, and tardy, as some of the British generals 

 were, his negligence would have given Cornwallis 

 an opportunity in have escaped his clutches at 

 Yorktown, to continue his depredations and pro- 

 long the v,-ar, and perhaps to end in the subjuga- 

 tion of the colonies. Silas Brown. 

 North Wilmington, Nov., 1S5S. 



Remarks. — The above abounds with valuable 

 suggestions, which ought to prompt us all to strict 

 discharge of our duty. 



The jNIanagement of Permanent Grass 

 Land ought to be much studied by our farmers. 

 We23loivtoo much! By fall manuring we may 

 keep up the productiveness of a meadow for 

 many years, and the hay will continue to im- 

 prove in quality. So, also, of pastures. Plaster 

 should be used more freely. It is not right, 

 either in morals or agriculture, to always take 

 and never give — we must carry out "the doc- 

 trine of compensation." 



