490 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



bor S. ?" said Farmer T. "Well," replied Farmer 

 S., "it is sti-ange, but I never do set out to ride any- 

 where without meeting with some sort of an acci- 

 dent ; it does seem as if our boys never could have 

 anything in order. About a mile doM'n the road, 

 off came the tire from one of the hind wheels of the 

 wagon, and before I could stop the old horse, away 

 went the rim of the wheel, and I was jolting along 

 on the ends of the spokes, and so I had to unhitch, 

 leave the wagon, and ride up here in tliis way." 

 Farmer S. was made welcome, of course, his horse 

 taken care of, and he seated before the warm fire. 

 The evening passed pleasantly away, for Farmer 

 Slothful was a good talker, and could tell good sto- 

 ries, and was interesting. The farmers have break- 

 fasted, (Farmer Slothful did not get up till he Avas 

 called to breakfast,) and Farmer Thrifty proposes 

 to take Farmer Slothful about the premises. They 

 visit the barn. 



"How well your cattle do look," says Farmer S. ; 

 "somehoAv I cannot keep mine loolung so well. I 

 often tell our boys I don't believe they take as good 

 care as they ought of them, and I see you have got 

 these new-fashioned chains to tie them up with ; 

 I've heard of them, but have gone on in the old 

 way of using wooden bows, and when old Billy got 

 loose the other night and hooked my best heifer al- 

 most to death, I told our boys I thought we had 

 better try some better way of tying up the cattle, 

 but Joe seemed to thinlv it would be more plague 

 than profit, and so we have kept on the old way. 

 And then your hay-mows, how well they look — so 

 smooth and regular — I never could learn our boys 

 to lay a mow well, 1)ut there, the hay is just as good 

 as if it was all laid in regular ! And so you keep 

 yom- scythes all hung up in that way — well, that is 

 an excellent plan ; as for me, I cannot do it, for our 

 boys will have one here, and another there, and 

 John left his hanging on an apple tree all last win- 

 ter, and it was ruined. And so (taking down one) 

 you have got these new kind of fastenings ; it is a 

 great improvement, isn't it ? How firm it holds 

 the scythe to the snath ! Well, I declare, if I have 

 told our boys once, I've told them twenty times 

 that we must have some of these new snaths, but 

 Joe thinks these new-fangled notions are humbugs, 

 and so we go on in the old way — first we wedge, 

 and then we put a piece of leather under the 

 wedge, and if we can't keep the scjthe set right 

 any other Avay, we drive a nail behind the wedge, 

 and so Ave manage to get along, but if I live till 

 next haying time I Avill have some of these snaths." 



Then the tAvo farmers pass tkrough a door into 

 the work-shop. "Well, I do declare now, if you 

 haven't got a work-shop," said Farmer S., "and all 

 your tools seem to be in such excellent order, and 

 you have a turning lathe, and a grind-stone, on 

 friction rollers, and a set of planes and saAvs, and I 

 suppose you find a use for all of them." "Certain- 



ly," replied Farmer T., "I and my boys should be 

 ashamed of om'seh^es if Ave could not make all the 

 handles to our tools — fit the boards to our carts 

 and Avagons — get out the stuff for and ])ut up our 

 grain-bins — and, indeed, make any little repairs 

 that may be necessaryabout the premises. Not long 

 since, my boys went to Avork and made a first-rate 

 garden-roller, with which I have rolled all our 

 Avalks, and find it as good, perhaps better, than a 

 stone or iron one Avhich Avoidd cost fifteen or tAven- 

 ty dollars ! " 



"Well," says Farmer S,, "I am always buying 

 and buying tools, and we have them all scattered 

 round the farm, and hardly ever find one fit for 

 use. We keep the grindstone imder the great ap- 

 ple tree doAvn in the orchard, and once in a while 

 we have a general grinding up of tools, but they soon 

 get dull again, and are broken and lost, and then I 

 have to buy new ones. And here is your wood- 

 pile. I declare that looks nice, and I should think 

 you had enough Avood cut, split, and jjiled up here, 

 to last you two winters. I haA'e told our boys a 

 great many times that I should tliink it Avould be 

 better for us to prepare wood one Avinter for the 

 next, — but Joe thinks that green wood makes the 

 best fire after you get it going, and so, as the boys 

 get up the wood, I have always let them have their 

 own way pretty much — so we haul up the wood 

 and cut and split it and burn it green, though the 

 women follcs are always grumbling about it. I 

 should think it Avould cost you an awful sight of 

 money, neighbor T., to keep things in such order as 

 you noAV have them ; I don't think I could afford 

 it." 



"Well, neighbor S.," repHed T., "I haA-e ahvays 

 found it cheaper to do things as they ought to be 

 done, than to do them in a slovenly manner, and 

 my experience has taught me that order about a 

 farm is fully equal to the assistance of several good 

 Avorkmen. Now, Avere you at home, Avith yom- wag- 

 on in the predicament it now is, you Avould send it 

 first to a AA'heelwright, he M'ould repair the wood- 

 Avork of the Avheel in the course of perhaps a week, 

 and charge you a round sum for doing it, then you 

 would send it to a blacksmith, and he Avould, after 

 keeping it another week, send it home Avith a bill 

 for his labor, and perhaps in another Aveek the tire 

 Avould again come off! I have sent Ben down to 

 bring up yom- Avagon. He and Henry Avill take 

 the Avheel into the Avorkshop and repair the Avooden 

 part in a fcAV hours, then we AA'ill^ go to my black- 

 smith's shop, for I have one, and being a tolerable 

 blacksmith myself, we Avill repair, cut and set the 

 tire as it should be done, and your wagop Avill 

 be ready for you whenever you desire to leave." 

 "Well," says Farmer Slothful, "this does beat all ; 

 I should never think of doing such a thing, 

 and shall be so much obliged to you." And so the \ 

 conversation between the tAvo farmers went on, one 



