461) 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



be the fate of uumy laborers the present season. 

 The com fields are not alone in suflering. Nearly 

 all the fields of vegetables are suflering in like 

 luanner. The rata baga turnip, where five and 

 twenty ions to the acre were hoped for, it will be 

 fortunate to gather J?re /ori5. I have seen entire 

 acres so scorched that a fire would run through 

 them like a stubble. Onions generally will fail to 

 yield half as many as were expected a month ago. 

 Never was the promise of this crop better than 

 about the middle of July. Trees, fruit and forest, 

 are perishing for want of moisture. All signs of 

 vain fail, and the dust fills the eye and the tliroat 

 ■wherever you go. These are facts in this region, 

 I hope it may l)e better with you — if not the Lord 

 have mercy on us, or we perish. * 



Aug. 25ik, 1854. 



For the New England Farmer. 



A BEAR STOEY. 



Mr. Editor : — As I have noticed that you 

 sometimes admit a "bear story" into the Farmer, 

 I have scribbled off" one, which your readers may 

 rely on as a true story, for my grandfather "told 

 it" to me when a child, and after he was ninety 

 years old, more times than I can now remember. 

 My grandfather was a native of New Haven, 

 Conn., and his fatlicr owned land "up in the 

 country," which, when my gi-andfather was about 

 ninety years ofag!.', was a wilderness, (except a 

 few scattering settlements) and which he offered 

 to give to his l)ays if they would go and settle on 

 it. My grandfather chose a tract in what is now 

 Acworth, N. IL, east of old No. 4 on Connecticut 

 River, now Cliarlestown, N. H. He "took his 

 pack on his back" and footed it through to No. 4. 

 Tnis was soon after the "French war, and eight 

 or ten years before the Revolution. Ho located 

 himself about five miles east of the settlement of 

 No. 4, in the wilds of the forest, with nought but 

 t le wild beasts for his companions, and commenc- 

 ed liis future home by felling a few trees, setting 

 four crotched poles in the ground, laying poles 

 from one to the other, and covering them with 

 bark. This was his first house. 



IJo would work from Monday morning till Sat- 

 urday night, felling trees, clearing laud, &c., and 

 then return to No. 4 to spend the Sabbath, where 

 he had his washing done and his bread baked. — 

 The next Monday morning he would take his 

 liread and "pork and beans," and return to his 

 labor, with no human being in town but himself. 

 Many an adventure and " hunting story" has 

 he related to, me after he got to be m '■'■old child,'' 

 with all the enthusiasm of a young one. 



On one occasion, after a hard day's labor, he 

 had retired to his bunk in one corner of his cabin, 

 to sleep and rest, for he was very tired that night. 

 It was a warm summer night, and the entrance or 

 door to !iis cabin had ))een hjftopen. Just as old 

 Morpheus was enfolding him in his arms, he 

 thought that he heard something at his cabin 

 door ; — he opened his eyes, and there was an old 

 ■t)ear with her head extending into the cabin, tak- 

 ing a snuff" at him, as if she would like to taste, if 

 she dared to. He reached to get his "old bear 

 gun," which he always kept ready loaded at the 

 head of his bed ; but bruin concluded to leave 

 rather sud lenly without her supper, and before 

 grandfather could " take aim." 



But for the big bear story, or story of the "big 

 bear." 



After several years, my grandfather had a 

 neighbor, a Mr. K., who commenced on land ad- 

 joining his. Mr. K. was a married man, and my 

 graiidl'ather now boarded with him. They had 

 got sufficient land cleared and into grass, so that 

 they kept a little "stock ; " but they occasionally 

 missed a "young creature," or a sheep from their 

 small tlock. They soon ascertained that a big 

 bear had taken the liberty to " lay her paw"' on 

 a yearling, two-year-old, or sheep, just which she 

 could find handy, or as she preferred mutton to 

 beef, or vice verna, and " help herself" to such 

 fresh meat as "she chose," without invitation. 



She became "notable" on all the "clearings" 

 round about, and soon got so bold as to walk into 

 the pastures and make her selection in the day- 

 time. 



They therefore "kept an eye on her," and oc- 

 casionally got a fair shot, but she escaped the best 

 marksmen, and appeared to be impervious to pow- 

 der and ball 



One Sabbath, when my grandfather was gone 

 to No. 4, Mr. K. and his wife were left alone in 

 their little leg hnise. They had got dinner ready, 

 and were just sitting down at the table, when 

 they heard their old hog,, which was in the door- 

 yard, and the only "porker" they had, make an 

 unusual grunting. Mrs. K. remarked to her hus- 

 band that she guessed he had not given the old 

 hog her dinner, and she was calling for it. lie 

 replied that she might wait till they got through 

 with theirs, and that he should not leave his to 

 feed her. But the old hog kept up such a tre- 

 mendous gruntijig, that Mr. K. thought there, 

 must be something unusual, and told his wife to 

 go to the window and see what it could be : — when, 

 behold, there was the "big bear" walking watch- 

 fully around tlie "big hog." 



Mrs. K. quickly informed her husband, who 

 got to the door just as the bear pounced upon the 

 hog. Mr. K.'s first object was to save the life of 

 his hog ; so, without going back for his gun, he 

 ran immediately out, and began to pelt the old 

 bear with stones, of the size of his fist, with a fulP 

 determination to make her let go ; but the bear 

 was just as determined not to give up her game, 

 (though such sized stones, hurled by such a mus- 

 cular arm, did not strike very lightly against iier 

 ribs and head) and with one paw to hold the hog 

 down, she raised the other high in the air, expos- 

 ing her large claws, and giving a grin that show- 

 ed her "beautiful ivory," she gave such a snarl 

 and growl of defiance as would have rather start- 

 ed a fellow unacquainted with bears. 



Mr. K. soon became convinced that there was 

 not enough '■'■virtm in stones'' to make bruin give 

 up his "porker." He therefore ran quickly into 

 his house, took down his gun and powder-horn, 

 without stopping to get his bullet-pouch, and ran 

 back to the "field of action." 



The old bear was trying to take up the hog and 

 be off". Mr. K. put a handful! of powder into his 

 gun, and holding the muzzle within a foot or two 

 uf the bear's face, "let blaze" — itblowed the wool 

 and skin off one cheek, but the bear walked off" 

 with the hog in her mouth for the woods, which 

 were thirty or forty rods from the house. Mr. K . 

 began to put down a charge of powder, and 

 called to his wife to bring the bullet-pouch, which 



