72 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



AUG. 31,1845 



MISCELLANEOUS 



CAUSE OF, AND CURE FOR HARD TIMES 

 By an Old Farmer of 1788. 

 I profess myself to be nn honest farmer, for I 

 can say that no man could ever charge me with a 

 dishonest action. I see with great grief, that all 

 the country is afflicted, as well as myself. Every 

 one is complaining, and telling his grievances, but 

 I find they do not tell how their troubles came on 

 them. 1 know it is common for people to throw 

 the blame of their own misdeeds on others, or at 

 least to e.xcuse themselves of the charge. I am in 

 great tribulation; but to keep up the character of 

 an honest man, I cannot in conscience say that 

 any one has brought my troubles on me but my- 

 self " Hard times— no money," says every one. 

 A short story of myself will show how it came to 

 be hard times with me and no money at the age ol 

 si-xtyfive, who have lived well these forty years. 



My parents were poor, and they put nie at twelve 

 years of age, to a farmer, with whom I lived Sill I 

 was twentyone. My master fitted me out with 

 two stout suits of homespun and four pairs of shoes. 

 At twentytwo I married me a wife, a very good 

 young woman she was. We took a farm of forty 

 acres on rent. By industry we gained fast. I 

 paid my rent punctually, and laid by money. In 

 ten years, I was able to buy myself a farm of sixty 

 acres, on which I became my own tenant. I then 

 in a manner grew rich, and soon added another six- 

 ty acres, with°which I was contented. My estate 

 increased beyond all account: I bought several 

 acres of outland for my children, who amounted to 

 seven when I was fortyfive years of age. About 

 this time I married my eldest daughter to a clever 

 lad, to whom I gave one hundred acres of land. 

 This dauohter had been a working, dutiful girl, 

 and therefore I fitted her out well, and to her mind ; 

 for I told her to take of the best of my wool and 

 flax, and to spin herself gowns, coats, stockings, 

 &c.'; nay I suffered her to buy some cotton to 

 make into sheets, as I was determined to do well 

 by her. 



At this time my farm gave me and my whole 

 family support on the produce of it, and left me, 

 one year with another, one hundred and fifty dol- 

 lars, for 1 never spent more than ten dollars a year, 

 which was for salt, nails, &.c. Nothing to wear, 

 eat or drink was purchased any where, as my farm 

 provided all. With this saving, 1 put my money 

 to interest, bought cattle, fatted them, and made 

 great profit. 



In two years after, my second daughter was 

 courted. My wife says, " Come, you are now rich ; 

 you know M'oUy had nothing but what she spun, 

 and no other clothing has ever come into our house 

 for any of us. Sally must be fitted out a little; 

 she ought to fare as well as neighbor N.'s Betty." 

 " WelCwife, it shall be as you think best. I have 

 never been stingy, but it seems to mo that what 

 we spin at home would do." However, wife goe.-< 

 to town in a few days, and returns with a calico 

 iTowu, a calimanco petticoat, a set of stone tea- 

 cups, half a dozen pewter teaspoons — things that 

 wore never seen in my house before. They cost 

 but little— I did not feci it — and I confess I was 

 pleased to see ihcin. Sally wa« as well fitted out 

 as any girl in the parish. In three years more, my 

 third daughter had a spark, and wedding being con- 

 cluded upon, wife again comes for the purse; but 

 when she returned, what did I see ? a silken gown, 



silk for a hat, a looking-glass, china tea geer, &c. 

 and a hundred other things, with the empty purse. 

 Then followed family jealousies and quarrels — 

 Molly ought to be fitted out as well as B.-tsey. 

 Good homespun and cotton fixens were ruled as 

 vulgar, and white feathers and silks must take their 

 place ; Sal's husband must speculate in stocks, 

 backed by my endorsement ; but lie had all the fun i 

 of speculating, and 1 all the miseries of pni/tng-. 

 Then children came tumbling into the world, and 

 irrand-pa must be their treasury department for all 

 tilings needful. Nothing was heard but arrange- 

 ments for journeys, balls, parties, and such like. 



In about a year, Bet's husband made a mistake, 

 and signed somebody else's name to a check, in- 

 stead of his own : he was arrested and sent to jail, 

 and I had to spend half of my earnings to get him 

 out. Sal's husband died, leaving a legacy of nine 

 children, whom, with the mother, I 've got to sup- 

 port. Bet's eldest boy was trained for a doctor — 

 took his degree, and sent his first six patients out 

 of the world by improper treatment — for which he 

 had to rty the land, leaving his dear incumbrance 

 attaches on my purse. 



I could fill your paper with further particulars, 

 but that might not be so agreeable to your readers. 

 I will only say in regard to hard times, let every 

 man exercise the ability nature has given, in his 

 proper and prescribed sphere — let contentment 

 reign within the breast, nor envy reach its thresh- 

 hofd. Regard not the apparent glitter of thy 

 neighbor, nor aim at an equality beyond your com- 

 prehension ; live more to please yourself, and less 

 to please other people — be frugal, industrious and 



just bring your ideas down to a proper level, nor 



let them be disturbed by bad example. So shall 

 you avoid the mishaps 1 have experienced in fami- 

 ly matters, and rejoice in old age over a life well 

 applied, with just hopes for peace hereafter. — Se- 

 lected. 



JVb« Bad. — The Philadelphia Gazette perpetrates 

 the following : 



"Peter Snubiiose says that his daddy told him 

 many a time, that in old times there was a comet 

 that had a tail so long that it reached half waj 

 across the sky, and on the end was written i: 

 Greek, to be continued." 



Goodness, aspersed by slander, may be compar- 

 ed to that finely tempered steel, which, thougl 

 dimmed for a moment by the breath, presently as 

 sumes its accustomed brilliancy. 



" 1 'II help you out of this," as the powder sai( 

 to the bullet. 



Trifles. — Trifles are not to be despised. The 

 nerve of a tooth, not so large as the finest cambric 

 needle, will sometimes drive a man to distraction. 

 A musquito can make an elephant absolutely mad. 

 The coral rock which causes a navy to founder, is 

 the work of a worm. The warrior that withstood 

 death in a th(jusand forms, may be killed by an in- 

 sect. Small pleasures make up the sum of human 

 happiness. The first glass of wine that was drank, 

 led to all the horrors, miseries and crimes that have 

 sprung from drunkenness, and darkened the earth 

 for centuries. — Selected. 



GREKN'IS PATENT STHA W CUTTER. 



JOSEPH BRECK & CO. at iheNcw England Agricu 

 tural Warehouse and Seed Store Nos. 51 and S2 ^orlti Mai 

 kel Street have lor sale, Green's Patent Straw, Hay an 

 Stalk Cutter, operating on a mechanical principle not beloi 

 applied to any implement lor this purpose. The most proti 

 iiienl effecis of this application, and some of the consequei 

 peculiarities of the machine are: 



1 So "reat a reduction of the quantum of power requtsii 

 to use it,°that the strength of a half grown boy is sufficiei 

 to work it elliciently. 



a With even this moderate power, it easily cuts two bus! 

 els a minute, which is full twice as fast as has been claimf 

 hy any other machine even when worked by horae or steal 

 power. 



3. The knives owing to the peculiar manner in which th: 

 cut, require sharpening less often than those of any oth 

 straw cutler. 



4 The machine is simple in its construction, made and pi 

 together very strongly. It is therefore not so liable as III 

 complicated machines m general use to get out of order. 



AGRICUtTURAL IMPI.EMENTS, &c. 



The Proprietors of the New England Agricultural W 

 bouse and Seed Store No. 51 and 52 North Market stre^ 

 would inform their customers and the pulilic generally Ul* 

 the- have on hand the most extensive assortment of AgK 

 culluial and Horticultural Tools to be found in the Uniti 

 States. Part of which are t he following : 



Grammatical. — We do n't know who originated 

 the following, but it 'a a good one at all events : 



" Bobby, what is i-team ?" 



" B'l^ijj.t.ig water." 



" That 's right — compare it." 



"Positive boil, comparative boiler, superlative 

 buet .'" — Post. 



Bass What is tic dolere.uz?- 



Dr. Humm. — It is a disease which arises when 

 one has spent the last dollar which he could get on 

 tick. 



Bass. — And rues the day he ever borrowed? 



Dr. Humm. — That's it. — Bast. Post. 



" If Brittannia rules the waves," said a sea-sick 

 fellow in a storm, "I wish she'd rule 'em straight- 



woo Howard's Patent Cast 



Iron Ploughs 

 300 Common do. do. 

 200 Cultivators. 

 100 Greene's Straw Cutters. 

 60 Willis' do. do. 

 100 Common do. do. 

 100 Willis' Patent Con 



Shellers. 

 50 Common do do. 

 2o0 Willis' Seed Sowers. 

 GO " Vegetable Cutters 

 50 Common do. do. 



200 Hand Corn Mills. 

 200 Grain Cradles. 

 100 Ox Yokes. 

 1600 Doz- Scythe Stones. 

 3000 '■ Austin's Rifles. 

 March \7. 



too doz. Cast Steel Shovel 



Common do. 



Spades. 



Gross Scythes. 



Patent Snaiths. 



Common do. 



Hay Rakes. 



Garden do. 



Manure Forks. 



Hay do. 

 600 Pair Trace Chains. 

 100 " Truck do. 

 too Drall do. 



600 Tie up do. 



50 doz. Hahcr do. 

 1000 yards Fence do. 

 25 &rind Stones on rollers 



600 

 30O 

 200 

 600 

 200 

 200 

 300 



IV E W ENGLAND FARMER. 



A WEEKLY PAPER. 



Terms, $2 per year in advance, or:$2 50 if not pai 

 within thirty days. 



ISj. B.— Postmastors arc permitted by law to frank a 

 subscriptions and remittances for newspapers, withoi 

 expense to subscribers. 



TUTTLE AND DENNETT, PRINTERS. 



