THE DRY FARMING COiNGRESS. 



233 



to get that well in at once, as it was necessary for the men to draw 

 water several miles for the horses. When I got there scarcely half an 

 hour ahead of the plowers, I suddenly realized that I did not know where 

 the east and west line was. 



Homt; Made Surveying Instruments. 



"After considering my available surveying instruments, I measured 

 the circumference of the hind wheel of my buggy, figured out the num- 

 ber of revolutions in a half mile and proceeded to do my own surveying. 

 The section was fenced on the east. As I knew the location of the stone 

 at the southeast corner, I drove from this point due north (along the 

 fence) a half mile and drove my stake, which consisted of ten feet of 

 inch pipe borrowed from the well man. On top of the 'stake' I' hung the 

 man's coat. On looking around I found the government quarter stone 

 within a foot of my stake. I put another ten feet of pipe in the center 

 of the section where the surveyor had placed a peg. This stake was top- 

 ped with a vest. Between the two I placed a third pipe with, my um- 

 brella in the top to emphasize its position. I then proceeded to place 

 another peg, in line with these three, a half mile west. The well man's 

 jumiper came into service. It was a good thing that I ran out of pipe. 

 Our fence was run according to this survey and later measurements by 

 the surveyor proved it approximately correct. 



Deep Plowing. 



"The plowing according to agreement was to be eight inclies deep 

 at a cost of $2.00 per acre, but I agreed to give $2.25 with the under- 

 standing that none of it must be less tlian eight inches, and that it must 

 be all turned, not cut and covered; and I saw to it that it was eight 

 inches. I was right there every day, although this was before the house 

 was built. I had a mark on my gauntlet glove that showed eight inches. 

 If the furrow wasn't eight inches I called their attention to the fact. 

 You know the old saying — ' He who by the plow would thrive, must 

 either hold or drive. Plow deep while sluggards sleep and you will have 

 corn to sell and keep.' 



"I tell you it looked good to see those long furrows of rich, moist 

 earth — ^almost a mile in length. We reaped a bounteous harvest of 

 rattlers during the plowing. I kept my sister busy putting up lunches 

 and I went over every day. We started our house immediately. OC 

 course we had all sorts of men working for us, among whom were sev- 

 eral easterners. One fellow according to our instructions, kept a com- 

 nxon, rope around his bed several nights 'to keep off rattlers,' before 

 he caught on to the joke. Several bit on the old gag of snipe hunting. 

 This was before the house was up for the men to sleep in. The first 

 victim was the best. One dark night the men took him out about two 

 miles from the house, told him to light his lantern, step off so many 

 paces (which he carefully did), and wait with his gun. According to 

 their account of it nobody moved when he came in at three a. m., with 



