THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
549 
i Hint 
OLD DAYS ON THE FARM. 
OHIO FARMING IN T II E E A H L Y DAYS. 
Wages on a Whisky Basis. 
Part II. 
An End of Whisky. —After February, 3829, there 
are no entries of whisky or brandy sold; but, on June 
20 of that year, there is a record of a contract with 
Andrew Hemphill, in which it is specified that, for 
work on the farm, lie is “to lie paid SO cents per day 
in something besides money,” but there is no mention 
of the products of the still, although they had for¬ 
merly been among the leading articles of trade, both 
on the part of my father, on the one side, and his 
hired men on the other. What a wonderful hold the 
liquor traillc then had upon the rural classes, as we 
can see by these silent, tell-tale records! 
It was about this time that the first great temper¬ 
ance wave swept over our country. It reached Ohio, 
and my father was one of the first to abandon the 
liquor business, and espouse the cause of teetotalism. 
He told me that he never drank liquor, did not like 
the business of handling it, and did it only because 
his father had the distillery when lie took charge of 
the farm, lie said no harvesting, log rolling, or house 
or barn raising, was done in those days without 
plenty of the fiery stuff on hand. When he refused 
to have liquor in the harvest field, the neighbors said 
that lie could not get help to cut the grain. But some 
of the very men and boys who formerly bought 
whisky and brandy of him, had caught the spirit of 
temperance, too, and plied their sickles in his fields, 
bound the sheaves, and afterwards helped thrash and 
winnow the grain on the floor of the huge log barn, 
that was one of the wonders of my childhood. I can 
remember the remnants of the old still house, too. A 
part of the copper worm I used as a pipe to carry 
waste water into an underground drain from beneath 
the spout of our well. The big poplar log trough, 
which, when filled with cold spring water, was once 
used to cool and condense the contents of the copper 
si ill worm, from steam into liquor, was taken to the 
barn, and used as a trough In which to feed cattle and 
horses. The third generation at the old homestead 
was taught to hate the very name of alcohol, and 
none of us has failed to carry out the spirit of those 
lessons. 
There came to the old church a young pastor about 
1822, who hailed from New England. He preached 
temperance so strongly that the log house in which 
he lived, and which was on our farm, was shamefully 
bespattered with rotten eggs. But he and his Yankee 
wife washed off every evidence of the vicious bom¬ 
bardment before daylight the next morning. He la¬ 
bored there more than 30 years, honored and loved, 
and bis ashes lie in the old country churchyard, be¬ 
side those of the flock which he blessed with a life 
devoted to their interests. 
LOW PRICES FOR PRODUCE.—The farming of 
the present day is so different from that of 50 to 100 
years ago, that we can scarcely see how farm produce 
could then be profitably sold at the low prices, on 
most articles, that then ruled the markets. Many of 
Ihe things which the farmer had to buy were as dear 
as, or dearer than, they are now. This one thing 
is certain—the country people of those days had 
much less in the way of comforts and luxuries than 
we now have. They lived simple lives. Perhaps 
they were as happy as, or happier than, we are, for 
the multiplicity of wants seems to keep fully apace, 
if not ahead of the means of supplying them. 
All the cutting of grain was done by hand, and up 
to 1810, mostly with the sickle. Stumps stood so 
thickly over the clearings in southern Ohio that grain 
cradles could not often be used to advantage, until 
the stumps had been given time to rot. About. 1850, 
when I first saw the sickles hanging in the old barn, 
I hey were rarely taken down. In lodged grain and 
on steep hillsides, they were sometimes used. The 
thump of the flails on the barn floor had a busy, 
rhythmical sound. It was my delight to watch the 
men, standing face to face, as they pounded out the 
wheat and with all my childish strength, I used 
to turn the fanning mill, while the winnowed grain 
poured out on the oaken floor. A trip to the old 
water mill was another joy of far too rare occur¬ 
rence to suit me. The walks along the race, where 
the frogs sat on the banks and plunged in , ca-chug" 
at my approach, will never be forgotten; nor the 
whirling of the busy wheels, as they plied their 
wooden cogs within each other; nor the hum of the 
stones, and the feel of the warm flour and meal 
as they poured into the bins, ready for the wait¬ 
ing farmers who had brought their grain to be ground. 
My brother and I used to wander through the or¬ 
chards, eating Wuat suited our tastes, and throwing 
hard, green apples at the wreck of grandfather’s old 
still house; just, as the Jews threw stones at the 
place where Abraham was burled. Those were 
wholesome days; full to the brim with the simple 
pleasures of country life. I wish that every farmer 
boy, and girl, too, might have their like, or better 
ones. 
ALL ARE GONE. -Hut the barn and the farm¬ 
house, too, are gone. The place where the mill stood 
is only a sunken pit, overgrown with tall weeds that 
flourish in the mold. The creek that filled the mill- 
dam and the race is almost dried up, since the for¬ 
ests have been cleared away. I have in my desk a 
scrap of the French burr, now lying on the ground 
in pieces, that cost my father $250 to import. It is 
a memento of the busy place where farmers met in 
the long ago, arid talked over their work, the crops 
and the prices, while the mill ground out their 
grists. But they were very different prices, in the 
main, from those now ruling, and the work was 
more laborious and less remunerative. We should 
not grumble and be unthankful because of our pres¬ 
ent lot In life. u. k. van human. 
Events of the Week. 
DOMESTIC. July 13, two elect ric linemen In Brooklyn, 
N. Y., wen; killed by touching live wires while searching 
for breaks following Ihe recent storms. . . Many new 
cases of lockjaw were reported In New York and vicinity 
July II, most of I hem resulting from Fourth of July In¬ 
juries. . . A glue trust, to control the trade of the 
United Stales and Canada, 1ms been formed, with a capi¬ 
tal of $35,000,000. . . J. I >. Davis and wife started from 
Herald Square, New York City, July 13, on an automobile 
trip to San Francisco. . . A funner at Ulysses, Pa., was 
caught In the culler bar of the mowing machine July 13, 
one foot being almost severed from the leg anil the other 
badly cut. Despite his Injuries, the wounded man un¬ 
hitched one of bis horses, crawled on Its back, and rode 
over a mile to a doctor, who had to amputate one foot. 
. GOV. l’lngree, of Michigan, as head of the new Rail¬ 
road Commission, has proclaimed Ihree-cenl fares on the 
Detroit street railways. Much excitement has been 
aroused by the 48-year security franchise given the street- 
ear lines, and the Governor Is denounced by many citi¬ 
zens' organizations. Municipal ownership of Ihe roads 
was defeated by the Aldermen July IS. . . The Perth 
Amboy Savings Institution and Middlesex County Bank 
of Perth Amboy suspended payment July 14, being 
wrecked by the cashier, who is accused of defalcations 
amounting to $110,000. lie was sentenced July IS to six 
years In prison. . . July 14, four more deaths from lock¬ 
jaw were reported in Now York, making the total list 
of deaths In this city and vicinity I'J. Many cases have 
been reported from adjoining towns. . . An Internal- 
revenue order has been Issued, prohibiting banks from 
affixing slumps to unstamped cheeks presented for pay¬ 
ment. . . Sheriff Clausen, of La Salle County, Ill., is 
charged with malfeasance In office, lie permitted W. 
U. Ilcnnlg, a rich bucket-shop operator, who had been 
committed to jail for one year, to live outside the jail. 
The prisoner has a line residence at Ottawa, III., enter¬ 
tains lavishly, and is allowed to go where he likes. . . 
An extensive street-car strike began In Brooklyn, N. Y., 
July 15. . . Another outbreak occurred July 11 at the 
Ishkooda, Ala., ore mines, among negro strikers; three 
men were shot, two fatally. . . Capt. Andrews, who 
started Juno 1.8 to cross the Atlantic In a boat 12 feet 
long, was picked up exhausted, July 12, by the British 
steamer Holbein, about 700 miles from the Irish coast. 
. . Fire in one of the storehouses of the Brooklyn Navy 
Yard July 16, damaged sailors’ clothing and stewards' 
provisions to the value of over $315,000. . .At Frank¬ 
fort, Ky., all churches and Sunday schools were closed 
July 16, owing to a serious epidemic of smallpox, and no 
public gatherings will "be held for 10 days. . . A 
grocer’s wife at Minneapolis, Minn., was bitten In the 
hand July 16 by a tarantula, which was concealed In a 
bunch of bananas; there Is little hope of her recovery. 
. . A showman at Bonosteel, S. 1)., has been exhibiting 
what he called the missing link, defying scientists to tell 
whether this freak was brute or human. Recently, in a 
lit of angor, he slew the freak, and Is now held on a 
charge of murder. He says that the creature, though 
like a man, was really only a monkey, but this does not 
satisfy the local authorities, and he will be held until 
science determines whether the creature was human or 
not. . . The Standard Oil Company’s steamer Maverick, 
which arrived at Halifax, N. H., July 15, with 500,000 gal¬ 
lons of oil in her tanks and 2,000 cases of oil, took lire 
July 17, through the bursting of Ihe pumping pipe. The 
oil exploded, the steamer became a total wreck, and the 
harbor became a sea of lire, from the oil pouring out 
upon the surface of the water. Loss, $230,000; unin¬ 
sured. . . The sheriff of Huerfano County, Colo., was 
killed near Cimarron, N. M„ In a light with train rob¬ 
bers July 17, and two members of his posse wounded. 
One outlaw was killed. . . A revised list gathered from 
correspondents throughout the country shows a loss of 
HI lives resulting from tlie last. Fourth of July celebra¬ 
tion. Lockjaw was the cause of death in 83 cases out of 
Hie Hi. . . The Supreme Court of Colorado has decided 
that the Eight-hour labor law is unconstitutional. . . 
Street-car men In Cleveland, <>., struck again July 17, 
claiming that the company lias not kept Its promises, 
which ended the former strike, three weeks ago. . . 
Four treasure ships, which arrived from the Klondike 
July 17-18, brought to Seattle $8,000,000 In gold, being the 
proceeds of the Spring clean-up. . . Fire in tin; Grace 
Hotel, Milwaukee, July 18, destroyed the building, In¬ 
juring several firemen. 1L Is believed that five ot them 
cannot recover. . . Horatio Alger, the well-known 
writer of boys’ stories, died at Natiek, Mass., July 18, 
aged 65. He had been a teacher, Journalist, and Uni¬ 
tarian pastor, and was deeply Interested in the aid of 
poor boys. . . Gen. Alger resigned Ills office as Secre¬ 
tary of War July 19. Ills resignation Is to lake effect til 
the pleasure of the lTnsIdent, but he will not remain In 
the Cabinet after August 1. . . A cloudburst in Chil¬ 
dress County, Texas, caused heavy damage and serious 
floods July 11). . . A Philadelphia dealer was arrested 
July 19 for selling a toy pistol which exploded and 
caused the death of a boy by lockjaw. Philadelphia 1ms 
an ordinance against the sale of such weapons to 
minors. . . A grain elevator was burned on the water- 
front in South Brooklyn, N. Y., July 10; loss $150,000. . . 
The attorneys appointed by New York State to investi¬ 
gate the testimony concerning the alleged canal frauds 
report that there is no evidence of fraud, collusion, or 
dishonesty. . . Up to June 30, between 17,500 and 1.8,000 
applications for pensions had been filed, as a result of 
the Spanish war. Very few of these were for Philip¬ 
pine service. . . Monroe Hedges, of Indianapolis, Ind., 
aged 106, chastised bis son, Hiram, aged 70, for com¬ 
ing home drunk and abusing bis wife. Complaint be¬ 
ing made against the old man, the Justice fined Hiram 
l°i' bis condition, but took no Judicial cognizance of tin* 
parental punishment. 
FARM AND GAR I HON. The Association of American 
Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations elected 
the following officers: Dr. Joseph E. Stubbs, of Nevada, 
president; Dr. JO. W. Hllgard, of California, first vice- 
president; 10. B. Voorhees, of New Jersey, secretary and 
treasurer; Dr. A. O. True, bibliographer; Dr. II. II. 
Goodell, of Massachusetts; Colonel Liggett, of Minne¬ 
sota; J. 11. Washburn, of Rhode Island, and Alexis Hope, 
ol Ohio, board of directors and executive committee. . . 
American-grown tea was sold in New York for the first 
time this month. It was the product of the lea. farm at 
Plnehurst, S. (’., where experiments in tea culture have 
been in progress for 26 years. This year's crop is said 
to be of high quality. . . An unusual demand for pea¬ 
nuts has resulted in a. large increase in price, and it is 
estimated that, at the new quotations, the 1899 crop will 
be worth between $3,600,060 and $4,000,006. . . The War 
Department, has amended Its recent order for Ihe remis¬ 
sion of duty on 50,000 breeding cattle to be Imported into, 
t'uba, so that they can be exported from countries other 
than Hit! United States. This action was taken to avoldl 
a precedent in tariff discrimination, which might cause 
complications. . . The Rhine Province, Germany, has 
enacted a decree forbidding the importation of fresh 
beef. This Is in consequence of Belgium's action in 
permitting the entry of live cattle from the United 
Stales. The cattle are slaughtered In Belgium, and the 
beef taken across the frontier, In contravention of the 
existing law against il. . . Chicago manufacturers of 
drills and other farm implements decided, July 11, to 
raise prices 16 per cent, owing to the Increased cost of 
iron and steel, . . Several cases of glanders have de¬ 
veloped In Hyde Park, Chicago, and stables where the 
disease has appeared are quarantined, the diseased 
horses being destroyed. . . The Attorney General of 
Wisconsin has decided that the one cent per pound beet 
sugar bounty law of J807 Is unconstitutional. . . The 
first bale of cotton from lids year’s crop was produced 
la Texas, and reached the market July 13. Tills bale Is 
to be sent to all the cotton exchanges of the country, 
and there auctioned off' to the highest bidder, the pro¬ 
ceeds to bo given to ahl the Hood sufferers. . . At Holla, 
N. I)., clouds of grasshoppers wore reported to be de¬ 
vastating crops July 14. , . French farmers are dis¬ 
posed to protest against the new Franco-American reci¬ 
procity treaty. . . The proposed Texas cattle syndi¬ 
cate Is not getting along smoothly, some of the capital¬ 
ists fearing conflict with the anti-trust law of that 
State. , . In southern Russia, the prolonged drought 
has seriously affected all cereal crops. Cattle have been 
turned into the rye fields. . . A frult-cnnners’ combine, 
Including 11 corporations and 22 plants, has been formed 
at San Francisco, 'fills combine includes every import¬ 
ant cannery in California, and will be able to con¬ 
trol prices and dictate terms to the fruit growers. . . 
Oregon hops are said to be high In quality this season, 
but short in crop. Lice were troublesome In the Puyal¬ 
lup Valley, but the growers were all spraying for them. 
. . . South Carolina and Sea Island cotton fields are 
being ravaged by a fungus, which attacks the roots, 
causing Ihu plants to wither. The Department of Agri¬ 
culture is investigating the disease. 
PHILIPPINES.- The army gunboat Napidan shelled 
Muntlnlupa July 12, causing 500 Insurgents to retreat. 
. . . Gen. Oils has asked for 2,500 horses In order to 
organize a cavalry brigade for use after the rainy sea¬ 
son. .. . The hospital report for the week ending July 
16 gives a list of 1,378 men in the hospitals, and 511 sick 
In quarters. . . The Government Is planning to send 
4,000 cavalry horses to Manila, but owing to the de¬ 
ficiency of transportation, not more than 2,000 can be 
sent before Nov. 1. . . Newspaper correspondents In 
the Philippines have united In a round roblq protest¬ 
ing against Gen. Otis’s press censorship, which they 
assert, suppresses and distorts the real situation in the 
Islands. . . Continued typhoons and cyclonic* storms, 
customary at this season, impede business in the har¬ 
bor and prevent the sailing of transports which are to 
bring troops home. 
CUBA.—Up to July 5, 104 cases of yellow fever had ap¬ 
peared at Santiago, with 23 deaths. July 14 conditions 
appeared more hopeful, though new eases still appeared. 
July 19, Gen. Wood considered the outbreak practically 
over. The death rate is much lower than under.Spanish 
udmlnlst ration. 
FOREIGN.- The salvors of the steamer Paris say that 
they discovered powerful uncharted currents running 
towards the Manacles, which may explain some of the 
wrecks In that vicinity. . . An American syndicate has 
purchased the extinct volcano of Popocatapotl, Mexico, 
for the purpose of mining the sulphur deposits. The 
price paid Is said to be $500,(NJ0. . . The trouble between 
Great Britain and the Transvaal Is now practically over, 
the Volksraud having adopted the seven-years’ fran¬ 
chise proposition. . . Rome- was shaken by a violent 
earthquake July 19. Houses and churches were dam¬ 
aged in the city and the surrounding country, but the' 
personal injuries were few and slight. The shock is at¬ 
tributed to the same causes which disturbed Mount Etna, 
which is violently agitated, and lava streams are 
threatening adjacent villages. . . The famous volcano 
0 f Manna Lou, Hawaii, has broken end In violent 
eruption, after 10 years of quiet. Immense fountains ot 
lava are being expelled. . . Admiral Dewey arrived at 
Trieste, Austria, July 20. He was warmly welcomed, and 
will spend two weeks In Austria. . . Great heal lias 
prevailed in London, England; July 20, the temperature 
reached 126 degrees In Hie sun, and 86 in the shade. There 
were many prostrations. . . Masons are striking lu 
Bavaria, arid soldiers are needed to quell the riots. 
