Our advice would be, do nothing of the kind. You will find just as good bargains five years hence. " There are always as fine fish in the sea as have been caught." The wood would be worth very little without capital to handle and sell it to the best advantage. The farm itself will produce nothing without tools, seed, team and labor. If it is the labor of the owner, how is he to be fed ? The $300 still in the bank would be soaked up directly as follows: Cost of the cheapest horse worth owning, $80.00 Cart harness, plow harness and whiffietree, 20.00 Cart, plows, drag, cultivator, scythe, axe, spade, hoe, forks, rake, shovel, curry-comb, brush, grind-stone, wedges, chains, bags, baskets, steel-yard, half-bushel, hatchet, wrench, &c, 110.00 fCow, pigs and poultry, 50.00 Seeds and plants, 30.00 Lastly, the wedding expenses, 10.00 $300.00 196 ON HABITS AND MANNERS. Even if the house were nicely furnished by a liberal father-in-law, how can the young man live, and pay interest on the remaining $800 due on the land ? VIII. All this tearful embarrassment and the consequent working at a disadvantage, and compulsory borrowing, could be avoided by not investing a penny in land so early in life. Turning a deaf ear to the land agent, our hero sets himself to find a good piece of land which has been a little neglected, and whose owner has not much taste or skill, and would be glad to put it out on shares. Such pieces are to be found easily enough, and after refusing a number of such, our prudent beginner, making haste slowly, will be likely to have a favorable opportunity. Here his good character will enable him to command good terms. And the more he can induce the owner to furnish of stock and tools the better. There will be plenty of room left to use the small sum of $500 as working capital, to more advantage. In making a bargain to farm on shares, the beginner should be very careful to have the contract drawn up in writing as definitely and clearly as possible. This is neces- sary even with the land -owner who means to deal fairly, because misunderstandings are constantly occurring when there is only memory to refer to. So far from making agree- ments with land-owners whose neighbors do not consider ON HABITS AND MANNERS. I97 them reliable and just men, it is much safer for beginners to avoid such altogether. Even a victory in a lawsuit is often ruinous to a poor man. IX. As a guide, we give the following form, which can easily be varied : but as written, it embraces the common features of such agreements in Eastern Virginia: Articles of agreement made this first day of 1888, between John Doe, of the County of , in the State of Virginia, of the first part, and Richard .Roe, of the said County and State, of the other part, witnesseth : That the said John Doe doth demise unto the said Richard Roe, his personal representatives and assigns, all that certain farm situate in ihe County of in the State of Virginia, bounded on the North by the main road leading from to , on the East by the land of Adam Smith, on the South by the River, and on the West by land now occupied by Pier Plowman : from the first day of Jan- uary, 1888, for the term of three years thence ensuing, yielding there- for to the said John Doe, during the said term, the rent of one-third of the crops raised on said farm.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Our advice would be, do nothing of the kind. You will find just as good bargains five years hence. " There are always as fine fish in the sea as have been caught." The wood would be worth very little without capital to handle and sell it to the best advantage. The farm itself will produce nothing without tools, seed, team and labor. If it is the labor of the owner, how is he to be fed ? The $300 still in the bank would be soaked up directly as follows: Cost of the cheapest horse worth owning, $80.00 Cart harness, plow harness and whiffietree, 20.00 Cart, plows, drag, cultivator, scythe, axe, spade, hoe, forks, rake, shovel, curry-comb, brush, grind-stone, wedges, chains, bags, baskets, steel-yard, half-bushel, hatchet, wrench, &c, 110.00 fCow, pigs and poultry, 50.00 Seeds and plants, 30.00 Lastly, the wedding expenses, 10.00 $300.00 Even if the house were nicely furnished by a liberal father-in-law, how can the young man live, and pay interest on the remaining $800 due on the land ? All this tearful embarrassment and the consequent working at a disadvantage, and compulsory borrowing, could be avoided by not investing a penny in land so early in life. Turning a deaf ear to the land agent, our hero sets himself to find a good piece of land which has been a little neglected, and whose owner has not much taste or skill, and would be glad to put it out on shares. Such pieces are to be found easily enough, and after refusing a number of such, our prudent beginner, making haste slowly, will be likely to have a favorable opportunity. Here his good character will enable him to command good terms. And the more he can induce the owner to furnish of stock and tools the better. There will be plenty of room left to use the small sum of $500 as working capital, to more advantage. In making a bargain to farm on shares, the beginner should be very careful to have the contract drawn up in writing as definitely and clearly as possible. This is necessary even with the land -owner who means to deal fairly, because misunderstandings are constantly occurring when there is only memory to refer to. So far from making agreements with land-owners whose neighbors do not consider them reliable and just men, it is much safer for beginners to avoid such altogether. Even a victory in a lawsuit is often ruinous to a poor man. As a guide, we give the following form, which can easily be varied : but as written, it embraces the common features of such agreements in Eastern Virginia: Articles of agreement made this first day of 1888, between John Doe, of the County of , in the State of Virginia, of the first part, and Richard .Roe, of the said County and State, of the other part, witnesseth : That the said John Doe doth demise unto the said Richard Roe, his personal representatives and assigns, all that certain farm situate in ihe County of in the State of Virginia, bounded on the North by the main road leading from to , on the East by the land of Adam Smith, on the South by the River, and on the West by land now occupied by Pier Plowman : from the first day of January, 1888, for the term of three years thence ensuing, yielding therefor to the said John Doe, during the said term, the rent of one-third of the crops raised on said farm.

On habits and manners